End of the year paintings

Today will probably be my last painting session of 2010. It was a good one -- productive; just about finished three paintings, started four more, and began a new figural abstract series at the same time. I also shot some video which I'll post later.

These paintings are partially figurative-based and partially based on landscapes from above. I purposely tried to work fast and loose in a sketch-like expressionist style. I used various tools to create textures and layers to develop a depth when viewed up close.

 

 Figural Abstract #1, acrylic on canvas, work in progress 2010

Figural Abstract #2, acrylic on canvas, work in progress 2010

Figural Abstract #2, acrylic on canvas, work in progress 2010

New Water Tanks paintings

These water tank paintings on loft buildings are based on photographs I've taken in Chicago and New York. I painted them at the same time going back-and-forth using the same color palate. They're on canvas paper and framed with a black wood frame.

Bookstore Loft on Broadway, acrylic on canvas paper (framed), 12x16, 2010, $125

Downtown Water Tanks, acrylic on canvas paper (framed), 12x16, 2010, $125

 SoHo Tanks, acrylic on canvas paper (framed), 12x16, 2010, $125

Rooftop Water Tank, acrylic on canvas paper (framed), 12x16, 2010, $125

New Installation at Urbanest

Water tanks, Urbanest Installation, November 2010

I recently switched out my paintings as Urbanest. Up now in the store are three new water tanks finished in October 2010 along with one from 2008.

Green Water Tank, acrylic on canvas, 2010, $350
Red Water Tank, acrylic on canvas, 24x24, 2010, $350
Pink Water Tank, acrylic on canvas, 24x24, 2010, $350
Water Tank Blues, acrylic on canvas, 36x48, 2008, $850

Stop by this weekend for LATE NITE ANDERSONVILLE!

Urbanest
5212 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60640


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Large Abstract Painting in Progress

I've been working on this on and off for about a month, using paint left over from some other paintings I have going. It's been an experimental canvas to work on (actually paper). It started off with a screen print pattern which you can still see in some areas. It has now morphed into a combination of my aerial landscapes and abstract pulmonary embolism paintings. I began the painting with it on the floor of my studio. Now it's tacked and taped to the wall. A fun piece to paint so far. Let's see where it goes...

Paintings in progress + open studios

I have a couple of works in progress: one is a large abstract on paper and the other is a face painting on canvas. Get a preview before they're finished - this Friday night at the Cornelia Arts Building Open Studios. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend. However, my studio will be open - drop by and see my studio mate's art:

Eric Weinstein and Jeff Bryner.

Cornelia Arts Building - Studio #201
1800 W. Cornelia, Chicago, IL 60657
http://corneliaartsbuilding.com
http://www.facebook.com/CorneliaArtsBuilding

Some studio pics are below...

New iPhone Painting: The Crosswalk

The Crosswalk, digital iphone painting, 2010

This was done from a sketch compiled from a couple photos I took of people in a crosswalk in downtown New York. Part of my new iphone paintings series.

Painting in Progress: Sad Eyed Lady

Sad Eyed Lady, acrylic on canvas, 36x48, 2010 (work in progress)

This painting was started a week ago and still has a ways to go. Need to build up the layers and details of her face some more. The hair needs more depth - like in Botticelli's Birth of Venus.

The working name of it is "Sad Eyed Lady", inspired by Dylan's song Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands from my favorite album of his, Blonde on Blonde.

Overall, I'm happy with the composition but I think it needs more contrast between the face and background. Gotta add in some more highlights and lighter tones to give more three dimensionality to her face.

More to come...

New: Digital iPhone Paintings

I've been experimenting with the Brushes app on the iPhone. Here are my first digital iphone paintings derived from sketches and photographs.

Golden Gate Bridge, digital iphone painting, 2010

Chicago Skyline, digital iphone painting, 2010

Field of Trees, digital iphone painting, 2010

Spider Tree, digital iphone painting, 2010

Two Tanks, digital iphone painting, 2010

New Painting: Green Water Tank

Green Water Tank, acrylic on canvas, 24x24, 2010

This is my most recent finished painting. Part of my city by the lake series. I'm working on some other ones in a similar palate but smaller size.

Art Walk + Open Studios - This Weekend

Hope you can make it out this weekend to the Ravenswood Art Walk and Cornelia Arts Building Open Studios. Lots of new work to show including the below paintings.

Pulmonary Embolism #1, acrylic on record album cover (framed), 12x12, 2010

Pulmonary Embolism #2, acrylic on record album cover (framed), 12x12, 2010

Pulmonary Embolism #3, acrylic on record album cover (framed), 12x12, 2010

October 2nd-3rd, we're having open studios at the Cornelia Arts Building. It's the 24th annual open studios and part of the 9th annual Ravenswood Art Walk.

There will be plenty of art, music, food, and drinks - stop on by!

OPEN STUDIOS + RAVENSWOOD ART WALK
October 2-3, 2010 - 11am-5pm
Cornelia Arts Building
1800 W. Cornelia, Studio 201
Chicago, IL 60657

MORE INFO:
Cornelia Arts Building - #48 on the Ravenswood Art Walk map.
Ravenswood Art Walk - get a map and check out all of spaces in the Ravenswood cooridor.

New paintings + open studios

Pink Water Tank, acrylic on canvas, 24x24, 2010

Red Water Tank, acrylic on canvas, 24x24, 2010

OPEN STUDIOS + RAVENSWOOD ART WALK
October 2-3, 2010 - 11am-5pm
Cornelia Arts Building
1800 W. Cornelia, Studio 201
Chicago, IL 60657

Many new paintings on display including these water tanks!

Cornelia Open Studios - October 2nd-3rd

This coming weekend, October 2nd-3rd, we're having open studios at the Cornelia Arts Building. It's the 24th annual open studios and part of the 9th annual Ravenswood Art Walk.

There will be plenty of art, music, food, and drinks - stop on by!

OPEN STUDIOS + RAVENSWOOD ART WALK
October 2-3, 2010 - 11am-5pm
Cornelia Arts Building
1800 W. Cornelia, Studio 201
Chicago, IL 60657

MORE INFO:
Cornelia Arts Building - #48 on the Ravenswood Art Walk map.
Ravenswood Art Walk - get a map and check out all of spaces in the Ravenswood cooridor.

Also coming up soon...

ANDERSONVILLE ARTS WEEKEND
October 8-10, 2010
I'll be showing paintings at Urbanest - 5212 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60640

Hope you can make it out!

-Kevin

Abstracts for NextWave Art Salon

I'll be showing these five abstract paintings as a work in progress during the NextWave Art Salon, in Elgin, IL September 10-11. The theme is "working" and all artists were asked to create two pieces. I'm definitely working toward something new with these paintings. Some of the shapes are based on charcoal sketches I've been doing of nature and maps of aerial landscapes. I'm also dubbing these my "work stress" paintings since my day job has been stressful lately.

New Painting: River Running Over

River Running Over, acrylic on canvas, 30x40, 2010

This new painting bridges my abstracts series and aerial landscapes series. I created it specifically for my new show of abstracts at The Writers WorkSpace in Chicago.

I hung the show over the weekend - it features abstracts from 1999-2010. Hopefully the paintings will inspire some of the professional freelance writers, authors, and novelists that work out of this space.

The show runs through the end of the year (maybe beyond). Starting to think about plans for a fall event. I'll post some installation pics soon...

Some Recently Sold Paintings

I'm excited to announce a few recently sold paintings. I consider myself very lucky to be able sell art in this bad economy. A special thank you to my Chicago and Minnesota collectors - your generous support means a lot!

Sunset on the Brown Line, acrylic on wood panel, 80x30, 2009

There She Goes Again, acrylic on wood panel, 20x20, 2009

Times Square Crosswalk, acrylic on panel, 18x24, 2010

Three Water Tanks - works in progress

Three Water Tanks, works in progress, July 2010

Pink Water Tank, work in progress, July 2010Red Water Tank, work in progress, July 2010

Yellow Water Tank, work in progress, July 2010

These acrylic on canvas paintings are my start of a new series of water tanks based on photos I've taken mostly in Chicago and New York. I've also referenced some images found on the internet to sketch out some different compositions.

I'm trying to keep these looser - heavily textured but still in my style. I'm also working to expand my palate by introducing some new colors while developing a more immediate sketch-like feel.

While not totally complete, they were done quickly - in about 3 hours today. Probably have about another hour total to go until they're finished.

Painting in Progress: Manhattan - July 2010

Manhattan, acrylic on canvas, work in progress, 7.08.10

The aerial landscape of Manhattan is close to finished. A couple more layers in some areas and some highlights and it'll be done. I have a couple more paintings just at the beginning stages - one is a larger view of the NYC area and the other is a close-up of the mid section of Manhattan.

Manhattan, acrylic on canvas, painting in progress, 2010

Manhattan, acrylic on canvas, painting in progress, 2010

This painting in progress is the farthest along of my New York series of aerial landscapes. I recently returned from a long weekend in NYC, so this is a good time to paint my impression of the city. Manhattan is the focus in this piece but you can see parts of Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island, and New Jersey.

I'm trying to keep this piece looser and more abstract with a thicker application of paint -- adding more detail and texture as I build up the layers. There is now green space around 3/4 of Manhattan along with Central Park and the other parks in Lower Manhattan. As cities increase their populations, it's becoming more and more important to preserve the parks and outdoor space. If you've ever laid on the grass in Central Park on a Sunday afternoon, you know how relaxing it can be.

I'm also working to highlight the importance of the waterways in this large metro area. You can also see elements of industry in the outlying boroughs which is still an important aspect of New York's infrastructure. One of my next steps will be to add the bridges...

Aerial Landscapes - Urbanest Installation, June 2010

Aerial Landscapes - Urbanest Installation, June 2010

Urbanest has hung some additional aerial landscapes to include the Chicago series. It's now a mix of Chicago and Michigan aerial landscapes.

This series of paintings explores the colors and shapes of landscapes and waterways from above. They are based on images from Google maps as well as photographs I've taken from an airplane while traveling. They were painted mostly lying flat on a table so that I worked above the canvas as I painted them.

While these images relate to a universal travel experience (looking out an airplane window), they also draw attention to water in our environment - something that is abundant but is becoming a much more valuable and scarce commodity around the world. Living near Lake Michigan and in the Great Lakes region highlights water's impact on our day-to-day lives - whether we live in the city or rural area. It's something that we often take for granted but cannot do without.

New Painting: South Branch - Chicago River

South Branch - Chicago River, acrylic on canvas, 2010

Newly finished but still need to shoot some better photos, paint the sides, and varnish it. Ready for hanging soon...

Urbanest May 2010 - Aerial Landscapes

Urbanest has moved a few doors down to a new location at 5212 N. Clark St. in Andersonville. I'm debuting my new Michigan aerial landscapes. These are a few installation shots...

Urbanest May 2010 - Aerial Landscapes, installation view

Urbanest May 2010 - Aerial Landscapes, installation view

Urbanest May 2010 - Aerial Landscapes, installation view

Studio Peek - May 2010

Studio set up for the May 2010 Cornelia Open House

Open Studios This Friday

Cornelia Arts Building Friday Night Open Studios!

Friday, May 21st, 6-10pm
1800 W. Cornelia
Chicago, IL 60657

Special feature: A curated hallway exhibit featuring CAB artists inspired by Chicago's Latin motto, "Urbs in Horto" meaning City in a Garden.

More information and art preview available on the Cornelia Arts Building website: http://corneliaartsbuilding.com.

Stop by studio #201 to see my recent aerial landscape paintings of Chicago and Michigan.

Hope to see you!

Painting in Progress: Chicago River

Another aerial landscape painting in progress featuring the Chicago River. It's probably about halfway through and still needs some more layers and texture. I'm also working on a few other smaller studies on canvas paper that you can see in the foreground.

Chicago River (Aerial Landscape), acrylic on canvas, work in progress, 2010

New Painting: Goose Island (Aerial Landscape)

Goose Island (Aerial Landscape), acrylic on canvas, 24x36, 2010, $550

Newly finished painting this week. It's the third in my Chicago series of my aerial landscapes. I'm working on a fourth one which is at the beginning stages along with some smaller studies. I'll post some shots of that soon.

Painting in Progress: Goose Island (aerial landscape)

goose island (aerial landscape), work in progress, acrylic on canvas

This new 24x36 acrylic on canvas is starting to come along. I've been building up the higher values with pinks and greens. It's abut 75% there and will be ready with a little more layering of colors, some darker contrasts, and re-painting the borders of the water.

Drawing in the studio

In the studio working on some preparatory sketches for my Chicago aerial landscapes series.

New Paintings: Chicago Aerial Landscapes

I finished these two paintings this week. They are the first in the Chicago series of aerial landscapes. The first one is the north side with a view of Montrose and Belmont Harbors. The second one is a view of South Chicago and Lake Calumet along the Illinois/Indiana border.

Montrose and Belmont Harbors, acrylic on canvas, 18x24, 2010

Lake Calumet-South Chicago, acrylic on canvas, 22x28, 2010