Modern vs. Classic Nudity

In the process of attempting to build my portfolio and develop different styles of art, I ran into an issue. What is an appropriate form of nudity in paintings? My personal opinion is that nudity in art is beautiful. I enjoy working with the human form as the curves and intricacies to the body far surpass the complexity of any other subject.

Other people may not view nudity the same way as I do and that is where I have run into this dilemma. What is the difference between the classic way the famous artists have portrayed nudes and today’s interpretation? The woman’s body and the way society portrays sex appeal has changed.

The identity in the below painting has been protected for the sake of this debate. 

I do not want my art to be ever seen as raunchy, but what the viewer takes from the piece is something I must come to terms with as an artist. This issue has motivated me to play with this idea of nudity in subsequent paintings. Stay tuned and notify me of your reaction.

Leno and Video

Leno
My trip to Los Angeles went very well. I was able to stay with my friend Art who helped me re-frame the paintings the morning of the show. We went to the show around 2:30 and got taken to the VIP room with a lot of food and cupcakes for Jay's birthday. After the show had finished filming, the security escorted us out of the audience to meet up with Jay. He was very excited about the paintings and had his assistant bring them out to his car as he had another engagement right after. He intended to put the paintings in one of his car garages (which are more like giant museums).

On the flight home, I even ran into Jerry Brown flying Southwest... weird.

Video

Dani Smith, an amazing videographer who works at Video Symphony, flew up from Burbank and we did this video shoot at a beautiful winery in Healdsburg. The video was intended to be a promotional tool for people who are interested in my art to 'get to know the artist'. Dani was amazing and made it very comfortable to talk about myself... which is weird. Please watch the video. I think she did a great job!

Business and Pleasure.

I am going to LA for a business trip next Wednesday. While I am down there I will be meeting up with my best friend Art who I rarely get to see anymore so I am really excited!

The Tonight Show

The purpose of the trip is to present Jay Leno with his painting. Steve, my art manager, is friends with Jay and thought it would be a good idea / marketing opportunity to paint something for him. I found some of his favorite cars, asked Steve about his style and hoped for the best! We sent Jay a picture of the finished piece and Jay told us to come on down. I will be at the filming of the show next Thursday and meeting the other guest stars, Chelsea Handler, Judd Apatow and OK Go.

Issue – The 3’ x 2’ painting cannot fit on the plane and is very costly to ship. I will be removing the painting from the canvas which I am very worried about and getting it re-stretched Thursday morning right before the show. Scary… cross your fingers!

Scarlet Tea Room

When I talked to my friend Art about coming down, he mentioned his parents and aunt who own the Scarlet Tea Room in Pasadena may want to show some select pieces in the restaurant. It would be an honor to show here because it is an amazing place, but I do not want to give my hopes up. I stayed up most of last night painting a few more paintings to bring down with me. They are close-up paintings of diamonds, pearls, and rubies (elegant and regal just like the Scarlet Tea Room). If it doesn’t work out, I have really enjoyed making the paintings so nothing would be lost.

Day one of journey

‘Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.’ -Harriet Tubman

Everyone has dreams and aspirations. By creating this blog I hope to inspire my friends to follow their individual passions and document mine. I am beginning a journey to follow my passion - art. I don’t know where this journey will take me, but I have a strong desire to follow it.

I have been creating art since I could hold a pencil and it has been something passed down through several generations of my family. I went to school for art and graduated in 2008 with a degree in Fine Arts and an emphasis in sculpture. A few months ago I spoke with a neighbor of mine, Steve Farmiloe, about my art which had taken a backseat since graduation. The faith he had in my art led me to further pursue my passion and that is where you find me now… on the first step of my journey.

Here you will see the footsteps of my journey with all the highs and the lows in between. I have pledged to keep on pursuing my passion regardless of the downfalls along the way. I will demonstrate works in progress and different approaches I am willing to take to get my art seen. 


I hope you enjoy!