Some good art stuff happenin'

It's been a good couple of weeks of art-related stuff - here's a round-up: I finished the commission painting which is now with its owner - author, Holly McDowell. Special thanks to Holly for asking me to create this custom painting for her home!

Bridges to Chicago, oil on canvas, 36x48, 2013

I was interviewed by Mike Stephen from Outside the Loop Radio - a weekly radio program that airs on 88.7FM - WLUW in Chicago. We talked about my studio, the Cornelia Arts Building, its history and its place in the Chicago art community.  My interview segment comes in around the 5 minute mark - but listen to all of it - it's a great show!

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I created and finished another painting right after completing the commission:

South Loop Lookouts, oil on canvas, 24x30, 2013

I was asked back to show at Degenerate Art Gallery again in November after a successful October show. It will be group show again and I'll have some abstract paintings on display. Glad to be part of this new gallery in Edgewater not far from where I live. Opening Reception is Saturday November 16, 7-10pm. More info on that to come.

Sunflower Slow Drag: Collaborative Painting, Simons & Swallow

A couple of weeks ago, I worked on a collaborative painting with fellow CAB artist, Scott Simons. We didn't discuss much about what we'd do, we just passed the painting back-and-forth until we decided it was finished. The following images show the process as the painting developed. It was passed between us about six to eight times.

Sunflower Slow Drag - Phase 1
By Scott Simons & Kevin Swallow
Mixed Media on Panel, 2013

Sunflower Slow Drag - Phase 2
By Scott Simons & Kevin Swallow
Mixed Media on Panel, 2013

Sunflower Slow Drag - Phase 3
By Scott Simons & Kevin Swallow
Mixed Media on Panel, 2013

Sunflower Slow Drag - Phase 4
By Scott Simons & Kevin Swallow
Mixed Media on Panel, 2013

Sunflower Slow Drag - Phase 5
By Scott Simons & Kevin Swallow
Mixed Media on Panel, 2013

 Sunflower Slow Drag, mixed media on panel, 24x48, 2013
By Scott Simons & Kevin Swallow

ARTIST STATEMENT:

"Sunflower Slow Drag is a collaborative mixed media painting by Scott Simons and Kevin Swallow. This piece combines Simons' abstract textures and lines with Swallow's cityscapes and abstract graffiti. Both artists are influenced by architecture and draw their inspiration from the urban environment. This is their first collaboration.

The painting references a jazz song, Sunflower Slow Drag by Scott Joplin. Like jazz, the painting was improvised. They passed the painting back-and-forth over the course of a week - reacting to each other's lines, marks, and colors. The panel was flipped and turned in various directions as they worked, until the painting unfolded into a finished composition. They will continue creating collaborative paintings and intend on having a two-man show in the future."

Digital projection onto a NYC skyscraper

My painting, Gallery District Lofts, will be projected onto a skyscraper as part of the Creatives Rising exhibit on Saturday night October 5 in Queens, NYC. You can view it approximately at 11:05pm being projected on the Linc LIC Building, 43-10 Crescent St. It will also be shown at the See.Me Gallery space that same night during the opening party - screen #8. Address is 26-19 Jackson Ave. Long Island City, NY. Wish I could be there to see it...

Click here for more info about the Creatives Rising show.

Gallery District Lofts, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 2013

Open Studios - Friday October 4

The fall art season is in full swing so that means we're having another open studios night at the Cornelia Arts Building. Art on two floors, live music from the Minus One Quartet, and food truck The Tamale Spaceship will be in the parking lot.

Friday, October 4, 2013
6-10pm

Cornelia Arts Building
1800 W. Cornelia
Chicago, IL 60657

I'm in studio #201 and will be showing new paintings. I have also been working on a collaborative mixed media painting with Scott Simons. It will make its debut on Friday night in his studio #206-A.

Hope to see you!

September cityscapes - paintings in progress

As I work on the commission painting of the Chicago skyline, I continue to working on other projects. The below cityscape paintings of the John Hancock building, Marina Towers and L tracks are just about finished. I enjoy working on multiple pieces at once because its helps create cohesiveness between the different paintings. Also, I can experiment on one piece which then will help me develop ideas for another. I can loosen up with these pieces which then gives me greater focus when I work on the commission painting.

John Hancock Building, Marina Towers and L tracks (in progress)

Commission Painting Underway!

I started a new commission painting for a friend late last week. She is looking for a cityscape in my abstract style. There were certain colors and concepts we talked about and now the composition is taking shape. I based the concept on different photographs I shot from various spots with a good view of the Chicago skyline. I also did some sketches and a test painting before starting.

Here's what the painting looked like after some initial layers of acrylic and spray paint:

Now with the composition sketched in with charcoal:

And then with some paint starting to get added:

Lots more to go but off to a good start!

Heatwave + new commission painting

We have a late August heatwave happening here in Chicago. A perfect time to start on a new commission painting in a studio with no AC! Part of my process for creating custom paintings is doing a lot of sketches and taking photos. Once I come up with a composition then I start painting. Here's a photo I shot yesterday while walking around in 95 degree heat.

Heatwave, digitally enhanced photograph, 2013

And a couple of sketches that I'll base the painting on:

Sketch for commission painting

Sketch for commission painting

Paintings and sketches

For the last couple of weeks, I've been doing a lot of drawing - mostly of architecture. Even doing just a quick sketch or two a day at home or at the studio keeps me in the creative groove. One afternoon I also went downtown to draw Marina Towers and the bridges along the river. The sketches have informed some new paintings I started. They're loose and a bit more minimalist than some of my more recent paintings - more immediate like the drawings.

Here are some sketches:

And here are the paintings I have going right now:

Skyline Giclée Print

A few weeks ago, someone randomly found my art online and wanted a print of one of my paintings. It was of Chicago Lakefront Skyline, one that after completing last year, I had it professionally scanned/photographed. This allowed me to re-print the image with high resolution as a giclée print on archival somerset velvet paper. This printing process is great when you have a high-resolution file like I did because it shows all of the brushstrokes and colors much like the original. Here are a few pictures of it in my studio before the collectors picked it up.

Abstract water tanks - mixed media

I finished up these two water tank abstracts today. They are mixed media pieces: acrylic, spray paint, and collage. They are unique pieces because they bridge both my abstracts and cityscapes, but I'm including them in the cityscapes paintings section on my website.

Rockaway Floods, acrylic, spray paint and collage on panel, 24x48, 2013

Lakeview Platform, acrylic, spray paint and collage on panel, 24x48, 2013