Category: Paintings
Detail The art direction asked to include a specific piece of architecture, a weathervane that hinted at the name of the winery, and a landscape of California hills and vineyards. This was my first go at it. First attempt Okay, the designer liked it, the client liked it, but it wasn't quite right for the label. They wanted less texture, less brush strokes, less saturated colors, made to look a little old, more atmosphere in the distance...and while you're at it, loose the weathervane. I started from scratch and painted this.... I am honored that Bridlewood Estate Winery has my work represent their Central Coast Syrah and Central Coast Chardonnay. A shipment of a case of Sarah 2006...(to answer Bill's question from yesterday: I paid for it.) Cool that they have an engraved version of my illustration on the box. How cool is that? Ask your local wine shop to order some fo ...
Read Moredetail Life can be serendipitous. It's good to have a plan, but often what unfolds has no resemblance to your grand scheme. Continuing from yesterday, I'm going to take this short week to feature more wine label work and the serendipitous way it came to me. detail It wasn't by design or hard work, but had it's seeds in my seeking a little rest and relaxation. We spent a weeks vacation in San Francisco and Napa Valley and I was floored by the beauty of the region. I had been busy with commissioned illustrations and hadn't painted a landscape in far too long. detail This was before I had a weblog, so I thought I would do a few quick sketches for fun, post them on my illustration site, and tell family and friends what we did on our summer vacation with an email and a link.... more travel log than portfolio piece really. Within a month I got my first call to paint a landscape for a ...
Read MoreA while back I was commissioned by Timothy Harris Design to paint this wine label for Livingston Cellars, an E&J Gallo Brand. I was honored to learn that it was selected in the Professional Illustration category of Creative Quarterly 16 as a runner up. Detail I fell in love with painting landscapes as a young art student when I was fortunate enough to study abroad in the Parsons In Paris program. Detail Six weeks of lugging my French easel around Paris and the South of France painting every day en plein air was an invaluable life experience. Detail So, getting an assignment that basically calls on me to paint a landscape, with or without floating car, is a real pleasure, and having it recognized by Creative Quarterly is especially gratifying. Finished illustration ...
Read More5" x 7" Oil on canvas If an idle mind and hands are the devils workshop, then my grandmother Alice Burke should be canonized as a saint. This weekend marks her 95th Birthday and this oil sketch of her busy hands is my gift to her. Born Alice Kopidlowski the same year that World War I broke out. She lost her father at an early age and had to drop out of school in the third grade to work in a button factory. She met my grandfather during The Great Depression and they eloped in 1932. She made up for the lack of formal education with hard work and determination. At 95 she still reads a newspaper cover to cover every day. In her day she could sew a dress without a pattern, make a slip cover for a worn couch, wallpaper a room, change a broken window, cook a great meal, make toys out of household items to amuse her grandchildren, boost a kids ego by purposefully loosing a thousand consecutiv ...
Read MoreSunday Morning I was pleased to learn this week that I had a piece accepted to this years Communication Arts Illustration Competition. detail Julie Borg is a wonderful designer that I've been working with for a few years. I enjoy hearing from her because I get to paint in a loose style. This piece was done for a series of CD covers, Sunday Morning Music Series. The songs are inspirational, so I was trying to capture a Sunday morning ritual with an inspirational light. For those of you who know me, you may recognize my dining room. I set up this still life at sunrise to capture the low light sweeping across the table. detail ...
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