Archive for abstract

« Older Entries

I Need Photoshop

Posted in abstract, Art, Collage, Toni Tiller with tags , , , , , , on February 22, 2012 by Toni Tiller

On my last computer I had one of the oldest versions of Photoshop that it could possibly run, and that was fine because all I ever need to do is cropping and little color adjusting most of the time, no big deal. Unfortunately when I upgraded to my shiny new laptop it decided it wanted nothing to do with that PS7, something about incompatible bits, I don’t know, all I know is it doesn’t work so I downloaded GIMP and figured how bad could it be?

It’s bad. It sucks.

It’s clunky, unresponsive, and doing the simplest things takes forever. In short, I hate it. Scanning work is the only way to get it correctly colored, but then all the magazine dots show up, something you don’t see in person, photographing pieces is superior, but without color correction the look washed out and odd. Today the colors I am presenting are subtle in their interaction, so I chose pixely scanning.

Does anyone want to take pity on me and rip me a copy?

Leave A Comment »

With or Without?

Posted in Art, Collage, Toni Tiller with tags , , , , on February 15, 2012 by Toni Tiller

I like this springy swirly shape that has come up a few times, and usually I stick with a pretty simple formula, black background with two cut pieces on top in two subtly varying values. Then I thought it might be a good opportunity to deviate in color, use the set pattern to put that part of the thinking aside and focus on the color combinations. In theory this was fine, but when I applied my usual formula it looked a little…what? Too spare? I don’t know, but it just isn’t really working for me.

So I added another layer, and now wonder if it is too busy?

Any thoughts?

4 Comments »

fun and struggles in the studio

Posted in Art, art on paper, laelia e. mitchell, Work in Progress, work on paper with tags , , , on February 13, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

that’s the sum total of my experiences in the studio as of late.  i go … i draw … i have fun.  i go … i draw … i struggle.  and it’s like that, all the time.  some days the ideas flow with grace and fluidity like it’s a gift from the ether.  other days (like saturday) i draw and i might as well be dumping the cat box on the paper it’s so horrendous.  there seems to be no way i can gauge the day or my temperament.

the drawing below is from one of the studio days that left me feeling like i know wtf i’m doing.  my mark making is developing into some weird language of repetition and movement and it seems to make sense to me.  i used a charcoal pencil then smudged.  i made 4 pages of this.  one page i added a gel medium to each mark and topped it with some oil stick.  i’ll photograph it and share next time.

Leave A Comment »

They Might be Giants

Posted in abstract, Art, art on paper, expressionism, expressionist, figurative, gesture, monotype, narrative art, Painting, printmaking, technique, Tom Bennett, work on paper with tags , , , , , , , , , , on February 9, 2012 by Tom Bennett

Unless you’ve been having a pedicure under a rock the last few days, you’ll know the football NY Giants beat the NE Patriots to win the superbowl for the 2nd time in 4 years. Without going into an analysis of the season and the game itself and bore most of you, I’ll just say, as a New Yorker, this team is cardiac-arrest-fun with its habit of coming back from the dead and pulling out a win at the last minute.

Mario Manningham came up with, arguably perhaps, the game-changing catch along the sideline. The play was expressionist in its execution.

Tom Bennett

Uploaded with [URL=http://imageshack.us]ImageShack.us[/URL]
Manningham, monotype, 20′ x 16″

.

.

Leave A Comment »

A Recent Mini Magnet And A Trade

Posted in Art, Collage, Photography, Toni Tiller with tags , , , , , , on February 8, 2012 by Toni Tiller

I recently sent out some pieces to my Twitter friend Tim Severson, who has photography, video, and design company he shares with his wife Melissa in Texas. I really enjoy their work and they were kind enough to send me 2 prints (it was supposed to be one, but I couldn’t decide and they surprised me with two) which I am looking forward to hanging. I have the spot already picked out.

and here is one of the mini magnets I sent them.

1 Comment »

The Fat and the Thin in the Corner

Posted in Art, art on paper, expressionism, expressionist, figurative, mixed media, monotype, nude, oil painting, Painting, printmaking, technique, Tom Bennett, work on paper with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on February 2, 2012 by Tom Bennett

More paintings made from monotypes. These two pieces I finished a couple of days ago and I’m of two minds about them. The first, In the Corner, may be a tad too defined in the figure. I’m not sure I’m pushing the abstraction enough. The second painting I’m on the fence about as well. How’s that for mixed metaphor cliches?

