5ashart

2011-12-14T10:27:00.000-08:00

Still Life. Rabbits, Grapes and Apples
oil on canvas
20" x 36"

Rabbits

2011-12-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

Still Life with Rabbits, Grapes and Plums
chalk on paper
36 x 24

2011-11-06T15:55:00.001-08:00

2011-11-06T15:15:00.001-08:00

2011-11-06T13:15:00.001-08:00

2011-11-06T11:19:00.001-08:00

more rabbits, grapes, plums

2011-10-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

2011-10-16T10:03:00.001-07:00

2011-10-16T09:49:00.001-07:00

new oil painting in progress

2011-10-13T11:03:00.001-07:00

2011-09-28T09:25:00.001-07:00

beginning a new painting

2011-09-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

2011-09-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

Flowers and Death

2011-09-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

I am attracted to flowers for their technical challenges as well as their short life span. They remind me of how fast life comes and then goes.

2011-09-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Grapes, rabbits and plums

2011-08-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

look at that. Finally a new still life on paper. I find I'm actually much more interested in drawing the subjects of the still lifes more than I am interested in any kind of concept or symbolism behind them.

New Silver

2011-08-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

Untitled
silverpoint on paper
6"x4"

2011-08-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

Still Life with Peacock
oil, chalk on cotton

This piece is proving impossible to photograph because of the media but I have managed to take some details that turned out ok. I will get a nice photo of the piece in its entirety asap

coming along

2011-07-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

Its been a long time since i posted. computers and cameras have become scare, and i am in sort of a transitional period.

portraits

2011-03-06T15:20:00.000-08:00

In addition to the still lifes I am beginning a series of portraits drawn from life.
This is a sketch for one of the first ones. I am fascinated with Ingres' pencil drawings and was inspired to do my own. While this is a study of just a head, I am looking forward to drawing the clothes, settings and pattern.
They will be life size drawings and I am still looking for more models.

about halfway there

2011-02-14T17:21:00.001-08:00

i may add some pattern to the fabric. i was thinking about it, but by this point it may just be overkill..it would have to be very quiet

2011-02-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

now i can start painting.

Three coats and sandings of gesso later... I poked holes into the original drawing, relayed it onto the painting and rubbed more charcoal over it, creating a " cartoon."

2011-01-28T21:30:00.000-08:00

2011-01-26T21:19:00.000-08:00

2011-01-24T22:35:00.000-08:00

2011-01-10T19:32:00.000-08:00

couple drawing

2011-01-03T18:23:00.001-08:00

this isn't finished and it's on crappy paper but it's been such a long time since I have made large drawings like this one that i had to post it now. It's about 5' tall and makes me want to do more.

sketches

2010-12-22T14:04:00.000-08:00

drawings are coming soon...

studies of Ingres

2010-11-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

Sketches

2010-11-05T12:31:00.001-07:00

Raphael sketches

2010-10-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

sketches

2010-10-28T13:37:00.001-07:00

These are sketches I have recently made.
I've been working too much lately and have no energy, but luckily I always have had small increments of time to keep drawing.

New Show

2010-09-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

I have been invited to show work at The Cottage Industry Painting Salon this October 13th. Come and see the work in person. I find that digital representation has a way of "normalising" artwork, making it mundane, and there's really nothing "normal" about my work.

A more official invitaion will be posted later, but for now, this is the info:

The Cottage Industry Painting Salon
2326 Fillmore Street (btw Clay and Washington in Pac Heights)
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
7pm-9pm

The link. cut and paste into url.
http://cipsalon.com/www.CIPSalon.com/Cottage_Industry_Painting_Salon.html

Raphael

2010-09-13T18:26:00.001-07:00

Raphael I
after 'Madonna della Seggiola'
silverpoint
4.5"h x 3"w

Haiti IV

2010-09-13T18:24:00.001-07:00

Haiti IV
silverpoint
9.5"h x 9"w

2010-08-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

Sometime, Back in August
chalk, charcoal on paper
28h x 36w

Giraffe and Pattern

2010-08-02T19:09:00.001-07:00

giraffe

2010-07-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

conte, charcoal on paper
28"h x 36"w

LIfe SIze MIce

2010-07-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

VI
silverpoint
5.5"h x 6"w

Tehran

2010-07-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

Tehran IX
silverpoint
7'h x 8"w

Haiti IV

2010-07-17T17:14:00.001-07:00

Haiti IV
silverpoint
12h x 8w

Sketches

2010-07-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

Sketches

2010-07-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

This is a sketch for a new picture for the Haiti series

This is my dog Lola sleeping on the couch with her fav stuffed toy on top of her.

