American Youth Airborne

Good night American Youth Airborne or whatever your title ends up being, it was nice working on ya.  Compositionally you made me feel itchy at times.  Like a lot.  But our struggle made us friends.  I especially enjoyed the times I avoided painting you all together and instead played with the paratrooper dude.  Paratrooper dude, now that your modeling duty is done you and I have a date on the balcony and by date I mean I'm gonna toss you over the third floor railing.  I genuinely wish you a safe landing but if you get stuck in a tree or drift onto a neighbor's patio it will be okay because your mission sir has been completed.

American Youth Airborne, oil on wood, 50"x34", 2012

Pterodactyl detail.  

(Side note)  

Dear Pterodactyl,

If I were given your name in a spelling bee pre-this painting, I would have lost immediately.

Best,

Layla

Space-dude detail.

Sweet Baby Joseph

Baby Joseph, oil, 28"x22", 2012

New Studio Stills

Started American Youth at Sea painting this evening.  This is what my place looks like now because of it.  Not a bad thing.

Shark and S-ray cruise through the diving sub packaging.
As they should be.

Water pistola and various underwater jazz.

You can just make out the beginnings of the painting...a sinking ship, octopus, and what you can't see is a hula girl perched atop the bow of the boat.

Hula girl.

BB Scores New Digs

BB whispers a wish to the Sun, "Sun, I wish for a home."

BAM!  The Sun delivers.  Here is your key to Apt. #1914.  
"Kick ass", says BB.

BB high-paws her roomie.  

Housewarming party.  BB cranks up the tunes.

BB takes Too Short's advice and Get's in Where She Fits In.

"Dude, I can honestly camo myself almost anywhere here."

"What kind of sick shit is this?!" screams BB.

BB makes a friend.  "Not much Kitchen Chicken, what's kickin' with you?"

Okay, SERIOUSLY...what is up with the animal carcass trophies!

BB hits the roost with a classic.  Night, night BB.

BB's dreams are filled with home.

Ode to the Joan Vollmer-William Tell Incident

I'm not a huge fan of painting portraits.  I feel inside out and upside down when I'm painting them and suffer mega self consciousness when showing them to the outside world.  But sometimes a portrait is the only way to convey what's ticking in my brain.   

The story behind Ode to the Joan Vollmer-William Tell Incident goes like this...Joan Vollmer was the common law wife of one of my favorite authors, William S. Burroughs.  In a drunken game of William Tell, Burroughs placed what was reported to be a gin glass atop Ms. Vollmer's melon and then proceeded to miss the target.  She died from a gun shot wound to the head.  

Rounds 7 - 10ish.  Done and dusted.

Round 6

Sigh...

Round 5

Nose job...check.  Awesome.  Way to destroy and fix but now my face doesn't look like my face.  Lost the structure.  Whose mouth is that by the way?  I look all swole up.  The dang circles under the eyes are mine for sure...maybe the off kilter nose is mine as well.  Let's try again...  

Round 4

Okay, so after analyzing Round 3 I realize my nose is totes off kilter by about a half inch.  Not exceptable.  So I feel it best to smear all wet paint and reconstruct.  I was proud of this painting thus far...but knew it had to be fixed to the proper proportions.  When an image becomes precious (as this one was becoming) more than likely it needs to be destroyed and begun again. It hurts and not gonna lie tears were shed, beers were drank, then reconstruction began with goddamn vigor (and apprehension). 

Round 3

How are you childhood apple toy friend?  Good to see you again...I invite you to join my painting.

Round 2

Mugshot-action in effect.  Cap-gun, you are awesome as is.  You may stay lined-out my friend.

Round 1

Dino-Robo-Morph

Q:  What do you get when you cross a dino with a robo?  A:  A dinobot.

Dino-Robo-Morph, oil on wood, 5"x7" (individually), 2012

Dino

Dinobot

Robo

Done and dusted.

American Youth on Land, oil on wood, 50"x34", 2012

American Youth on Land is done and dusted.  First large scale work completed in 2012 and oh what a flippin' crazy ass year or two it has been.  This is the first body of work I've done in 4 yrs. that is non-bird-related.   That's big, eh?  I'd like to give a big shout out to New Zealand for making this work possible.  New Zealand, you were a daily kick in the balls, it was painful (still trying to right myself) but I needed it dearly...I will always love you for that.

Studio Stills.

So for the time being I'm calling the current body of work American Youth.  The toy collection is piling up around the homestead forming odd vignettes...in a good way.  I'm working on a 2nd painting which is focused on toy battles in the air.  The 1st one (robo/dino/cowboy/indian work) is on land and the 3rd will be at sea.  Self portraits and mega traditional still lives filled with cap guns, baby toys, and what not  are dancing through my head.

Dino Robot Morph (in progress) ROAR!

Dinos & Robots: Phase Two

Phase Two in full effect.

Dude, remember playing with these? Just to let you know...it's still fun.

Palette battle royale.

progress detail

C-boy and Indians made their debut to the Dino/Robot painting today. It's an epic battle - outcome...unknown.

Come on Down!!!

If you happen to be in the Fort Worth area

in the next few weeks,there is a stop you must make...

IN FIVES

AT THE FIREHOUSE ART GALLERY!!

MAY 1st - 26th 2012

OPENING RECEPTION: MAY 5th 6PM - 9PM

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Dinos & Robots

Dinos & Robots

(in-progress)

Dinos & Robots

(detail)

Working at the Science Museum is having a direct effect on my artwork. Hence, Dinos & Robots. Check out the new studio space. Got all my stuff back from New Zealand so this woman is ready to get her paint on. Let's do this.

More Tini Tiny Mighty Minis

Sandhill Crane

pastel & charcoal on roofing paper, 3"x5", 2012

Rock Dove

pastel & charcoal on roofing paper, 3"x5", 2012

Pink-footed Shearwater

pastel & charcoal on roofing paper, 3"x5", 2012

Blue Jay

pastel & charcoal on roofing paper, 3"x5", 2012

Peregrine Falcons

Here is the latest Peregrine Falcon chick that I've added to my art arsenal. Apparently I have a thing for these little guys. This is a 10"x10" acrylic painting on wallpaper adhered to a wood panel. If you look into his peepers too long you might become hypnotized. Or not.

I made this little dude in 2009 or 10. He was part of my exhibition, Aviary, and one of the experiments with sealing drawings with resin. I first drew him on a gessoed wooden panel with pastels and charcoal. Next...I poured resin on top. Every single speck of fragile pastel dust is sealed forever.

There are about 5 or 6 pieces that I've made that I cannot part with. The above Peregrine Falcon Chick is one of them. I finished him in one main sitting with maybe two 10 min. sessions afterwards. It's done in oil, charcoal, and graphite on mounted wallpaper. I'll never let him go.

Here is another experiment with resin and drawing materials. This is a small 5"x7" (part of the In Fives series) work done on gessoed masonite. It was done with charcoal, pastel, graphite, gouache, and acrylic paint. I nailed him into a frame and poured resin over the top, sealing him into the frame for all of eternity. I love the feeling that a drawing is ultimately protected.