Tag: beer

Bent Beer Flight

BEER BOX | Oil on Board | 7×5”

This piece was done earlier this year using a reference photo I took while in Portland, Maine. Most of my works in that area are either “en plein air” or based on my own coastal reference photos. For those of you who have followed my work over the years, you well know I tend to veer to still life from time to time, with a particular affinity for libations. Thus, BEER BOX, technically a beer flight, from Rising Tide Brewery in Portland comes as no surprise. 

For the painters out there, remember the use of photo reference is a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, they capture a place or moment for future reference, when perhaps your memory might not be willing to cooperate. On the other hand, they can significantly distort reality and create more problems than they solve. While most of what you read about “painting from photos” (virtually every painting book covers this point) emphasizes the distortions created by photos relative to lighting and hues, IMHO the real terrorist activity of reference photos is their ability to jack with shapes. 

In BEER BOX, I overlooked the shape shifting my iPhone had done to “improve” the photo. I even used a grid to try and get the shapes right, something I rarely employ, and I still didn’t realize the reference photo was just a bit tweaked! It’s hard to notice at first, but the top portion is actually skewed outward, kind of a mini fish-eyed effect. I noticed this after I’d already committed to the compositional structure, so I just rolled with it to see how it would turn out. 

In the end, this piece proved to be a perfect mix of frustration and satisfaction. I think it turned out well, despite the odd birds-eye view, and I learned a lot in terms of subtle hue and value changes required to capture the depth of the beer box and how the glassware fades into the deep shadows. 

BTW, Rising Tide Brewery makes some great beers and should be a stop on any Portland, Maine brewery crawl. I don’t recall the specific beers in this flight, but the 4 styles were Stout, IPA, Pilsner, and the pink one was a delicious Sour. 

Thanks for reading!

#artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #atxart #portlandmaine #landscapesmaine #maineart  #portlandmaineart  #southportland #southportlandmaine #capeelizabeth #risingtidebeer #beerflight #beer #mainebrewers

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The Disappearing Pint

GOING, GOING, GONE! | Triptych | 10×16” | Mixed Media on Wood

Sometimes things don’t go to plan. Bob Ross had a phrase for this in the art world, “happy accidents”. What dear ol’ Bob didn’t clarify was that sometimes the plan goes to shit before the painting begins! 

GOING, GOING, GONE was supposed to be 3 square panels of equal size, the only progression being the artwork itself. However, before planning the composition I hadn’t verified the existence of 3 identical panels in my studio… AFTER having painted the middle panel, i.e. “GOING”. So rather than being the patient, pragmatic person who pauses the artistic process and acquires 2 additional identical panels before proceeding, I searched my studio for the next best option! It’s hard to tamp down unbridled excitement for starting a piece of art, so I’ll give myself a little break in that I was ready to get this thing moving without delay! 

Turns out I was having a Bob Ross moment. The triptych, while unconventional, proved to be very effective in terms of turning your expectations upside down. Specifically, the pint of beer is drunk down over 3 stages, whilst the side of the panels increases. I’m sure the experience isn’t universal, but my senses get upended a little as I digest the 3 panels and have to do a double take because the detail, values, and saturation decrease as the panels dramatically increase in size. I hope it has the same effect for you, otherwise it might be a little boring. 

As to the mixed media approach, I simply wanted to build on my recent foray into this technique. I suppose this could be done quite effectively with standard oil painting, but there’s something fundamentally different with the texture and chalky finish of spackle and acrylic paint that makes these artworks stand out from a crowd. That said, I think these pieces are like saltillo tile – you either love it or hate it – but either way you can appreciate its unique nature. 

Lastly, I’m excited to frame this triptych, although I have no idea how I’m going to do it. However, I do like the vertical layout as done in the photo, which is a little different spin on the typical triptych layout, but it also forms the shape of a pint glass… so there’s that.

Stay tuned for the final decision. Perhaps it’s a painting you’d like on your wall? 

#artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #painting #art #abplanalp #austinartists #atxartist #atxart #atxlife #contemporaryart #beer #pint #mixedmedia #impasto #stilllife

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New Show – ART SPREE at Art for the People Gallery!

The very fun, energetic and popular Austin art gallery, Art for the People Gallery, will include 3 of my pieces in the new show called ART SPREE! The show runs from January 29th – April 9th, 2022.

  • Airstream
  • Last Sip
  • Puppy Butts!

It’s always an honor to work with Lynnie, Hallie and of course, Charm Charm Sparkles and Tassel PomPom. Unfortunately the in-person opening reception for February had to be cancelled – damn you COVID! – but the gallery is open regular hours and the staff is as warm and welcoming as ever, so swing by if you’re in Austin and check out the art.

I’ve written blog posts about all of these pieces, but as a grouping they do a pretty good job representing me and my world. Airstream is clear nod to my love of travel (no, I don’t own an Airstream, but I know some very cool people who do); anyone who knows me can attest to my love of beer, especially a tasty porter as represented in Last Sip; and lastly, Puppy Butts! for my adoration of dogs and all they can bring to the world.

If you’re interested in any of these pieces, or anything in the ART SPREE show, you can also browse and shop using their online store. From the Art for the People Gallery store go to Shop > ART GALLERY – All Original Artwork > ART SPREE – Exhibition. I can attest that Lynnie and the AFTPG staff will do an excellent job fielding questions and making any purchasing seamless and fun.

Thanks for reading!

#berntx #crashboomzip #painting #art #abplanalp #austinartists #artforthepeoplegallery #aftpg #Airstream #LastSip #PuppyButts #austintx #Austintexas #atxlife #atxart #atx #austin360 #austinart #atxart #rescuedogs #bernabplanalp

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Getting Thirsty

Last Sip | 5” x 7” | Oil on Canvas Board

Last Sip | Oil on Canvas

Dark beer as an inspiration seemed like a great idea for this quick still life. As you can guess, I do love a good dark porter, #512brewing!

This piece is also influenced heavily by the work of Neil Carroll, who has a great talent for making simple still life transform into beautiful, relatable art. In this case, also quite quaffable.

The Last Sip was a great piece for glassware still life. I liked the challenge of defining the pint glass despite having a dark beer on a very dark background. I thought that would be more difficult than it was, but the dominance of dark values actually made it easier to pull the glass reflections out of the piece.

I also tried to work in some warmer elements of sienna, orange, and out-of-the-tube red to distinguish the porter from the dark background coming through the clear glass.

Hope you’re thirsty… go grab a beer!

by Categories: still lifeTags: , , , , 6 Comments