New Painting: Canal Street Bridge

I've been working on this cityscape painting for about the last month or so. It's on two panels that I hung side-by-side on the studio wall while I painted it. A diptych is unusual for me as is painting the whole piece on the wall. Sometimes a piece starts out on the wall then I move it to my easel - this one I kept on the wall the whole time while I painted it. It's based on a photograph I took while walking around a mostly industrial area near Canal Street and Cermak on the south side of Chicago. Side note: there's a great little place called Lawrence's Fish and Shrimp over there.

Canal Street Bridge, oil on panel, 24x48 (diptych), 2015

Installation Views: DAC Group, Chicago

I finally had the chance to get the images posted of my DAC Group commission from 2014. This was an exciting project for me as I had the images printed, framed, and hand-delivered by me and my friend and fellow artist, Scott Simons. Special thanks to Blackbird Framing for the excellent framing job! DAC Group, a Canadian digital marketing and PR company, commissioned me to create a series of cityscape photographs which now hang in their newly designed Chicago office on Michigan Avenue. In addition, they will be conducting a PR campaign to local media and sending out smaller, limited edition prints to the press announcing their arrival in the city.

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First paintings of 2015

The paint is still wet, but the first paintings of 2015 were finished this weekend. I usually shoot photos of my completed paintings out on my studio rooftop. I wait for an overcast, cloudy day to do this since diffused light is best for shooting artwork. Sunday fit the bill - it was overcast but cold, with some snow flurries which made for a challenging shoot on the rooftop. These are based on sketches and reference photos I took and are part of my cityscapes series.

Lofty Towers, oil on panel, 30x40, 2015

South State Street Lofts, oil on panel, 24x24, 2015

New Painting: Rooftop Escape Plan

This painting is based on a photo I took in the summer of 2014 on a weekend trip to New York City. I shot it while taking a walk on The High Line. The High Line is a park built on an abandoned elevated rail line that runs along Manhattan's west side from the Meatpacking District up through Chelsea to 34th Street. Lots of great views a few stories above street level of new and old architecture. One of the things I love is getting the close-up views of the rooftop water tanks.

Rooftop Escape Plan, oil on panel, 24x30, 2014

Here's the photograph I took that the painting is based on:

December in the studio

I've been working on multiple paintings the last couple months but haven't finished any recently. So, continuing to work on them and starting new ones and other projects, like these 3D watertanks, which I will continue to explore: Rooftop Watertanks, mixed media on cardboard, works in progress

And getting close to finishing this piece which is based on a photo from New York. Working in a more limited, muted palette.

Rooftop Escape Plan, oil on panel, work in progress

And another still in the works, also based on New York imagery:

Lofty Towers, oil on panel, work in progress

And there are a few more paintings in progress that I'll post soon...

Three New Cityscape Paintings + Open Studios

I finished up three new cityscape paintings over the weekend - just in time for Friday night's open studios! These will be hanging in studio #201 on the second floor. Come check them out in person and help us kick off Chicago Artists' Month! In a Silent Way, oil on canvas, 24x48, 2014

High Line Bend at 30th St., oil on panel, 24x36, 2014

Ravenswood In Bloom, acrylic on panel, 24x30, 2014

Cornelia Arts Building 1800 W. Cornelia Studio #201 Chicago, IL 60657

Art from 30 artists on two floors, live jazz music, and food from a local food truck in the parking lot. Hope you can make it out! All are welcome - invite your friends

Close-ups on two new cityscape paintings

Here are two new cityscape paintings and close-up views of each so you can see some of the texture and brushstrokes. Inspired by downtown buildings, stacked and leaning against each other, barely separated by alleys. They turned out to be sort of futuristic-looking, but still recognizable as Chicago architecture. View from 11am Meeting (Detail), oil on panel, 2014

View from 11am Meeting, 27x39, oil on panel, 2014

Communication Towers (Detail), oil on canvas, 2014

Communication Towers, oil on canvas, 10x30, 2014

New corporate commission project

I'm excited to announce a new corporate commission project that I've been working on the last couple of months. DAC Group, a Canadian digital marketing and PR company, contacted me about commissioning some cityscape photos to promote their new Chicago office. I'm thrilled that they will be installing large-scale prints of the below photographs in their newly designed Chicago office on Michigan Avenue. In addition, they will be conducting a PR campaign to local media and sending out smaller, limited edition prints to the press announcing their arrival in the city. It's a great opportunity for me to get this exposure to the Chicago media and I'm hoping it will lead to more exciting projects!

Neighbors, digitally enhanced photograph, 2014

Reflections in Green, digitally enhanced photograph, 2014

Michigan Ave Crossing, digitally enhanced photograph, 2014

Electric Blue Marina, digitally enhanced photograph, 2014

Wrigley Building, digitally enhanced photograph, 2014

Yellow Tower, digitally enhanced photograph, 2014

Trumped by the River, digitally enhanced photograph, 2014

New Painting: City Twilight Blues

I finished this new painting up this week. It depicts a view in downtown Chicago near State and Kinzie. Enjoy! City Twilight Blues, oil on canvas, 40x30, 2014, $1,100

Three new cityscape paintings

Continuing on with my cityscape series with these three new paintings. I'm having some technical issues with my portfolio galleries, so these only live on the blog for the moment. Transit Skyline, oil on panel, 18x24, 2014, $350

SoHo, oil on panel, 18x24, 2014, $300

Reflections, oil on panel, 24x30, 2014, $400