"If you're afraid to fall, you'll fall because you're afraid." -Daniel Ilabaca

Four Ways in Which Showing Up Is More Important Than Having Talent

This is sheer, insightful brilliance.  Counter-intuitive, maybe, and unromantic, certainly, but true and real as sunshine or cold water.  I wish that I could tell you differently, and pass along the magic spell for overnight success or or glowing, white-hot  inspiration.  Even inspiration requires work or it won't ever become anything more than a doodle or a pile of notes.  You've got to take it to the wall yourself.

Four Ways in Which Showing Up Is More Important Than Having Talent

Snow Angel

New Piece: "Snow Angel"
Portia St. Luke,
Mixed Media on Paper
January, 2014

Imagine Finding Me

Above: Otsuka, Chino "1982 and 2005, Paris, France," photo manipulation from her series titled Imagine Finding Me.

This photo collection is such an interesting take on time, perspective, even age... or maybe it's really just about how much fun one photographer can have with Photoshop and I'm over-analyzing things.

Tokyo-born, London-based photographer Chino Otsuka takes the past and present photo project to a new level of expert photo manipulation with her series titled Imagine Finding Me. Rather than simply recreating old photographs as an adult, she inserts her present-day self into photos from her childhood. The result is an incredibly believable image that features photos of Otsuka as a little girl in the 70s and 80s standing side by side with herself as a modern-day woman.

Essentially, the series presents a double portrait of Otsuka and the many places she's visited as a kid. With the advantages of using digital software and technology to merge her past and present self, the photographer is able to create these unique self-portraits. She says, "The digital process becomes a tool, almost like a time machine as I'm embarking on the journey to where I once belonged and at the same time becoming a tourist in my own history." -From mymodernmet.com


Photography is not the same as illustration.  A world is not created: it's already there. the lens captures light and shadow in a very scientific way, and this requires all photographers to be realists, on some level. Photographers are not afforded the luxury of pure fantasy or pure abstract the way that painters are, so to make us think, they have to bend things, but just a little.  How is that best accomplished through a lens? Great photographers ask this all the time, and the ones that achieve it make us ask questions of ourselves and the world around us that we might otherwise have never asked.  This is the power of that little box when held in the hands of such a magician.

I love presenting "artists to watch out for," but see no reason why photographers shouldn't be counted as artists, especially when they make us think, feel, or remember we're alive and essentially human in some way. Whether it's digital photo-manipulation, oil on panel, or a really good blues solo, isn't that the entire point of art?

Have Yourself a Leyendecker Christmas

"Artists to Watch Out For" is one of the favorite things that I do for the Blogosphere.  It's my gift to the world, and my way of sharing historic and contemporary art and artists that I love but that you may not have seen in a standard college art class... and if there's one that says "20th Century Christmas," it's J.C. Leyendecker.

I'm not alone.  When fellow painter and blogger Clinton T. Hobart listed his favorite Christmas illustrations, I saw three different Leyendeckers made the list, with one earning the added distinction: "one of my favorite illustrations ever." A realistic painter himself, Hobart writes, "J.C Leyendecker has always been my favorite for Holiday Illustration."

Leyendecker's impact on the Golden Age of Illustration is immeasurable.  His influence on the later Norman Rockwell is something often forgotten by history. Saturday Evening Post cover illustration was almost synonymous with this man until Rockwell followed in his footsteps.  The entire opus of his life's work includes over 300 covers for the Post alone...  Obviously, the holiday covers are a very small tip of a giant iceberg.

 This Flickr Collection is copyrighted, but enjoyable.

To love is to be vulnerable

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

~ C.S. Lewis

For more love, and 21 Lessons They Didn't Teach You in School, check one hell of an entertaining online creative hub, "celebrating the Art of Being Alive," Rebelle Society.

A Well-earned Salute to Pin-Up Art

Above: Illustration by WWII-era French pin-up artist Romain Hugault,
for Michael Malak's forthcoming collection of pin-up art, "Wings of Angels". 

The is Model Caitling Litzinger.

My thanks to Dennis Coppinger for sending this one my way.  Facebook's "the Pinup Files" is a real treat for fans and collectors of pin-up art. I love the vintage, but was so thrilled to see the top-notch work from contemporary artists  Authentic, well-done... With an aesthetic that grew out of the era before silicon and special effects. This is how I imagine the ideal "Venus..." What a great collection! 

