ART PROJECTS: CURRENT & REVISITED (PIC BLOG)

Hello everyone. Thanks for stopping by the C.A.M. blog. I’m writing this blog to post pics of my recent projects as well as a couple of older projects that I revisited and touched up. 

This is mostly a picture blog, so enjoy the pics.

HONEYCOMBS AND ABSTRACT FLOWERS CLOSE UP (RESINED ON WOOD)

HONEYCOMBS AND ABSTRACT FLOWERS (RESINED ON WOOD)

This project is actually from 2015. I created it when I was living in Miami. Just recently, I resined over it with some leftover resin from a different project.

ARTIST’S TIPS:

When working on a resin project, have a second project nearby for the leftover resin. Resin is expensive and there is no sense in wasting the leftovers. Even if you use it just to experiment with. Resin projects are fun there are alot of cool things you can do with it. One example is mixing it with paint.

The more you practice working with resin, you’ll become more familiar with the characteristics of it, and in turn, the better you’ll get at creating projects with it.

BONUES TIP: ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES

WAITING FOR BREAKFAST (2016 Lake highlighted with resin)

For this piece, I rubbed resin over the lake portion of the painting, with my fingers. The resin really made the lake pop and gave it a cool effect and brilliance. I also rubbed the borders with resin and gave them a nice finish. I think I will put this painting in a shadow box and call it finished.

TREE OF LIFE 2019 (6” X 6” RESIN ENHANCED)

I’ve been wanting to paint a “Tree Of Life” painting for quite some time now. Many of my landscape paintings have multiple trees in them. However, I never got around to creating a T.O.L. painting.

For this one, I started off by sketching some ideas out in my journal. The initial idea was to make a big painting, about 18” x 24” or 12” X 36”.

Building on that original idea, I decided to downsize the project and enhance the outline of the tree by resining it. This idea came out pretty good and I was quite satisfied with the results. I think I’m ready to move on to the bigger version now. Sometimes it’s best to keep an idea simple and start out small, or even with a minimalist palette. Some of my coolest paintings have been done by just using three or four colors.

FROM THIS ANGLE THE TREE OF LIFE REALLY POPS.

MY FIRST TRIPTYCH (MIXED MEDIA W/FLORIDA SEASHELLS, GLITTER, AND ACRYLIC RESIN)

I created a variety of colored resins using acrylic black, reds, white, and clear resin for this triptych. I added the Florida seashells to this project to lighten up the pieces.

For the technique, I dripped and swirled the resin mixture onto the canvas with bamboo skewers. The skewers never touched the canvases. I was painting in thin air again.

To solidify the seashells to the canvas I dipped them into resin and also drizzled resin around their edges.

THE NARCISSISTIC FLAMINGO (8” X 10”)

This is one of my rare paintings. Mainly because I hardly ever paint animals or people for that matter. It’s just not my thang. I was very intrigued by the Flamingos I saw in Las Vegas.

I enhanced the lake with a light coat of resin. Once again, I applied it with my fingers. The picture doesn’t do justice to the resin techniques.

BEACH LIFE AND TREE OF LIFE (6” X 6” RESIN COATED)

MORE SHELL WORKS IN PROGRESS.

I hope you enjoyed this quick blogpost on my recent art activities. If you have any questions or comments about the artwork, techniques, or just want to say hello, contact me via email or SM

IG: ALFRESH22

As always, thanks for stopping by the Complicated Art Man Blog.

Until next time my friends, you know what to do:

Stay creative and keep painting!

ALFRESCO OUT!

GIFTING ART VS. GIVING ART AWAY

GIFTING ART VS. GIVING ART AWAY

BUFF BUDDHA - JACKSONVILLE

Every now and then I feel compelled to gift away a piece of my artwork. There is no rhyme or reason to my decision on this matter. Sometimes it could be someone who was really impacted by my artwork, or someone who made an impact on me at some point in my travels and adventures in this thing we call life. Or just me simply giving recognition to someone for something they did for me.

I do feel there is a big difference between someone wanting a piece of my artwork, versus someone needing it.

The first piece I ever gave away was Buff Buddha. Incidentally, Buff Buddha is the ONLY person piece I have ever painted. I rarely and I mean rarely paint people and animals. They just aren’t my thing. I have been sketching around with a jelly fish lately though.

At my first ever art showing, my lifelong best friend and his wife showed up to support me. His wife wanted to purchase BB from me, and I told her that I couldn’t sell it to her. I also told her that I wouldn’t give it to her.  What a dilemma, right? It wasn’t that I was attached to the piece, I just couldn’t accept money from my friends that I’ve known for over 30 years. She looked at me in disbelief, but accepted my decision and logic. We moved on.

Fast forward a year later, they came to visit me at another showing in New Smyrna Beach, Fl. It was a super windy day and I had two canvas get damaged that day due to the elements and travel. After I was all set up, I found myself having to babysit some of the artwork due to the high winds. I realized a third painting had been damaged. Then I saw Buff Buddha staring at me. Buff Buddha was swaying back and forth gently on my tent wall/fence. Buff Buddha was toying with me, as if saying, “I’m next buddy.”

