| Grandpa Donn's Roses | |
I started this oil painting in the summer after getting an idea to transform a painting I had stored away for a long time. It was an unfinished painting by my fiancé's grandfather that I wanted to preserve. It was off the stretchers and slowly falling apart. He loved roses and I’m grateful to have beautiful flowers from one of his rose bushes every year. The background is of his painting that I weaved together and stretched over 3 boards. It formed a trellis-like texture for me to paint the roses and pollinating bees on. The frame loudly repeats the nature inspired theme with real tree bark assembled like a puzzle. Again, I was experimenting with texture and color.I really enjoyed working on this piece, especially while remembering summer as I was finishing it up in December. :P Grandpa Donn’s Roses is on display (as well as my student’s and colleague’s artwork) at the Rochester-Finger Lakes Regional Exhibition at RIT’s Bevier Gallery from January 30 – February 25, 2009. Reception is Friday January 30 from 5-7pm. 
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| Topic(s): oil painting mixed media 2008 | |
| By Gogh on January 28, 2009 at 9:20am EST | Add/View Comments (1) |
| Alicia | |
I did this small oil painting (about 16x12 I think :P) of Alicia, my fiance’s cousin’s cute little girl, over my 2008 winter break. I experimented with the canvas by painting on an antique looking floral fabric that I thought suited her sweetness. I loved playing with color and tried not to over think anything. My goal is to start doing more experimental studies like this.For fun, I used this for a family Santa Swap and remarkably her parents went first and picked this gift. No stealing needed! |
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| Topic(s): oil painting 2008 portrait | |
| By Gogh on January 25, 2009 at 4:08pm EST | Add Comment |
| Drake and Rascal | |
This was a wedding gift to some good friends. It is of their rambunctious dogs that they love very much. I had a lot of fun painting their unique features, especially Drakes droopy eyes and flops of skin (foreground). I made the time of year in the painting early fall, just like their wedding. My only complaint is that I wish I would have pushed the fall colors a little more, especially after the beautiful drive through Pennsylvania on the way there. I think I was in denial of fall.But what a perfect fall day for a wedding, no denying that! Oil on 48x24 canvas October 2008 
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| Topic(s): oil painting 2008 | |
| By Gogh on November 5, 2008 at 11:38am EST | Add/View Comments (1) |
| Happy Halloween Everyone! | |
Recycled...Origami...Dia de los Muertos...Skull a Day...Inspired SkullI was approached by my principal to create a Halloween inspired project for our 7th grade advisement group. I struggled with an idea for a while because I didn't want just a meaningless "craft". Thankfully, I'm surrounded by creative people and my sister was a lifesaver with an idea! She was very excited to tell me about this interesting artist, Noah Scalin, that she saw on TV. He introduced his new book called "Skulls" that was assembled from all of the creative skulls he posted on his award winning blog called SkullADay. As the site suggests, he created a skull every day for a year out of every imaginable material! As an artist, I'm completely drawn to the repetitions of the subject as it's transformed by its medium. So now I had my inspiration! After flipping through the pages, I noticed all of the organic produce and recycled objects that were used as mediums, so I decided on a recycled theme as well. We used cast-off copy paper and made simple origami skulls. Then we stuck them to a skull that was glued with torn copy paper, to help fill in the gaps. It’s quite large so you get a different perspective depending on whether you stand up close or far away. We also touched on the fact that Dia de los Muertos is coming up (Nov. 1 & 2) and that skulls don’t have to be morbid, but rather symbols of remembrance. They embellished the skulls with color and patterns, similar to Mexican Day of the Dead sugar skulls. 40 minutes is not very long to teach all of those things and do a project, but all in all, I think it was pretty successful. I mean, you can't go wrong with letting boys make freakish skulls! 
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| Topic(s): middle school lessons | |
| By Gogh on October 30, 2008 at 1:10pm EDT | Add Comment |
| New Meaning from Local Yums | |
What's for breakfast?What's for lunch? What's for dinner? I love good food! Who doesn't? Pale and I just went to the Rochester Public Market and bought some beautiful local produce. We bought organic green beans from a little boy so cute that it just made the whole trip more meaningful. It felt strange at first, throwing cash and coins in every direction, but now we have blueberry, raspberry, and HUGE blackberry gems in my fridge and golden apricots, tiny tart yellow plums, and juicy tomatoes on the counter. We are definitely going back! I just finished Harvest for Hope by Jane Goodall and I can't seem to get her "eat local" and "do you best to take care of this earth" messages out of my head. We also recycled computers and other junk at the Seneca Park Zoo rally in Rochester this weekend. It's part of my nature to reuse or maybe it's because I'm frugal, but I see art in trash sometimes. These pans were destined for the garbage but remade into soul-searching art. That's why I'm posting these pieces. I looked at them yesterday and smiled. They mean something totally different to me now than when I made them in 2004, which had somewhat of a negative subject. The titles were supposed to act as a nag because sometimes ones ego can suck all the fun out of food, something my family still struggles with while juggling hectic lives. But food can be fun if you can let go of your expectations and really savor simple flavors. I look at these differently now and they proudly hang in my kitchen, reminding to have fun! I giggle at the surrealism because it's less serious now. I know now if I mess up and make something dreadful... it's ok, no need to go coo coo! Furthermore, I don't always have the time to paint but I can get my creative fix by cooking. 
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| Topic(s): oil painting recycled food 2004 | |
| By Gogh on August 10, 2008 at 4:59pm EDT | Add Comment |
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Grandpa Donn's Roses |
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Looks great as always!:) |
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