A dozen ways, a dozen days....what am I doing these days?

Keeping it up as any bunny would and could. I made this video from the studio of a piece I am slowly nudging toward completion. Check out the video on my you tube channel by clicking on the video below. It's only 5 min of your time deep in my thoughts and goals.

RAMA - towards gold and robes

Here is some of the process for finishing my Rama painting currently on exhibition at the Stride Gallery until the end of this month.

 I left off with the painting at the fall of light stage. I must have painted and repainted it 5 times. Learning that its okay to rework and wipe away. The creation of this piece became a very organic process. I also lost my reference material when my laptop had to be reformatted.

I wanted to create darker shadows and more realistic form with this piece than in my previous sacred images. I also wanted the dark skin tone to resemble a rocky statue. I had a picture that I ripped out of a national geographic that had a great stone texture that I used as my inspiration. I added pits and cracks and highlights.

I decided to have Rama pulling back a lightning bolt instead of a traditional arrow.  I taped the shape off and painted it in with leafing resin. It takes at least an hour for it to become tacky and ready to lay leaf. My idea is that I can create crisper shapes when I pull the tape of afterward.

After gently laying down the gold leaf I rubbed it with the back of my knuckles because the brushes I have are a little too rough and tear the gold leaf leaving an undesirable cracked texture. This is the first test I have for doing it this way and it has turned out quite good for being a total noobie. I clear coated the gold leaf afterward to protect it, keep it shiny and to stall any future oxidation that might occur.

I drew out half of the bow shape onto a large sheet of paper so that I could have a symmetrical bow. I cut out the sheet and used it as a placement guide. I followed the paper guide with masking tape and gently cut it out to match using my matte knife where necessary.

I figure out an appropriate angle to place the top part of the bow and then laid down the masking in the same manner as on the lower half. Afterward, I placed the guilding glue or size and waited until it became tacky to the touch.

Here is the gold leaf applied to the inner shape. You can see the bits that are loose over the masking tape as they have nothing to adhere to. I gently brush them away and try to salvage as many pieces as I can leaving the rest to fall to the floor like rice at a wedding.

I removed the tape, cleaned up the edges and applied the protective coating over top of the gold. It shines brilliantly and beautifully. far better than any gold paint ever could. I like the implied line of the bow string and decided not to paint it in at all.

The next stage as time consuming. Since I had no plan or reference I had to improvise a flowing robe in white paint. I used a slightly translucent white and scrubbed it to give it a silky appearance. Beneath each foot I decided to have him stand on the robe as if it is helping him to float in the red void. I left some of the robe at the point of construction lines to give it a lyrical feel and to reveal some of the steps in creating it.

I gave him a helmet with the fabric coming from the top of it. I decided not to paint it with shadows which would give it solidity and weight. Instead it is more like an outline or X-ray style. I did not paint in the gems or add any gold so that the simple color palette would not be disturbed.

Here is a shot of the full piece in the studio before heading to the gallery space for hanging.

Here is a current active link to the Gallery page for more info and a great article about the work:

http://www.stride.ab.ca/main.html

Check it out before it is to late!

GANESH dead coloring

dead coloring begins to bring Ganesh to life.

As is my practice, I work on many pieces at once. My method keeps my mind keen and helps keep me busy rather than watching paint dry. It is oil paint after all. I am currently working back and forth between the two paintings, I have posted here recently. This is how the elephant god, Ganesh is progressing.

I  blocked in some bold mustard hue for the skin tone. It was mixed with Raw Sienna, a tinge of Cadmium Orange and lightened with some Naples yellow. The consistency was perfectly creamy, just how I like it, liquid love. It is slightly transparent, once brushed on you can see some of the shadow areas beneath. 

I filled in some orange for the fruit. I was feeling Cezanne come thru on the color but I think I may make the fruit peaches, not certain yet. I blended a nice soft blue made of cobalt blue and titanium white for the mid tones of the fabric. Some of the charcoal particles mixed in but I still have lots of work to do on this part anyhow. I blended the leftover blue and mustard yellow to make the grey/green base for the bowl and tusk.

 I also had enough juice left in me to paint a fancy lotus with a fragile stem. I am happy with the progress, however, didn't feel confident enough to tackle the axe or background so instead I turned my sights on the Rama fall of light, will post tomorrow;)

Thanks to everyone who has been reading my posts!

GANESH

my battle with the elephant headed god has begun

 At first I made a central horizontal and vertical axis on my 5 X 5 canvas. I used red and blue colorerase pencils to mark it out. I then created intersecting diagonals or radial lines. I used string to create a compass and created some circles to help plan out the sacred geometry used to create the image of deities.

 

 I had some reference images printed out and created a dark red grid to base the character on. My studio is so hot and has no windows, I'm drawing in my skivvies. That;s just an aside, don't imagine it unless you are female.

