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!

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

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

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

Raw Sienna

Tinting canvases today for a warmer color base. Turpenoid, raw sienna oil paint, and a nice sized brush will do the trick... all I have to do is wait for the base to dry and I'll be on my way to completing the commission piece. :)

Traffic to my blog is looking up, which could possibly mean that it is about time to get my "real" art site up and running. Look for [at least] two brand new finished large paintings by the 6th! Smooth sailing folks!

More of the Reflections Project

I'd like to share a little collage of pictures from my Reflections series. This collage of images was put together for a gallery viewing opportunity but I went with another image instead (I didn't think this image showed them well enough). After browsing many sites for hosting my artwork, I think I may have found a couple that offer services with advertisements appearing on the page for their "free version" where at any point you can choose to upgrade for a reasonable monthly fee... I figure, what do I have to lose? It's free! I'm going to try to get these images up soon since it has been about a month and a half now and I've done plenty of research at this point!

I've been working on some still life pieces recently, just for fun. I'll put the results and the works-in-progress up over the next few days.

Hope everyone is taking advantage of the wonderful weather, and if not... get out there!

-Joshua Grabowski

the pictures are in!

Thanks to the help of some friends of mine, I recently was introduced to a young photographer willing to help me get some quality photos of my work ready for the new site! :) It has been a blast putting the work together for this collection and I can't wait to share it with everyone!

a very awesome detail shot from the photo shoot 
last night of one of the new pieces

Info on the new site & body of work will be coming soon. Pooling the materials together now, including photos, website, and business cards (if you'd like one of my snazzy cards let me know), so I can present this new material properly. Looking forward to what the universe will send for me ('universe' can also be read 'often-times-harsh-and-cold-world').

Live life passionately, create your path.

-Josh(ua) Grabowski

working!

after all the preparation and planning, my current work is coming to fruition what seems to be effortlessly. stay tuned for the "unveiling" of my newest series and (hopefully) a link to my new art site. :)

creativity is inevitable, being able to actually create it is a blessing.

-Josh Grabowski

The scent of oils...

...has filled my painting space. Working on some masonite boards right now (as well as many other projects) shown below. Each is 24" x 48" primed oil on board. Work-flow on full force forward. Something has to happen, the universe must align soon. I can feel it.




above left is progressing well. you can see my attempt at putting a reflection for the lowest "angel", right is the start to another similar scene with a parthenon dome in the sky rather than columns. considering addint wings or angels to this as well to link these as a pair a little more.


Other projects going on that I will share more information about later. Thanks for reading friends.

-Josh Grabowski

prime time

The body is constructed, time to put on the final supports, stretch the final pieces and prime. Patience and anticipation is key here everyone. The hard work for the proper, well-executed beginning has been put in. Everything seems a little easier when it is done correct the first time. Looking forward to where this project is headed. Consumingly exciting, just as much as it is excitingly consuming. Just some pics here that I took while working over the past couple days. Maybe they will come in handy if I ever compile all my thoughts and "lessons learned" to write that book I've always been looking for everywhere that sells oil painter books. Book due date: 20-and-longtimefromnow! Lots of work to do before I get ahead of myself. Preparation meets opportunity nicely, I'll be ready.

above left is the nail gun and wood glue used to brace the corners, right is the blank canvas with staple gun used to stretch the material taut over the framework.

GO BE CREATIVE! :) IT'S EVERYWHERE AROUND YOU!

-Josh Grabowski

on track

everything is flowing very smoothly. if i keep this momentum going forward, i'll be way ahead of the estimated timeline for my new project!

time to call it a night so i can do this all over again tomorrow

side note: painting.about.com's suggested art contests turned out to work in my favor as i was one of 20 winners for some free acrylic paint! lucky me! chroma europe is shipping me my prize! :o)

-Josh Grabowski

Breaking Ground

Starting the next BIG thing! Just wait, it's going to be great everyone. You can count on it! Going for the WOW factor on this one and I promise to deliver just that!!



I promise to keep up my posting of other pieces as I work on them!

-Josh Grabowski

just because....

I really like the way that this is turning out. My admission to the crowds is that I'm realizing how much I like working in this style, but I'd never tell to any of my other paintings. ;)

Time to get off the procrastination horse and pack my suitcase!

-Josh Grabowski

progress shots that progressively blur.

There is a little bit of bad and good news here. First some bad news: since I just couldn't seems to speed-dry the oils fast enough, not all six that I set out to finish over the weekend will be done in time. Now, some good news: the roses are coming along beautifully. Some more background work (which is debatable) and some final color glazing will be sure to finish these pieces off. Below is a picture of the "home and gardens" piece. Not 100% complete at this stage and although this picture was taken with a regular digital camera, apparently my horribly shaky hands leave me with yet another blurry F-ing picture. Total FML type shit here, I'm tellin ya! Even though the pictures are to be recording the progress, they are progressively blurring. Thanks bartender, I'll have another round.


Tomorrow I'm takin a little plane ride back to the midwest. Lucky me! Land of beer and cheese awaits me!

-Josh Grabowski

The Study of Roses

Today has been the great start to a weekend saturated with art, more directly my art. If the universe aligns and my hard work and commitment leave completed pieces in my hands, art sales could come through which would make me a very happy boy! (all the more reason to keep goin!) Below are two rose pieces that I have worked on today. You'll notice the left piece is a little different than what was posted earlier with a few minor changes. The piece on the right is the newest to join the bunch and has the most work left to go.


Another that I like to think of as my "home and gardens" piece is posted below. For some reason I feel like this is just something that you would find in one of those types of magazines... or in someone's bathroom. (note: anyone with floral print bathroom/office/bedroom/etc looking to "jazz it up" with some fresh oil paintings, let me know!) Still toying with the idea of changing the green area of the picture to a deep maroon color, but not sure. I like the way that all three of these paintings form a link between each other, especially when you can see them all at once like this.


If for whatever reason clicking on the image doesn't make it larger, you can click here: top left - top right - bottom or visit my blog directly.

Thanks for checking me out everyone! :-P

-Josh Grabowski

Painting Filled Saturday Continues

Here you'll see the second texture piece which accompanies the first wide piece I posted earlier today. Now I have a "tall" and "wide" painting, otherwise known as a portrait and a landscape piece that could jump start the body of work needed for a "lights on water" series? Either way, things are going great. Lots of paint out right now but the air has been at the mediums all day and most of the night yesterday making it heavier and thicker than normal. When this happens, the paint begins to form a gel almost, somewhere equivalent to painting with semi-dry rubber cement... it's not the most ideal situation. Better put the unusable paints aside and keep on pushin' out these pieces. Deadline is approaching quickly!! :)

-Josh Grabowski

-in case you didn't notice, these pictures were taken with a digital camera, not my phone... much better quality!

Bringing Back Color and Texture

After realizing how much I missed colors while working strictly in black and white I decided to jump head first into my arsenal of pigments! With six primed surfaces (each waiting patiently for me to return back to them), it seemed like a good idea to get creative. These six paintings have many more painting sessions ahead. On that note... headed back to my new babies now.

This piece will be done in the style very similar to Lights on Water (blog title image). This piece is a 12"x24" oil painting on hardboard. All the recent pieces that I am working on share a lot of the same color palettes and all being mixed with Galkyd Lite to promote drying within 24 hours for thinly applied layers.


note from the studio: red oil paint on hands and under nails is very hard to completely remove! forget about it if you get any of it on your clothes! slowly but surely each article of my clothing is going to have some amount of paint on them. occupational hazard.