Tom Bennett

In the Corner

In the Corner, oil over monotype on paper, 28″ x 20″

The Fat and the Thin

The Fat and the Thin, oil over monotype on paper, 20″ x 16″

Leave A Comment »

Hidden Defect and Lauren’s Underbelly

Posted in abstract, Art, art on paper, expressionism, expressionist, figurative, mixed media, monotype, nude, oil painting, Painting, printmaking, technique, Tom Bennett, work on paper with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on January 26, 2012 by Tom Bennett

Two more explorations in the current series. The one called Lauren’s Underbelly got its title from the happy little fact that the underpainting/monotype was a portrait of a pregnant woman. She apparently gave birth to this painting. It’s a girl!

Hidden Defect
Hidden Defect, oil into monotype on paper, 22′ x 16″

Lauren's Underbelly
Lauren’s Underbelly, oil into monotype on paper, 18″ x 12″

6 Comments »

Watercolor Post (Nasal) Fun!

Posted in Art with tags , , , , , , , , on January 21, 2012 by ssstephg

I have post-nasal drip and it’s postcards again this week! These I made using watercolor crayons, colored pencil, and ink on all rag museum board. Perhaps I will continue until I have amassed a large collection of these and then send them all out at once. Or maybe I will leave them in random places. Or maybe I will shove them into a corner to add to the clutter. Who can say?
postcard by stephg

postcard by stephg

postcard by stephg

Happy winter to you!
-Steph

Leave A Comment »

Ectoplasmic Monotype/Painting

Posted in abstract, Art, art on paper, expressionism, expressionist, figurative, mixed media, monotype, nude, oil painting, Painting, printmaking, technique, Tom Bennett, work on paper with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 19, 2012 by Tom Bennett

This piece has a photographic feel and Kodak is on its death bed. That’s a sad thought.

Ektachromoplasm

Ektachromoplasm, oil over monotype on paper, 20″ x 16″

1 Comment »

Fair Use

Posted in abstract, Art, Toni Tiller with tags , , , on January 18, 2012 by Toni Tiller

It’s been a long time since I have taken any photographs of people, and when I do they are usually people I know very well, but a recent interaction made me wonder what the fair use of pictures of strangers would be. I don’t take pictures for advertisements, or to sell, so it’s not something I ever really think much about but since the question came up I threw it out to my good friends on Twitter and Matthew Best was kind enough to provide me with this very useful article which answered all of my questions and then some. Looks like as long as I am in public and not invading a private space then I am in the clear.

In the mean time you should check out some of his work here. Good stuff.

Leave A Comment »

Fuck It. Giving In To Possible Correspondence

Posted in Art with tags , , , , , , , on January 14, 2012 by ssstephg

postcard by stephg
6 x 4 inches
colored pencil on museum board

Despite a lack of snow, this bleak cold, dark winter has been kicking my ass. Even art making doesn’t seem to be enough to make me want to get out of bed in the morning. And the prospect of spending hours closed up alone in my cold studio, without even the company of my sweet, warm cats, is no motivation. So this last week, I moved production to the cozy inner sanctum of the living room. Of course, this meant scaling down and adapting working methods to something a bit tidier than my usual paint-slinging. So I’m making postcards. They are small and easy and I can manage making them. Sometimes you just have to say fuck it and keep going no matter how or why. Fuck it. I may even mail them. That’s one above. Here are two more:

postcard by stephg

postcard by stephg

Stay warm,
-Steph

Leave A Comment »

Basement in Baltimore

Posted in abstract, Art, art on paper, figurative, monotype, Painting, printmaking, technique, Tom Bennett, work on paper with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 12, 2012 by Tom Bennett

I’ve been in Baltimore caring for my parents for a week and have been painting in the basement of the house I’m staying in. Here are some of the results.
I had the opportunity to take advantage of my father Harry’s experienced eye for design. He’s 92 years old. I asked him what he thought of the 1st piece below while I was still working through unresolved stages. He looked at it, covered an area with his hand and said, “get rid of this shape. These things don’t mean anything.” A title was born.

Tom Bennett

These Things Don't Mean Anything

These Things Don’t Mean Anything, oil on monotpye, paper, 18″ x9″

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Below, I’ve posted a photo of an original monotype and the subsequent over-painting.

