More Work In Progress

Here's a painting tentatively titled "Hallelujah." It's linked to "Blind Hubris," a drawing you can see in an earlier post. The colors are off but I'll be taking a proper photo soon. Enjoy.

New Figure Drawings

I'll be attempting to upload new drawings from the weekly figure drawing session I run at DigiPen. Here's a couple to get the ball rolling. The first is a 5 minute and the next is a 20 minute.

Work in Progress

It's been a while since the last update but I've got a bunch of irons in the fire. The following are pieces in progress for the series "Post Mortem." Enjoy . . . feedback is always appreciated and encouraged :)



"Blind Hubris," graphite on Rives BFK



"Sacrifice," charcoal on vellum



"Sacrifice II," mixed media



"Salome," oil on canvas



"St. Bartholomew 2008," oil on canvas

Family Portraits - Mark Kang-O'Higgins

"Family Portraits "
Mark Kang-O'Higgins

Gallery at OK Hotel

www.galleryatokhotel.blogspot.com

April 2 - April 30
Opening Reception: Thursday April 2, 2009
www.kangohiggins.com

Artist's Statement: My work is firmly rooted in the figurative tradition. This has brought me work as a fine art instructor and as a commission portrait artist. I am interested in the human condition in both the physical and emotional sense.

Much of my work is formally concerned with solid objects/masses in space. I am interested in how objects/beings unfold themselves in space, manifest themselves, and realize themselves as objects and beings, spatially and mentally. In short how objects and beings emanate as physical and mental energy. In my work I want to describe their presence, in every sense of the word: both presence as individuals or events and presence in relation to (or in juxtaposition with) other events and environments.

The synthesis of an individual consciousness with its surroundings and the interaction of different consciousnesses are of particular interest to me from a phenomenological and existential point of view. Recently my work was also concerned with masked or depersonalized intelligences – how individuals can, at times, find each other unfathomable in the Wittgensteinian sense. Specifically, that of one individual never truly being able to know the mind of another and therefore being forced into speculation. Most recently, however, the philosophical questions and issues that my work springs from and attempt to address have been tempered by my desire to additionally represent the simple beauty and mystery of creation.

Sketchbook part 2

Figures - mixed media. Poses ranging from 5 to 25 minutes.

Sketchbook part 1

Faces . . . conte and coffee from 25 to 5 minutes

Karen Hackenberg Review

Karen Hackenberg's solo show at the OK Hotel got reviewed in the recent Seattle Weekly! Here it is . . .

What’s your spirit animal? In her series of diptych oil paintings, Northwest artist Karen Hackenberg posits a strange human-animal kinship. These man-beast portraits, “Divining Line” (through Jan. 30), pair man and bear, woman and fox, guy and cat, etc. with a frontal candor and cheer. This is not the kitschy sensibility of screaming eagle T-shirts or unicorn scenes painted on panel vans. Rather, Hackenberg’s subjects—at least the homo sapiens among them—pose with a kind of unguarded earnestness, as if to say, “This is who I am” or “This is what I’d to be”—a secret affinity openly expressed. Or more simply, “This is my best friend.” Do the bears and foxes and felines feel the same way about us? Likely not, and that’s where the mystery enters into these canvases. They’re half obvious, half inscrutable. We humans are perfectly plain about what we want (be it to fly like an eagle or swim like a dolphin). But we never truly know the thoughts of the objects of our ardor—or if they think at all. Hackenberg’s naïve realism suits this dichotomy nicely. Also on view, her images of cattle (like a trip to Black Angus!) and barns give the show a neo-Americana vibe (Hackenberg is based in Port Townsend). Her series of pencil and charcoal studies of rooftop exhaust fans also reflects the same shed-and-tractor milieu; these humble, ubiquitous objects are like water tanks in New York—functional and elegant, yet in this case a novelty to us city-dwellers. OK Hotel, 212 Alaskan Way S., 264-1688, www.karenhackenberg.com. Free. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. BRIAN MILLER

Studio Tour

Here's a stitched up image of the new studio Eric and I are sharing. The space is much larger than the closet we shared before and even has a slop sink - yay! The studio is located at the OK Hotel. It's the same location as the gallery we co-curate so it inevitably acts as a storage space for the exhibiting artists.

