My connection in Rio, paintings and sketches
I recently took a trip to Rio de Janeiro Brazil for some rest and to learn more about the art of Jiu Jitsu.
The trip was way to short but it was well worth it. Here are some sketches and paintings I happen to do when I had some down time.
Latest projects and happenings…
I haven’t been posting much on my site lately, but I have been updating on facebook and tumblr. I’ve been cutting back on freelance and focusing on my own work again with a different approach. In September I will be attending the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies for animation. This has been something I’ve been wanting to do for many years now so I’m finally making it happen. This site has also gone through some changes lately, a new look and color scheme, some new work and a new store to purchase artwork. I’m still debating on the image gallery, not sure if i want a dynamic slideshow or a static gallery like it is now. Here’s the latest painting I made. It’s not finished to me but it’s ok for now.When I was in the process it took me several weeks, I’m working on taking my time with my craft rather than rushing to get the job done. I find more enjoyment watching the canvas evolve.
Brush paintings…
Here’s a few illustrations I worked on recently. Just experimenting painting on a smaller scale.
I pout the actual artwork available for purchase on Bigcartel.com
The magnificent seven X The Muppets T-shirt Design Challenge
This design was based around the theme of friendship and since there are so many wonderful characters involved with The Muppets I choose to the classic film by Akira Kurosawa “The seven samurai” as my base for the illustration. Many different characters coming together for the greater good and becoming the best of friends. I illustrated this piece using a small brush and sumi ink, colors where done in photoshop.
You can vote this design here: Threadless.com
Thanks.
A day painting in Brooklyn (Video)
I painted this wall piece at a friends brownstone in Brooklyn. It’s kind of a tradition now for me to paint on her walls every couple of years.
Art Process
Recently I had the opportunity to be commissioned to paint a jiu jitsu piece. It was inspired by the smaller 5″x7″ paintings I created a little while ago. Here are a few images showing the process.
A day painting in Brooklyn part2
I went back to Brooklyn over the weekend to finish up the wall painting for DJ Sakir. I made some minor changes to the face but my main focus was on switching up the background. The idea was suppose to be hibiscus flowers with a Polynesian design. After many hours of standing up painting I wasn’t at my best and decided to come back and fix it, So I did. The pattern is simple but not to basic in design and the flowers are in black and white so that the main focus remains on the female character and no the background. This has been the biggest painting i have done in a long time. I haven’t touched any walls or large canvas due to the lack of space but over the weekend I relocated to a much better environment that will allow me to express myself creatively once again.
Nine views of Jiu Jitsu, 5×7 acrylic paintings.
Each painting was created on a 5″x7″ canvas panel with acrylic paint.
They will be availble for sale on artbysmalls.bigcartel.com for $15.00.
Snowdays and Gogoplatas, almost complete…
I hope to complete this project and keep the momentum moving to other BJJ related work… Here’s what I have so far in the process.
Snowdays and Gogoplatas, work in progress reds
Backgrounds are done. Line work next.
Snowdays and Gogoplatas, work in progress.
Today is a snow day for most on the east coast. I started working on these yesterday but since I had some extra time I’m going to knock most of them out tonight, maybe all of them.
Started with 29 ended up with 17.
This project is finished for now. I still have a stack of these little canvases left, but for now I have to get back to some freelance and other projects. I will be posting this whole series for sale later this week.
29 Paintings of women in 2 days, not even close…
So I didn’t even come close to finishing but I made it some what half way. Not that it was a prize for finishing the paintings in two days, it was more about sitting down and focusing on the task without losing my edge. Some of these paintings are complete and some are not. I’m going to add backgrounds to most or other elements like tattoos, flowers and birds. There’s a few paintings that didn’t get outline only because those where made with paint markers and the majority or paint markers I had dried up from lack of use. I will continue to finish up this project in the next day or so and jump back on the Four Horseman piece. This has been an interesting project so far.
29 Paintings of women in 2 days.
Over the years I’ve collected a wide range of images for reference when creating. So I have a folder full of females from all over, random stuff, whatever caught my eye. A while ago I started drawing them but didn’t finish. This weekend I will paint 29 of the best from that collection of photos. Like I said it’s photos that I though where different in some way, hopefully when I recreate them on canvas I will be able to capture that same unique quality.
Portrait of Gordon Shumway the Great.
So as of the past 6 months or so I haven’t been painting on any large size canvas. The biggest I have worked with recently was about 16″ x 20″. Over the weekend I picked up about 30 5″x7″ canvas panels. I feel more comfortable painting on this scale rather than the larger size, and the ability to add in details doesn’t become a burden. Over the weekend I broke down several large canvases to make smaller ones so some of the paintings I had up on the site no longer exist, oh well. Look forward to more canvases up in the gallery and store section in the next few weeks.
Original canvas paintings for sale!! 50-75% off
Before I make new art I need to move some old art to have more room to create. So I put some canvas on sale for about 50-75% off. Sizes range from small 4×6 paintings to larger 3feet long canvas. Checkout what’s available at artbysmalls.bigcartel.com
Backdrops, markers, dragon and octopuss skull paintings.
Over the weekend I had the opportunity of collaborating with a friend and fellow artist CortesNYC. I won’t go into the details
because there will be video posted soon showing the entire process. For now enjoy these pics.
For more work by CortesNYC visit:
http://www.cortescreates.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/cortesnyc
There is always an escape.
For several years now I have been studying martial arts heavily however, not until earlier this year have I felt it useful or practical. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is more than the UFC or fighting in general. For me it’s about self control and discipline. To overcome an opponent i must first conquer myself. With all that said I decided to take my love for the art to another level so I began working on a book of art dedicated to the history and development of the techniques. Here are a few images so far.
It’s a wonderful life (goucahe painting)
Three is the magical number.
Art Demon enters the chamber (gouache paintings)
So tomorrow will be December and I’m only halfway finished with the gouache book. So be it, I won’t finish on time but atleast I’m enjoying the process. Stay tuned for many more!
The Art Demon rides again! (gouache painting)
What can I say differently about this one….not much. Enjoy!! Gouache painting in 5×8 moleskine book, Illustrated with a #5 and #8 pen, double spread.
Art demon back piece (gouache painting)
This piece was the most detailed so far in the series. I wanted to do more with the shading in the beginning. Once I got started things went into another direction. I choose to keep the background fairly simple while adding more detail to the characters. I will be posting 3 more later this week. The goal is to complete this book by the end of the month.
The art demon rides again (gouache painting)
This is another installment of the Art Demon series painted entirely in gouache. This piece is a two page spread about 10″x8″ in a moleskine book. This piece was inspired by the t.v. series Sons of Anarchy. I’ve been into motorcycles for a little while and became a fan of the show.
