MORE ABOUT ME

Monday, February 28, 2011

IT'S NOT WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE......

Hello All.
Well, I have been busy at work finishing the last pieces for The Artist Project  this week.
My last painting is an entry for "the lemon competition".
What is that?
Well, each year T.A.P. has a call for submissions based on a theme. This year, the theme is lemon.
All artists are encouraged to enter a piece based on this theme.
Some of the artists enter work that.....to be honest.....are just re-named pieces that seem to have very little to do with the theme. I am not that kind of guy.
Each year I paint a painting with the competition in mind.
SPECIFICALLY!
So , this is the 4th time I have entered this competition. Each year I hope to get noticed by buyers and jurors. (Alas, no, I have never gotten a 1st, 2nd or 3rd place win.)
But it is not all about winning, is it?
OR IS IT?
Here are my theme specific previous entries:
The competition: "Chocolate". The outcome: LOSS
The competition: "Queen". The outcome: LOSS (this one even LIT UP!!!!)

Here is this year's entry:
The competition: "Lemon". The outcome: WIN WIN WIN????
What do you think?
Is she good enough to win the big bucks?
I think so!!!
Rememeber, you can come out and vote for her at The Artist Project, (which starts on Thursday night)


Thursday, February 24, 2011

CITY GIRLS.....

Hello all.....
I caught H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICKS from an avid reader yesterday.
It's true, I have been a slacker at posting on this blog this week.
I own that shame.
Here's the thing, to quote my lawyer, I am "up to my tits in tigers'.
Meaning?
I have been SUUUUUUPER busy trying to get the final pieces for The Artist Project done.
I just completed ANOTHER re-paint.
Here is what it looked like before:
"Unspoiled Beauty", Acrylic on Canvas, 48" x 60", 2007.
2007. Yes, for me, that is an OLDIE.
So I thought I could improve it.
I have always drawn to the idea that the city is made from imports from smaller places. I have always made social commentary about city versus country life. So, from that, I repainted this one to look like this:

"City Girl", Acrylic on Canvas, 48" x 60", 2011.







 I think it is a VAST improvement. It isn't until I started to repaint this that I realized how I have refined my painting in 4 years. CRAZY, huh?
I mean I liked the composition before.....but now.....WOW!

Ok....also look at this......this is me on my front porch trying to get natural light on the painting...it is so huge!!! I bet the neighbours think I am a lunatic! (and they may be partially right!)
What do you think?
Improvement?
Sorry for the delay in posting on this, but she took a long while to re-paint!!!

OLD MURALS.....

Sometimes, I have painted a mural, and I see it again and think.....
WOW!
This is one of those. I started like this:
















and it turned into this:















READ ALL ABOUT THE TRANSFORMATION:













Barb has a lovely way of recounting the process of this mural.
Check out her FABULOUS BLOG!!
ENJOY!

Monday, February 21, 2011

FAMILY DAY......

Feels a lot like just a Monday to me.
There. I said it.
So, I am working hard finishing the last few paintings.
I wanted to post a final photo of my last completed painting.
I painted this one to use in my 'pitch' to some galleries for a new exhibition for the spring/summer.
"Auto Fixation"
A show about cars. It will be an exhibition made up of some paintings from my Urban Series, my Tin Toy Series, a piece from my Arcade Series, and a few Pin-up Girls.
I am hoping to have 15 brand new pieces for this show.
I will keep you in the loop on details as they develop.
Ok....so here is the first paining from this upcoming exhibition:


Whadda ya think?
FUN?
Remember how I love your input!!!

Friday, February 18, 2011

PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY....

