New Painting: Rooftop Escape Plan

This painting is based on a photo I took in the summer of 2014 on a weekend trip to New York City. I shot it while taking a walk on The High Line. The High Line is a park built on an abandoned elevated rail line that runs along Manhattan's west side from the Meatpacking District up through Chelsea to 34th Street. Lots of great views a few stories above street level of new and old architecture. One of the things I love is getting the close-up views of the rooftop water tanks. Rooftop Escape Plan, oil on panel, 24x30, 2014, $400

Rooftop Escape Plan, oil on panel, 24x30, 2014

Here's the photograph I took that the painting is based on:

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December in the studio

I've been working on multiple paintings the last couple months but haven't finished any recently. So, continuing to work on them and starting new ones and other projects, like these 3D watertanks, which I will continue to explore: IMG_0381 Rooftop Watertanks, mixed media on cardboard, works in progress

And getting close to finishing this piece which is based on a photo from New York. Working in a more limited, muted palette.

IMG_0386 Rooftop Escape Plan, oil on panel, work in progress

And another still in the works, also based on New York imagery:

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Lofty Towers, oil on panel, work in progress

And there are a few more paintings in progress that I'll post soon...

Rooftop WaterTanks - Paintings in Progress

I'm working on about 6 or 7 paintings right now - three of them are focused on rooftop watertanks. One is based on the Swedish watertank in Andersonville that was removed last spring, one is from the West Loop/Fulton Market, and one from my imagination - no specific location. They are disappearing elements in our city skylines, so I enjoy documenting them while they're here. All of these are large scale pieces, oil on panel. rooftop_tanks_WIP

Rooftop Watertanks, oil on panel, works in progress

Three New Cityscape Paintings + Open Studios

I finished up three new cityscape paintings over the weekend - just in time for Friday night's open studios! These will be hanging in studio #201 on the second floor. Come check them out in person and help us kick off Chicago Artists' Month! In a Silent Way, oil on canvas, 24x48, 2014, $1,100 In a Silent Way, oil on canvas, 24x48, 2014

High Line Bend at 30th St., oil on panel, 24x36, 2014, $600 High Line Bend at 30th St., oil on panel, 24x36, 2014

Ravenswood In Bloom, acrylic on panel, 24x30, 2014, $350 Ravenswood In Bloom, acrylic on panel, 24x30, 2014

Cornelia Arts Building 1800 W. Cornelia Studio #201 Chicago, IL 60657

Art from 30 artists on two floors, live jazz music, and food from a local food truck in the parking lot. Hope you can make it out! All are welcome - invite your friends

Now on Instagram

I finally got around to creating an Instagram account: http://instagram.com/swallowstudios. I'll be posting there regularly, mostly using it as a way to have a daily creative outlet to quickly and easily create art. I'm mostly sticking to shooting architecture and cityscapes that will give me inspiration for paintings and other projects.

I've also embedded the Instagram feed into my website in the photos section: http://www.swallowstudios.com/photographs/instagram. Or, if it's easier, Like and Follow my art page on Facebook.

Enjoy!

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Work in progress: Fulton Market cityscape

I started this painting over the weekend while finishing another one up. This piece is 4 feet by 4 feet square - mixed media: acrylic, spray paint, oil on masonite panel. I'm working toward keeping the painting loose and energetic and using different tools to scrape the paint to add more textures and blend the colors. Working large and using different media helps to keep things loose and more immediate like a sketch. The image is based on a small painting I made from a photograph I took in the Fulton Market neighborhood in Chicago. You can see the small version in the upper left corner. IMG_9424 Fulton Market, mixed media on panel, work in progress, 2014

IMG_9422 Fulton Market, mixed media on panel, work in progress, 2014

Close-ups on two new cityscape paintings

Here are two new cityscape paintings and close-up views of each so you can see some of the texture and brushstrokes. Inspired by downtown buildings, stacked and leaning against each other, barely separated by alleys. They turned out to be sort of futuristic-looking, but still recognizable as Chicago architecture. View from 11am Meeting (Detail), oil on panel, 2014 View from 11am Meeting (Detail), oil on panel, 2014

View from 11am Meeting, 27x39, oil on panel, 2014 View from 11am Meeting, 27x39, oil on panel, 2014

Communication Towers (Detail), oil on canvas, 2014 Communication Towers (Detail), oil on canvas, 2014

Communication Towers, oil on canvas, 10x30, 2014 Communication Towers, oil on canvas, 10x30, 2014