First stage: Original monotype on paper
Stage 1: figure 1993

figure 1993, monotype,

Final stage:
stage 2: figure 1.11.12

Figure 1-11-12, oil on paper, 2012,

5 Comments »

Mini Mini’s

Posted in Art, Collage, Toni Tiller with tags , , , , on January 4, 2012 by Toni Tiller

When I was out west visiting with Mr. Hastings I noticed a stack of unused magnets that have been sitting there for 4 years (I know this because I stuck them there 4 years ago) and I asked if I could have them. I probably could have just thrown them in my bag and they would have never been missed, but it’s always polite to ask.

These are 2 inches by 3 inches.

5 Comments »

Oozing WIP Update: Round 2

Posted in Art, Stephanie Gerolimatos with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on December 31, 2011 by ssstephg

Here’s a bit of progress on this one. Remember what it looked like before? Well, here it is now. It’s not a big change, but what with the holidays and feeling as if I’d rather hide in a dungeon than open my eyes most days lately, I figure any progress is good.

Hope you’re all enjoying your days more than a sharp stick in the eye and fingers crossed for a positive start to this next year!
Love and MOREFRACKINGDAYLIGHTPLEASE!
-Steph

2 Comments »

Nice and Easy

Posted in Art, art on paper, expressionism, figurative, mixed media, monotype, nude, oil painting, Painting, printmaking, technique, Tom Bennett, work on paper with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on December 22, 2011 by Tom Bennett

When taking monotypes and working back into them with other media, I intend to allow the under-print to be an integral part of the process and have a dialogue with the fresh mark making. With this piece I fear I have pushed to far with the paint and the literal form. The most overt area revealing the print is the space on the right with amorphous cell-like blobs. That said, I like the spotty abstracted relationships and may accept this as sort of a red-headed step child, even though she’s a brunette.

Tom Bennett

Wrong Turn

Nice and Easy, oil on monotype, rives bfk paper, 20″ x 16″

Leave A Comment »

Maps

Posted in Art, Collage, Toni Tiller with tags , , , on December 21, 2011 by Toni Tiller

In my search to find bigger things than magazines to cut up I came across an old map and thought I’d give that a try. I started by cutting out the perimeter of the land masses (the Netherlands were a bitch) and then started doing my interior cuts. This is essentially the exact opposite of what I would normally do because making the exterior cuts can usually weaken the structure of the paper, making interior cuts more difficult. In this case the paper was so large and of a more durable quality this has not been an issue so far.

The main thing I have learned from this so far is don’t take a photo of a complicated piece on a glass top table, with over head lighting, while using a cell phone camera.

2 Comments »

A Shaped Matrix, Round & Oozing (WIP)

Posted in Art, Stephanie Gerolimatos with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 17, 2011 by ssstephg

work in progress by stephg

I’ve had this piece sitting around, waiting for paint for months. This week, I started painting on it. There will be much, much more paint before it’s finished. It will likely end up with little resemblance to what you see here.  But I thought it might be fun to share progress shots of this one along the way. You can see a photo of it at an earlier stage after the jump.

Read more »

1 Comment »

Work in Progress: Konja

Posted in Art, art on paper, expressionist, figurative, mixed media, monotype, nude, oil painting, Painting, printmaking, Tom Bennett, work on paper with tags , , , , , , , , , on December 15, 2011 by Tom Bennett

A monotype currently being revisited. Something about this makes me think of, remember fondly, my experiences in Turkey. I can’t tell you why.

WIP-Konja

WIP: Konja, 2003-2011, oil paint over oil based monotype on paper, 24″ x 18″

1 Comment »

So I Was Hanging Out

Posted in abstract, Art, Collage, Toni Tiller with tags , , , on December 14, 2011 by Toni Tiller

Working on collages, scalpel in hand and one of my friends was telling me a story about how he used to work on his grandfathers pig farm as a kid. He said his job was to sit around and hand castrate the little boy piglets with one swift, well placed cut and sometimes he’d have to do about 600 a day assembly line style.

While he was telling me I ended up making this.

I swear I didn’t do it on purpose.

5 Comments »

Cave from the Archives

Posted in Art, art on paper, expressionist, monotype, printmaking, Tom Bennett, work on paper with tags , , , , , , , , on December 8, 2011 by Tom Bennett

The last week and a half has been a blur of illness and commercial work. I have nothing new finished to post. So here’s an older monotype from the archives.

Deep South

Deep South, 2009, monotype, 18″ x 12″
Private collection

4 Comments »

« Older Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,504 other followers