Sketches

2010-07-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

Mice study

Mice study

Pattern study

This is Manets "The Dead Toreador."

This is my dead fawn.

Something New

2010-06-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

I've been reading about Courbet and thinking about pictoral representation. There's a certain amount of contradiction between subject and environment in his pictures. It begs the question, "What is that doing there?" I'm intrigued. I'm also very tired.

Haiti III

2010-06-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

Haiti III
silverpoint
9.5h x 12w

A Brand New Me!

2010-06-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

Regretably, things have been going slowly here at 5ashart, but wait'll U hear Y!
Things have been bumpy for 5ash lately. You saw earlier that I had emergency surgery after my appendicitis.

Here's a shot of me, three weeks later, happy and healthy again at my show at SOMArts.

The very next night, as I was walking home, I was smacked by an unidentified car. It hit my knee (screwing it up) and I hit the windshield with my shoulder (shattering my clavicle and apparently breaking the glass). My body then proceeded to flip over the hood of the car landing on my back in the middle of the street.

Thank God there were people around.
Thank God I'm not dead.

Here I am in my wheel chair. "Don't be jealous of my boogie." became my mantra for the two months I was in that thing. (Thank you RuPaul)

Anyway, things are finally getting back to normal. I am once again unemployed but that leaves tons of time to work and tons of time to stress about finances which always gets me working, or drinking. I am also very busy searching for the lessons I know I will get out of this whole experience. So far, I know that my bones are very easy to break, my body could be gone at any second, and when I don't bathe for a week I smell like brownies and meatballs.

But before life really gets back to NORMAL, my grandmama died early this month. I was able to go back home to Georgia for a while for her funeral and visit with my family. Here are a few photos from that experience.

The cemetery in St. Mary's Ga where my grandmama is resting.

Me and my shy sister

Me and a horse.

Me and a rib.

Pretty condolence roses

The Godfather

MIlledgeville GA. The first state capital and home of the first state sanctioned nuthouse. This was really creepy.

Yummytown!!

Grandmama's older-than-dirt churchouse. btw- Thanks for the thunderstorm G'ma!!

2010-05-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

New show

2010-05-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

Still Life with Deer
acrylic, chalk on cotton
50"h x 60"w

2010-03-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

silverpoint
9 x 11

2010-03-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

This is my first acrylic painting. I had to wrestle with the medium just a little to get used to its properties but it's working out.
I think the two ladies in blue are sisters and the woman in the middle is somebody's mama- if not theirs. It is an image of survivors of the earthquake in port-au-prince. this one is exiting to see come to light.

I had an appendectomy

2010-03-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

this is one of the bruises. for a while i was stuck to the couch drifting in and out of consciousness but now i get to work on
my painting without interruptions. btw i liked the morphine

2010-03-07T16:06:00.000-08:00

Haiti

2010-02-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

2010-02-06T11:21:00.001-08:00

More Pattern

2009-12-21T16:55:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to finish her by christmas, but I didn't wear my mask the whole time and the chalk dust tore my throat up. Wear your mask kids!! I was sick for a week and couldn't ever bear to look at her without feeling ill.

more pattern

2009-12-08T21:45:00.001-08:00

This takes a while. I'm outlining the pattern and manipulating it according to the movement of the fabric. Then I'll fill it in according to value

yes, she's dead

2009-12-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

2009-12-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

I used polymer and acrylic for a base wash and then started drawing

mapping a deer

2009-12-04T17:25:00.000-08:00

Show in San Francisco

2009-11-11T22:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.studiogallerysf.com/home.html

Life Size Mice IV
silverpoint
3" x 5"

Show in Sacramento

2009-11-11T21:51:00.000-08:00

http://www.vergegallery.com/exhibitions/

Tehran

2009-10-15T23:18:00.000-07:00

Tehran VIII

silverpoint

8"h x 8"w
Tehran IX

silverpoint

7"h x 7"w

2009-09-29T01:11:00.000-07:00

Tehran VII
silverpoint

LIfe SIze MIce

2009-09-22T19:32:00.001-07:00

Life Size Mice III
silverpoint
5.5 x 6

LIfe Size Mice V
silverpoint
5.5 x 6

LIfe SIze MIce

2009-09-15T23:12:00.001-07:00

silverpoint

6" x 5.5"
II

silverpoint

6" x 5.5"

Washing Oprah

2009-08-31T21:51:00.000-07:00

Oprah was looking a little frumpy and sad, so it was time for upkeep. I took apart other

sculptures and grabbed extra cotton and stuffed her tight again.

