THE PRODIGAL

 

THE PRODIGAL

Few knew his name but many remembered his face as he made his way along the back roads of the Smokey Mountains. He slowly walked up to the house where he spent his youth and scanned the land with tired eyes. He saw the old truck was parked in it's usual spot beside the field he once worked. He shook his head and smiled. He thought how the years were hard on that old Ford but then realized they were harder on him.

He stood there for a while and just breathed in the air and took it all in. It seemed like no time had past at all. Even the soil was just as hard and cold as he remembered. He tried to to make a go of it but just . . . his mind flooded with memories of his past—even her. Then, the harsh reality of the cold wind brought his thoughts back to the present where he stood alone. The prodigal had returned home but here was no one there to greet him. So nothing changed. Not the land. Not the home coming. Not even him. 

DETAIL OF CANVAS; OIL ON LINEN 30x40" 

I started this painting with a charcoal drawing which was the best that I ever did—it was fantastic. Masterful. Never before has a drawing flowed so freely from my fingertips. How amazed and impressed I was until I realized the entire layout had to move two inches to the right. I tried to ignore it but I had to wipe off the sketch and redo it. This second drawing wasn't brilliant but it did the job. Oh well.

After that I fixed the charcoal and then gave it an over all atmospheric wash of color to set the tone of the environment. I blocked in the local colors of the face, hat, sky, coat and car with extremely loose brush strokes. After that, I painted the face since it was the focal point and referenced it against the previous color indications.

In my process, the under drawing (if one is even used) is quickly covered up by layers of paint so every stroke of the brush needs to be drawn. In realistic paintings, it's important to realize that each stroke represents a surface fixed within the three dimensional universe. It must be placed in such a way as to turn the flow of light across the figure while giving a defined shape to that form. To me, that's really the biggest technical difference between painters—the various levels of ability to draw form with the brush.

DESPERADO

OIL ON LINEN 26 x 30"

I spent a good part of my youth in smoke filled bars located in the South side of Chicago. My father shot pool most of the evening and I remember the faces of the customers coming and going as the hour grew late. To some it was a refuge from the hard realities of the outside world. Marriages gone sour. The daily grind of working tough jobs. The repetition of day to day life making ends meet feeding the family. The beer made some forget their labors and kick back for a while as others fell deeper into depression. I learned a lot about people there.


I most often sat near the pool table and drew on napkins. Lots and lots of napkins. I started sketching the posters on the wall featuring name brand beers with beautiful mountains and waterfalls in the background. They looked like great places to live as the images of far away locations stood out against the dark walls. Sometimes the customers would go outside to have a smoke and lean against the building to talk so I sketched them as well. So many faces and personalities. I learned no matter how a person smiled, talked, or walked, their eyes would reveal their inner soul—the gladness or the sadness.


There was one guy who came in regularly just to get into a fight. His life was on the down turn and the atmosphere around him was dark. He was doing a slow burn and waited for someone—anyone—to start something. He would come by from time to time with the same predictable outcome. I never knew his real name but when he entered the bar everyone knew there would be trouble. That was a long time ago when I was in grade school. I have no idea what happened to him but his lifestyle could only have gone on for so long.


This oil painting depicts the man as I remember him standing outside the tavern by the back door like a desperado. He seemed to own the wall alongside the gangway which led to the alley. He would stand there and wait. Burning. I heard he lost his woman but I don't know how. Fighting was the only way he could feel anything again and it seemed to be what he did best.

DETAIL

I suppose our past shapes us and drives us to succeed or fail depending on how we decide to face the challenges life throws at us. As it turned out, I would use my art to leave that world and live in a house surrounded by nature—wetlands with a beautiful lake teaming with wildlife—just like those posters promised me so many years ago.

I've included shots of this painting in progress. I usually start out with a thumbnail done in a sketchbook and then refine it for emotional impact. Once I find a model, I sketch it out all over again and then project that finished layout onto a large canvas for the final painting. The small sketch then becomes my base for a color key if I feel one is needed. If so, many keys are painted until I find the right color space and lighting scheme. Once the charcoal is sealed with a thin spray of fixative, I apply a color wash over the entire canvas to cover the white ground and work as a unifying color when the canvas shows through the brush strokes.

CHARCOAL DRAWING WITH OIL WASH

PENCIL FROM SKETCHBOOK

Every painting I do is drawn from my life experiences. There is a story woven within the image which, I hope, gives a deeper insight to the character's soul and personality. If I grew up in a different place and time I might be painting daises set against a beautiful sunset but I have to be true to what I know. What I have personally experienced. I think that's why artists get better with age—there is a deeper sense of life to draw from and an understanding that at certain times in our life there is a little bit of a desperado in all of us.

