About these ads

Exploring the artistic nude in the news and in the studio.

Latest

Image

Storm 3D Render

Storm 3D Render

Coming soon to Artboy Gallery – Fanboy vs ArtBoy: Ladies Night! a celebration of women in pop culture. I have chosen a superhero idol, one of the few female superheroes that is not a lesser derivative of a male superhero. she is all one of the rare people of color in comics who is also not a copy. this is important. she is strong, intelligent and not a stereotype.

I used Genesis and Victoria 5 with the Muscle morphs and fitness turned way up. I also used the African morphs (although it is hard to see, *I* know they are there and that is important) and a lovely new texture I had yet to use- Candace for Stephanie 5. Daz has a huge number of creamy skinned textures but not so many darker ones so I collect them when I can. I custom textured the Shadowcaster Spellribbons to look like lightnings and turned them into a light source along with the eyes.

The render is printed on a metallic print and professionally mounted on Artmount. it is ready to hang.
Limited Edition of 15
$250 Each

Come to the Gallery to see the gorgeous metallic effects in person! the facebook event is here

About these ads

Posted by  |  May 18, 2013 | Categories: Creating Art, Selling Art | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Raphael (a Light in the Darkness)

I painted Raphael as a Seraphim, the highest Choir of Angels in Christianity. The usual interpretation of Christian angels involves white wings and robes, with trumpets or harps. The bible describes something far more interesting; multiple wings, eyeballs, different faces and heads, animal features, wheels- the descriptions are varied and extremely unusual – even by most angel standards.

Raphael is an Archangel, one of the Big Three (Michael, Raphael and Gabriel). in Christian folklore Raphael was shown as a traveller with a lantern or a staff. He is considered to have strong healing powers and cured Tobit of his blindness and has been the patron angel of Healers since. with that in mind I chose an interpretation where he sees through the eyes on his wings, but his human eyes are blind and blindfolded. he sees all and nothing by the light he provides. the light on his staff is not for him, it’s for his followers.

The Big Three archangels in this series are all mentioned in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Raphael is mentioned in the book of Enoch as the binder of Azazel and in Islamic Hadiths as the one that will blow the trumpet to signal the end of days.

From my Website

A few notes on the creation of this piece. as christian angels are not described as having gender or sexual organs I kept Raphael as androgynous as possible. for me this meant using Genesis without any morphs or gender settings. that’s right, genesis out of the Box! I used a very plain skin – Bree, the one that comes with Victoria 5 and Duke Hair - both of which are quite gender neutral. I used my old blindfold (which you can’t seem to buy anymore-sorry!) and the same Malaik wings that I used a lot in this series. the eyes on the wings were separated from genesis and textured then saved as OBJs allowing me to move them about where I wanted. I used the lantern from Kay’s Lair. the Wings were deformed to give them the lovely curve and the flame was set as a light source in reality to give that luminescent glow. his back is to the light as he aims his blind eyes and lantern to the darkness.

This is one of my favorite renders and one of my favorite paintings from this series. I love both for completely different reasons.

Posted by  |  April 22, 2013 | Categories: Creating Art, Nudes | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Not all artists are created equal – Graham Ovenden convicted

Graham Ovenden (from the Daily Mail)

Not all artists are concerned with the pursuit of art. not all artists toil away nobly trying to get the world to see the beauty around them. some artists are in it for the money, or for the fame or sometimes, thankfully rarely, for the nekkid people. and some artists are just scumbags.

“one of the world’s greatest painters” (self proclaimed) has fallen from his lofty perch. Graham Ovenden has faced legal prosecution on a number of occasions but has now been convicted of six charges of indecency with a child and one of indecent assault. The different news stories on this subject are very disparate. in my research I’ve seen everything from vitriol against the art world to Victim blaming. it’s hard to separate the facts from the spin in this case but we do know that the victims were former models from between 1972 and 1985. Some articles are questioning their taking time to come forward which is reprehensible. it takes courage to come forward about abuse, it can take a very long time to come to the point where abuse can be admitted. I applaud them for confronting their abuser (who was not there for the conviction). he was also accused of having child pornographic images on his computer, images he accused the police of falsifying.

