New Works at Helikon for Hometown Heroes!

Informal Chat. 

Mixed media (watercolor, India ink, acrylic inks, UV protectant varnish) on watercolor paper mounted on birch.

This 8" x 10" painting is one of five pieces that I'll have in the exhibition, Hometown Heroes at Helikon Gallery  

The opening is this Saturday, July 28th from 6-10 pm!

Informal Chat was inspired by all of the magical faery-folk in tales and legends. I've always loved little guys, lanterns, owls, and the natural world, so this piece was a blast to create :]

Here are three more of the ready-to-hang works available at the show or through Helikon's site. These are wood cut-outs (mixed media works on watercolor paper mounted to hardboard). I used watercolor, India ink, acrylic inks, and acrylic gouache. The finished works are then cut out on a scroll saw and coated with UV protectant varnish.

Two of these cut-outs (the rooster and mouse; approx. 9" x 15") were inspired by folk tales, while the froggy-fellow (approx. 5" x 10") was inspired by the footman in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Hope you'll join me and all the other dynamic Colorado artists for Hometown Heroes--plus amazing new figurative works by Ryan Morse Underneath in the Annex Gallery!

If you can't attend, or would like more information, just click on this link:

Hometown Heroes

And all works (and more!) are available online through

Shop Helikon Gallery

Please support artists and the arts--it's more important than ever.

As always--Thank you!

Box o' Drawings and other WIPs

Every once in awhile a backlog of works that need finishing happens. Even though I try to complete each work before getting too far along on another, now's one of those times things got pretty much out of hand.

Sorry if my (lack of) video skills got you car-sick--but thanks for staying with my ol' blog :)

Btw, my original art is available for purchase here: 

Tom Sarmo at Helikon Gallery

and some originals and miscellaneous products here:

Tom Sarmo Online Store

Your purchase from either helps a lot and is much appreciated!

Something a Bit Different

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com

Timekeeper (detail). Mixed media (pen and ink, red pencil, white ink).

I worked on many art pieces this past year, some colorful, some storybook-like, and some humorous. But last September some darker images were stirring inside me.

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com

Timekeeper

When I was invited to participate in an un-traditional landscape show--Otherworlds--at Helikon Gallery, I worked on  Timekeeper and its companion piece...

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com

...Musician. Mixed media (pen and ink, red pencil, white ink).

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com

Musician (detail)

The original work, Timekeeper, has sold, but quality prints are available.

Musician is available as an original 8" x 10", framed as shown above, and also as a quality print. 

For information, please contact

  Helikon Gallery

Email: info@helikongallery.com

Phone: 720-502-5635

 Thank you in advance for your support of the arts, artists, and wonderful galleries like Helikon.

Illustrative Art?

Listening for Elves. 

Mixed media (India ink and colored acrylic ink on panel).

My art has been described as whimsical, storytelling, and eclectic.

But I'm most proud to have it called "Illustrative Art", because illustration is my background, my passion, and my occupation. I love all types of illustration, and believe deeply that illustration belongs in galleries and on the walls of homes--not just in books or magazines.

Dusk. 

Acrylic on panel.

And I'm very proud to have my work showing and available at Helikon Gallery in Denver. Helikon is full of illustrative art, and because I have an upstairs studio there, I get to see and be inspired by their ever-changing exhibitions, and by the works of the other illustrators who have studios there.

Grumpy Dwarf. 

Mixed media (India ink, white ink, and colored acrylic inks.)

The three pieces above--and more-- are at Helikon Gallery. Here's the link to all my available works:

Tom Sarmo's Art

In the coming weeks I'll be posting more about this famous gallery in Denver, and I hope the posts will inspire you to find your way there--to be inspired by all the illustrative artwork Helikon has to offer!

Thanks in advance :)

The (Magical) Hermit: A Painting Sequence

I start with sketches--in this case I just wanted to figure out the character of the tarot Hermit, so didn't worry about a composition rough. At this point I don't want to draw a perfect rendering because I want to keep my options for the painting open and flexible.

Often I use a terra cotta gesso as primer--a wood panel from the craft store is the surface here. I freehand the initial drawing using a brush and black acrylic, fixing and altering stuff with the gesso when necessary (it's very opaque). The benefits to not tracing or projecting my sketch: I don't get bored with re-drawing; good surprises happen at this stage; and the final drawing is looser--resulting in a more lively finished painting.

For this work, the next step was to put in the cool colors and establish rough shadows. Putting in the brightest light helped me gauge the other values as well.

 

Adding lighter values and more color comes next. I pre-mixed a limited palette of colors, greyed them down, then created value strings for each color. It makes the painting process go quickly as there's no guesswork or wasted paint. For this work: Greyed down orange, blue, green, and yellow.

There you have it--an oval (for no real reason), one-of-a-kind, tarot card on thick birchwood.

And you can own it! Here's the link:

The Hermit

Thanks for checking it out, and for your support of the arts!

My Art Book (and a Sticker Pack)!

My artwork from the past three years, compiled in a really nice, 96 page volume!