I used the central axis for the sternum and drew in the weighty seated part of the figure. I decided to drop one leg so it could also be in dance and to create a dynamic symmetry. I also used the second square for the third eye area of the elephant head. I tilted the head in to echo the leg angle.

I began t block in the tilted head and trunk. I am using vine charcoal and a brush to rub it out. My hands are black by this point. Hi five!

Constructing this image has been a real battle!  I decided it is necessary to enlarge the limbs and the feet. Getting the placement just right takes a bit of trial and error.

I finish off putting in the four limbs and sketching in a bit of material around the figure. I decided to get rid of the lotus throne for the time being. By the end of the session I gave it a spray of workable fixative which stinks so bad and is a carcinogen so I have to exit the studio and call it a night.

Integrity and artwork pricing

or Show some respect!  My uphill battle selling art.

I premiered my latest creation "The Wheel of Deluded Existence" at Derek Bisbing and Jim Laing's House Gallery show titled Horror 2. I feel it was a tremendous success, so much so that two drunken attendees insisted they love my painting, and had to have it even if it was unfinished. I was highly flattered.  Then one of the ladies became really belligerent referring to herself as a  "bitch" <---(her words not mine).  I was stone cold sober, so I can say with great confidence that it was mostly over the price tag.

Fact: There was no price. I simply stated how many hours had been put into the piece so far. 50 hrs. to be exact.  I explained that the work was not complete an that the final price would reflect the additional hours I hope to put in in order to make the work exceptional. She went as far as telling me, the artist, that I would ruin the work if I kept working on it more.  Expect at least 30 hrs. more on this one!

 Above: The Wheel of Deluded Existence @ 50 hrs.
Photo by Derek Bisbing

They said they wanted it anyway, as is. I couldn't let it go unfinished especially at the price they were willing to offer. Now at this point is when I realized that some people are going to be cheap and really low ball you and disrespect you to get what they want. These are not the type of people I want to deal with, and especially not the type I want owning a Brian Batista original. I asked how much my 50 hrs. were worth to her? No reply. So, I asked what 50 hrs. of her time would be worth. Hell, she could even trade something....No answer. I said if she wasn't willing to offer anything remotely close to $1000 for my 50 hrs. (that is equal to $20 per hr. -art materials) She should not bother talking to me about it.

That's why I don't just put a price. People scoff and judge the work differently if the price is too high or not high enough. Its a real art killer. There was no resolution, just dancing around the issue of me not listing a price. "Make me an offer."  What resulted was pussyfooting. However, they were so emotionally attached to the fact that I put my hours of labor over a definitive numeric value that they just couldn't let it go. It did not help them avoid embarrassment with the small change they were willing to trade.  They insisted that since the painting wasn't finished it should be cheaper. Seriously?!

I learned a valuable lesson here after a friend turned to me and said "did I just see you NOT sell your painting to them". I nodded. I was not valued by this person, and underneath it all....... neither was my work.  Sure she loved it, but not as much as it is worth.  I'm not making stuff for a pitiful $10/hr. plus materials. At the end of the night,  she still asked me for my card. I told her to visit Market Collective where I was selling prints, where she could pick up something she could afford. BAM!

 The result of this event is helping shape my artistic business practice: 

I'm the type of artist to work on something in great detail. I do not  make short pithy ideas or contemporary "one liners" that can be sold at an inflated price. My work takes DEDICATION, SKILL, CONCENTRATION and EFFORT to produce. For this piece I tallied up the hours on the top of the painting as I went! It can take a surprising amount of TIME to paint something. So far..... 50 hrs.

I think this is the way I will label my work  from now on. This is my profession and people are constantly under valuing my skills and efforts.  On the other end are the artists who give the rest of us a bad name, selling lazy crap for millions of ddollars. I'm willing to trade my 50 hrs. for 50 hrs. in their craft and take $ out of the equation all together. It may be a luxury but it's my integrity:


I decide who gets my work. I decide if the deal is fair and I decide if the painting is done!

If you like my work and what I have to say, I just created a facebook "fan" page, click here to 'like'!


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The wheels on the bus go round and round.......

Still cracking, on the Wheel of Deluded Existence.  Had a big day and some more visitors to the studio. Had a quick break while working to do an interview with Hannah Kost from the Calgary Journal. She asked about my recent an upcoming Canvas Building Workshop for Aboriginal Youth program put on by USAY, he Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth. Here is a photo I just love of two of the participants from my last session.

It was a big day, I spent most of it reworking my course notes for After Effects to better suit the animators in the class.  It was kinda fun=, for a total review and jump into the past;) My class is about Text and Sound in regards to animation of visual information conveyed in words and how to sync sounds to the visual.  Afterward I headed straight to the studio. I knew it was going to be a long one, and the sooner I could get finished, the sooner I could run over to the Scrillex show at the Hi Fi club.

