Soon, I hope.

That's when I'm planning on, hoping for, a return to the easel. My wife and I just recently bought our first home and I've spent the last month or so working on it, and then moving. My new studio is not even close to being set up, but I'm hoping to get it to a place where I can at least throw a little paint around within the next week.

Wish me luck!

WORK IN PROGRESS

30"x40"

Mixed Media on stretched canvas

Not even close to being finished on this one. I like the direction the clouds have taken, though the yellow peeking out at the horizon line will have to go. This sky seems to be heading in a less ominous direction than the last few abstract landscapes I've painted.

"Spontaneous Structure"

36" x 48" triptych

Mixed media on stretched canvas

SOLD

Wow, it's been a long haul on this piece. At least, it seems that way. For the longest time, I had been stumped, looking for the movement in this painting. I had most of the pieces in place, and yet, it was still missing something. Now that it's finished, I feel like I was wrong. I thought it was lacking movement, when all along, the movement was there, but not the structure. It needed polarity. And polarity is a word I think of when I think of the client for this commissioned piece. The client is very structured in his work ethic and linear thought. He's a very smart guy. That said, he also has the ability to be silly, playful and very spontaneous. I don't know if I was able to capture that in this piece, but I sure as hell tried.

I used two different kinds of gauze, jute, and copper leaf. The piece is to be hung in the client's dining room and surrounded by neutral colors, so I really wanted to the piece to have a lot of texture to jump off the wall, and layers to pull the viewers closer.

I'm in the home stretch on the commissioned piece.

I'm going to try and keep my momentum going by starting a new big(ger) abstract landscape today, while I wait for the commission to dry a bit. D wants something with a big of purple in it.

There's no finished painting to post today. I have been working on the commissioned piece the last week or so. It's still not finished, but I do see light at the end of the tunnel.

"Past the Rain"

30"x40"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

$1000

SOLD

(Cue the "2001 A Space Odyssey Theme")

Wholly crap!

Could it be?

Is it?

...

It IS!

Ladies and gentlemen, kids of all ages, Jeff Bowser has completed a painting! Alert the media! Crack the bubbly! Smoke 'em if ya got 'em, and keep the women indoors!

Man, it's been awhile. I just finished running the Big Sur Marathon last weekend. The last two weeks have been spent preparing for that. I've been working on this piece for a while now. It's my first full-sized abstract landscape, originally conceived for our mantel, but being sold to a good friend instead. I'm happy she'll have it. It'll have a good home.

It's tough to see in the photo, but under the clouds there is rain falling in the distance.

I'm stumped.

I've been working on a commissioned piece for a while now and I've reached a place on the piece where I need to move forward, but by doing so, I run the risk of messing up the work I've done thus far. As I write this, it occurs to me that I could probably just go ahead and move forward. If I mess it up, really, how much further behind will I be, especially given the wall I've been staring at for the past few weeks?

Be brave! Go forth and prosper!

It's the movement in the piece that's got me a bit stymied. I will get it, though, and I refuse to fall into a situation like I did with the war painting I did last year. No, I will not allow that to happen again.

"Outside the Box"

24" x 30"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

$400

Your eyes do not deceive you. This piece is very similar to a piece I painted like it a year ago. That's because it's the same piece. On DailyPainters.com we were to post a piece for their "Outside the Box" themed painting. I've been hard-pressed to find time to really sit down at the easel lately, so, rather than miss out on the opportunity to post over at Daily Painters, I figured I should repost an older piece. Is it cheating? Perhaps, but hell, the piece is called "Outside the Box", I mean, c'mon!

"Desert Sunset"

8"x10"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$45

SOLD

Finally, I finished a jewel. I wanted to incorporate a bit of the landscape that I see on my trail runs in the desert and in the mountains.

I haven't posted a painting in a while. I haven't been a total slug. The auditions picked up for a bit there, before that I was working on that commissioned diptych, and I shot a short film over the weekend that really took it out of me.

I'm hoping to get back at it on monday, and get some more jewels finished.

I hope you're all well.

"Sailors Delight"

8"x10"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

$45

I feel like I may have gotten a few things right on this jewel.

"A Little Sunlight"

8"x10"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

$45 

Another jewel, this time, with a bit of the sun poking through...