Then it was time for a bath.

Then it was time for dinner. yumm

Fighting for survival

2009-08-05T03:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't been on such a tangent since Britney shaved her head, but in the ongoing

saga of my depicting rabbits come these images from Milan. Apparently, the airport

in Milan has always retained a population of hares but recently, because of an increase

in population, they have been (or were) inhabiting and breeding on the runways, disrupting

flight departures and endangering landings.

Good for you hares.

The result is a collection of images of uniformed guards and police rounding up these animals, catching them and locking them up. The poor animals are only trying to live their lives on

their land freely and without interference from greater powers. I immediately thought back to my silverpoints of Tehranians clashing with their infringing bullies in uniform.
So, I have begun combining the imagery.

There are more to come. You're going to love this, just love it...

Hearts in Space

2009-08-05T03:19:00.000-07:00

The San Francisco General Hospital FoundationThe Hearts In San Francisco Project is an art benefit for San Francisco General that is coming around again in 2009. I decided that the best thing to paint on a 5' fiberglass heart is,(what else?) FLYING RABBITS!!

Blue patterned clouds intricately decorate the background, or, "backsky" if you prefer filled with loads of happy, playful, flying bunnies.

This is my proposal rendering. It is a juried entry. I would love to see this completed. I think it would make you laugh out loud. Pick me.. pick me.. pick me.. We'll see...

New Silverpoints

2009-07-21T02:18:00.000-07:00

I don't really have a history of "political art" but certain images of Iranian protestors

as well as the movement itself has recently inspired me. There is a certain sense of choreography and grace within these figurations- granted, I have manipulated them- but

that combined with implied violence and agression is passionate, artful and moving.

Gallery Show

2009-06-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

http://www.georgekrevskygallery.com/

For all of you planning on attending this weeks first Thursday, I will showing my piece, Still Life with Rabbits, at the George Krevsky Gallery at 77 Geary St.. 5:30-7:30. July 2, 2009

Schoolz Out Forever!!

2009-06-11T00:55:00.000-07:00

It's not often that you'll see photos of myself on the blog so don't get too used to it. I thought maybe graduating from SFAI with my MFA was an occasion worth showing my face for.

Yes, i couldn't bother with shoes... Let's see what's next.

Installation shots of my show

2009-05-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Flowerscape

2009-05-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

Flowerscape

chalk on poplin

43"h x 90"w

this piece was ridiculously difficult to photograph but it finally came out nicely. It is now at foot of our bed so we wake up to flowers everyday

Vernisage

2009-05-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

My MFA
I recently graduated from San Francisco Art Institute with a Master of Fine Arts. These are two shots of the actual show and the preparation of my space in the Herbst Pavillion at Fort Mason.
Im not sure who the man is I am talking to in the first photo, but thanks to Donnie who is helping me paint, Colby for sharing the photo, and to Lola for keeping us company.

The Rabbits

2009-05-05T00:47:00.000-07:00

Bluebunnies

2009-05-05T00:43:00.000-07:00

I kinda love this one.. even more so because curators seem not to.

An'another 'Possum

2009-05-03T16:25:00.000-07:00

this one kind of looks like a swamp rat from The Princess Bride

'Nother 'Possum

2009-04-28T21:54:00.001-07:00

I think I'm beginning to enjoy silverpoint

2009-04-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

playin' 'possum again

2009-04-23T20:13:00.001-07:00

Southern Gothic

When opossums play dead, they omit a horrible decay-like smell, they drool and enter a state of hibernation. I wish I could do that. Its the perfect passive/agressive mechanism.

This possums in progress. Stay tuned.

dead rabbits

2009-04-23T00:14:00.000-07:00

Im working on a new piece and I thought I would show it's progression. Hold on. Let me

get a refill....

This is a drawing with carbothello chalk on cotton. I used string to make lines that I didnt

want drawn on.
The rabbits require a lot more color so i washed them with a little acrylic as a ground.

bunny sketch
The thing about drawing on fabric is that the color fixes to the fibers and dulls after it's been

sprayed. It usually requires a few extra layers of color to get the opacity I'm looking for.

She's coming along. I'm so exited I could just spit!

nastyass

2009-03-25T00:11:00.000-07:00

Playing 'Possum

Silverpoint on Primed

Surface

ugly size

Who let that thing in?

