For the most part, I have been able to accomplish goals I set when I was younger through the first half (wishful thinking) of my life. In most cases I've had to take the "road less traveled" to get there and the picture was often a blurry resemblance of my vision. But I've gotten close.
As a kid, I wanted to do two things—become an Air Force officer and make a living as an artist. I wanted to be a pilot, but ended up as an Aircraft and Munitions Maintenance officer where I worked around aircraft and on the flightline.
I have been making my living using my artistic ability for most of my adult life when I wasn't in the Air Force. When I was in the USAF, I used my talents as much as possible as well. My vision was to be a painter and illustrator working in a studio full-time. The reality is that I have made it work being a graphic artist for a health care company while working on the side as a designer and illustrator. I have also worked for a long time as a fine artist drawing and painting.
Recently, I've been working harder on my painting and drawing.
I was describing my approach to my work to a co-worker recently. I said that when I work as a fine artist, I do what I want in the style that I want. People who commission artwork, do so seeking my style and my vision to their subject. When I work as a graphic artist, I have to put aside my own vision and become the conveyor of my client/customer's vision.
This creates a tough situation. Often, my customer presses for a solution where the message and the visual aren't in synch, or for an inappropriate or outdated approach. I give them my best thoughts, but they usually just want what they want. This leaves me with the task of creating my best effort to provide the wrong solution. This illustration is a perfect example.
In this setting, I hope it is a cute cartoon. I am not inclined to create trite images in my old age, but the cartoon is not too bad when removed from the context it illustrates.
I have been working on some paintings and drawings that I have to wait to post until they are delivered. I also want to post some illustrations I did for a book, but I need to see if the authors are concerned about putting something out before the book is created. I have been busy, but need to get more busy.
This is a quick sketch for one of my lacrosse players who is leaving high school early for college to play field hockey. I usually do a drawing for each of my seniors and she was disappointed that she wasn't going to be playing this spring and would miss out on her drawing. Hockey is her main sport anyway.
I had a great opportunity this summer to work with a friend of mine in Chicago on a project for Father Flannigan's Boys' Town. My friend Erin was looking for an illustrator to create images for the annual fund raiser and she chose me to to do the work.
Just finished the illustration for this year's company holiday card. This is a Photoshop painting. I will upload stage images to show the process later. For now, here's the picture
2011 Marks 10th Anniversary
Haven't done Illustration Friday for a while. I needed to sketch a little today so that I could warm up for some commissioned drawings I need to get started. Baylee is our new beagle pup. She is often very noisy, but—as most babies do—she crashes hard. For a brief time she is SILENT, but then starts to snore contently.
Come out to Wilmington, Delaware this weekend for the Brandywine Festival of Arts. Go to http://www.brandwinearts.com/ for all the details. My booth will be along the railroad track, just in front of the music venue (it was a great spot last year). I have lots of new work that I have been posting here, so come out and see it (maybe even buy one!).
Hunkered down in the house to ride out Irene. Here's what I painted today. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
After a tough weekend of trying to get inspired, I settled on this subject for the latest painting. I took some pictures of dogs playing in the surf at Dewey Beach on vacation. I thought this made a pretty good image. I included a couple of step photos to se
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it develop.
I have been holding on to this idea for a while and wanted to get it done for the BFA. I had some source photos, so I took them down with my portable easle to the beach last week and put paint on canvass. Som of my observers were a bit confused wondering where I was seeing a river scene with a heron while looking out to the Atlantic. Made for interesting conversation.
Latest painting finished. Have to get going on creating stock for BFA! September will come quickly. Working on several other projects and now lax is done for the season. Getting busy.
I came across the entry for this year's Pick 3 Plein Air competition in Easton almost by accident. I have been really busy and didn't decide until the last moment to enter. With my schedule in mind, I purchased two 11 x 14 canvases with the intention of keeping things small and simple.
The first was painted on a Saturday at the local Farmer's Market. I drive by this daily, but Saturday is the day when all of the color comes out. I intentionally left out any people—thinking that would simplify things. Of course I included every flower and shingle. I am very happy with the outcome.
Each year I give the senior girls who play for me a pencil drawing from an action photo of them. My friend George provided the source images and I drew them. Here they are...
One of the projects I was working on was finally delivered, so I feel comfortable putting it up here. I wish I had a better picture because I really liked the finished product. These are two dogs of a co-worker/friend. She loves them very much and told me that I captured all the right things. That makes me happy.
For the most part, I have been able to accomplish goals I set when I was younger through the first half (wishful thinking) of my life. In most cases I've had to take the "road less traveled" to get there and the picture was often a blurry resemblance of my vision. But I've gotten close.
This is a drawing that I did from a photograph of Beau's first hunt for my daughter's boyfriend for Christmas.
boyfriend.