I am gonna keep this one short and simple....
Here is my latest finished piece.
It is 16" x 20", Acrylic on Board/Mixed media.
I used old camera bits ands bobs.
I also attached 3 slides of work from my past.
I will be showing it at The Artist Project (which is now less than 2 weeks away!)
YIKES!
I don't think I can tell you anything else about this piece!
Enjoy: 

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

PRODUCTIVITY...AND HOUSEKEEPING

I know.........boh-ring title.
The truth is, I am super productive in my painting right now, to meet my deadline for
The Artist Project
Sadly, it means my social networking suffers.
My tweets are not regular, my blogging is spotty & my facebook status has been the same for several days.
"Rob Croxford is stressed"
Anyways, I thought I would do a quick post about my latest works.
This one is brand new and in progress:
60" x 30".....gotta be done by Friday....YIKES
I have just finished re-designing another old painting too!!
This one (below) will change DRAMATICALLY very soon:


Finally, I just finished another little 20" X 16". Called "Photographic memory":


WHAT  A CRAPPY PHOTO HUH? It looks like I took the picture from a moving car.
I will post tomorrow with a good picture.
I just wanted to let y'all know that I was still alive despite my blogging absence!
I will blog again soon!
I promise!!

Monday, February 14, 2011

THE ARTIST PROJECT 2011: PART TWO (the plan revised!)

Hello friends!
Here is the invite for The Artist Project 2011:


Ok...ok.....so I modified the 'official' TAP flyer....but I think the lady really adds some interest!!!
So, back in November, I posted my booth layout for The Artist Project:
The green boxes are what I was planning to get done.
Today, things have changed, and i thought I would repost my booth layout as of TODAY:
Look at how few green boxes there are!!

What does it mean?
It means 3 more paintings and I am D-O-N-E!
(and can sleep in)
ok....back to the drawing board!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

LURED...2.0

Ok....well lately I seem to be on a kick.
A repainting kick.
I posted last week about a winter scene that I 'jazzed up'.
So, in that same vein, I decided to paint a REALLY OLD piece.
This one:
"Lured" 20" x 60" was painted in 2006.
It was one of my very first landscape paintings.
Every time I went to my studio, I would always shutter looking at it.
Now, dont get me wrong...thre are things I still like about it......I like the fact that it had the script from fatal attraction printed along the middle.
BUT I did not like the landscape part or the colour of green I chose for the quote OR the art deco lady on the left side - I mean, what was she there for???
So I set out to re-imagine it.
I wanted to make it more current.
Here is what I came up with:


WHAT A CHANGE, HUH??
I love it now. It has lots of great levels on it.
What do you think?
What do you like the best??
- the Polka-dot tufting?
- the revised landscape?
- the sexy lady?
I would love your feedback y'all!!
You can come out and see this painting at The Artist Project in a few weeks!!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

REPAINT......AGAIN?????

Ok. I know what you are thinking. Last year I announced that I seldom repaint work.
That often by planning my drawings on photoshop, I can get a clear indication of what the completed work will look like - and make changes to the composition BEFORE I paint.
Hold on to your hats here.....
I am a ten-cent LIAR.
Well....maybe a six-cent liar.......often my compositions work before I paint them, but there are exceptions.
This painting is an exception:

"Frigid", Acrylic on Board, 30" x 40", c. 2008
Now, don't get me wrong. I like it. I just don't love it.
And for me it HAS to be LOVE!!!!
I am nothing if not a perfectionist.
And to be honest, i have very few paintings that are still around after 3 years.
So, I went back to the drawing board.
A total re-imagining!.
I like the landscape bit, I just wanted to make it look a bit more interesting visually.
Here is what I came up with:
NEWLY (RE)PAINTED. "Snow Flake", Acrylic and mixed media on Board, 30" x 40"
AS you can see, I made it more current by adding a sexy lady, and lots of 'layers' of stuff.
I added some bottle caps and snowflakes as well as the wooden 'scrapbook corners'.
I also popped up the colours in the landscape.
BAM!
I also gave it a funnier quote.
I LOVE IT!!!!
I am showing this newly repainted piece at The Artist Project, the first weekend in March.
What do you think?
Much improved??

Monday, February 7, 2011

HYDROGEN AND STUPIDITY!

