This is the fourth painting in a series of abstractions on 30-inch square canvases. The first three paintings of the series (Bloom, Poïesis, Warm Autumn) were heavily influenced by the experience of the changing seasons.

Generally speaking the formulation of the abstract imagery is inspired by a synthesis of my relation with the materials, distillation of curiosity, and influences in my life.  In this painting I poured a lot of sensuality and excitement into the process.

I asked a close friend to name the painting when he was in my studio. After about ten seconds he came up with the title Century Girl.

Big shout out to Theophilus London for making such a great track (soundtrack of the above process video) that inspired the name.  I love how I happened to be feeling some of the same things he is talking about in the song while I was working on this, but I wasn’t thinking about the song, and how it came full circle when my friend named the painting.

Let’s take a look at the process…

1

I am starting a lot of paintings lately with either yellow, blue, magenta or any combination of the three. This painting starts off with yellow and blue and is finished with moments of light magenta.

2

The crimson colored lines start a structure that references the grid. This is a response to the curvy yellow forms. Notice how the yellow forms when placed next to one another also allude to a loose grid, perhaps a net or a web.

3

Bold brush strokes dance around the canvas holding their ground.  This activates the dripping paint.   I make lines, gravity makes lines.

4

After adding the orange I scrape away excess paint.  This is really noticeable by the white marks in the blue that started the painting.  Removing paint changes an image just as much as adding.

5

There is a dialogue when creating a painting.  Conversation is about communication and listening.  The painting and I were on the same wavelength.  After deeper yellow, the surface is punctuated with some opaque dark strokes.

6

Working wet-on-wet, the dark colors merge and repel with the other colors.  This effect is both visual and physical.

Century Girl | 30 x 30 inches | oil on canvas | 2012 | $2000

Fin. Balanced, tense, calm, capricious, seductive, playful, gritty, architecture, flesh…  explore your lover.

Warm Autumn

Warm Autumn | 30 x 30 inches | oil on canvas | 2011 | $2000

Bloom

Bloom | oil on canvas | 30 x 30 inches | Ari Lankin 2010 | Sold

Poïesis

Poïesis | oil on canvas | 30 x 30 inches | 2012 | Sold

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK, NY – May 1, 2012 — StumbleUpon Art Program has acquired Poïesis for it’s permanent collection.  Employees of the New York City and San Francisco offices voted to determine which painting from the “Particles and Waves” exhibition to add permanently to the StumbleUpon collection.  In a close vote, Poiesis an abstract work, was selected from the exhibition featuring several styles from Lankins diverse oeuvre. [View the other paintings in the show]

The art program at StumbleUpon was created to support local artists by utilizing StumbleUpon technology, help grow local arts communities both on and offline, and enhance the StumbleUpon workplace.  View the recap of the opening reception.

Poïesis | oil on canvas | 30 x 30 inches | 2012

Click the image for a step by step process and a stop animation video of the painting from start to finish.

I make a habit of enjoying the first unseasonably warm day of the season by painting en plein air.  The best way to welcome spring in NYC is to pack up my easel, invite some friends, and head to my favorite outdoor spot.

Here is the recap from North Woods in Central Park.

Photo by Zehava Winkler

Artsy rim lighting shot by Zehava Winkler.

Started out with yellow and magenta gestures in acrylic to get the framework of the composition.

Here comes the oil – blocking out most of the sky with rhythmic hashes.

I liked how the four trees framed the central weeping willow in full blossom.  Notice how the horizontal branch almost touches the tree to the right.  There was so much light on the willow it looked like a golden monument, so I made it the central focus.

Building up the foreground and defining the perspective lines of the walkway around the pond.  Depth was also added at this stage by putting the bare trees in the background.  Notice how the willow tree pops forward now.

Photo by Zehava Winkler.

A second visit by these school kids.  They were interested in the painting, and how it developed from when they saw it earlier.  Magic!

Going in with a variety of greens.  Dark green in the water creates the reflection, and lighter green in the foreground showing the plant life popping up around my feet.

Photo (detail) by Zehava Winkler.

Sepia tone shot for the history books.  My trusty location painting hat acquired during a road trip to a remote village in Argentina.

I decided to drop the long shadows in at the end to strengthen the composition and anchor the four trees.  The closest shadow invites the viewer into the frame.   It was liberating to paint outdoors for the first time this year.  I think the diversity of energetic brush strokes translates my feeling and the warm weather perfectly.

