Commission

Oil studies on paper for a commission

Commissions!  how I love thee.  I was asked by a friend to paint a symbol with a lot of personal meaning.  What an honor.  I really enjoy painting works that I know from the get go will resonate with the owner.  This has been a favorite aspect of the pet portraits.  I know something is going to a home, setting the bar higher.  This gets the creative juices flowing and its always nice to have someone come into my art making bubble.

The symbol as far as I know is a Buddhist sanskrit meaning "Lotus".  And as an article my friend shared with me, the lotus in buddhism represents the journey of the "soul from the material body that is the mud through the waters of experience to the sunshine of enlightenment".

Finished piece

The largest piece of the year at 48" x 36".  I was amazed at how many tubes of paint went into this.

Portraits 2015

Frederick Douglas - Watercolor

I have always been drawn to paint portraits.  This iconic photograph of Frederick Douglas made for a fun afternoon.  But what really grabbed my attention was this quote by him, "I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs".  This came around one of the times of one of many mass shootings and the headline "God is not going to fix this" was stirring up controversy.  I posted this and the quote with the hashtag "God is not going to fix this ALONE".  I think you can make the connections and the relevancy with what is needed in today's political climate.

Ernest Hemingway - Pen and watercolor

I like his quote, "There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."  I feel the same way about sitting at a blank canvas or paper.  Or in front of the complexity of life before us.

4 year old Tibetan Girl - Study in oil

I ended up with this print on the cover of a Taschen magazine.  It is a photograph by National Geographic photographer Allison Wright.  You can see a write up on the photo on NG's website.

detail

I had such a response from the first study that I felt compelled to make another one as a gift.  Trying a different approach and using what I learned the first time around.  I am in fact working on my third one.  Such a great photo to work with.  She has more subjects, I may try as well.

Santi at 5 months at Grandparents (in progress) - Oil on Canvas

On one of our visits from Taiwan, I sketched this little guy here thinking it would make a nice painting.  Now back in Texas, I came across the sketch, transferred to canvas and put the color in from photos and memory.  This is the only photo I got of it while in progress before I gave it to my parents for xmas.
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Bernie Sanders for President

detail

16"x20" Oil on canvas

Doing what I can to get people all around the world to hear Bernie's message. Calling for universal health care, free college, and a healthy planet for humanity is a gift for our future generations. We can start this journey now together, with love, compassion and unity.  I am offering this painting for sale on eBay, 100% of the final price will go to Bernie's campaign.  

This is my first attempt at a painting process video. I have a lot to learn and a tripod to buy. But we all have to give something new a shot sometime. Please share. Thanks for viewing and most of all, LISTENING 


Photo reference: Peter Yang

Audio: In 180 Seconds You Will Be Voting For Bernie Sanders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtBVu...

Mexico

One inch color study of the Maldives.

This past September, my sister got married in Saltillo, Mexico.  Unfortunately, I had no time to stop and paint there.  But I was really happy to see lots of family and it was also Jenny and Santi's first time in Mexico.  This is a small color study of one of their honeymoon pictures in the Maldives.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption - Oaxaca, Mex. - Gouache

Shortly after my older sister's wedding in Saltillo, we found ourselves in Oaxaca, Mexico for one of my other sister's weeding.  This time allowed for some art making.  This the church where the wedding ceremony happened.

Gouache

View from a hotel rooftop.

Side door into the cathedral - watercolor

I was sitting down early in the morning with this little sketch and was approached by two people with guitars in hand, strumming along.  They proceeded to share their sketchbook pages and I mine.  They gave me a cd of theirs and went on their way.  After finishing the sketch I found them in a little coffee shop, where they proceeded to play me a little tune.  I was blown away.  Turns out they are from the west coast and had just played their last gig on a Mexican tour.  Check em out: http://www.nathanandjessie.com

Pen and watercolor

We rented in a car in order to get out of Oaxaca City and found the changing nature around incredible.  From ancient Aztec ruins (Monte Alban and Yagul), cacti, sulfuric waterfalls (Hierve el Agua), to cold, misty mountain forests with piney trees and large agaves.  Such contrast.