Old Hickory

OIL ON CANVAS 18 X 24"

Tony Salerno, a dear friend of mine, posed for this oil painting. He has battled several forms of cancer over the years while living an amazingly active life which includes a full time job, working in several ministries, and devoting himself to his adult children—two lovely daughters.

We have served together in prison ministry for years where I have seen his gentle heart touch so many people with love and hope. He's the type of guy who will always be there for you. No matter who you are. No matter where you end up. He'll be there with hat in hand wearing a gentle smile. You might give up on yourself but he won't give up on you.

Within the emotional tones of this painting, there is a visual thread that hints to his past life of living hard. He once told me he has a lot of grace to give to people because he has received so much of it himself. These days, few preach it and less give it, but when you see grace in action there is no greater force on earth. With this said, we are left with a simple statement of a man who has faced life head on and has not only survived but thrived.

CANVAS DETAIL

I chose a warm color palette for this painting with a strong light source and defined shadow pattern. The light moves across the form of the figure creating a sense of movement which helps to frame the focal point of the image. He is posed in a way that speaks of his gentle manor with people. Holding his hat over his heart also added a visual cue to his respectful nature humbled by years of living life. Tony's smile is ever present as it contrasts his rugged features that remind me of old hickory.

Clone Wars

 

LUCASFILM © COPYRIGHT 2009

I really enjoyed working on this project because the content was so creative and the people on the design team were insanely talented. It's been an awesome time for me because I'm just blown away with being able to work with artists who are at the top of their game and yet about as humble as you can get.

Wolverine

Copyright @ 2009 Marvel Entertainment

This sketch was based off a sculpt which was amazing. This was just to get warmed up and then I went on to using the studio model sheets and reference materials for the rest of the project. Anyway, it was a way for me to get started thinking about Wolverine before concentrating on the live action reference materials. I was sketching various blue sky versions experimenting with how far to push the blades, muscle structure comparisons from live action to comic art, and also playing around with the costume detailing. The final ideation sketches are still being developed so this is the only one I can share.

Jackhammer

OIL PAINT ON CANVAS 24x34"

Jack started out as a boxer and then moved on to ride the highways and byways as a long haul trucker. I don't know how many miles he racked up over the years but I do know he faced life like a champ and won more than he lost. He learned the hard way how to take a punch and get back up again to finish the fight. He's tough as nails but one of the most real and caring people I've ever met.

That's what makes the heartland of America such a special place to me. People like Jack are a joy to find and paint because they are a different kind of breed. Instead of pointing a finger they lend a helping hand. Instead of searching for faults they help you find strengths.

DETAIL

No matter how bad the storm may be or how tough the times seem to get people like Jack don't stay down very long. They refuse to lose. Tough as nails they don't surrender to the odds but hammer right back. Day by day and year by year they work the land, dream their dreams and put food on the table to feed their familes. I don't think I'll ever get tired of painting people like that.

Author Author!

Didn't think anyone would believe me unless I took a screen shot. That's my handsome mug listed online with all of the amazing authors who are currently signed with Tyndale House Publishers. It's an honor to be listed among them in a rather highly retouched—yet striking pose. It's so good to be taken serious for my inner depth and professional talent instead of my natural stunning looking good looks. Anyway, a shout out to all the guys from the south side of Chicago who took a chance. 

PARTIAL CLIP OF THE LONG LIST OF AUTHORS

Starship Sketch

This is a digital thumbnail of a starship that eventually morphed into something else. It's really all rough line work using the pen tool in CS3. This sketch is all about form and basic structure of the over all design. Anyway, this is how most of my digital painting start out. Then I just start painting over this layer gradually building up toward a finished color image.

Hellbent

 
This digital sketch of a futuristic battle was painted in CS3 to design the over all environment and staging. It's very raw. Everything points to a man on a simple mission—kill anything that moves. His face is covered to hide any trace of humanity as the darkness he has chosen to serve completely engulfs him. He has no detail. No personal significance. I used Ezekiel 38 as inspiration for this image.

AMERICAN MADE

OIL PAINT ON LINEN CANVAS 24 X 34"

I always look for paintings in the people I see. A moment unaware that reveals a glimpse of the person's inner nature waiting to be captured on canvas. The understanding of light and shadow which flows across flesh and bone is more than the ability to capture a likeness—it gives way to the deeper responsibility of representing the human soul. That's what makes being an artist exciting.

The challenge of this painting was to capture this man's rugged independence and inner strength knowing his unique individuality was forged by the generations who fought for freedom before him. Like them, he is American made. Hard working. Proud. Free.

I'm working with a limited palette of colors inspired by the nationally known artist Anders Zorn. My personal vision is focused on painting high contrast passages of light and dark to convey the emotional connection between the human soul and the American landscape.

