Quick Painting #3: Orange & Easel

This is the 3rd of my recent "quick paintings" - Orange & Easel - 8" x 10" oil on stretched canvas. The blue strap is from my apron that I made myself from some extra denim and canvas (hopefully I translated the denim fabric texture well) This painting took just over 2 hours, time to eat this orange!

Quick Painting #2: Apple

Well, I know I said not every day, at I still know that will be the case but I saw my Granny Smith apple today with a visually pleasing mix of reds and greens and the mason jar with iced coffee that didn't get a spot in the painting yesterday so I thought, what the heck, why not!? So here is number two, my apple and coffee! :) BTW - this one was completed in one sitting under 2 hours.

- Joshua Grabowski

Quick Painting #1: Banana

There are plenty of groups out there devoted to creating a new painting each day (or as close to it as possible). These types of paintings are typically small, simple still life type pieces which they they post on eBay for immediate sale! Great way to generate some money... and interest to your work! One group in particular, the Daily Painters, are definitely worth taking a look at. Most of these artists are well established artists that are working on major works and using these daily small paintings as a warm up! I'm not going to say that I'll be attempting to paint a new piece each and every day, but I think that I'll be trying to "warm up" with these small studies a couple of days a week. Today, I had a banana to throw in some oatmeal with me in the studio, so I painted the solo banana. I got about 1 1/2 hours of work in before lunch, and finished the last 30 minutes while digesting the subject! MUAHAHA! You can see some of the progress shots below. To liven up the composition, I was going to include a mason jar with some iced coffee I was drinking which you can see the outline of in shots 1 and 2; however, I was already nearing the 2 hour time limit I was trying to set for my self.

Enjoy the banana folks! They are basically one of the cheapest fruits you can find in the grocery store and they are so, so good for you!

- Joshua Grabowski

Fruit Still Life Series

I've been working on a series of new still life pieces that mainly involve 3 key ingredients: colorful fruit, high-contrasted victorian wallpaper backgrounds, and of course oil paint! (ok maybe the last ingredient is a little bit obvious!) The first piece is the Lemonade Press that I've wrote about before already. After creating this composition, the results inspired me to continue with a series; the second still life that I am working on is on Oranges & A Vase (which I've also wrote about earlier). The third and fourth still life is Blueberries & Yogurt  and Carmel Apples (both are new to the family as of yesterday so there are very rough sketches!). I have a bunch of new canvases tinted with a combination of naples yellow, cadmium red, cadmium orange, and loads of turpenoid w/ a touch of cold pressed linseed oil. Going to shoot for 10 paintings in this series but not sure on the details of the entire vision I have with these...


Hope everyone is doing great! Have a wonderful day! 


SITE UPDATE INFO: I'm working on updating the "under construction" page and including a little more functionality and content. When this new stuff is live on the net, I'll still be working to get full functionality up and running. Prints, online image galleries, contact pages, about pages, THE WORKS! Coming soon! :)


-Joshua Grabowski

Untitled 5

Another piece from the Reflections series:

4ft. x 4ft. - Untitled 5 - oil on stretched canvas
click the image for a higher-res photo

This piece was to embody more of an aggressive, yet deep and passionate type feeling (at least to me). The colors seem to make a black, but it actually is dark green posed next to rich, deep reds to make the contrast really pop. In my opinion, this was one of the most successful pieces in the series, strong enough to stand alone from the group of paintings; however, I still believe the series works together to strengthen each other (one the very good reasons for creating a series of paintings in the first place).