"Up the Beach"

8"x8"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

$40

I took the title of this piece from a Jane's Addiction song of the same name.  It's a painting of a beach, and I love Jane's Addiction... so, why not, right? I've used gauze and some textured media for the clouds, and a bit of the texture media for the earthy areas on the shore. 

Untitled Jewel

8"x8"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

$40

Say what? 40 bucks?!  That's a deal at any price!  

That's right, just doing my part to help the U.S. economy, pull itself up by the collective bootstraps.  It's raining again today.  I think the weather may have influenced the piece.  

WORK IN PROGRESS

36"x48" Diptych

Mixed media on stretched canvas

Here is where my commissioned piece is at.  It's getting there, but as I look at it, I can't help but notice it's lack of movement.  It feels somewhat stagnant.  I need to be patient, and I'm confident it will eventually reveal itself to me.  I will be pulling the blue back in it when I work on it next.

WORK IN PROGRESS

54"x36 Triptych

Mixed media on stretched canvas

So, here is the piece that I've been working on lately.  I began it 6 months ago, then put it aside, just not feelin' it.  I've been working on it for a couple of weeks now, along with the commission I got over the holiday.  I will post a photo of the commission tomorrow.

This piece brings back the boxes, and the feeling of something emerging.  I'm using jute, gauze, gels, and some texture mediums as well.  Since this photo was taken, I've worked the top square, (brown one) a bit more, making it pop more, bringing some shading into the bottom of the box.  It is difficult to see on the photo, but the boxes are made by single strands of jute pulled taught.  I like the effect the single strands have, and in the future may employ more weaving techniques.  

"Abstract Landscape With Green"

9"x12"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$50

Your eyes are not deceiving you.  It really is a new jewel. 

It rained here off and on for the better part of a week.  It's sunny today, but we're expecting rain again tomorrow.  I'm excited.  "You need to get out more."  You may be right, but here in Los Angeles, we don't get much rain, and when we do, it's the lead story on the local news.  Man on the street interviews, some poor slob sitting out in it, showing you what water looks like when it falls from the sky.  For those of you in different parts of the world, you may think I'm joking, I'm not.  I grew up in Wisconsin where, like the Eskimos, we've got different names for the stuff that falls from the sky.  Snow.  Wet Snow, Blowing and Drifting Snow (when it's really cold out and the snow is "dry"), Rain.  Freezing Rain.  Hail.  Sleet.  When you grow up being able to look at a cloudless sky and declare that it "feels like rain" or "it's too still, stay near the house" only to have a tornado warning come an hour later, you miss weather, actual, real, scary, weather.

The sky looked something like this the past week.  I'm hoping tomorrow brings more of the same.  

For all of you suffering from subzero temperatures and up to your eyeballs in snow- I know, I'm an asshole.  

"2gether"

9"x12"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

$50

Ta-da!  A new painting!  A post!  I've been hard at work on two other, larger pieces, and I've been busy writing as well, so that's the reason for the lack of posts here.  

This piece is headed in an interesting direction, but it's just a germ of an idea right now.   "Daily Painters" wanted a Valentine's Day themed piece for tomorrow and so, that's what I've done. 

I'm still painting that commissioned piece, and it's coming along nicely.  It's not finished, but I am relatively happy with it's progress thus far.  I also picked up another piece I had put aside for months.  That piece is also an abstract on stretched canvas, it's also a triptych, and it's also got mixed media on it.  It measures 54"x36".  I want to make a concerted effort to get some jewels going next week.  

Just a quick note to say hi, and state, for the record, that I have been painting!  

It's been a busy new year acting-wise, which is always a good thing.  I'm also currently working on a new commission I got over the holiday break.  It's a triptych measuring 36"x48" with texture and warm colors.  I hope to try and begin posting some smaller jewels next week, in addition to the work on the commission.

Happy New Year, everyone.  I hope '09 brings us all health, wealth, and happiness...

"Untitled Abstract Landscape Series"

12"x60" 

Mixed media on stretched canvases

$550

SOLD

The complete series.  I'm pleased with the way this turned out, and I'm happy to report the client is as well.  I wanted to make the two end pieces a bit heavier, and the middle, anchor piece to bridge the gap, (both literally and figuratively) between the two lighter, greener pieces. 