At that moment, I had an epiphany. I knew that I had to let Buff Buddha go. Especially before he became a casualty.  I made a decision that I would gift it to my friend’s wife that day. Not only did she wan it; she needed Buff Buddha. After they finished lunch, they came by my tent and I remember his wife looking at BB indifferently saying, “There he is, Buff Buddha.” Then she shook her head and walked away. 

Slowly, I went over to the piece and took it down. I walked up behind her, tapped her on the shoulder and said, “here you go, he’s yours.”  

She couldn’t believe it. She was stunned. I couldn’t believe how grateful and shocked she was. I felt so awesome that someone felt that way about me giving them a piece of art that I was stunned, lol.  By the way, if you ever feel inclined to give away some of your artwork, don’t expect a reaction like the one she had. More on that later.

I knew that something had happened to me at that moment, on that day. I had come to a realization that my endeavors in art were not all about selling my art. It was the story about my journey through art and the experiences with people I would have and have had, because of art. I never sold a piece of art that day. I gave away a piece to someone who needed it. A few weeks later I sold my first piece of art, right out of our home to a friend of my folks. 

Moondancin - Orlando

Moondancin and Return of the Perseids were gifted to a gallery owner and his wife in Orlando. He helped me launch my first ever public gallery exhibit. I sold three paintings that night and another a week later. If it wasn’t for his invitation for me to exhibit, I may not have for a couple of more years. Thank you.

I was extremely grateful for the opportunity that was presented to me. The look on his wife’s face was priceless when I took her favorite painting in my exhibit, right off of the wall and handed it to her.

Return of the Persieds -Orlando

DREAM DOORS & ROSE (CIPHER IMBEDDED) - JACKSONVILLE.

ROSE AND CIPHER CLOSE UP

One piece I gifted, called Fuzzy Flower, was to a coworker at a bar in Miami. This guy made me laugh so hard at the dysfunctional operations of the establishment that I was borderline hysterical. I’ll never forget that night.

A couple of years later, he and his wife had just moved to Idaho and knowing how financially difficult and exhausting a cross country move can be, I mailed them a piece he had been eyeballing about a year before. The piece was sitting in a box and I can across it one day looking for another piece that I was about to sell. Again, I knew what I had to do with that piece. Someone “needed” it, and I was going to gift it to them.

FUZZY FLOWER- RESIDES IN IDAHO

HONEYCOMBS AND VINES (ORLANDO)

SEASCAPE DREAMSCAPE- Resides in Castle Otttis Vilano Beach (near St. Augustine)

Seascape dreamscape was gifted to the owner of the Castle Otttis in Vilano Beach Florida. He granted me permission to visit the castle and I was very thankful. I waited over 20 years to visit the Castle. Since my first visit, I’ve returned to the Castle a few times and the owner and I have become friends. The Castle Otttis is located about ten minutes North of St. Augustine in Vilano Beach. Castle Ottis is a stone cold stunner and a work of art.

Moondancin 2 - Resides in Hollywood Florida

MD2 was gifted to my friend and his wife. They came up from Miami with their son to visit me one weekend. We had an awesome time at Universal, catching up and riding the coasters. Before they left my friend commented on how much he liked this painting & how my artwork had progressed. I thanked them for the visit and before they got in their car, I surprised them with Moondancin’ 2. I guess you can say I like the element of surprise.

GROWLER PRJECT- Brewz N Dawgz restaurant (St Augustine)

TRES PALMAS Y TORMENTA (3 PALMS & A STORM) ORLANDO

Tres Palmas was gifted to a checkout girl at Publix during the holidays in early December 2018. As I was checking out, we realized we both shared a mutual unenthusiastic feeling for the “holiday season”. Although, I was a bit concerned that someone so young was so disinterested and unhappy during the holidays. It kind of bothered me. Possibly because I had recently found out that someone I had crossed paths with a few years ago, had taken her life. Reading about it had really left an impact on me. We had a lot of talents in common.

I guess that’s why when I saw the lack of Christmas joy in this young girl’s face, I was compelled to do something about it. I felt like she needed some holiday cheer and uplifting, so I gifted this one to her. Giving this one away during the holidays helped put me more into the Christmas spirit.

Tulips for Mary - Resides in Hallandale Beach, Florida

My great great friend Mary lives in South Florida and she has made a huge impact on my life. She’s Irish and my original idea was to paint her an abstract Shamrock for her birthday. Luckily, I found out from a friend that she loves, loves, loves tulips. I did manage to fit in that abstract Shamrock though. Can you find the Shamrock? Slainté.

TIPS ON GIFTING OR DONATING A PIECE OF ART

• DON’T EXPECT ANYTHING IN RETURN

  This includes recognition, a thank you card, or any sort of gratitude. Some people just don’t know how to react when you give them a piece of art. It could be awkward or maybe they just didn’t like it lol. Don’t expect them to jump up and down either.

• DON’T EXPECT THEM TO HANG IT UP CENTERSTAGE IN THEIR LIVING/DINING ROOM

  Once you’ve given it away, you’ll probably never know where it will end up. Try not to be upset if you find out your masterpiece ends up in the guest bathroom or on their floor. It’s theirs now. They can do whatever they want with it.

• DON’T GIVE AWAY A PIECE YOU CAN’T PART WITH

  Enough said.

• SIGNING

  Make sure you sign the back if you have time. I try to include some sort of thank you, or gratitude statement.