Much of Ovenden’s work from the time was inspired by the controversial novel Lolita.  Some contain titles like “Lolita Seductive” or “Maxwell’s Angel Whores”. His work has also been found in the collections of noted paedophiles. The Tate gallery has removed his images from their walls and website following the jury’s verdict. His partially clad photographs in particular are incredibly hard to view. 

Ovenden has yet to be sentenced.

Posted by  |  April 17, 2013 | Categories: Nudes, Rants | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Haurvatat (Liquid Assets)

Haurvatat is the Zoroastrian Amesha Spenta of Wealth, Prosperity and Water. Amesha Spentas are the Bounteous Immortals, the seven divine beings representing gifts and virtues, things to be hoped and prayed for. She is often paired with Ameretat, who governs the plants. this relationship is often seen as indivisible.

“Haurvatat and Ameretat shall smite both hunger and thirst; Haurvatat and Ameretat shall smite the evil hunger and the evil thirst.” (Zamyad Yasht, v.96, Darmesteter translation)

Despite being one of the better known amesha spentas today, Haurvatat was not always well realized or described, leaving me with a great deal to explore and imagine.

I painted Haurvatat with liquid wings. the shape is representative of the classic artwork of the Zoroastrians and the bowl echoes the artwork of the time. the wings show her tie with water and with nature, with the renewal of life and the flow of nature. the bowl represents wealth and prosperity.

via Haurvatat (Liquid Assets) 36×48 Oils on Canvas | Jennie Rosenbaum – Contemporary Figurative Artist.

I thought I would add some technical details to the creation of this painting here. Rendering water is one of the trickiest things you can do in 3D. it’s also one of the hardest things to paint! but that’s ok, that’s just a challenge right?

The render used Genesis and Victoria 5 with custom morphing. The Bowl is from Moroccan pottery (with custom shaping again) and her skin was from the character Jess. but it’s the wings that are really the hero of this painting. Liquid wings required some specific work. I used Feathered Wings as the base, shaping them to the shape mainly seen in Persian artworks (a high speed wing type). then I removed the Keels and the secondary layers of feathers so that the light would penetrate properly. The key result came through the lighting and converting the remaining wing materials to liquid in my physics based render engine. if you look closely you can see that she is reflected in the water. there was a lot of tweaking in the wave amounts to get the perfect effect. The last step was one I don’t do very often, a little postwork in Photoshop. I used a touch of Ron’s Clearwater to get the splashes. I modified my painting technique to work the water droplets and I am delighted by the results. even though i may complain about rendering it, I really love painting water in this way!

Posted by  |  March 20, 2013 | Categories: Creating Art, Daz3D, Nudes | Leave A Comment »

Michael (Tired of War)

Michael is one of three archangels I’m exploring in this series. All three are mentioned in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Three religions that are very different but have many things in common.

 in Judaism he is particularly valued as the defender of Israel. I’ve portrayed him In this context as tired of war weighed down by his armor and sword. He is often mentioned as carrying a flaming sword and Wearing mystical armor. Descriptions of his wings range from blood stained, to huge to also flaming.
My vision of Michael in this work is that he has done this job for millennia. He is sore, he is worn and the armor that has always been a part of him has never felt more like a prison.
This piece is particularly poignant in light of the Palestine-Israel conflicts as a war between Israel and Palestine was a part of the end days as mentioned in revelations. As I painted I found myself repeatedly struck by the ignominy of war and the way history continually repeats. In essence that is what this work is about. History repeating, and the dearest wish that these conflicts will find resolution.
These works are part of an ongoing series to be featured in a solo Exhibition at Mission to Seafarers – Messengers of the Gods

Posted by  |  January 30, 2013 | Categories: Creating Art, Exhibitions, Nudes | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Messengers of the gods – Kinnari

Kinnari are found in art and religious literature throughout India and Southeast Asia. they are frequently depicted dancing or playing music and shown as part woman, part bird. I drew my inspiration for this piece from Cambodia, Burma and Thailand. She is painted with Golden wings, referencing the Garuda, but also referencing the opulence in some of the glorious statuary. The Flag of Burma has a golden humanoid Kinnari on it with wings. Kinnari may also be depicted with the lower half of a bird or swan. The wing ridges were inspired by the fans the dancers use when depicting Kinnari and an illustration from the Lotus Sutra. The wings were custom textured in the 3D stage to produce this result.

