More Cats and Imagination

Miss Jeanette is my most recent subject and is continuing on with my "Basics" series.

As an artist I like to think that I'm always discovering something new. But I've come to the realization that new means new to me. I do enjoy the fact that these portraits don't really draw on anything that is modern except that they are executed with a camera and not a brush.

The way that I implement ideas however, will never change. This means that things that I conjure up and toss about mentally,  is always done by the same process of pre-visualization. It's taking a picture in mind and putting it through all that my imagination can think of. Stay tuned for more of my imagination.

Back to Basics part 2

So here is second installment of this series. For me, it really gets back to why I do these in the first place. I love to portray anything in a heroic, bigger than life way. I'm all for adding a make believe element or two, as long as it doesn't take anything away from the subject.

Back to Basics

This is a lighting test for an upcoming indoor series of cats. I will be doing these in the next couple of weeks to show that my outdoor style translates consistently indoors. It is extremely hard to do and I have studied it's qualities that makes this work so historic and timeless looking. I think I'm on the right track.

More monkeying around

So this is the second version of the monkey portrait that I've been working on. To be honest, while I like this version better than the last, something is missing here. For me, it is the heroism  that brings a real special element to all of my other work. In this image's own defense, it is merely an experiment of pushing the boundaries and me growing as an artist. It is a journey, in that I want to explore as many possibilities as I can.

Hitting a Wall

 

With things being in the shape that they are at the moment, I wanted to express my stance in the best way that I know how. The depicted wall here is a figurative one but also one that is imagined by our subject.  We all feel this way from time to time especially in this economic climate. I am sure that things will get better and I never doubt the power of good ideas.

Monkeying Around

I took a trip to the Philadelphia Zoo last week with the intention of seeing how I could photograph the animals in their exhibit areas. I wasn't sure of what I would come away with and I didn't think of putting the two subjects together until later. The way that the light played on the zoo's environs was pretty consistent and the background was from the Philadelphia Art Museum area that I did last fall. I didn't know if it would work, but I think it turned out well not having any set expectations before hand.

Outside of my commission work, I am really trying to push the boundaries here and see where it takes the work. With a color palette that has so many dark tones, it's important for me to have some level of humor, playfulness in each new piece.

Where are the animals?

It's a tough time of year for them to be outside so I've been concentrating on buildings for last couple of weeks. But fear not animal lovers, Spring is around the corner and there is lot that I've got planned.

When I do building illustrations, I think about the power and working spirit that  these places embody. The power plants themselves have a personality of their own, they exemplify the word "work" in it's purest form. I hope that this part of history repeats itself again and again. Soon.

The way I see it.

Outside of my regular portrait work, I've been working on a series of architectural images. The collection of images has been growing steadily since last year. My reference to "seeing it" comes from me picking my subjects merely by how the light plays upon them. This creates a new dynamic because it forces me to search for a mood or feeling first. Then, judge if the subject fits with what I'm trying to capture at that moment. You can view more in the "illustration" section of my site at www.andrewpinkham.com

Location, Location, Location

 

So it's been a while but I've been working on building a library of backgrounds and these are three of my most recent. They are places that I have found and then re-engineered to make them my own.  These will hopefully be used with future dog portraits. The circus tent would be perfect for a small breed like a french bull dog.

19th century, all over again.

This is Dani, the newest installation of my painterly portrait series. It has that same dusk light quality that I always am such a big fan of. What makes this different from the others is that the background minus the drapes, is dropped in later.

Easy Rider

In my last post, I was threatening the use of a tricycle in my next portrait. I'm always trying to push the boundaries of what I'm doing and this the latest effort. We had no idea if our subject, Maya would cooperate for this or not. We posed her on the seat and gradually moved her paws on to the handle bars. She stayed for approximately 10 seconds at a time. We were all very surprised at how long she actually held the pose.

Next up, another 19th century style portrait, stay tuned.