AW

Abstract Expressionism evolved and ended in about 15 years. While the idea and approach could still be valid today, just duplicating a style without adding something to it or making it your own in some way is just a painting exercise. I respect what the movement did, just as I respect Pop, Minimalism, Photorealism, Post-Modernism etc, but when the candle goes out on a movement, it can only be relit by taking it to the next level. In my opinion, not many people are trying to do this. They just do what everyone else was doing, just a few decades later. Art is a process, and you have to experiment to discover your own path. Sometimes it is learning from the past. I hope to see a progression in some of the artists here, and wish them all the luck in there journey.

I don't pass it off as a Rothko bite, but I feel that 'Abstract Expressionism' is a beaten horse that should have died in the late 70's. It's an easy way out for a lot of artists today. Like splattering spray paint or making drips. I have to say that color field painters like Rothko, Barnett Newman and William Turnbull had some amazing works, so did Pollock and his contemporaries, but I think what they did was reactionary for it's time, but it isn't relevant for today. As for your 2 paintings, why were they made? What inspired them? Why are they relevant?

That's funny because when I saw your top 2 pieces, I said to myself "that looks just like someone trying to do what Rothko was doing 40 years ago."

Nasty Aardshark LeBlanc: Nice stuff. Nice colors. Madcapa: Know the rules before you break them. I don't think those hands were done that way on purpose. I think it was from a lack of knowledge. I have to agree with KING OF HELL.

Too many hands in the pot makes for a fucked up stew. Quoted post These hands aren't drawn well at all. The proportions are all messed up. I like the first image with the paper bag a lot better.

That spaceship is dope!

The CES piece is the shit! The evil guy at the bottom looks ill! I just noticed the clouds in the 3D fill. Nice!

Good eye! I added the tag in photoshop before I posted it.

This is panel from a larger piece that I'm currently working on.

I remember seeing 'Rock and Roll High School' in the late 70's. I loved the music and thought it was funny, but my mom thought it was stupid and crass. She liked the classics like 'Gone with the Wind' and 'It Happened in Brooklyn' and said those were REAL movies. A few years later she said the same about Punk Rock.

I did this in Photoshop so you can see what I was talking about. Seeking said pretty much the same thing.

clean up the border in all white. Make it super hard edged, and let the rose petal flow over into the border. The piece doesn't look finished to me. I would have a better tonal range. Add a few pure white hilights, and add a little dark purple to deepen the shadow area slightly. this would make it POP! Hope your girlfriend likes it! AW

Painting for the AIGA Loud and Clear show in Houston. It's about 95% finished in this picture.

Here's the latest piece I did. It's burned on wood. I studied to be a Medical Illustrator, so part of that comes over in my work. It's a style I developed called J-BUGGIN. http://www.aerosolwarfare.com/L2/graffology/board.jpg'>

Dry mounting on masonite is one way to mount them. you can go up to 4x8 feet. Good luck on the show.

JOKER Digital Prints are great. They're relatively inexpensive, and you can even do it all yourself. I'm not sure how much you know, but this should help anyone with little knowledge of digital prints. simple history of digital prints for art First , how were you going to get them printed? Off a desktop printer (epson etc), or a proffessional printer (Giclee, IRIS, Die Sublimation)? Second, what will they be printed on (canvas, watercolor paper etc.)? The only obvious problem with any type of ink-jet output is that the inks don't last as long as other mediums, but I think that the output style and what it's printed on kind of makes it's value worth more or less in the art market. Adding another layer of info (silkscreen) sounds like a cool idea. hand tags, pencil signature, cutouts, can all add to a print. A while back, I made these prints http://www.aerosolwarfare.com/L2/graffology/framed.jpg'> off my EPSON printer. I printed them on watercolor paper, and bought an IKEA frame to display them in. anyway, hope this helps.

CharleM those are some Bad-Ass boards. Nice Job!