frankgonzales.blogspot

finch and pipes

2012-01-26T12:09:00.000-05:00

the show at Silver Queen Fine Art this past weekend went great! I'll post some pics real soon. in the meantime, here's a new 18x24 i just finished the other night. the plants are called dutchman's pipes. they're really unique.

a show approaches

2012-01-14T13:18:00.000-05:00

buenos dias 12x12

him and her 16x20

three bees 12x12

Front of show flier

back of show flier

these are the last three works for the show. just shipped off yesterday to Silver Queen Fine Art. ten collabs and ten of my own. Stoked!

busy week!

2012-01-07T19:36:00.002-05:00

12x12

18x24

11x14

finished these four during the week. i can totally get used to this painting full time business! these will be in the Silver Queen show in two weeks.

four more

2012-01-02T18:43:00.000-05:00

here are the last four collabs for our upcoming show. now i have several of my own to finish. man oh man, its crunch time!! its been nothing but go go go since we moved back with seeing relatives and friends during the holidays. some of the dust has settled and now its hermit mode. hope you all had a great holiday and wish you all the best in the new year!!!!!

big move out west

2011-12-17T15:33:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-26T14:18:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-21T22:08:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-11-18T15:30:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-10T16:53:00.001-05:00

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

swallow and nest

2011-11-07T11:07:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-01T12:38:00.001-04:00

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

2011-10-20T18:31:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-14T16:12:00.000-04:00

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!

2011-10-08T18:07:00.002-04:00

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

2011-09-22T13:08:00.000-04:00

finished up last night.

18x18

2011-09-21T13:16:00.001-04:00

working in one more piece for my show next week!

Holy Frijoles Batman!

2011-09-16T17:55:00.000-04:00

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

promo

2011-09-16T15:04:00.001-04:00

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

2011-09-12T12:30:00.001-04:00

11x14 acrylic on panel

bobcat

2011-09-09T14:44:00.001-04:00

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

2011-09-06T14:31:00.000-04:00

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

2011-09-02T13:26:00.000-04:00

11x14 acrylic on panel

feature

2011-09-02T12:56:00.000-04:00

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

2011-08-30T15:59:00.002-04:00

10x10 acrylic on panel

beyer's scarab

2011-08-29T15:35:00.002-04:00

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

10x10 acrylic on panel

MoJo PoR ViDa!

2011-08-25T15:47:00.003-04:00

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

2011-08-25T14:18:00.005-04:00

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

2011-08-24T13:49:00.000-04:00

16x20 acrylic on panel

black bird and bat flowers

2011-08-22T16:09:00.003-04:00

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

2011-08-18T13:34:00.002-04:00

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

probably go back and fine tune this evening.

ladies

2011-08-16T17:54:00.002-04:00

portion of a new painting with lady slipper orchids.

2011-08-09T13:33:00.000-04:00

a little more

2011-08-04T12:26:00.004-04:00

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

2011-08-03T17:11:00.002-04:00

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

advert

2011-08-03T16:42:00.002-04:00

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

2011-08-03T16:34:00.002-04:00

home

2011-08-02T13:48:00.004-04:00

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

cacti

2011-07-27T16:25:00.001-04:00

meater 24x30

2011-07-26T13:32:00.001-04:00

finished over the weekend.

Santa Muerte

2011-07-21T15:00:00.002-04:00

finished image

retablo pt2

2011-07-20T13:20:00.001-04:00

added the orchids and some design on the skull last night.

Retablo

2011-07-19T16:45:00.002-04:00

working on a Retablo for a group show at Beals and Abbate in Santa Fe at the end of this month. i decided to do theme mine Dia De Los Muertos.

For more info on Retablos and the show, CLICK HERE.

all retablos are 23 x 14.5 in.

meat eaters

2011-07-18T12:03:00.002-04:00

started on the plants portion over the weekend.

2011-07-15T15:54:00.003-04:00

iphone pic from last nights session. i'm pretty impressed with the image quality considering its from a phone.

family

2011-07-13T16:09:00.002-04:00

did this for a family member. the top portion isn;t as dark as the pic implies. maybe i should've painted it that way. well, you get the idea.

carnivors

2011-07-12T14:40:00.002-04:00

Burrowing Owl + Carnivorous Plants= Awesome

the background is much more blue in person.

