TEEN WORKSHOP / Inspired By Rockwell: Telling A Story Through Art

Join us Saturday, April 20, 1 to 5 pm at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.  I'll be teaching a teen workshop inspired by the museum's recent Norman Rockwell exhibit American Chronicles.  Students will visit the temporary exhibition and get a close look at the work and his process then create an illustration back in the studio based on a story or concern from your own time and place.  Register online HERE.

The exhibit ​American Chronicles; The Art of Norman Rockwell was organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum of Stockbridge, Mass.  The exhibition features images spanning Rockwell's six decades of work and will be on display from March 9 - May 27 2013.  

Hope to see you there!

​Travel Sketches: Athens, Greece

Recently I spent some time in Greece and Macedonia.  Here are a few watercolor sketches I did at the Acropolis ​in Athens.  My drawing on the left is of the Parthenon built between 447 and 438 BCE.  This marble temple was dedicated to the goddess Athena and was the paramount creation of Pericles.  The two drawings on the right are of The Erechtheion's Porch of the Korai which was dedicated to the Greek hero Erechthonius.  These sculptural Karyatides (maidens of Karyai) serve as architectural support columns and uphold the coffered ceiling roof.  I'll post more sketches from this trip soon.  

Much of my gallery work is derived from sketches and collected papers from traveling.  Check out my blog archive for sketches from earlier travels HERE.   ​

SURFACE TEXTURES

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Whether you are rendering crumbling ruins of ancient Cambodian temples or the smooth marble dome of the Taj Mahal in India, texture files can be an invaluable resource for visual creatives.  Lately I've been developing a texture library, and I'll be sharing that in the upcoming months.  In the mean time, here are some free concrete, stone/brick and wood textures compliments of Disney character designer Chris Oatley (thanks Chris).  Also be sure to check out his very informative and somewhat humorous article: The Hudson River Painters Vs. The Texture Monster: Digital Painting Tutorial.  

A couple other great texture resources for print and web I've also found useful are Texturly, Lost & Taken and Mayang's Free Texture Library.  ​Happy hunting!