OIL DETAIL

Most of my brushes are Langnickle sables but I do use bristle brushes as well when needed. I prefer filberts which give me naturally softer edges from stroke to stroke. Capturing the interplay of edges in my figure work is something I really enjoy. This painting gave me a full spectrum of edges to study ranging all the way from sharp focus to completely lost.

At my demos, artists usually ask me what medium I use to mix into my paints so I'll mention it here which is Winsor & Newton's Liquin. I use other mediums as well but this product has grown on me and I find myself using it for most of my work these days. I use lot's of it in my shadow passages with little to none in the area of light. If you haven't tried it out I encourage you to do so and see how it works with your unique style and technique.

HARD DAYS END

Hard Days End: Oil On Linen 24 x 34"

The American landscape is filled with people working hard and living strong. In spite of set backs and rough times people fight hard to come back with a resolve as hard as the land they work. In my painting, "Hard Days End," I've depicted a young man ending his day on the ranch. He's working to feed his wife and child while carving out a new life through tough work and personal determination.

He may be down for now but he's coming back stronger than ever before. In spite of his rough times, it's not about the paycheck—it's about doing the work right because his name still means something. Like his father before him he's building a new life on the land he works. His back aches and his hands hurt but each day brings him closer to seeing the reality of his dreams after the hard days end.

To capture the intensity of this man, I kept half his face in shadow while allowing the other half full illumination. He's going through a transition. He's emerging but not yet there. This balance helps give the painting an emotional edge while creating a dramatic focal point.

It is hard to decide what more to discus here because there are so many technical points to cover. For me, it all comes down to the essence of the human soul being caught in an honest moment. Once I do this I know the painting is finished and it's time to start another.

Detail of Oil Painting

STORM CLOUDS

Storm Clouds/Oil On Linen 26 x 34"

This oil painting launches a new series I'm working on depicting people of the American heartland. I'll be exploring many emotions by depicting character studies of everyday people as they live their lives and dream their dreams throughout our nation's landscape. My main goal is to capture the inner soul of real people and paint a moment in time that encapsulates an emotional beat in their life. Painters like Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper inspired me to embark on this journey of discovery in my own unique way.

This series will cover a wide spectrum of people ranging from happy to sad and from lovely to hard weathered. The common denominator will be the truth in what I see—taken as it comes. In my first painting of this series, "Storm Clouds," I took the opportunity to delve into a man's life at a moment when he is dealing with deep feelings and bitter choices.

We have all been cheated. We have all experienced loss. It is what we do in the aftermath that set's the course of our individual life and those around us. "Storm Clouds" captures this inner struggle as it is set against the backdrop of the American West.

Oil Painting Detail

BATTLE READY; Digital Painting

Digital painting of a warrior in battle. In CS2, I like using gritty brushes to block everything in and then build up the areas of light with more refined brushes—this keeps me from painting too slick and smooth. Anyway, I suppose my detailing of the eyes are too sharp in terms of capturing a true rendering of nature but I wanted the attention focused in that area—so much emotional impact is expressed in the eyes.

As for the indication of gritting teeth, it's just two brush strokes but I re-painted those two strokes over and over to get just the right look. When you look at John Singer Sargent or Anders Zorn it's not just about rendering an image—it's about putting energy into each and every stroke. I think that's what makes painting fun and hard at the same time. The whole process is deciding what to leave in and what to leave out and making sure that everything that remains is there for a reason.

WARRIOR BEHIND SHIELDS; Digital

I painted a series of digital paintings to serve as inspirational bluesky development. The over all look and feel of the series was very intense so painting the images allowed me to explore some very interesting emotions. I wish I had more time to make the painting perfect but deadlines are deadlines. I could keep refining it but there are more paintings to do. Anyway, the emotional impact was really exciting to develop. The program I used was Photoshop CS2 with all sorts of custom brushes. I worked it just like an oil painting except I got the added bonus of using command z.

WARRIOR; Digital Painting

This digital painting was a blast to work on in CS2. Talk about primal therapy. I blocked everything in using a custom brush that was ugly grainy—I mean just plain ugly. I used this to work out the big shapes. Then I started to define forms—basically light and shadow using cross hatching. After that, I blended the hatching with my larger grainy brush. The background was ambigouis so the entire head would be the over all focal point.

The detail close-up shows how free the brush work was—just indications of detail in the right places. This painting is really a study of edges. The frontal face edges (although they vary) are sharper than the backside of the head and helmet. I've been studying Velázquez lately for edge work and shadow patterns. Simply amazing. Anyway, this painting gave me the opportunity to have a lot of fun playing around with the shapes and edges.