Current incarnation.......

The Wheel of Deluded Existence
From 50 to 75 hrs.

So after the Horror show, I took a bit more time to gestate on advancing on this canvas while working on an assortment of other pieces.  Here is the Wheel of Deluded Existence after I created two stencils and began back into the background.  I tamped the zinc white for the clouds and brushed in the iridescent bronze for the flames around the central deity.

I am really happy with how it has come along to this point, the background details are really helping to make this thangka inspire painting vibrate how I like.

I put in another long night after working all day at the Glenbow teaching Flipbooks and Zoetropes as part of their "week-end at the  museum" education program.  I decided to spend most of the time enhancing the golden ropes surrounding the wheel. I drew in with sharpie outlines and fine details on the wheel. Later, I added the light yellow high lights, dot by dot, it may have taken some time but it really makes it pop!

This helped me to decided what colors and details to add to the rest of it. I highlighted golds, drew in wood grain, gave all their clothing a high light, painted in clouds added texture to rocks and concrete.

 I also outlined the Buddhas, and put some wavy energetic line details to their body halos.  The above photo from my iphone with some reflection from the flash should give a general idea how the piece is shaping up. My work is very difficult to photograph because of all the different materials that reflect. Also the lights in my studio often throw off the color on my photos....color balanced fluorescent bulbs. Aaaargh!!!!! You should see it in person.  (Details on how to make this happen , below)

Here is a detail that shows the lighter blue outline around the edge. You are better able to see  the glittery black skin, some of the high lights, the flames and pattern on some of the fabric.

This is the face of the deity in so far, reminding you to be mindful of your P's ad Q's. I have painted the back with some Gesso and will be writing down critical information for the upcoming show. I will be dropping off the work to Daniel Sponagle and Damien Manchuck for the "Out of the Box" exhibition happening THIS THURSDAY @ 1407 - 11th ST SW!

Come by and see this work and work by over a dozen other fantastic artists!

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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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Where she stops nobody knows…..

 

..........Well the answer is to block in Yama's skin with bright red to bring him back forward a bit but since the ones I’ll be using are pure they are somewhat transparent in order to allow the colors from the drips to shine through.  Then I added all my reflective iridescent paints, which don’t photograph well, so you’ll just have to see it in person.

 This is how its done! I whip out the big guns and go straight for the gold! To do this I lay the painting flat on the ground on my painters pyramids to raise it off the floor. I’m using Testor model paints and Tamiya spray paint applied with a brush on this piece because they reflect so well! I revisit some of the whites with a more transparent Zinc white straight from the tube. Then I crisped up the  blacks with watered down black Gesso.  This helps to pop the Yama figure forward again without loosing too much of the beautiful texture the drips created.  I stop here for the night and allow myself some rest and to step back at arms length and get a fresh look in the morning. 

Some touches of detail, here and there, make the piece punchier and more resolved. I went into details of jewelery, some fire elements, some black outlines etc. You get the idea. Dropped off the work, come out an see it!

HORROR 2 SHOW

....round and round, round and round......

Class ends, I hang with Dizzy D for a bit afterward and check out his latest Artical clothing video on You Tube. SEE IT HERE. This After Effects Class is paying off for at least 1 student! 

My first step is laying the painting down on my painters pyramids and going over the entire surface with clear primer. This will help protect the surface if I make any mistake or don't like how the drips I'm taking a chance on, look. Plus it protects and punches up the colors already put down. I dripped Indian red over the entire surface to further set back the details. Then I sit back and eagerly wait to see...... WTF!? Have I done???

After sitting back for a moment, I decided to just go for! I added on more drip layer from the bottom to the top with  Transparent Yellow Oxide, which is fairly close to the yellow ochre I used previously.  Either I've got balls or I've made a mistake. And I'm right near the finish line and now have a lot more work repainting this thing, just maybe? I can't decide which one, oh wait, I'm going to have to answer with and astounding.......I've got balls! (Shit eating grin ensues.) Then I flipped it over and did one more round of burnt umber mixed with some iridescent copper dripping, why not?) dripping from the top - Holy Sh*t he's gone crazy!!! Maybe just a little bit =;P

I spritz the whole thing down as I go. Even though it's acrylic, I still have to wait a bit for paint to dry. Now, with only  a few moments left, I need some resolution to this piece, enough to confidently hang it tomorrow.....

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;)

The wheel keeps on turning (Deluded Existence Continued...)

Another night in the studio. Tonight I had three separate studio visits and one early in the day after picking up a large canvas from my favorite local art supply store.  It was a fun night but I got a slow start. Surprisingly, I still got exactly what I thought I would accomplished done. So here is is in its present state. I am really starting to get excited about how it is proceeding (steep learning curve with acrylic paints as my medium for this piece aside).

I began with some repair work on YAMA's nose before it started to drive me crazy =;P  Surprisingly the container I put some of the paint in, that was leftover yesterday, actually worked in keeping it from drying out. I need more of these little guys or empty baby food jars.  I blocked in the green landscape element below and some of the water to the left. I painted in the tiger pelt with two water colour like acrylic glazes in two different tones of orange as well as added some zinc white highlights along the edge of the fur. I surrounded the piece in a blue band and finalized my evening with dripping yellow ochre over the canvas. One last look and a quick snapshot with my iphone before leaving the studio.

The hard part is coming........... committing to the inner wheels and tackling that and then adding more elements and textures to the whole. I am a bit intimidated because of the level of detail that is required for this next section. I find that I work much better with larger brushes and more gestural strokes. As the brush size is reduced for more detailed work the time it takes me to paint increases dramatically. The clock is ticking.

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.