• DONATING

  Donating a piece of art to your local community for fundraisers or benefits is a great way to get your name out there. Make sure you give them a short backstory on the piece and your social media info. The story behind a painting is just as important as the artwork itself. If they have a social media exposure, try to work out an angle where they promote the piece of art that you donated.

I have a future blog I’m putting together about a piece I donated for the Cocoa Beach Surfside Playhouse. It’s for their annual fundraiser. We’ll dive into philanthropy projects on that blog and the story behind CANTO VII …

CANTO VII (MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS) 3’ X 4’ -acrylic, sand, sea shells, tree twigs, spray paint, and glitter.

Until next time my friends, you know what to do:

STAY CREATIVE & KEEP PAINTING!

DEUCES, C.A.M.

EARLY 2019 PIECES PT 1 VENOMOUS

Good day to you. Thanks for stopping by the CAM BLOG. Today I wanted to take a quick moment and share a recent project I’ve been working on...So let’s get to it, shall we?

“Venomous” 

FIRST UP: A Black & White piece. Black resin on 12” X 36” canvas. 

COLOR AND TOOLS/MATERIAL

BLACK ACRYLIC  

BAMBOO SKEWER

EPOXY RESIN by Envirotex

In all actuality, this was an experimental side piece I created from left over black resin. I knew that I wanted to create something from a minimalistic perspective and try something new. I kept the palette simple and used large bamboo skewers for the drip technique.

My window of opportunity was not too wide open. The resin was starting its firming up process. As the project continued, I had to change dripping techniques with the bamboo skewers. The experiment was taking on a life of its own. I was just there for the ride, lol.

The resin went through a four stage metamorphic process:

1️⃣ Loose

2️⃣ Firm

3️⃣ Gluey

4️⃣ Spider/Arachnid 

Each stage took me on a different ride. 

When I first started the project, the resin was still very loose and drippy. I was able to manipulate my curves with ease. As time went on, the resin got a little firmer and I had to change my dripping technique. With more ticks passing by on the clock, the resin transformed itself into a glue like character.

The glue stage actually created a new effect on the painting and thinned the resin down some. I used this opportunity to give myself another layer to work with. This stage also added another layer & depth to the painting. As I got comfortable with each stage of the process, my comfort zone was short lived. The resin decided it was time to transform, yet again. Each transformation was dictating in which direction the project was headed.

Lastly, the resin transformed to a spider web like substance. This was the trickiest stage to work with. Once again, I had to change my technique. This time, dripping the resin from about 18 inches from above the canvas, then working my way towards the canvas and hovering the skewer all over the canvas. It was just as if I was working with spider silk. That’s what it looked like as well. Oh, what I tangled web I had woven.

That voice in my head was telling me that this experiment had ran its course. Let’s call this one finished. Venomous. 

Resin is alot of fun to work with, even though that manipulation time may be about an hour. Once the resin is setting, you can add more layers and colors to your project. this will give your project a 3D effect.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Have lots of gloves handy (ha! Puns aren’t funny)

Cover your floor and table with trash bags

Use a blow torch for bubbles.

Be prepared to cover when finished

Give yourself a couple of hours. Never rush a resin project.  

If you’re planning to do a simple clear coat (table top) finish, you will only have about 45 minutes of time before the resin starts to cure.  Using a blow torch to blow out the air bubbles is a must.

Below is a link to my YT channel, complicatedartman. It is short vid on pouring resin on art.

 https://youtu.be/FbCCknkCAuY

Until next time, you know what to do; 

stay creative & keep painting! 

Deuces,

Uncle Alfresco. 

Sketching: why it’s important

So just why is sketching important? In my experience, I’ve found that sketching is a great exercise to get your mind in a creative state. Sketching also gets me hyped up & motivated to start painting my project ideas.

I’ve also found out that sketching is a fantastic way to work out potential obstacles that may be lurking ahead in your project. These obstacles may potentially spoil your future art endeavors. I guess u can say it’s like a pre gaming for your big project.

In my experience, I’ve figured out that sketching has been very beneficial to me helping me become a more efficient artist.

Another benefit of sketching is that it can help you gain a different perspective from the initial “masterpiece of an idea”, that you had in mind. Recently, I found out that sharing your sketch ideas with someone may be a huge benefit to your project. Their perception of your concept may give you a different perspective or other options in which direction to take your project.

Sketching can also be a way for your ideas to naturally evolve into a painting. It can help make the transition from paper to canvas a smooth one. Possibly pre organizing your ideas from super complex and too many, to a less is more type of methodology.

in conclusion, sketching & doodling are your friends.

For me, it’s a way to “wake up” my brain’s creative juices and get my projects going. Working out those potential pitfalls through the sketching process has saved me time, and will save you time and headaches as well in your future projects.

Sketch 2

HAPPY HOLIDAYS my friends,

Until next time, you know what to do:

Keep painting & stay CREATIVE.

C.A.M.

AVALON ART WALK

Greetings art enthusiasts. It’s that time of year for the Avalon Wine Walk. I’m proud to announce that I will be one of the featured artists during this event. Many of my pieces will be on exhibit at the Avalon Realty Group stop.

The Avalon Wine Walk event is organized by the Rotary club and many businesses in Avalon Park will be participating. This event is from 6pm-9pm. 