"Untitled"

12"x12"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

$100

SOLD

The fifth, and final in the commissioned series.  I was more aggressive in this piece, wanting to add a bit more weight to balance out another piece in the series, which ended up being placed on the far left of the finished series.  I will post the entire series tomorrow.

 

"Untitled"

12"x12"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

$110

SOLD

The fourth in the series, this ended up being the middle, or anchor piece.  

"Untitled"

12"x12"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

$110

SOLD

Here is the third piece in the series of 5.  

Things have been pretty crazy 'round these parts with regards to auditions.  For the past two weeks I've been auditioning 2-3 times a day, and even had the rare Saturday callback.  Just like the good ol' days.  I booked one of them, a commercial, so that's cool, and I was this close to booking a second one.  A great way to end the year.  

Untitled

12"x12"

Mixed media on canvas

$110

SOLD

The second piece in that same series.

Untitled

12"x12"

Mixed media on canvas

$110

SOLD

The first in a series of five.  

"Dreams/Landscapes"

27"x36" (series)

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$900

The complete series.  

I'm not too jazzed by this photo, but you get an idea of what the series looks like.  When displaying them I would give them more room to breathe, but for purposes of photographing them and seeing any sort of detail, I pushed them together pretty tight.  Also, I gave very little thought to how they would be displayed, thinking that the buyer could, in the end, make that final decision.  

"Landscape 8"

9"x 12"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$100

Another in the series of 9.  I guess, now, the series is complete.  I may paint another one or two just to put it all together.

"Landscape 7"

9"x12"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$100

"Abstract...blah blah blah... composition... blah blah blah..." 

Oh hell, who am I trying to kid? This is an abstract landscape.  Plain and simple.  Sure, it's similar to yesterday's post where I placed it horizontal and called it "One White Line", but when I showed yesterday's piece to my wife, she said she liked it, and promptly proceeded to turn it on the vertical.

Yup.  Another abstract landscape.  

I paint these on their side, horizontally, and it's how I've been seeing things lately, even dreaming of this kind of setup:  the dark colors on the left, lighter on the right, lines etc.  When I show the pieces to my wife, or my art rep, they both like them vertical.  

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.  

"One White Line"

9"x12"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$100

 This piece is a bit of a departure from my abstract landscape series, although, if you prop this up on it's side, it become another landscape.  This piece is connected to the green piece I posted on October 8th.  

"Landscape 6"

9"x12"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$100

No real fixed horizon line on this one... and I'm okay with that.  Still trying to loosen up and find these pieces.  I feel like I'm understanding these abstract landscapes a bit more, but I've still a ways to go.

"Landscape 5"

9"x12"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$100

Yup.  Another landscape for the series.  I've tried to loosen up a bit more with this one...

"Landscape 4"

9"x12"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$100

I tried going a bit more minimal on this one, sticking to just the blues, gray and a touch of magenta.  

"Landscape 3"

9"x12"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$100

I feel like the blue and green area in the land portion got a bit muddy, but hopefully it won't be too much of an eyesore once it's displayed with the other 8 pieces...

"Landscape 2"

9"x12"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$100

This piece is another in the series of landscapes.  I'm still finding my way around these... As I paint them, they're becoming more literal, and less abstract.  That's not a good thing, or a bad thing, I guess.  It just is... Subsequent pieces may be more pulled back. 

"Landscape 1"

9"x12"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$100

This was to be the second piece in a 9 piece series of abstract landscapes.  I guess it still is the second piece, but in the meantime, I've sold the first one, making this the new first piece in the series.  Eeesh, that's a fat explanation... 

Untitled

9"x12"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$100

SOLD

Write this date down.  No, really.  Go get a pen, I'll wait... October 8th, 2008- the day I painted something I kinda liked.  

Is it perfect? Nope.  I do like this direction though, and I'm excited to explore it further.  It's not bad for a study.  I'm seeing something similar to this, as a triptych for over our mantle.   

"Landscape Study"

9"x12"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$100

What began as more abstract, ended up being more literal.  

"Two Rectangles"

9"x12"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

$100

There's a lot going on here... Too much, perhaps.  I'm still working on the colors of these, and I'm still not comfortable with the way I'm incorporating the different styles.  Growing pains, I guess.  One thing I am happy with is the aged, distressed quality I'm achieving with these.  I need to refine the palette and make these less bold.   