The OK Hotel has a pretty significant cultural history for the role it played in the Seattle "Grunge" Scene. At one point the hotel had a stage, bar and a cafe and it was the first place Nirvana performed "Smells Like Teen Spirit." You can watch the gig on You Tube. Many important grunge bands played the hotel including Pearl Jam. I was informed that they recorded a music video there but I'm not sure of the song. Parts of the movie "Singles" were filmed there as well. I think I'll rent it and see. Whooopeee!

A 'newer' drawing . . .

Here's Incommunicado IV- last in this series. It was done on vellum with conte pencils. I finished it some time ago but have been lax in updating . . . enjoy.

Karen Hackenberg "Divining Line"

The Gallery at OK Hotel proudly presents
Karen Hackenberg "Divining Line"

www.karenhackenberg.com

"Divining Line" runs from December 4, 2008 - January 30, 2009 with First Thursday receptions: December 4th and January 8th from 6-9 pm.

Contact: Eric Swangstu eswangstu@cornish.edu or Rob Kmiec rkmiec@digipen.edu.

Gallery at OK Hotel Figure Show

The Gallery at the OK Hotel: Figurative Group Exhibition Opens Thursday, November 6th, 5-9pm and runs through the month of November

Contact: Eric Swangstu eswangstu@cornish.edu or Rob Kmiec rkmiec@digipen.edu. On Thursday, November 6th, The Gallery at the OK Hotel will open its second exhibit under the new direction of Co-Curators Eric Swangstu and Rob Kmiec. The focus of the exhibition is the human figure and features the work of Sarah Bixler, Ellen Borison, Aaron Coberly, Missy Dahl, Tenley DuBois, Geraldine Kovats, Joe Kresoja, Curtis McDowell, Mark Mueller and Eric Swangstu.

For Aaron Coberly, the most consistent aspect throughout his early life was drawing. To improve himself, he became a protégé to an established artist and studied all aspects of painting, drawing and anatomy. His work is primarily figurative with a stylistic nod to the Masters and the Impressionists. Aaron also runs an open painting and drawing session in Seattle.
http://www.aaroncoberly.com/

Melissa Dahl is a student at Gage Academy where she was recently awarded for her work in a self-portrait competition. Scott Lawrimore of the Lawrimore Project judged the competition and had the following to say about Missy’s portrait: “ . . .the 'hand' is only one part of my tripartite judgment of a work. It was Melissa's 'head' and 'heart' that won me over.”

http://www.missydahl.blogspot.com/

Tenley DuBois is a student at Gage Academy where she was recently awarded “People’s Choice Award” at the Gage Portrait Show for a piece titled “David: Contemplating Chaos.” Tenley will be exhibiting this award-winning piece at the Gallery at OK Hotel during the month of November.

Co-Curators, Rob Kmiec and Eric Swangstu are both painters who share studio space in the OK Hotel. Rob Kmiec, Professor of Fine Art at Digipen Institute of Technology, received his MFA from Syracuse University and his BFA from Massachusetts College of Art. Eric Swangstu, Associate Director of Admission at Cornish College of the Arts, received his MPS from Pratt Institute, NYC and his BFA from Kansas City Art Institute. They are committed to continuing the exhibition program that Seattle artist Greg McCorkle initiated and managed for 3 years and will continue to produce shows of predominately local and regional artists each month. The opening receptions for the artists will be held each First Thursday Art Walk and are free and open to the public. The gallery can be visited 9-5, Monday through Friday and by appointment.