-Joshua Grabowski

Oranges & Purple Vase

Working on another still life and thought I would share the progress. The image posted below is the current progress on the second day of work, but you can click here to view the work from day one with the black and white acrylic underpainting.

oranges & purple vase - 24" x 48" oil on stretched canvas

There is much more work left to do, but I am trying different methods and getting better and progressing through these still life paintings quickly. I'm going to need to stock up on larger canvases or hardboards since I have come to realize that I truly despise working small! I need the freedom of large brush strokes, even though it takes more paint and materials... ;)

-Joshua Grabowski

Reflections Series - Untitled 4

Untitled no. 4 - 4' x 4' - oil on stretched canvas

click to load higher resolution image

My series on color studies, Reflections, consisted of 9 large canvases (this piece above being one of the smallest sizes). The series was to created large scale paintings which the viewer can take in the feeling of the color. Each piece was then titled simply "Untitled [1-9]" since I didn't want the viewer searching endlessly for lets say an apple if the title was something like, "Apple Orchard." Somehow we can trick our brain into thinking that we see something, just because we are expected to. This happens all the time with Magic Eye 3D art. "What do you see?" "A rabbit!" "Oh... uh, yeah! Me too!" I wanted each of the nine canvases to speak for themselves. See what you want to see in them. Reflect on why you think that you see the things you see. Do you see dark, morbid images of monsters, or do you see happy, blossoming flowers? Why? What experiences in life brought on the thought process that led to deciphering the images like that? 

I know I keep mentioning that my online art site will be up and running soon, and there you will be able to view the entire Reflections series cohesively, read about the ideas behind it, and even see more progress shots of how it all came together.

-Joshua Grabowski

Star Wars Finished

Unless another commission comes my way requesting otherwise, I think that it is pretty safe to say that my first and only Star Wars painting is on it's way out of the studio and to it's new home as soon as the paint is dry enough to varnish. I enjoyed working on this piece: the texture in the building, detail in the boy, experience (always a bonus/reward with every next painting). Enjoy it friends.

click on the image to load a high res. pic.

-Joshua Grabowski

Little Skywalker

Here is a detail shot of the progress which I am totally happy with! I may not be a Star Wars buff like some people (see: Star Wars Fan 1, & #2) but working on this piece and a recent episode of Family Guy tributing the series has really got my sci-fi movie viewing desires at an unusual high. Maybe I'll relive the SW experience via Netflix someday, until then take a look at my version of Anakin below:

This is just a detail shot of the full painting that I posted a few days ago. The lower half of the boy is needing the most of my attention, but the upper half is coming along nicely! Since this piece was a commission, the client was already excited before I even started it, but now he is literally overjoyed! It's great seeing such a positive reaction to my work. :)

-Joshua Grabowski

Progression - it feels good

I love having my pieces approach completion. Here is a little snapshot of the stage this painting is in currently. Previously I mentioned that I would have this piece completed by today, and even though I didn't meet that self-imposed deadline, I came pretty close. Just a few more sessions of work with this painting and it will be ready for varnish and a frame.

"Lemonade Press" WORK-IN-PROGRESS - 24" x 36" oil on canvas

You might think the picture looks the same as it did last time I shared the progress, but the magic is in the detail now. It's only going to get even better! Enjoy!

-Joshua Grabowski

Little Anakin & Shadowy Darth

A couple postings back I mentioned that I was working on something with blue skies and sand huts, now progress of that work:

This is a larger rendition (36" x 48") of an existing photo (10" x 15") from a Star Wars calendar. A few questions about making a painting, a couple conversation to discuss details, and a large amount of naples yellow later I am happy with where this piece stands. There is more detail work and a final varnish of this piece left to go, however, this photo gives you the basic general idea of what this will look like in it's final stage - just a little more texture and darkening in the sand & shadow, detail and a tad more color in the boy (Anakin), and  I also plan to brighten the sky a little bit as well. Thanks to the wonders of commission work me and Anakin Skywalker are now acquainted on an artistic basis, otherwise I would have never touched a Star Wars piece... "the force Luke, use the force!"

-Joshua Grabowski

Wallpaper Duty

I'm sure that laying actual wallpaper with such an elaborate design would be much easier, but probably less gratifying than the end result from working magic with my paint brush (I'm sure I have no business messing around with adhesives and whatever else it takes to put up wallpaper anyways). Today started in a great position with the main design elements blocked in and dry from previous painting sessions - all I had to do was spend 6 1/2 hours painting in the details, and voila!

