Not Sure What Happened

1/12/10

There are quite a few shows I want to enter, so I've been busy getting messy in the studio. I re-created Lilac & Ashes, which met its untimely demise when I dropped it down the stairs after shooting images outside. Went wide with it instead of narrow.



Lilacs & Ashes
Acrylic on Acrylic Sheets, Bolts
48 x 24 inches
2010

But this weekend, I decided to try my hand at a self-portrait for a competition in NYC. Not sure where this came from -- especially from this not-very-figurative gal.



Self-Portrait with Bird Mask
Acrylic on Paper
17 x 22 inches
2010

Then, for the Lust at Lustine Show in February, I did a mood self-portrait:



Self-Portrait in the Moments Before Wanting
Acrylic on Paper
17 x 22 inches
2010

Stephen thinks I should keep messing with the portrait/figurative stuff. I wonder what will happen. Of course, that's part of the fun :) The jpgs aren't quite right; I'm going to try to retake them.

Interference

1/03/10

Friday, I wrapped up a larger piece (compared to what I've been doing these days) for the Howard County Center for the Arts call for work dealing with environmental interference. I was hoping to start a new piece right after, but the furnace went out late yesterday, which made for crappy sleep last night and aching joints today... thus "interfering" with my ability to get anything new started.

I think I'll start calling the pieces that include words textscapes. I thought about using wordscapes but a 12/09 article in ARTnews shared that Graham Gillmore uses that term. Textscapes could also refer to texture, so I kinda like that. Hopefully it's kosher for me to use.


Documentation of the Final Sunset
Acrylic on Acrylic Sheet
48 x 36 inches
2010


Documentation of the Final Sunset
Detail

Decay

12/29/09

...the look of it, the feel, is becoming a bigger influence in my work. I'm torn between thinking it's rather depressing and loving the surfaces. When the wood on the side of a barn cracks open from rain or bricks algae up or metal siding weeps with rust, isn't it just growing old gracefully, unashamed?


Substrate
Acrylic on Acrylic Sheet
9 x 9 inches
2009

I wasn't sure what to call this, but a word stuck with me today from a discussion of aquarium set-ups. When I looked it up, I thought all the definitions could apply to this piece.

sub•strate n. 1. The material or substance on which an enzyme acts. 2. A surface on which an organism grows or is attached. 3. An underlying layer; a substratum. 4. An indigenous language that contributes features to the language of an invading people who impose their language on the indigenous population.

Been a While

12/27/09

...with the holidays and all. Finally got back into the studio this weekend to finish something.


Burnish / Banish
Acrylic on Acrylic Sheet
18 x 24"
2009


Burnish / Banish
detail


Burnish / Banish
detail

A Few New Things

11/17/09

I guess I'm into dreary landscapes right now. Must be the shorter days, the longer shadows...

Scorch
Acrylic and Charcoal on Paper
22 x 17 inches
2009

Landscape for Laura
Acrylic on Acrylic Sheet
8 x 10 inches
2009

New Work

10/5/09

Two are still works in progress, but I had a great day off just losing myself in color and texture and washes.


Adrift
9 x 11"
Acrylic and Charcoal on Paper



Buoy
11 x 7.5"
Acrylic on Paper



Hidden History
11 x 9"
Acrylic on Paper



Small Losses
8.5 x 8.5"
Acrylic on Acrylic Sheet
(Work in Progress)



[Currently Untitled]
8 x 9"
Acrylic on Acrylic Sheet



Untitled
8 x 10"
Acrylic on Acrylic Sheet
(Work in Progress)

Painting on Plexiglass - Do You?

7/30/09
I'm looking to feature artists who use Plexi, Acrylite, Lexan, etc. as a support/overlay with their painting. If you're interested, please email me at lboocks@yahoo.com with the following:

1. How you got started with it (Out of canvas and no money? Intentionally sought it out? etc.)
2. Why you stuck with it
3. Preferred material brand name (if known)
4. Brief description of technique
5. A few lines about yourself, where people can see your work, etc.
6. Link to your website/blog
7. jpg of an example of your work, if you want that shared, with title, year, dimensions, materials
8. Anything else you'd like to add related to this topic

I'll post my story soon.