Happy New Year !

Happy holidays

Gallery holiday greetings

I spoke with Craig Smith, my gallery owner, this morning and he asked if I had something that he could send out as a holiday E-mail greeting. I told him that I would come up with up something for him. Below are a couple of ideas that I worked up on the computer.


I found this image on my computer, an abstraction that I did last year, and added the years and other copy.


For this design I used the same basic background image and created a triangular shape like a Christmas tree, added a few bulbs and the type.


On this version I simply changed some of the colors. I'm not sure which one he'll end up using, perhaps all of them.

More book cover ideas

I mentioned in my last post that I am thinking about publishing a book with all of my comic book cover parodies and I showed the first cover design idea I came up with.


I like this design much better as it shows many covers and would interest the viewers more, but the title just doesn't read well.


This version works a lot better.


Another variation that also seems to work quite well. I'll try several more before deciding on the final design.

Comic Book Cover Parodies book

For the last few years I've been working on a series of comic book cover parodies. I've submitted the idea to a couple of book publishers and was turned down. I still think that the idea has merit and may self-publish the book.


Here is a proposed cover which I think works pretty well and below are a few of the covers, I have done well over one hundred of these which are a result of me being a frustrated comic book artist. As a kid, I always intended to be a comic book artist, my high school art teacher steered me into the commercial and fine arts fields.








These covers were all created on the computer using the Photoshop program. I also sell these through my gallery as 13 x 19" limited edition prints. A few of these are on display at the Craig Smith Gallery in Harbert, Michigan.

More fun with photomontages

Photomontages are great fun and fairly easy to create on the computer using Photoshop.


Here;s a photo of downtown Fayetteville, NC, a neat town that we visited a couple of years ago.



I liked the yield sign and did a quick drawing of the figure which I placed into the scene. Just having a little fun while practicing on my computer.

New computer sketches for paintings

Here are a couple more digital sketches that I will develop into acrylic paintings.



The first two are an abstract version of a dancing figure. I will probably try several more variations before deciding which version to base my painting on. Exploring color and design variations like this are easily done on the computer and you can just go wild and see what happens, it's a great way to experiment.



Below are three sketches for HORIZONTAL NUDE, again I will do several more variations.




The above version is a negative of the first one and was accomplished with a press of a computer key.


This is a great way to practice color and design studies.

Photography as an art form

Photography has always been a passion of mine and I have exhibited them at the Ellen Block Gallery in New Buffalo and The Scarlet Macaw Art Center in Sawyer, Michigan.
We had our first snow a couple of days ago and there is a lot of deer activity in the area. These photos of the deer feeding off my bird feeders were taken last year outside my kitchen window.










I took the above photo a couple of weeks ago, there is a lot of great subject matter in the rural area where I live.

Harbor Country Charity Event today

Several area galleries are having a charity event today and here are a couple of posters I designed for the Craig Smith Gallery who will be featuring some of my new paintings. Gloria will also have a table at Craig's displaying her Mary Kay cosmetic line as well as her book "50 Ways To Find Romance After 50".



If anyone out there is interested in knowing more about Gloria's book, come in and talk about it or you can contact her at romanceafter50(at)sbcglobal(dot)net.

Below are a few more of the new paintings that are on display.


NUDE THINKING ABOUT GETTING DRESSED


DECONSTRUCTED NUDE


Craig has an outstanding gallery, 4000 square feet of space. Come and have a look, you'll enjoy it.

Galleries in Harbor Country are having a charity event

Several galleries in our area are hosting a charity event this Saturday and I designed a poster for the gallery that represents me, the Craig Smith Gallery. I create a lot of the promotion material for Craig including ads and posters.


Here is the rough sketch that I started with to establish the design.


The finished poster which was created on the computer.


My fiancee, Gloria Bursey, Mary Kay representative, will be on hand for beauty consultations. She is also the author of 50 WAYS TO FIND ROMANCE AFTER 50 and will have her book available for sale. The painting in the photograph is one of my new paintings which the gallery will feature as well as the work of the other artists. A percentage of all Saturday's sales will benefit The New Buffalo Service League which supplies financial and volunteer support for various charitable organizations in Harbor Country.

More graphic design work

Here is another promotion brochure that I designed to show off some of the paintings in my new series.


I usually do a small sketch of what I have in mind and use this as a basis for the final design which I create on a Mac G4 computer.


Above is the finished cover. Craig Smith, of the Craig Smith Gallery in Harbert, Michigan, has this particular painting displayed in the Soe Cafe in Sawyer, my home town. Many residents of Chicago have second homes in our area and having paintings displayed in a popular restaurant gives my work a lot of exposure. Craig also has many of my paintings and sculpture on display at Port 412, another popular restaurant that is located in nearby in St. Joseph.


The rear cover and below, the inside spread.


Brochures like this can be given to potential buyers, art centers and museums. I always make sure that Craig has a lot of then avaiable in his gallery. It's essential that artists promote themselves whether they are in the fine art or commercial fields.

New computer sketch for a painting

The twelfth painting in my new series will be based on these new computer sketches that were just completed. The computer allows me to quickly create several versions of an idea for evaluation. These sketches are just a beginning point, the painting will most likely go through many changes before completion.




This version intrigues me quite a bit, I may base the painting on it.


Another interesting possibility.


I like the black shapes on the figure in this version. This version is actually a negative of the second study.




Doing studies like this on the computer has real advantages as once you establish an idea it's quite easy to do several versions. I could probably do thirty more without any problem. Using traditional mediums would be an arduous undertaking.
I'm probably going to start painting this afternoon, so I'll be making a decision on which sketch to base the painting on soon.

Have a happy Thanksgiving Day !!!

Digital experiments: New Landscapes

I've done a great deal of experimenting with my computer. These images are part of a series that I call NEW LANDSCAPES. I don't plan these images, but just start working on a white background building up the image gradually. I like working this way as often interesting effects and accidents happen that couldn't be planned. This technique seems most natural to me when working on the computer and it's a great way to practice color and design studies.










These were all done using the Photoshop program on a Mac computer.