New Urban Series

I've begun a new series inspired by the city. Looking back on work in the past, I've always been drawn to the urban structure, urban decay, and the magical colours, textures, and visual density that occurs when years of people's marks and influence change the look of various thing around us.

Vancouver is a city with an unquestionable grittiness (quite a contrast to the bright, happy pictures we often see). The crumbling buildings and decay of the Downtown East Side (where my studio is) is a wealth of visual inspiration.

I've wanted to focus on urban decay and the city for some time. I started these pieces on wood panel and so far they are capturing a really awesome amount of attention. I'm really stoked to see this series start to develop.

These objects (like phonebooths) that sit idle and often unused..and collect years of writing, marks, stickers, etc. are a testament to the motion and activity around them. They sit there, collecting memories and watching out at the city that passes them by, slowly disappearing...

Yet they speak to the ever changing world of technology, social norms, behaviour and so forth.

Fascinating? They are to me :)

New Body of Abstract Works

I've admittedly not posted on here for a little while. I post consistently to my facebook page, www.facebook.com/jonshawpaintings. My excuse shall be that I've been too busy preparing a whole new series of abstract paintings :)

Previously I've shown some in - progress shots of them, but here are a selection of the complete ones/ones that are nearing completion.

These are being created for an annual open studios tour here in Vancouver called the Eastside Culture Crawl. It's a really great event where the general public gets to experience hundreds of artists and their studios. I like it because it shows a whole new set of people artwork they may not otherwise experience, and seems to do so in a very fun and unpretentious way (the way I prefer to see and present art).

Here are a few sneak peek images of what I'll be showing. I have some animal works to exhibit too, although I'm using this opportunity to exhibit the new direction of the abstract works.

New Abstract, New Direction!

My latest endeavour is the exploration into abstract. I am still using the same style as before, however now I get to focus on texture, form, colour, spatial relationships, and spontaneity. Everything that I learn here is going to apply to my other work in the future. In other words, this new series is incredibly fresh and fun but also beneficial for my artistic development. So stoked!

Strix Nebulosa - Latest Piece

Right now I'm in the middle of the Harmony Arts fest, a two-weekend show in West Vancouver. It's really busy but really fun!

One of the most recent pieces I made is also the most popular, it seems! It is a 24" x 24" owl painting. Below I am posting in progress shots from various stages of its completion - since I love showing the process!

I put more focus than usual onto the subtle colour layers towards the end. I did this in an attempt to really saturate my colours, educate myself on glazing, and push towards a more complex/sophisticated image. At the end, I think the result was achieved and I am very pleased with the end product.

Phoenicopterus Roseus 2

I just final-documented this new piece. I dig it.

16" x 16"
Ink and acrylic on canvas
2012

Owls, Parrots and Sushi Galore!

I'm developing a subseries of parrots lately. I like them because the colours are so bright and varied, so it really allows a lot of artistic play.

The owl piece below is also in progress but coming along nicely. I'm liking the green/red scheme but I think it needs a bit more highlight colour variation.

The sushi is a new batch. Previously I had done 100 of them, I just wrapped up a fresh batch of 10 more. I want to get another 15 done this week in time for my show this weekend (Harmony Arts at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver)

Working On My Parrot

Here's one of my several parrot pieces currently on the go. This one is 24" x 24", which is one of my favorite sizes to work. It's perfect for being small enough to carry around town to work on remotely, and large enough that I can still get expressive with the paint and line work.

This piece is fun because it is using different colours right now. Not sure where they will go yet but I'm always excited to see how these things pan out! (I like to work spontaneously)