I still have a few loose ends to take care of before the show, but man has it been a learning experience. It has been great to get reacquainted with some of my earlier pieces & install hanging hardware on some that didn’t have any. I spent quite a few hours alone just getting some of the artwork “ready to be hung”, lol. Making frames and installing the hanging hardware is just another skill that I’m Getting better at, the more practice I get in. It is also another way to invest time in your craft that doesn’t involve painting. It’s a great alternative in case you aren’t in a “painting state of mind”. . . I’ve also learned that art that is “ready to be hung” is a great selling point.

Here are a few pics and a sneak peek of my gallery setup.  

Serenity on the St John’s #3 (Serenity Series)

Avalon Wine Walk 2018

It has been quite the learning experience setting up for this event. I put in at least 15 hours in setup time from first artwork hung, to rearranging all the pieces,  to making the exhibit labels. Of course, I had to add a few extra additions last minute lol.

LITTLE RED DOTS (monochromatic dreams series) 4 x 5

Exhibit labeled artwork for Avalon Park Wine Walk @ Avalon Realty Group

Slithering Moonrise

All in all, I was very happy with the display of my artwork & I’m thrilled that it will be on display at Avalon Realty Group in East Orlando through January 2019.  

Dalí’s View/The enigma

Hope you can stop by to check it out before it comes down:)  

C.A.M. Works on Exhibit

Until next time,

Stay Creative My Friends

Peace Out

C.A.M. 

LITTLE RED DOTS

Hey ya’ll. Hope everyone has had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend. I know I have.

One of the questions people often ask me is, “What motivates/inspires you to paint?”

I think inspiration is all around us, all of the time. Motivation has to come out of desire and want. Sometimes if I feel uninspired, I’ll visit a museum to get a different perspective on art or just get the creative juices flowing. That usually motivates me to want to create more. Other times, I’m just in a real creative state of mind and when that happens, one must strike while the iron is still hot.

At the moment I have a few projects to finish for an art show/wine walk I’m taking part, in early December. I added another action/element style painting to my collection this weekend. Sizing up at 4’ X 5’, it is a beast and a monochromatic stunner. I titled it LITTLE RED DOTS.

LITTLE RED DOTS 11/18

I know what you’r thinking: “I don’t see any little red dots. Where are the little red dots?”

Well I promise you they are in there along with a few twigs that the wind knocked off of the treetops as I was creating this piece. I painted the twigs right into the painting. I feel it gives the piece another layer of organic character.

My initial intention was to keep this painting in a monochromatic styled theme. focusing mostly on black, white, and gray. I started with whispers of dripped blue undertones on a blank canvas for some depth. After I had done my first layer of splatter work, I took an almost empty tube of Cad Red and gave it a few squeezes about two feet over the canvas, which produced the “LITTLE RED DOTS”. I promise: they ARE there. Here are some pics to prove it lol.

THERE THEY ARE

TWIG AND LITLLE RED DOTS

MORE TWIGS AND BLUE UNDERTONES

ORGANIC NATURE ELEMENTS

AND THE MINI ME

This was my second action/element style painting and I’m very happy with the result. I paint these deep in the woods behind my house, so that’s where the “elemental” aspect of my description comes into play. “Whatever lands on the canvas, stays on the canvas.”, that’s what I say to myself as I’m creating.

Thanks again for stopping by the C.A.M. blog, and as always:

If you have any questions feel free to drop me a line.

UNTIL NEXT TIME: STAY CREATIVE MY FRIENDS.

FRESCO OUT!

THE POLLOCK EXPERIMENT

Greetings from sunny Florida.

Recently, I found myself thinking alot about creating a Pollock style piece. I’ve never painted anything in that style, but lately I keep seeing his style of work everywhere I go. After doing some research on the man himself, I decided to jump in and go for it. 

I wanted to keep it simple, so I went with three colors: RED WHITE & BLUE and added some glitter just to give the painting some bling bling. I guess I was feeling patriotic. 

I got some old brushes together, some bamboo skewers for stirring/mixing the paint & a decent sized canvas (2’ x 3’) .

I used acrylic flow paint. I quickly found out that it was not as flowy/loose as I wanted. So I thinned the colors out by adding some good ole H2O. That’s fancy science talk for water lol. Thinning the paints out with water was the trick. After achieving the proper flowy consistency, I was ready to rock it out. 

I found the creating process & style of this “freeform” of painting very liberating. There was no “right or wrong” way of doing it. I was throwing paint from left to right, right to left. Down and up and up and down and all around. Sometimes I was flicking the paint brushes, and other times, just dragging them over the canvas. I was literally painting in the air. I was creating a piece of artwork out of thin air. FASCINATING! I think I only struck the canvas three times during this creative journey. I even used the bamboo skewers. They were great tools for flicking streaks, splattering, & tapping out droplets. 

STATE OF THE UNION 2018 or COTTON CANDY DREAMS?

I discovered many fascinating experiences during my Pollack Experiment journey. I felt many emotions of joy, satisfaction, and adventure. If I must say, it was pretty magical. It was a very free feeling experience. As I rhythmically maneuvered those skewers & brushes around through the air, I felt like a composer, leading his orchestra of paints on an art splattering journey.

There were a few tricky things involved with this painting technique though.

TRICK #1️⃣ Finding the balance between the three colors. I call it the “rhythm & flow” of the painting.  

