Tag: creativity

eBay Abstraction

ABSTRACT COWBOY | 16×20” | Oil on Canvas

And now for something completely different! Lo and behold the first abstract piece I’ve done in years. Why, you ask? It was a gift for my niece, who had seen something similar on eBay but she didn’t win the auction. Arty farty uncle to the rescue! Well, truth be told, my wife was the one who asked if I could help out and create something similar. 

Of course! I love the challenge of making a copy of an existing painting. On the occasion that my imitation successfully mimics the original, I get quite the painterly adrenaline rush! 

There were two primary enhancements I made to this abstract piece, one a brilliant suggestion from my wife, the other a need to play with impasto mediums. First, my wife noted that our niece is a big Cowboys football fan, so why not substitute the metallic gold of the original with silver. For the uninitiated to the cult of Jerry Jones, the team colors are blue and silver, thus the resulting palette. The other detour was the introduction of thick impasto elements, which I felt would add further interest to an otherwise limited composition. 

I was quite happy with the outcome, although I think the use of gold per the original piece is a better look… for me. Customizing for my niece gave it more meaning, and makes for a better art story when there’s something personal driving the trajectory. 

I’m inclined to dabble with more abstract compositions from time to time. It’s a nice pivot from the more exacting nature of landscapes and still life works. I can also experiment with palettes that deviate from my standard setup. Should prove interesting! 

Original Reference Artwork
Impasto Elements
Finished Piece


#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #abstractart #dallascowboys #silverandgold #impasto #atxart #atxartist #atxlife #contemporaryart #paintings 

by Categories: AbstractTags: , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

Hermès Warhol Mashup

ENVY | 4 @ 5 x 7”, Grouping 16 x 20” | Oil on Canvas Boards

Finally, the Birkins are done and assembled as the ultimate quadriptych, ENVY! Hopefully it’s readily apparent that this composition is inspired by Andy Warhol, which is somewhat ironic because Warhol’s work never resonated with me. That said, I can’t deny he had some uniquely creative compositions that piqued one’s interest. 

The Hermès Birkin Bags (Sotheby’s has an Interesting article about the origin of the Birkin name) make for excellent still life models, I guess… given they cost $15,000 and beyond, I didn’t have one handy for modeling in the studio. However, between my wife’s distractingly pink knockoff “Firkin”, and the internet’s infinite library of images, I was able to cobble together plenty of reference material. 

I really enjoy doing still life pieces, but things like purses and clothing have very tricky shape and textural challenges that are, quite frankly, intimidating to translate on canvas. To help me temper the difficulty level, I allowed myself the flexibility to NOT create 4 identical purses, but rather focus on the design elements that are common across a given Birkin release and really blow up the interest level with colors. The end result was 4 Birkins that have very similar handles, hardware and shape, but none are identical. 

In terms of focal point and compositional strategy, the quadriptych lends itself to some interesting options. Ultimately, my intention was to allow the viewer to pick the focal point, which was done by looking around the composition and evaluating for themselves which bag they liked the most, thus the focal point… for them. My wife, who has a real eye for framing, had the bright idea of using a black background and black frame to ensure the panels really pop for the viewer. Given the high key value of each panel, the use of black readily achieves the goal of pushing the paintings at the viewer. 

One last note regarding ENVY, notably the custom framing. I used a matt board cutter to replace the white background that was original to the frame. The panels themselves are “stuck” to the matting using Command Picture Hanging Strips, which are essentially heavy duty Velcro that “clip” together. This makes the panels float above the matting a little – I had to paint the extremely skinny, almost non-existent edges of the panels black so the white of the canvas board wasn’t visible in the raised structure. 

ENVY will be added to my solo show, “Paintings and Pancakes” at Kerbey Lane Cafe in Austin (Westlake location), Texas. Swing by and check out the 25 pieces currently on display and available for purchase!

Thanks for reading!

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #pleinair #pleinairaustin #paa #atxart #atxartist #atxlife #contemporaryart #paintings #kerbeylanecafe #coffee #westlakeaustin #eateraustin #austinbrunch #pancakes #paintingsandpancakes #birkin #hermes #birkin #birkinbag #warhol

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Sticky Booger Framing

A few months ago I finished this triptych, now called “GOING GOING GONE”, but it sat around in the studio waiting for framing inspiration. Well, that inspiration finally showed up in the form of cork foam board, an orphaned 12×26″ frame, and a whole lot of JB Weld epoxy glue.

If you’re interested in the details of this artwork, follow the link to the post in the above paragraph. Otherwise, read on to learn about the challenging world of custom framing, at home, with nary a YouTube DIY video to be had.

Challenge #1: How does one attach wood blocks to a frame without backing? I was headed down the path of cutting a custom wood back, but then I stumbled across a 1/4” thick foam board while looking for balsa wood as a lighter alternative to plywood. I also happen to have a matt cutter, which is much more finger friendly than my rotary saw, which is buried somewhere in the garage.

Challenge #2: How to attach foam board to frame? Also known as “glue or screw?” I was leaning screws, but as I was digging through my massive drawer of miscellaneous art crap, I came across a tube of JB Weld, an epoxy glue that’s stickier than a wet booger. Despite having been used once in the past, probably more than 3 years ago, it still worked!

Challenge #3: What was the best way to affix the wood blocks to the newly added foam core backing? See aforementioned sticky booger solution. But, the trickiest part was ensuring the 3 blocks, all of which are different sizes, were lined up properly. I’m positive there’s a better way to do this, but I opted to use a center string and blue tape at right angles to ensure the blocks were glued in the right spot.

Surprisingly, it worked out! I used the cork side of the foam board so I didn’t have to paint the white side, and I kinda liked the light brown coloring, which looked like a porter or amber beer. The best part, which my wife pointed out, was that by using the cork side for the backing, it was similar to a coaster bottom… like for a cold pint of beer… get it?

This piece will likely be added to my solo show, “Something for Everyone”, at Kerbey Lane Cafe in San Marcos, Texas, available for the reasonable price of 10 cases of Guinness or (512) Pecan Porter.

Thanks for reading!

by Categories: Art Tips, Mixed Media, still lifeTags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment