no trasnfer connection

So, i made it to a a computer with the internet connection, but no luck with my phone so no photos.  So I'm painting a drawing in Munich, having a wonderful time and heading to Spain.  Pix when i can get 'em up.  And if i miss a week because of no internet/computer, it's not personal.

You see the mountain, you don't see the mountain, you see a moutain. Dude, what mountain?

 Happy Mothers Day to all incredible mothers out there. I cheers to you, with my tea.

I don't have much to show for this week.  It's been a whole lot of stuff.  So here is the painting i will call complete, to start things off. (complete... for now, kinda)

This is a better photo then the not so great photo i had last week.

I applied to a couple more competitions and scholarships and grants this week including the ARC and Florence Academy summer one.  Getting that done before i leave this week when i no longer have direct access to a computer.  For blog updates i intend on looking for an internet cafe abroad.  I kinda consider these a part of 'the job'.

I've gotten pretty used to rejection as an artist at this point, but sometimes they can still hit.  So I got declined for the Repin Academy summer program (they said they filled up mid march), which to me was a big enough bummer to blow a whole day on being upset by. Which is great because i was trying to finish up the portrait i posted last week and poo pooed that thing to hell.  Poo pooed.

So now i'm trying to find out about the Repin year prep program.  Yea... i want to go, or enroll full time in an academy here.  Which, again, without financial aid is not happening so back to frustrating square one.   Poo poo.  But here's to hoping to finally landing one of these grant things so i can attend school.

Alot of work this week since i'm going to have to pay bills while i'm abroad, some modeling for Kelly McGraws class.  Here are his demos.  I'll put it out there that he's a pretty awesome guy too.
http://calartinst.com/

Planning my Europtrip has been an adventure, and most certainly will remain so.  I'm giving shout outs to people i know abroad to see what's up.  I'll be meeting with some.  So far, yea, A weekend in Germnay,  browsing parks and beers and painting (and drawing) :), got a couple buddies out there so that'll be cool.  Then i'm off to a beachy stretch in Spain for a week which will be fantastic.  I really wanted to rummage the remainder of Spain but unfortunately that will have to be rainchecked, :(  never the less i'll enjoy every minute of being there.  After this part of my journey everything is about 'wingin it'.  So there will be Italy, there will be France, i hope for Switzerland, and perhaps Greece.  Russia ofcourse is now off the books. Given the opportunity though i would go everywhere, but i'm also very fond of chillin in a location and getting to know it, relax, and paint, draw. Thanks for all those helping me out with details of the trip.  Life would be more difficult without good people.

Back to work. Got some freelance stuff i gotta finish and ship so i can uhh, pack on monday.  

If you ever travel, anywhere, in country, out of country, whatever, this is an awesome resource;
https://www.airbnb.com/?af=469641&c=brdsearch_d_engus_na_na_hp_txt


This week on stuff that's cool;
 NOVA, ever watched it? Yea, it's cool.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/search/results/page/1?q=&x=14&y=10&facet[]=dc.type%3A%22Full+Episode%22

answers with consequences

Self portrait with a mirror i've been working on this week.  Dunno it it's done.  I'm thinking i'm going to render the face more for volume.


Why academic training is so important to me?
Because a backbone is important in everything you do.  I believe that there is a reason for everything, and every mark placed on a painting should have reason (more then just a visceral response).

 I want my artwork to produce the same effect on others as great artwork produces on me.  I'm a sucker for knowledge and the great accomplishments of our species.  There is an incredible sense of awe as i study the 'old masters' and some contemporary artists and realize alot of these guys have taken nothing for granted from concept to application.  It's mindblowing; language, structure, anatomy, color, composition, design, values, shapes, the more you know the more you see and the more you feel perfection, the more your interaction with artwork becomes a religious experience.  Not only do they speak in a language which is timeless but it is also incredible aesthetically.  They connect to human condition and emotions, historical or personal experiences which can sometimes be surprising or they can illustrate an incredibly complex story, beginning middle and end in one painting while maintaining a severe emotional impact.  It's more then just artwork, it's the immortalitiy of the human psyche, our need to connect, share and learn what we define as 'life' in this world.  It's depth, beauty and honesty at its apex.  It's more then just the idea, it's admiration and accomplishment layer after layer after layer.  I'll indulge in my vent and mention i love it when i'm studying a work of art and i notice subtleties, rich and meaningful, or when there is an almost invisible detail which shows how perfectly the artist has mastered his craft, or a simplification of the  complex into something simple and elegant.  After experiencing art, how could one not feel the need to create, and experience your own art.

