Little Experiment

Usually my process of painting is to just work on one at a time.  I don't start a new one unless my previous one is completely finished, even if I'm working on a series.  This time around I decided to work on two paintings simultaneously, that have nothing to do with each other thematically, and document the process.  The only thing these paintings have in common is that I was using some  elements of steampunk in them.

The Heart of Captain Kurtz
Acrylic on Canvas
10" x 20"

This painting is about the character of Kurtz from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.  The novel was written at the height of the steam engine (the main character is in the Congo building a steamboat) and also takes place during one of the darkest times of history.  

The Machine
Acrylic on Canvas
16" x 20"

Summer

It's been about 95 degrees for the past week.  We finally got air conditioning in our apartment, so once again we can breathe and move around.  Chicago has such awful, intolerable weather most of the year, I don't know why we all continue to live here.

My paintings have been up at Beans and Bagels for about a week now, and so far no bites from potential buyers.  I didn't leave any business cards with them, but I'm picking a bunch up from the printing place today and I'll drop them off tomorrow.  By the way, never go to Kinko's.  That place is an awful, evil corporation with nasty, incompetent employees.  Go to your local business instead.

Check out the new work:

Fresh Fruit Coup
Acrylic on Canvas
18" x 18"

I really like this one, I'm really into these hearts.  My boyfriend is getting so sick of me painting hearts over and over again but too bad.  They're fun to paint and I love how they look.

Luxury
Acrylic on Canvas
12" x 16"

I wanted to make a really ugly creature in an ugly landscape beautiful.   She and papa vulture are decorating their nest because even vultures have the right to live luxuriously.

Reverse Organic
Acrylic on Canvas
14" x 11"

This one is a little different, and I'm not too crazy about it, though people who have seen it have given me positive feedback.  I wanted to make an inorganic object look natural.