Decade in Review: The 00s Mystery Decade

There's a saying: "Everyone likes a good mystery." Well, does everyone like a decade of mystery?
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Like many others, I'm reviewing the decade that's about to end. I'm doing it in the hopes to understand the history that I'm in the middle of, what it means, and what the future might look like. I'm also using this reflection as the source of new painting ideas.
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	It's hard to define this decade. Looking back for some clues, the 80s seemed to me to be about Excess. Nuclear stockpiling, corporate greed, crack cocaine (because cocaine wasn't addictive enough), huge shoulder pads, baggy pants. Danny Pintauro. All excessive.
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The 90s were a fantastic decade for me. I experienced the freedom of graduating high school and college. I got married. We lived in Hawai'i for a year. I learned how to paint and make Websites. For you guys, the 90s was about Alternatives. Alternative music. Alternative energy. Alternative lifestyles. Alternatives to TV and radio (the internet). It was about the end of a century of amazing progress. It was about possibilities and freedom. Happy, exciting times.
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And the 00s? As I began to try and understand this decade, I found myself with more questions than answers. There are some definite themes: terrorism, fame, superheroes, social media. But there were many questions. This decade is all about unanswered questions. It is the Mystery decade.
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Consider these questions that came up during the decade and remain unanswered as we leave it. These are in semi-chronological order.
Who won the 2000 election? Where’s Bin Laden? Who wants to be a millionaire? Who let the dogs out? What was the X-Files about? Where are the WMDs?
When does Jack Bauer pee? What is Lost about? Why isn't a ban on gay marriage discrimination? Why didn't we hear about the "threat level" after the '04 election? Why is Paris Hilton famous?
What’s wrong with Britney? Why doesn't everyone believe in global warming? Why is country music popular? Will I get SARS? Avian Flu? Swine Flu? Who is Garret Dillahunt?
Sarah Palin? Really? Who killed Amanda Palmer? When’s the economy bouncing back? Where did all that stimulus money go? Who watched Watchmen?
Why are people wearing leggings again? Will we have health care reform? What’s next after capitalism? Who’s the next superpower after the USA? Is there going to be one? What do we even call this decade? What’s going to happen in 2012?
What do you think?
Mysteries. Any questions? See you next year! Steve

New boy!

My wife and I had a baby boy yesterday! and I'll be going on a short break.

Meanwhile, you can see some of my recent work at Obscura, on 10/17 in Newark. Details here:
http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=455770

In the Spring, you can see my work in a solo show at the Amberella Sugary & Sweet Gallery and Boutique in the Piazza. Gallery information here:
http://amberellagallery.wordpress.com/

Hope to see you
Steve
http://www.fluidbeauty.com

New painting: Veronica

It’s been a week or so since I painted. Usually my “first painting back” is a little wild and this painting is no different. Luckily, I’m learning some control even when I’m all jacked up to paint. In years past, this painting would have sucked. Heh. I’ll post some pictures of these types of paintings to illustrate the point and help me to see my growth.

Meanwhile, I really like a lot of what turned out in this painting.

Also, it’s my third painting using watercolor canvas and I continue to fall in love with it. I never, ever thought I’d replace my cotton illustration board, but with this specially treated canvas I’m getting the effects I want with the added bonuses of more control, no warping, and a gallery-ready piece.

Here’s another of Veronica, who’s just an exceptional model to work with and creates amazing shots that make it easy for me to paint. Higher quality photos next week.

Dr. Sketchy's Philly: Heroes vs. Villains

Comics! Pictures of my work from @drsketchyphilly this past Friday: Heroes vs. Villains are up only at: http://bit.ly/PP1T6

New Painting

I finished this about 10 minutes ago.



You may remember the color study


The hold up was that I didn't know what music to play while I painted. Sounds trivial, but the thing is that I didn't know that was the hold up for a couple of weeks. I figured it out earlier today. So, clearly it didn't take long to fix.

I listened to Firewater, BTW. I've only painted with these colors a few times before. I've used Alice in Chains, but it's a slightly different feel. If you're reading this and think I'm nuts, I have synesthesia so I see colors when I hear sound. It makes it easy to come up with color schemes. Sometimes I pick the music to fit the colors, most often I pick the colors to fit the music. At some point, I'll mention which music goes with which paintings / colors / styles.

Right now I'm going to enjoy a feeling of accomplishment.

Dr. Sketchy's New York! Justine Jolie!

I went to Dr. Sketchy's again, this time in NYC this past Saturday. The amazingly talented and accomplished Molly Crabapple was there. I'm eternally grateful to her for establishing Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School.

I'm going to the Dr. Sketchy's Philly this Friday, let me know if you're interested. It's fun, there's cool people and free beer, and it's in an amazing part of the Fleisher Art Memorial that's not always open.

I'm going to post about 20 sketches soon, from Philly and NYC Dr. Sketchy's, but for now, here's one of the beautiful Justine Joli.

Julie. Green

One of the things it's easier to do with oil than the dyes is paint with green.

Here's an image from my second or third shoot ever. I recently got back in touch with this model after a very long time. Thanks, Facebook.

I'm working on more from the shoot. I've tried to paint from these images for years, but because of the lighting, they just didn't work well in watercolors or dyes. Now that I've learned to paint in oils, I can give them another shot.

Recent painting new palette

Been busy. Working on my last run of paintings before my new boy arrives in September and I go on hiatus.
Here's one I painted in the past couple of weeks. It's a new color palette. If you know that I have synesthesia, then it'll make sense when I tell you that I see the colors in this palette when I hear the Ting Tings.

Recent Paintings

Last week was a pretty damn productive. I finished a painting last Sunday, then I did another Monday and Tuesday and then Friday I nearly completed a painting that night.

Here's crappy pics of the them, I shot some quality ones outside today, but I'll have to pull them off the flash card tomorrow / Monday night. Weird trivia: a couple of nights I turned down drinking with friends and painted instead. Coincidental. But, hey, if you want to help me paint, throw me some drinking invites. Apparently they drive me to paint.

Thanks to all my friends who commented on these already. It's flattering and keeps me going even when I just want to enjoy the weather. Though now I'm painting in oils maybe I'll paint outside old school.

Here they is:

Mosh from 5/8


Lilah from Cinco de Mayo


Veronica from 5/3

This one's next:

Veronica: Step 1

I probably won't be able to get back to this until Saturday. Denis Leary tomorrow, dinners on Thurs and Fri

From Twitter as I was painting tonight:
# Darks. I think that's all for tonight. Hard to really fight to get myself to paint for some reason

# Using a butcher tray for a palette. Crazy thing about water-mixable oils, I just soak the tray in water to clean it
# And I got these two #8 kolinsky sable brushes for about 1/2 off (normally $70 or so each).

# Oils were half off at the local art supply place

# Painting for the next 45 minutes or so

Study #2 for Veronica

this sketch again?

tomorrow i'm going to complete my experiments with different media and i'm using this image again to compare them all. i like to sketch before i paint as a warm up, so here she is again

Tanya

My friend Tanya shaved her head yesterday. She's awesome.




See more daily sketches at FluidBeauty.com

Day 4 of Daily Sketches

Eagles win 26 - 14 while Hank Baskett's fiance, Kendra Wilkinson watches from the sideline.

See more of my daily sketches at my Fluid Beauty Website