Winter Sun: A Wood Cut-Out

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Last year I delved into monochromatic painting in earnest. Greyed-blues on top of a terra cotta primer became a favorite, although muted orange on top of chrome green took a close second. 

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Planned this one out using paper cut-outs arranged within the frame. You can see from the photo upper left that the original face was a sour-looking old-man-face, haha. That changed pretty quickly.

Once the proportions were figured out, the buildings and the sun were drawn with brush and black acrylic, thickly outlined, and cut with a scroll saw (which is a fun and deeply satisfying part of the process).

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And then I painted it, assembled it, and varnished it!

Don't want to add tedious details here, but if you have questions, I am happy to answer any. Just message me on Instagram: 

@tomsarmo_art 

(because Blogspot won't let me respond here anymore for some reason, and unfortunately there's no help or support).

Thanks!

Back at it: A Captain Ahab Wood Cut-Out

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It's been a full-calendar-year, and blogging got back-burnered until now.

This post gets back on track with a wood cut-out piece made for the Character and Narrative exhibition at Foothills Art Center. The exhibition closed at the end of October, 2019.

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The process in this case was sketching, measuring (not my strong suit), and cutting out the pieces.

I like to prime the wood with a colored ground--usually terra cotta, sometimes green chrome or ochre.

The monochrome blue-grey in this case was applied from dark shadows to middle tones with highlights last.

I finished Ahab, whale, and frame with crackle glaze and burnt umber ink wash.

Thanks for re-visiting my blog :)

For more of my artworks, please follow me on Instagram @tomsarmo_art

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Traveler: A Wood Cut-Out Painting and it's Process

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Traveler

Acrylic on layered wood cut-outs, 11" x 14" framed

One of many pieces being created for Character and Narrative, an exhibition coming to Foothills Art Center 

August 16 - October 20, 20019

Each piece of the cityscape and the three characters were cut out using a scroll saw. All of the wood pieces and the frame were primed with terra cotta primer. The paint is Maimeri Polycolor, a very light-fast and opaque sign-painter's paint.

I like this piece a lot. Below you'll find the process sketches...

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...which I began on my iPad. Initially this was going to be a traditional painting on canvas. Somehow these little guys with backpacks didn't hit the mark for me. So...

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...I began sketching some scary fellows, which weren't right either. But the little guys in the bottom center were promising. In the meantime...

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...I started thinking about the town--on paper. And I could finally...

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...start painting!

Thanks for checking it out, and please follow me on Instagram @tomsarmo_art

One Fair-Enough Question, and an Answer to Another

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I'm often asked, "Where do you get your ideas?"

It's a fair question to which there are many answers. I read a lot of folk and fairy tales and fiction, and I look at a lot of old and contemporary illustrations. Those stories and images 

inform--semi-directly--a lot of the works I create. But...

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...sometimes the artworks arrive from my unconscious/subconscious being. When sketching for relaxation, figures and characters just work their way from my brain and heart down my arm and out the fingers that hold the pencil; or in this case, the brush. I liken it to the old-style darkroom experience, when the paper was placed into the developer and the image magically appeared onto the photo paper. There's no pre-visualized image; I put the drawing implement down and let the image happen. And it is magical, and I never tire of the experience.

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This work-in-progress happened like that. After some unconscious sketching of figures that really did not resemble this fellow, I dipped a paintbrush into black ink and drew directly onto the primed canvas. To be accurate, I painted the outlines freely with a #3 round brush, allowing the figure and the objects to stay undefined. 

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Then I looked for references for the clothing and the objects, adding the details as I saw fit. Because I'd primed the canvas with a reddish-orange ground, I was able to paint over and adjust the initial, loose lines and clean up the parts of the drawing I wanted to preserve.

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Above are a couple of detail crops of the finished piece. 

Still haven't a title for it, but it's 12" x 30", and will be in an upcoming show.