I need to learn the academic principles so i can begin to focus on creating. I love the process of knowing the guidelines and making educated decisions to fit my aesthetic and idea.  The process is incredible.

After the rigorous self portrait week i needed to unwind, so yesterday I painted a quick still life.  It was fun.

another god awful attempt at plein air.  True these are quick (1hr)... but man do i suck at these.  I love it, so i'll get better..  this is that very awkward moment.
      

morning sketches
Every morning i make an effort to read a little bit (i just finished The Hobbit, again... big Tolkien fan, and  have now started reading 'Entropy and Art' by Arnheim)  and do what's called 'morning sketches'.  Most of the time they are compositional studies, little thumbnails expressing my thoughts.  I also do little head studies or others or the sort.  I take photos of people i come across and know and draw them.  I've started collecting photos of those whom i've met around me.  I love looking at people and studying their features, bone structure and personality traits.  It brings such richness to art when you're working with something real, there is a magic and excitement in the translation.

Downsizing
i'm downsizing.  I'm taking photos of old sketches/sketchbooks and feeding them to recycle.  That guy grows sideways this week.


Abroad
So i'm leaving in less then two weeks.   Abit stressful yes, but exciting.  I'll be visiting Italy and the museums in Paris and hopefully, Russia, for at least a month of intense art education. To be perfectly frank today i received some news which completely changes my plans, so i'm not sure where i'll be going.  We'll see how things roll out. The reason want to study at the Repin Academy, at least for a month in the summer is because, it's Russia and you need  a visa and they have some incredible artists and teachers there.  Not only that, i'll be studying art, portrait and figure in an academic setting day and night for a whole month.  That's incredible.   I'll be painting and drawing everyday regardless.  Up in the air.  I don't know the languages well so this is me; smile, draw, smile, paint, eat, smile, draw. (and no purse left behind, or open)

Professional vs. Student; bloody it up.
I need to be a young professional fine artist to survive and i need to be a student to continue to progress as an artist so i can become more consistent, confident, efficient and intelligent in the production of my artwork. Only two of the many balls necessary to juggle as the choice of becoming a fine artist takes over all of life.

20"x16"... again... not sure if it's done and the image i'm seeing appears alot different then what i saved it as. So if i decide it's done i'll post it on Facebook and my webpage and hopefully it'll look right.

cool podcasts this week;
http://www.missedinhistory.com/
http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/301821915/how-we-love

steam boat engine

 I don't think there is such a thing as a 'self made man'.  Some people work harder and take more initiative but we live in a society and as such you interact and work with others. To all those who have helped me in one way or another, thank you.

So, getting this portfolio together isn't easy. I'm doing my best to get some academic drawing down, the deadlines are tight and sugar is running high.  Despite all the difficulties i'm coming across i am grateful for having the liberty to choose this line of work. 


Off to it;

The self portrait drawing.

I used a mirror.  I had just gotten into bristle paper and pencil and conte thing... I stumbled but eventually i started understanding the dynamic.  It was a definite win that i had the liberty of posing and taking as long as i needed.  I can't remember all the artistic principles at once.. i'm pretty certain I don't even know them all, but in any case as i develop the drawing i begin remembering more as i go along and apply them as i see fit to my drawing.  No rush, just the end product.
FYI:the paper is bristle, so it's white... not yellow or pink or whatever color it shows on the monitor.

Still Life Drawing;

The skull still life i set up at home so that was peachy.  Tried to make it an 'academic study' whatever that means.  I suppose it means i can integrate academic principles in a visible manner on my piece.  I hope it does that.

