"B" is for Bike...Motorcycle...Scoot

  School will be over for the summer by mid-May and I'd really like to paint my bike.  I may, however, just start with the helmet for now.  I'm finding that with a full day of work, walking the dog, dinner and studying...that it's already past 9pm most nights when I finish.  Not a lot of time to flesh out a piece of artwork.  So, instead I've decided that I'll start looking up reference and I'll post what intrigues me and some of the designs I'd like to incorporate into my bike/helmet.  I'm not a big fan of the air-brushed look, it reminds me of the t-shirts you get when you go the beach, if it's not done right it can look really cheeeezy.  So here are few ideas that inspire me and some that don't.

This is great, the abstract design is cool along with the palette

Okay...I got off the path a bit in my quest and stumbled upon this...."How to Select a Good Ol' Lady"....lol!  Funny stuff. You can find a lot of great, vintage photos here.

This has a vintage look to it which I really like.

I know it's just a cake...but it's sparking an idea.

I am in love this design, quite possibly my favorite...you have to check out his step by step, it's stunning.
You  can find it here.

No......just no.

I love the realism of these skulls with the color overlay.  Tattoo inspired is the direction I want to  go.

Another great realistic skull, the feminine paired with the macabre makes me happy.  This is beautiful.

Love the white tank and tattoo style paint job.

Very creative an original.  Looks like a woodcut.

"A" is for anatomy....

As part of my A to Z challenge..."A" is for anatomy. My brother suggested "A" is for asshole on Facebook, but I'm stickin' with anatomy for the first post!
 I go to a class on Monday nights through our local arts council, it's not really a taught class, more of a place for artists to get together and draw from live nude models.  Tonight, they were clothed, but all the same it's a chance work from life.  We're taking a 2 week break and won't start up again until the 22nd, so I'll have to find something/someone else to draw in the mean time.  So here is my loose interpretation of anatomy...these are only 30 min. drawings so my proportions could be better....but this is great practice!

Blogging from A to Z

No...this is not an April Fool's joke!  I am ready to do this challenge...because I don't have enough on my plate apparently.  Anyway, the idea behind this is to create a blog post following the alphabet theme, throughout the month of April.  I need to get back into creating artwork not just for my classes.  So here is the list, check out some of the other blogs an then head back here to view my "A" post, which will be anatomy from my live nude figure drawing class tonight.  Also, there will be adult content on this page in the form of nudity, so if you're offended...you might want to go somewhere else ;)

Summer Arts Festival August 14th!!

We're kicking off the Summer Arts Festival tomorrow from 10am - 5pm, I'll be there heading up the street painting exhibition and painting a demo myself.  There will be many vendors, live music, performances and food, so if you get a chance....stop down on Public Square....it should be a lot of fun!!

Syracuse Street Painting 2010

George and I spent yesterday in downtown Syracuse for the NewTimes Street Painting "Sidewalk Art Contest". I couldn't believe the turnout, there were a lot of fantastic artists, including many teens and young kids.  The weather was also great...sunny but not too hot...the trees offered really great shade.    Thanks to Catherine Perry of West Eaton, NY for sending me such a great photo of my finished piece, George and I forgot our camera, so most of the pictures are from his cell phone.

Final piece....

Website update and new look!

I just finished updating my website with a brand new design and a more comprehensive gallery.  I'm featuring my "Dandelion" mandala as part of my logo and am planning on a series of them very soon.  I also have the street painting festival in Syracuse to get ready for as well as the street painting exhibit at the Summer Arts Festival in Watertown, August 14th.

I've updated my blog as well and now you can subscribe to it via email :)

Elmira Street Painting Festival

I just got back from the Elmira SPF and it was a great time....and the weather was beautiful!  I chose to be a part of the Mark Twain gallery and created a portrait from a piece of art I found online.  I wish I could credit the artist, but could never find artist's name.  I added the imagery above the head to make it a little more interesting.  The first day of painting was hot until George brought the canopy from the car...what a lifesaver that was!  It dropped the temperature on the asphalt significantly and made it a lot easier to paint.  I finished the face the first day and the second day worked on the jacket, cigar and smoke.  I managed to finish pretty early and spent the rest of the day lounging and walking around to look at the artists' work.  I won Honorable Mention this year which was fantastic considering only one cash prize was given and the other three awards were honorable mentions.  I was just happy to have been a part of this festival for the third year and to meet all of the great people passing by....which for me, is the best part....and petting all of the dogs!  Here are some pictures from the day...enjoy!!