I'm excited to announce that I was asked to be part of The WIP Project: What is Painting? from NeotericART. NeotericART is a website about painting and drawing and WIP is an ongoing series where they ask artists that simple question: What is Painting?
Rooftop WaterTanks - Paintings in Progress
I'm working on about 6 or 7 paintings right now - three of them are focused on rooftop watertanks. One is based on the Swedish watertank in Andersonville that was removed last spring, one is from the West Loop/Fulton Market, and one from my imagination - no specific location. They are disappearing elements in our city skylines, so I enjoy documenting them while they're here. All of these are large scale pieces, oil on panel.
Rooftop Watertanks, oil on panel, works in progress
A couple new paintings in the works
I started these two paintings last weekend. They are both from my imagination, no photo references this time. Oil and oil bar on wood. Still more layers and colors to go but trying to keep it loose...
Enjoy!
-Kevin
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
Open Studios - October 3, 6-10pm
Mark your calendar for the next Open Studios at the Cornelia Arts Building - Friday, October 3, from 6-10pm. Cornelia Arts Building 1800 W. Cornelia Chicago, IL 60657
I'm in studio #201 at the top of the stairs on the second floor.
Art from 30 artists on two floors, live jazz music, and food from a local food truck in the parking lot!
Click here for a show preview
Now on Instagram
I finally got around to creating an Instagram account: http://instagram.com/swallowstudios. I'll be posting there regularly, mostly using it as a way to have a daily creative outlet to quickly and easily create art. I'm mostly sticking to shooting architecture and cityscapes that will give me inspiration for paintings and other projects.
I've also embedded the Instagram feed into my website in the photos section: http://www.swallowstudios.com/photographs/instagram. Or, if it's easier, Like and Follow my art page on Facebook.
Enjoy!
Work in progress: Fulton Market cityscape
I started this painting over the weekend while finishing another one up. This piece is 4 feet by 4 feet square - mixed media: acrylic, spray paint, oil on masonite panel. I'm working toward keeping the painting loose and energetic and using different tools to scrape the paint to add more textures and blend the colors. Working large and using different media helps to keep things loose and more immediate like a sketch. The image is based on a small painting I made from a photograph I took in the Fulton Market neighborhood in Chicago. You can see the small version in the upper left corner.
Fulton Market, mixed media on panel, work in progress, 2014
Fulton Market, mixed media on panel, work in progress, 2014
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 on the easel
I've been working on this piece for about the last week or so. It's based on a photo I took in New York while strolling along The High Line. Lots of great views and unlimited inspiration from this former elevated rail line - now a park - along the west side in Manhattan. Still more to go on the painting and details to be added...
High Line Stacks - work in progress, 18x24, oil on panel