Judge Parker

This week's JP Sunday.

FALL Semester Week 1

here is something I knocked around on today in the studio. Today was one of those 'eh' days...I just felt kinda' down and in kinda' a bad mood, out of sorts maybe. Had a nice day, lunch with friends and all, but I was still just kinda' blah...

Maybe it was my post-vacation blues, I don't know. But despite that I kept slinging the brush and ended up with the painting about. Sometimes I feel I could go way tighter and get more realistic or specific, but when I do I also feel like I leave too little to the viewer to add in themselves. Anyhow, despite my mood I slugged away at it, often the only way out of a funk is to just slog at work.

Fall Semester 2010 week 1

Today was the first day of the fall semester at PAFA and the first day where it seemed most people were back in school since last spring and a whole new batch of first year students got to know the ropes a bit. they had free water ice and Dick Blick raffles and give-a-ways in the lobby.

Alina is back from Canada, Lexi is moved into her Apt, Joel and Dave were in the studio and Will stopped by, so we had most of the DPC in the studio today at some point. We also had a few drop-bys of new and old friends. I had my first critic meeting with Michael Gallagher, on of my 3 critics this fall, I meet the other two next week.

I have been in the studio all summer painting away, and just got back from 10 days in Arizona, so to kind of start the school year off I knocked out this little painting from a photo I snapped on vacation to kind of christen the semester. Things hop into full swing on Monday but I'll be back down in the studio for a while tomorrow.

Willow Lake

This was the last painting I did on my vacation in Prescott, AZ, and the biggest at 12 x 16. My buddy bret and I went over to Willow lake near the granite Dells and found a great spot to paint. It's also the monsoon season in the south west, so we also got soaked once really good. In fact we had to stop painting for a while as it was just too wet to continue, my painting was so covered with water we had to wait, and then blot them dry!

I wish I could have stayed another few weeks and traveled more to see more of the great landscapes, but I snapped a ton of photos to work from later.

Ranch House

Today's quick PA done in the afternoon, of the house across the way. 8 x 10 in oil on Fredrix canvas panel

Arizona Wash 2

Today I went out and painted the reverse view of the previous post, this time in the bright AZ sun, and biting flies! I knew the Sun was on the march and so I had to plan a bit for the angle and shadows to change and I'd have to make some adjustments--the race was on. 11 x 14 on Fredricks linen museum board, oil. i was all pumped from spending yesterday down in Scottsdale looking at the art in the galleries. I visited the Overland, gallery Russia, Legacy, Scottsdale Fine Art and the Trail Side to name a few. The best work for me was in the Overland which had great examples oft he Russian painters from the Soviet era.

In all of the galleries whenever my eye was attracted it was always first to the paintings by the Russians or Chinese. Sure thera re great American painters too, but the Russian/Chinese painters just have such high skill combined with a poetry that I think stands out because they were not so influenced by western media or pop -culture and their development as artist outside that bubble gives then a poetry and strength.

Arizona Wash

This is the painting I knocked out today before the rain forced me indoors. It's of the wash behind my buddy's house with a nice view of the mountains behind. Its 12 x 16 on a linen Fredricks panel which I gave a single wash of raw siena too yesterday. Altogether I'd say this was around 3 hours of painting.

Arizona Painting

I am on vacation in Arizona for a few days and I finally got the chance to do a quick painting this afternoon in my buddy Bret's back yard as the storm clouds rolled in. I plan on cramming as much painting in as I can in the next week.

judge Parker

This week's Sunday strip

Blasts from the Past

I came across two more old pieces on my G4 today while cleaning up stuff. one is a page of sketches of that Gen 13 character Roxy, and another old commission, this time of Batman, Ithink the buyer wanted this for his wife's office.

Blasts from the Past

I came across these tow old drawings while going through some files on my old G4. they are pretty old now, 10 years or better, one was a commission and one is a rejected cover idea for the Bongo Simpson's Halloween comic.

Super Sad Study

Another one-shot painting/study. With each one of these there are parts I like and things I don't, but its a great exercise to paint something like this every day. You gain a momentum and a flow which i think is essential to growth. 9 x 12, oil on museum board.

judge Parker

This week's Sunday Strip

Super Sad Study

Here is another one of my one-day studies. This week I'll be shifting things up a bit with more western based landscapes. 9 x 12, oil

Super Sad Study

Here is another of the quick little studies I am doing to further develop the ideas for suture paintings. Still using the limited palette as well which is a great exercise in getting better with mixing colors. 9 x 12 in oil.

Burger Girl

Here are two designs I did earlier in the year for a restaruant somewhere down south, they were looking for designs featuring a gal holding a burger and wanted a urban-hipster/pin-up feel with a animation feel to it. They didn't pick my designs, but they paid--which is great. So often its hard to get at exactly what a client wants, they can't quite describe what they want and soooo often use contradictory terms when trying to explain what it is they are looking for. But that's commercial art.....

Super Sad Study

I jumped back into this painting after nearly a year off. I initially started this from life, working from the model in my living room. Luckily I snapped plenty of pics to use later as I am no longer able to work with the model, which is a shame. Its interesting to revisit something like this after a long time, not only has the idea of what this would become change but I've changed or grown as a paint a lot in that year. The background is completely made up. I'll let this set up for a day or two and the go back into it.

Super Sad Study

Here is another study for one of my Super Sad paintings. I decided to do many smaller paintings or studies, and then yake one of then and work on a larger painting. I'm also using a limited palette on these, Van Dyke Brown, Yellow ocher, raw Sienna and titanium white. Its pretty amazing the variety of color you can get out of such a limited palette. My goal is to do a few dozen of these and see where it goes.

Judge Parker

This week's Sunday strip

Down to 46th

Here is another one-shot painting for my Commuter series, its looking down at the 46th street EL stop, just before you hit the curb and go into the tunnel and the EL goes underground through center city.

Super Sad Study

Here is a quick open Grisaille study for my Super sad series. I have decided to do a bunch of smaller studies and then go for a big painting. My goal is to do at least 20 of these and really get a great building up of energy on these so the bigger pic will have a strong impact. I have been hitting the "art gym" hard this week, in the studio every day, long hours and it feels great!