Wednesday, August 26, 2015

An Insider's View of "Toledo No. 1"

I got down to business on the next stage of this Spanish cityscape over the weekend. Here's a pic of me at work and a few details of the underpainting round. I wanted to get a base of acrylic colors down that approximate what the finished version in oil paint will look like. I think I am off to a good start…what do you think?
Me with "Toledo No. 1". The finished piece is 65" x 29".
Toledo, Spain up close.
Catching the shadows of an afternoon Spanish sun. 
In case you missed it, check out The Creation of a Spanish Cityscape with a video showing how I translated my photos into the charcoal drawing that is guiding the painting stages. Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

The Launch of A New Mexico Cloudscape (Part II)

I've made big strides with the drawing and underpainting for my biggest oil painting to date, "Aero No. 28". Even when working fast, the size of the painting itself makes the process "feel" slower. It's all about scale and doubling the size of the project often, and certainly in this case, more than doubles the work. 
Drawing. Generally getting the proportions and movement of the clouds in the right place.
Not quite the brand I'd use on the asphalt playground as a kid, but soft chalk pastels got things going nicely on this painting.
Acrylic paint underpainting. Giving me some tonal values to guide the application of the oil paint  in the next round.
The acrylic underpainting palette for this step of the painting.
Max painting reach achieved. Big chip brushes help me get a lot of coverage with the acrylics at this stage.
Underpainting Stage | "Aero No. 28" | 70" x 47"
I'm having a lot of fun getting face to face with a painting this big on the wall.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

The Creation of A Spanish Cityscape

This week I started my newest painting featuring Toledo, Spain. I visited there in 2012 and was moved by its hilltop setting, its distinct architecture, and the fact that Toledo was the adopted home town of El Greco, one of my favorite painters. Unlike cloudscapes, cityscape paintings require a bit more thought and planning before adding color as evidenced in the photo and time lapse below.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

The Launch of A New Mexico Cloudscape (Part I)

This week I embark on a journey to create the largest oil painting I've attempted to date.

Am I ready? Yes. Feeling some trepidation? Um, yeah. Curious to see what happens next? You bet!

Here are some shots of me prepping the raw birch panel for conversion into a big, beautiful, cloud-filled Aeroscape.

The Source: An Afternoon of Dynamic Clouds Over Santa Fe
Sanding the 47" x 70" birch panel that will be the foundation for Aero No. 28
Applying the final coat of tinted Liquitex Gesso to the panel.
Primed and on the wall. The beginning of Aero No. 28 (Santa Fe Cloudscape) 
A little grid help to help keep the drawing on point. I am pretty precise with the prep, the drawing, the paint color mixing, BUT…once the paint starts to hit the panel, it becomes an expressive, liberating free-for-all.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

New Mexico....Cloud Paradise

I've been chasing clouds and painting skyscapes since 2012. It looks like I am in the right place! Which ones are your favorites?

A: Santa Fe

B: Albuquerque

C: Santa F

D: Albuquerque

E: Santa Fe

F: Santa Fe

G: Santa Fe

H: Santa Fe

I: Santa Fe

J: Santa Fe

K: Albuquerque

L: Santa Fe

M: Albuquerque

N: Santa Fe

O: Albuquerque

P: Santa Fe

The New HQ for Reyes Fine Art Is Here!

Never thought I'd be living in the house at the end of the cul-de-sac, but here we are!
We're incredibly grateful and proud to call this "Home". 
After nearly 12 years in Los Angeles, Rachel and I purchased a home in Santa Fe, NM that has a studio for her inside and a detached garage that has been converted into my very own workspace. It's been a labor of love getting here, prepping the space, repainting, hanging lights, building custom art and tool storage. But every second has been worth it…and I even got back to making art to celebrate and christen the new HQ of Reyes Fine Art. Come inside…



"Barcelona No. 1" is on the easel. It got started in LA, and will be finished
here in Santa Fe. 

Our boys, Giaco (short for "Giacometti") and Buddy the Beagle, trying out the studio accommodations. Buddy came with us from California and Giaco is a mini-schnauzer/terrier pup we adopted from the Santa Fe Animal Shelter in May.
I built this table in my first live/work loft in downtown LA in 2004. It's served me well as evidenced by the pic to the left. It made the journey to New Mexico and I felt it appropriate to give it a second life as I get a fresh start here as well.
"Thunderhead (Albuquerque)"
Pastel and graphite on paper
18 x 36"
"Aero No. 12 (Spanish Descent I)" to the left, and "Aero No. 13 (Spanish Descent II)".
Both are acrylic paint on canvas panel and each is 20 x 10."
While these are not the first pieces of art I've made in New Mexico (having traveled and painted here regularly since 2008), they are the first drawings and paintings created in my new studio and as an official resident of this great place.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

An Aerial View Painting Inspired by Spain

My latest painting began live at a special event at Will Leather Goods in Venice on Nov. 22, 2014 (see that story HERE). Since then, this piece has evolved dramatically and my progress and the final painting are presented below. This one has been a wild ride and way more challenging than I anticipated. Sometimes it goes that way, but the education en route is well worth it!

It was inspired by my window seat view of the Spanish countryside moments before landing at Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas. Beginning with Madrid, the places I visited and the things I saw on that trip opened the door to a change in painting style and sharpened my focus on subjects important to me.

10 Stages of Aero No. 14

Aero No. 14 (Miami -> Madrid) | Acrylic on birch panel | 46 x 23"
(Complete painting to the Left, plus extreme closeups to the Right)

Actual scale of Aero No. 14