Hill Country, TX

In May of 2015, after searching San Antonio, Austin and everything in between we found this home on a hill in New Braunfels.  I really can't express the change or experience the move afforded us as a family.  But having a canyon to hike to one of the best city parks (Landa Park) was truly a welcoming change of routine to big city life.  A magical place where lots of good things happened.

New Place, watercolor and pen.

House in the woods in New Braunfels, TX.  Time to slow things down.

Back yard #1 - Gouache 

In May during all the rain.  Luckily we were on high ground.

Back yard #2... - Gouache

Think this was in the heat of the summer.

Backyard #3

Deer sketches.

Yup we had deer.  Lots of them.

Local Hike - Pen and watercolor

Comal River #1- Gouache

Enjoying the perk of being able to hike down to the river.

Comal #2  - Gouache with Instagram Filter

Follow me on IG: Fishyburns

View from Market Street House, Fayetteville, TX - Gouache

Somewhere between NB and Houston is Fayetteville.  I include this here as part of my Texas landscape works.  My sister's inlaws are Fayetteville staples.  If you are ever in the area and need a place to stay, I highly recommend staying in one of their beautiful stays: http://blackbirdfarmtexas.com

Spain, Italy, and Siths

In my previous post I mentioned I was off to Europe.  I share with you my art experiences on that trip in February or March, or quite possibly both months.

Gouache

Arriving jetlagged to our hotel in a little town in Spain, I forced myself to go outside in the cold sunless afternoon, (with a hot coffee that went cold in minutes) and did my best to paint this lady statue before the cold got the best of me.  

Santa Maria della Salute.  Ink and watercolor.

I was traveling with my father, and we had some days to kill over the weekend, so we went to Venice.   So romantic, haha.  This place made me miss Jenny a lot.  Such a honeymooner's paradise.  Anyway, this was our view out of our hotel room.  What a surprise.

Just had to get out and paint one of these Venetian Canal bridges.

La Charmeuse de serpents. Henri Rousseau - 1907 (Trans. The Snake Charmer)

While in Venice it was cold and rainy.  I dragged my father to an exhibit about the influence Henri Rousseau had on various artists that went on to be pioneers of major art history movements, such as Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, etc.  The exhibit also had works of mentioned artists.  But it was this large feature painting by Rousseau that wow'ed me the most.

oil on canvas

Later in the year, I just had take a crack at Rousseau's "simplified" style.  Too much fun.  This is the only picture I got of it while in progress, before it got put in storage.  Another tidbit about Rousseau's art, most depict a very green, lush jungle scene.  Rousseau never visited these places, and stayed in France most of his life, painting these landscapes from stories he read about explorers visiting Mexico.  Orale!

Le charmeur du côté obscur - Gouache on paper (Trans. The Charmer of the Dark Side)

Santi is a big Star Wars fan.  He asked for Darth Vader and the background just happened.

Art in 2015

Every year since 2009 I have been making a FB album highlighting some of the year's art work.  I feel it appropriate to post them here as well, with a bit more written about each piece.  Originally all pictures in chronological order totaled to 50 photos and a lot of reading for you.  So per Jenny's suggestion I will break them up in to separate posts.  We begin the year in Houston, TX.  Enjoy!

Going to the roots, is a theme I visit often in my sketches, trees and globes.  Now you know where Treehouse Splash came from.

Portrait of Santi as the cookie monster (oil on paper).  I could not find this sketch anywhere, so I thought I would post here to remember it.  BTW Santi is obsessed with Halloween all year round.  Hence why he can be Cookie Monster, fire fighter, Optimus Prime, Spiderman, Batman, Superman, etc...!

Quick gouache looking out of our apartment in Houston.

View out our window, Houston, TX - Oil on canvas

I had just returned home between business trips for one night, Jenny and Santi were in Nashville visiting family.  This particular moment at home alone, I woke up early and seized the opportunity, set up a station on our living room rug captured the moment out our biggest window.  Then I was off to Spain and Italy for long work trip.

Parents driveway.  

Wow back here again.  Ok, this is around the time we started looking for places outside of Houston.  Perhaps back to Austin, or even try San Antonio.  Sorry Austin, you are getting pretty packed.  Get more trains, bike lanes (or even dedicated bike streets).  Might need an upper upper level over the upper level on I-35.  And maybe start it from Oltorf to Braker, yikes!  Anyway....