I am not sure that is a very compelling blog title....but......it is the name of my newest painting!
As you know I am in S-U-P-E-R production mode, gearing up for The Artist Project 2011.
I want to get back to it, so here is the newest finished painting:
16" x 20",  Acrylic and Mixed media.
So as you can see it is all painted, with come wires and wood applied as well!
I hope when it is sunnier to get a better picture!
I am happy with it, although it is much darker than I was intending it to be!
What do you think?

Oh , and I am also working on this little bot (below)
I hope to have it done tomorrow.....I will post pics ASAP!

Thanks for reading!!
What do you think of these new works?
I would LOOOVE your input!!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

BEE-U-TIFUL!!

One painting done!
ONLY ONE....but one none the less!
I am thrilled with this one.
I think it is super cute (that is an official artist term!)
Check it out:
"Bee Proud", 20" x 16", Acrylic and mixed media. 
The blocks on the bottom are actual kids blocks......that I have painted and doctored up.....
There are five 3-D gold stars as well.
I am now working up a new painting that is the same size:

I hope to have this one done TODAY.....and then I will have only 7 more to finish before March 1st!
HEAVEN HELP ME!!!
;-)
Well.....whadda ya think?
Love the bee?
Love the robot?
Love the 3-D elements?
I LOVE your comments!!!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

WORKIN' HARD......OR HARDLY WORKIN.....AGAIN!

Hello All!
As you may have read, my last painting took a record 3 weeks to complete, so I am officially
FREAKING OUT because the countdown to The Artist Project has begun....
(to be honest, it should have begun about 2 months ago - EEK!)
So anyways, I have exactly 1 month....yes....ONE....MONTH......to paint my little heart out!!
I hope to get a record 9 paintings done.
Let's see if that happens!
So here is my latest drawing.
If all goes well, I will post the painting in another day!
If not, I may be blogging about my neighbours dog.
(She is a cute little puppy!)
I am keeping this short and sweet because I have to put my nose to the grindstone!!
This painting is gonna be called "bee proud".
It is a 16" x 20",  it is painted on wooden board, and it will have some cool mixed media elements to it!
(I don't want to give it all away yet....you like a little mystery, don't cha?)
This rendering - which is a computer composite, will look vintage and cool when I am done
So stay tuned!!!
Check it out:

What do you think?
F-U-N???

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

NOTHING STARTLING........FROM START TO FINISH

Hello friends.
I have gotten lots of feedback from y'all when I post the in-progress shots of my work.
So....let's get right to it!
And so this is the painting from start to finish....it took about 3 weeks.
YES.
THREE G.D. WEEKS!!!
Now, obviously there are some times that I forgot to take photos and it looks like it suddenly made a big leap forward.......but I tried to get most of the process recorded....enjoy!

I tried out about 3 other backgrounds, but this Jacquard pattern was actually very popular in the 40s/50's.
Good design NEVER goes out of style!

I painted these 3 paper elements. I had to take a day to design each element first - as they were not in my original drawing. (and I had to google a lot to design them....aka twitter....)

I kept adding elements. (As you will soon see, I repainted the 'world spaceport' 3 times!)
I started to draw in the poster.

Base-coating the colour blocks in the poster 

BAM. done the poster....with all the folds....AND the 2nd repaint of 'world spaceport'

I added the girl. You can see where I wood-filled the staple holes
(I will put a separate blog about her progress)

Finished the lady and her gun!
Added the Dymo-label letters,  some graphics and the top left notebook paper.
 Painted on (and applied) the coaster in the top right. (And world spaceport revision #3)
Finished painting and stapled on the robot.
Repaint out the graphics and begin the rest of the 3-D elements.

Finishing details, washes and such.

FINAL - adding the robot metal pieces.
So that was the journey from top to bottom - from beginning to completion.
I love her.
I will post ONE more post about her later....I want to show a little in-progress of how I painted her.
And a few other bits and bobs.
Is there anything you want to know about this piece?
A burning question?
I LOVE QUESTIONS (and comments too!)
Remember to check out this painting in March at The Artist Project.