On the easel...

[MVSNYC]

graig- awesome work. not sure if you have explained this in the past, but i'd love to know what your process is? how do you take the images from the photos and transport them to the canvas? can you explain the pencil marks on the canvas and how you use them, etc, etc...truly great work.

[GKreindler]

Jantz, it's interesting that you would say that. Normally, in traditional realistic/figurative painting, the artist usually attempts to draw the viewer's eyes to a certain area of the work. More often than not, said area will be more developed than the other areas, whether it's more refined, has a larger range of values, or has the most chromatic color. I guess in the Cobb painting, the eye goes to the most complete part - Cobb himself. The other stuff does indeed become secondary, and its representation becomes less important. In that regard, I'm free to be a little bit more liberal with edges, color contrasts and temperatures. It's really cool that both you and Mark are aware that that's how the brain can work. Honestly, that's something that I think a lot of artists miss out on. But, I guess that in the end, I could never purposely leave the painting 'unfinished' like that, as I'll always want to include as much visual information as possible. If nothing else, it's one of the only ways to satiate my OCD!!

Mark, I'm just so glad you guys are enjoying this stuff, no matter what state the art is in!! Ol' Pete is indeed complete. I'll have to post or send you a scan when I get home on Tuesday morning.

MVSNYC, regarding the drawings on the canvas, well, let's just say that it's a lot of comparing and fixing and comparing and fixing. I pretty much work on getting all of the proportions down with basic shapes, and then from there, get into small shapes. That's actually what you end up seeing in those little squiggly lines. It kind of ends up being a topographical map, as I end up thinking of the image in terms of light and dark shapes, rather than line. When doing realistic work, I find that it's important to have this kind of attitude to get the effects I want. I guess one of my main concerns ends up being whether the objects sit in a realistic space, and that's really done best when light is treated in such a way. Actually, that's just what works best for me, and certainly not the gospel. If you're interested in knowing anything more specific, drop me a line and I'll fill you in as much as possible!

Thanks again, fellas...

[MVSNYC]

thanks for your response! your talent & process is so fascinating! my dad is an abstract artist, so i have always had a love for art...my personal collection is mostly abstract expressionism, but i certainly admire and love photo realism as well. amazing work, my friend...so you do it all by eye, comparing photo to canvas, back to photo? there's no overlay or projected image on canvas, etc? truly remarkable! i'll PM you about some pricing.

[PhilNap]

Hey Graig,

It facinates me how you break a large painting down to such minute detail right from the sketch stage with all those "squiggly lines". I guess thats what separates you from the rest. Being able to look at a photo and see all that detail and variation. I hope Dean gets around to video taping you. I'd love to see how exactly you fill in and paint around all that squigglyness.

BTW is that T206 Wagner done? Curious to see the finished product.

[GKreindler]

Mark, here's Ol' Pete!!



Phil, Wagner isn't done yet. Actually, I have yet to touch it since I last posted. I had to put it aside for a bunch of other stuff, but will hopefully finish it up soon, as it only needs about another full day of work.

And the squiggly lines...well...let's just say I'm going insane. Or HAVE gone insane. It's at the point where I just see shapes and nothing else. Wait until you see your painting!!

[Lordstan]

Surprise...Shock...Awe...
As if I didn't know it would be magnificent.
Another beauty.
I wish I had the money for them all.
Mark

[bigtrain]

Graig,
Your work is magnificent. Just one question? Why is nothing hanging in the Hall of Fame? Wake up Cooperstown!