TRICK #2️⃣ Determining when the painting was finished. 

Those two factors were the big decisions I had to make during this process. Once I found my rhythm & a level of satisfaction with the outcome, I was able to determine when it was time to let it go. In other words: FINISH, CAPUT, FIN, FINITO, BE OVER IT... You get the idea.

There was even a surprise third TRICK. 

TRICK #3️⃣ THE COLOR MIXING MAGIC

This serendipitous development was awesome. The natural color mixing taking place during the creative process, produced MORE than just three colors. Not only did I have RED WHITE & BLUE, but the color mixing created light blue, pink, and even values of violet & purple.. I found his fascinating. The painting was creating elements on it’s own. It had conjured up catalytic energies on its own will. Now that’s MAGICK! 

Anyhow, This experience has opened up my eyes and imagination further into my limitless and untapped creative energies. 

Thanks for taking the time out of your day, to peruse this article on “THE POLLOCK EXPERIMENT”.  

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments, or hit me up on social media. 

IG: ALFRESH22

Or email me via the contact link.  

Until next time: UNCLE ALFRESCO OUT! 

FINDING SERENITY

GREETINGS, from the Complicated Art Man.

It's been a hot & rainy season here in Central Florida.  I've really gotten into my golf this year.  Needless to say, my artwork has been put on the backburner.  I have practiced a bit.  Actually painted a couple of pieces, but haven't really committed to a piece. Until this one.

It's a "riverscape".  The mighty St. John's river & a Florida sky full of thunderstorms.

I recently noticed that I've been a bit uneasy.  The rains have flooded out a lot of the Mt. Bike trails throughout Central Florida, so I haven't been riding much.  I decided to give this riverscape a go. Took me a couple of weeks to get into it, but I'm really satisfied with the end result.  I also realized why I love painting so much:

 The ability to create art & get lost in an art project is extremely rewarding & priceless.

I guess I found serenity in this piece, hence the choice for the title.  

This canvas is gallery style, "ready to be hung".  I had started to paint the borders plain black, but  I thought it looked kind of "cheap".   I woke up one morning and the idea came to me very sudden:  A brownish border, with caramel colored mermaid scales.  I used a stencil and painted the borders with a distressed technique.  I guess I don't like to use perfect patterns in my works.  So I made sure that the pattern came out "imperfect". I felt that a "solid & perfect" stencil application would make the piece cheezy. I'm very happy with the result and also happy to say that this piece is going to its new home.  That was pretty fast work via Social Media.

COLORS I USED ON THE SERENITY ON THE ST. JOHN'S PIECE:

TITANIUM WHITE, ULTRAMARINE BLUE, PTHALO BLUE, PTHALO GREEN, ARTIST'S BLACK, CUSTOM BROWN, BURNT SIENNA, YELLOW OCHRE.

SIDE NOTE: Yellow Ochre is a really cool color to work with. Try it sometime.

Another piece I did this summer is a Full Moonscape. I filled it up with trees & a little surprise in the lower left hand corner. A MAGIK BOX.

I used the paint knife for the trees and they came out awesome.  I love using the paint knife. It takes a hot minute or two to learn how to use it. Once you figure out how to manipulate it, you can do some really cool things with it.   I've made an entire painting with just the paint knife.

COLORS I USED ON THE FULL MOONSCAPE PIECE:

TITANIUM WHITE,  ALIZARIN CRIMSON,PTHALO BLUE, PTHALO GREEN, ARTIST'S BLACK, , BURNT SIENNA.

I have a couple of more projects on the horizon. My main focus will be landscapes & seascapes with a twist. I’m adding these Medieval doors from the Castle Otttis into the painting. I’m gonna have to channel my inner Dalì for that. 

Castle Otttis is an authentic Irish Castle & it is located just north of St Augustine in Vilano Beach. It is not open to the public, so I’m sorry that you can’t visit it. I waited over 20 years to visit & the Castle Otttis didn’t disappoint.

I got a chance to visit the Castle & befriended the owner. I’ve been back a few times & even helped him out with an event. He is a very unique and one of a kind individual.  It turns out we both a love and affinity for music- ESPECIALLY REGGAE. I am very grateful for him allowing me to visit his property. I made a friend & even gave him a painting as a token of my appreciation.

As a bonus I’m proud to have a piece of artwork on the Castle grounds.

UNTIL NEXT TIME MY PEEPS!  

COMPLICATED ART MAN...OUT!

SEASCAPE DREAMSCAPE

Good day to you all.  Greetings from central Florida. A lot of my paintings come from dream sequences I have.  This one was no different.

I haven't been to the beach in months. For some reason, I've been dreaming about the full moon rising over the ocean lately.  I've been wanting to paint a seascape for about six months now, but struggled with certain aspects of painting a seascape.  Mainly, the shoreline parts. I've done many lake/landscape paintings & have no difficulty with the shore lines in those paintings.  Mostly because I've developed a cool technique where the water meets the land and grassy areas.

I decided to do some practice run throughs of just the shorelines.  After sessioning out a couple of hours of painting only shorelines,  lo and behold: I finally crossed that barrier. I was ready to paint my almighty seascape masterpiece.  Wink wink. That was a joke incase you were wondering. Although I was quite pleased with the end result.