Kinnari use their wings to move between the mystical planes and the earthly. they act similarly to muses, inspiring others with their grace and beauty in dance. often depicted as mischievous, they are always alluring and beautiful, sometimes in a guardian capacity. they are a classical feminine ideal in many ways, strong, graceful and elegant. The male counterpart is a Kinnara and was often depicted as half horse and an excellent musician.

The Exhibition Messengers of the Gods will be showing from the 22nd of February to the 6th of March at the Dome Gallery at Mission to Seafarers Melbourne.

Posted by  |  January 20, 2013 | Categories: art, Exhibitions, Nudes, Rambles | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Word for the Year…

Image - a render of Xochiquetzal, an aztec winged goddess

an Aztec Goddess, I chose Xochiquetzal for this post as I created her for the end of the world and my latest series.

Seek.

Like so many others this year I am trying the one word resolution. you choose a word to represent the year you wish to have, a theme if you will. last year was about opportunities, finding the opportunities in everything I did. this was exceptionally successful and I’m delighted to try a simplified resolution path again this year. in the past I have created ridiculous amounts of resolutions, putting undue pressure on myself. simplifying last year enabled me to get to the root of what I really wanted to achieve.

Last year I learned to identify opportunities in everything I did. I rediscovered the joy of research and learning. my love of comparative religion and archeology. I found opportunities for exhibiting and for creating new and different works. 

This year my word is Seek. I want to seek opportunities, seek knowledge and time, seek life and friends and joy. seek achievements and galleries. seek new vistas and experiences. to Seek Art.

Posted by  |  January 16, 2013 | Categories: Rambles | Tags: , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Farewell 2012…

20121231-133644.jpg

2012 was a year of overcoming challenges for me, my resolution this year was to identify opportunities and go after them. I am proud to say I did that! I made an opportunity out of almost everything and it paid off in many ways! Here are some of my favorite achievements for the year.

  1. I made great strides forward in managing my pain. The swelling has decreased quite dramatically and the pain is lessened to a significant degree. I still have to take care of it, it’s still always there, but I have improved. I can walk further and swim more. I can enjoy things more.
  2. I spent more time out in the studio. I was less good about posting here, but I created better art and got some of my best ideas.
  3. I tried alternate sales methods and my affiliate revenue increased substantially. I made good sales, especially considering I wasn’t trying as hard as usual!
  4. I went overseas and was reminded of the joy of traveling and of family. I visited new and inspiring places and old favorites and am definitely planning on spending more time travelling!
  5. I watched my daughter grow and change, we bonded further over a mutual love for Disney and I feel very much a part of her life. This isn’t always easy when you can’t just grab a cuddle or scoop a child up in your arms. It’s also hard when you work long hours
  6. I was offered a book deal. In a stunning display of self respect I actually turned it down. They were refusing to clarify a copyright issue which could have become a threat to my work. I didn’t have time for it anyway. I may still write a book, but it will be the one I want to write.
  7. I updated my website with an all new theme and shopping cart.
  8. I was a finalist in Art Revolution Taipei and exhibited in their invitational
  9. I made some wonderful arty friends, exhibited at some delightful galleries including the always magnificent and decidedly geeky Artboy gallery
  10. I was invited to do a sponsored exhibition at a heritage listed gallery in Melbourne. I am working on that one now
  11. I discovered deeper passions within my work and a way to make all my interests unite.

I am sure there were more, there always are.. And then there are the moments that don’t work as a nice quip or sentence. All the times someone emailed me telling me I was an inspiration, or that my work changed the way they see things. The people who asked for help with assignments or with 3D. The friends and family who have stood by me and heard my raving about this exhibition 20,000 times. The hugs that were given and received. The little opportunities that we have every day to be happy and fulfilled.

Here’s to another great year in 2013!

Posted by  |  December 31, 2012 | Categories: Rambles, Random, Reflections | Tags: , , | Leave A Comment »

11 ways you can support the arts right now

A friend asked me the other day about this meme, and how people can go about supporting artists. I am a big fan of supporting talent and assisting artists wherever I can. it’s easy to say ‘go out and buy their art’, but what if you can’t afford it or you don’t have any space? so here are my tips on supporting the arts. there are more ways than you think!