2009-03-25T00:10:00.001-07:00

Embrace

2009-03-19T23:19:00.000-07:00

Embrace

chalk on fabric

4 x 4

I call these fabric drawings paintings. There's no paint but they hang on

a wall, they have all the elements of painting-color, value, scale, line, concept, etc..

But im learning each time about how much object-hood these pieces hold. Fabric is not stretched canvas, it moves, changes and takes on the character of its installation. It is

sculptural as well as painterly. boy I'm talking a lot.

Self Portrait Sans Self

2009-03-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

charcoal on poplin

I became fascinated with Ingres' drawings of posing socialites. He spent all his time making a likeness because these people who were paying him well thought that they were attractive. Most were wrong but he scrupulously described their faces anyway.

The best part of these drawings is not the posers but the posers' fantastic clothes. He drew this fabric with sharp confidence that made me want to take it as a challenge to recreate. It was impossible. Then i learned he was cheating with a camera lucida but by then i had made this drawing. I decided that i would describe the clothes in detail and avoid my features. the fabric was what i was interested in and unlike those french, uppity bitches, i'm no poser.

now its done.

2009-03-19T22:55:00.001-07:00

blueberries

36h x 60w

chalk, oil pastel, poplin collage

ok now its done. this is now hanging in my bedroom. its the only piece i have ever made that i

can look at upon waking. it calms me. i don't know why but its very rare for me to want to keep a painting around.

Blueberries

2009-02-07T19:06:00.001-08:00

Blueberries

Poplin, chalk, pastel

6'h x 3'w

Hopefully, this piece is finished. I don't know. I want it to be. We'll see. What else is there to say? Im turned on by that limit of just enough vs. almost too much. teeeter totttter teeetter...

Furry Message of the Moment

2009-02-07T19:01:00.000-08:00

Furry Moment

monster fur

5'h x 2.5'w

This is my new studio project. I plan to clear this furry fabric everyday i enter my studio and

rewrite a new message. Just to clear my head and leave behind all the unwanted stress outside. My moment of Zen you could say

Making Oprah

2009-01-30T20:48:00.000-08:00

Making Oprah

chalk on fabric

4'h x 6'l

Sleeping with Oprah

2009-01-30T00:46:00.000-08:00

Sleeping on Oprah

fabric, oil pastel, chalk

36" x 22"

This drawing is a depiction of perfect slumber. It depicts my favorite model, Todd, my muse and my inspiration.

He and I share a favorite hobby, sleeping. I think there is a lot to be said for slumber. Just the sound of it is alluring. Not only is it the most necessary part of living next to food, but it is the most seductive, relaxing, humbling and sensual experience a person can enjoy. Not to mention the supernatural experiences of the subconscious it brings about through dreams. That's a whole 'nother blog.

Life is short, sleep while you can

Anyway, I feel passionately about this as a concept worth exploring and I've depicted Todd doing it in my studio. Here is a preparatory drawing-

He is lying on a blanket which is not in circulation *ahem* but it lies with him

on top of the "O" as in Oprah.
Y'a see, when art is made, it sometimes turns into a part of your life, in fact, most of the

time, it is your life. Whether you are painting it, filming it, reading it, or singing it, the

creation becomes your experience. You find yourself imagining it, dreaming it,

sleeping on it, feeling it, loving it, living it.

Remember this picture. It'll come back atcha! like Cleopatra!

Lola loves Oprah too

Oprah's on!

2009-01-29T23:02:00.000-08:00

Oprah

fabrics, cotton

5 ' x 5 ' (variable)

It's 4:00. Where's everyone gone?

Get tuned in...

I thought of this piece while in that magical space between sleep and consciousness. It came to me and I chuckled a little then easily fell into sleep.

My intentions were to create something lighthearted, playful and whimsical as well as to pay tribute to the character of a personality i have admired and tried to salute many times with artworks that never quite came to successful completion.

Due to the later news about our heroin's weight struggle, some have seen this piece as ridicule. I swear i didn't know but I do wish, being myself a great admirer, that she wins this battle and once again, comes out where she belongs, on top of the world.

I wish you could see this in person. It's so imposing.

This piece, before it was even finished, became more than you see here. The making of the piece became artwork itself. Interacting with it broadened the limits of my process. It was definitely a work of magic. I shall embellish in the following posts...