Painting by Aaron Coberly

Drawing by Missy Dahl


Tenley DuBois and drawing

Inaugural Exhibition: The Gallery at OK Hotel

The Gallery at the OK Hotel: Group Exhibition

PRESS RELEASE

The Gallery at the OK Hotel: Group Exhibition Opens Thursday, October 2nd 5-8 pm runs through the month of October

Contact: Eric Swangstu eswangstu@gmail.com or Rob Kmiec rkmiec@digipen.edu

On Thursday, October 2nd, The Gallery at the OK Hotel will open its first exhibit under the new direction of Co-Curators Eric Swangstu and Rob Kmiec. The exhibition features the sculpture of Margie McDonald, and the paintings of Jim Rose and Stacie Chappell. Stacie Chappell's abstract paintings use a variety of acrylics, inks, fabric paints, drawing doodles and blotting of paint with paper towels, to integrate form, color and pattern. Experimenting with various types of paint media and surface treatments, she creates scenarios for the materials to react differently, ultimately pushing the element of surprise as form and space develops. She received her MFA from State University of New York at Albany and her BFA from Kansas City Art Institute. She is a Seattle-based artist and is represented locally by Marni Muir Gallery. http://www.marnimuirgallery.com/
http://www.staciechappell.com/

Jim Rose's portraits of his friends' and family's faces painted thick with the sensibility of Lucian Freud take on a confrontational presence due to their huge scale. A former class-mate of Chappell's, Rose received his BFA at KCAI.

Margie McDonald, a recent Artist Trust GAP recipient, recycles metal marine materials to create abstract sculpture that often clings and hovers in site-specific spaces. Utilizing her fiber art training from Nova Scotia College of Art & Design (BFA), she dissects and re-constructs the original found objects in an attempt to transcend their original industrial purpose - usually reflecting the nature found in her home environment. She lives and works in Port Townsend.
http://www.margiemcdonald.com/

Co-Curators, Rob Kmiec and Eric Swangstu are both painters who share studio space in the OK Hotel. Rob Kmiec, Professor of Fine Art at Digipen Institute of Technology, received his MFA from Syracuse University and his BFA from Massachusetts College of Art. Eric Swangstu, Associate Director of Admission at Cornish College of the Arts, received his MPS from Pratt Institute, NYC and his BFA from Kansas City Art Institute. The opening receptions for the artists will be held each First Thursday Art Walk and are free and open to the public.The gallery can be visited 9-5, Monday through Friday and by appointment.


Painting by Jim Rose


Painting by Stacie Chappell


Sculpture by Margie McDonald

Incommunicado III

Incommunicado - deprived of any communication with others . . . I never realized how prophetic this piece would actually become . . . enjoy. The image is 9"x14," graphite on Arches paper.

Bon Voyage

My friends Jazno, Andie and their beautiful daughter Bella are off to Singapore for 9 months. These pictures are from Andie's farewell performance and a "going away" lunch at a local eatery.

Alecia and Gordon . . . colleagues and friends

Andie and her sister Teresa . . . Eric, my studio mate and I

Teresa belts one out . . . Andie, Bergman, me and Eric in the back

reminiscing . . .

Getting up . . . and trying to connect with Jeff the meth head one last time

Indian buffett . . . Bella meets Lily

. . . the gang

sharp ass knives

A bunch of years back I played drums in a short lived indie rock band called sharp ass knives. We recorded this improvised space jam in the basement of my old school and it seems it has become the soundtrack to this video I just discovered on You Tube. The video was undoubtedly put together by s.a.k vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Mark Carroll. Check it out . . .

Recent Figure Drawings

These are a sampling of some figure drawings I've been doing at the Wednesday night DigiPen and Thursday night Arena.Net life drawing sessions. They range in time from 10 to 25 minute drawings. Enjoy!

The Art of Kevin Hebb

Kevin Hebb is a pop artist, designer and creator of strange birdhouses. He draws from his childhood experiences in suburbia and synthesizes them with his recent urban explorations. His birdhouse constructions clearly convey the essence of these combined experiences. The birdhouse is a representation of home, innocence, serenity and charm (everything his suburban upbringing represented) which is then morphed through the use of an urban language of texture, decay, graffiti, borrowed imagery, symbols, slogans and found objects. It's Pop Art and it's nothing new but it's his and he has a whole career ahead of him. He was also my student. I still have a few things to teach him and I'm sure he's got a lesson or two for me.

