I recently completed a portrait, John 5, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 inches.
I've painted John a few times before: 1, 2, 3, 4. This painting turned out to be fairly realistic with a limited palette, though I did explore glitch and pixelation during my process.
Here are some progress shots over four 3-hour sessions:
Here are some photos of Dea 5 installed in a collector's home in the Upper West Side, New York City. I have written about the painting previously, and it remains one of my favorite pieces.
My friend Amiel Weisfogel is showing a selection of his paintings at Rex in Hell's Kitchen, 864 10th Avenue (between 56th and 57th Streets), New York City.
I hope you can drop by if you're in the neighborhood!
I recently completed two paintings - Crystal and Rosanna 2 - both 30 x 30 inches, acrylic on canvas.
These paintings have a decidedly pop feel with bright primary colors. I'm not sure why I went in this direction - there is glitch, for sure, but the 70s vibe is new to me. Lately, I've been looking at Andy Warhol, Chuck Close, and Mickalene Thomas, so perhaps their hard-edged, and purely American, aesthetic made its way into these paintings.
Thanks for checking in and have a Happy 4th of July!
Such a dazzling exhibit - I never thought that his abstractions would work so well on a smaller scale. The colors were incredible and would be a valuable reference for any artist.
My portrait Christophe 3 will be exhibited at the National Academy's annual Creative Mischief event starting tomorrow in NYC:
The 5th Annual Creative Mischief Exhibition National Academy Museum
1083 Fifth Avenue, New York City
Opening Reception: Wednesday, May 18, 2016, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Exhibition Dates: May 19-29, 2016
Gallery Hours (for Creative Mischief only):
Monday – Sunday 11 AM – 6 PM
Christophe 3 was part of my series of larger than life-sized head studies (24 x 30 inches, acrylic on canvas). I started the painting with skin tones but gradually covered it in red, in part because I wanted to try another monochrome like Raven 6, but in a different hue.
I hoped to achieve vibrance and push-pull dimensionality using variations on a single color. I used a warm red (orange) against a cool red (pink), with blue-gray shadows to anchor the lights. I also kept the brush strokes free and facial features loosely defined in order to preserve the abstract quality of the image.
I enjoyed painting Christophe 3, which ended up decidedly un-classical in technique and spirit. I'm happy that the National Academy chose it for its exhibition.
Here are some progress shots over four 3-hour sessions:
UPDATE:
Here's a selection paintings from the second floor of the National Academy Museum on the last day of the Creative Mischief exhibit.
So sad this beautiful building, the former Huntington Mansion. will be sold after the show closes. It's the end of an era, but hopefully not the end of the National Academy School, founded in 1825 and among the most prominent art schools in the nation.
My good friend Matthew (ChiFung) Wong is exhibiting some beautiful flower paintings at Resobox in Queens, NY.
ChiFung's works feature refined botanical designs over gold or silver backgrounds. inspired by Isson Tanaka, a Japanese Nihonga artist from the Shōwa period. If you're in the area, I hope you'll have a chance to see this inspiring blend of modern and traditional Japanese aesthetics.
ChiFung Wong was born in Macau, China and educated in Japan. He received his Ph.D in Fine Art at Kyushu Sangyo University Japan in 2006 and a certificate at National Academy School of Fine Art in 2013. After becoming a graduate research assistant and lecturer at K.S. University, Department of Fine Art, Faculty of Fine Arts in 2003 for 4 years, ChiFung traveled to New York and became a Sumi-E painting lecturer here at Resobox in 2014. He has exhibited his artworks in Japan, the United States, Britain and Australia.
Here's a video from the opening reception:
UPDATE:
Selected paintings by ChiFung Wong are now available in Manhattan's Upper West Side at:
