Inspired by a fellow artist who's been posting some plein air paintings he's been doing in gouache, I got out a set I have from Royal Langnickel a couple of days ago and did these small (4x6", 6x4") studies from some of my reference photos. I used to use it when I was an illustrator but that was over twenty years ago. One reason why these are small. Gouache is opaque watercolor. It's pretty much the same except that it lacks the glycerine that makes watercolor transparent. My subjects are two landscapes from Mongolia and one big old tree I saw in the New Forest, England.
This was a bird study for a painting. The customer loved it so much that they wanted the drawing instead. That suits me fine. In the end it is what the customer wants that really counts.
I have had an ongoing project called Hybrid Mythologies. Inspired by stories and mythological creatures, tales from different traditions and parts of the world, I have been playing with emergent stories, characters and creatures that incorporate different elements. It is really a kind of spontaneous, intuitive journey and play of associations - oftentimes surprising to myself in what emerges. This year I am planning to publish an artbook entitled Hybrid Mythologies and if it all goes according to plan, it should be done some time in May. I will post process from this book.
I had a time, when monkeys were featured very often in my artworks. Even now, they emerge in the story-lines. Amazing creatures! This sketchbook piece is done using graphic markers, posca and pen.
I believe the future is about connection. Sometimes it seems that technology is making us more alone, but I like to believe that with every post, like, comment, follow, share, email and tweet, we are making ourselves more visible to one another. And together, we can make ourselves heard... Keep it positive, keep it loud, and keep it going forever.
Watercolor on Aquarelle. This piece is incredibly close to my heart. It closely resembles the emotions that I was going through when I painted it. I tried to replicate the numbness and the restlessness that I felt in the eyes.