Check out his work . . . http://www.kevin-hebb.com/

Character Designs

I recently had the opportunity to do some "blue sky" character designs for an animated short entitled "The Calico Martini." I worked primarily on the character "Jasper" who is a dastardly little boy. He gets in way over his head when he decides to get into mischief after his mom goes out on an errand. After coming up with the basic look and feel for Jasper I passed them on to my colleague Jazno Francouer (a former Disney special effects animator) who refined them even further. They were then passed onto another colleague, Dan Daly (a former Disney clean-up artist) who cleaned them up! The images below document the process from blue sky all the way through to final model sheet and emotes. Enjoy!

Second Skin

Lyrics by the Chameleons UK - too beautiful, too haunting not to share - feeling it right now.

One cold damp evening the world stood still

I watched and held my breath

A silhouette I thought I knew came through and someone spoke to me

Whispered in my ear "This fantasy's for you."

My whole life passed before my eyes

I thought what they say is true

I shed my skin and my disguise and cold, numb and naked I emerged from my cocoon

And a half remembered tune played softly in my head

Then she turned smiling and said I realize a miracle is due

I dedicate this melody to you but is this the stuff dreams are made of?

If this is the stuff dreams are made of no wonder I feel like I'm floating on air

Everywhere, It feels like I'm everywhere

It's like you fail to make the connection - You know how vital it is

Or when something slips through your fingers - You know how precious it is

When you reach the point where you know It's only your second skin
Someone's banging on my door

Render Me Dead

I recently had the opportunity to work with a local director, Greg Brotherton on his first feature indy film "Render Me Dead." RMD is a fim noir spoof set here in Seattle with elements of corporate espionage, murder and comic relief. I initially was slated to do storyboards for the film but much to the chagrin of the DP and the rest of us visually minded people he chose not to. I did however act as Art Director for the film's finale in which a makeshift gallery is constructed in a barn and all sorts of visuals created as clues revealing the identity of the murderer.

The location of the finale was about an hour away from Seattle at a place called Smoke Farm. It was a gorgeous place but during the final weekend of shooting the weather was miserable and prevented the crew from finishing.

Aside from acting as Art Director I made some art for the finale. I did three pieces in total. Two were on 8'x8' canvas and a third was done digitally and projected onto paper. The first concept was to create an illustration that graphically captured the crime scene with chalk outline and police tape. The second was to illustrate the logo of a group of corporate thieves known as the Air Pirates.

Alot of time and effort was spent constructing the set for the finale which required frames for all of the art and projections. Each visual was 8'x8' and I worked closely with Ben the construction guy to meet all of the deadlines - which meant alot of sleepless nights. One of the construction set ups required us to drop an eighty pound plexiglass and wood framework down on one of the leads!

Economic Heavyweight Championship

Recently, I've been teaching my students about "process" and how important it is in the creation of engaging images. I decided I would show them about the process involved with creating the images for the series entitled Economic Heavyweight Championship. I've included a sampling of my favorite images from the series (there are 14 in total) along with some of the reference. It shows how much time and effort some illustrators put into the "front end" of an assignment and to what lengths they will go to produce compelling images with a sense of legitimacy. Even more so, it points out how important it is for an illustrator to have good friends - in this case Johnny T and Alex Hoxha!! They had no idea what I was doing (I'm sure they thought I was crazy) but they trusted me and posed for the reference pictures shown below. I couldn't have done it as well without them or without the assistance of my dad who was integral in helping me to get the best photos.

After compiling the best reference photos, I visited zoos to sketch bears and tore through picture files in order to find great bull/bear images. I watched E.S.P.N Classic in order to get a feel for old black and white boxing matches ala Rocky Marciano (my favorite boxer of all time who went undefeated in his pro career and even better, he was from Massachusetts). After pulling together all of my imagery, I scanned what I had into Photoshop and composited it all together, printed my final reference images and used them in completing the images you see below. My plan for these images is to add a crowd and the look and feel of an old televised boxing match complete with smoky haze and maybe an old T.V. frame. I will probably add an image or two including one that emulates the look and feel of an old promotional poster. The goal ultimately is to create an animatic with dialogue and sound effects. Wish me luck!

In Progress - Post Mortem

I've been obsessing with this imagery lately . . . trying to find the right voice. Again, these images are for a series titled "Post Mortem." They're all fairly close to finish. Let me know what you think.

