Just got back from an epic painting trip to Las Vegas with Borbay. I’ll be sharing the paintings and the stories starting next week.
Let’s take a look at the last painting I finished before leaving for Las Vegas, NYC Armory II.
This painting was inspired by Armory Vault a painting I made on location in front of The Armory Show in March. Incidentally it was my first outdoor painting of the season.
This painting was created in my studio on a different ratio canvas…
Starting out with a web of fleshy pink.
A different shade of pink to add mass to the veil structure.
Sculpting the main forms in black.
Leveling out the left form with the right form.
Adding light colors give the forms volume and mass by optical cohesion.
Here comes a new ochre color.
A strip of light blue across the width of the canvas suggests a horizon.
Dropping in the blue to push the cavernous white space into the foreground.
Taking time to simplify…
Softening the verticla lines.
NYC Armory II, oil and acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 inches, 2011.
To finish the picture I added “light” with colors to the central portion of the picture.
The pink and the ochre forms allude to land and flesh, specifically fingers and the folds of the brain. The space in between the forms is both empty and full. Light is present but the source is unknown. The space is compact and infinite. Notice how the forms seem to push up against the picture plane and invite the viewer into the picture. I can enter this picture via visual, physical, and psychological levels and thats when I knew it was finished.
There is nothing quite as life changing as your first born child. A new chapter full of blessings and love. The beginning of a new family full of magical moments.
For this painting I had a lot of photographs to choose from. After listening to what they wanted I chose this one for two reasons.
The first is because I like the peaceful look on his face, the sea of blankets he’s in, and the gesture of his hands. Secondly, I couldn’t stop thinking about how his Grandma told me she wonders what he dreams about when she watches him sleep. I can only begin to think about how amazing baby dreams are. The longer I look at the photo the more I see a little man full of personality. As the painting evolved I sent them process shots for their approval. It felt great hearing how excited they were about the developing painting.
For the record this is my youngest portrait. All of five days old, the incredible Robert Gaetan Specht, aka, Robbie G.
I remarked how the “G” in his name kind of sounds gangster, and his grandmother quickly said, “Because he is gangsta!” This helped inspire the choice of “Every Day” by Girl Talk for the music on the video. The song samples John Lennon’s “Imagine” and layers it with some contemporary rap beats.
The painting of Robbie G, the new Boss of the family… (Video is best viewed on YouTube in HD)
This painting starts in the shadows of a black ground, inspired by his first 9 months in the womb.
Wrong placement in the canvas which is fixed by wiping down the canvas.
We didn’t want the painting to look exactly like the photograph. I chose some of my richer colors, and experimented with form.
A real man can wear pink. Confidence is sexy. Notice how he can drive with his left hand while pretending to talk on the phone with his right. While updating the first-time father with pictures of the painting in progess, he told me ”It’s only been four weeks, but he’s growing up so fast.” I couldn’t help but laugh. Soon he’ll be asking to borrow the keys to the car.
Keeping the energy high, and the brushwork loose I start to experiment with altering the source material.
Odds are he’ll be right handed, but I increased the size of his left arm to anchor him in the composition. I also took away his driving privileges by getting rid of the steering wheel. Sorry fella, your dreaming, not driving.
The patterning on the blanket starts to spell his name, “Robbie G.”
Time to add a little more peacefulness to his face, you can never have too much.
Robbie G | oil on canvas | 24 x 18 inches | 2011
Just a little more peace, and another reference to the family name folded carefully in the blanket above Robbie G’s left shoulder.
A beautiful baby who will grow up to be a legend.
“Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one”
-John Lennon, “Imagine”
If you like the soundtrack to the video I highly recommend downloading Girl Talk’s latest LP All Day for free at Illegal Art. Here is a link to a great article in the New York Times about Greg Gillis of Girl Talk. Looking forward to hear what he comes up with next and hopefully get a chance to see him perform live. Greg if you read this drop me a line because I have a question for you.
I finally saw this clip without hearing any particular spoilers. Just like a good movie I’m glad I didn’t hear all the details. The most revealing thing I heard was that she “hung over the audience and sprayed water on them.” This goes to show just how strong her performance was. It simply could not be put into words by the mass media or tabloid headlines which are hard to avoid these days. In fact, I am going to watch it again right after I finish this article. What a powerful performance. The above picture is from my cell phone. Perhaps more pictures to come. Follow this link to watch the performance, a reproduction of a show at a specific time and place.
‘Pink Soars During \'Glitter In The Air\' Grammy Performance 2010