A little more about the painting:
This still life was inspired from real lemonade freshly squeezed from lemons grown here locally in AZ. Michael and I were walking along picking lemons and grapefruits from the fruit treats in the neighborhood and we spotted the best lemon tree around... many problems arose: water flooding the ground around the tree (which posed no problem for Michael and his braveness), branches that jump out at you from no where (leaving battle wounds on Michael... bless his heart for sacrificing himself for the good of my art and our lemonade drinking pleasure), and seems on the bag we used ripping apart carrying 20 lbs of lemons the size of two fists each back home to introduce them to our new friend... the juicer. After making a mess and enjoying the smell of citrus in the air, the peels just seemed as though they were begging to be painted. Digital camera and shadow box to the rescue! Piecing the idea together and settling into my new studio, I created the design, transfered it to canvas and began working. Three weekends of painting later, I have progressed far enough into the piece to share my work so far. Keep in mind that the only part that is "done" is the background... backward to foreword is how I'm working the painting (in other words, now that the background is done, everything that is "in front" of it will be painted in next). I love the still life so far and can't wait to finish it soon! :)

-Joshua Grabowski

Untitled 1, 2, 3...

...is part of my previous large body of work created over the previous winter months that I've only shared a small portion of so far. These three paintings form a triptych, which by definition is a work of art that is divided into three sections. Each stands alone at 7ft tall by 3ft wide for a total width of around 9ft depending on the spacing between the pieces. The colors used here are also in every other painting within my "Reflections" series. They were my favorite pieces from the whole collection... but as the proud artist of this great work, I can not discredit the others, which are all strong and great in their own individual ways. Currently these pieces reside in WI but I have eventual big plans for these, as well as the rest of the series,  with a confidently higher price tag than what I am used to. Below I've included some of the pictures of the construction and painting process of these beauties. Custom HTML by yours truly should allow you to click on any of the images to view them in your full browser window. Enjoy, everyone! Questions as well as comments are (as always) encouraged and welcomed! :)

-Joshua Grabowski

Bell Peppers

Somehow time passes so easily between posts on here! I thought I'd share another still life piece. In the mean time I have taken a little trip back to WI, gotten settled into a new studio space, and just been enjoying life. As work progresses, I will always be sure to share the new stuff! Currently I am working on another still life (as well as other projects that pop up). This new still life piece is a little bit "graduated" from the simplistic compositions that I've previously been posting, much more elaborate and carefully planned. Use your imaginations until I share the progress and think, "lemons!"

Delicious! I love bell peppers! Especially of the mexican stuffed variety, and even more so when they are made by my mom!

5x5

As I progress with working with the easily available fruit from the produce section, I have decided to follow in the footsteps of many "daily painters" and work some smaller pieces, in this case 5" x 5" stretched canvas. This is great because I can start and finish a piece in one sitting; however, I find myself trying to paint more expressively under a time limit but tend to work continually until hours have passed and the piece looks more like a photo than an expressively painted piece made of a limited number of precisely placed strokes. Either way, I think this piece is a success and works well for the size... BIG painting on a SMALL canvas.

Look familiar? This is the middle, last row from yesterdays post of the thumbnails. Of course there is more to come. :)

-Joshua Grabowski

Tea Time

Grabbing things around the apartment to put together a still life piece will naturally include a tea cup or two. The green tea cup I used for this setup is my favorite from the bunch of tea cups randomly found by Michael's dad (funny, and very random story). Going with the fruit-filled still life theme, I setup this composition using an orange that I picked from one of the trees outside. I loved the texture from the odd-shaped rhine. It gave more depth and angle to reflect light on... delicious! However, actually not so delicious, since the oranges hadn't fully ripened at this point... more accurately, very sour!

