Chuck Close

Seeing this made me want to go back to figure painting, I might start a new surface this week.

Detail

Detail from Warhol's Mao print from the Met's permanent collection. I find this small aspect of the piece as an almost abstraction of landscape. There is always the battle of trying to make the entirety of a piece stand on its own; trying to create a cumulative experience within the piece. I can personally attest to the constant struggle to make work which is one solid object, not a collective of details.Not to say that there shouldn't be particular moments of interest in a piece, but no singular moment should overpower the entire work.

Work

10 pieces still in progress, finally finished this surface last week. About 45x55, oil on paper.

Details

Details from works in progress, I'm usually working on 6 to 7 large scales works at one time

Jared Africa

Stumbled on these drawings the other day, they look like if I took half the things in my sketchbook to finish. The line work is a bit more restrained, but seeing these works caught me off guard.

KAWS

Various works by street artist turned gallery painter Kaws. His sculptures, paintings, and stencils have always been personal favorites of mine even before I gained a serious interest in the fine arts. Take particular notice to his brush control and use of bright and vivid colors. Its rare for someone to use such a pigment intense palette which is not overpowering, however Kaws' work is consistently fresh, radiant, and without an overwhelming presence.

Benny Droscher

Paintings by Droscher display a great use of perspective, having a sort of cinematic quality. The viewer being manipulated and forced to view the drama of the work as the artist chooses. While the visuals are not particularly similar to my current work, they share the same quality of the artist working as a photographer; a photographer being an individual who is capturing and framing an image.