Paintings Reveal a Geek Artist

I'm so pleased and honored to have work in the June issue of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine. It contains an ad for my work that includes three paintings: Day Star, Silver Flower and Near the Tannhauser Gate.

The work is available through Principle Gallery, Alexandria and Charleston locations.

I'm afraid these titles reveal my geek side a bit. The women are painted as allegories for day and night, but that seemed a tad boring as titles so I went looking for something more poetic. Day Star and Silver Flower are Lord of the Rings references to the sun and moon. 

Day Star, 11x14, oil

And a few details:

Super close-ups are a great record of the artist's journey through a painting. I was paying close attention to the color temperature shifts in the skin here. I'd decided that the light is predominately cool and the shadows are mostly warm with a slight cool reflected light on the far side of the face. This thinking helps to solidify a plan of attack when choosing which colors to use and where to use them. 

Click Read more to see other detail shots and painting tips:

A hidden surprise in her hair for those paying close attention. 

If you look closely you can see that I have used cross contour brush strokes to help create the illusion of three dimensional form. I think of it closer to sculpture than drawing when I am working with the paint.

Having a light colored flower in the shadow was a little tricky. I had to darken it enough and keep the edges soft to push it back into the shadows. A sunflower was a must in an allegory of day/sunlight.

Silver Flower, 11x14, oil on panel

And a few details:

I've been experimenting lately with the idea that you can put any wild, crazy color in the shadows and reflected light as long as the value is dark enough to hold the shadow together. You can see the concept perfectly here with all the purples, golds, reds and aqua colors I've included. 

Imagining the fireflies light affecting the colored reflections in my model's hair and face was fun. The flower is a night blooming cactus, and the moth is a luna moth (seen in the full painting). I saw one recently, and I've been communing with the lightning bugs in our garden on a regular basis so that's partially the inspiration for this piece.

The Tannhauser Gate painting is part of my continuing exploration of alter egos, as in The Incognito Project.

Near the Tannhauser Gate, 14x11, oil on linen

Blade Runner fans will recognize the title from the replicant Roy Batty's introspective speech, moments before his own death (parts of the "Tears in the Rain" speech were improvised by actor Rutger Hauer).

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die. ~Roy Batty, Blade Runner

I'm just as likely to reference pop culture as great literature in my work. I love cross pollination in art and find inspiration in all aspects of life and nature. Hey, who's to say Blade Runner and Lord of the Rings aren't "high art?" Certainly not me!

And a few details:

I'm attracted to rim lighting such as this and light shining through fingers and ears. 

The same June 2014, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine also includes Day Star in an article, A Bouquet for Spring by Matthias Anderson. Thank you!

Confession:

I should feel a little sneaky slipping Lord of the Rings and Blade Runner references into a high art magazine but I don't. ;)