Scum Choir

Ghost Paintings Early access

I tend to paint dark stuff. That's just what I'm drawn towards. The macabre if you will. Reflecting the fact that everyone dies. Death is a part of life. It's grim and morbid but it's also beautiful and fascinating. I've always tended towards that side with my art because it's more natural and comfortable for me. 

But outside of my art, in my life, I don't really line up with this macabre way of looking at death.  I lean more into the absurdity of it all. There's more humor in...

Hard Slams-the video I watch when art sucks

There's this video I watch when I feel like nothing is working out. When the trial and errors seem to be mostly errors. It's of one of my favorite skateboarders attempting a trick over some stairs. It's kind of painful to watch. But it kind of personifies how I feel about the process sometimes. Like is it even worth it? Why am I don't this at all? Am I crazy?

Most of the attempts don't work out. Sometimes it works out a little but its not quite how I want it. 

And at the end ...

Timelapse with Music-Bonk

I did a timelapse of this painting so you can watch it without me blabbing about one thing or another.

St.Crazy-Timelapse with Music

This piece is from the covid collection. I just remember I was watching the finale of the Sopranos when I was working on it. And I think the character looks like Junior Soprano.

One of the nice things about editing paintings that I did in one sitting is I don't have to speed the footage up too much. you can really see what's going on. 

I'm not putting this song in the playlist. It doesn't feel done to me.

Mastery-Art Life and Lives

As an artist I've always had mixed feelings about people saying, "you're talented," when they like my work. On one level, it's obviously a compliment and I know they mean well so I say thank you. But on a deeper level it reflects a common misunderstanding of where good art comes from. 

Sometimes this "you're so talented," is followed up with an, "I wish I was creative." Both of these statements reflect pervasive myths and misconceptions about creativity. That it comes from bursts o...

Here's a little tour of the show

I was not doing a whole lot of filming at the opening. But I did go through and get some video of all the pieces. 

Please follow all these artists!

Shane Izykowski

Brett Herman

Brenda LA Tremenda

Aizyaht

Jazmin Jude

Jeremy Labib

Huyen Khanh

La Dama Luna

Morgan Barajas

See more about the show here https://artsharela.org/event/the-devils-da...

Current WIPs for the prompt

The first one is almost done the second one is probably less than half way done.

The best art advice I ever got

I was just thinking about this last week because it seemed like nothing was working out even though I felt really good about the work I was doing. Right now I'm really trying to focus on the only thing in my control: improving my painting. 

I'm sorry about the bad audio on this video. There's some kind of bug in the software I use to edit the video and I just couldn't figure it out.

Check out Lisa Adams' artwork! and watch some of her videos on her website.

www.lisamake...

Lose face study 2 & Art Life update

When I was working on the covid collection (I.e painting while I had covid) I did this one study where I really liked the idea but I felt the overall painting could improve.

I’ve honestly been feeling a little down in the dumps lately. And the other day I was feeling especially useless and gloomy. So I looked up some nice costuming to try to paint this idea again.

And I’ll...

Ghost Studies so far

I've got these 4 little ghost studies. I like them all for different reasons.

But which one do you like? which one do you think I should I develop into a finished painting?

Remember When-Covid Collection- Painting Process and Music

This is one of the first paintings where I did the weird floating eyeball thing. Most of these paintings I've been sharing lately are studies. That just means that I'm planning on using them to develop more refined paintings from. Maybe refined is the wrong word, but they're more like sketches. I plan to work them out more.

No music upload for this one. I just realized I'd like to work out this song a little bit more.

BTW I'm going to make the stuff from the Secret Choir shop avai...

Gut Reaction: One of my weirdest paintings

People always go "what's the story behind this?" When they're looking at my art.

Most of the time, there isn't one. To me, painting is about transcending language. It's about experiencing something that you can't necessarily describe in words. 

Coming up with some sort of verbal justification, or story to make it "make sense" to the language side of the mind, is just not important to me. I'm actually trying to rebel against that side of the mind because I thi...

Paper Crown King - Painting Timelapse

 This is one of the pieces from the Covid Collection.

I've noticed that a lot of my paintings have been based on more simplified forms lately. 

Those who have been following for a while will remember the complex textures and long process of bringing out the painting from them. That will surely come back.

I felt like with that I was getting too in to details too quickly and so while the paintings were interesting, I felt like they were losing form. 

And w...

Pareidolia's Hideous Enchantment- Painting Timelapse

This was my submission for the Sept. Prompt "Automatic Drawing." 

The Completion of the piece happened to Coincide with the Hive Gallery having a "Creepy and Cute" group show. 

So I put this cutie in the most handsome frame I had and took him over to the gallery.

2023-10-13 21:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post

A picture of artists

From the opening of the show tonight. The Devils Daydreams.

Artists in the show (not all pictured:)

Shane Izykowski

Brenda LA Tremenda

Aizyaht

Jeremy Labib

Huyen Khanh

La Dama Luna

Brett Herman

M.M Barajas

Follow all these artists. Check out their stuff.

Here’s a link to info about the show

The First Booboo

I wrote this after I did this study:

Stamina

I have been doing these studies

Followed by automatic drawing

There's an ebb and flow thing though

The paintings are just flowing and they make sense

But that just can’t last forever

I can’t do that every day

I can paint every day

Like an athlete practicing or working out

But inspiration and that easy flow can’t last forever

You have to be ready for it when it comes

And...

Another ghost study

A development from the first one. I think I might just take this to a bigger panel. I have a pretty sweet frame that I could use for it.

Bonk and Boo Boo

I like the long head wounds in old loony tunes cartoons. I'm trying to figure out a way to incorporate them into some paintings. I think they're funny. 

Here's two studies.

**I'm currently working on videos! I've got so much footage. But I'm working on music and writing some stuff to narrate the videos with. Basically the way I usually work is I have some finished videos ready to post while I work on new videos. But during that buffer time this past week and a half or so I've...

Ghost study

Totally forgot to post today. It’s been super busy. Here’s a painting I just did.

The first pass at my ghost.

I originally started painting the ghost from life (second picture) but I got kind of exhausted and bored from it.

So I painted the canvas black and did the first painting

I think there’s something here. I got some further ideas in the process. Of painting. So I’ll be developing it further.

Macaroni

This was at the peak of my one Alla Prima painting a day thing. 

I think this one took an hour or an hour and a half. 

This was very much like an automatic drawing.

It's hard to describe the sensation. but I could just see the light and forms. 

I attribute that to the practice of doing it every day. 

It’s been a long week

I call these paintings “happy bozo” and “sad bozo”

Setting up shows and going to shows. I haven’t been able to prepare any of the usual choir content.

But I have a bunch of paintings that I’ve done that I haven’t shared before. So I’ll be sharing some of those for the next few days while I work on the choir content.