"Reflection"

35"x35" 

Mixed media on canvas

I realize the piece doesn't look square.  It is.  I had to crop it a bit due to the poor photo I took of it.  

In continuing to explore the idea of incorporating two or more different styles within one piece:  "Reflection".  I'm posting the piece how I originally conceived, and painted it, though I think it works if rotated once clockwise, making the vertical brown band horizontal.  

I will continue to pursue this idea further.

Untitled

5"x7"

Acrylic on fiberboard

Government Bailout Package Price:  $50 

Ugggh!  

Okay, let me get this off my chest:

It's F&%#ing HOT here! 

We just returned from a short trip, and when we returned... well, let's just say someone needed to tell Southern California that It's Officially Autumn.  Is the heat an excuse for this painting? No.  It has been a while, though, and it's really been a while since I sat down and banged out a painting of the day.  My blog has really become more like the Painting of the Month.  I'm close to finishing 3 much larger pieces, or, at least I thought I was close on a few of them... we'll see what tomorrow brings.  

"Within/Without"

24"x30"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

Yeah, not entirely sure about this one.  It's quite a departure from the stuff I was doing before and yet, it's related to other stuff on the site.  I've begun to try and incorporate some of my different styles into one piece, and head off in another direction.  

"Harmony in Brown & Green 2"

30"x30"

Acrylic on canvas

The other "Harmony..." piece in the set.  When I painted them, I envisioned this piece being displayed on the right, and "Harmony...1" on the left. 

I've been trying to loosen my style a bit with the "Harmony" pieces.   

"Harmony in Brown & Green 1"

30"x30"

Acrylic on canvas

Just finished this piece, and "#2" which I'll post tomorrow.  I'm liking this palette a lot.  

"Variations #2"

11"x11"

Oil on wood

My blog has sort of come full circle with this piece.  Back on  July 2oth, 2006, my wife used this piece to set up the blog for me.  She surprised me with it.  I'm glad she did.  Since that time my painting has changed a lot.  I've used the small jewels as an opportunity to experiment with techniques, mediums, styles and palettes.  I feel I've grown, (at least I HOPE I have!) and I've really enjoyed myself in the process.  For those of you who have checked in on me, I really appreciate your comments.  It helps to kind of kick my butt a little when I know that people may be looking at the blog.  

"Harmony in Blue #2"

30"x30"

Acrylic on canvas

This is the second piece in the "Harmony in Blue" series.  I need to put a quick layer of gloss varnish on it, just to even it out a bit.  When I  started doing this series, based on the "Variations" series, which is oil, I had a challenge in trying to replicate the technique and effect. The pigment in the former, was mixed with wax; which is how I got the desired effect.    I found that if I mixed the acrylic paint on the "Harmony" series with gloss extra heavy gel, that it was too buttery, but if I mixed it with matte extra heavy gel,  the consistency more closely matched that of the oil-based series.  Because of that, there are both glossy, and matte areas on the finished "Harmony" pieces which need to be evened out.  

"Harmony in Blue #1"

30"x30"

Acrylic on canvas

Yes, this is mysteriously like the other, smaller piece.  I tried to blow it up, and this is what I got.  I also painted another piece to go with it.  I will post that one tomorrow.

I must say, it feels good to be using a lot of blue again.  

"Variations #3"

11"x11"

Oil on wood

Another piece in that older series.  With this piece, you can see how I've tried to work in small bits of color to connect the paintings.  The series really should be displayed together, though they are available separately.

"Variations #1"

11"x11"

Oil on wood

Say whaaaa? Oh yeah, you read that right. OILS!   

Okay, so this is an older painting.  This is one of four pieces I based my last jewel on.  It's a direction I feel needs more exploring.  Making the switch from oils (and wax on this piece and the three others in the series) isn't easy, also, I'm going this direction while making these larger, no small feat.  Well, for me anyway.

Untitled

10"x10" 

Acrylic on stretched canvas

This piece is based on an older painting I did, but in oils.  I was given the assignment of duplicating the earlier piece.  I didn't want to completely copy it, it was more a case of trying to remember the technique I used in this style of painting... It represents a new direction, or, depending on how you look at it, an old one.

"Dancing Woman" (movement sketch)

5"x7"

Acrylic on fiberboard

Hmmm.

