I am finishing up the second “Western Shadows (bison skull)” painting. I will try to get a proper photograph of it when it is complete. There are some pretty interesting textures happening that aren’t apparent in this photograph. I’m planning on doing at least one more of these but who can tell?
This is the newest acrylic painting I have completed. I am putting more pieces together for the “Shadows of the West” show. My goal here is to create what amounts to a really atmospheric still life painting. I want it to have a very ghostly ethereal quality, not entirely there. I found a bit of success with this particular painting. I am currently working on a couple other paintings with a similar approach, hopefully I will be able to post another one next week!
I’ve wrapped up my herd of cow heads so now I’ll move on to other paintings. I’ve decided to use this particular painting for the promotional card for the show “Shadows of the West”. The show is going to start March 31st of this year. I have a lot more work to do before now and then! I will post more information about that as the date looms closer.
I am attaching an image that shows three other paintings that are part of the 5 cow heads I recently completed. I still need to take final photographs of one of these.
working late in the studio with a ridiculous number of unfinished pieces. I keep starting new things and jumping around. Generally I think it is a good approach to have a few works in progress. It keeps them fresh to the eye… allows for drying etc. these days I feel like I am always starting projects but nothing seems to roll across the finish line. Maybe best not to over think it.
I’m making a number of pretty large cow portraits. So far they are all 20″x20″. I’m trying to strike that balance between subtle atmosphere and interesting brush work/mark making. The paint in this one is harmonizing with the shining texture beneath the surface.
Last weekend I took a lot of reference photos not only of the ocean but of pastural scenery and the incarcerated cow. It seems there is no such thing as too much reference.
This painting is based on a number of photographs I took of a young buck near my home. I never grow tired of wildlife and somehow feel the same charge when I spot a deer. This guy hung around for weeks but I haven’t seen him in a while.
I spent much of the afternoon driving around on the Oregon Coast. I took a lot of reference photos. Here is a collection from the day. Difficult to take a bad phot here!
There is something intriguing about antique communication devices. They are often really beautiful objects that play no part in our modern world. I purchased this phone on eBay because I wanted to use it as a subject! I was also experiementing with destruction. I often use squeegees and unusual brushes to create marks that I find beautiful. This time I recklessly attached the painting with liquids before it had dried. The results speak of chaos, I thought some of it was pretty interesting looking. I have not been pouring liquid on my wet paintings as of late but like the subject itself I may revisit.
I have three paintings in a group show at the confluence gallery. The show is called “Shadow & Light”, a pretty nice theme for an art show that can be extended in a lot of psychological as well as literal directions.
These are 18″ x 18″ paintings, they appeared gigantic when it was time to box them up but they look so small here! I will not be able to attend the opening of the show so ended up mailing the paintings… always seems a little scary!
This was a 10″ x 10″ cow portrait I did in acrylic not too long ago. Once again using the cow as sympathetic subject. I have been working on highly atmospheric environmental scenes of late. I have largely abandoned opaque colors since doing this painting. I am trying to make work with a lot of transparency and light penetrating the paint. I hope to bring it back around and do some large sweeping landscapes with shadowy cows. We shall see where things go… Best to follow the work rather than trying to map out a plan.
brian sostrom 