I did manage to get into this very cool moonrise painting on wood.  I wanted to capture that dreamy, moody, hazy full moon night sky that I kept envisioning from my dreams.  so I kept the colors dark for the sky.  Mostly shades of blues & black & white...  I had a great time creating the full moon lit sky.  I used Ultramarine Blue, Pthalo Blue, Black, and White for the sky.

When I finally got down into the shore line and sandy areas, I wanted to go for a hypnotic effect. But, I also wanted to brighten the theme up just a bit.  I added more colors: Raw Sienna, Yellow Ochre, Cad Yellow. I don't like working with just Cad Yellow. It's amazing the range of colors you can achieve when mixing with the different hues of yellow.

I did some heavy blending and achieved the result for the shoreline I was looking for.  I've been trying to achieve this blurry/hypnotic effect for some time now to actually do a "full painting" with. Out of nowhere, I saw the effect come to life as I was creating the shoreline.  I heard that little painting voice in my head saying, "Go with it. Go with it."  So, I went with it, and I was glad with the results of the contrast of the waves versus the shore line. 

It still amazes me how one painting can lead to another.  Now that I know the secret to getting that blurred out, hypnotic feeling, I can apply to other paintings...Including some smaller versions of this "Dreamy Ocean Moonrise"

COLORS I USED: TITANIUM WHITE ULTRAMARINE BLUE PTHALO BLUE MIDNIGHT BLACK YELLOW OCHRE RAW SIENNA

PEACE OUT---

YOUR UNCLE ALFRESCO...

RECENT GROWLER PROJECTS

Greetings from the Complicated Art Man.  It's that Fall-ish time of the year here in Central Florida.  I took most of the summer off from art projects and it's getting to be that time again for new ones.

Hurricane Irma really did some significant damage here in the Orlando area and several trees were blown over.  I picked up a couple of wood stumps and decided to give them new life.  Those art projects are currently in their infancy stages and I will post about them when they're finished.

In the meantime, I've had a couple of growler bottles I've been working on and finally have finished them.  I decided to go with a Florida seascape theme for both.  After a recent trip to St Augustine, I was fortunate enough to catch the sunrise on the way back home.  I caught a few shots of the sunrise over the Atlantic and have been pondering on them for a bit.  After a couple of sketches in my journal, I was finally ready to do up the growlers.

HERE'S BOTH OF THEM

Once again I took to the "lazy Susan" technique.  I started off by priming the bottle with a couple of coats of flat black spray paint.  If you have never tried painting on a bottle without priming it, good luck getting the paint to stick.  I use a lot of wet on wet technique and it doesn't work without first priming the bottle.  I like to go with the flat black base because it really makes the colors pop once you begin blending.

It takes a hot minute to figure out how to handle the growler while painting on it, without smearing the paint.  For that, you'll just have to figure out which way works best for you.

One of these growlers is going to end up at my friend's restaurant in St. Augustine, Brewz N Dawgz. The owner Roger Lim, was gracious enough to gift me a growler.  This will be the temporary home for the growler, until it makes its way to a permanent home.

I'm excited to start my next projects which will be painted on wood, cut from the stumps that I saved from Hurricane Irma. I will keep you posted.

Until next time,

Keep It Complicated...

THE GROWLER PROJECT

Greetings! I work as a resort pool bartender in Orlando. That's my bread and butter.

Recently, a co worker asked me to paint a growler for her. I was actually shocked that she asked me to do a painting for her.  Nonetheless, I was honored to paint the growler and accepted the challenge.

The growler was from a brewery in Ocala Florida and it was a 64 oz bottle. 

As I started to prep the bottle for painting, I realized that the main challenge was going to be painting on top of the round shape of the Growler.  When I started to sand it down, I realized I wasn't going to able to paint on it properly.

I was going to need to be able to move the bottle around without touching/handling it. Basically,  I needed to be able to move it from side to side, without any hinderances.  

My neurons were firing quickly, as I was already in a creative state of mind. I grabbed a lazy Susan from the pantry. The Susan allowed me the flexibility I needed to paint on the growler freely. You'll see below how this technique worked.

SANDED DOWN GROWLER 

A big part of the prepping process was the fact that paint doesn't stick to glass so easily... I had two main stages of prep. 

1: Sand the bottle surface down with 60 grit sandpaper.  

2: Primer the bottle with flat black spray paint. Two coats.  I chose black so that the colors would pop really nice.  Now I was ready to paint my masterpiece. LOL. 

The finishing touches to the painting was the "FLORIDA ROOM/WINDOW EFFECT.

As I was painting the growler and moving it around from side to side, I started to understand clearly that this was an art piece that begged to be "looked" at.  That's when I came up with the idea of adding the windows effect.  I think it really made a difference and I was amazed at the change in perspective.

The real finishing touch came with the clear coat of gloss. I used Rustoleum's cystal clear gloss. It gives it a super nice luster and a protective coat over the paint.  And this project will need the protection.

Painting on glass is very tricky.  The paint can chip off at any given time, after it dries.  That is why you should not try to handle the bottle with your hands.  It will be impossible at some points not to do so, so you just have to be careful.

I hope you enjoyed this blog.  If you have any comments, feel free.  Or drop me a line via the contact form.

PEACE OUT---

C.A.M.

