Reproduction: A test of talent?

Reproduction of a masterpiece ... is this a true test of talent? Once upon a time I was tasked with duplicating a masterpiece. We used a grid approach and I was praised for the likeness from the original to my version. Looking back I realize the underlying ability perhaps recognized by the professor, however what does this reflect in my own artistic talent and style?

 

The true master brought light and evoked feeling. I wasn't there and the version I was working from was a copy of the original ... at some point a copy of a copy reflects the deteriorating likeness of the original.

 

Do you remember that child-hood game "telephone"? Where a group of kids, usually around a table, pass a message one to the next, whispering it in each other's ear. By the time the message gets from the first person to the last the message becomes so distorted that the recipient is left with a puzzled look and complete confusion as to what was just whispered in their ear. I've whispered this image upon your eyes and am confused as to what it is trying to convey.

 

A lesson learned many years down the road as I pulled this out and blew the dust off: Share my own style directly with the world. Remove the layers of confusion and claim my spot as the first person in the game of "telephone".



 

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Little River: Print copies available!

This has been a long time in the making, and I'm excited to see this one come to life! Previously this was available as an eBook only, but James L'Etoile jumped into the self-printing world and here we are today with a final version of the cover with my artwork!

 

The book is available for purchase on Amazon and I'm looking forward to holding a copy of my own; a great read and it'll look great on your coffee table, end stand, or book shelf.

 

Whimiscal 3-Panel: Final and delivered

I'll admit it, it was a little sad to say good-bye to this one. I enjoyed working on it so much and the person who commissioned it was kind enough to provide me lots of inspiration and guidance. We had a great color palette. We had music for inspiration. We had a general concept with a "whimsical tree" to be within the content.

Beyond that she gave me free range to create the world that this whimsical tree would live in. Here is the environment that poured from my mind onto the canvas, inspired by the music and direction she provided.

The wall color looked great and we only messed up with one nail while hanging.

 

 

Here are some detail, close up shots of the panels. I really love the details and texture that was achieved in this piece.

 



    

 

 

Bucks for Ducks 2013

 

While wrapping up work on the children's book illustrations for Debbie Fike and the Whimsical 3-Panel for Christine Austin, I was also working on 2 donation pieces for the Bucks for Ducks 2013 fundraising event.

 

Being from California, I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to do what I love (artwork) while capturing an area that is close to my heart (home). It's an honor to produce art for any reason and what better reason than for a good cause. I hope that the two pieces I did will bring in a pretty penny during their silent auction.

 

Beyond that, here they are for all of you to enjoy :) Both pieces are 8"x8" acrylic on wood panel. This was the standard for all pieces donated to the event. I can't wait to see what other artists provide for the auction.

 

 

Counting Creatures: Awaiting Publication

The handoff occurred over coffee at a quaint little shop the author and I have made our regular meet up joint, Rayner's Chocolate and Coffee Shop. Amidst the aroma of fresh chocolate croissants and between sips of fresh coffee, I flipped page by page as Debbie and I pictured these illustrations soon becoming the visual counterpart to the story she had written.

I was delighted to hear she had already started the self-publishing process! We spent time chatting about business of course, how we might market the new book while re-marketing the previous (My Sweet Lady Dog), etc. It's always lovely chatting about the potential with Debbie. She has such fun stories to be told. I can only hope to continue this relationship with Debbie so that I can bring these stories to life just a little more with illustrations.

I don't have a publication date, but will keep you all posted on when we expect to have copies and when it might be available to order online! In the meantime, here are the final images:

[This illustration served as the cover and the last page]