AntAestheticism » oil

Miranda (2009)

ant — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:56:00 +0000

This is the final version of “Miranda” (2009), oil on canvas. I’m very happy with the way this one turned out, but I confess that the pictures do not do it justice in terms of the softness of the gradients and skin, nor the color scheme that’s really happening here.

I took a ton of pictures of this painting before and after delivering it to my friend Brownyn today, but it turns out that the best picture I took of it was on my cellphone, which is the pic above, before I signed the piece. The digital camera shots were all extremely out of focus or in weird lighting that reflected off some of the still-tacky violet paint. So here are two shots of the same painting in different conditions. I may, at some point, borrow the painting again and see if I can get professional photos taken to reduce loss of quality here, but for now I definitely prefer the cellphone shot. :)

Here is the digital camera shot, after signature.

Here is the cellphone shot, before signature and a few touch-ups.

An accidental classical pose.

ant — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:30:10 +0000

I don’t normally show works in progress, but one of my biggest struggles is keeping my online life active while I’m being creative, and vice versa. A lot of times I’ll spend months creating things and not updating my website, and other times I’ll spend months online not creating, and then I don’t have anything “new” to show on my blog when I’m actually using it.

So I’m going to meet you halfway and start sharing my works in progress, which is admittedly a little bit intimidating to do as an artist.

This is my rough lean underlayer and a little bit of preliminary painting for a commission I am currently working on of a dear friend’s daughter. We both loved the accidental classical pose so much that it insisted upon being realized as an oil painting. I will continue to update as I progress through this piece.

I also have several posts that I need to make about some other exciting things, including a news article/interview about me, and a much-needed post about the Gala that my work and I were recently involved in. Stay tuned!

“Equal.” (2009)

ant — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:43:39 +0000

Last night I had the amazing opportunity to present and donate a painting that I have been working on to the CPGLCC (Central Pennsylvania Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce) at one of their monthly mixers. Specifically, I presented it to the President, Russell Boggs, whose appreciation of the painting was more than I could ask for.

I was approached about a month ago by my good friend George Fernandez, who is also on the CPGLCC board, to create a painting for the Chamber that would somehow represent the business-feel, classiness, and community of the chamber, while somehow working in the oft-stereotypical, oft-oversensationalized LGBT iconography.

After thinking about it for awhile, my mind gravitated towards the Equal-sign symbolism, and I came up with the following painting as a tribute to all of their amazing work and progress in the community. If it doesn’t register right away, the clusters of business people are forming the equal-sign as a symbol of unity, diversity, and community. As far as I know, it will be hanging in their offices, and I am truly thankful for all of the amazing people with whom I connected last night, and their incredible support. Thank you.