Old Yeller

Ol' Yeller, acrylic on panel, approx 8x6.5", 2010 $150

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I can remember watching the original Old Yeller movie from 1956 when I was a child. I really wanted to shed a tear when it was obvious that dogs don't live forever (Honestly, I probably did cry while watching it in my Kindergarten class). The element in all great animal related stories is their sense of loyalty to their masters.

Many of you probably have your own stories of being protected by your pet in times of danger. My wife and I just recently bought a home with enough property to have a dog but until then we weren't able to even think about getting one due to the impracticality of apartment living. We did have two cats during that time of our lives (fortunately, Roxy and Norah are still with us and healthy as ever), and I can remember a time when Roxy, our oldest cat, started making sounds we had never heard before as she sat in front of the AC unit. After just a couple minutes it was clear that she wanted us to come over there and investigate. When we did we quickly found smoke coming from the unit due to an electrical short in the wires. We called the maintenance men and had it repaired, all thanks to our alert and loyal feline friend.

This painting conveyed the idea of a dog's loyalty. He's sitting and waiting for any need his owner might have. So remember to be nice to your pet because they might just keep your house from burning! - Jared

Tuckered

Tuckered, acrylic on board, approx 8x6", 2010 SOLD

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I have been asked be a few friends to start painting labs. I agree that labs are a familiar family friend and many folks have a lab or grew up with one. I thought this little tyke was a great first subject. I can totally relate to this fellow; exhausted and straight out of energy. Forget a cat nap, I want the doggie coma that this little one is enjoying.

Now that spring is here and the yard beckons, I am feeling more and more like crashing in the middle of each day after I have been hazed by clouds of pollen and bruised by all the landscaping that my property requires. May your hard work be fruitful that you might have rest - Enjoy. Jared

Breaking Wind

Breaking Wind, acrylic on board, 8x10", 2010 SOLD

I really dig the humor in this piece. The ears of this Great Dane were what initially grabbed my attention and the colors really played off each other. Danes are huge animals, sometimes reaching over five feet in height. I imagined this particular composition resembling a window in your home. I thought it would be stranger to see a Great Dane looming behind the pane outside looking in, just over the window base.

After finishing this piece I was very pleased with the eyes of this mongrel. They seem eerily life-like when it's hanging on the wall. Hope you enjoy - Jared

Behind the Scene: Preliminary Sketches

Lyndon B. Johnson Study, graphite, approx 8x10", 2010 (Click to Enlarge)

As you've read in past posts, I have been blessed with a slew of portrait commissions from one patron, five to be exact. All are of Democrat Presidents past and present. I thought you may enjoy seeing snippets of how I work to achieve a preliminary sketch for a client. In this case, reference photos were needed to begin. Once I select a reference for the sketch I create a contour line drawing lightly on the paper and spray fix it to the surface. You can see the contour lines in the first image if you click on the picture above.

I then use a 6B graphite stick to lightly tone the entire portrait area, evenly blending all the graphite with a chamois. I then use various erasers to remove highlights, namely a gum eraser.

The next step is to add the darker values in the facial features and shadow areas, as seen in the 2nd image above. Lastly, I refine the sketch in its entirety, going back and forth with erasures and shading as needed. I find that much of my time is saved by toning the paper first. Robert Barrett's book Life Drawing is an excellent resource for advice regarding rapid accurate rendering of the figure and was a great learning tool for me. Click here to see his book and art.

More Pop Culture Icons for Local Fine Dining

Audrey Hepburn(SOLD), Chuck Norris, Mel Gibson, Dr. MLK
24x24" each, acrylic on panel, 2010
$1200/ea @ Charleston House Gallery or Buy Now below

These are additions to an ongoing series of pop culture icons which is on display at the very successful Chop House restaurant in Montgomery, AL. I wrote about the original set of portraits which were the centerpiece of my undergraduate painting thesis exhibition. You can read the original post here.... I have had suggestions coming from all directions and from every viewer: my students, friends, restaurant patrons and employees, and more! So the biggest challenge has been to decide who to portray from the current list of 1000 names.

Originally, the B&W series were individuals that I think are aiding and furthering the degradation and demise of American Exceptional ism as we've know it. The Color series were people that I respected for their courage to hold onto time tested traditional morals and who are openly mocked and ridiculed by the elites in media and press. Needless to say, my doubts were legitimate when the owner of the restaurant, Patrick Skelton, suggested hanging the portraits in his establishment. Honestly, who wants to eat an expensive meal while an incensed Rosie O'Donnell looms over your shoulder?

