I have been spending quite a bit of time in the studio lately, which is one reason why I haven’t been updating the blog as much (the other reason is laziness). I’m painting a bit of everything with no real focus, but I’m having fun which is the most important thing. I counted the paintings I’m working on at the moment and found that I have 21 pictures in various stages of completion, so I’m definitely not starting any new ones until I start finishing a few!

What does your studio look like? If you send me a few (smallish) photos of your art studio I might post them. I love seeing other artist studios, it’s like reading the artist’s diary.

Here’s a few pics from this afternoon..

T-bone steaks, mince meat and potatoes.

Paintings and easel.

Paints, brushes, and phone.

Tiger comes down to check on me and remind me that I have to feed her while her owner is away.

Landscape, Melbourne scene and meat.

Self portrait (in need of a shave).

Portrait and box of canvases.

Sydney cityscape.

Here’s some of my older paintings online.

Two of Australia’s best known art prizes recently announced their winners. The Archibald prize is best known for creating controversies and receiving lots of mainstream media coverage, even if there isn’t a controversy, and the Doug Moran portrait prize is known for having a first prize booty of $150,000.

The 2009 Archibald prize winner was Guy Maestri with his portrait of the singer Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. I can’t say I was very impressed with the portrait but the Gurrumul CD is amazing. He’s a blind indiginous artist that plays the guitar upside down and sings like an angel. There’s some videos of him on Youtube.

The 2009 Doug Moran portrait prize winner is Ben Quilty for his portrait of the singer Jimmy Barnes, titled There But For The Grace Of God Go I No. 2. Quilty collected $150,000 for his entry.

The Archibald finalists can be seen here and the Doug Moran finalists can be found here.

Hope is difficult for me to draw or paint. It is even more difficult to write about.

Hope is always in me. I take it for granted, usually, unless things get bad. But things have to get really bad before all I have left is hope.

I think this is due to hope being an emotional state rather than an optimistic point of view reached by conscious logical thought. Hope happens when reason is gone. When life feels so overwhelmingly bad, all I have left is hope… for something better.

Although, I can’t deny when life feels positively good, I feel an undercurrent of hope for stability. “I hope that nothing bad happens!” Hope can work against change when things are good and comfortable. Maybe that reflects the arbitrary nature of emotion.

Each of the drawings and paintings below are reflections of hope. The artworks are approximately 9″x12″ on card stock paper, created with markers, pens, watercolors, paint pens, and acrylic paint. The first piece of art is a Face of Hope at its time of overwhelming need. The second artwork is a Ray of Hope, shining through the darkest hour; a time it’s most clearly visible. And the third drawing is a nod to the American Democratic political party which connected popular culture’s idea of hope to a campaign, in the Smiling Eyes of Hope.

Special Thanks to Martha Marshall for contributing the idea for this 4th Art Challenge! And check out Vikki North’s blog (the originator of these art challenges!) to see her interpretation of HOPE!

~Michael

Related posts:

1. Abstract Drawings and Paintings of Black and White Faces These are drawings and paintings of abstract faces. The 9″x12″…
2. Abstract Art Faces | Drawings and Paintings of Heads This is a series of abstract impressionistic art faces that…
3. Sad and Depressed Face | Abstract Acrylic Painting There is a beautiful painting of a face under there….

21st century advances in technology have opened new windows to the world around us that have enabled artists to dive deeper into the heart of matter than ever before. Whether it’s through the use of microscopes to see cells and molecules, or telescopes to see distant planets and galaxies, or in this case, through the use of advanced drilling techniques to reach precious stones, gems, minerals, and core-sample cross sections of Earth, artists are there to explore. And bio artist Sydney Strahan has emerged with fascinating works of art that reflect the nuances and intimate spaces of the layered world that sustains us. Her art is at the same time capable because of this moment of technological advance, yet transcends the millenia of time from whence its inspiration and the art itself was born.

Sydney has created amazingly vibrant paintings from core-sample cross sections of microscopically thin layers of Earth. By working with expert Geologists, a variety of interesting rocks and stones offered a visual point of departure for her art work.

From her artist biography:

Sydney Strahan is a graduate of Texas Christian University with a double major in Painting and Printmaking, as well as a life-long explorer of the arts in creativity, movement, and spirituality.