North Woods - Central Park | 18 x 24 inches | acrylic and oil canvas | 2012

Las Vegas Redux up next…

Last night Royal & Langnickel launched their new line of high quality makeup brushes called [R]evolution.  They did it in style at an immaculate venue, packed with beautiful/fun people, makeup demos, open bar, DJ, and to bring it all together live painting by yours truly, Pesu Art, and Vincent Minervini.

So this is how my painting went down… as usual no preconceived image…

Starting out with blue since I was overlooking the river and clouds.

Yellow next, soon followed by magenta.  I start a lot of paintings with a nod to CMYK.

“Pure drawing is an abstraction.” – Paul Cézanne

At this point I decided I was going abstract and fed off the atmosphere, springtime, romance, and the tactility of some silky brushes.

Sabrina, AKA Miss New York Teen USA 2012, stopped by for a chat about painting and life.  She is very sweet and ambitious. I’m sure we’ll see her again down the line.  Rad dress!

Some deep green to alter the depth in the painting.

Build it up and block it out.  Notice how some parts are covered and then later uncovered changing the original form ever so slightly.

The finished painting! Click image for larger image.

Pesu was set up near me and he takes a quick break for a photo.

Pesu’s final painting.  A flower pleas for a [R]evolution!  Check out more of his work and his charitable efforts.  Nice meeting you, Pesu.

Heading to Las Vegas on Saturday with Borbay and Paul Zepeda to paint live for Broadway Bares.  Stay tuned for 9 days of mega-painting-vegas madness that you can follow on twitter. (@AriLankin, @PaulZepeda, @Borbay)

The event was a lot of fun, and another big thank you to Jeremy Penn.  Unfortunately he had to sit this one out and he graciously passed the brush to me.  Looking forward to seeing his painting alongside Keith Haring on April 28th at Dorian Grey Gallery.

Let me quickly mention the setting last night was the ultra-modern event space at Apella, overlooking the East River.  Not only was the space very cool, the staff was extremely friendly, and the food was amazing.  The pork belly sliders were all the rage.

I can’t comment on the [R]evolution make-up brushes, but Royal & Langnickel sure knows how to make a fine art brush.  I learned last night from people in the industry, with the [R]evolution line, Royal & Langnickel have finally made a line of make-up brushes that are made with the same quality and durability as fine art brushes.

We got asked back to Las Vegas by Broadway Bares to paint live for their event at Planet Hollywood.

Las Vegas Part 2: ReLoaded is official.  Fellow artists Borbay and Paul Zepeda are joining in on the adventure.  From April 15-23 we will be painting in the Las Vegas area starting off with the impetus for our trip a live painting at Planet Hollywood for the Broadway Bares charity.  After that we will be painting at different locations.  I have flexibility for two custom paintings.  Commission a painting and secure a piece of history.

Want your own custom painting from Las Vegas?  A favorite casino, The Welcome to Las Vegas Sign, Joshua Tree, Hoover Dam?… you decide what I paint and you own it forever.  Contact me now to set this up, info@arilankin.com or 610-420-7752.

Or perhaps you would like a Borbay or a Zepeda? Contact them directly jason@borbay.com and paul_theartist@yahoo.com

Read about last years trip and see the paintings  -

Borbay and Lankin do Vegas 2011.

Manhattan to Vegas: A Great Painting Adventure

It wasn’t a radical notion by any stretch of the imagination. Nine days in Vegas, painting live on the strip, an idea hatched by Borbay.  Flying to a destination to paint raises the stakes.  Time is limited, the conditions are unknown, and the unexpected will occur.  This is a chronological portrait of Manhattan based artists Borbay and Ari Lankin’s whirlwind trip to paint the the American Dream of Las Vegas.

Borbay

Lankin

THE WELCOME SIGN, TO SKI WITH ELVIS?

After two mind-numbing hours of infomercials featuring the muscles formerly known as Carrot Top, we began our mission to paint Vegas with the one definite painting, the Welcome to Las Vegas Sign. We encountered menacing painting conditions of dry heat, blazing sun, and multidirectional dust filled wind.

Painting on location is a beautiful experience.  It’s a race against time as the light is continually changing. Being anchored in one spot all day, often days, allows you to learn things about a foreign location that you don’t even know about the street you live on.  The location becomes a living entity.

It took little time for us to enmesh ourselves with the tourists and local people that frequent this must-see destination. Colorful 4/20 weddings, a preggers chick with “Vegas Baby” painted to match the sign on her belly, a consortium of Elvis’ and conversations with a dope photographer by the name of Gilbert fueled us as we painted. A Twitter friend (seriously) — Jerry Shawback, showed up day one to ask if he could join us… “of course brotha.”

