Self Portrait

I’ve been a little busy lately and now that things have calmed down a bit, I decided to update my blog with a few personal projects that I’ve finished within the past few months. One project that I’m really proud of is my self portrait.

I finished this self portrait in on March 30th, 2024. I waited 6 months for the painting to fully dry for varnish on September 29, 2024.

 

The gloss varnish made the colors and details more vibrant, but I feel that I lost some of the brush strokes.

 

This was how the painting looked when I finished it on March 30th. It was a little hard to photograph, because the paint was very shiny. I was very satisfied with resolving proportions, details and colors.

 

I started this painting around January 2023. I was originally thinking that I could finish it for my 40th birthday on February 26th. It turned out that I was a little rusty at painting, and this painting took a lot longer than expected.

What made this painting challenging, was getting the facial proportions and expression correct. There was a period of time where I thought a purplish background would have looked good. I ended up using a darker neutral that was less distracting from my tan skin tone. I really wanted to emphasize bold shadows and highlights from a strong light source.

This painting was a great experience. I might be tempted to work on another self portrait in the near future. Hopefully, it will be quicker with the knowledge I gained.

 

A mural for Rajiv and Harsha Satyal

 

Around March 2022, my friends Rajiv and Harsha asked me if I could paint a mural to add some color to their backyard. I was a little hesitant at first, but then decided that it would be a great opportunity to re-live some of my mural days back in Austin. They wanted something that is vibrant, and reminds them of Los Angeles. Before painting can start, I created proofs with Sketchbook Pro and Photoshop.

 

My initial idea was to create a Los Angeles skyline. I was imagining the Hollywood Hills against an evening sunset. The sunset would feature a gradient with a warm yellow, into orange and then a deep purple. It was interesting, but they wanted to see ideas that incorporated more green and orange.

 

The next ideas incorporated elements of Los Angeles. I was thinking about incorporating the Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel, the Chinese Theater, Laugh Factory and the Comedy Store. The ideas represented Los Angeles, but looked too busy.

 

The winning proof was an evolution of the sunset idea. This proof featured more orange and emphasized the sky. The Los Angeles elements were toned down, and became details within the painting. The Hollywood sign became more prominent.

 

With the proof approved, I bought the appropriate supplies and started working directly on the wall.

 

Within the first day of painting, I was able to put down all the elements. There was still a lot of work to be done brightening the sky, honing down the details and tightening the lines.

 

Putting down a few tape lines was very effective in defining the sunset, ocean and skyline.

 

After a few more hours painting by brush, I considered this mural done!

 

I was very satisfied with how this turned out. Painting against a porous surface was a little difficult, considering that the lines wanted to become blurry.
Taking the time to finish the details with brush was very necessary to create a clean looking painting.

 

Here’s me with some very satisfied customers!

 

A floor mural for 5 3 Gallery in Laguna Beach

 
 

With the pandemic, work was slow and I wasn’t able to afford to live in Austin. Around January 2021, I moved to Southern California and stayed with my brother until I found a more stable position. I made some new friends, and one of them operated an art gallery in Laguna Beach called 5 3 Gallery. The owner, Brigitte wanted to throw a Valentines Day party and she asked me if I could help with creating a floor mural.

I was new to the area and wanted to get some exposure, so I agreed to help out. She had a sponsorship with a paint company that made environmentally friendly paints, but the color palette was limited. With the basic browns, greens and pinks, I decided to paint a walkway of henna patterns with leaves and hearts. I didn’t have any exact plans, but rather I decided to sketch with paint. The overall result was great, but temporary, considering the changing needs of the gallery. Either way, it was a great experience.

 
 

A commission for my friend Andrew

 

Around December of 2020, the pandemic was kicking off. With the quarantine, I had a lot of time on my hands and was free to take commissions. My friend Andrew reached out to me for a portrait. Initially he wanted a painting of Kramer from Seinfeld, but we settled upon a portrait of him as Ron Burgundy. This painting has gone through some interesting evolution, but the final result turned out great. It was a great exercise in skin tones and I loved honing in the details.

 

This painting has gone through some interesting evolution. The original idea was to have Andrew against a green leafy background. The backdrop then changed to a “purple 4” from one of the pictures he sent as a reference. I had some struggle with painting skin tone, but my friends gave me some great advice.

 

Corvette C8-R painting

 
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I've been working on this painting since the pandemic started. I was inspired by Kirk Bennion's posting of the racing version of the C8 Corvette.

With the lighting, I wanted to make the Corvette leave darkness and enter the light. I wanted to emphasize the front details while letting the rest disappear into the background. This was a really fun challenge, and I will work on more paintings.

 

Here are some shots of the process: