Other Nudes

 

Looong Break

Yeah, I ditched this blog for a while, but now I want to make it move again. I wanted to do some serious art and explore some subjects outside my norm, horror. I have done so and still am a HUGE advocate for nudes and dispelling the myth that ANY body part is wrong inappropriate, or obscene. Even an erection is just another body part when viewed logically. The idea that the human body is dirty comes from religion and has plagued us for far too long. I say, end it now! To that end, I painted many many nudes and showed them at a very successful art show in Donelson TN it was a blast and I laughed at every scandalized face. In this post, I have provided some of my contributions. I would love to hear your opinions.

Sold!

Sold!

Sold!

Look out! This last one is too much for many people!

I warned you!

Some quotes to take with these images.

This one is in some ways, my greatest work. It forced me to push past the cultural stigmas I have been programmed with and the fear of  offending people with controversy. 

It is good taste, and good taste alone, that possesses the power to sterilize and is always the first handicap to any creative functioning. Salvador Dali

I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life - and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do. Georgia O'Keeffe

Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the danger of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity. Thomas J. Watson

Creation

 

 

I love the Creation of Man; in one of my drawing classes we had to mimic some art styles outside our norm and this was the result of my efforts my first try. It has some problems, but I enjoyed making it. Death watches, ready to start his work.  

Digital Landscape Painting

Landscapes are not a favorite of mine, but this speed painting I did to teach my students how it works was a fun one. We used a photo of a very unusual view to guide us and then painting it in under two hours.

Censorship

I was commissioned to create an illustration showing how the imagination refuses to be repressed and the internal struggle of the creative in oppressive situations by a professor I work with at IADT of Nashville. I am a strong advocate of creative freedom and agree with the following quotes on controversy. The images erupting from the man’s head show a progress of thought from left to right of shapes forms and connections in one way or another, illustrating the progress of thought. All of the other symbols are fairly straight forward and do not need explaining.

“I don't see how you can write anything of value if you don't offend someone.”
― Marvin Harris

“How could anything non-controversial be of intellectual interest to grown-ups?”
― Edward Abbey, Postcards from Ed: Dispatches and Salvos from an American Iconoclast

 

"The only time I feel alive is when I'm painting."
Vincent van Gogh

Mural Concept

The thing I have to remind myself about trying to get work is that not everyone has the same vision and they can be afraid of ideas that are unique or might attract attention.  It is hard to get work here in Nashville Tennessee, but every now and then the effort feels worth it. I plan to refine this concept and to paint this image in detail and in full color in the not so distant future. 

Nudes in Charcoal

 

I love nude figure study. I think there is nothing more remarkable nor more beautiful than the human form. These are some quick studys I did to practice. I plan to do more paintings very soon. Ideas are being born as I type.

Edward Gorey

Edward Gorey's work in ink

 

My own, also in ink.

 

Edward Gorey (1925-2000) influenced my work before I even knew who he was. His style has been mimicked by many artists and I am no exception. His work appeared often in the New Yorker and has a strange humor to his work. 



Buildings are Hard

I am not a draftsman, and I have only drawn a few buildings for people. Part of the reason may be that they are very hard to do in my opinion. I was commissioned to draw the Nashville Renaissance Hotel and was very grateful for the chance to do so, they were very nice and happy with the results. I hope to do business with them again in the future. It is always nice getting out of your comfort zone and to find you can pull it off.

 

Food of the Gods

I created this painting based on the mythology of Greek Gods and the legend that their immortal nature was due to a magical fruit they eat. Religion and gods historically include human sacrifice and so I made the fruit into human hearts. The rams skull and the snakes are both references to common symbols of gods and the symbols associated with them. Some of the symbolism used is to address regions dark past and present and how it seems incapable of existing without sacrifice in one form or another. Human lives must be taken in order for the gods to exist and if they are not taken in ceremony they are taken in war and hate crimes.

 

This Blog and Bats

This page is dedicated to my art and the projects I have done or am doing. I plan to talk about illustration, fine art, controversy in art, design, and the things that affect these subjects.  I will also talk about what I am learning about art and provide basic art education. My art style is very diverse, but I tend to focus on the darker side and with this page I want to branch out away from that. It doesn’t mean some of the art I post here won’t be dark, just that not all of it will be.

Question: Ethan, why a bat for your logo?

Answer: I love animals and bats are one of my favorites, these amazing little mammals are highly adaptive, they have excellent hearing (Great listeners), can change direction at a moment’s notice, and are cooperative among their cloud. (A group of bats is a cloud)  These are all characteristics I bring to any team I am on and I feel they are very desirable. So to clarify, the bat is a great example of adaptability, great communication skills, agility, team work, and speed. Just like me.