More Digital Photos

More experiments and what not with the digital camera . . . enjoy.

Recent Sketches

I bought a new sketchbook over x-mas break and have been trying to draw as much as possible. A few of the drawings were done at Gage Academy's Drawing Jam. If you're local and love to draw or just want to experience a wild 10 hour artistic orgy then go to the next drawing jam. You won't be disappointed.

Still Film

I was recently cast by one of my students to act in a "still" film. My role was that of a strict, no nonsense disciplinarian professor . . . can you say typecast! I've included a couple of stills from the film for your viewing pleasure.

Color Sketch

This started out as a fairly loose and quick color sketch of Pigeon. I think I may have spent a little more time than I wanted to on it - in total about 2 hours. I didn't want to kill the freshness, looseness - spontaneity of it and I wanted to work in complements - I think I succeeded. Enjoy!

Finished Batman Pieces

Finally finished these pieces. Again, they were done with sumi ink and gesso on craft paper. I'm happy with these images and with these materials but in the future I might mount the craft paper to a board/wood because the paper really wrinkles with the addition of the water based mediums.

August . . .

Wow. Haven't posted in a while. My family visited in early August. Here are some pics I took during their visit.

Older Work

Came across some older files of work that I'm still fond of. Thought I would share. Enjoy.

Voudou

I forgot how much fun blending modes were in Photoshop . . .

George Bush Dookie

Yes . . . George Bush Dookie. I came across this on a walk through Capitol Hill. Wow! I had to take a picture! Enjoy, I think.

Gage Academy Student Show

This past Friday I went to the Gage Academy Student Exhibition with Seattle celebrity and art model extrodinaire Pigeon as well as my two illustrious colleagues Alecia Rossano and Peter Moerhle. Gage's philosophy of art education is based on the classic atelier system which had it's heyday in France during the 1800's before it was usurped by Impressionism. The atelier system never quite died; pockets of this educational system remain and are firmly entrenched, especially here in Seattle.

Top: Pigeon and her portrait painted by Josh Lawrence - a student in Juliet Aristides Atelier

Left to Right: Alecia Rossano, sculptress and DigiPen professor with her most recent sculpture in progress;

Pigeon with a drawing she posed for; Alecia and Peter Moerhle - former Disney background painter and DigiPen professor.

Check out Peter's work at . . .

http://homepage.mac.com/jmoehrle/pmoehrle/animationart/animationart.html

Parasite Pals

I forgot to post this . . . I took this pic a ways back while I was doing the Production assistant gig in the Childrens Hospital. Weird.

Interesting sights . . .

Just walking around the neighborhood you see alot of interesting things like . . .

Emerald City Comic Con

Here's a couple of images I took at the Emerald City Comic Con. DigiPen had a booth there to advertise and I was there to represent. Unfortunately, the only real highlights were what I took pix of . . . seeing an original Milt Caniff was awesome! Also, I finally got to meet Alberto Ruiz. There is a link to his blog in my links section . . . you must check his stuff out especially if you love the female form!

The First Rule of Fight Club is . . . .

Yup, DigiPen Fight Club . . . except it's done with video games instead of fists. Maybe Microsoft has the real deal. I heard those guys get so stressed out at work that they're looking to blow off some steam. I wonder . . . .

Pilot

Here's another digital sketch . . . a little look and feel for a heroic WWII pilot.

Pimp my Artwork

The students in my Raster Graphics for Animation class challenged me to "pimp" this image they found on an art forum. I decided I would use this as a "teaching opportunity" and did an in-class demo on painting in Photoshop. Enjoy.

Visual Development in progress

Here's some quick digital thumbs/viz dev of an Elk for a potential summer project that the faculty here at DigiPen might work on. If all goes according to plan we may be animating a 30 second short as a tool for crosstraining and fodder for marketing and competition. Keep your fingers crossed.

Mariners versus Chi Sox

Here's a panoramic shot of SafeCo Field. This was my first ball game here in Seattle. The home team beat up on Chicago. I attended the game with my colleagues Gordon and Jazno. Jazno took the pix and composited them in Photoshop. Check Jazno out at http://jazno.com