Amplifier 20x24 acrylic on panel

2011-07-07T16:02:00.002-04:00

since then

2011-07-06T15:47:00.001-04:00

since the last posting. some more stuff.

hummmmmm

2011-06-30T16:07:00.002-04:00

finished one of the Hummingbirds this morning. i've been getting up earlier and attempting to get at least an hour of painting done before the ol' day job. its an adjustment as i'm usually up until 2-2:30am painting the night before. no complaints though, i love what i do.

epiphyllum

2011-06-29T17:35:00.003-04:00

i guess with so many in progress postings as of late i figured no need to explain too much and insult your intelligence.

18x24

2011-06-28T17:09:00.002-04:00

gander 24x24 acrylic on canvas

2011-06-23T13:43:00.003-04:00

2011-06-22T15:19:00.003-04:00

not the best quality pic, but not too shabby coming from a iphone.

flor

2011-06-21T13:48:00.000-04:00

drooring

2011-06-17T15:27:00.002-04:00

drew a new composition on a 24x24 canvas.

untitled so far

2011-06-16T15:30:00.001-04:00

are you sick of this piece yet after so many progress postings? haha

solo

2011-06-14T14:24:00.002-04:00

a couple of close ups and a shot of the studio with all the work i have ahead of me for my solo show at Beals and Abbate Fine Art in Santa Fe, NM on Sept. 30th.

mas y mas y mas y mas

2011-06-10T14:06:00.000-04:00

since i titled my last posting mas y mas i had to post this. one of my favorite bands.

mas y mas

2011-06-10T13:53:00.002-04:00

i was starting to get a bit concerned about too much negative space but as it develops i think it'll work. gives the imagery room to breathe and move around.

2011-06-08T14:43:00.002-04:00

from last nights session.

pencil

2011-06-07T15:55:00.002-04:00

penciled in a new 36x36. i had to punch the contrast in photoshop so the lines would show. background is a real light "beigey color". how you like that for art speak.

fin

2011-06-01T15:28:00.002-04:00

finished last night. i think the blue helped balance out the contrast overall. the values of the bird and roots were a little too similar. plus, this blue is just a great color.

la vida en la muerto

2011-05-31T16:19:00.002-04:00

worked on this one a little more over the weekend. can't wait to get crackin' on it tonight.

roots

2011-05-25T14:23:00.005-04:00

finally started painting again after taking a week off. it was much needed and felt great to recharge. a week is long enough for me. anything more and i start having withdrawals. during that time off i'm thinking a lot about new compositions and ideas. its a constant cycle and of course i should know better and just let go, relax, and let the process unfold. ha! easier said than done. i've always have this really weird period before working on a new series of paintings. i get this depressing-like, anxiety feeling before getting back into the groove. it feels like i forgot how to paint and have run out of ideas or the work is just crap. for me getting started is sometimes the hardest part. the best solution i've learned thus far is to mentally drag your ass kicking and screaming to the easel and get to work!

here's some roots i painted direct on panel as a result.

i feel much better now.

oriole & nest

2011-05-17T14:28:00.001-04:00

finished up and varnished last night.

ideas

2011-05-13T13:37:00.003-04:00

been generating some ideas for new work. i have a lot of painting ahead of me. going to have a solo show in Santa Fe in October! oh ya, the staining on the sketchbook is the result of a bottle of ink sloshing around in my backpack.

nest and oriole

2011-05-05T14:40:00.004-04:00

i came back to this piece last night. i've been waiting to get cracking on it. 16x20 on panel

fin

2011-05-02T14:05:00.003-04:00

i finished the most part over the weekend. crazy, this pic was taken from my phone. pardon that glare from the light, annoying.

mojo por vida

2011-04-29T18:08:00.003-04:00

promoting a little side project my girlfriend, cousin and i recently started. its a blog called Mojo Por Vida (click on title for link). its based on Mexican culture with an emphasis on all things Dia De Los Muertos. its still early in its stages but please stop by and show some love and possibly be a follower. we're going to start selling some handmade wares too so keep them ojos peeled. have a great weekend.

progress report

2011-04-27T15:43:00.003-04:00

an update on the commission i've been working on. also, our orchid bloomed its first flower of the season on Sunday! i've had this orchid for about four years now and this is the second time its bloomed. at the moment we have two orchids and a nepenthes pitcher plant in our terrarium.

some mo'

2011-04-19T11:57:00.003-04:00

close ups from last night's session. the background color isn't as pink as the top pic suggests. its closer to the bottom one, kind of......

8x8

2011-04-12T15:53:00.005-04:00

painted this for my friend Jeff Faerber's birthday. 8x8 acrylic on panel

2011-04-12T15:53:00.001-04:00

over the weekend

2011-04-11T14:09:00.002-04:00

weekend doings.

washy wash

2011-04-07T13:47:00.003-04:00

worshed in some foliage to see what i'm working with. i normally don't do any type of underpainting. although, i dig some areas and might try to leave them alone but knowing me it'll be too tempting not to paint over.

