Abstract Painting- Kick it into gear

 Over the past several weeks I've been on a abstract kick. I've completed four paintings in two months. That's pretty good for me, as I usually only end up with about six to ten every year. I just lack daily motivation. But my brain has provided a couple of ideas lately so I opened up some acrylics and here are the results.

Most are available to watch the creative process on my YouTube channel @Paintings by Pintar

March Madness 24 x 48"

Black Scissors 9 x 12"

Parrots on Black 24 x 36"

Flamingo Flight 24 x 36"

Colectivo Coffee- Corporate Christmas Party raffle item

I was invited back this year to paint at the corporate Bostik Christmas Party. Held at the Calatrava/Milwaukee Art Museum, it was a great event. This painting was a raffle item, won by a woman who frequents this coffee shop, Colectivo, in the Fourth Ward of Milwaukee. Completed in acrylic on 40x30 gallery wrap canvas over 4 hour period. I was able to snap a couple of progress photos (bottom up).

Painting Live at Open Canvas 2012

Last night was another awesome opportunity for me to paint for my 6th year at Open Canvas. Organized by Jeff Kursel with art scholarships to MIAD, this year the date was wedged into a Thanksgiving weekend. It's such a classy act with tons of original art being created before your eyes. What a concept for the viewing public. A charitable event where 80 or so local Milwaukee area artists paint live and all the work goes up for silent auction during the evening. Lots of food, fun, people and ART.  I heard pre-sale tickets were down 20% but it sure looked like a nice size, good looking crowd was in attendance again; maybe 500-600?

2012 has been the year of the abstract for me. For some reason, I've stumbled upon some inspirational artists on YouTube and found other in art magazines. So it only seemed appropriate I do an abstract for this event. It did sell, not where I hoped, but this year has been tough for 2D sales everywhere for a lot of people. I liked what I did and had fun doing it, so nothing else matters.

Images from the past

I came across a bunch of digital images from art that I've sold or given away over the years.

 Big Bend Plein Air- SOLD

 Red Sky at Night- SOLD

 Fall on the River- Oil

 Nala- RIP. A commission for my Uncle Tom

 Mid Summer- Pastel

 15 Minutes to Sundown- Oil (all palette knife)

 Bridge at Kettle Moraine Park- Oil

Winner- Downer Avenue Plein Air Event, 2007- Oil

139 and Counting

For some dumb reason I walked into a closet I have downstairs and wondered how many paintings I had in there. So I started counting. These are paintings/drawings I've completed over the last 12 years.

10 years is about the amount of time I got "back into" my art. During 2000 when I lived in Grand Rapids, MI I took a class on figure drawing. It was fun. Then I found a local arts group called Grand Valley Artists, GVA. This was more fun, and I met some very well known national artists; Jim Markel PSA, Larry Blovets, and a few more. It got me back into art, something I had given up during the previous 10 years as I pursued a career and got married.

So around the house I went. And in the end...not counting a drawer full of smaller canvases and my "paper" box of sketches and pastel works: 139 pieces. I was kind of shocked. I've also got, without going to my inventory list, another 40 pieces at galleries and two dentist offices.

139 and still counting. I need to have a show, even if it's my own private show just to look at how far I've come as an artist. Maybe I'll do that. Stay tuned.

Open Canvas Art Event

Last Saturday was the 10th annual Open Canvas event held in Milwaukee. Six years ago I stumbled upon a small newspaper display ad promoting this event so the wife and I decided to attend. Billed as 80 artists creating original pieces in one night seemed like an interesting way to spend a Saturday evening, especially if you're into art.

The event is put together by Jeff Kursel and his family in dedication to his father who was a successful ad exec here in Milwaukee. He also attended Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), the only accredited private art school in Wisconsin. The amount of work that appears to go into this event is staggering. Coordinating the space; a beautiful old warehouse in Historic Third Ward, dozens of food vendors, donated art supplies from Richeson Art and finding 80+ artists to donate their time and effort, parking, valet, coat check, security and processing the payments from patrons that buy works via a silent auction at the end of the night....WOW...and then the clean up aftermath. It really is quite a show.

This is my 5th year of participating as an artist. I feel so fortunate, as this year featured 90 artists, many locals, many from the Kursel family and a guest artist from Germany. And me...little Mike Pintar, local artist from Waukesha struggling to sell anything this year. Getting the invite back in July to paint at this event gets be jacked up right up to the day of the event. With what I guess is close to 1000 people attending (based on bidder ticket numbers), the atmosphere is so electric and so much artistic energy, it's really hard to describe. I don't have time to take many photos when everyone is there and they discourage photographs anyway, so it's one of those "you have to be there to believe it" kind of things. Here's a quick glimpse of the action.

Artists start arriving in early afternoon. Doors to the public open at 6pm and bidding starts immediately with final auction bids closing starting at 9:30. If you're artist #1, you better be close to finished vs #84 where you'll have an extra hour to finish up your piece. So while it's a ton of pressure to create a piece in 5-8 hours, the process is where the action is, and what the public comes for.

Artists start at various times, but the key is to pace yourself so when the public is watching, you're in the middle of your work. Easier said than done!

The man, Tom Nachreiner of Milwaukee.

I took a "safe" subject this year, a cityscape, but went out of the box and developed it upside down. Below is a completed block-in and starting to move on to refining the big shapes. I'll detail the rest of the process in my next post. It was a great Open Canvas this year and hope to be back next year...cross my paintbrushes.

What It Is

So what is it to be an artist? Do you just roll out of bed one day and decide to create? People just aren't born and ready. They're inspired. By Life. The stories the artist tells, whether it be in words or pictures comes from a deep place within their sole. The heart becomes a place that is full of memories of the past and dreams for the future. So what is it to be an artist?

My story may be like so many others: I'm troubled about things. I bottle up feelings. I'm angry. I'm sad. I need love. I can't find love. I see things around me in this world that are troubling. I see beauty. I want to see God. Most don't. Can you believe?

We're all story tellers. Cover your mouth before you think! Words can get us into trouble. Actions get us into trouble. Anger, jealousy, rage...it's all around us. So we need an escape. We need a way to let those feelings out. So many of us try the seduction of booze and chemicals. Freedom from the bondage of self. It's all so momentary. The feeling is gone as fast as it happens. But we chase the dream. The dream to express our true feelings, to tell a story, and to be heard. So we lay down paint...we write lyrics...we see moving images....we dance....write....act. Who are we?

I'm an artist. But I struggle still to please people and not myself. That's what masturbation is for anyway. Why not lay down a different track? Compliance is such a dirty word. I want to be different. I want to be known. I want to be creative in my own right. I want to let those bottled up, pent up emotions flow out the end of a paintbrush, out of my mouth, through words on paper. That's what it is.

This post is dedicated to Notorious BIG---

Original Acrylic Artwork- Sea Churn

This painting was inspired by my trip to Hawaii last year. I took several photos from the ship as we skimmed along the ocean. The foam along with the aquamarine color of the ocean was awesome. So I took a fragment of the water and created this painting.

16x20- Acrylic.