STRETCHED OUT CANVAS? NO PROB

Traveling with your artwork, can make pieces vulnerable to getting damaged. When I came back home from my last show, I realized one piece had leaned into another, causing the canvas to stretch. This can also happen if your artwork isn't stored properly. 

I came up with an idea to cut the canvas off of the stretcher, and paste it on to a wood board I had previously custom cut myself. I took the idea one step further and decided to "create" a little.  

Here's the work from beginning to end. 

Original piece

This was a good experiment and I didn't have to throw away the painting.  I have to put a few finishing touches on the wood board and then I'll be satisfied with the end result...

Good luck and keep on painting

Your Uncle Alfresco... A.K.A. THE COMPLICATED ART MAN.

THREE OF A DIFFERENT KIND

Greetings and salutations from the Complicated Art Man.  It's another spectacular spring day here in Orlando.  High of 65 and a little chill in the air.

I wanted to share with you three different versions of a painting that I recently did.

I temporarily have named the painting "Moody Lake".   I was inspired by a picture someone posted on Instagram.  The picture was taken somewhere in the Northeast.  Connecticut, If I'm not mistaken.

This first version was painted on an 8" x 10" canvas.  I really enjoyed painting this piece, but I wanted to go somewhere a little "darker".  I envisioned this piece, but more hypnotic or dream like.  So I went for it.

MOODY LAKE

This is the second evolution of Moody Lake.  You can definitely tell the difference right away.  the sky is darker and stormy looking.  Is it a snow storm, or a rain storm coming?  Who knows, who cares. 

MOODY LAKE 2

The trees were done with a broken stroke technique.  I used a script liner brush.  I kept the paint really wet and thinned it out with water.  This technique let the paint flow like ink, allowing me to paint very freely.  I also used the same technique for the "aire/atmosphere" using different hues of blue. I was going for a "dream like" feel on this version.  I feel as if I achieved what I set out to do here.  I still wanted to go deeper. Something was telling me I could go "darker and more mysterious."  That led me to a version three.

MOOD LAKE 2 FRAMED.  WHAT A DIFFERENCE A FRAME MAKES

SLITHERING MOORISE

ENTER VERSION THREE: SLITHERING MOONRISE.  Keeping in theme with the second version, I kept this version dreamlike, hypnotic, and moody.  I added the full moon after going out during the full moon, to one of my favorite spots in Winter Park.  A B O BAR.

While tipping back a cold beverage and enjoying some peel and eat shrimp, (A B O has some of the best peel and eats I've had in Otown, JUST SAYIN.) I noticed the full moon doing full moon like things behind some trees.  I decided that I would add the full moon to this version.  So I did.

The full moon reflections came out "slithery" on the lake... Hence the title: SLITHERING MOONRISE.  This really is a "dark & moody" piece.  The picture shown is the best picture I've been able to capture.  The sun was setting and it really lit up the painting, something nice.  This painting needs to be around the right amount of lighting, to pop.

KEEP CREATING & HAPPY PAINTINGS YA'LL-

YOUR UNCLE ALFRESCO.

LITTLE BIG ECON STATE FORREST (ORLANDO, FL)

One of my favorite places in Orlando is the Little Big Econ (Econlockhatchee River) State Forest in Geneva, Florida (EAST ORLANDO)

I mountain bike and trail hike there often.  Recently, I stopped to enjoy the view and noticed a how great it was from the trails. The palms & trees really jumped out at me from this vantage point.

LITTLE BIG ECON RIVER TRAIL

I've ridden through this part of the forest countless times.  I guess this time, I just saw something different.  I decided I wanted to paint this scene.

So, sticking with my current phase of "minimalist palette", I started with a black and white theme.  I decided to add color, but in limited amounts... I used color mostly for the sky, and used different hues of yellows, browns, greys for the "bluffs" and water reflections.  I wanted to keep my version dark and moody... As if it was right around sunrise.

ECON RIVER TRAIL BLUFFS

Isn't it amazing how the painting changes in different lighting?

The bluffs (dirt walls) were done with the paint knife.  The knife puts out some great texture and gives the painting an awesome 3-D effect.  I just love the way the colors all blend together and the paint breaks off where it wants to.  It's truly organic.  You just have to trust the knife and let go.  I was very satisfied with the reflections.  It was tricky keeping the canvas wet.  I started this painting off with a dry canvas.  I added a slow medium as I went along, for blending purposes and the reflections.

Colors I used were: black, white, alizarin crimson, yellow, yellow ochre, hooker green, and pthalo (thalo) blue.

HAPPY PAINTING YA'LL!

FRAMING MY OWN ARTWORK

It's an incredibly beautiful day here in Otown (Orlando).  I got up early today to make some more frames for some of my pieces. I'm now using Birch wood. Originally, I started making frames with pre cut pine strips.  The cost per foot was outrageous.  Making the switch to Birch was a no brainer.  It's much lighter and the grain pattern is stunning.  It really pops out when you add the stain.

I recently went to Home depot and bought a whole sheet of Birch plywood.  I cut my own strips for the frames using my table saw.  It's way more cost effective and with the leftover wood, I cut some custom frames for future "wood" paintings. 

LOT OF FRAMED PIECES

These paintings in the pic above are all framed and ready to be hung.  