  1. Show their work, display their name prominently and link to their site. let others know how much you love it! artists often rely on word of mouth. this is free and is always appreciated. don’t just take their work – always give credit.
  2. if you need a logo or graphics pay an artist to do them. find a local artist for your business, ask around. don’t promise “exposure” unless you know Gagosian and are going to personally arrange an interview.
  3. consider artisan gifts for christmas or birthdays. we are doing an artisan Christmas this year with handmade gifts and it feels really really good. checkout sites like etsy or artfire or made it.com.au. go to local art and craft markets, talk with the artists and buy something made with love – it may work out to be less expensive than you think and spread the joy around this holiday season! think about who may need your money more, Target or that nice mother who makes the beautiful jewellery.
  4. Does the artist you like have a zazzle or redbubble site? can you buy a print or some postcards or stickers? do they have an art book on Blurb?
  5. Do they have a donation button on their website? every little bit counts.
  6. Talk to the artist. can they make a smaller version or arrange a payment plan? artists will generally be very accommodating!
  7. Do you know a gallery owner or a restaurant that needs an artist like the one you like? can you recommend them to someone to help their career? most artist/gallery relationships are founded on recommendations. word of mouth like this can be extremely valuable.
  8. Take lessons from an artist. did you want to learn to draw/sculpt/photograph things/smelt/paint/dance/sing? you can usually find a local artist who can help!
  9. Support arts in your local schools. go to productions and exhibitions, donate or go to a school market. funding for the arts has been slashed in many public programs, help your schools out!
  10. Visit your galleries, public and commercial. some public galleries run on donations and interest. some commercial galleries run on fumes and concepts. you don’t have to buy to show your support for the artist, for the curator, for the space.
  11. and when you can, if you can, buy the artworks you love.

Posted by  |  November 19, 2012 | Categories: Creating Art, Rambles, Rants, Selling Art | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Go Home Painting, you’re drunk.

20121116-172146.jpg

not exactly a “drunk painting” but it seems to fit the header. This is a study for a magellanic cloud for one of my upcoming paintings.


After a lifetime of studying these matters, I think the idea is to cook up the intoxication without imbibing or inhaling substances. Fresh air is okay. A few quick charges around the driveway often does it. You feel heady–kind of aired out. Fact is, unless your work thrives on negativism, misery and error, artists need to be drunk on life–and cardiovascular exercise helps. Then there’s that wonderful return to the creative distillery–the studio. Many emails that come my way tell of euphoria in the home studio. For many among us, every studio hour is happy hour.

via Drunk painting.

I tried drinking and painting once. I tried absinthe, reasoning that it had to be the most artistic and inspiring of all drinks. after all, so many of the artists I love and respect appreciate drank oodles of absinthe – right?

I never have, and never will show the results of that experiment. it was a waste of perfectly good absinthe, and a ton of paint; some of which may still not be dry. here’s an artist’s note for you, more paint does not necessarily equal better!

but I am a big believer in going for a walk to loosen me up for the studio, or to loosen up a creative block or just to stretch my muscles and my mind. I walk everywhere, armed with my trusty iPhone I take photos or set reminders for myself. I take notes as they occur to me and I listen to music. people look at me oddly as I wander around in my paint stained slogs and purple hair, randomly mouthing the lyrics to my music and sometimes sketching in the air with my hands. I usually have a half smile on my face and a far away look as I examine the light through the leaves or the reflections on the cars. I may look like a crazy person, but walking centers me. it helps me think of all my best ideas and work through my feelings and blockages. I feel the sun on my skin and the warmth enters my bones, I feel the music in my step and enjoy looking at the people. when it is raining I have a treadmill next to my studio. I will sometimes hop on it to work out an immediate problem.

I completely agree with Robert Genn in this, there is nothing like a walk to help the creative juices get moving. it’s better than any drug.

Posted by  |  November 16, 2012 | Categories: Creating Art, Rambles | Tags: , , , | Leave A Comment »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,256 other followers

%d bloggers like this: