![Live Painting Recap | [R]evolution Launch](http://www.arilankin.com/wp-content/themes/bigfeature/library/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=/wp-content/gallery/revolution-launch/royal-langnickel-final-540-ari-lankin.jpg&w=528&zc=1)
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.
Painting Process Movie of "Moto For Miles" - by... by
“Make an awesome painting with Miles’s favorite motorcycle, his father’s Norton. It’s a surprise for his birthday.”
With that request I decided to focus on the bike and include personal references to Miles.
While working on this commission I got a new appreciation for the visual aesthetic of motorcycles. Especially an older model like this Norton, where every part serves a function and is stylish
“Form follows function.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
1
I had a few photographs taken by his father to work from. I decided to work from a picture of the bike parked in the driveway. At first I was thinking go completely sepia like some of his favorite motorcycle photos.
3
After laying out the negative space around the bike, I added form to the positive space with a blue in my CMYK palette. These are the colors I have been using to start many of my recent paintings.
2
Coming in with black to refine details in the bike. In the negative space I’m freestyling with graffiti writing incorporating Miles’s name. This starts to create some play in the space.
3
The text looked like plants so I began teasing out the idea of a cliff overlook. Soon after this picture I found out about his appreciation for the Isle of Mann TT and his connoisseurship of Guinness.
4
I used that information to establish the major components of the space. The background is a view of coastal mountains on the Isle of Man. In the foreground the bike sits upon a Guinness. You’ll see in the next shot I had to increase the head, because the head of a perfectly poured Guinness is about 1/4 the width of the opening of the pint glass. One of the main reasons I love painting is because I get to learn about my subjects, especially visually.
5
Now that the Guinness was legit, I added a reference to Miles’s tattoo of the Isle of Man Triskelion, known as the “Three Legs of Man.” The three legs symbolize the motto of the Manx coat of arms “Wherever you throw it, it will stand.”
6
A Guinness isn’t 100% perfect unless the foam is stamped with your initials and marinated with moto tires before it’s handed to you. As I came down the homestretch with the final details on the bike I added some energy to the sky by incorporating some of my signature abstraction. The visual solidity and motto of the Triskellion overcome the unpredictable forces of nature that form on our horizons.
Click the final image below to check out one of my favorite parts of the painting, the CMYK rainbow on the chrome at the beginning of the exhaust.
Moto for Miles | 18 x 24 inches | acrylic on canvas | 2012 | Sold
Let us raise a pint, ride forever, overcome all obstacles, and remember all those we have loved.
There are few other references to Miles and layers to the stories but we’ll leave that for him to share with you.
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I showed Miles the blog write up before publishing it, and he responded: “The motor and exhaust sound are as ethereal as the bike is aesthetically pleasing. A proper motorcycle; which you have captured superbly.”
Happy Birthday Miles!
This Norton which I now have a crush on was restored to pristine condition by Colorado Norton Works. A few changes have been made after the original restoration shown in the link to CNW.
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Other recent commissions: a beach landscape, a Bald Eagle, a hockey player, and a new born child.
Warm Autumn | 30 x 30 inches | oil on canvas | 2011
Click painting for larger image. If video is not working follow this YouTube link.
Questions? info@arilankin.com
CMYK NYC is the culmination of an energy that was building inside of me for a few weeks. When I started this painting I was incredibly inspired to paint at this scale and ready to bridge together several ideas i’ve been working on.
CMYK NYC is in my painting exhibition at RL Fine Arts that is open until November 12th, 2011, in New York City.
For the process video I was lucky enough to work with multi-faceted grammy award winning artist Tony Black of Tony Black Productions & Orange Key. He wrote, performed, and produced “if i told you” – (The Ari Mix), while referencing the process video for inspiration. I feel this song intensifies the richness of the viewing experience by literally expressing a musical quality of the abstract painting. Because he did such an amazing job I am going to let the music and the video do most of the talking.
Lets take a look…
It starts with a white acrylic ground on cotton
I was working a lot with pink and black leading up to this painting, so I started with them.
Turning the organic more geometric.
Back to organic, perhaps utilitarian.
The entire space has been commented on and all of the colors are now present, CMYK.
Opening the space on the left, and closing it on the right.
It’s getting lighter in color and atmosphere.
Archetecture changes the way we live by altering our spatial awareness.
I was considering this state the final piece. It has the feeling of NYC, but it was too literal.
By altering landscape references, I change the feeling of gravity. The relationship of one form to another becomes more informative.
CMYK NYC | 48 x 60 inches | acrylic on canvas | 2011.
Click image for larger version.
You can see this painting right now at RL Fine Arts in Chelsea, see below for directions and images of the other works in the show.
