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

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

New Canvas

Occasionally, a new blank canvas can be intimidating. All that possibility, virtually limitless within the confines of your materials and your own imagination. Sometimes, that feeling of intimidation can completely be wiped away when you know what you are going to be working on ahead of time. Starting a commission piece is a great example of this, I already have the image and can basically envision the painting in it's completed state before I've even put the bristles to the canvas. 36" x 48" of canvas are ready for me in my studio, better not keep it waiting! Progress will follow soon. I've set some ambitious completion dates for myself on this piece in particular, looking forward to meeting my goals! :) 

-Joshua Grabowski

New Space w/ GREAT Potential

To keep everyone in the loop of the things going on in my art life (read: "life"), I thought I would post a little something about the new space I have been creating my newest pieces at. In the land of sunny Arizona, there are plenty of opportunities around for artists to gain exposure, which one is the "right place" is different for everyone and sometimes can take many attempts to find what truly works. Originally I was skeptical about moving my things into my current studio, but after the first official week (tomorrow is the 5th day there!) I have found that the exposure is going to really be a great thing. SWAP$MART is the name of the business harboring my working space, available to the public Friday through Sunday for all your artistic needs! Within the first weekend, I have spoken to many people interested in what I am creating and handed out plenty of fliers directing people to back to my work. Commissions are coming in from every direction and should keep me plenty busy! During the days there, I sit and put on my headphones and paint my little heart out and pause for the occasional interested potential client looking to buy some of my stuff on the walls, get a price quote on a new piece, or just talk about art (which I always love to do!)

Keep a look out for progress on my new "lemonade" painting (not sure of the title just yet), and newest set-in-stone commission Star Wars piece... not my typical subject matter, and I love that about it! Anakin Skywalker, you pose no painting threat to me! Also talks of portrait work... portfolio expansion, I think so! AWESOME!

side-note: speaking of "sunny AZ" we are looking at 100's next week... that's another AWESOME!

-Joshua Grabowski

Artist Necessity

Thanks to a special "art connection," I was introduced to this book in the form of a gift! When I recently had hours and hours of time to fill on both airplanes and airport terminal waiting, I dove head first into this golden token of art knowledge. Any artist, no matter your craft, should read this book if a career in art is the goal in mind. Personally, coming from the painting side of things, I feel that this book spoke to me directly. An easy read with so much information on what to do and where to do it, and with a price tag that will most certainly not break the bank it is a no brainer... go get your copy now of How to Survive and Prosper As An Artist: Selling Yourself Without Selling Your Soul by Caroll Michels!

PS- THANKS JAN AND TOM!! :)

-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! :)

New Etsy Store and craft store deals!

Yesterday and today, I've spent probably more time that I should setting up my account on a website devoted to providing artist with the ability to sell anything handmade, Etsy.com. Great site with great features made for aritsts trying to sell their work, whether it be clothing, paintings, pottery (the list goes on and extends to basically anything made by your own two hands...within the legal guidelines of our country of course). The store I've started putting together is much more elaborate of a process than I'd imagined and I've realized it will take a little more than just 20 minutes. Over the next week or so I plan to work on the in's-and-out's of Etsy. I put together a banner for the top of my page that I was pretty pleased with. You can see a preview of it below:

Hope everyone is having a great week so far. The rain in AZ is brutal, but the way I see it is, "at least it is NOT snow." Either way, I think it has finally eased up and I think there is expected 80's next week, should make it hard to want to stay indoors, but my paints and brushes will keep me motivated and working. Last night, Michael's Craft Store has a great sale going on this week of 50% off gallery wrapped stretch canvas's. They also had a buy one get one sale on their frames! (ATTN: all broke artists looking for a deal, get there ASAP! artists are like mad dogs during business hours, buying canvas's like no one's business!) I had to indulge in the sale and walked out with plenty of painting surface to keep me busy for a while. Hopefully these frames will make some of my pieces more appealing at some of these venues I've found in AZ to turn my paintings into cash! Lots of progress will be posted as I create it... thanks for reading and keeping up with my stuff everyone!

-Joshua Grabowski

The First [of many yet to come] in 2010

Well, the time has come to start out the new year with progress! Tonight marks the official "completed" status on a piece that has been taking up a lot of my time since before Christmas. Experimenting with a new medium (drying linseed oil) that I had never used before set me back a couple days longer than expected in between painting sessions, but the final results are wonderful and well worth the wait! This piece is a 24" x 36" oil painting on store bought stretched canvas (I know, I know... time and cost effective for the project at hand, otherwise I prefer to build my own). Within about a weeks time to ensure the final layer of oil is dry, kamar varnish will be applied to "seal the deal" on the completed status and really make the painting shine! Literally! The frame needs a little TLC to really give this painting the perfect final touch: we got it on super discounted clearance price because of some minor cosmetic damage to some of the edges that can be easily filled with wood putty and painted. This "flaw" is so minor you can't even see it in the picture below. The hardest part is over with, time to get the final things in order and get this baby out the door. I will miss this painting, but I'm learning not to get as attached to my "babies" as I have in the past since it is obviously inevitable to part ways with them. The fact of the matter is that I am an artist and I need to make money for the works that I create. Don't know how I plan to create pieces and keep them all while also making this my only job. Ha!





All in all, this was a great experience. I can't wait to deliver the piece later this month and see the reaction on everyone's face! Next up, more oil paintings coming your way sooner than you think! BIG THINGS happening, and it is pure GOLD! Stay tuned everyone!

-Josh Grabowski

Parks and Running

Not really too much art related news here, but today I just got a brand new pair of running shoes. BIG NEWS! I'm overly excited and felt it absolutely necessary to christen the shoes with a nice 10-miler through the park. Over my past couple running trips, I've paid special attention to the park trails, trees, and landscaping. Since the park that I recently painted in the "skyline piece" went so well, I feel especially drawn to the intricacies of the elaborate pathways running through these parks (pun intended). Maybe a start to a series of works involving parks? Too early to tell, but I can promise that I will keep posting my recent stuff.

I recently put up more artwork (nothing new, but rather items that would ship easier if a sale was made) on my page from Artbreak.com. After only a couple days, there is more comments and hype coming in from it. Exciting. Inspiring! Entertaining! HA! Take a look if you feel inclined to do so, but don't expect anything too special just yet: http://www.artbreak.com/joshgrabowski. I have to credit Artbreak with a successful sale earlier this summer, so to any other artists, this is a simple FREE site you can utilize to get your name out there and possibly make some sales in the mean time! Lots of great artwork to browse on the site too!

My personal mental note for the day: Just Keep Running, Just Keep Running!

-Josh Grabowski

Newest Commission Piece

This is the newest piece that I was commissioned for. It now holds a residency with my other "Yellow Rose" piece in a private collection currently in Downers Grove, IL. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT ERIC! :) For those of you that would like to pay close attention to detail, you can see a picture of the backside here (originally took this picture for myself to reference the way I framed the picture and attached the hanging hardware). You might notice the style of this painting was inspired from the Autumn painting I created a couple months earlier for About.com's monthly painting project. Heavy paint and palette knifes create an interesting texture for the leaves. Eventually when the piece is dry enough, I like to run my fingers (VERY CAREFULLY) across the surface; visual and physical appeal! This piece came around after a recent sale on a website, comparable to eBay but tailored to artists, Artbreak.com. You can take a look at my personal page here. Since the sale of my work went so well on this site, I plan to post more material on my page in hopes to keep the art sales going! Hoping everyone is well! Now GO! Be creative everyone, it feels wonderful! -Josh Grabowski