I worked my way through most of the remaining colors. Added some Green and blue variations, some quinacridone red, demon flesh tones, a little bit of brown, dark charcoal for the hells cavern, revisiting some tones in places I missed yesterday. It's a good thing I managed to save a bit in a little plastic sealable container from Vietnamese the other day. I pulled out my red sharpie to quickly block in roof tiles on the temples. See if you can see all the work one below ;)

It was about 1am when I noticed all the time had been used up;( I got out my burnt umber and quickly added in little hairs on the tiger pelt to make it look far more soft and hairy, like a kitty pelt would be. 

At this point I've realized I'm only about half way to where I'd like to be at about 40 hrs. It is looking far to simplistic and "cartoony" now. There are many little details and shading that need to be added to please my artistic temperment. Alas, I'm just going to have to deal with getting it to a place where I am happy to exhibit it on Saturday evening after my class from about 10 - 2am tomorrow evening. Sigh. We will see what kind of artistic magic I can conjure tomorrow night;)

Big wheel keep on turning...

Proud Mary keep on burning
rolling, rolling, rolling on the river.


Thanks John Fogerty. Click this --> CCR link to see and hear some inspiration. Otherwise, do as I do and hum it in your head.

Woke up feeling like THE COLD that "everybody seems to have" has moved down into my lungs. No matter, I'm gonna keep on burning and keep on working, got to get rolling, rolling, rolling on this painting.  I got out of bed and called the Canada Council about a grant I'm applying for and answered an incoming call agreeing to do an interview about some of my upcoming youth work for the Calgary Journal. I also spent many hours working on my SACRED IMAGES book design on Blurb. It's coming along quite nicely, but the proof is due Sunday or I loose my Groupon credit of 2 for one. Fingers crossed. 

In the afternoon, I dropped off my 28" wooden artist model Giraffe to Karilynn down at the Quickdraw Animation Society to use for their festival. While down there, I picked up an Imac to create my next After Effects class lesson. I'm running an older version and my computer just isn't fast enough anymore to do what I need it to do. I eagerly dreaming of the day I can afford to get a new Mac with LION on it myself.  I have enough on my plate at the moment, I don't need to be fantasizing.....

Meanwhile, Kids in the Hall - Season 1 played in the background and my hair is tied up with a twist tie because I couldn't find a hair tie. I decided to put off painting in  RED for a bit. I anticipate adding lots of blood later on., it's horrific after all !=;) I moved straight into flesh tones made with a deep Naples yellow and a permanent Alizarine. This way, I'll have all the characters placed, even the monkeys ;) I blocked in a light and dark neutral greys for the rocks and buildings.

I put on  Martin Scorsese's Kundun in the background to keep me company and remind me the history of the 14th Dalai Lama's exile from Tibet. His struggle set to the audio compositions of Philip Glass. During the 2+ hrs, I blocked in the whites of eyes and Buddha's lotuses.  My hand became severely cramped, but I was determined to block in the clothing before going home, even if it was already past midnight. I am coughing harder now, it irritates me. I need to get this far to feel that I accomplished enough.

Inner Wheel, process continues......

I did another 5hr. + session in the studio after happily removing 5 bags of unused history from my life. That is freeing. I also signed an agreement today to give a lecture on November 16th about the history of animation at the Glenbow museum. This will be an exclusive event for their PIVOT group, which are young professionals. I will also talk a little about my painting because it has inspiration and links to their Asian exhibition space. Cool.

Below is the palette I found discarded in the trash. Yes, it's a rubbermaid container lid, white and plastic, perfect for my needs.... and completely FREE!!!

I worked in a golden yellow for the Buddha's skin tone. Followed by orange for his robes. I figured I would keep on working with the larger characters and used a pure Pthalo Blue right out of the jar for the glow behind him and a mix of Cereluen blue and lime green for the halos. I also use these colors elsewhere in small details like the rooftops, some jewels and in the water portion.

As you can see there is much more to do....... but it is coming along nicely. I love how the contrast of the blues an orange look at the moment. Which is probably why I feel so reluctant to drip the paint over all my hard work all of a sudden.

Stay tuned for more developments. A reminder that this piece will be displayed this Saturday as part of the HORROR show. Check earlier blog entries for more information =;) Blog time is over, it's bed time which means How Stuff Works podcasts to put into the ream state....yay!

The cycle of deluded Existenece, inner wheels....

I spent two sessions with a sharpie marker getting down to the nitty gritty, placing the characters in their respective sections of the wheel. Getting to it..... is harder than you think.

