Day 182

Day 181

unfinished self-portrait...

Day 180

Day 179

Day 178

Day 177

Day 176

Day 175

Day 174

Day 173

Today's drawing is the talented Chris Lizotte. I have never met him, but I hope to someday...

Day 172

Day 171

Day 170

Day 169

Caleb from life...

Day 168

Drawing of Caleb from life...

Day 167

three not so good drawings...

Day 166

Day 165

Day 164

Day 163

Drawing from life...

Day 161

drawing from life...

Day 160

Drawing from life...

Day 159

Day 158

Day 157

Day 156

a crappy drawing of chairs...

Day 155

A crappy sketch of the outdoors...

Day 154

Day 153

Day 152

Day 151

Here's a quick study from a J.C. Leyendecker painting. He was an incredibly popular illustrator back in the day. He was Norman Rockwell's hero (and he actually painting more covers of the Saturday Evening Post than Rockwell). His life ended with him as pretty much a loser. They sold all of his paintings at a garage and nothing went for more than $7.00!

I like his style because he makes all of his characters have exaggerated features. Like this guy, he has and uber-grecian profile, but yet, has a softness to his look. Really cool stuff...

Day 150

So, I'm taking a break form my "process" to update some pictures from last night's drawing club. It was a great time. Lots of laughter and even a bit of little drawing happened, too. I once again had a rough time trying to a capture a likeness of my friend david Death (top drawing), he has an incredibly uninteresting face and it's tiring to draw... Just kidding. He just has a face that I can't get, but it looks human, so I'll take it. The lower drawing of my friends Jeff Herndon is much more successful in my mind...

Day 149

Ok, here is the second step, the thumbnail (just a smaller version of the painting you ware attempting to do) This is the part where I get to talk about how this is just a color study and I'm not trying to get locked into detail. It's makes me look artsy, and it also takes away criticism you might have. I can just say "it's just a little study"... aren't these artist guys crafty?! this is clearly a piece of crap, but I can hide behind my "process"...

Day 148

I'm going to try something a little bit new here. I'm going to start with a field study (quick sketch), watercolor study, and then, an oil painting...

For two reasons: one, I think artists that do field studies are hilarious and pretentious, two, I often try to be pretentious, which is hilarious, so we have come full circle.

Ok, so here's the deal, field studies were popularized by artists like John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla, and other impressive impressionists. They were guys who were always painting and drawing. Almost compulsive (or so we are to believe) and they were very passionate about their process. I guess, I believe it. Looking through their archives you can see that they had no intentions for these drawings to end up in book/museums, so they were really doing them to benefit their work. Mostly because cameras were not really around or cost prohibitive. So they would do a sketch and try to get accurate colors and shapes so they could take that information back to finish the painting in the studio if the weather changed and ruined the painting.

Fast forward about 80 years to modern day - Artists like John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla, Anders Zorn are as popular as ever (They really have a very similar aesthetic). They are guys who really understood application of paint, color, value, the human figure, and were really skilled at landscapes. They are artist's artist. So many modern day artists obsess over these guys. Like I said, these guys poured their soul out in every way for their art and were constantly drawing and painting. They are the acceptable kind of crazy artist that most people can handle. They weren't battling with drugs, alcohol, sexuality issues, affairs, suicide, etc... but they were "crazy" about painting. However, there probably isn't an interesting story about them anywhere.

A lot of modern days artists who work in realism really try to get in these three guys' mindset by implementing their practices, and philosophies (or at least they say they do). A lot of artists talk about how they will hike 10 miles into the middles of nowhere with just their canvas, paints, and easel in hand and just paint (how romanticized). First, these guys will do a field study. They will often say things like "this a very important part to my process (these guys say that word a lot)" and "It's really abstract shapes that help me understand the composition (this is letting people know that they can be very abstract devil may care if they need to)", and "it may not look like much to you, but I can see important details in the loose scribbles"

This is all bullshit, of course... These guys will often hire some photographer to go to the mountains or buy images from them to use. They will then sit at home behind a computer screen doing a shitty irrelevant "field study" so we think, "Wow, these guys really care about every aspect of the process! This is an artist I can really get behind!" And the artist will never use the field study for anything... Other than maybe have it featured in the book they hope gets written about them and their "process"

They will then use the photo they have taken or bought from a photographer and set it up under and an opaque projector and start tracing away... and then, magic!

I have been at art shows where they have had quick draw contests (where you get an hour or so to complete a drawing/painting from scratch) and you can see these people who have only ever traced (and done good jobs actually) and they are just doing the most miserable drawing/paintings ever. I have to think "what about your field studies? Didn't they prepare you for this?"

