Exposed - New Art

New art entitled: Exposed. I have been thinking about using more sustainable materials in my art making. I also want to add texture to my work so cardboard fits both criteria. This piece was inspired by both landscapes and decay. I like the idea of creating art that looks as if it is in transition. After all, everything is in transition at all times. Nothing is stable.
See more on my web site: brianraszka.com
Soon to be on my Etsy site.

Artist-John Yoyogi Fortes. See his show in San Francisco!

Art fans-if you are in or going to be in San Francisco during the month of January get yourself over to the SFMOMA's Artist Gallery at Fort Mason to see the work of John Yoyogi Fortes.
He's one of my favorite artists and I was fortunate to see some of his work at the Artist Gallery during a recent visit. The good people at the gallery were nice enough to show me some of his work. The gallery rents out work and has a large storage area. They brought out Mr. Fortes' work and unwrapped it for me to look at. I also was able to take a look at Heather Wilcoxon's work. What a treat.

 

The work shown is:

Lolo's Pipe
Acrylic and collage on canvas
50"h x 40"w
2009

(used with artist's permission)

 

Check out more of Mr. Fortes' work on his website.

SFMOMA website

Recent Commissioned Painting

40"x16" Acrylic and oil on canvas. This piece was commissioned as an anniversary present. I met the intended recipient to get to know her a little bit before I started this piece. Her profession is in science, specifically geology and environmental science. I began to think of rock formations, tectonics and bringing vibrant colors into the mix. I also, as usual, wanted this piece to have plenty of texture. This is the result.
I've been told this present went over very well.

BUILDUP - Art of Nature Series

BUILDUP - 27"X40" Acrylic and oil on canvas. Continuing my series of Art Of Nature. My inspiration here being round forms found in nature: stones, cells, etc.Detail

Mimic - Art of Nature series

24"x24" Acrylic, oil, graphite on panel.
This piece is titled, "Mimic" is a reference to forms in nature that are similar. My inspiration for this was a leaf of an oak tree. Not sure which variety but it was one that I picked up on a walk last fall. It had a great shape like a puzzle piece. I was also thinking of the leaves of the Dusty Miller plant. These shapes are similar to the form of a mammals vertebrae.
I was also experimenting a bit with getting back into oil paints here. The underpainting is done in acrylics and then I use oil on top. I'm using Alkyd oils as they dry faster than regular oils. I can add on top of them after a few hours. I add a little Galkyd to speed up drying time even more.

Detail

Making plans, art plans

The current state of my art desk/area.
I find that I think about making art far more than actually making art.