***

I got an email yesterday inquiring about my "average painting process".  I sort of use an average process but it does vary a bit with each artwork. Here then is the process sequence I used for this piece:

1--Coated the gessoed canvas with a reddish ground (in this case a mixture of Art Spectrum Fine Tooth Colourfix Primer (Terra Cotta) and Maimeri Polycolor Yellow Ochre

2--Painted the outline using a brush and India Ink (sometimes I use thinned, black Polycolor, but I like the smoother flow and value of India ink a bit better)

3--Fixed the ink with clear acrylic spray varnish (otherwise the application of subsequent acrylic washes will cause the ink to run)

4--Touched up and corrected the initial brush drawing with the reddish ground and black Polycolor

5--Mixed four values of grey-green Polycolor (dark, medium dark, medium light, and light) in sealable, plastic cups

6--Painted the shadow areas--keeping the grey values accurate to the local value of each area

7--Painted the lighter grey areas

8--Added highlights with white Polycolor

9--Added tinted glazes to punch up the green hue in the character's eyes, and some white tinted glazes  to soften some of the highlight edges

10--Varnished with a coat of acrylic gloss medium. When that's dry,  added final coating of Soluvar (which gets rid of the "tackiness" gloss mediums often have, even when dry).

I'm open to all the questions folks ask--they are a sign of interest in the work I create, and much appreciated.

Thanks for checking this out : ]

35 Seconds of Creepy

The Art Critic Contemplates the Artist

Acrylic on canvas, 12" x 30"

I loved 1930's horror movies as a kid--some I love even now. The wonders of modern video technology allowed me to film this painting in '30s style :)

This piece is another in a long line of skeleton/death images I seem compelled to create right now.

This particular piece--like all art--is open to interpretation by you, the viewer. I guess the title is a clue to what I was thinking though.

You can see the preliminary sketch idea here:

Art Critic prelim

Thanks for your interest in my artwork! If you'd like, 

follow me on Instagram

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Mischievous Death

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Skeletons and skulls have been an intermittent subject for me. The idea of "memento mori" appeals for certain, but many death-images have been swirling up from my unconscious mind since last September for some reason.

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While death is a serious subject, and I sometimes treat it as such (see previous post ), the idea of a mischievous personification intrigues me. Hence this work-in-progress.

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The first two photos above are drawings done on slightly textured, brown toned paper. I began this one on 300 lb. watercolor paper (because watercolor was to be the main media). I like to sketch out the picture using red pencil.

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I fixed up the red sketch with a fine brush dipped in india ink...

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...then toned the paper using Quinacridone Gold watercolor. Next, highlights with white acrylic paint. All the cross-hatching followed with a crow-quill pen and ink, and blue-green inks accented the skeleton's eyes and pin.

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Sometimes but not always, I sketch out little ideas first.

So much for death--I'm not one to delve into much philosophy in this blog; save that for quiet conversation over a beer :)

Thanks for checking out my art!

Something a Bit Different

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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.

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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...

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

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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.

Another Goblin and a Creature-in-Progress

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Working on lots of new characters--and many of them turning into wood cut-outs--for a new, long-term project. Here's one!

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And here's another--a work-in-progress.

I'll keep you posted, as more are on the way :)

Thanks for the visit!

Nahcotta Gallery: Enormous Tiny Art 23!

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On the Path. (Pre-colored detail of the larger, now-finished work.) Pen and ink plus colored inks.

Pleased to announce the opening of the Enormous Tiny Art Show (23) at Nahcotta Gallery in Portsmouth, NH

And I'm excited to have eight works in the show--including On the Path!

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The Hatter Before the King (detail crop). Pen and ink plus colored inks.

Even though the opening is not until March 2, you can read a bit about me and purchase art now online here:

Tom Sarmo's Art

And see all the sweet artworks by great artists here:

Enormous Tiny Art Show (23)

Thanks for looking and supporting art and artists!

Origins and Processes

 

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 A Meeting, detail crop. 

Toned paper, plus (in order of use) Verithin colored pencil, Pentel Brushpen, Uni-Ball Signo white pen, Maica Pilot Hi-TEC-C pen, transparent acrylic inks).

Visitors to my studio often ask from where my ideas come. They come from many sources; books I have read or am reading, past and current experiences, conversations with fellow illustrators, and dreams. This one definitely came from a faceless voice--in a otherwise forgotten dream--that exclaimed "We meet ourselves!" Kept hearing that in my head all the next day

 so I started sketching the alligator-like creature, and the rest of the drawing emerged. And yes, I know that the image is weird as all get-out.

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Didn't take the time to take many in-process shots, but you can see

 the red Verithin pencil under-drawing here. At that point I put the drawing away.

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Had a bunch of acrylic paint that I'd used for a previous painting. Not wanting to waste it, I sketched out a similar image onto a cradled hardboard using charcoal. Refined that using a brush and black acrylic, then painted this version (detail crop).

But the previous drawing kept calling to me, so I returned to it and finished it after a lot of cross-hatching :)

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Here are both artworks for comparison. Other than creating pieces based upon a dream-exclamation, I'd wanted to explore the effect of light shining from within. In this case it was coming from within the creature-tail. 

They're each 8" x 10", and will be among many works for of a three-person show at Valkarie Gallery this October! More about that soon.

Thanks for reading!

Memento Mori

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Detail from The Hermit

I tend to place a lot of tiny skulls within the borders of my art. Skulls fascinated me as a little kid, and continue to do so--even more as modern culture preposterously tries to refute aging and death.

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Detail crops from Sir Baffle and the Dragon

But in the past, images of death in art--memento mori--served to calm the frenzied life. They were reminders that existence on earth is finite, and motivations to spend lives honorably and in meaningful pursuits that had little to do with the acquisition of money or power.

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"Memento mori is Latin for “Remember death.” The phrase is believed to originate from an ancient Roman tradition in which a servant would be tasked with standing behind a victorious general as he paraded though town. As the general basked in the glory of the cheering crowds, the servant would whisper in the general’s ear: “Respice post te! Hominem te esse memento! Memento mori!”--“Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man! Remember that you will die!”

-- Brett McKay

Now more than ever, it seems that political "leaders" and the super-wealthy could use this kind of reminder.  Maybe a lack of any spiritual belief--or inheritance laws allowing their swollen bank accounts to live on for their families--somehow allows them to forget The End?

Hard to know. But nonetheless, many of them live as though their earthly life is infinite. Rather than seeking liberty and justice for all; revenge, money-grubbing, and ego-stoking are their top considerations. That's pretty bizarre for anyone, but especially for people nearing the end of their lives.

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It's not my business to teach anyone anything about the mysteries of death, or an afterlife. But the philosophy and art tradition of the memento mori is much appreciated. And as stated above, I like drawing skulls.

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Plus, there's something exhilarating about facing the fact of the death we all will share. It frees one up to work at leaving the world a better place for others.

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While many images of Death are warnings, I'll leave you with something different...

Saint Francis of Assisi reflected often on the mystery of death, and referred to its personification as "Sister Death". She is the one who comes to deliver us from life's suffering. In this sculpture (artist unknown to me) the placard she holds reads:
"To die with the sacred joy of not having done harm to oneself nor to a single soul.”

Source

Thanks for the visit!

The Voyage of the Aeolus: A Process

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The Voyage of the Aeolus, detail

I really like pen and ink, crosshatching, costumed characters, and theater sets (the look of toy theaters in particular). And I like looking at other artist's processes. This post shows all of that, and my own methods for this type of colored ink artwork.

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For this piece, my interest centered around a voyage. The first thumbnail sketch was a rudimentary one featuring a top-hatted figure who quickly evolved into a pirate with his bird-buddy. I like to start these types of works with a red Verithin pencil, and then use a Pentel Brushpen for the varying width outline. My favorite paper is Kona Classic because its tough surface takes many layers of hatching without shredding, and is a great surface for water-media too.

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In this case, a Pilot High-Tec C pen was used for the crosshatching, and I'm never without a Uni-Ball Signo white pen for highlights.

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Sorry, this is the only photo I have of the initial pencil drawing (had to yank it off of a Facebook post).

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Obviously I changed the look of the pirate--a younger face better-suited the fantasy-like atmosphere, and for this final piece I used Acryla white gouache for the highlights.

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Once the highlights and values are finished, I give the piece a coating of UV blocking acrylic gloss spray. Then the color is added with watered-down, transparent acrylic inks. And that's about it!

It's a fun process--feel free to comment or email me with any questions you might have.

Thanks for checking this out!