Yeah, not really sold on this, but hey, at least I DID one.  This is kind of movement sketch I tried.  I got the idea from a book on drawing my Dad gave me when I was home last week. To me, this looks a lot like some sort of failed Olympics logo or something.  I like the idea of trying my hand at sketches of moving figures, and I really think my work could benefit from the looseness that I wish to achieve.  This represents my first foray in that direction.  

No painting to post today, well, at least not yet.  I felt like I needed to get on here and post something so that people didn't think I fell off the face of the planet.  Rest assured, I have not.  I know you were probably unable to sleep wondering, "what happened to Jeff?"  I went on a short trip back home, couple of days... It was the Shelving Trip.  I put shelves up in the garage for my Mom, and shelves up in my Dad's studio.  I got some books on drawing from my Dad, and in the paging through them on the flight home, got some ideas for my painting.  I haven't painted in so long.  It seems I haven't had a good session since my show a month ago.  I just haven't been aching to paint, and the auditions have kind of taken over as well.  I've been out 5 times this week already, and it's not friday yet.  It's a good thing.  

I'm hoping to get some painting done this afternoon, then it's off to class tonight, (Improv classes) I perform friday night with family coming in for the weekend.  Realistically, I think next week will be when I finally get some painting done...

"Cyndee & Marlon (Redux)"

18"x24"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

I reworked this piece, losing the blood red, and replacing it with blue, and added more texture.

"Dream Image #2"

8"x10"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

I dreamt this painting a while back, maybe a month or so, but just now had the time and inclination to put it down.  As with the first Dream Image piece I painted, it always seems like a better idea when I first wake up.  I know that they always look better in my dreams!  I also altered this piece a bit.  I added the green to it, and the third, horizontal line, intersecting the other two.  It seems that when I dream of paintings, at least the first two that I've awakened to remember and attempted to paint, have both been landscapes in as much as I paint them.  I wonder what that means? Should I be leaning towards the abstract landscape?  Hmmm, food for thought.  

"Uncovered"

40"x60"

Mixed media on canvas

SOLD

Here is the piece where  I first incorporated the jute.  I love the rough, almost hairy quality it has, and the way it grabs the paint and texture mediums when I drag the brush over it.  After areas of the jute has been covered with texture mediums and paint, I like to go back, lay some gauze over, and then go back over again with the mediums.  Pretty much, it's just a matter of layering and massaging certain areas to the background while pulling others to the fore.  I was happy to sell this piece.  It will be hanging on a cruise ship.  

"Hidden" 

15" x  21.5"

Mixed media on wood

SOLD

You may be saying to yourself, "Self, this piece looks familiar", and you'd be right.  I completed it a while ago, then put it aside, but I was never really happy with it.  I recently was putting together my show for saturday night, and picked it up, and reworked it a bit, adding some burlap, and about 3 layers of texture and gauze.  I'm glad I did, as I sold it during the show.  

The show was a success!  I can't tell you how unnerving it was to be there, with a DJ, food, wine, and lots of people, just to hang out, escape the heat (it's been ridiculously hot here lately), and see my stuff.  All in all, I sold 4 pieces, one of which was quite large.  I will post it probably tomorrow or later this week.   We had some dear friends from out of town staying with us over the weekend, and they really helped put the show together with flowers, the arrangement of the room, etc.  Sure, I hung the pieces, but the two good friends, and my wife, D  did all the heavy lifting.   Without them, the show wouldn't have been half of what it ended up being.  I had so many friends, clients, friends OF clients there... hell,  even a clown  showed up.  No really.  There was a clown at my show.  No, I didn't plan for it, it was a friend I do improv with who does clowning sometimes, who came directly from a job to the show.  Let me tell you, when a clown that tops out at six and a half feet shows up in a small gallery, it turns a few heads.  

Good times.

"Corrosion"

40" x 60"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

I finally finished a large piece!  It didn't take a very long time, either, all things considered.  I've done a lot with the screen and two different types of gauze.  I really enjoy working with the gauze.  I've begun a second large piece and hope to have it finished in time for the show in a few weeks.  In that piece, I'm trying out some jute.  We'll see what we get.

"Outside the Box"

24"x 30"

Mixed media on stretched canvas

I've branched out a bit with the color on this piece, namely, the cadmium orange, and continued down the path with the gauze and texture. I've used the orange color a lot in my older work, but I've gotten away from it for quite a while.