More new paintings for the summer

Here are some more new paintings that I made this summer. I've really been enjoying the process of working with the sheets of foam packing material that I've saved over the years.

This is Flare.

This is Golden Hour, which, as with Pandora's Aquarium, is an older piece that I just repaired after it got damaged in storage:

This is Visions of a Sunset:

And this is Icewater:

All the paintings are available for purchase on Etsy as of the time of this post. But if you happen upon this post after they've been sold, don't despair. I can make a similar custom painting for you. Click here to learn more about my commissioned art process.

Pandora's Aquarium, revisited

While reorganizing my studio, I unearthed a variety of old pieces of artwork. Some were incomplete, like the canvas that would eventually become Enmeshment in Green Blue and Yellow. Others had unfortunately gotten damaged. Sadly, that's what happened to Pandora's Aquarium, which I made way back in 2010.

Pandora's Aquarium in 2010

 I'll be honest with you, I don't enjoy repairing my artwork. I usually feel so bad for letting it get damaged in the first place that I don't even want to start. That was how I felt about Pandora's Aquarium for a very long time. I didn't know where to begin. I couldn't remember what paint I had originally used. How could I make a seamless repair? But then I saw Stuart Semple's new "Ice" paint, and I knew that it would be the perfect medium to take my work in a new direction and give it new life.

Here's the repaired and renewed version:

At the time of this post, Pandora's Aquarium is available for purchase on Etsy. But if you happen upon this post after it's been sold, don't despair. I can make a similar custom painting for you. Click here to learn more about my commissioned art process.

 

Back at the MCA: Forothermore and more

This week I went to the MCA with a cousin who was visiting from out of town. As with the Art Institute, I hadn't been there since the pandemic began. I'm glad I went. 

Everyone's been talking about Forothermore, the big solo exhibition of Nick Cave's work. I was familiar with his Soundsuits, but hadn't seen the rest of his body of work. I took pictures of the portions of the show that I found particularly striking.

Of all the birds in his work, his use of bald eagles is especially compelling. They appear as such menacing figures, an appropriate symbol of the tortured dynamic between the United States of America and African-Americans.

I also liked this piece by Wendy Red Star, which was featured in the Based on a True Story exhibition on the first floor.

And I love Firelei Báez's gorgeous mural in the lobby.

Forothermore is on view until October 2nd and I would definitely recommend seeing it if you can.