The cast drawing;

a disaster.
 I only got to spend a limited amount of hours on it. aka; waaaaayyy not enough.  I was living on borrowed time for this one, meaning, i was at a place i wasn't allowed to be using a resource i wasn't allowed to use.  The people in charge were aware, but i knew i was on the clock.  I've been warned about such things before. I wish i could have finished this one to the best of my ability.  It's a damn mess i tell you.  ::shakes fist::   See, big challenge #alot.

the figure drawing;

 I attended my buddies uninstructed workshop, which is the only workshop i know of holding long pose figure. I got to spend two weeks on it.  Roughly, 7 hrs... Not enough. I've never spent so long on a figure drawing.  I do see many benefits in developing that analysis.
 I began the drawing in one style, again, trying to do things 'academically' and measuring it out, being careful, etc.  It was time consuming but gratifying. I was training.  By the end of the first session i had a vague drawing.  Realizing i needed to be more time efficient i jumped into shapes the second week, then rendering the focal point.  I didn't get very far. This is frustrating because a)finances would make it difficult for me to continue attending the workshop even if i had the option (deadline is weds) b)this is not anywhere close to how far i could take a drawing and develop my aesthetic and analysis.
I got home with my very unfinished drawing and posed myself in front of a mirror and similar lighting situation.  This proved unsatisfactory and time consuming.  As i need to carefully asses the remainder of my days, i'm going to have to put this on the back seat.  Words cannot really describe the feeling of having another 'flop'. Gotta keep truckin'. 

 So, as i get ready for my submissions i find that my own pieces do not live up to my standards due to my lack of resources.  So if i don't get awarded the grants/scholarships, i stay stuck in the same difficult ship i'm sailing now (its got a hole in it).  It's a self fulfilling proficy, i don't get grants because my work doesn't live up to standards, my work can't live up to academic standard because i can't afford a standard education and consistent practice.  Who would have known i've given 110% of everything in order to get this far, and it hasn't been far at all.

I'll mention here (again) how fortunate i am to know some people/institutions who have been willing to help me out.  It's a big deal.

In the end i think the most important thing to get across is the idea.  And if i can do that, regardless of whether i've met my other hopes and expecatations, i didn't do all that bad. Gonna go for a run now and burn off some of this stress.  Then it's back to work.


Podcasts i'm currently listing to;

 damn awesome;
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-history-of-rome/id261654474?mt=2

damn awesome too;
http://www.suggesteddonationpodcast.com/blog


pretty neat documentary, not to mention the brilliant drawing.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/mystery-masterpiece.html

yduts cimedaca

Lots happening as usual.

I'll start with Happy Easter to the religious lot. (zombie jesus day)

Applied to Elizabeth Greenshields.  I applied for the grant about three years ago and got denied.   Hoping for better luck this time around.

Applying to ARC student scholarship
http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/scholarshipapplication.php

Submitting my portfolio to Repin Summer program
http://rai-summer.blogspot.com/

Some other scholarships people might be interested in;
the florence academy has someting going on
http://florenceacademyofart.com/summer_florence.php

So does Grand Central Academy in NY
http://grandcentralacademy.org/
e-mail this guy;  gcaclasses@gmail.com


I was pretty busy with freelance work and trying to do academic portfolio stuff for my submissions.  It's challenging and alot of work but i hope to come out with a legit enough product to continue my studies, which is top priority.  Gas prices are high as hell so i've taken to taking the bus and riding my bike again... which can be challenging when your carrying oversized material and paint supplies.

Next week i'll post some of my attempts at an academic study.  Trying to find guidance with teachers i've had in the past, it's not the ideal situation but it helps.

Today i got the privilege to attend class with Vadim Zanginian and learn some drawing and russian.  It clarified some ideas for how to approach a landscape which is awesome.  He teaches at LAAFA feel free to look him up; http://laafa.org/    Here are my studies;

They need some cleanup but my schedule is running like crazy... so i'm doing that later... and posting this now.   and just for kicks here are some two minute figure studies from earlier this week.

dusk to dawn

 
and my painting 'self portrait with earrings'  is getting published in a second book, INDA 9 (International Drawing Annual)