Upcoming Show: Rochester Erotic Arts Festival (REAF)

Above: "Wrapped." by Portia St. Luke 2003. (Pen and ink.)
One of the pieces invited to be displayed at the Rochester Erotic Arts Festival

The good news is that I've been invited to have three pieces displayed at the Rochester Erotic Arts Festival (April 5-6, Rochester, NY). This international juried exhibition, now in its fourth year, seeks out “high quality original works that are creative, erotic and thought-provoking.”

I loved being part of the experience last year, and I loved reading this reviewer's take on last year's exhibit.

The pieces that are selected for the coming exhibit include "Astarte," "AutumnFairy," and “Wrapped.”  My deepest gratitude to Graeme Fletcher for his help and “hand-holding” in what was a very intimidating process. His experience in the art world and consummate professionalism were invaluable. I couldn't have done this without him.

Do you want to be part of the party? The "Hotel REAF discount" is available through March 25th for $109 per night, plus state and local taxes (currently 14%). [Click here for more information.]

Even if you are not near the Rochester, NY area, and have no way to be able to make it to this festival, virtual hugs to all of you who sent love and great advice. I read through all of it (even if I did not respond to each one individually.) The encouragement I've received from the community here has really allowed me to have the confidence to try taking my work as, specifically, as an erotic artist to another level, and I'm grateful to each of you who has played part in that.

Artist to watch out for: Boris Indrikov

Art Deco is revisited with new eyes through the hand Russian illustrator of Boris Indrikov.  Hauntingly psychological, Indrikov blends almost architectural design elements that made Art Deco what it was (Math + Geometry meet nature) with Russian folklore, and finishes it off with a delightful kiss of the erotic and the sensual.

Above: Indrikoff, Boris. The Premonition 

2012. Oil on canvas. 80 x 100 cm.

New Product: "Angry Lemur" laptop and tablet case

Such love for the way this design looks on Zazzle's electronics cases!  The ever-popular "Angry Lemur" is now available as an unconventional laptop and tablet case through Zazzle. Steampunk takes an unexpected twist in this unique illustration. Both surreal and whimsical, the “Angry Lemur” is a nod to the political agitators and anarchists in New York City and Boston during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

As always, I'm overjoyed when friends and fans share the love by taking the time to click-and-share the
link:
http://www.zazzle.com/angry_lemur_laptop_and_tablet_bag-124068116025692665

Above: St Luke, Portia. Angry Lemur.
2008. Mixed media on paper. 

Artist to watch out for: Javier Perez

Half medical and half biology, Javier Perez creates work that speaks to my inner medical illustrator.  I find in it a strange soul that's both dark and life-affirming at the same time.

Above: Perez, Javier. Untitled.
Represented by Galerie Bartshi

My "Autumn Fairy" painting

...is now available as a poster.

Support small businesses this season

A big round of applause to all of the friends who have encouraged folks to "buy from small businesses, artists, and craftsmen this season."  Some of you ("love!") are compiling lists of those artists and crafters, and have asked for my information.  I'm grateful to have friends who are this organized!

Posters, prints, and cards of original Portia St. Luke artwork are available at: http://www.zazzle.com/lamagnificaNew this year:  Yuletide cards!  "Yule Log," and "Freya at Her Spinning Wheel" have been re-imagined as holiday cards. Of course, the earlier Yuletide illustrations, such as "Holly King & Oak King", are still available as blank cards and prints. 

Like me on FB at http://www.facebook.com/PortiaStLukeIllustrations

Rethinking Salome

The dance of Salome for the Head of john the Basptist is one of the many Bible Stories that I've wanted to explore for a long time.  Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau has an interesting take on the subject, and, this fall, the the Hammer Museum is presenting an exhibition devoted to Gustave Moreau’s Salome Dancing before Herod.  The write up calls this, "one of the most remarkable and best-known paintings in the museum’s collection."  One of the parts that makes this particular exhibition so interesting is that it includes the related paintings, drawings, and preparatory studies that went into this piece, which allows us to see more of how the artist worked and went through his creative process.  Typically, most of these materials are housed in his home country, France.

