Digital sketch for a painting. The fish in the tank are taken from a wall mural painting.
How do you describe your work?
My works tends to be dramatic in the sense that many of my pieces depict people looking right at the viewer. Life itself goes along at a regular pace until you look someone in the eye. For that moment, however long it lasts, time stops and you’re faced with a truly dramatic sense of self, and the other person. That electric moment is what I try to convey.
What is your creative process like?
When lightning strikes, I try to get enough of the piece done so that when I come back to it, my mind can conjure up the feeling that prompted it in the first place. This is true for both the works I do “out of the blue”, and contract or commercial work.
For me, everything starts with paper and pencil, thumbnail sketches and scribbles that won’t make much sense to others, but capture direction, composition and mood in a way that I can understand. My business affords me the opportunity to work on many different types of products, (website design, video, wearables, posters, etc.), but it also demands that I break my day into chunks of time devoted to this or that project. So, making sketches that allow me to find my way back to the mood of a particular piece is important. Music, too, makes a big difference. I try to listen to the same artist whenever I’m working on something. If I have Kate Bush playing when I start a piece, I’ll play something from her when I get back to it.
Look Again: Pen and ink drawing printed as a poster, then scanned, touched up and reprinted
What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
I have no formal training. I have always loved being able to express myself creatively, so I’m an avid reader and student of culture past and present. In the early 90’s, I wanted to learn more about computer graphics, so I got a job at IBM, eventually rising to Art Director of Internet Multimedia in Southbury, Ct. I like to get paid to learn, if possible, and the key to that is to be upfront with employers.
One of the best training experiences I’ve had were the years I spent as a bartender. Nothing teaches you more about the way people move and interact than watching them in their downtime. Watching the way people express themselves, sitting, standing, casting shadows, etc. made a huge difference in the way I approach the emotional aspects of my work.
Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
Adobe PhotoShop, a sketchbook and a good 4B pencil are all I need.
Website design with more photo and graphic layers than I care to count!
What inspires you to create?
It can, literally, be anything. Finding a perfect apple among hundreds of others in the supermarket, the shadow of a crow passing over a field of grass, the path a leaf takes when it falls…anything can spark that “Aha!” moment. For specific pieces, I tend to start with an emotion that I want to convey, often what I was chastised for as a child: impudence, arrogance, the need to be free. I find, however, that the most powerful pieces are those that express joy and appreciation of life around us. Once the chosen emotion starts to burn, the rest becomes a series of academic choices.
What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
The fact that the beginning is pure. If I’ve totally tanked a painting, it doesn’t diminish the emotional reason that I started it. If I can fix it, I will. If not, I go back to the sketchbook and try to identify where I left the path.
What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
Be honest. Be honest with yourself about why you want to do something, and always be honest with the people that you want to pay you. In any field, trust is almost impossible to regain once it’s lost.
FireElf 2: Photo background, photo of a painting for the lion head, digital manipulations
What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
My kids. We read together as a family every night, usually both my children get to read a book that they have chosen, and then I read a chapter or two from our “family” book. I’m also the president of the parent’s group at their school, so any free time I have goes there.
Original lion painting for use in FireElf 2. This photo shows it about halfway through.
What’s your favorite comfort food?
Tolkien’s The Silmarrilion. I’ve read that more times than I can count. The fluidity of the language, the depictions of love, honor, pathos, evil…it’s all there. Pair that with a king size Butterfinger and I’m a happy guy.
Belle Armoire Jewelry is published by Stampington as a quarterly magazine. The deadline for submissions for the next issue is January 15, 2009. From the website: If you’d like to share your inspiration and detailed how-to instruction for creating beautiful jewelry with readers, we want to hear from you. Belle Armoire Jewelry covers a broad range of mediums, from art clay to polymer clay to found object to fiber to wire to beads and much, much more. Whether you are a creator of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches, pendants, rings or other jewelry, we welcome you to submit your artwork for consideration of publication.
Please read submission guidelines before sending your submissions to: Stampington & Company · C/O: Belle Armoire · 22992 Mill Creek, Suite B · Laguna Hills, CA 92653
One of the most amusing things about being married to a physicist is that they just can’t help playing with stuff. So when we went on our last vacation, even my mother’s garden fountain wasn’t safe from Mike’s experiments! Obviously this was shot during the summer…I’m just now getting around to sharing. What this man will do for the amusement of his family :-)
My daughter pointed me to this fabulous video. My understanding is that the young man who is shown in the video didn’t write the music, but got permission to perform it and has actually recorded all the parts. Brilliant, huh? Fun anyway…
[Editor’s note - down in the comments, you’ll see that I was wrong. The voices are those of the original artists, Moosebutter. ]
My items are mostly recycled. My husband is an upholster and I get all the left overs. Lots of fun I have even made drapery for my house:)
“Other Worlds” lets us look and imagine that there just maybe other dimensions and worlds. This quilt is perfect to hang in that spot that just needs something to make it pop. This is a one of a kind and will never be created again.
Colorful Quilt 19 inch square art quilt. This was painted on fabric with acrylic fabric paint, Indian ink and lots of free motion embroidery or known as thread play 100% cotton. I also used a method of dripping alcohol over the wet paint. This added definition and free flow . So much fun to make.
