Farewell to the Asylum Street Spankers
For anyone who has had the privileged experience of seeing the Asylum Street Spankers live will know what I mean when I say...
About Matt Abraxas
Matt Abraxas is a fine artist, illustrator and video producer. Matt's art work is part of private collections throughout the United States, Europe and the Middle East. His illustrations are currently focused on a series of theological biographies written by Simonetta Carr. Matt continues to work on other illustration projects as time permits. Matt Abraxas runs El Duende Productions, LLC, which is a multi-media company focusing on film-making, video-advertising, and motion graphics. Matt Abraxas lives in Colorado with his talented wife, Rebecca Abraxas, and their two sons, Zorba and Rainer.Holiday Art Sale
Select work on Sale through December and until January 5th, 2011.
Lessons from reworking already finished paintings
I'm continuing to explore the practice of repainting. On one hand, I don't like not producing new work, but on the other, I am learning valuable lessons through realizing past mistakes. What I am finding is that with some of my work, I've been hasty in certain areas, neglecting attentive brushwork by rushing to finish the peripheral canvas. I still like an unfinished appearance, but I do not like it to look as sloppy as some pieces I've noticed. Thankfully, work that has sold has had my full attention. I think this is important to acknowledge. There is certainly a more pristine energy in the work that I've been completely attentive to during the process.
Illustrations by Matt Abraxas
The first children's book that I've illustrated is complete and will be available this month.... I've also just sent out 100 limited edition prints of an illustration of the Asylum Street Spankers... ...still painting and will post on the progress of this soon...
Inspiration is not always artistic
This week has been prolific concerning everything but art. As I enter the studio, there is a similar feeling my old dog used to give me when I hadn't taken him running in several days. Barely a useful brush stroke made all week long, but I have at least re-organized the studio, arranged for solar [...]
Remastering a Painting
Remastering an Old Painting - Art of Repainting Feather Boa Skirt - 2009 I painted this over a year ago. When I saw it on the gallery wall, I felt at once that this was a piece I had rushed to call finished. Nate, the curator of Smith Klein Gallery, said he liked [...]
Waterfall in Shadow
The waterfall was a challenge. I didn't have a clear idea of how to handle it, even though I liked my previous study. I painted it about three times before I was ready to move from it and concentrate on the surrounding rock. I worked mostly with horizontal and vertical brush strokes in the water, with a few swipes of my palette knife, and an occasional nudge with my finger. In the end, I like how I captured the movement of the water.
Water and Rocks
I've found a new love: rocks; I can paint them (and water, yes always water) for a long time to come and find endless treasure...
ART SALE
The Art Sale has gone well. I've much appreciation to everyone whose purchased work in the last month. There are a handful of paintings left that will still be available for this weekend only at 90% off. MattAbraxas Art Sale - Click This
Being a Successful Artist
When I see work by my favorite artists, I am seeing my own potential. Perhaps I will never realize this potential, but I nevertheless am inspired by what is already within me. I wonder if it's this way for everybody. We see what we could do if we only overcame whatever limitations are in us, and we feel a zesty excitement.
Plein Air Sunburns and Gnats
Beautiful week of painting in Colorado. I've been so inspired after reading "Problem Solving for Painters..." by Gregg Kreutz. The title sounds like one of those dime-a-dozen art instructional books, but this one truly is a gem, right up there with "Alla Prima" by Richard Schmid. I also just started reading "The Art Spirit" by [...]
Improvement
Lately, my aim with painting is simply to improve. I look over the body of my work and see nice pictures, some more than others, but I am feeling an intense eagerness to improve...