Sketchbook blog

Trying to get 50 mini-paintings done for an Art-o-mat shipment, so these little babies can be dispensed in former cigarette machines for $5 a pop! Some views from the studio below.  I've included a lot of Kandinsky... and here is a quick snapshot where I spray the sealant on the paintings.  A Klimt and more Mondrian here... There's more Klimt at my studio, and I'm thinking of Klee for the next go-around.

I'll let you know if I get selected for Art-o-mat!

Wassily Kandinsky (1866 - 1944) was a Russian-born painter who believed he could hear the sound that colors made.  He believed in synaesthetic experiences:  where two or more senses are unusually affected at the same time, especially regarding a marriage of color and sound.   In 1913, Kandinsky completed Squares with Concentric Circles .  Below, I've interpreted just one little square of a circle from the painting.  Kandinsky was a prolific art theory writer with many excellent quotes. Here are just a couple bright gems: "The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul." "There is no 'must' in art because art is free." "Everything starts from a dot."

My Mom recently came to my house and found this old painting I did several years ago.  She claimed it out of my closet, so now it's headed to her home in Charlotte.

Here are some pictures of visuals that Clarice, Spencer, and Jacqueline will use for their report on Kentucky this Friday at school. State bird: State animal: State insect: State Tree: State fish: State Butterfly: In honor of the Kentucky Derby, Clarice will wear this hat:  Spencer will wear this hat: Jacqueline will wear this hat:

And here is a Pear by Clarice

Clarice has been busy making new little characters, mostly out of hem tape. Here are Pineapple and Red Kool-Aid . Enjoy!

Posting some drawings from my sketchbook below.  The themes are random.  You'll see that sometimes I draw on glassine, and I've transferred these to my sketchbook.  I draw on glassine with graph paper or a handmade grid below.  And sometimes I just draw the grid on to the glassine or sketchbook.  The grid helps keep me disciplined, and allows me to see interesting details about perspective.  I had fun with the oil pastel landscapes.  Hope you enjoy!

Ever seen a cigarette machine that dispenses art?  The project that re-purposes old cigarette machines is called  Art-o-mat , and Art-o-mat was crowdsourcing art production, exhibition, and sales before crowdsourcing was cool.  My daughter, Clarice, and I decided this summer to work on some pieces for Art-o-mat.  We are currently in production, but we will post images soon of our artwork.  Artists in Cellophane (the founder of Art-o-mat) are currently seeking more artists for an expanding number of Art-o-mat machines, placed all around the United States.  Keep your fingers crossed that we get accepted!  To read more about the Art-o-mat revolution of making art accessible (for the low, low price of $5 a pop!), click here or check out their Facebook page. Another great crowdsourcing art organization is The Sketchbook Project .  They host a succession of interesting projects, and are currently seeking entries for A Million Little Pictures .  Clarice has already received her analog camer

Some new sketches from my sketchbook...

My cousins, Grant and Ryan, got me this book for Christmas.  I don't know how they knew it was on my amazon wish list.