Click here to preview the other paintings from my solo exhibition, “Windows of Self,” at RL Fine Arts Gallery until November 12th
Located in the heart of Flatiron/Chelsea:
RL Fine Arts
39 West 19 Street, Suite 612 (between 5 and 6 avenues)
New York NY 10011
tel: 212 645 6401
email:info@rlfinearts.com
gallery hours:
Tuesday to Saturday 11.00 to 6.30pm, Sunday 12.00 to 4.00pm
Exploring the unknown is one of the most exciting things about the creative process. Starting a work of art without a preconceived final image leaves room for discovery in any direction. With a piece like MagiKid it’s hard to tell when the creative process began. Perhaps it was a few years ago when my friend gave me a Scrabble board game that was missing some pieces. I saved it because I knew one day I could use it in a work of art. Or perhaps it was over six years ago when I acquired the Yoda miniature action figure.
The story continues when I was in Las Vegas with artist Borbay doing location and live painting in April. We decided to walk to our meeting at Vegas Seven magazine. The walk was a little further and off the beaten path then we thought. While walking in a half occupied industrial park I came across what looked like a discarded childs drawing in a parched leafless bush. It was a great drawing, so i folded it up and put it in my back pocket. The last ingredient was a magazine tribute to Michael Jackson that I saved since his death.
Las Vegas, April 2011.
Me celebrating the golden discovery. Shirt off because the desert is hot. Unlike a handful of other things, the drawing survived the Vegas trip, and a few months later ended up in this painting. MagiKid is another addition to the assemblage painting series I started in 2004.
MagiKid | assemblage and acrylic on canvas | 8 x 10 inches | 2011
Click image for larger version.
MagiKid has several obvious references which I will touch upon, and other ambiguous layers of interpretation I will leave for your discovery.
Words are spelled out: liv(e), jedi, magi, kid, magik.
The standard seven letters of a Scrabble game on the top row add up to the number 18. A special number in Judaism meaning life. It’s essential to keep a child’s spirit as one grows old.
What’s in a name? My middle name means Life.
What’s in the middle? The great wise man Yoda.
The Yoda toy is a third generation hand me down that i’ve had for at least six years. The rock around his neck is from a necklace that a friend broke in my company.
The childs drawing alludes to Luke Skywalker, and holds a double saber of red and green, or perhaps good and evil.
A young Michael Jackson photo is cropped to look like Darth Vader’s helmet.
Yoda, Luke Skywalker, and Vader, a magi of knowledge, and knowledge is power.
It’s amazing how this piece came together. For now i’ll leave the rest up to you and send it off with a quote by a great painter.
All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. – Pablo Picasso
This is the second painting I did after the biblical flu that had me sidelined with a fever for 9 days. Between tripping out on a fever, lucid fever induced dreams, over twenty movies including the whole Twin Peaks series, and not being able to paint I was so ready for this painting to pour out of me.
As usual with my abstract work, I dive in without any preconceived image…
A big yellow amorphous shape, why not?
I kept it very loose and tried to surprise myself. Some strong lines to counteract the organic yellow shape.
New colors and shapes seem to have individualized spirits.
Two strips along the top and the bottom, allude to analog film. This was influenced by watching so many movies and my experience with photography/film. Aesthetically it holds the diverse forms from spilling out of the top and bottom of the canvas.
A canvas is a window to another world. Add light and the image dances. The individual forms start to gather together and a large central form develops.
At this point I’m exploring the organic forms and fleshy feeling. This is balanced by the architectural feeling of the crisp horizontal strips on the top and bottom of the canvas. The self, the brain, and our instantaneous digital connection to the rest of the world….oops, I was just thinking out loud.
There was a lot of destroying and rebuilding while making this painting. I had to take things away to see if they were needed. When I rebuilt them I already had a knowledge of the purpose they served. Also what was was missing in their absence. 
The lower forms are now shining through the strip on the bottom of the canvas. Some people wish their life is a movie. If you ask me, everyone’s life is a movie. Some people turn their projector light up brighter than others.
View With A Room | oil on canvas | 30 x 40 inches | 2011
This is the first painting I made after taking a few consecutive days off from painting. I decided to put hardcore painting on ice for a few days while I was busy working on some other projects.
Immediately after getting home from the Clipped reception after party I started painting. It felt so good to be back at it.
This painting is full of raw energy and excitement, some would even call it joy.
I call it Roarrr.
Let’s take a look at some of the stages and you can decide for yourself…
Diving in with pink, oh how I love pink. It’s almost like a guilty pleasure. Here I’m painting with brushes and fingers.
Introducing some primary colors with a strong linear quality. When I look at a line I experience a sensation of movement from one point to another. The type of line suggests the type of movement. I think it’s safe to say these lines are capricious in nature.