We liked Jerry’s company so we invited him to paint with us every day for the rest of the trip.  We were an Artist Wolfpack, minus Galifianakis, but very much on par with the booze and cigarettes.

After finishing our first paintings we took our badly sunburnt calves and clay-dusted sneakers West into the neon sunset. A look that stuck with us for the entire trip. Being an artist is all about wearing clothing utility enough to paint in any condition, yet sophisto-seedy enough to access most Vegas venues. Borbay’s iconic dark shades and a faux leather blazer that screams, “look here, ignore the filthy shoes, skip the label, let us through”. Be ambiguously famous, authentic, and perhaps a bit dangerous. Fake that trust fund and rock with the DJ.  This particular evening was boosted by a one-eyed-pirate trip to Absinthe at Caesar’s. Penny’s sock-puppet routine. See it. Trust. “6’O’Clock bitch!” Pre-game with Dom Pong for $400.

Lankin

Borbay

THREE NEW STREET CREATURES ON FREMONT

Canvas number two belonged to what is alternatively referred to as “The Real Vegas” aka “Stabsville USA” — Fremont Street, the uncovered portion. We decided on the storied El Cortez Hotel, “Where Locals Come to Play, and the slots still have coins”. Locals indeed.

After a few hours a security guard was surprised that we were still out there.  We asked “Why, because of the heat?” he replied, “No, because the locals haven’t taken your stuff.” We made good with the mostly friendly locals, and had many repeat visitors, and the (un)usual school of critics. Comments ranged from: “Dope, I gotta blunt up with you,” “ohhh, beautiful,” “I don’t get it,”  “you suck bro,”  Of course, “how much? Where can I wire the money…” is preferred. Adaptation and a flexible personality are crucial to survive painting on the street.

It feels normal after two days of complete immersion on the streets to hear a woman shout: “Yo motha fucka, I just got outta Vegas Psych, and you can suck my dick bitch, oh look, artists!”

On Easter Sunday an elderly gentleman who was immaculately dressed and had a swaggerly disposition walked by and said, “those paintings are good, and I should know, I’m a millionaire.”  So that’s the secret to being a good art critic.

“Was that Jackie Gaughan?” Borbay wondered out loud. It was a good question.

The El Cortez Hotel is permanently etched in our brain.

BROADWAY BARES, ONE HOLLY MADISON

Back at the sign on day one, Ari met Sheila Joy “a very hot, very talented, very cool” blonde Cris Angel dancer.  After getting her “I <3 NV” painted tattoo from Ari, Sheila suggested we attend a charity event called Broadway Bares at Planet Hollywood she was choreographing and performing in.  Even better, we offered our painting services.  The next day we received a call from organizer and performer Paula Caselton of Broadway Bares who saw our work online and wanted us to join the show.

24 hours later it started with a viewing of Peepshow at the CHI Showroom. A lot of classy T&A and great dancing whipped up a new level of Vegas inspiration.   After midnight in the same theater we sipped a double and started slinging paint.  We hovered in the dual realm of painter and live performer for the duration of the show.  Holly Madison introduced us halfway through the 75 minutes to cheers from the anticipating crowd.  The paintings were auctioned off minutes after the show for Broadway Bares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Borbay

Lankin

THE SAHARA IS CLOSING?

Capture a slice of classic Vegas before it’s gone we thought. Once home to TV legend Dean Martin, now their claim to fame is a “six pound burrito (As Seen on TV), the size of a child, literally.”  Tempting, but we passed.

A cool but unwavering bike security guard gave us the boot from the edge of the casino property three hours into our paintings. Things went from bad to worse after we crossed the street to join the hollering lunatic screaming “I want reparations and hot dogs you dirty pigs!” We had to change compositions and about an hour in, our easels blew over — violently.  Being a street artist is never simple.

Lankin

Borbay

THE LUXOR, SEEN FROM SPACE, NO WIRELESS

The Luxor can shoot a light beam into space, yet they have no Wi-Fi. Regardless, for our last painting we set-up on Vegas BLVD, with a cooler of Tecate, and set our sites on a late 1990’s addition to the Vegas skyline straight out of popcorn flick: The Mummy.  Remember Brendan Frasier?

Thank you Las Vegas we couldn’t have done it without you.

Borbay (www.borbay.com) and Ari Lankin (www.arilankin.com) are professional artists from Manhattan. They travel the world, painting on location, and share their adventures along the way through Twitter (@Borbay) and (@AriLankin).  Check #vegaslive for the feed from when they were on the trip.

Stay tuned for more information and follow along on my Facebook Artist Page and Twitter.