36x48

2011-04-06T12:14:00.003-04:00

here's a 36x48 commission i'm penciling in. its a little difficult to see the marks so i punched the contrast in photoshop. the background color is a mauvy/tanish color.

nest

2011-03-30T12:04:00.004-04:00

sketched this in last night on a 16x20 panel.

man, working on panel sure is the Bee's Knees..

Dogwood in Spring

2011-03-29T13:02:00.002-04:00

think this one's finito.

2011-03-23T17:24:00.001-04:00

ny times?!

2011-03-23T13:54:00.003-04:00

one of my pieces i did for the single fare show at Sloan Fine Art was featured in an online article of the NY Times. Neato! here's the link: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/revealing-the-soul-of-the-metrocard/ i must admit i was taken back considering the caliber of work they featured.

mocking bird

2011-03-21T12:14:00.003-04:00

quick pics i took this morning. started adding a mocking bird last night. i plan on adding a woodpecker as well. stay tuned.

bee

2011-03-15T14:32:00.001-04:00

painted this for my girlfriend as one of her birthday gifts.

another metro card painting

2011-03-14T13:07:00.002-04:00

its yours for 100 bucks at the Single Fare show.

uno mas

2011-03-10T13:18:00.002-05:00

painted another metro card for the upcoming Single Fare show.

2011-03-08T12:21:00.002-05:00

slooowly taking shape.

Single Fare

2011-03-07T15:58:00.003-05:00

some pieces my girlfriend and i have done for the Single Fare: Please Swipe Again show at Sloan Fine Art. the show is from March 18th - 26th and is open to all that wish to partake. the premise is basically small works made on used Metro Cards. its been a great opportunity to experiment with some collage. there's one painting i've done so far though. you can check out their blog here: http://singlefare.blogspot.com/

chopping away

2011-03-03T22:00:00.002-05:00

dogwood

2011-03-02T13:16:00.004-05:00

started marking in some dogwood flowers last night. next step is to solidify some shapes and tame this mess. nonetheless it really felt good to slosh some paint around.

blank stare

2011-03-01T01:18:00.005-05:00

just bought some new canvases and panels. i haven't painted for two weeks now. these blank surfaces are making me nervous and anxious.

and so it begins...

out west

2011-02-20T17:47:00.006-05:00

Art show in Park City at Silver Queen Fine Art and a family visit in Arizona. The best time. More pics to come.

stuff

2011-02-07T12:18:00.003-05:00

i like photoshop. just thought this was funny,

cleaned up my terrarium. added a new nepenthes to the mix. super excited

8x8

well, we're off to Park City this week for my two man show "Highly Intoxicating" with Richard Salcido at Silver Queen Fine Art. my studio is empty and ready to have more works in progress. until then its time to relax, enjoy the show and spend a week with familia in Arizona.

second attempt

2011-01-27T17:53:00.003-05:00

the title is called second attempt because i made the bonehead move of taking it outside to clear coat the scribble mark before varnishing. well, needless to say I ended up spraying a nice light coat of white over it instead of clear coat. i went back and painted over it and actually left some areas where it was sprayed. could lend for some future experimentation though?!

2011 Laguna Art Museum Art Auction

2011-01-25T14:34:00.003-05:00

i'm proud to announce that my piece Vagabond will be on auction at the Laguna Art Museum this February. if you're in Southern California show some love. here's a link for more information: http://lagunaartmuseum.org/auction-100

out loud

2011-01-25T14:29:00.002-05:00

on the ol' easel waiting for me to come home and finish

mas y mas

2011-01-20T17:33:00.002-05:00

i finished up the bluejay (below) and started on this little guy last night. 12x12 acrylic on panel

bluejay

2011-01-18T14:19:00.003-05:00

in the process of choppin' this lil guy. 12x12 on panel.

vocale

2011-01-14T13:23:00.003-05:00

stayed up way too late last night, painting. this is the result. he's raging about something. i'm not sure exactly what about, but seems very passionate about it. i don't blame him, these are stressful times.

you know my steez

2011-01-13T17:33:00.002-05:00

hummmm

2011-01-11T15:41:00.002-05:00

this is the largest hummingbird i've painted so far. its been a great experience to paint something completely out of scale. i normally do, but this one's a little more extreme than others.

my time in new york thus far

2011-01-07T12:29:00.002-05:00

i just made this in photoshop for kicks. i used a pic i took looking out one of our windows and fancied it up using poladroid. i though it was funny.