Ha ha, how meta.
Update to “Made in America”
Added a few more visual references to my painting about mass shootings
Waiting
for this one to dry so I can hand build a sweet rococo frame. Guess I’ll make a few more panels.
Saint Prodigy
19 in x 22 in progress shot of “Saint Prodigy” from my limited series called “Patron Saints of Hip-Hop” can’t wait to finish this up build a custom rococo frame and get some prints made.
Something New
On the easel.
Playing around with oil paint and some new ideas for 2019.
Made in America
It’s late but here’s the write up for my last exhibition with Core New Art Space, much love to Westword and Khaleel Herbert for the awesome write up (link at bottom.)
Click_Bait on Artsy
Couple of my paintings made it into an online exhibition with Dab Art LA on Artsy with the physical publication being added to the LACMA research library - so at least some of my work will last until the sun consumes the earth in a few million years. Link to the rest of the awesome art: https://www.artsy.net/show/dab-art-click-bait
Poking Holes
in the fabric of the American dream. First panel of a diptych study examining how the over prescription of opioid pain killers lead the use of heroin. Might paint it again but 6’ x 6’ someday...
Cause and Effect
or things that would be way cooler 8’ x 8’ or painting stuff no one wants in their house since 1984.
Panel One
Cause:
this would look pretty bad if I did it on an larger scale, somewhere around 8 ft x 8 ft. Maybe if I get in to one of these residencies I’ll be able to pull it off.
Progress
This photo got kind of washed out since it’s overcast here in Denver - but all I have left is to finish painting the embroidered stars and some interference orange to make the edges of the flames appear translucent. It’s taking almost a month of working in my free time on this painting. 2018 has been strange in America. A sitting president is under criminal investigation investigation yet continues to peddle lies, propaganda, conspiracy theories, and disinformation to discredit the investigation. The republican lead congress just sits by and does nothing as he attacks the free press. The worst part is people still believe him, and he has support among conservative groups. This is utter insanity.
Well That’s Like
Almost three weeks of work.
On the easel
This was a full pencil
When I started this 72 inch tall painting.
Couple more sketches
Blatant drug art always seemed pretty lame to me, so I’ve gone through several iterations of these preliminary drawings in my sketchbook before landed on these two. It’s definitely been an internal struggle of whether I should even make these. I went through the same thing when I was working on the AR-15 painting but it ended up turning out pretty powerful.
Whoa
Well the reaction to this painting has been pretty interesting. No one actually likes it, which is what I was actually going for. The left leaning types apparently don’t want to face the reality of guns in the context of school shootings especially when it’s to scale of a real AR-15 and the right sees it as some sort of attack on their personal freedom. The fact is America has too many guns and my biggest issue with where the gun control debate is headed, is towards the scapegoating of people with mental health issues. Blaming an already stigmatized and marginalized section of society isn’t moving forward. The Las Vegas shooter by all apperences didn’t have any “mental heath issues” before his massacre.
Oh and I have two words regarding the argument about a well armed militia: predator drone.
That Point
where you have to walk away for a while and build more stretcher bars so you don’t screw up your painting and keep objectivity.
Manifesting Ideas
Or something like that.
For all the bright ideas
Even though now there’s so much content that I can’t keep track of it all and nothing seems special.
Someone Once Told Me
painting small was difficult, here to prove ‘em wrong .
4 in x 4 in acrylic on canvas part of the Brooklyn Art Library canvas project that will be featured in a book later this year.