Wet macro flowers

Chrip

"...Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise..."

~the Beatles

Here are a couple of acrylic paintings I did today. 

This is of Dada/Surrealist photographer and artist Man Ray. The Spongebob animators liked him so much they made him one of Mermaid Man's arch villains. I think it turned out to be kind of a mixture of Raymond Burr, José David Alfaro Siqueiros and Rod Serling.

Everyone easily recognizes Psychology pioneer Sigmund Freud. Naturally, a student gave me a hard time about including a cigar, since just the day before I'd disallowed him from drawing a cigarette on his final self portrait. One cool thing about this painting is that I think it looks a little like it's in the style of his grandson, English painter, Lucian Freud.

Ode to Jasper Johns

Here's a new watercolor painting with a touch of 9/11 in it. I worked it over with a lot of surface techniques so as much as I want it to be like a Jasper Johns, it has plenty of Jackson Pollack in it too.

Purple Blues

Almost there

I'm not quite sure what else I need. I don't want to go too far, but it hasn't told me that it's finished yet.

What I did on my lunch break

A veritable potpourri of pictures. Very therapeutic.

Day Three

It will be interesting to see where this painting takes me tomorrow. I know that it's not where it needs to be just yet. I know his eyes need to be darker. At least I'm getting some serious layers, range, contrast, and density- these are what a monochromatic painting should demonstrate. Check in tomorrow afternoon to see what happens.

Presidential Painting

Here are the first two days' progress on a new watercolor painting I'm doing. The assignment I gave my students is to create a monochromatic portrait, and include a value scale along the side.

I tried to find a fairly serious photo of the President. I wanted to avoid cheesy, overly exuberant, or angry. I think the one I found was pretty somber- although I suspect that my own disappointment in yesterday's mid-terms may  be intruding because he looks particularly melancholy. I was looking at the photo upside down, trying to render it as clinically and visually analytically a manor as I could. It will be interesting to see how this one progresses through the week.

Thinking

Poking around my classroom today, I uncovered this old painting I did in tempera on matte board back in the 1990's. I don't remember if it was a self portrait (obviously no goatee) or based on someone else (maybe John Bulushi). Anyway, I really like it.

Looking for a freelance artist?

Here's a new place for me to feature my commercial art and design. Click on the badge and view a number of different project galleries of my work.

"Beauty is not caused. It is." ~Emily Dickinson

Here is a monochromatic caricature I did of poet Emily Dickinson in oil pastel during my Painting class.

New graphics for the new Web site

Here are the new graphics for my new wiki- http://dogart.wikispaces.com 

Like 'em? I used a Bulldog for Boyer Valley, but I used a French bulldog instead of an English bulldog because I am zee Art teacher, viva la Paris, no? Oui, oui!

In case you hadn't heard, I attended a tech conference for teachers this week.They recommend that teachers use wiki-pages for their classes. So, I thought I'd better at least try to learn how to do it, whether I end up using it for school or not. Please look around and be sure to come back again later, as it's obviously still under construction for now.

They also suggested Twitter. Now, I don't want to be a twit, and I'm still not sure how much I'll tweet, but if you want to follow me or want me to follow you, this is me there- "@tedmallory" or http://twitter.com/tedmallory, I'm still not really clear on how it works. 

I beg you're pardon?

I drew this along with the assignment I gave to 7th graders. Students keep asking me "why does it look evil?" That's probably a good sign, the fact that they're asking must mean that I don't actually look this crabby all the time.

Jade Zen

One of the best things about being a high school Art teacher is that once in a blue moon, I actually get to paint. I know that English teachers force themselves to read, but I don't know how many find time to write. This acrylic on canvas has been very therapeutic and relaxing to work on- especially with all the grades and paperwork to get done since it's the last week for our Seniors. 

Playing solitaire on her ipod

Pencil and graphite on 24x18 newsprint. I've been teaching my Drawing class about gesture sketches, gradually moving them from 20 minute drawings down to 30 seconds, and now back up to 15-20 minute figure studies, alternating between graphite and charcoal. Generally I circulate around so that I can help students when they need it or make suggestions, but this morning I drew with them. I probably shouldn't have posted this because I think it shows just how rusty I am.

Spring training

A student asked me to try coming up with something for the baseball team this year. This is just my first stab at it. I hope they like it.

Age of Reason

A new treatment (digital) of an old drawing (from college) of a bust of Benjamin Franklin. From television to texting, from 24 hour news cycles to never-ending campaign cycles, 30 second sound-bytes and incivility... I imagine that our founders would be disappointed in how post-literate, anti-intellectual, uncompromising and unreasonable America has become.

Exciting new design

I've already got next year's tee shirt designed. Part of me is hoping this will make more people want to come out for football cheer. Another part of me is hoping that alumni and non-cheerleaders, and maybe even parents will like these enough to buy some and help make money for us. Like it? Let me know your size and if you want me to plan on ordering one for you. I'll take orders officially next August.

From the 2 or 3 comments I've gotten on facebook, it seems to be going over pretty well!

Dirt Road