New spring abstract paintings in progress

I've been taking a little break from cityscapes recently to create some abstract paintings. Some of these have been based on landscapes - referecing figures and animals. And for about the last month, I've been sketching and painting objects in my studio to use as a starting point. Here a couple that I was working on this week:

These and other new paintings will be on display at the next Cornelia Arts Building Open Studios - Friday May 10th, 6-10pm.

Studio Updates

Due to extra busy life circumstances, I haven't blogged in exactly month to the day. It's been busy art-wise too -- a lot of current and upcoming art stuff happening...

• Been having good meetings and webinars during the Klein Art Works course.
• The artist Feedback Loop I'm in has been interesting and gets better each time I go.
• My large-scale cityscape photographs should be installed soon at the Mile North Hotel as part of their hotel redesign.
• I'll also have more large-scale photos going up this spring at the Hilton Suites new bar/lounge they are designing.
• Had some good news about some national magazine press coverage I'll be part of -- more on that soon.
• Been working on a new series of abstract paintings based mostly on objects from my studio:
  
  

Here's a video of me working on a painting recently in my studio:

Praeterita Interview, Six of the Best, Part 25: Kevin Swallow

Special thanks to artist, Philip Hartigan, for posting an interview with me on his blog, Praeterita. Check it out here.

Golden Lights, oil on canvas, 30" x 24", 2013

Art featured in Blick spring catalog

Today, I got the Blick spring catalog in the mail and found my art featured on page 31 in the Studio artists' boards section.

If you can't read the caption, it says:

"I used to paint primarily on canvas. Now, I use Blick Studio Boards for half of my paintings and mixed media pieces. The pre-gessoed panels make it easy to start painting or collaging. I really like how the paint glides across the surface and how the colors pop when I work on the panels. The durability of the panels also holds up well to many layers of scraping and painting, allowing me to create interesting textures. When I'm finished with a piece, I paint the sides and it's ready to hang."

March Abstracts

After some earlier struggling, I'm feeling more in-synch creatively at the moment. I've bounced around a little since January 1st by experimenting with new media, subject matter and palate. For about the last week or so I've been creating some abstract paintings to shake things up.

These abstracts all have similar shapes and colors and are meant to be part of a set. The bottom one is finished and I'm still working on the top two pieces. I'm enjoying the freedom of letting the paintings take me where they want to go.

Abstracts in progress (oil on canvas and panel)