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Art

This section of my portfolio contains a selection of art I have done. At the moment, it is mostly non-digital pieces I have scanned into the computer. I particularly enjoy using oil pastels and paint (acrylic paint more recently, though I have used watercolour in the past). My most recent pieces have been pen/ink works.

You can use the thumbnails below to quickly skip to a specific piece, or simply scroll down the page to view each work along with a description. Clicking on the preview included with each description will enlarge the image. The images are not in chronological order.

Discrete

FINE 120 Works

Grade 12

Pre-grade 12

BACK TO TOP"Cliche"

"Cliche"

Media:Pen and ink on paper.

Size:27.9cm x 35.6cm (11" x 14")

"Cliche" (Poster)

Media:Digital print on "photo satin" (semi-gloss) paper.

Size:Approx. 63.5cm x 84.5cm (25" x 33 1/4")

Description:As in my other works of this type, the original image was scanned into the computer. I have decided to try my hand at making posters of these, and this is my first attempt. I am still planning my more extensive large progression of this piece.

BACK TO TOP"Extrusion" / "Perspective Extrusion"

"Extrusion"

Media:Pen and ink on paper.

Size:27.9cm x 35.6cm (11" x 14")

"Perspective Extrusion"

Media:Photographic prints, pen/ink, acrylic paint on poster board.

Size:Approx. 76.2cm x 101.6cm (2'6" x 3'4")

Description:As in "Humanity, Discrete", the original image was scanned, printed, and reassembled. I wrote a small program to generate a semi-distorted grid which I then drew using a felt-tip pen. The border of the image is black acrylic paint. I have photos and a detailed description of the process that I will post when I have the time.

BACK TO TOP"Discrete" / "Humanity, Discrete"

"Discrete"

Media:Pen and ink on paper.

Size:61.0cm x 15.2cm (24" x 6")

"Humanity, Discrete"

Media:Photographic prints and acrylic paint on panel.

Size:Approx. 1.8m x 76.2cm (6' x 2'6")

Description:This is the first work of at least 3 I will complete using a similar technique (the other two are at various stages of completion at the moment). The original pen and ink drawing was scanned into the computer and broken into a series of smaller images, which I then took to be developed as photographs. Each photograph is twice the physical dimensions (therefore four times the area) of the corresponding "piece" of the original. I then reassembled the larger image on the canvas. The original itself was done using only a pen (Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5) and a ruler. I also have a more detailed description of the process along with photographs, which I will post when I have the time.

BACK TO TOPStill Life (in Charcoal)

Media:Charcoal on paper.

Description:This was a homework assignment to draw a still life in charcoal.

BACK TO TOPEggs

Media:White conte on black paper.

Description:This was an in-class assignment to draw a carton of eggs, focussing particularly on proper perspective. It is a warm-up for "Cupboard".

BACK TO TOPCupboard

Media:White conte on black paper.

Description:This was a homework assignment to draw the interior of a cupboard, focussing particularly on proper perspective.

BACK TO TOPBroom

Media:Charcoal on paper (with eraser).

Description:This was an in-class assignment to draw a copy of an existing work, as warm-up for "Corner". In this work, the charcoal was put on the white paper first, and erased off to produce the final image.

BACK TO TOPCorner

Media:Charcoal on paper (with eraser).

Description:This was a homework assignment to draw the corner of a room. In this work, the charcoal was put on the white paper first, and erased off to produce the final image.

BACK TO TOPSnack Time (Sweet Tooth)

Media:Watercolour on paper. (Signed in white pencil crayon).

Size:45.5cm x 60.5cm (18" x 23¾")

Description:Anyone familiar with the Twisted Metal video game series will recognize Sweet Tooth as its "mascot". I took a small liberty in making both his eyes visible (as seen in the latest game, his left eye has part of the mask over it). I painted Sweet tooth because his face has an interesting range of values. His flaming hair also provides an interesting light source. I included a surrealistic "tabletop" so that I could experiment with this light source.

I also experimented with different techniques in watercolour painting. For the details of Sweet Tooth's face I used smaller, finer brush strokes, which I have used in previous watercolour paintings. However, I used broader strokes for parts of the torso, the tabletop, and his flaming hair. The hair was done using watered down paint to help with the flame effect. Finally, I used a larger brush, also with more dilute paint, to create the red background.

BACK TO TOPHandgun

Media:Oil pastel on paper.

Size:27.9cm x 35.6cm (11" x 14")

Description:This is my depiction of the fusion of a hand and a gun. I tried to impart a sense of overall motion; the falling clip, which is not completely solid (and appears in two places at once), and the ambiguous vertical background were my attempts to do this. I also used a drab colourscheme to give it a somber tone.

BACK TO TOPMetaphor

Media:Pencil crayon on paper. (White acrylic paint and felt marker used for text).

Size:27.9cm x 35.6cm (11" x 14")

Description:This is my own commentary on some forms of modern art. I tend not to like the trend towards oversimplified metaphorical art. This is not because I necessarily dislike such art in and of itself, but instead because it can easily lead to meaningless work being prescribed meaning by the artist or critics. This situation does not annoy me so much as amuse me.

