Posterchild Progressions

Stage 1: Initial rough sketch from the idea.

2nd Update: I've shared several different stages of the process at the end of the post and included the final version as well.  If you double-click on one picture, it should allow you to go through the images alone in sequential order.  The title of the final piece is Fluid Dynamics.

Update:  Things are getting a bit inky up in here!  Two more pics showing the progression; a final one of all the pencil work and the first stage of ink (that's my favorite part!).

I took a little break from painting the other day.  Actually I've taken many breaks from doing anything productive or particularly good but that's besides the point, we'll just focus on making things here.  I took a break from painting because I had a flash of insight several weeks ago that turned into a seed of an image that started to finally germinate.  I'm posting three images here to illustrate how such an idea can come to be but in reality, this only captures a few of those moments where I actually took the time to snap a pic and not all of the stops and starts that go into bringing an entirely new idea to life.  

I've always been fascinated with mechanical things.  I was one of those kids who would take things apart to try and figure out how they worked and more often than not, break them in the process.  That's okay and if you're a parent of a young one, I encourage you to encourage them to explore their curiosity.  Unless of course it's something that's really expensive or can't risk losing.  I always appreciated my dad for letting me use his workbench in the garage to tinker with stuff.  Of course, he was usually at work when I did anything just in case.  I still remember the one time I wanted to experiment with a wood-burner on a skateboard wheel on a day that he was home and let's just say it's pretty hard to get rid of the smell of burnt plastic very easily.  But I digress. 

Stage 2: Frame set major pieces in place
and some minor details starting to form

A vision came to me of a perpetual motion machine based on the concept of a water-wheel.  I did a hasty sketch (the starting point of the first image) and then mulled on the idea a bit.  This seemed like good poster material and I had a excess piece of large paper left from another failed experiment so I flipped it over an mapped out the beginnings with a straightedge and pencil.  After placing the initial gears and drawing in a rough frame, I stopped.  I was also working on some the paintings I've mentioned in past posts and the poster languished.  Then, for good or bad, another round of inspiration struck.  I notice in the local paper that the City was planning their annual Arts and Music festival and the theme was, "...the concepts of collaboration, inclusivity and community."  Don't blame me for their lack of the Oxford comma.  I considered the paintings I had worked recently but none of them really seemed to fit those themes.  But then it hit me...water is certainly the lifeblood of the community not only it's definition as a necessity of life but also for a river-adjacent locale, it's hugely important for our local economy and way of life.  

Stage 3: More details added and small little
inspirations also added as I think of related
concepts that would be good to fill the space

This inspired me to start working in earnest on the poster, putting the paintings on the backburner for a bit (please don't let me take a 'break' that lasts years!).  After putting in a good few hours of effort, I snapped a picture of my progress so far and I thought this could be a good exercise in showing the progression and eventual (crossing fingers) completion of the poster.  In my opinion, it's a bit easier than showing the progression of a painting because by time I finish spell at the easel, there's more clean-up to do and often times the progression looks miniscule (i.e. tiny little boathouses in the background).  The one problem I'm really having with this poster though is that I get impatient with drafting everything in with pencil and I find myself wanting to go straight to ink.  But I have to tell myself, "NO!!!  NO!!  Bad artist!"  Once you ink it in, it's pretty tough to make corrections and even if no one else notices, YOU will always know where you screwed up.  I hate that feeling.  Anyway, enjoy the progression pics and I will provide an update soon.

Stage 4: Final markup in pencil.  This doesn't
include any shading, texturing, or some other
small details I may think of later.

Stage 5: Let the ink flow!  I did add the parallel belts
 to provide some functional purpose for the central gear
 and act as separators to compartmentalize the two
opposing sides.  There is definitely some more
complexity to this as I've had to keep in mind the
various layers and what you can visually 'see' first.

Stage 6

Stage 7

Stage 8

Stage 9: Final Version (for now)

A Third of the Way

 They say in baseball, a battering average of .333 is pretty good.  So today, I'm living by baseball standards.  In my last post, I had decided to start three paintings at once so that if I was feeling stuck on one, I could distract myself with a different one and I'm glad to say it worked.  My first choice ended up with a perspective problem that I just couldn't get comfortable with and so after playing around with the original plan then trying out a second idea, I finally had to just leave it alone and work on something else.  

