Exploding Banana Head

Spampersand

Can anyone identify the creator of this for me? Too awesome.

Edit: Apparently, this is the guy that made it. Check out his Corned Beef Hash. Thanks for the tip, Anonymous!

Extraordinary Rendition video

Leedy Volkous installation, pt 3

There is also a looping video on one wall.



Here is a detail of one of the drawings.

Leedy Volkous installation, pt 2

Each frame has a surveillance camera attached to it. These video captures are sent back to a surveillance system placed in another room. All video is backed up on the local drive in the computer.

Leedy Volkous installation

This exhibit debuted at the Sierra Arts Foundation gallery in Reno, NV (huge props to Jill Berryman), but it continues to evolve. It is currently at the Leedy Volkous gallery in Kansas City, MO (huge props to Holly Swangtu). It will eventually end up in Omaha for the first full version of the installation...

These images are clickable details if you want to see them larger. I will post several images and a video over the next few days, including the surveillance system in action. The show has been up since the first week of November and continues on through the end of the month. If you live in KC, check it out.

These drawings are each 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide.

Rendition in Progress, pt 13

A detail from the same stage as below...

Rendition in Progress, pt 12

Not exactly finished, but I had to deliver it to the Leedy-Voulkos as-is. I will likely do a bit more to it when the current show comes down.

Rendition in Progress, pt 11

It isn't done here, really, but I had to stop working on it so I could drive the work down to Kansas City and install it at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Gallery.

I will post shots of the installation tomorrow.

Happy New Year...

My New Year's resolution is only 72 dpi

okay, I overheard that

Rendition in Progress, pt 10

Now it is starting to take shape. Once I am confident I have the mid-tones, proportions and general areas developed correctly, then I attack the dark areas.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Leave a birthday wish for my Dad in the comments. I guess that will also let me know if anyone bothers to visit here, anymore...

Rendition in Progress, pt 9

More of the same techniques, just taking a tad darker and fixing stuff.

Rendition in Progress, pt 8

Some traditional drawing starting with the addition of conté.

Paula Whyman is blogging about this drawing. Hmmm. Let's see if she critiques the exhibit as well. ;)

Rendition in Progress, pt 7

Here is a detail from the image from yesterday.

Rendition in Progress, pt 6

Darkening the background. Still all brushwork. No traditional drawing, yet.

Rendition in Progress, pt 5

Establishing some slightly darker areas

Rendition in Progress, pt 4

This is basically the same stage as the image from the previous post, without the clutter.

Rendition in Progress, pt 3

Here you can see the tray, foam brushes and the large brush I cover large areas with. I leave sheets of paper on the drawing to keep from accidentally smudging the drawing as I rest my arm on it...

You can probably also tell I am drawing with my eraser nearly as much as with graphite.

Merry Christmas, btw

Rendition in Progress, pt 2

Still "painting" with graphite.

Rendition in Progress, pt 1

So here is the new version. I think the images that will appear over the next 10 days are actually from two different drawings (one abandoned, one finished).

Essentially, what a few friends say they found odd (other than the fact that I draw and paint with both hands at the same time), is that I paint with graphite before I draw with graphite. What I mean is that I take graphite powder and brush the powder on with a traditional oil paintbrush and rub it around with foam brushes as I start the base of the drawing. It is something like getting an underpainting established before working on the rest of the painting.

Why? I'm not sure. I just discovered it was easier and quicker and I could more easily erase and alter parts of a drawing this way. This makes it easier to fix proportions and change values (light and dark areas).

In this image, you can see the watercolor tray where I put the powder and one of the foam brushes.

Rendition in Progress (details)

Since I realized it was hard to see the lines in the damaged paper I was describing in the previous post, I thought I would upload a couple details. The image above is near the top of the drawing. The image below is the exact same spot, but with the contrast cranked up to better show the damage.