Breast Fuel

If only breast milk solved all of our problems.  

But then, for some it does.

It's World Breastfeeding Week.  Perfect timing.  Jenny's breast and their contents seem to be the only thing that comforts baby Santiago these days.  So a lot has gone into her breasts; research, diet, sleepless nights, and hormones.  Being the curious intellectual, I thumbed through Dr. Martin's Breastfeeding Book, which has just about all you need to know about the subject.  I was aware of the benefits from classes in college, but having them listed out in front of you is eye opening, and shocking that so many babies are kept from the benefits for various reasons, such as convenience, social awkwardness, etc.  My aunt and cousins are leaders in their communities for La Leche League, an international non-profit working to further educate and mentor mothers on the benefits of breastfeeding.  In a way changing the future for some, one breast at a time.  

So here we were last week, Jenny feeding and I reading some blogs and I come across this post on Drawger.  The art by Edel Rodriguez is chilling and the article on climate change by Bill McKibben is even more chilling.  Please read if you can.  He really breaks down all the research on climate change and the role of politics and money.  

In all the joy and love that has been surrounding me and my family this past month, global warming never entered my head.  My thoughts on the future had me pondering about my son's personality, what color his gray eyes will turn into, how long will Jenny breastfeed, and excitement to be part of his development as an aware being.  But what if what McKibben says is right.  My thoughts have turned into anxiety.  What future are we leaving to our offspring if we continue the course?  

Perhaps, if our leaders and the heads of big oil, thought more about breastfeeding and the generation of little one's who benefit from it, then maybe, breast milk could save the world.

Pop to Papa

On Friday, July the 13th, Jenny gave birth to our son, Santi, short for Santiago Ilan Fishburn LaChance.  It's hard to find the words to describe the emotions and thoughts that I've been feeling.  Art always seems to help me convey what words just cannot.  

Budai, oil on linen

I painted this the week after Santiago was born. A popular statue in Taiwan called the Budai, or "Laughing Buddha". Legend says this was a Zen monk who wandered around giving candy to children from his hemp sack. He is believed to bring happiness, luck, health, and other aspects of abundance. Budai has visited us and has left us with more candy than we ever imagined!

For all the gory details and pictures of the little guy you will have to visit Jenny's blog.  

Jenny is about to pop.

Jenny's Bump Portrait, oil on linen

Over the past 40 weeks my fiancée, Jenny, has been spearheading the quest for the means to a healthy, natural, and happy pregnancy, taking no prisoners along the way.  This has meant countless books and articles on the subject, long workouts, battling cravings, stinky durian diet, as well as breaking down traditional practices.  And she has done this with an incredible amount of love and determination.  I admire her hard work.  Proud of the mother she is going to be.  And feel very lucky to be able to say, I love her, it's very hard not to.  So, I dedicate this portrait of her at 39 weeks pregnant, to her.  It's the calm before the storm.  Our due date is tomorrow.  Jenny is deep in reflection, it's time to put the books down and just feel it out.  She's gonna be great.

For more about the journey to a healthy, natural, and happy pregnancy, I highly recommend Jenny's blog,

DragonBellyTales.blogspot.com.

Cheers.

29

Seeing that I have less than a month til I turn 30.  I figure I might as well post this asap.  This is my self portrait at 29 years old with flash.  I had planned before starting this painting, to do a whole in depth post on the process of this painting.  But now, after I dont know how many do-overs, I dont have the slightest bit of information to share about the process, except that my hair is a lot longer now than when I started this painting.  So here it is.  

Self Portrait at 29 with Flash

Urban Sketchers

For some time now I've been following the blog Urban Sketchers, a site which features many artists from all around the world, who share a love for drawing on location.  I don't quite understand how they select who to feature or how their hierarchy of invited correspondents works.  But they do welcome all who share their love for drawing, as mentioned in their manifesto, to join their community and share their art, by linking tagged images on their own flickr or blog.  They will then link your album onto their page and list you by region.  Pretty cool, I'm in.

Lately more than ever I have been using my surroundings as my inspiration.  A new environment just begs to be represented in my art.  Especially with a new outdoor set of watercolors I got in US on a recent visit. And it is a great way to share with friends and family what I see and do over here in Taitung, Taiwan.

Every time I sit at this spot I feel the presence of something peaceful.

Not far from where I sat for the previous sketch this monk prays through movement.

Old Railway Station in the middle of town.  Now a big tourist destination.

Hanging out at a 7-11 between evening classes.

One of those, "should I go outside today?" moments.  I am glad I did.

The mighty Pacific.

Drawing outdoors is a great way to meet locals.
I learned how to say "beautiful" in Chinese that day.

So much time for reflection in this place.

Pet Portrait

Thought it might be time to actually be posting some of my artwork and process.  Here is a recent commission.  His name is Baxter.   Since I am in Taiwan and Baxter is in the US, I had to work from a photograph (although I cant imagine attempting to keep a dog still long enough to paint a live portrait) .   I started by making a grid on the canvas that corresponds to a grid I laid over the photograph.  This makes sure everything is where it needs to be.  It's a recent technique that I've started using, but it's been around for quite some time.  The first time I saw it was on an x-ray of some Van Gogh painting.  I got to say it really saves time, when sketching something from a photo.  A lot less battling to get it right.

Once I got the sketch done in pencil on the canvas, I sprayed it with a fixative.  Then used clear gesso to make the surface ready for paint.  I did go back with white gesso and covered up the dark grid line I made with a sharpie, not a good idea.  I've started using diluted paint to draw the grid onto the canvas.  For this painting, I used acrylic as the medium.  I blocked in my large areas and middle values with a large brush and worked my way out to the details with smaller brushes.

After a couple of layers of acrylic specific varnish, I was ready to ship.  Surprisingly, shipping cost were relatively cheap, and I would love the opportunity to do it all again.  Contact me if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

"Baxter"  Acrylic on Stretched Linen

Moonshine

I found this video to be really inspiring.  People who put a lot of creative energy into their job and will go home and still have enough left to do what they love.  There was also a book published and an art show.
 
Moonshine : Artists after dark from alexis wanneroy on Vimeo.

More info about the book at http://moonshineartproject.wordpress.com/
Originally seen on http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/

First Post

Welcome.  Thank you for visiting my blog.

You might be wondering what to expect on this blog.  The truth is I'm not quite sure what to expect myself.  I felt inspired to start a blog after researching art materials, techniques, and anything associated with oil painting for the past year.  In that time, I have found many artists I admire, not just for their talent, but also their willingness to share what they've learned throughout their journey.  I have a lot of gratitude towards them for the progress I've made.

So, there's the inspiration for this blog; process and Art.  You'll be sure to find enough of that.

But what else?

Well, I have to talk about the motivation for this Art.  It's life.  I feel very lucky that I have one.  I get to experience it everyday, and can get pretty blown away by the surprises life brings.  I only have one life to live, one day at a time.  I'm going to love every moment.  And that is Art.  I'll use the quote, "Life is Art...Art is Life", I don't know who said that.  But it's true.

Which leads me to the content of this Art blog.  Again, it's my life, and everyone and everything in it.  So between the paintings, you might find posts on music, vegetarianism, books, travel, biking, Taiwan, love...hmm, what else?...oh yeah, becoming a father!

"Tree of Life" oil on stretched linen