Portraits

Portrait painting is one of if not the most challenging things an artist can undertake. Capturing the essence of a person requires an accuracy and attention to detail that few artists have. The work can be very rewarding, but it takes time to master and is not for everyone. I rarely do it, it isn't something I feel a natural passion for, but when a client requests it I am always happy to do it.

This portrait is of the great Boris Karloff in full makeup for the original Universal Mummy movies. I am a big fan of his and he had such an iconic look I had to draw him. This image was done in pencil.  

This image was a speed painting done for one of my classes and depicts the actor Vincent Price. It only took two hours and is only vaguely accurate, but it was more about color and teaching the students how to to do things than it was about the final results. 

This speed painting was of a local photographer friend of mine Jeffrey Nelson. It was done for practice sake and as a gift to him. 

Another great actor, Sidney Poitier. This pencil when I was a student. 

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. 

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. 



Abstratct Art

This is a painting of mine that is now in the collection of a friend of mine. I love doing these kinds of work, but i rarely seem to find the time or inspiration. the human form is one of my favorite subjects. It is remarkable to me how uncomfortable it can make people in this day and age. I created this image for a drawing class while I was getting my BS in digital media and animation.

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.