The picture quality isn't completely amazing. If anyone is interested in seeing more, let me know. Also, BTW... as with most of my art you see on my blog, these recent pieces are for sale. If anyone is interested please feel free to contact me: jg@joshuagrabowski.com. Hope everyone is having a great start to the week enjoying the great weather. Get outside to see the green life! :)

-Joshua Grabowski

Not from Concentrate

It has been common practice for artists throughout time to find an idea that works and reuse that idea until it has run dry. This particular piece wasn't created for the purpose of following my longtime-past concentrations of "oranges" and "faces," but since it is familiar working with the subject of oranges this piece called out to me. The color, the smell, the texture, of course the taste - oranges are by far my favorite fruit! When the orange trees are blossoming, AZ is the place to be! Every gust of wind carries the amazing aroma of sweet, fresh flowers and the trees start to bear large, ripe fruit ready to be picked and eaten! Delicious. If that doesn't make your mouth water with orange cravings, I just don't know what will.

A few weeks ago, I was reading up on some art blogs that I follow and found some postings about the use of a "shadow box" to create dramatic, controlled lighting for still life masterpieces (actual results may vary). Inspired and determined to make my own still-life-masterpiece-creation box, POOF, I was a still life junkie. Four piece later, I am starting to use my creativity more. I've also noticed my comfort with my color mixing, medium use and dilution, etc. I'll post more on the other three pieces-in-progress as they approach completion; however, in the mean time, I'd like to call the oranges finished (of course I will second guess this, over and over, including the possible color correction on the blue bowl... but that is just a possibility, no matter how likely I actually think it is). This picture was the best I could get. You can see the outline of my black shirt against the reflected white wall behind me. Damn reflection! Anyways, Enjoy!

Details about this piece: 12" x 12" oil on stretched canvas.

On a note aside from art, I have been able to run consistently without much pain in my foot! BONUS! The weather has been wonderful and mountain side running just can not be beat. Tax time is here (or at least the dreaded due date) and it feels great to have gotten them done in time and not have to have that weight on my shoulders... make sure to stop out somewhere that has "Tax day specials" and take advantage of the savings! Just don't eat McDonald's, it's plain nasty - unless you are eating chicken nuggets, in which case I say GO FOR IT!

-Joshua Grabowski

Let there be sunflowers...

...at least one, so far. After looking at this piece hanging on the wall untouched for a couple weeks, I decided it was time to work on it some more and call it finished! The reason that I started this piece was for the About.com Photo Challenge of a sunflower I found. Submissions take 1-3 days to appear on their site, so I can't link to the image on their site, but I can however share the image on here. Enjoy!

This piece is an 8" x 10" oil on stretched canvas. Yes, to answer your question, the piece is for sale! Inquire within! :)

-Joshua Grabowski

Close-up Detail

In the effort to slowly reveal my work but keep everyone interested... I figured it was a good time to share some more photos of my recent series that I put together earlier this year. By now, I would like to assume that the pieces are close to completely dry, but will continue to hold off on the varnish for the recommended dry time of 6 months for the oil to fully cure and oxidize. These pieces will need to be removed from the stretcher bars I built (from scratch!) and then rolled up for shipping to either their new owners or the galleries I find to show them. I've casually titled the series "Reflections: A Series on Color" but that isn't set in stone and could possibly change as I put together the series statement.