When fellow artist Michael Manning sent me the link about the exhibit, he added, "Moreau's work has an iconic sensuality to it - haunting/haunted-looking figures, shadowy supernatural environments, and layered textures, all dripping with exquisite detail, sometimes incised directly into the paint surface - that can be almost overwhelming, even chilling to me."

Looking at Moreau's take on Salome has me re-thinking how I might work this subject when I get a chance to tackle it.  What is the best way to capture, in paint, a dancer so sensuous that she could make a king take leave of his senses?  It's an interesting question!

Gustave Moreau, Salome Dancing before Herod (detail) 1874-76

Gustave Moreau, Salome Dancing before Herod (detail) 1874-76

Above: Gustave Moreau. Nude Female Model for Salome (Study for Salome Dancing before Herod)

Artist to Watch Out For: Marco Mazzoni

I'm in love with this artist.  If you can't get enough of Marco Mazzoni either, please visit his FB page here, or cut the foreplay and enjoy his gallery here.

Above: the Hairy Fish, by Marco Mazzoni

Above: the Pink Skull, by Marco Mazzoni

Above: “Somnarium,” by Marco Mazzoni 

Autumn Fairy, Finished Image

Final details and Finished Piece: Here's where the most opaque "darkest darks" and "lightest lights" are added, and always with care and restraint. Remember, true black and true white do not occur in nature, so before adding a really inky black or a hot, bright white, I make sure to really think about it. More often than not, that black is really a deep burnt umber, and that white is an off-white or cream. However, if they need to show up, this is the layer where that fine definition happens. "Finis!"

Amazing Art: Daniel Agdag's Intricate Cardboard

Some work is simply too exquisite not to be shared.  Australian sculptor Daniel Agdag's "unbelievably intricate" cardboard and glue sculptures create tiny worlds, or, as he puts it, "Sets for a film I'll never make."  For more about this amazing artist and his upcoming film, just click here.

 

Autumn Fairy: Sixth Stage Paint

Above: Autumn Fairy, Work in progress: Sixth Stage Paint

Sixth layer paint. Introduced vermilion for the warm reds and oranges, while further defining and refining the details. With the exception of the preliminary pencil sketch everything up to this point has been created using thin layers of watercolor only. No ink or opaque pigment has been added yet.

Autumn Fairy - Fifth Stage Paint

Above: "Autumn Fairy - Fifth Stage Paint." by Portia St. Luke

Here, I'm adding ultramarine blue to the shadows. In the places where it's being painted over existing dark brown (burnt umber) it will look black, but combining ultramarine and burnt umber creates a much richer black with more subtlety. Even when mixed on the palette the "black" that results is much truer to nature than straight-out-of-the-tube "ivory black" or "bone black." The artist can control the mix and create a warmer or cooler black by using more of one pigment than the other.

Work in progress: Autumn Fairy

Cross-posting this for anybody who has not yet visited the Portia St Luke Illustrations Facebook site. I've created a folder of images showing the progress of my new fantasy piece, "Autumn Fairy." Scanning this piece each day means my friends and fans can watch as the piece develops. If you visit the page, click "like" in order to receive updates showing each day's new scan. 

First layer paint: The preliminary graphite pencil sketch is covered in a simple wash of color. I choose a light tint of something that I know will carry well throughout the rest of the piece. 

Second layer paint: The light yellow wash is worked in a monochrome "griselle." This was a common technique of the renaissance masters. Earth tone pigments were, and are, usually less expensive than the bright mineral-pigments used to create the brighter colors. A monotone griselle was a way to define form, highlight, and shadow without dipping into the bright colors. The "griselle" could be worked in deep greens, dark browns, or even true gray (as the name suggests.) I used burnt sienna, since it complements the overall "autumn" theme of the piece.

Third layer paint: The monochrome "griselle" gets the beginnings of color. I started with a very light wash of sap green for the vegetation and light washes of violet to darken and further define the shadows.

Fourth layer paint: Continuing to work in burnt sienna, sap green and violet, darkening and further defining the form and shadows. At this point, I begin working burnt umber with a very fine brush into the details that will be the darkest. True black, like true white, occurs in the natural world only rarely, so these pigments will be added only at the very end.


All images c. Portia St. Luke 2012