An Art Storm Approaches

Wow, I got a ton done on the art-front over the past day and night. With two cups of potently strong (and yummy!) coffee along with an ipod loaded with some fresh tunes, I was on fire last night finishing up paintings and getting new surfaces prepped for yet more works. Woo! Go me!

I finally completed that large piece I had hinted at a while back for my dear friend, Rachel. It's a biggun' for me at 11x14" with a good amount of detail. The worn and cracked ballerina statue is based from one over in Salzburg and is just beginning to come to life in this piece. I'm *so* happy with it (and Rachel, I hope you are too!). And unlike the last time I worked on a large piece, this time I took progress photos so you can sorta see how it came together, which is always a bit fun.
This morning it was varnished up, framed, and is currently resting until it gets to go to its new home. :)

Also, a bit unrelated, but I thought it would be kinda fun to do a bit of a sketch-unload sale every Friday. Here's how it works. I have oodles of old books which I use the pages from in some of my paintings. However, I can't use 'em up fast enough. I'm drowning in papers. So, once a week, I'll do an ink/paint sketch on a random book page and throw it in the shop on Friday for someone to snatch-up. Every sketch will be a staggering low price of only $15 (hence the name of the Friday sketch-unloading event: "Friday 15") so that anyone can have a chance at some fresh original art, regardless of their pocketbook.

We'll see how it goes. I may only do two or three and decide it's just not working, but I think it'll be really fun. And unlike my finished paintings, which are typically pretty detail-ridden and polished, my sketches are always far more experimental and loose.

So, here's this week's Friday 15 sketch, dubbed "He Wasn't As Strong As He Thought":
And you can find it over yonder for sale. *UPDATE: It's now sold. Thank you!*

That's all from my neck of the woods, gang! Once these new paintings get started, I'll show you all some snippets. But for now, I'll just tell you that one very tiny piece involves a walrus and another piece will showcase something very...slimy.

Cheerio!