Over the past few years, I've scoured the net for images of work, videos of the creation of that work, and written words about it. While doing this, I've stumbled across some interesting blogs, wonderfully put together sites, and even more importantly, some truly great artists. Most of these artists find a focus, a theme, and run with it as far as their creativity will take them. When the idea has run dry, they reinvent their "direction" and follow that path until... well, you understand the idea that is happening here. I've always been an artist to try many different things. One week I am focused on texture, the next week is figurative pieces. Later I start to study roses, while shortly after I get myself painting sunsets & clouds. I've been trying to keep centered on one idea as much as I can but it just continually seems that I can never stay held down for too long. My concentration goes awry, my motivation drops dramatically, and I find myself needing something else to reignite my creativity. Earlier today I decided that it was time for me to find some art groups, classes, ANYTHING that wasn't accessible exclusively through my computer (of course the numbers to contact were found through the internet, on my computer... so i understand and appreciate the importance of it, thank you vaio). After a few phone calls, I found myself talking to real live people. ARTISTS! Artists that weren't snobby acting as though they couldn't give me the time of day. I understand that calling out of the blue asking for help is awkward, and I am most certainly not asking for any handouts, but it was nice to get some genuine people on the phone offering assistance to classes, groups, showings, etc. I found a place located in Scottsdale called BRIO Fine Arts Center. It was founded by a woman originally located in the Chicago area who was an absolute wonderful pleasure on the phone. It's a start. Very easy conversation. Suddenly I feel like I could be part of a group of other artists. Artists with faces and a physical presence, rather than exclusively online. It's a great feeling.

Another great feeling: possible sale of my three rose studies about to be finalized. Trying not to get my hopes up until everything goes through, but I would like to thank Michael for helping post these on the internet and actually turn them into $$$$!! 

Ideas: 

-making small still life piece daily to participate in "painting-a-day" programs, teach myself discipline, better understand my materials, as well as simply create more work!

-order some books... or finding them at a used bookstore! DISCOUNTS! (everyone loves a discount)

-get a new "glass house" for our little pet Jalapeno, the betta fish

All the best everyone! Happy Friday!

-Joshua Grabowski

A Rose Affair

OK FOLKS... they are done, framed, signed, ready to besold and placed in their prospective homes! I've been frequenting Michael's Craft Store due to their amazing sale on gallery wrapped canvas's. Something to note, 12" x 24" frames are not sold at Michael's, but rather Hobby Lobby (for those of you that just happen to have hardboard paintings laying around waiting for the perfect, non-overpriced pre-made frame to pop up... it's entirely common, right?). The first piece is from another recent post saying that it was finished and ready for the frame; however, without the additional leaves that were added (thank you creative mastermind Michael, with our wonderful brainstorming-sessions/art-critiques) it was flat and boring. Adding the leaves not only brought more color but more excitement to the piece. Overall, I think it is much better off with the additions. You'll notice my initials in the lower right hand corner of the yellow "frame."

Next up is "Study of a Rose #2." You might remember the original yellow rose I did almost a year back, if not, you can find it in the previous posts to my site. The light source here is strong and I like the way everything came together in the frame. Again, you'll notice my initials in the bottom right.

And last, but certainly not least (as it is my favorite of the bunch),  "Study of a Rose #3." I know I know, my creativity in the titles of these pieces is overwhelming. Try to contain yourselves. This picture shows a small glare from the light while taking the picture (again, credit to Michael for taking pictures of these today for me, THANK YOU!). This frame was very dramatic. Since the bimbos at Lowes cut these hardboards inconsistent sizes, it was about 1/8" too WIDE for the frame, so it is back-set in the frame which turned out very nice after all was said and done but you can't really notice here in the picture.

All three pieces are for sale on my Artbreak Site and hanging for sale inside SwapSmart here in Arizona. If anyone is interested in any of the three, you can contact me directly and I can hook you up with a sweet deal... maybe... 

About.com has been peaking my interest once again with another project they are having right now: sunflowers! It is a simple photo challenge, they give you and image and you use your creative talents to recreate it however you see fit. Since I have a surplus of canvas on my hands, I plan to try out a couple ideas that I have; some are well within my comfort-zone and others bursting out of it. As I complete these pieces, I plan to share my progress... did you expect anything less? :) 

-Joshua Grabowski

^ getting in the habit of putting 'Joshua' instead of 'Josh' to transition smoothly into my new domain/site. Enjoy all the links I've embedded and click the roses to view them larger! :)