The original dock view for this did not
 look great once it was on the canvas.

My second choice was a continuation of the Port of Ilwaco series and I was able to work on it from the original concept with only a couple of minor adjustments.  I enjoyed this one as it had a larger number of boats at dock, each with their own individual shape and color but the palette was similar enough I didn't have to go crazy with different colors.  I also spent more time on the reflections since they really made this a more interesting piece.  What I found challenging with this, and for any paintings that have multiple crafts in them, is that I tend to want to paint each boat separately even if they are in reality just a speck of color in the background.  There are times that I'll complete most of a hull or a wheelhouse (not in too much detail) just to paint over it with the layer of the boat in front of it.  I guess it helps me realize the context of the shapes and how they fit together in the background even if you don't actually see most of them.  The trawling arms and masts on this were also pretty interesting because there are several of them attached to boats in the background of which you don't see much of so making sure they were placed in right spots was a mental exercise.  

Unfortunately, at the end of the painting, I had to re-teach myself a lesson.  I like working with acrylics because of the speed at which they dry which usually means I can quickly move on another fore-layer without having to wait too long.  The downside is that you have to work speedily when blending large areas where you want color or fading consistency.  While I'm pretty comfortable with that, my impatience can still get the best of me which is when I made my big mistake.  I'd been working on this one for a good chunk of the day and I knew that I was done except to sign it and varnish it.  I signed it with my usual monogram using a mix of umber and cadmium red leftovers and added a bit of highlight and shade to make it pop and then...I didn't wait long enough.  I thought the monogram was dry enough so I put it down on a flat table, poured some varnish over it, and when my brush hit the lower left corner, there were brownish-red streaks going out into the ocean like a little floating garbage patch.  Stupid.  At that point, I figured it was just best to sleep on it so this morning I did quick paint over job and re-signed it but with a much more boring tone to teach myself a little humility and patience.  By the time I'm done writing this, it should be dry enough to retouch up the varnish but I'll give it another hour or so just in case.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy the second in my Port of Ilwaco series.

Port of Ilwaco #2 - ver. MBM (More Boring Monogram)

One last thing before you go.  Like most artists, I presume, it's always more fun, productive, and creative when you're listening to music while you work.  The last few hours I spent working on this were fueled by Father John Misty (She Cleans Up), First Aid Kit (Stay Gold album), and topped off with a bit of DJ Shadow feat. Run the Jewels (Nobody Speak) just for fun.  The first two artists are pretty new to me and I just can't get She Cleans Up out of my head.  First Aid Kit just has such a beautiful sound that I can say I've really enjoyed their entire album but they can also pack a punch with a very direct message (You are the Problem Here [Expletives]) about sexual assault.

Keeping Commitments is Difficult

 After my last post, which was tragically overdue, I made a commitment in my little internal brain that I would post more often, create more art, do less non-constructive and self-harming things, and do more constructive and good-for-me-overall things.  Resolutions are stupid so these were not resolutions.  Also, apologies to anyone reading that does not think resolutions are stupid.  They are just stupid for me because I know who I am and I know that I am never 100% anything.  Unfortunately, my little internal brain (yes, I know that's redundant since we don't have external brains...yet!) doesn't like to keep commitments so I procrastinate by doing dumb impulsive things so I can avoid doing the things I committed to doing.  But this time I planned it out, hopefully a bit better.  After the last post, I went up to the attic and brought down three blank canvases and set them out on the floor by the easel to be the blank, staring eyes of ghosts reminding me that I should actually put these skills to use.  

Today I needed a little solace from the world around me and decided to actually keep one of those commitments.  After the realization that I had become 'stuck' on the last painting, I thought I would challenge myself but also provide some easy alternatives to particular painting problem and just start three paintings at once.  I know that this is nothing new for professional artists and I get it, sometimes your mind just has too many great ideas that are all jostling for the prime-time spot on your calendar and choosing one means sacrificing the others as they fade away and you lose the spark to bring them to life.  So, I threw down my own gauntlet this time and started three at once.  I know I'm going to regret this later but the kid's challenge to me made an impact and hopefully I will find the joy once again in practicing (but never perfecting) a bit of art.  As a bonus, I was happy with the skies on all three of these and that was even using the cheap-o titanium white paint!

