Sketchbook blog

I recently sent a new batch of updated Endearing Young Charms to Art-o-mat . Fall and winter berries and leaves feature prominently in this small ornament series of Endearing Young Charms.

I sent off another 50 small wood rounds to Art-o-mat at the end of September 2019. You can see my packaging in the background of this shot.  I tried to limit my color palette and focus on tropical flora inspired by Matisse.  I really enjoyed painting this red coral. My goal has been to finish 100 pieces of work per month, but lately I've experienced some family tragedies that have taken over my time and emotions.   So to highlight the positive, here are some cute pictures of the family having fun in September.

In August, I sent 2 more batches of 50 pieces to Artomat HQ. Here are some Matisse coral and 2 tiny plums. I also included some black-eyed Susans and some more coral. I love painting this small still lifes on wood rounds.

Ubisoft:  Raving Rabbids Recently, I was invited to provide 25 small works of art for an  Ubisoft  company event.  Ubisoft is the video game company that makes Raving Rabbids, Assassin's Creed, and other titles. I hand painted 25 famous artists as Rabbids. Rab Ross (Bob Ross) Rabbida Kahlo (Frida Kahlo) Rabbincent van Gogh (Vincent van Gogh) Rabby Warhol (Andy Warhol) Rabidor Dali' (Salvador Dali') All 25 of my little pieces Employees at this company event will be able to vend the pieces from an  Art-o-mat  machine onsite.  I hope the Ubisoft folks enjoy these famous artists. Video Game Art for the Smithsonian I was also invited to provide 25 small works for the fifth annual SAAM Arcade event August 3-4, 2019.  This event is open to the public.  If you and your family are in the DC area then, you should check it out. Pacman inspired by Frank Stella Pacman Lost in a F...

Brightly painted wood rounds full of fruit I've gone a little crazy with painting fruit for Art-o-mat this summer. This cherry from my Mini Masterpiece collection owes its origins to the painters like Matisse who were Fauvists. Fauvism (1899-1908) was a twentieth century art movement made of up artists who called themselves les Fauves , or the “wild beasts.” Painters like Matisse, Cézanne, Gaugin, and Seurat contributed to this style and composed still life paintings with fruit in vivid brushwork and bold colors. In this Art-o-mat package, I have depicted a subject (like blueberries, which are a superfood!) in a Fauvist style.   I hope these miniature originals brightened your day with hopeful, uplifting color. My almost 2 year old, Nate, thinks these wood rounds are puzzle pieces. He and Alex like to "help me" work on them. While I worked on this batch last Father's Day weekend, we were missing our...

Latest Batch of Mini Masterpieces for Art-o-mat I never realized until now that my love for eating fruit would come out in my artwork. Banana I kid you not that this banana was originally going to be the moon from Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night" painting. Orange In fact, while on a business trip to Washington, D.C., I had read 3 books on the life and work of Vincent Van Gogh.  I have no reason to provide you with why I painted an orange next -- except that I really wanted to add an iridescent gold highlight. Strawberry All of the fruit represented here was inspired by Fauvist painters including American painter Alfred Maurer, French artist Henri Matisse, and even Paul Cezanne.  However, I really enjoy Auguste Renoir's treatment of strawberries in this late Impressionist painting from 1905. And besides, who doesn't love strawberries? Pineapple My goal was to capture the fun and vibrant nature of each fruit.  In...

I'm cranking out some new Mini Masterpieces for Art-o-mat, and these pieces have a new and improved look. My entire set of 50 delivered yesterday to Worldwide Art-o-mat Headquarters includes 100% Matisse elements.  In the past, I painted subject matter on mini canvases or on wood blocks. But then I decided it would be cool to paint modern art on organic, touchable wood rounds.  All of these above are painted on either oak or cedar wood. The Formula Each of my Art-o-mat pieces has the following: 2 layers of gesso, multiple layers of Liquitex heavy body acrylic paint, Posca acrylic paint markers, 1 coat of spray gloss sealant, 1 coat of glossy liquid sealant, a jute string for hanging, my signature and date on the back, flannel fabric gift-wrapped with embroidery floss tie, an insert regarding the art history behind the painting, and my business card. About Matisse Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954) was a French sculptor, printmaker, and ...