This past year brought a solo exhibition for me at Helikon Gallery. Along with the show, the gallery director and illustrator, Cayce Goldberg, designed this 96 page book.

I got to watch--and add my thoughts--as he worked on laying out the covers and pages. It was a fascinating process, and I've nothing but admiration for Cayce's skills as a writer and designer.

 

 Many of the page layouts feature the finished work along with the initial sketch and process photos...

 

...along with pages that show close-up details of my drawings and paintings (with my short commentaries about technique, or process, or thoughts about influences).

 

There are even great layouts of my sketches (and a few "portraits" of my friends) designed consistently by theme...

...including pages that deal with my fascination with Alice's Adventures.

It's a volume that pretty much covers my work and process, and I'm very proud of it.

 

The gallery even created a companion sticker pack to go along with the book and exhibition!

If what I create happens to resonate for you, both book and sticker pack are available here:

My shop

 

Your purchase helps me continue to make art, 

and I very much appreciate your interest and support--thank you!

Afterword at Helikon Gallery--Opening this Week!

Above is one of the posters for Afterword. A Tribute to Literature.

It's the completed piece from my previous post,

Macbeth and a Ghost

Here's the line-up of all invited artists for an easier read :)

Many of my friends are showing works in this show. If they have a website, it's listed below. Click on their names for more of their works--you'll be amazed!

Vinni Alfonso

Dymond Starr Austin

Clay Brooks

Laura Imbler

Rob Jordan

Mike Kloepfer

Jeremy Aaron Moore

Ryan Morse

Valerie Savarie

Kelsi Jo Silva

Tony Steck

John Van Horn

Kaitlin Ziesmer

Here's the direct link to the show:

Afterword at Helikon Gallery

In addition to Afterword, Helikon Gallery is presenting

Muses V 

and
Goodnight Sweet Prince--The Artwork of John Van Horn

So much stunning artwork to enjoy--so please come out this Wednesday or First Friday and support the arts, working Denver artists, and a great gallery!

Macbeth and a Ghost: Afterword at Helikon Gallery

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

Macbeth and Macduff (preliminary sketch). Ink with watercolor, approx. 3" x 5"

Over and over again, Helikon Gallery presents unique and amazing shows. This November I'm pleased to be part of Afterword: A Tribute to Literature 

Shakespeare's Macbeth is a favorite. The sketch above was a preliminary for the piece I was planning on submitting.

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

Macbeth Sees Banquo's Ghost (preliminary sketch) Red pencil and ink, approx. 4" x 5"

I was fascinated by the witches in Macbeth, but terrified by the ghost of Banquo, so instead of my initial idea of Macbeth and Macduff's final battle or a painting with the witches, I ended up thinking about a composition that included Banquo's ghost. I did three or four different thumbnail compositions for the piece, but liked this one best.

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

This is the initial pencil drawing on brown paper, enhanced so you can see the lines, which were actually drawn pretty lightly. The finished piece is 8" x 10".

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

The crosshatching followed the establishment of the first white highlights and a good tweaking of the figures. The biggest challenge was making Banquo's Ghost transparent, but with the good suggestions of some fellow illustrators, I did it!

You can see the finished, full-color piece by clicking on the link to the show and scrolling down:

Afterword: A Tribute to Literature

I'm excited to be exhibiting my work alongside some gloriously amazing works by other artists and illustrators--please check out all their pieces on Helikon's site!

Hope you can come to the show either for the Opening Reception on November 1, 2017, or on First Friday the following Friday, November 3rd.

Thanks for checking this out, and for your support of the arts!

Details!

http://www.tomsarmo.com/home

 A little fellow--a tiny detail from The Wizard.

Helikon Gallery's director and fellow illustrator Cayce Goldberg suggested we produce a book to go along with my exhibition, and I was blown away by his creative approach to book design. Filled with full color paintings, the book features many close-ups and details!

http://www.tomsarmo.com/home

 Bringing the reader's attention to the details within the artworks was only one of his ideas--and it was a lot of fun! As we worked on the book, Cayce searched the paintings for small, interesting components, which he then added to individual pages.

http://www.tomsarmo.com/home

Here's a shot of one of the interior pages. The skull is a detail from the painting, The Hermit.

http://www.tomsarmo.com/home

This is the back cover of Innate Tapestries: The Endless Stage, with cut-out details from The Hermit, and other complete paintings within the book.

http://www.tomsarmo.com/home

 Detail crop of The Owl and the Pussycat.

For me, a great deal of the enjoyment came from revisiting my own paintings in a new way. Studying the details close-up is not what I'm used to--often, painting is a process that's sort of unconscious working, so I'm not always totally aware of what's going into the artwork. That sounds strange, but it's true.

 

http://www.tomsarmo.com/home

Detail from The Voyage of the Aeolus.

 

Combing the works for details led to some pleasant surprises about how my hand works with the media, too.

 

http://www.tomsarmo.com/home

Here is a blown-up detail of the cricket from the painting, Pinocchio...