Now of course, I purposely made sure I did a shitty irrelevant "field study" from a photo I had taken from behind a computer screen. The irony is not lost here... it's for my book

Day 147

Warning: sad/sappy emotion stuff to follow, beware!

I really debated putting this blog up, anyways, here goes...

I used to be someone who really thought it was unusual/annoying when people talked about their pets like they were there kids. Fast forward a few years, and talk to anyone my wife and I come in contact with and they will be able to tell you al about our cats. It's probably pretty annoying, but that doesn't stop us. When you have a family and don't have kids, you pets are your kids. You just can't avoid it. I'm sure when we do have kids, the kids will fall down a few steps in our priorities, but until then, they are right up there.

So, that's what makes this entry a tough one. We had a our first death in the family - Sally. She was referred to as "the cute one" she was extra friendly and loving. She was more of a dog that a cat really. Everyone loved her and she loved them more.

I sure do miss her...

Day 146

Dear Diary,

I know it doesn't look like I should be proud of this painting, but believe it or not, I really am. This is my first attempt in years to paint a portrait from life. Anyone who has done this knows what I'm talking about - all the variables: models moving their head, artist moving their head, time frame, etc...

Though, this doesn't really look like the model, it does resemble a person, and that was my goal. I hope to progress to tightening up the rendering. It takes practice.

Love,
Blake

Day 145

"End of the Road" and the Architects of Optimism

During the last few weeks, I have really been thinking about what it is to be an artist (I use the term loosely) and why I do it. In the past six years, after winning an award I will always be grateful for, I "fell" into to western art. Growing up in Wyoming, it wasn't a stretch to wok in that style. Though as the years passed, I felt of something like an fake, because well... I'm no more a cowboy than I am a professional football player. As I have run out of models and inspiration for the style, it seems that it is an sign.

I spent the last week or so "saying goodbye" to art form. I went to some of my favorite mountain towns of Colorado and cleared my mind. I also had the chance to visit the gallery of where my favorite artist exclusively sold his work. They were gracious enough to show me his last few paintings and tell me stories of his life. It was a great experience. As I looked at his painting in awe, I couldn't help but think what his advice would be to me. It would probably have been something along the lines of, "If it's not fun, what keep doing it? And if it's not authentic to you, you are lying to you audience"...

After that trip, I heading to Wyoming for an art show. The show was definitely a low point in my career. Art is still in a recession. I felt that this was my best work to date, but yet, I sold for less that I have ever before. That is tough to handle.

The art auction consisted of two days: day one, the live auction (typical auction), day two, Quick draw live auction. This is where the artists have an hour to complete a piece and auction it off. By this time in the show, I'm pretty drained. I'm having an identity crisis as well as low sales in an auction. So, I do the quick draw, and I'm pretty much finish in the first 15 minutes (thanks to this blog) and I'm feeling pretty good about the drawing. However, I know that means nothing. So it comes time to auction the piece off and it does alright (after some hard work from the auctioneer). But, I'm still having a pretty good pity party for myself.

I had the chance to really talk to my parents about my frustrations and what lies ahead. And, as usual, they were there to listen and help me. My dad talked with me about optimism and how that is what he tries to portray and it the only thing he cares about in art. He is a true artist who really feels what is happening in his art, and if he doesn't "believe" in the piece, he won't do it. That is very commendable.

As I'm getting ready to head out of town and say goodbye to my family. I first say good bye to my parents. As I'm walking to my car, my mom says "Remember, Art is something you do for fun, it's not who you are"... Wow... that hit me pretty profoundly...

I then go to my grandmother's house to say goodbye. After being in her house for about 15 minutes, I finally notice the quick draw drawing from the day before hanging on her wall. She sees me staring it wondering how it got there. Right as I'm about to ask her if she bought it, she says, "your parents bought it." Now typically, it's considered an embarrassing bailout if/when your parents buy your stuff (especially at an auction), but this hit me differently. My parents were thoughtful enough to think about me and bail me out of a potentially embarrassing situation. And this drawing wasn't cheap either. As I tried to fight the tears back and call to thank my parents for their amazingly kind gesture, it hit me, this was not the weekend of identity crisis and failure; it was the weekend my parents showed me their love and support and once again how they are the greatest parents in the world.

So, today's blog is called, "'End of the Road' and the Architects of Optimism", as it is the last cowboy painting I did and will ever do, and for my parents who constantly remind me what is important in life.

I will never forget this weekend, Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Day 144

Day 143

Day 142

Day 141

Day 140

Day 139

... not a winner

Day 138

I feel alright about this one...

Day 137

Day 136

boo!.... I could have done better. Sorry, Norm