Fine Art // Painting exhibition on November 8

OBJECT

myself and Adam Volker...

APE!

From Moonbot's "Sketch Tuesday":

Our friends over at the Center for Great Apes are celebrating their 20th anniversary! The center provides a sanctuary for apes that have been rescued from roadside zoos, research labs, the entertainment industry and the pet trade. To say congrats, here are a few sketches from the bots for Sketch Tuesday:

So here's a quick piece, done for fun!   (click to enlarge)

Dog Portrait progress

Still painting my girl Olive - this is 3 short sessions (3-4 hours each).  I'm looking to complete a painting per week by end of August, and after that two per week.  It is more about comfort and efficiency of the idea.  But who knows, for some pieces it may be a 3 hr painting, and others it may be a 3 week or 3 month painting.  Either way, this is stupid-level fun!

I should have the completed and framed painting in a couple weeks (taking time off at the beach). 

Catch you soon!

Painting.

I miss painting.

So I started to paint again. 

Artists and creatives often get stuck in a rut when they have an idea but don’t see the confident or clear angle to attack or resolve it.  I’ve been in that position a hundred or more times, and it feels like you are considering “what’s best” for your work.  Or how to “figure all of it out” before you execute.

It makes sense, right?

The issue then is that you start to noodle.  How many ways can you skin this cat?  When is the right time to schedule it?  How do you promote it to the world?  Who do you invite to collaborate?  Do you have time in your schedule to set aside regularly?  Is there a benefit?  Do you need to unwind instead?

...is this REALLY what you want to do with your time?

This last question was part of my hesitation for many ideas and projects, for years.  I decided recently that this is never going to be an obstacle again.  The thought of letting time pass by, and with it opportunity and creative want, is something that I can no longer think about and let happen.  I can’t bear it.

For whatever reason— age, position, circumstance, spirituality, or other— it hit me out of nowhere.  One day I was walking along and doing some shopping when the idea of our limited time on this planet engulfed my brain.  It took over my entire being.  Thinking of those who shaped me, and what they did.  Thinking of those who change the world.  Thinking of how over 32 years has already passed and looking at how little there could be left… put me in a place of shock.

I mulled it over for a while.  I’ll be honest, it was tough.  But there was a spark that was created… and ember grew and turned into a little flame.  A fire was ignited:  I will not pass up the chance to do WHAT I CAN WHILE I AM STILL HERE.
 
This made me happy.  This made things seem easy.

So since then I have been rekindling all of my personal projects and desires.  The art that I want to make, the experiences I want to have.  The things I feel I can effect with those around me.  It is rejuvenated.

So I’m painting again.  I’ll share more art as it comes out here, but yes — I’m painting large scale art on canvas.  Something I (for God knows WHAT reason) have not been doing for years.  It feels great.
There are other things I’m planning and working on as well, and I’ll share them as they come.

If you can do me, and yourself, one favor: don’t noodle.  Be bold.  That thing you’ve been thinking about doing?  Creating?  Making?  Exploring?  

Do it.

I Heart Vespa

My good buddy Beau Hufford is putting on a show in San Diego featuring VESPA ART!  I decided this was a GREAT motivator to paint traditionally, so I put together these pieces for the show next week.  Look it up on Facebook if you are in the area, and check it out.  Beau knows many great artists out there, so it's sure to be exciting.

(above: detail of 22" x 28" piece - will share the full painting soon)

Hot off the press!  18" x 14" - finished this Vespa utility truck this week.  Both are getting framed.

Character Doodles

Between character design and storyboarding on our latest projects, I often have paper, markers, and a thought in front of me.  It's fun to just spurt it out and have a little goof-off doodle every now and then.  This is just one of those pages that I found laying around the story room.  I think it started as character design suggestions and ended with giggles.

Peer Roundup

Here's a little roundup of a couple friends' work.

Jamil Lahham -  Laundry Day

My buddy Jamil is an amazing animator.  We had the luck of finding each other at Moonbot, working on "...Morris Lessmore" and winning an Oscar together.  Jamil has since moved to New York and is working on a personal short film that he has been conceiving for a while.  He is sharing his process on a production blog, with images, tests, making-of videos, and more.  Keep an eye out for this guy, and check out the blog.  First video is here:

Stacy Pierce - Freddie Mercury sculpt

Stacy is another great talent I met years ago at a caricature convention, as well as while training artists in theme parks.  Among other things, she is a great sculptor and asked to sculpt my (ancient) painting of Freddie Mercury.  Seeing only the flaws in it and lack of structure, I figured she had her work cut out for her, but she really pulled it off!

More to come soon.

Back, with new art!

HEY HEY!

It's been slow, but I'm still here - chipping away at all the fun work we are doing at Moonbot Studios. 

So to kick things back in gear, I'll just start sharing some stuff from the last year that I haven't been able to, or didn't take time to, or couldn't until now.

Here's a painting I started at a workshop with Sebastian Kruger in Germany, in 2008.  I recently finished it, and gifted it to my friend Nicole Durbin.  (the date says 06-12, I had forgotten when I started it... but who really notices that stuff.  haha!)

This is about 18" tall and on stretched canvas, painted with acrylic.

THIS UPDATE IS FOR IVY.  ;)

 

More to come soon!