We Interrupt This Broadcast...

I had forgotten that I had not posted my latest painting to my sites.  Obviously, with this post, I've remedied this gap in post related art communication.  I only wish the photo better communicated the details of the background...in all that murk, there is some, I swear.

The Revelation...

Sorry kids, I let it slip my mind that I had one more post to make this weekend concerning my less than beloved Roman Emperors series (sorry Commodus, maybe next round).  Our final entry is the painting I did of Titus Flavius Domitianus, better known as Domitian, twelfth emperor from 81-96 AD.  Domitian is another tricky one in terms of reputation, and this is what fascinated me about him.  Roman historians and Judeo-Christian tradition has him marked down as awful tyrant and persecutor, but modern scholarship has found that though he was no doubt an absolute autocrat, he was less the insane tyrant than another victim of posthumous slander.  In other words, he ticked off the Roman aristocracy and they're the ones that paid to get the histories written.  And yet, he was the one that banished John to Patmos where he wrote the New Testament's most infamous book, The Revelation.

This painting came about because of a conversation I had with the great Barron Storey at a show he participated in here in Los Angeles.  Barron, in addition to being a great artist and illustrator, was the professor to a great many of the artists and illustrators of whom I've been enamored of since my youth.  After a conversation about the French Revolution and a variety of historical topics, Barron asked if I ever included my studies in my work.  The answer was a timid "not really", but the question stuck in my mind.   Then I recalled my fascination with the conflicting points of view on Domitian, and felt I had struck upon something that begin to fill that gap.  So I searched for photos of the few remaining contemporary busts of Domitian, and pieced together a portrait. However, due to the conflicting views between past and present, I left the chips and cracks to the bust on his flesh, and the tarnish soiling his cuirass.

The Faerie Folk

As my last post before taking a holiday break, I figured I'd put up the latest of my paint splashes on paper.  Inspired in thought if not in execution by the images of wee ones and fairie folks by the likes of Henry Fuseli and Sir Joseph Paton, here's my take on tiny nature spirit.  Not very natural, eh?  Happy Holidays everyone.

Works on Paper...

I was having such a good time with a painted collaboration I did on this paper with Jason Shawn Alexander (he's gotta new book coming...read about it here!) that I decided to do another quick painting on it.  The choice of imagery corresponds to a new writing project I'm playing around with and who knows, this might come out as the cover some day in the future.  Anyhow, figured since I was 2 for 3 on paint, I'd just finish out the week the same way.

Concerned...

A second recently finished portrait that was a further experiment in the various chemicals and mediums one can mix into the paint.

The USS Whiskey-Vodka....

The subject of this portrait finally got to see himself painted, and so now, I felt it fair to present it to the public. While I wasn't trying to imitate some of the classics painters of portrait art (ie. Sargent, et al.), I'll admit that I gave them a fair combing over before I got started on this one.  I also employed some of the more traditional techniques...and well...there's a reason they're traditional, they work. My only regret is that some of the light iridescence I mixed in the paint doesn't show up in photos. I must also thank fantastic artist-illustrator Dave Crosland for some helpful hints on the chemicals I could add to get more of what I wanted out of the paint.