Coinciding with a current movement in art known as Bio-Art; art inspired by biological mechanisms, Sydney’s work specifically relates to the exploration of life sciences that examine a human connection to living systems.

Additionally, view her beautiful Gemstone Paintings Gallery for more examples of lush art that is reminiscent of worlds within worlds, once hidden deep within the Earth and now available for all too see.

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The following three landscape paintings are approximately 3″x5″ and were painted with watercolors, markers, and paint pens on paper and multiple layers of laminate. The first painting is a yellow and white sun shining over a red landscape. The second painting is a scorching red-orange sun heating a red and purple landscape. And the third painting is a blue moon hovering over blue mountains and a green landscape. Each landscape painting consists of at least 3 layers of laminate which separate the washes and crisp lines of color, and add subtle variations in depth.

Visit the Art Gallery for more Landscape Paintings.

New York Lego artist Nathan Sawaya has made the wish list catalogue of the upscale retailer Neiman Marcus this year. Gifts in the christmas catalogue range from $500 to $10 million and include things like an 18,400 record collection with every song from the Billboard Top 100 list from 1955 to 1990 for $275,000, designs for a 3 hole Jack Nicklaus golf course for $1 million, and a $250,000 home bar from Guinness with a one year supply of Guinness draught.

Nathan Sawaya’s life size Lego sculptures will set you back $60,000 each. You just have to send him some detailed photos of yourself and he’ll create your Lego likeness.

I mentioned Nathan Sawaya’s the Art of the Brick exhibition last year.

Robin Abrams told Forbes.. “The catalogue is based on ‘fantasy gifts’ that are extravagant in any times, and people have come to expect to be surprised and thrilled by the outrageousness of the items. I think even in this economy the public will enjoy reading the catalogue and be curious to see the featured items. Most people could not afford these ‘fantasy items’ in even the most lucrative of times. The catalogue is more promotional than anything else and is fun.”

>> Sculpture News, Strange News

There is a beautiful painting of a face under there. It’s vibrant, vital, and has a lot of interesting colors and shapes to share. But the spark, albeit the tiniest glimmer in the eyes, has been covered up. Muddied and spray painted with opaqueness, it’s frustrating to look at what could be a joyful being, swallowed by apathy. Sinking into the cold coppery abyss without any care for saving oneself. It’s difficult to see the face clearly. You may want to, but just can’t. And the painting can barely see you. Sort of sums up sadness and depression to me.

This abstract painting of a sad or depressed face was painted with acrylics and spray paint on a masonite board. The painting is approximately 12″x16″.

P.S. So as not to alarm concerned viewers, I’m not depressed, but might have been when I painted this image. People, being the social creatures we are, are naturally inclined to assume art reflects personality or state of mind. And while that may be partly true, I give more credit to people’s ability to overcome obstacles after giving amnesty to fears.

Special thanks to the unspoken viewers who’ve given me the attention I needed to heal. Push for joy.

~Michael

“Out of the Blue” is a 4″x6″ abstract sketch of a house and sunset, drawn with marker, crayon, paint pen, and colored pencil. My attention was focused on the colors more than anything else. I wanted to see what effect a few disjointed gradients and juxtapositions of specific colors would have on each other and the overall artwork. Bright and sunny, with bold red, green, blue, and yellow. Similar frantic style, but a new direction.

Metaphorically speaking, sometimes it’s helpful to draw or paint with one arm tied behind my back. “Adriaaaan!” Slowing down with thoughtful color choices increased my awareness, and it’s refreshing to mix things up in a creative rut.

These are two 9″x12″ abstract portraits of artist Frank Calloway, drawn and painted with pen, ink, markers, colored pencils, and watercolors. Dina Kerik’s Deepwater Journal alerted me to the story of Frank and the reference image for the artworks.

I was inspired by his passion for drawing, which started when he was 86 years old. Frank Calloway turned 112 years old on July 2, 2008, and art continues to be a part his life. I also like the youthful quality of his drawings, and the consistency hints at a very mature, organized, and creatively patterned style.

High quality giclée prints of each portrait are available at ImageKind.