The hypothetical artist in this work has placed a blue circle on white canvas in an ornate frame and hung it up. Something that was simple and meaningless, when placed in this context, is prescribed meaning and value it did not have before.

BACK TO TOPModern Interpretation of Discrete Forms

Media:Pen/ink on paper.

Size:27.9cm x 35.6cm (11" x 14")

Description:This is one piece in a series of similar works I have done, and is the first true "work" I have done in this style. Generally, I have produced such things as a way to relieve boredom. I like exploring how a set of monochromatic, discrete shapes can effect the viewer. If you look closely, there is a thin white line separating all of the major shapes in this image, however the human eye will often ignore this separation; giving the illusion (for example) that some objects are obscured by others or that some objects comprise larger forms.

I also used this piece to improve my technique in order to prepare for Discrete.

BACK TO TOPPrinting Press, Burning

Media:Oil pastel on paper.

Size:21.6cm x 27.9cm (8½" x 11")

Description:This is one work in a series of twelve studies of a printing press (for an idea of how the press itself looks, look at Diagrammatic Sketch of Printing Press).

This was actually the first image in the series. This is, I believe, my most detailed pastel work to date. Most of my other works with pastel have been much more "sweeping" -- relying more on a general colour, shape, and feeling to create an object's appearance. The press, on the other hand, has some of the smaller details as opposed to a basic shape.

Another interesting aspect to this work (which is not as obvious in the scanned image) is the smoke, which I created by smearing black pastel on the image with my finger.

BACK TO TOPPrinting Press in Monochrome

Media:Acrylic paint on paper.

Size:21.6cm x 27.9cm (8½" x 11")

Description:This is one work in a series of twelve studies of a printing press (for an idea of how the press itself looks, look at Diagrammatic Sketch of Printing Press).

This work focuses on a specific area of the printing press (where the large roller is anchored to one side) rather than on the press as a whole. It is a monochromatic image (Note: this does not mean black and white, it means in tones of the same colour). This is (I think) the second painting I have done using acrylic paint. These days, I prefer it over watercolour; it has a much stronger impact on the viewer and offers more possibilities for using different techniques (in my opinion).

BACK TO TOPPrinting Press, Abstract

Media:Pencil crayon on paper.

Size:21.6cm x 27.9cm (8½" x 11")

Description:This is one work in a series of twelve studies of a printing press (for an idea of how the press itself looks, look at Diagrammatic Sketch of Printing Press).

This is an abstract interpretation of the press. It presents a simplified view with large, blocky shapes. I tried to use colour and shading in a way that would give the impression of each fragment "growing" out of the whole.

BACK TO TOPDiagrammatic Sketch of Printing Press

Media:Pencil on paper.

Size:21.6cm x 27.9cm (8½" x 11")

Description:This is one work in a series of twelve studies of a printing press.

This is a simplified, "faux-isometric" version of the printing press I used as an inspiration for the series ("faux" because I did not actually use the isometric ratios or angles, nor did I actually measure the press and draw it to scale). I simply wanted to capture the geometric nature of the object.

BACK TO TOPIdentity

Media:Pencil on paper.

Size:21.6cm x 27.9cm (8½" x 11")

Description:This is a rough merging of Umberto Boccioni's Unique Forms of Continuity in Space and Giovanni Bernini's Nile (part of his Fountain of Four Rivers). Besides Unique Forms being one of my favourite sculptures, I chose it because I knew replicating its metallic reflections using pencil would be an interesting challenge. Reproducing the effect of the light on the metal required not only shading the dark areas correctly, but also not sketching the areas of intense light.

I chose Boccioni's Nile mainly because its motion fit with this piece.

BACK TO TOPSilo ("Nuns for Peace")

Media:Oil pastel on paper.

Size:21.6cm x 27.9cm (8½" x 11")

Description:This is one of the earliest pastels I did that I was actually pleased with. It is my commentary on a group of nuns who were arrested for "attacks" on missile silos in the United States. They pounded on the silos with hammers and smeared them with their blood as a protest of the Iraqi war. I personally found their actions somewhat contradictory to their message, and made this piece as a commentary.

Besides social commentary, I also experimented with light and shadow in Silo. I attempted to model vertical folds in the silo, as well as give it an overall cylindrical volume. The shadow is also something I played with to give it a realistic feel.

I used greys and drab colour in this piece to give it a somber mood, in contrast to Yum, which I tried to give a lighter, comical feel.

BACK TO TOPYum

Media:Oil pastel on paper. (Marker used for text).

Size:21.6cm x 27.9cm (8½" x 11")

Description:This is probably the second pastel work I did which I truly liked (it was done after Silo). Besides my attempt to satirize a newly-set world record for the largest cookie (18 tonnes and 30 metres across), I was again experimenting with light. I tried to give the cookie a tangible volume, as well as give an impression of its size using the distant "bakers".

In contrast to Silo, which was done around the same time, I used a less drab colourscheme to try for a comical tone.