 

http://www.tomsarmo.com/home

 ...and the complete painting in the book.

 

I hope you found checking out the details enjoyable--thank you for visiting and supporting my art!

 The signed, 96 page, limited edition book is available here:

The Art of Tom Sarmo

 

Thanks again!

 

Two Big Nose Breaks (from painting)!

http://www.tomsarmo.com/home

 Preliminary sketches for The Man in the Moon sculpture (below).

http://www.tomsarmo.com/home

 After making all the pictures for Innate Tapestries, I needed a break from painting. Had a chance to be in a "Munny" show at a neat little shop/gallery called Cooper and Dash in Downtown Denver. They provided the blank white Munny doll (upper left).

http://www.tomsarmo.com/home

I really like the Commedia del Arte masks with their giant noses, so approached the Munny as a mask built out of Sculpey. Into the oven it went (top center). Had some glass eyes I didn't have use for, and then painted the fellow using acrylic washes and matte black acrylic to sort of hide the body (I'm not very fond of the way Munnys look).

The show featured 12 other sweet Munnys that were painted and sculpted by local artists and illustrators, and the reception was a lot of fun!

http://www.tomsarmo.com/home

The Man in the Moon 

A fellow artist at Helikon decided to decorate his studio by building a giant sculpture of a face using cardboard. It is amazing! Then he challenged me to do the same. Upper left shows my rudimentary armature. On top of that went instant papier mache, which I built up in layers. 

http://www.tomsarmo.com/home

I ordered more glass eyes and used Sculpey for the teeth; painted the whole thing with a greenish, acrylic wash, and then used successive acrylic washes (thinned with matte medium) for the color. Lower middle shows the moon-head paint prior to the final wash of sienna brown.

Thanks for checking it out!

A Exhibit Preview and an Artist Interview!

Humpty Dumpty, one of many pieces created for The Endless Stage

Cayce Goldberg, Helikon Gallery Director, created this nice artist interview with me for my upcoming solo Exhibit, The Endless Stage:

My Interview

Thank you Cayce Goldberg

and Helikon Gallery !

Hope you can join me at Helikon for the opening reception this Wednesday, June 14th from 6-10 pm!

See a preview of the show here:

Tom Sarmo's The Endless Stage

Thanks for checking this out!

My Solo Show and Book Release at Helikon Gallery

https://helikongallery.com/gallery/archive/the-endless-stage-tom-sarmo/

My first ever Solo Exhibition is coming up soon--on June 14th!--and I'm excited to be showing a variety of works! Plus the gallery has published a limited edition, 96 page book filled with my paintings, sketches, process works, and a few of my thoughts.

https://helikongallery.com/gallery/archive/the-endless-stage-tom-sarmo/

 Here's the link to the book (and you can pre-order!):

The Endless Stage book

https://helikongallery.com/gallery/archive/the-endless-stage-tom-sarmo/

 From the book:

The theater’s stage begins and ends at the imagination in this 96 page treasury of paintings, drawings, sketches, and process work spanning 3 years. Tom’s distinct style of art casts a suite of lively characters from the familiar to the fantastic, inhabiting lusciously illustrated settings with a unique, humorous magic. This unprecedented collection of artwork represents the first major retrospective of Sarmo’s beloved artwork.

https://helikongallery.com/gallery/archive/the-endless-stage-tom-sarmo/

https://helikongallery.com/gallery/archive/the-endless-stage-tom-sarmo/

Here's a detail crop of one of the nearly 40 original works in the show...

www.tomsarmo.com/

...and there are some original landscape-y ones too!
Included in the exhibition are many of my sketches and preliminary drawings with insights into my techniques and processes.

From the gallery:

Helikon Gallery is pleased to present two exhibitions opening June 14: 'A Modern Baroque' in the main gallery and 'The Endless Stage: The Art of Tom Sarmo' in Gallery 101. Along with the two gallery shows, our retail shop will feature a new Shop Showcase with new art by Kayla Edgar. All shows will open with a free reception, with complementary food and drink as well as open artist studios.

Here's the link to the exhibition:
The Endless Stage

I've seen preview work from A Modern Baroque , and it's an exciting show--plus I love the fresh work of
 Kayla Edgar !

In addition, Helikon's Studio Artists will be there with open studios and much art to enjoy.

 If you are in Denver--even anywhere near--you won't want to miss this event! 

https://helikongallery.com/

Here are the particulars:

Where: 
Helikon Gallery

3675 Wynkoop Street

Denver, CO 80216

When: 
Opening is Wednesday June 14th from 6 - 10 pm
First Friday is July 7 from 6 - 10 pm

If you can't make it to the opening, the show runs from June 14th to July 22nd.

For hours:

Helikon Gallery
And:

 Helikon's Facebook

I would love for you to join me and Helikon Gallery for this event; free and open to everyone!

https://helikongallery.com/gallery/archive/the-endless-stage-tom-sarmo/

Hope to see you there--your support of my work and the work of all artists is much appreciated!

and thank you for reading!