Old Moon Eye

In autumn of last year, I was asked to be in a group show here in Santa Fe that showcased a variety of works by nervous local artists. The piece I decided to explore was based on a character called Moon Eye.

These were what I ended up with. It was a tough choice and I still think I'd like to paint all of them but ultimately I went with the head one view. It felt more confrontational and more like the story of Old Moon-Eye. The horse was described by Edward Abbey in his book, Desert Solitaire. Old Moon-Eye is a partially blind horse that escapes a ranch and lives in the wild for years until he became sort of a ghost-legend. Edward Abbey encounters the horse under a juniper tree. I wanted to incorporate the juniper in with the description of Moon-Eye's eye; a pale blue like the moon.

This piece was created on paper, mounted on clay board. I sketched the piece out in pencil and then painted it in acrylic. I like to lay in a warm ground first with burnt Sienna. This gives me some sort of value to work from. This initial tone is slightly watered down with plain water. I typically let it dry before moving into the painting. 

From there, I begin to block in large forms with opaque paints. I like to work with a large brush first so I make big decisions and don't focus on detail too quickly.  As I work, I move around the whole piece, painting in some of the background tone and building up the skull with smaller brushes and more colors. You can see how the burnt Sienna helps the piece feel like it's alive. The reddish tint helps part of the skull glow. After I painted everything using opaque paints, I made a greenish glaze with airbrush fluid and acrylic paint to tint the piece a bit. The final came out great! I am really happy with it and I learned a ton through this piece. 

Here's Old Moon-Eye in his frame! He will be up at Hinterland Gallery in Santa Fe starting Friday. You can see more work from the show at hinterland gallery.com. The piece has sold.

 

Old Books In The Studio

Welcome back to my blog! After five years of hiding this page, I’ve dusted it off to share some bits about my work, studio and life as an artist.

I thought I'd show a little bit of my studio here and there. I put a lot of care and thought into what is in my space because it's where I spend most of my time. 

Today I thought I'd share some older books I have behind me in my bookcase! I like to thrift for old books because A - they're cheap and I like giving something used another life and B - you always find interesting subjects in the random pile. 

These books all cover some subject of natural science, history, architecture or artwork that has something to do with the desert southwest. I love the region and I like to find books and objects that help inspire me in that realm. 

A few months ago I found the book,  Wildflowers of Western America. I loved this book because it had detailed descriptions of flowers and their characteristics but also charming photos of the species in a full color section of pages. 

I enjoy looking through these types of books because it's a passive way to explore a subject without the distractions of the internet. As someone who grew up between the world of no internet and the internet today, it's interesting to remember a time when you really did have to rely on books to figure out the world around you.

Speaking of which, this dictionary was a fun find. It's from 1931 and the pages have that beautiful brown patina on them. The pages are thin and almost feel like a bible. This would have been something a family kept for reference and learning for the whole house. You can tell it was cared for, some of the pages are taped back together. I was really drawn to the old plate illustrations inside the book. They're beautifully done and have a real old world charm to them. The animal illustrations, like this caribou, are perfection.

Another fun book I stumbled on was, Science in the Twentieth Century. This book is collects articles and papers about scientific discoveries and issues. Inside are photographs and drawings of all sort of neat subjects. I love the articles about space and the moon especially. Typically, when I run weekly errands, I stop into the thrift store to see if there are any old books I'd like. They range from $2-$5 and are always a fun look through. I encourage you to check out your local used bookstore, antique store or thrift store! There could be something neat to find! 

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my studio! What sort of items do you like to keep in your creative space?

Thank you for reading! 

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