big move out west

good ol' AZ sunshine this time of year. 

oooooh i've missed homemade tamales!!!!!!!

last day in NY w/ my love and cat in tow. 

the ol' studio, for now.

well, we packed up everything, movers came a day early, slept in an empty apt for two days and flew out to Arizona. here we are! my girlfriend Christy and I grew up in AZ and haven't lived here in well over 10 years. my life's journey has been a hell of a ride so far and i wouldn't change a single event. i'm looking forward to what the future brings. we're also fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work from home which has been a huuuge dream of ours (plus being in a place where the cost of living is cheaper than NY helps a bit). i can't believe i'm going to be painting full time! wow! its hasn't hit me yet and it feels like vacation at the moment but it will settle in soon enough. i still have a boat load of paintings to do for our January show so i've set up shop temporarily at ma's house. i'm so excited to work. its been waaaay to long. here's some pics so far. more to come!

 p.s. it feels great to come back to a place that shows so much love. 

wrens traps and fungi

finished this yesterday. i was doing some research and found about earpick fungus. its a type of fungus that grows out of rotted pinecones. i thought that was pretty damn awesome so i incorporated some flytraps and some wrens that stopped by to chat. 

hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

collabs

here's a collab update. been having a great time with these. i must admit that i was quite stressed when presented with the theme "pin ups and pussycats". i was thinking "well what the hell am i going to do??" "how am i going to contribute?" blah blah...

getting out of my comfort zone wasn't easy but now i'm having a blast. i'm learning that sometimes less is more and keeping things simple can have a bigger effect than adding a bunch of "stuffs".  when Richard sends me the figures i get a bit nervous considering how superb of a painter he is. 

im still here!

hey there. i know posts have been a bit sparse as of late, BUT i'm still here peoples! i took a shot of the studio this morning to prove it. the works hanging to the right are the collabs i'm working on with my buddy Richard Salcido. there will be 10 total. the solid colored pieces against the other wall are my own works for the same show. you can 't see from this pic but most of those works already have sketched in compositons. i normally work on one piece at a time but since time is crazy sensative right now i've been drawing out all my compositions in advance. i've learned a lot doing this and have been enjoying it. while in the moment of drawing one piece i can play with ideas and have them bounce around which feeds the next. of course this may seem like a common sense approach, but for me this opens up doors production wise. now its down to the meat and potatoes part of slinging paint! im excited too because i'm scaling my day job down to two days a week which free's up three full weekdays for painting!

release the Kracken!!! oh ya, and we're preparing for a move to the southwest in December!? pressure?............maybe a little bit :)

humminigbirdddd

finished this 11x14 last night. took the pic with my phone. all things considered, purdy darn clear wouldn't you say?!

swallow and nest

did this cave swallow and nest last night. 11x14 acrylic on panel. i was surprised to rock it in one session. it was the result of pent up painting energy, stress, listening to my gut and giving myself a mental slap in the mug while holding myself by the collar. sort of like when bugs bunny is trying to tell daffy to get a hold of himself.  whatta maroon...

nonetheless, i'm wide awake and its time. 

funk

pardon the lack of posts, if any of you were concerned. since my recent show a lot has been going on. at the day job we've been moving into a new space and at home we're slowly packing up for our move. i'm also working on some collaborations and my own work for an upcoming show in January. overall, there's been a lot of non organization which has hindered my art production and overall mental. i didn't think it would affect things as much as it has. as a result i'm just getting over a cold, bleh. BUT, i'm getting back in my groove and now its time to turn and burn. more progress pics to come. 

woodpecker 12x12

this little guy's going up for auction at the Laguna Art Museum in January. show some love if you're in the SoCal area.

hooty hoo!

pin ups and pussycats

here's one of ten collaboration pieces i'm doing with my good friend Richard Salcido for our annual two man show at Silver Queen Fine Art. this year the gallery themed the show Pin Ups and Pussycats. i'm excited for these as they'll break me out of my comfort zone (i've never painted a tiger, but it sure was fun). well, it makes me nervous actually. time to get busy!!!

Fragments of Nature at Beals and Abbate Fine Art!

i can definitely see why Santa Fe is coined "the land of enchantment". i can't believe its already been a week since the show! words can't explain the love we received and the humbleness i feel. more pics to come. here's a few for now.  a very special thank you to Bobby, Anthony, Jacob, Josh and Christy for your support........wow.

proposito 18x18 acrylic on panel

finished up last night. 

18x18

working in one more piece for my show next week!

Holy Frijoles Batman!

Just received a sneak peek pic of the October issue of American Art Collector Magazine. my work made the COVER!! wow.

promo

here's a promo video for Beals and Abbate Gallery. i must admit, its hard to not be so critical of oneself while watching. anyway, enjoy. 

Check It HERE.

opposites attract

11x14 acrylic on panel

bobcat

started this bobcat skull last night. i didn't even plan on painting after being crazy tired from a jog and full from a great dinner. i was just planning on working out a composition. well, it never goes down like that, one thing leads to another then you realize its 2 in the morning. man, i love what i do. 

hummingbird moth and columbines

finished this 11x14 over the weekend. 

 this will be part of my show at beals and abbate this month. man, its getting close!!

barn swallow

11x14 acrylic on panel

feature

got a little feature in the September issue of VECU Magazine.

you an check out their website HERE. you can also download a FREE PDF copy or purchase a hard copy HERE.

word.

cicada killer

10x10 acrylic on panel

beyer's scarab

a plusiotis beyeri or Beyer's Scarab. they're native to my home state of Arizona.

10x10 acrylic on panel

MoJo PoR ViDa!

promoting a little side project i have going with my girlfriend Christy called Mojo Por Vida. its an outlet we use to show and sell our handmade goods based on things we dig like Dia de Los Muertos, Pin Ups and the like.

Please stop by and say hello and don't forget to visit our Etsy shop too!

You can visit the Mojo Blog Here: Mojo Por Vida

horale!

adverts

american art collector

southwest art magazine

here's the full page advert for my solo show at Beals and Abbate Fine Art. it's going to be running in the October issue of American Art Collector which will come out mid September. awesome!

also, there's currently a full page running in the new Sept issue of Southwest Art Magazine!!

mischief

16x20 acrylic on panel

black bird and bat flowers

new 16x20 in progress of some white leaf bat flowers and a blackbird. can't go wrong with that combo.

stayed up a little extra late last night finishing it up.

probably go back and fine tune this evening.

ladies

portion of a new painting with lady slipper orchids.

a little more

got a late start last night. it was a challenge to pull shades of green on a yellow ground. it was fun to play with though.

skunk cabbage

started this last night. i'm a fan of roots.

advert

here's the advert that's going to run in the September issue of Southwest Art Magazine for my solo show at Beals and Abbate Fine Art on Sept. 30th. it's so cool seeing your stuff in print.

refuge 16x20

home

i still have one more session on this i think. i have a personal nostalgia for cacti. reminds me of home.