Be sure to click the image to see the full painting!

Started in 2008, I began this painting with the hope that it would revitalize my interest in continuing the “Little People” series I created at ASU. Two years later I am immensely proud of what I’ve finished (although rather embarrassed it took as long as it did). Known originally just as the “kite painting”, I choose the title “Abandonment” after searching around for something that would hopefully capture all the painting is meant to represent.

aban·don (ə ban′dən)
transitive verb
1. to give up (something) completely or forever to abandon all hope
2. to leave, as in danger or out of necessity; forsake; desert
3. to yield (oneself) completely, as to a feeling, desire, etc.
Etymology: ME abandonen < OFr abandoner < mettre a bandon, to put under (someone else’s) ban, relinquish: see ban
noun
unrestrained freedom of action or emotion; surrender to one’s impulses to shout in wild abandon

“abandonment.” Webster’s New World College Dictionary. LoveToKnow, n.d. Web. 1 February 2010. http://www.yourdictionary.com/abandonment.

As with all my personal projects, there are several metaphorical images presented within that relate to my personal experiences and history. The person on the kite, for example, is myself – but I’ll leave the rest a mystery for now!

This painting was created by preparing a full sized drawing which was glued to the surface of a masonite board with matte acrylic medium. The color study was completed on top of this with acrylic paint, and the final image is oil paint on top of that. After waiting a few months for the painting to fully dry, I’ve sprayed on a matte removable varnish.

This was a commissioned work, based off the original album cover.  For more information on this image, you can check out my process tutorial on en•blog:

http://en-blog.blogspot.com/2005/11/black-sabbath-painting-progress-from.html

This photo is a composition created from multiple photos.  The area is Estrella Mountain Park.

One of the last major paintings I’ve worked on, “The Accident” is a favorite of mine simply because it was such a large undertaking.

Gumby, a monk parakeet, is perhaps one of the meanest birds my family has ever owned.  That being said however, he is quite a character, and very photogenic.  One of the things that I really enjoyed about this project was that the models seemed to be sharing a laugh in the picture.

If you’re interested in seeing how this pastel painting was created, click here to be taken to EN•blog, where I have a series of posts about the process for making Marisol & Gumby.