Artist Talk - "Fish Hooks" Presentation @ SapientRazorfish

This past Friday, I was invited to give a presentation at my office about my art and volunteering at CHIRP Radio. It was a really great experience for me to share these two passions and creative outlets - people were engaged and asked questions about my art and CHIRP. The presentation was part of a bi-weekly office update and which always includes someone sharing something interesting they do outside of work.

Here are some photos from the presentation along with a few slides I used. Click on the images to view larger.

ART

I spoke about my art career, my studio, and how urban landscapes and architecture are my inspiration for creating paintings and photographs of cityscapes. I also let everyone know about the upcoming Cornelia Arts Building Fall Open Studios. Click on the images to view larger.

CHIRP RADIO

I gave an overview of CHIRPRadio.org - 1071.FM and my work as a volunteer, DJ, and marketing director for this Chicago-based independent community radio station. I also mentioned our current fall fundraising drive and upcoming one-year broadcast birthday bash. Click on the images to view larger.

Presentation Photos Credit: Nick Heitzman

A set of new cityscape paintings

I've bounced back-and-forth on the below paintings for most of the year but finally finished them up today. Part of where I had difficulty was working on another painting for a while - where I was experimenting with style, shapes, and colors - which blocked me a little bit creatively. 

Here's the painting that blocked me that I was able to finish last week:

Bridge To Nowhere, oil on canvas, 48x36, 2018

And, once I finished Bridge To Nowhere, I was able to get back to the six other paintings I started earlier this year and finish them up. These are all imaginary cityscapes and a way to explore a little bit of abstraction in the shapes.

My Art and Cornelia Arts Building featured in The Grid, ChICago Sun-Times

This Chicago Sun-Times video features Roscoe Village, the eclectic neighborhood where my studio at the Cornelia Arts Building is located. CAB (and my art) is featured at the 7:48 mark in the video where you can also get a glimpse of our open studios night!

The Grid: Exploring the Roscoe Village neighborhood, Chicago Sun-Times, July 11, 2018

Cityscape Photographs - Chicago + New York

We had our May Open Studios at the Cornelia Arts Building this past Friday and I decided to print some photos on canvas to both show something new and demonstrate how my photos are the foundation for my paintings. These shots are from 2013 and 2016 and have never been shown.

Cermak Road Bridge (Chicago), photograph, 2013

Fire Escape Reflection (NYC), photograph, 2016

Half Dozen Tanks (NYC), photograph, 2016

Birds Eye View of the West Village (NYC), photograph, 2016

A Little Uneven + Claustrophobia

It's been a while since I put up a blog post and a while since I finished some paintings. Last week I finished "A Little Uneven" and today I finished up "Claustrophobia". Both are imaginary cityscapes where I'm trying to pull in more abstract elements and really flatten out the perspective to focus on color, shape, and texture.

A Little Uneven, oil on canvas, 30x40, 2018

Claustrophobia, oil on canvas, 30x40, 2018

Black and White Chicago Cityscapes

For the past couple of months, I've been working on a new series of black and white paintings. They are based on Instagram photos I shoot on walks during my lunch break. Back in the studio, I create charcoal sketches from the photos and then use those sketches to make the paintings using oil pigment sticks. Many times, I will shoot the photograph, do the sketch, and create the painting in the same day. My day job at a digital agency is now located at The Merchandise Mart, so this series of cityscape paintings is really just me exploring this new work neighborhood along the Chicago River. I'm still focusing on the older architectural elements, the steel bridges, and L trains, along with their surrounding modern architecture. Lately, I feel like I'm drawn to the various abstract shapes in the compositions and this method allows me to create quickly in a looser way since I'm using the pigment sticks as a drawing tool.

Click images to view larger.

New Chicago Cityscape - Fulton Market District

I have been working on this painting on-and-off now for a couple years and finally finished it up this past week. It's a large piece on panel with a lot of layers and texture that was originally sketched using spray paint and acrylic. I based it on a photo I took in the West Loop in the Fulton Market District right before a big upswing in neighborhood development and before Google moved in. 

Fulton Market District - Chicago, oil on panel, 48x48, 2017

A New York Cityscape Just Finished

I just finished up this New York cityscape that I have been painting on-and-off again for a couple months. It will be on view at the Cornelia Arts Building Open Studios, happening Friday October 6th, 6-10pm.

Wooster & Broome St. - NYC, oil on canvas, 36x48, 2017

Here's the original sketch that I based the painting on which is based on a photo I took on the corner of Wooster and Broome St. in New York City.

From the South Loop to the West Village

These are a couple of recently finished paintings inspired by The South Loop in Chicago and The West Village in New York City. I started by sketching some compositions with charcoal and then moving on to oil on canvas. These are both large-scale pieces - the first two in a new series where I'm working on oversized canvas. One is from my imagination and one is based on a photograph I took. 

South Loop Skyscraper, oil on canvas, 36x48, 2017

West Village Skyline - New York City, oil on canvas, 48X60, 2017

New Abstract Cityscape Painting - work in progress

I was going through some old sketchbooks this week while doing some studio organizing and found an old sketch that I had been wanting to make a painting from for a while. So I grabbed one of the blank 36x48" canvases I had in the studio and started work on this piece. It's imaginary, but influenced both by the South Loop in Chicago and Tribeca in New York City. Both neighborhoods have a mix of old warehouses and new modern architecture built with steel and glass that emphasizes abstracted forms. I've been thinking about the building booms in Chicago and New York lately and how the mix of old and new architecture is shaping the urban landscape. I began by sketching the composition on primed canvas using oil pigment sticks and then started painting with brushes. It's in the early stages but I'm liking where the color palette is headed.