Sometimes You Have to Ride...part 1

A new painting I'm working on, maybe called: Sometimes you have to ride.

It's from a dream I had.

I've been wanting to work smaller, but the painting ended up being 4 feet long.

Bull Inspired by Sorian Trip

After a hiatus, this is my new painting: Sorian Bull. Maybe I'll get a better name for it. But it was inspired by my trip to Soria with a great tour called Spanish Footsteps: http://www.spanishfootsteps.com/

I saw imagery like this at the Numancia Museum in Soria. It's from a Celt-Iberian Design. I added design elements and color. The funny thing was that I spent hours at this museum, sketching the designs. I ran out of steam near the end, where these bull images were. I thought to myself: I'll find them in a book or I'll Google them. But really: there was very little to see online and no books that I could find with the images. Guess I'll just have to go back to Soria.

Under Siege: Part 2

I've added some figures into the building, some creatures and started the background color, a mixture of Azo deep and cadmium medium yellow. I may stay with that color, or change it later.
I chose a whole color palette, using the color aide papers. But that doesn't mean I'll stick with them. And I'm still toying with the figures, adding subtracting, refining.

Under Siege-Part one

Ok, after months of procrastination, I've finally started a new painting. The working title is Under Siege. It's 36X48 inches. I KNOW the economy stinks and I should be working small but I needed something to inspire me and get me going. I've been putting off painting for quite a while. I'll have to check in with Dr. Freud on that.
I start out picking the size of my canvas, then I look at lots of pictures and start making small drawings in proportion. When I have one I like, I transfer it, in a not-very-scientific way, to the canvas. It doesn't need to be a perfect transfer cause I've found that what looks good small sometimes doesn't look as good big. Plus, maybe having something to do with my brain, no matter how many grids I draw, I can never get my left and right side to match.
So here's the beginning of inking in the basic drawing. As I transferred it, I did change it. And what makes the whole thing so labor intensive is that I feel the need to outline everything in black. Then I 'erase' parts with white paint. Later, after I add color, I'll have to reapply the black lines. But that's just how it has to be for me.
Also, the story is now unfolding for me. I'm seeing who the protagonists are in this world. So I'll be adding those also. Once I add color, the story may change yet again.
Stay tuned.

7 Headed Beast...incomplete

Here's the new painting I'm working on for Il Melone Gallery. Meaning, I'm painting on unstretched canvas. What a bother! But forget all that. This is a compliment to the Scorpion Beast, same color background and it will have the same border colors.
When I get stuck for what color scheme to paint, I pull out my color aide papers. They used to be in order but now, as you can see, they are a mess. From the pack I'll put together a color scenario that I like. I guess you could say, I'm not subtle about color.

Scorpion Beast

A new painting done on unstretched canvas. I did bitch a lot about painting this way but really it wasn't much different. EXCEPT, and this is a big except, I do hope my corners are 90 degrees. The photo was a little off but it might have been the angle I was holding the camera.
Anyway, the scorpion beast is complete and it was a lot of my usual back and forth painting it: first one color , then another. This combo is very satisfying and...energized.
You are probably thinking it doesn't look much like a scorpion. But it's based, as I've mentioned a hundred times before, on Spanish illuminations and they seemed to favor the "Horse as Scorpion" look. As for the messy hair....that's in the bible! You can look it up for yourself.

Il Melone: the Italian Connection

Amazing story to tell you all: about a month ago, a guy named Gianni Cagnoni, from Rovigo, Italy, contacted me. He and his lovely wife, Donatella, run a gallery there, Il Melone
http://www.galleriailmelone.com/
He is interested in my work, not sure how it will be received. So he wants some work on commission. No problema!!! Except, due to shipping costs, he asks that I send the work, unstretched. So here, Feeding the Beast, is my first work that COULD be sent unstretched...even though I actually painted it by stretching it first. It's a smallish piece, 10 inches by 20 inches.
The key to all this is my borders. I made the border so that if he stretches on a slightly bigger stretcher, then the red will show. Otherwise, I was aiming just for the goldish colored border. What is loss...is my side borders. Oh well, Can't have everything. There will always be Rovigo!
Wait, wait, I didn't tell you about Tony, who has a blog right here on blogspot, all about Brooklyn. OK, that will have to wait to next time.

Snakebeast, complete..For Linder

I finished the snake beast and I'm posting this less then perfect photo because Linder, my sister liked it and I'm a sucker for flattery of any kind. So here it is Linder, I wanted you to see the details and comment.

Snake beast, the other one

I finished my snake/horse beast. And I like him so much that I've started on another. Here's the finished painting and the beginning of the next one.

Snake Demon in progress

OK, this is a nameless and incomplete snake demon. He's (or she's) 18X36 inches. I went thru several changes with this one. Originally I painted the background red, but then realized it was way too bright, especially with the funny yellow design I had added (now all gone). I had the idea to base the painting on paisley color patterns. But I gave it up for more harmonious colors. It's not done yet, but it's now in the final phase.
Oh, and I apologize for the very very bad photo.

Freefall- retouched

Thanks to a comment by Mai-Liis, I decided to redo this painting. I wanted stronger color. Perhaps it was the heat wave we are having in NYC, but I picked hot colors for this newer version of Freefall

1Against3, Finished

OK, I've inked in the dark lines and now the painting comes alive. Here's the version. It's 8X10 inches.

1Against3, almost done

I've been extremely lax about posting. I apologize to my thousands, perhaps millions, of readers.
I've decided to try some smaller pieces and here I've used a detail from one of my biggest pieces, 3against1, and done a tiny 8"X10" version in different colors.
Today I'll add the black line, always one of my favorite steps.
Why am I working tiny you ask? Well, someone bought by auction piece at the BWAC pier show...as in bought it out right for a hundred bucks. It inspired me with the idea of a wall of little jewel colors paintings. I hate to admit it..but money CAN be inspiring.

FreeFall-finished

Wow, I cannot believe I haven't written since April. BAD BAD ME. But a lot has been going on, getting ready for the BWAC Pier show. Two sisters leaving for the Camino, Feeling sorry for myself (that takes up a lot of time).
Here is FreeFall. I hope the color is not too off; it was a spur of the moment photo.
I find that if I work TOO slowly on a piece, I lose momentum. Had to push myself to the finish line and for awhile I was really un-nerved by the colors. But now, I like them...I REALLY like them.
If you want to interpret it as related to the real estate problems going on right now, be my guest.

FreeFall-middle phase

It took a lot of repainting to get FreeFall where I liked it...or at least could stand it. Part of the evolution of this piece was my going to see an exhibit of Takashi Murakami at the Brooklyn museum
OK, I gather it's not to everyone's taste...NO, they hate it. But I loved it and the whole Superflat world. It inspired me to think more about my coloring and this is the resulting current permutation of FreeFall.
Thanks Warren for providing the title.

Seven Heads

This is a small piece that I made for the BWAC Pier show auction:
http://www.bwac.org/
It's the Spring Ahead show, on the Redhook Pier.

Harpy Under Construction

Yesterday was rainy...VERY rainy...so I worked a lot on my harpy painting. She's coming along nicely and I'm figuring out the color combos as I go.

Harpy-the ugly stage

Here is Harpy in all it's ugliness. But of course, if I stick with it, it will eventually come around. I've been so busy with other 'stuff': setting up my new website, making new cards for the upcoming Pier Show in May. Harpy just sits there, looking nasty.
Oh, and here's the address for the new website:
http://www.imeldafagin.com

Here and There

I've finally finished this 'small' painting of 12X24. I named it 'Here and There'. Can you figure out why?

Beastly improvements

I've been working on this little painting SO slowly. But here it is almost complete...at least stage one of complete. Now I'll think about what to add to make it more lively. What? You think it is lively? No, it seems to need something, or someone else.