Framing your own artwork is a strong selling point, especially since most people don't want to deal with having to frame a painting themselves.

Once I got my framing formula down, the task got much easier.  It's like anything else: Practice makes perfect.  I can make two frames in about 2 hours.  Cut, squared, glued, nailed, and ready for staining.  Not too shabby.  

I highly suggest buying "pre stain wood conditioner" by Minwax.  It penetrates the grain nicely and prevents blotching.  Also, it will save you having to apply multiple coats of stain.  Two should be plenty.  Remember to sand prior, and in between stains.

Here's a few more pics of my framed and soon to be framed artwork.

The Journey Home and Moody Lake

SLITHERING MOONRISE AND HAVASU WATERFALL

With these last two pieces framed, I'll be ready for the Wine and Art Walk in New Smyrna Beach next weekend march 25th.  

HAPPY PAINTING AND KEEP[ CREATING YA'LL

C.A.M

THE KNIFE PAINTING

Sunset, clouds, reflections, and sunflowers.

This piece was done 95% with a paint knife...More on this piece later

TOUCH OF BLUE 1 & 2

I hope everyone enjoyed their Superbowl Sunday.  That Patriots comeback and Falcons meltdown was definitely one for the ages.

My plan Sunday was to go to the Mt. Dora Arts Festival. I got up early on Sunday and got involved in this painting.  The original idea came from a real picture posted on Instagram.  It caught my attention because it was a black and white.  I decided to make my painted version of it with touches of blue values.

I kept my palette to a minimum using only black, white, pthalo blue, and a touch of pthalo green. The canvas was an 8 x 10. My idea was to start with a smaller painting, then take the idea and work it onto a bigger canvas.  

TOUCH OF BLUE 1

The latter version I wanted to make more subdued, with a dreamy like feel and mood. I did expand the palette a bit, adding purplish hues.  I mixed pthalo blue and  alizarin crimson for the purple values.

TOUCH OF BLUE 2

The result was what I was going for.  I had some really cool jazz music playing and it got me into this "free" broken stroke zone.  That's when I added the flecks for an atmospheric feel.

I still want to do another version going for a full hypnotic theme.  I'll shoot for that later this week.

By the way, I never did make it to Mount Dora... Oh well.

Have a great week.

Uncle Alfresco

PALM TREES ARE IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

LATE POST FROM JANUARY:

So unfortunately my Mother had an accident at home this week. She broke the femur in one leg & the tibia in the other. Thankfully, surgery went well & she is now in rehab.  To my social media friends, thanks for your thoughts, prayers, and healing vibes.

I made a painting for her, so she can keep it in her rehab room. It was a landscape theme with lush palm trees and water reflecting from a pond. 

Her healing painting inspired me to paint another similar painting that I can share with you. 

I kept the palette limited, once again, keeping with my current trend of a minimal color selection. Mostly black & white with shades of green, and some browns. I'm really enjoying this style of limiting one's color selection. I can't emphasize enough how it's teaching me discipline in painting, as well as another form of a painting technique.

Happy painting everyone.

C.A.M. 

Your Uncle Alfresco

ANOTHER BLACK & WHITE PIECE, FAREWELL 2016

Greetings & Salutations from the Complicated Art Man. 

So I've been perusing the social media feeds last couple of days & most people are ready to part ways with 2016. The proverbial, "bye bye 2016, had enough of you", or "F YOU, 2016, I'm done with you. Bring on 2017."

I myself have to say that  2016 was a fantastic year. It started off with a breakup, and a concussion from a mountain biking accident at Snowhill Trail in Oviedo, so I guess it was all uphill from their.

I went into a creative frenzy all the way up till June, then took the Summer off from painting.

I tried to get get back into the groove in October, but it was a slow return. I finally found myself back in my creative zone in early November. It's been superb!  

I have been experimenting with black & white values lately & I have to say that I'm loving the limited palette style. Kind of minimalistic.  

I find myself tempted to add color to this creative process, but I have to resist the temptation & wait for the end result. It is quite rewarding. I've mentioned it before and I still compare this type of painting to an "exercise" in discipline. I highly recommend the limited palette technique. Try it sometime. It's also a good way to ease yourself back into painting, if you haven't painted in awhile. 

So, with that said, "Bring on 2017, cuz I'm ready for you!! 

Good luck ya'll & happy painting. 

Happy New Year from your Uncle Alfresco, A.K.A The Complicated Art Man. 

ENTER THE WATERFALL PHASE

Hi ya'll.  Hope the Holiday season has been kind to you.

Back in May I was in Vegas and took some photos with some friends at the Flamingo. The Flamingo waterfall in the wildlife habitat was the first one I ever painted. 

FLAMINGO WILDLIFE HABITAT WATERFALL

Recently, it seems that I have entered my waterfall phase.  Here's a couple of them.

BLACK AND WHITE LANDSCAPE WATERFALL, WITH HINTS OF COLOR.

FULL MOON RISING AND WATERFALL

I'm really into this phase at the moment...  This was my first painting with a moon in it... That I can remember. This painting also gave me an idea for a "full moon" painting.  Onto the next...

I used the paint knife for the trees as well as the rock/stone wall.  I really enjoy using the paint knife. It really is incredible what you can do with it. So long everyone.

Merry Christmas from your Uncle Alfresco!