Building My First Model

I am working on the final project for my summer architectural drawing class: a scale model of the Vanna Venturi House and its corresponding documents. I've started putting together my model, not using glue yet just T-pins to hold it in place while I work. Next I tackle the roof!

Work in Progress

I just started working on a little oil painting. There was a sale on canvas at Lee's Art Store so I bought six 8"x10" canvases to play with. I'm thinking about doing different scenes of Newport, and possibly selling them down there this summer. This painting is based on a picture that I took last Fourth of July:


In the original picture you can actually see my Dad's boat out on a mooring in the harbor. When I paint in the boats I'm going to pay extra attention to making sure the Sheila Ann stands out. This was the first underpainting:


I always love doing sunsets, especially the way the clouds capture and reflect the colors of the sky and sea. I paint the clouds with a palette knife so they have dimensionality and definition. This is the painting at the end of the second day of dabbling:


I haven't put too much time into this painting, maybe 3 hours altogether. It's a nice little diversion and should be finished up by next week.

Updates to come!

Works in Progress

WIP, or for the non-Orchesis readers out there, Works in Progress, is an opportunity for an artist to get feedback on incomplete work, and is an important part of any creative process. I'm currently working on two collages, one of which is further along than the other, and I'm ready for some input. I didn't get my whole studio set-up to take these pictures so they aren't as high quality as the pictures I usually post of finished work. But please take a look and tell me what you think:

This piece has a special relationship to the Romeo & Juliet collage, because both began from a Vogue magazine photo shoot by the (in)famous fashion photographer Annie Liebovitz. I've always loved the aesthetic of Vogue, and for a long time I've been haunted by images from an "Alice in Wonderland" inspired fashion spread from 2003, but I couldn't find the pictures anywhere. Now that I finally have the images, I'm thrilled to be working on a round canvas. My collages often have a centrifugal compositional force, which, combined with the round canvas in this collage, will play up the "down the rabbit hole" quality.

Unfortunately the quality of this image is sub-par, but as you can see this collage is nearly complete at this point. It is 12"x36", with images drawn mainly from Martha Stewart Living magazine's scenes of domestic bliss. The palette and mood of the piece are light, airy and uplifting, drawing a comparison to my Newport-inspired works.