Better Banners

2009-01-21T12:55:00.000-08:00

Bunniesnbunyons

charcoal, fabrics

This is one of my favorites in a while. It was challenging in many ways yet a lot of fun and very satisfying. I've been working and wrestling with fabrics for a while. My relationship with material has been a focus of my work and a constant question. This new combo of fabric collage and drawing reflects my relationship with that as well as two characteristics that I think are apparent in most of what I have made. That of a certain reckless frivolity and intense sensitivity.

Bye Bye Joshua

2009-01-15T00:09:00.000-08:00

In the bible, Joshua was a son in law of Moses, the prophet that led the Israelites out of

Egyptian slavery. After they got confused and spent 40 years wandering the desert, it was Joshua who led them into the promised land (nepotism at it's best). They fought off giants and settled the land. Happy Ending! Yay Israel! hmm...

Well the Jews' Joshua settled them into the land of milk and honey, but my Joshua helped settle me into America's version of Gomorah- not to be confused with gonorrhea. That's something to which gentiles like me are immune, even in San Francisco. Thanks, Dimples!

This is a painting I did inspired and modeled by my friend. my very fantastic friend who is leaving for the land of okra and gravy. Adieu, adios, goodbye, farewell, shove off bitch! We miss you.

It's Britney Bitch

2009-01-14T23:42:00.000-08:00

"I don't know who you think I am bitch, but I'm not that person"

This amazing quote was spouted by shitney herself at a department store while crying about a

declined credit card and letting her little rat-for-a-dog poop on unpurchased merchandise. It

is one of the greatest summaries of the question of our time. Who are any of us? Do you know who you are? Do you know who anyone else is? Did you get your Starbucks today? No? Then how would you know anything anyway?... toolbag.

As you can see here,Jamie Lynn got her Starbucks and she was prepared for a disgruntled ex-fan who yelled insults at her poor, doped-up sister.

This is actually life size. Its charcoal but it's on crappy paper. Make sure you click on

it to get to see the detail. It's the best part

This one is my fave.

poor girl just wants a little ice cream

I know I have more photos of these final drawings somewhere. Until I find them, you can enjoy this one which has an extra bonus, me.

Pose for the camera naw, click click

Banners. weird ones

2009-01-03T20:34:00.001-08:00

They say that if you make good work your first year in grad school

there's something wrong. Well, apparently I was doing everything

right because most of it just came out wrong.

Im going to spare you the right crap that came out this particular year

and show only three that are at least entertaining.

Imaginary Girls

felt, fabrics, oil on canvas collage

This was part of a series of felt banners I attempted. They were inspired

by church banners I grew up seeing, which had little lambs and gold things and

bible verses glued on. This piece, as well as others, is the same size as Blacks on Blonds,

which was posted under The End of the Elephant, yet none have attained the

same importance.

Pause for Postcards

2009-01-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

These postcards were sent to various friends. I'm sure I'm on some

government crazy list because of them.

The End of the Elephant

2008-12-31T14:26:00.000-08:00

This is the last elephant piece that I did. I killed the elephant and all that he

represented for me in this piece. Two days later Jerry Falwell was found dead.

I'm just sayin...

This installation was a lot of fun.

paper, yarn fabrics, charcoal, acrylic

blacks on blonds

fabric

3' x 5'

This is the first of many banners you will see soon. It is the only object (so far) made by the physical material of the actual elephant suit.

The text is a mix of a title from a bad porn video, an intimate message from a friend and advice from a fourtune cookie. It is hanging in my living room and i sometimes take it down and use it as a snuggie (sans the sleeves).

Wearing an Elephant Suit

2008-12-31T13:31:00.000-08:00

If you can't beat'em pretend to be'em.

This is my elephant suit and I wore it everywhere. It was a little constricting.

I couldn't stand upright and had to move slowly, but it was worth it. I learned

what it was like to be a powerful yet submissive animal.

This is my elephant glamour shot. That's fashion!

This is some work that came from the whole performance. The dark blue fabric

here is actually a lifted Delta flight blanket. I slept with it on my move from

Boston to San Francisco. I felt I deserved a souvenir.

This painting was a lot of fun. It was based on a Boucher painting with little cherubs

which i substituted with the elephant suit.

Rococo is in the canon. Fat flying babies with mushy faces, green skies, waterfalls, abundant flowers, fleshy fat sluts sticking their boodies in the air. It's my favorite period. I should do more art like that.

2008-12-31T03:56:00.000-08:00

Since i couldn't change the fact that gravity exists, I wondered how I could give the illusion of having such power with art.

I was temporarily mesmerized by pulling the string

I felt a little bit of power in that i could change the shape and meaning of an object,

but no matter how much i pulled, it always ended up back in its original form.