It's one of those points in art making where you can grind to a halt. It can feel like Oedipus must have just before reaching the top. At the most difficult moment, and the rock tumbles back down over you. My inner voices make it ever so harder to get things done, to show up and do what it takes to get to the finish line.  My inner voice reasons with me saying things like "C'mon, go out, have fun, it's the week-end, you can do this another time", or "Don't worry about it, you can do it later, there is plenty of time" etc.  I battle it with... "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today". Still, it subconsciously wants me to be distracted. It wants me to quit. It wants me to fail. Asshole!

That is why it is so important to set a goal and just keep going until you get there. Strange enough, when I do and am only responsible for the showing up part....., I get complete much quicker than anticipated. This is where the artistic play comes in, with the free time. Hmmmmm. I may be onto something here.

After drawing in the various scenes, I clear coated the entire painting so that I could resume work and have a way of wiping away mistakes if necessary.  Also, I was worried the sharpie would bleed through the next layer of paint. This layer should seal it in so that I don't run into that problem. Tonight, I'm gonna sleep on it and I look forward to the next part of the process: blocking in the drawings, followed by some more dripping (but this time I may do  it from the bottom up).

We will see =;)

Another day, another cycle... (The Wheel of Deluded Existence)

I spent another evening painting away at my piece for the upcoming horror show. I thought with all the hours I've been putting in..... I would have gotten the entire Yama figure painted in by now. Sometimes the going gets tough and the paints flows slowly. Like watching paint dry. Slow. Anyhow I am super happy with how it is coming along.

On a technical level, I am struggling with how quickly Acrylic dries and how flat it ends up coming out looking. I am using retarder and keeping things wet but sometimes the paint is sticky and a bit muddy. I'm tainted and spoiled by too many years with high quality oil paints. Unfortunately, oil just won't dry quickly enough to have the piece done for this Friday.

I repainted all of Yama's red skin to set back some of the drips and add depth. I added highlights to his palms, feet and nose. I retouched the crown skulls some more, as well as the hair band and the flowing brocade behind the figure. Tonight, I will keep going and get the tiger pelt and ground in so that I can transition to the contents of the wheel of deluded existence.

Wheel of Deluded Existence continues

So I've been lucky enough to get to keep painting in the studio this thanksgiving week-en and into the week. This piece is due Friday but there might be a little wiggle room come the week-end. Regardless, I am full steam ahead to get it finished in time.

 I began work on the landscape of the inner wheels, painted in some stripes on the tiger pelt, the skulls on the crown, and the head brocade.  Originally, there weren't enough sections in the outer wheel, to my surprise I calculated wrong. Rather than just let it slide and continue painting as it, because you can't get away with that when you have integrity and put this much time into something.  So, I had to go back and fix it which means I spent much time back with the Gesso. Black and white. I also began logging my hours with a simple tally on the upper edge of the painting.

Here is the point before leaving the studio. I dripped dark brown paint along the face. I always like doing this as it gives the appearance of age between the layers. It also gives me something exciting to work with.

Wheel of Deluded Existence continued...

I had a really busy day running around teaching. First I taught a flipbook class to teens as part of an after school program at the Forest Lawn Library. Immediately following that class I had to rush over to instruct by After Effects evening class at Quickdraw Animation Society. However, after all that, I still had some creative juice to flow. I spent about 3+ hours in the studio blocking in more color masses on my painting.  By blocking in this portion with acrylic, it helps to speed up my process. Basically, it is dry by the time I'm done and ready to be worked on. Unfortunately it's well past midnight and I needed to go home and get some sleep.

I painted around the edges for this piece as well since I know it will be hanging without a frame at the Horror show in less than two weeks.

DANCING LIGHT

I am working on dioramas and doing more casting. I decided to convert the style of my paintings into a few sculptures. Meaning: 3d versions of many armed tibetan deities.

IDEA # 025 - Dancing Deity Light

I will make a lotus base for the deity to stand affixed on. It will be made up of LED's, some colour changing and others pure white. Take a look at this giant Buddha that sits on a mountain in Hong Kong and you'll get an idea of what I am talking about. I am thinking 2-4 feet high for my creation but giant would be pretty cool too!

One of my best friends(PAPA) is a casting and creating superstar. He showed me some of his suppliers. I found a clear casting resin made by smooth on. I will first sculpt the parts of the gods and demons in plasticine or clay, then make a silicone mold. The clear resin can be poure

d in and out will come a six armed dancing god. This god will sit on the light base and become an illuminate colour changing sculpture. 

So...take the beethoven bust off of that grand piano and replace it with something so hot it may burn through the top!!!

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I am also working on a life sized body cast of myself to do in clear resin. I want to fill it with hundreds of Light Emitting Diodes that change colour and intensity based with a computer program. It will be called a "light body". Punny, indeed. The colours will change in relation to the chakra and aura as current moves through the body.