The Impatient Crafter™ There’s a free holiday themed project every week until Christmas at The Impatient Crafter™! This week it’s a jaunty snowman ornapendant that both you and your tree can wear.
Cross Stitch at About.com Use a child’s drawing for a pattern or give them some graph paper and have them design their own!
Crafty Princess Diaries Pull yourself off the PC once in a while (after you read this post), and grab some craft time for yourself.
Craftside- A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world This week at Craftside brings you a beaded and sequined Christmas tree ornament, a rockin’ sweepstakes where you can enter to win a signed Fender Squire Stratocaster, a book mark gift card and a peek into a Creative Entrepreneur workshop and a way-cool design that was contributed by Carol Parks.
Cathie Filian Thanksgiving is just around the corner…swing by Cathie’s blog for recipes, crafts and entertaining tips – plus, a recipe for a pumpkin pietini.
Aileen’s Musings Let the voting begin! Aileen invites you to come vote for your favorite Art Muse doll and help choose the winning dolls!
About Family Crafts It is easy to plan ahead and get a jump on making that perfect holiday gift for everyone you know! This collection of books contains something for everyone.
Christmas Ornament Ideas Are you looking for directions for making Christmas ornaments? Look no further. Eileen has lots of ideas for you at The Artful Crafter.
Green crafts - Twig buttons Noreen was given an old leather coat that had really boring buttons. She made wonderful new buttons for it from arbutus twigs and her spool knitter. Voila! a fun and funky new upcycled look!
Adam Gillespie’s work is provocative and challenging! If you are currently at work or would prefer not to see images that may disturb you, please take this into account. But you will be missing some extremely interesting works!
Have a couple of new items I have done lately. The one is 36 x 24 on Luan I found out in the loft, and is mixed media, the title is Wish You Were Here… I imagine I listen too much to Pink Floyd, if there is such a thing, but imagined the 3 seasons in the windows while she is waiting, and would have written the song lyrics “with my finger on foggy windows” if there was not a problem with copy rights…
And another is my self portrait, called BRAIN SCAN, that is 8 x10 markers with added embellishment of a keyboard END key, and the circuit board out of a calculator. I HAVE to get a web site together with some of my new stuff.
How do you describe your work, Dave?
I describe the current vein of my work as Materialism. Partly because I never had an -ism and thought maybe it was time, but mostly because the materials I use help me tell stories. In my work, particular materials help represent specific subject matter. So I don’t use cornmeal or telephone wires because of their texture or line quality. I use them because I’m talking about hushpuppies or wire-tapping. Typically, the imagery in my work is very much simplified, allowing our cultural associations with different materials to bring the stories alive.
What is your creative process like?
Somewhere along the line an idea will hit me — ideas can come from anywhere. I’m not necessarily trying to come up with a new idea — I’m just on my way to the grocery store. So then I make a bunch more trips to the grocery store, to the DMV, home for the holidays, etc. 6 months might pass. Or even a year. All the while this little idea is stewing in my head. I’ll write things down as time passes along. Some sketching. Some words.
By the time I’m ready to pull materials together and execute work, I usually have about
10 pieces firmly visualized in my head. It’s at this point that I’ll begin an intense production period. That part of the process is usually pretty efficient. But the creative process is always a bit messy for me, so some things change. Generally speaking, though, finished work isn’t ever too far off from the way I conceive of it beforehand.
What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
For years, I pursued art on the side. Then one day, my wife and I quit our jobs, sold our house and headed for the hills. Literally. We spent two years in the North Carolina mountains where I made fine art a primary pursuit. Without those years, there wouldn’t be the foundation of work that I’m building upon now. Also, being involved on a daily basis in marketing and advertising has helped me communicate more effectively through my art. A lot of designers, for example, fall into the trap of making exquisite work which
no one can read. To me, that’s unfortunate. For the designer and the community. I used to make these academic, abstract paintings that no one could really relate to. I still like those paintings, but these days I choose to make the messages in my art more apparent. I want there to be a takeaway that’s more than beauty.
Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
My Mac. Power sander. In that order.
What inspires you to create?
A lot of what I’ve done recently has been a reflection of the world around me. Not always in a lofty national or global view. Sometimes, the view is my neighbor’s yard. And his decision to put something in his yard that I find to be of particular interest. So I find inspiration in the creativity of others. How they approach their lives maybe more than what they “create.”
What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
The realization that those times typically lead to some sort of breakthrough, be it large or small. That, and I’ll change the music I’m listening to.
What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
It’ll sound cliché, but you really just have to keep making art. And progress won’t fall in your lap today. Or tomorrow. If it does, consider yourself lucky. The other advice I’d pass along is to soak up the work of other artists — pay attention to how they solve (or don’t
solve) design issues, color issues, execution issues. Allow their work to make yours better.
What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
I’m a partner at a marketing firm called The PARAGRAPH Project in Durham, NC.
What’s your favorite comfort food?
I love making risotto. It’s important that I chop everything up myself and take my time. That is, if I have the time.
For anyone who loves life and the people they share it with. Find advice, information, and observations on exciting beginnings and everyday journeys of families and relationships.
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