I have changed the qualifications for the new B&W and Color submissions. The new additions will be era-based; icons from days long past will be in the B&W set, while current icons will be in color. This will be more straightforward for the viewer, save me research, and will be more marketable (not many people buying OJ Simpson art). If you are interested in purchasing one of these works please contact The Charleston House Gallery. If you're in Montgomery, stop by the Chop House for a night of fine dining and fine art. Enjoy - Jared

Choose Celebrity to Purchase

Martin Luther King, Jr. Chuck Norris Mel Gibson

A Bluejay for Grandma

Mr. Bluebird , acrylic on canvas, 24x18", 2010 NFS

Last Fall, my wife and I were house hunting for our first place to call home. We were under the gun with an agreement to move out of our apartment and no luck with the hunting. It seemed that every house we really liked had serious internal issues not visible to the naked eye. Also, we really wanted to get out to the country and away from the noise and chaos of the city. We eventually stumbled across a gorgeous home in a little town 20 minutes to the closest city in all directions. The seller of the home had just gone through a divorce and was getting rid of the house for a low, LOW offer. Even better the home came with enough property for me to fire rounds from my guns without anyone getting upset!!! It was great.

The seller, however, wasn't interested in meeting us half way and threatened to walk away from the negotiation table if she had to pay much in closing costs. This wasn't something we really planned on financially, so we went to my grandmother (VERY grudgingly I might add) to borrow the funds we didn't have and we became homeowners (although technically we'd be paying on it for the next 30yrs...I've never understood why they say "homeowner")

Not too long ago, my wife and I were ready to cut my grandmother a four figure check to repay her for her generosity and her loan. In addition to the loan repayment, I wanted to give her something else special that she could have forever. I put this painting together and it now hangs above her bed. I hope that God blesses her with all her needs. There is no one that I know who has a heart more of gold than my grandmother. She was raised in poverty and has always wanted to give her loved ones anything they need. Her generosity is definitely to a fault but I would gladly covet for that sin over any other. May she live another 80 years!

No Such Thing as Personal Space

Dog Eyed, acrylic on board, approx 4x6.5", 2010, $85

Talk about extreme close-ups. I wanted to capture the playful quality of pups; always jumping in your lap and trying to clean your teeth. This little fellow, however, just appears to be having a show down with the viewer, waiting to see if you'll blink first. I only had a sliver of negative space in the top right corner to add an element of interest, which I did by throwing in some rather intense green. I also really like the reflected light shown in the lips of the dog. I think that's cool....but then again I am probably extra nerdy when it comes to looking at my own art. - Jared

Yo Quiero Mas!!

All Bark, acrylic on board, 6x8", 2010 SOLD

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WOW....check out those colors!!! Of course everyone thinks all Chihuahuas are adorable (with rare exceptions that win World's Ugliest Dog contests and whose appearence leaves us in cold sweats at night). I personally find them absolutely ANNOYING!!!! It's the incessant barking, ergo the title of the piece. But whether you find them irresistibly bearable or akin to rodents, this painting is easily appreciated in my opinion. I was eager to make use of some Naples Yellow and the colors in this little runt's coat were a great cool contrast to the neutral Naples Yellow. I really tried to emphasize the eyes, adding plenty of detail. Tell me what you think - yea or nay on the Chihuahua's? - Jared

Mr. Bluetick....the Coonhound

Barking Up the Right Tree, acrylic on board, 11x23", 2010 $450

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Detail of Bluetick Coon Hound

Detail of raccoon vignette

This is one of my most favorite paintings as of late. Sometimes it's not hard to let a painting go; other times you want to keep everything that you crank out. I really found this piece entertainingly complex. The tick patterned coat on this hound was fun to recreate, first layering large areas of the dog's body with Payne's Grey and then overlaying those areas with Unbleached Titanium and various blue hues. There was also opportunity to throw in a little yellow ochre and raw sienna in spots.

The most strikingly different aspect of this piece is clearly the addition of the smaller vignette in the lower left corner. I am playing with this idea, which is an attempt to add an extra element of interest as well as filling the painting with pertinent information related to the dog breed itself. This dog is notorious for being a masterful varmint hunter, most notably for chasing raccoons into trees prior to the fatal shots of the hunter. I think I like the vignette and will probably try to work them in subsequent paintings. Let me know what your opinion is if you'd like. - Jared

The Year of the Dog

Year of the Dog, acrylic on board, 6x6", 2010 SOLD

When I started this painting I really wanted to have something with intense red. Naturally, communist China came to mind which led me directly to a Pug. But as we see, Pugs don't like communism, as evident in the "Please take me away from here" plea in the little puppy's eyes. I have been lured to anything gilded for quite some time now and have enjoy adding gold leaf and metallic paints to my art whenever possible. I find the added glimmer from the metallic addition infuses a new element to viewing the work. I saw an opportunity to place a little gold enamel paint in the background, sticking with the koi fish icon and traditional Chinese motifs around the edges. It turned this painting into a buffet calendar relic. I really like it . . . . and starting to crave egg rolls. - Jared