Utilizing the edge of the canvas I flatten the imagery with the picture plane.
New colors and new mark making breathe different life into the painting.
Around this time I’m starting to understand the life of this particular painting.
It’s crucial to harness this life power but not misuse it. That remind’s me of this anonymous quote: “Some say it takes two people to do a painting, one to do the painting and the other to tell you when to stop.”
Roarrr | acrylic and oil on canvas | 30 x 40 inches | 2011
Anything is possible with teamwork. One person made this painting, and the same person knew exactly when to stop. This painting is alive.
Click the painting for a larger image and watch the process video in HD.
While going through images over the weekend I realized I haven’t posted this painting from late Winter.
I started this on one of those winter days when it finally starts to warm up.
So with the sun out, and the windows open, I ripped into this 4′ x 5′ canvas.
Warm weather, and a big canvas is a great combination after a long winter.
Just looked at the time stamp on the photo and I started it February 14th at 2:36PM…oh, that special day
let me take you back….
Starting out with a slick thin black line. Felt great with all the freedom of a large canvas. Keep the paint flowing.
After bringing in some color I introduce 12″ x 12″ blocks.
Playing with the structure and using the blocks to literally build the composition. A big playful signature in the middle. Brush strokes are a type of signature.
Time to push the picture plane back with some white. The “X” in the middle pushes the other imagery back.
Break the grid by exploring each square, and merging them together.
A general cohesion is forming, but not for long…
Simplify and dissolve the geometry. The form becomes more organic.
Increasing surface area with folds.
Changing opacity to alter the depth.
Whats the difference between drawing and painting? Save that debate for another time. It doesn’t matter with strong mark making. More of that.
Getting rid of some of the black that held the painting together since the early stages.
Pink On The Brain | acrylic on canvas | 48 x 60 inches | 2011.
I hesitate to explain the imagery in my abstract paintings. It’s abstract for a reason, actually thousands of reasons.
Sometimes I feel a title can lead the viewer too much. Don’t let it.
Check out the video in HD, and click the finished painting for a larger image.
SUPERNATURAL EVENT: PAINTING RISES FROM THE GRAVE ON MAY 22, 2010
NEW YORK, NY–Many listless art critics have glibly declared: “painting is dead.” Another offered $10,000 for proof of expiration. On Saturday, May 22, 2010, BORBAY, Jeremy Penn and Ari Lankin offer evidence to the contrary. Opening for one-night-only in TriBeCa, Painting Resurrected will exhume eighteen contrasting paintings, supernaturally confirming – the demise of painting has been greatly exaggerated. Myths will be shattered, precedents will be set and cocktails will be served.
Find out more on the official event site, and RSVP on Facebook.
Location: 393 Broadway, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10013 | TriBeCa
Date: Opening Gala: Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM; Private Viewings by Appointment: Sunday May 23rd, 2010 – Tuesday May 25th, 2010
Admittance: Open to the public
About Jeremy Penn
Jeremy Penn was born in 1979 in New York and studied Fine Art at both the University of Maryland and Pratt Institute. Penn’s paintings are best known for using color to elicit an emotional response. His works have been exhibited internationally and have gained acclaim from curators at museums such as The Museum of Modern Art, New York and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. In 2009, Penn was honored as the “Featured Artist” for New York’s first Freedom Week. In 2010, Penn’s art was awarded both ASFD’s Pinnacle Award and the ADEX Gold Medal. His works have been prized by notable collectors, including the Crown Prince of Dubai. Energized by the caprices of popular culture, Penn’s recent work explores the evolution of celebrity.
About Ari Lankin
Ari Lankin was born in the suburbs of Philadelphia in 1980. He received his BFA in Painting and Economics from Brandies University. Although a wide traveler and avid road tripper, it is Manhattan that has been his home and inspiration as an artist, fueling his investigative and intuitive approach to painting. His concerns with systems, dreams, chaos and order, realities, and relational flow can be read in his work. The flux of these influences affords multiple interpretations, and allow for both moments of recognition and uncertainty. Ultimately he is concerned with risk taking, wisdom, process and chance rather than emulating a preconceived final image.
About BORBAY
Voted Time Out New York’s Most Creative New Yorker in 2009, Upper East Side artist BORBAY has painted famed landmarks around the world. On display will be BORBAY’s collage paintings, comprised of New York Post headlines and layer upon layer of acrylic paint. Driven to capture the actuality of society, this series visually displays the paradox of love, lust, murder, sex, sports, betrayal, triumph, religion, rape and politics in one place… concepts any person reading a daily newspaper will see juxtaposed without a second thought. His works have been acquired for private and corporate collections around the world.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Contact: Jason Borbay | info@paintingsresurrected.com | Phone Number Provided Via Email
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