Also, as a bonus, I realized there was another woodblock print that I had completed but didn't publish.  My hope is to make a series of 'Couve scenes of places that I find appealing.  This one is of the Vancouver Amtrak Station.  It's one of the original railroad stations from the turn of the century and reminds me perfectly of one of the station styles from the old PC game, Railroad Tycoon II (one of my absolute favs!).  Enjoy.

Life is Slippy

 I know that's not a proper word but it just may be the best way to describe how someone can forget to do something for more than four years.  Life is slippy.  A whole lot has happened since the last post including many more projects, adventures, tragedies, art explorations, and, unfortunately, aging in general.  So, I'll try to do this chronologically but I'll likely get a few things out of place here and there.

First, an update from the last post:  The basement living space is complete and the now-near-adult-age child and his friends have certainly been using it as I hoped.  The book shelves filled up quickly with a bunch of, you guessed it, books.  But in addition to that, we added a new turntable to music machine options and the collection of vinyl has grown, not to mention the collection of board games.

The Den

In addition to the extra living space, I also finished up a basement bathroom which is currently being used by the kid and his ilk but makes for a good second toilet when you really need it.  Much of the materials used were salvaged or repurposed.  Like the dartboard backing, I used a barrel full of corks to face the sink stand and even used some as tile spacers on the floor.  The tile for the floor and backsplash were all scraps from our own projects or rescued random pieces from Habitat for Humanity.  

The Reclamation Room (a.k.a. the bathroom)

The sink counter was made with scrap pallet wood and the shelves behind the door were made with leftover plywood from the other basement parts.  The sink and toilet were also rescued from Habitat.  As COVID was winding down and so was the major basement update, I turned to some smaller projects.

Junction Lake, GPNF

  A few years back, the family had gone to the Portland Japanese Gardens which was hosting an exhibit of block prints that was just amazing. Also around the same time, some friends and I went for an overnight backpacking trip in Gifford-Pinchot National Forest and we had a great time.  To commemorate that, I made a block print of the site where we had camped, a quiet little glade off the main trail that offered a great view of the trees and pond that we were close to.  I hadn't created any block prints in quite some time and this was my first attempt at a landscape.  It turned out better than I expected for a first try and I really enjoyed the experience.  So, when another friend asked me to be part of a guerilla art show (serious fun out of the back of a U-Haul!) and bring some pieces to sell, I put my block carving tools to use and made a few new prints for the show.  I even sold a few (although they were all to friends; thanks friends)!

A Triptych of Prints

Surprise, surprise, the theme was still water and boats.  Also around that time (mid 2023?) I had started another painting and this became the bane of the family room.  It was another seascape of the Ilwaco area and I had purchased a new tube of Titanium White but I went cheap and got the store brand thinking it would be good enough for mixing and lightening and that, my friends, is a mistake.  For some reason (I blame the paint) I just could not get it to blend the way I wanted it to for the sky and after several attempts to get it just right, I gave up and finished out the blocking for the background and then it stopped.  For weeks, then months, then years.  I took the easel down during the holidays and brought it back up to my work area.  Moved it to other rooms when we had big house parties and brought it back out of the closet when we cleaned up.  But for over a year and half, maybe even longer, I just couldn't make any attempts at it.  Finally, at the end  of 2024, I had put it back downstairs for the holidays as the house was rearranged and when I brought it back up after the new year, the kid, my scion of sarcasm and true inheritor of the subtle put-down, said, "What's the point?  It'll just sit there for another year."  That was it.  The gauntlet had been thrown down.  Could I let him be right about that?  And what was keeping me from finishing the damn thing anyway?  So I dusted off the paints (several tubes had dried out by then) and brushes, chose not to take the easy way out for a few evenings, and finally finished it.  

A Masterpiece of Procrastination

The funny thing about finishing a piece like this is that when I'm done (I can't speak for everyone) I feel a sense of euphoria and want to immediately start on new one.  I haven't done that yet though, instead, setting aside time to do this instead and give an update to the world.  Maybe that's good so I don't rush in and get stymied by the not-quite-right picture or paint.  Or maybe that's just another form of procrastination.  Probably both.