Over the years I've collected many pastel sets. Lately, I've been mixing the uglier colors to get some rich browns and burnt siennas.
 I'm still working on the left one. I also created another black background.  Mark's creation using my scraps.  Airy at work  Airy's finished piece Today I sorted many pages that I've torn from two Restoration Hardware Catalogs. I also organized my reject pieces.  The fashion show was fun, but I would have liked to see more detail work, especially considering there were three artists. The backroom featured an artist working in experimental photography. The other gallery here showed work by an artist duo, Hughen / Starkweather.                     I'm not happy with how this sketch (above) turned out.  Tonight I met with an artist friend Loretta to spend some creative time together. I've mentioned in the past that I want to do a Vanitas painting, so using watercolors, I created a study of a baby's skull. I will definitely use it as one of my props when it comes to completing the oil version.  Tonight I visited a gallery opening at E6 Gallery located across the street and met up with my artist friend Mark. I liked the sculpture by Kienholz.    My finished piece.  Another one finished. The black and white sphere is leukemia.  Joe's cut pieces  Mark used my scraps from my collage and in the end, he turned it over and decided he liked the back better!
      This sketch (above) was really frustrating to draw and afterwards I was convinced it was horrible. Now, I really like it.  This sketch (above) was frustrating to draw and I hate the end result.  Spent around 7 hours breaking square mirror panels and then sorting the shards into containers of different sizes and shapes. These will be glued on my work in progress Air Person (working title).   Here is what the piece looks like so far. I spent around 7 hours working today to glue more mirror shards and was happy to get a ways past the halfway point. The circumference will continue to get smaller from here, which means it'll take less time.  I spent a few hours cutting up a large mirror into smaller squares so that when I break the mirror panels, the sharp shards are not too long. They will be a added to one of my art projects in progress Air Person (working title).  We got together and my one goal for the evening was to create a large quantity of flesh-color that matches my general skin tone. I then painted my hand, which still turned out too saturated and red. I also tried two experiments painting watercolors on black paper. You can see the collected sediment in the paints, but I then used a very pale flesh color to create moments of brightness.    Last year in the Fort Wayne's art museum, I saw a large photo by Kirsty Mitchell. My mom said that she is now having a current solo show, so I decided to explore her work more. I really love her constructed realities and the different textures.     My artist friend shared a free museum pass, so I finally got to see the Magritte show. It featured work from his later years, wherein he explored other painting techniques and themes that most people do not know about. I particularly liked his night paintings.   An excellent self-portrait   My favorite painting of his. My friend Airy is painting a beautiful mural in Clarion Alley in San Francisco. It is turning out beautiful. She asked for my opinion for a couple of things and so we chatted for awhile.  Close up of the mural.  Detailed view My friend Ilana Crispi was having an art show that was interactive and so I quickly grabbed my bike to go. This artpiece is extremely strong both in concept and aesthetics.        I'm excited to coordinate this group for there are some really amazing artists involved.  My collage for the day.  Tobiah's work in progress  Tobiah's finished piece  Airy's work in progress  Airy's finished piece  Mark's work  Mark's later collage My artist friend Loretta and I met again tonight to work on art projects. I made two watercolor paintings, while she worked on the logistics of creating a book for a 5 year old. I am still getting the hang of using watercolors. It's difficult to foresee how dark and rich the colors will end up. Both paintings ended up overly-saturated and underwhelming in the contrast. Using Photoshop, I adjusted lowering the saturation and increasing the contrast and really wish this is how my final paintings would have turned out. 
Today I visited Pier 24 Photography Gallery with an artist friend, Gary. How have I lived in the city for almost 28 years and never heard of this gallery? I have a mixed relationship with photography, but the current exhibit, THIS LAND, is exemplary. I do not remember the last time an exhibit affected me this deeply. It was painful, exhilarating, and depressing. I would like to visit again.  Shadows from the wall between the US and Mexico.   One of the model's name was Alita–a tall transwoman–was delightful to draw. Her poses were unusual and full of energy.        The proportions are drastically off in this drawing, especially the size and length of the forearm and hands, but there are passages that I really like, for example, the upper shoulder.
I can't believe I haven't painted a Vanitas before! Every artist should create one at least once in their career, whether it be painting, photography, sculpture, etc. My artist friend Sarah loved the idea, so I visited her amazing art studio and we both created a few watercolor paintings as a study. I really enjoyed myself and could not believe the way the time flew.   Our work in progress  Sarah's work in progress.  My finished sketch  We both agreed that the sea urchins were one of the most enjoyable things to sketch and paint. Tonight I met with my artist friend, Loretta and we both worked on projects with the theme of "Dream". I created using watercolor paints, while she worked with richly-colored pastels.   My painting I was not very impressed with the building because it felt really cold and uninviting. Regardless of that, I saw several artworks that I loved.  Kathrine Worel  Claudia Huenchuleo Paquen  Kirk Maxson at Eleanor Harwood Gallery   Kate Nichols at Eleanor Harwood Gallery  Tiffanie Turner  Tiffanie Turner  Eiko Borcherding My sister works in a building with a mortuary and today sent me a picture of the door. I spent a little time working with Photoshop to adjust the perspective, invert the overall color, add metal trim on right side, greatly adjust the contrast, and change the left button's hue and saturation. After taking the Photoshop class at CCSF with an instructor that works for Adobe, my skills have vastly improved.   |
AUTHORTerrance Graven is a San Francisco artist whose installations incorporate sculptural elements, performance art, costumes, sound pieces, and theatrical lighting. CATEGORIES
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September 2018
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