Have you seen my xiphoid process?

Imagine drawing this at 8 in the morning on the first day of your...Abstraction class? That's right, first day of my Observation to Abstraction class we had to draw a to-scale drawing of the back from neck to hip. I'm surprised to say that it was actually easy (for that time of the morning).  What was really funny was the fact the my professor (Kevin Wixted) came over, said my clavicle was too long. I disagreed, so he measured and...it was perfect.  From this drawing we of course had to make abstractions from the drawing (It being an "observation" to "abstraction" class after all) which was fun, and led to some interesting things.  I will post those drawing eventually, but as you can probably see this image is bad enough, the others are worse.  So as soon as I have a better lighting set up, new pictures will replace this one.

Graphically Aided?

These three drawings are from my freshman year at Alfred University.  The are on massive pieces of rag paper drawn with charcoal.  This particular assignment had an intriguing project outline.  First we where suppose to make objects with a partner using found things then dipping them in plaster.  Once they set, we lit them and drew them.  A picture was taken of them when they where done and we had to th
en create a new image using Photo-shop as a tool.  The third drawing was then to switch objects with someone draw that one, but draw as if you were Photo-shop.  So you could rotate, insert new material, morph other material; Basically whatever we wanted to do (as long as it was based off of the object somehow) and that was how the last drawing was created.  Looking back at these drawings, I wish I had done more to the Photoshopped original drawing, I think it looks way to similar.  Something I really enjoy in the last drawing is that as you look at it you can keep finding things (cows, fish, screaming faces etc...) all over the place, it isn't too serious or literal; It really was just a ton of fun!

Architecture Studies

The top study was done my freshman year in charcoal on rag paper, the bottom my sophomore year in ink on loose canvas.  I find architectural drawings to be so interesting.  They really provide a great venue for setting a certain kind of moody-ness that I really enjoy. 

Self Portraits

These two self-portraits where done my freshman year in college. The bottom picture was an assignment, which was an allegorical self-portrait, at the time I was focused on unsureness and time as a theme and decided to do another piece based off of the one I did for school. Currently I'm not interested in that particular theme; though the idea of time is still something I find intriguing. When it comes to self portraits now I find my self more interested in the idea of a "self-portrait" done of someone else. The idea that the viewer can not know if a self portrait is actually a self portrait, or how an artist may elude to the fact that when a viewer is looking at the "self-portrait" that may not be the actual person. I feel there are a lot of ideals that can come from this theme. Concepts questioning if we really know who we are, what our place is in the world etc...( the answer is obviously 42, but that is a topic for another day) These all being questions I not only ask my self, but that I ask my work, and hope that my viewer will ask too.

Figure Studies

Both of these drawings came out of the same studio class (observation to abstraction). The top being a classic figure drawing, the other a study of movement. Charcoal and Ink, 22x30

Still Life

Selected still life drawings from Freshman year in college. We drew boxes, white boxes, colored boxes, and boxes with fabric and despite the...redundant subject matter these two drawings I feel came out rather well. I most definitely learned a lot from them.