LIFE NEEDS ART

Jerusalem, Jerusalem

2013-05-25T13:03:00.000-06:00

I had the chance to visit Jerusalem yesterday. OK, so I didn't really go to Israel. I was invited along with several other artists to visit the Jerusalem movie set that has been built and used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to film scenes from the New Testament and the life of Christ. Probably since Star Wars fired my budding artistic mind in 1977, I have been fascinated by movies and how they are made.

As an illustrator I enjoy seeing how others tell stories and the pains they go to to make things feel "right", so I jumped at the chance to visit the recreated Holy Land. I had seen some of the short New Testament film clips, so I knew that the set was impressive, but I was not prepared for the level of design and craftsmanship that went into this layout. Most movie sets are built to last the life of the movie shoot and are then either dismantled or even left to disintegrate in the the weather. This set however was built to last at least 20 years. In that regard, it felt more like the set pieces you would see in Disneyland, minus the props and set dressings. All of the angles and layouts were aligned to take advantage of sunlight and shadow at any time of the day. The sheer number of possible camera angles and shots was mind boggling. I felt like I really was walking the streets of ancient Jerusalem.

We toured the complex during the last day of filming and we got to see some of the scene rehearsal for the execution of the apostle Paul. The costuming was amazing in detail and certainly up to Hollywood standards. While we roamed the set pieces, I got a glimpse into what an amazing and integrated process making a film must be. A set decorator was even sponging different earth colors onto a faux stone wall to pop a little more color right before the film rolled.

I shot tons of photos, learned a lot and was inspired for possible future Christ centered works of art during my tour. Unfortunately, I signed a non disclosure on those photos as part of gaining access, so I can't show any of mine. All of these images are all floating online.

Coincidentally, today the Deseret News ran a nice feature on the Jerusalem movie set that you can read here.

The LDS church wants the world to enjoy these short films on the life of Christ and have made them available for everyone. All the videos are available for free viewing here.

Dragon Mountain 2 Finish

2013-05-21T21:19:00.002-06:00

Just finishing this one up today from the Boys' Life story I am working on. I may adjust some of the shadows a little but for the most part I like it. I posted the preliminary sketch here. Having a well worked out value drawing definitely seems to speed up the painting phase. I spent about four or five hours rendering this in Photoshop. I am hoping the opening spread comes together as quickly since I have about five deadlines that are one on top of the other at the moment.

Dragon Mountain Opener- Sketch

2013-05-20T17:04:00.001-06:00

Here is the opening spread drawing for the Dragon Mountain story I am doing for Boys' Life magazine. In this scene, the boy loses his footing and slides down the slope of the mountain and into a dark hole. I posted the drawing for the second scene earlier so you can see what happens next if you click there.

It's always fun to try to get the reference material for a piece like this. My model, the son of our good friends was game to give me the look I wanted but it was impossible for him to hold the pose without falling over, so he did his best and I took the pose in pieces. I laid on the cement of the driveway to get the low angle I wanted and then had him pose the different parts he could hold, one at a time.

Head and torso with one arm, then the second arm and then the flailing legs. I pieced them all together digitally to arrive at the photo comp above which matched my sketch That is what I used to create the final drawing. Both drawings are graphite on bristol paper which I will now scan and use as the basis for the final Photoshop paintings. Stay tuned for the finished illustrations as soon as I get them done.

Octopus Battle

2013-05-17T10:47:00.001-06:00

Octopus Battle- acrylic/mixed media by Greg Newbold.

In this scene from Stormalong, our intrepid hero Stormy dukes it out with a giant octopus in a liquid battleground. The ship's anchor was being dragged deeper and the ship along with it. Of course Stormy dives deep, wins the the wrestling match by tying the octopus' legs in knots and makes it safely back to the surface. I posted a couple of other pieces from this series earlier and you can see them at the links below.

Baby Stormalong discovered on the beach
Stormalong's carved memorial
Stormalong title page illustration

Death Trap - Finished

2013-05-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

Death Trap- 11' x 14" digital and graphite by Greg Newbold

I posted the full value drawing for this piece a few days back. It will be reproduced as a poster and playbill cover for a production of Death Trap this coming season at Pioneer Theatre Company. I have been working on the final art the last couple of days and just finished things up. I decided to keep the background relatively unsaturated to create contrast and also to allow the background elements to recede. I really like how this turned out and in case you were curious, I painted it digitally using Photoshop.

Mount Olympus- Rough Stage

2013-05-14T11:14:00.000-06:00

Mt. Olympus (work in progress) 24" x 20" oil on canvas by Greg Newbold

I get basically this view out my front door every morning with the exception of the foreground elements. Mount Olympus rises from the valley floor to a height of 9,026 feet and is one of the most recognizable and picturesque peaks in the Wasatch range. I love seeing it every day and I figured it was about time I painted it. One evening a few weeks back, just after a spring snow, I took my camera in search of an angle that would eliminate most of the houses that pack the base of the mountain. I wanted an uncluttered vista that would focus on the geometry of the peak. It was just minutes before the sun would set as I hopped on the belt route to look for a high bench spot in which to capture the last light of the day. Lucky for me, I found a commercial building on top of a rise on the east bench of Salt lake City that backed onto a sage and tree filled empty lot. The clouds parted just enough for me to capture the setting light as it illuminated the peaks and the foreground trees and sage. This is the first pass and I will probably put in at least two more painting sessions before it is done, but I like to get the initial statement down as quickly as I can. This is probably about 3-4 hours of painting time including the drawing.

Dragon Mountain Sketch

2013-05-11T13:57:00.000-06:00

I'm doing another project for Boys' Life Magazine right now. This one is a little different in that it will be a teaser for a writing contest. Boys from all over the country will be able to "finish the story" and prizes will be awarded for the best writing. This drawing is for the second spread. I will be painting these in Photoshop and will post the final versions when they are done. The sketch for the first spread is on the table right now and I will post it soon.

Death Trap- Preliminary Drawing

2013-05-10T11:24:00.000-06:00

Once again, I am doing a couple of posters for our regional playhouse Pioneer Theater. Last year I did work for A Christmas Carol: the Musical and this year I have agreed to do two new posters. The first is for a murder mystery called Death Trap, the 1978 thriller by Ira Levin who also penned the creepers Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives. The plot revolves around washed up playwright Sydney Bruhl who is approached by a former student Clifford Anderson to read a new play he has written. The play turns out to be fantastic and Bruhl hatches a plan to kill Clifford and steal the script for his own. Many plot twists ensue and the ending is quite a surprise. The weapons in the drawing represent the collection of stage props that decorate one wall of Sydney's house and are also used to knock off the main characters. I wanted something that was ambiguous enough to not give away anything but mysterious enough to draw in the viewer. As soon as I get sketch approval I will move to finish on this one.

Baby Stormalong

2013-05-09T21:25:00.001-06:00

This is part of the Stormalong series I did a couple of years back that I described in my last post. The future folk tale hero started life out large and only got bigger. This one depicts the moment when the villagers find baby Stormy on the beach. I am just not sure where you get diapers for a baby that big.

Stormalong background info on Wikipedia

Tribute to Stormalong

2013-05-06T10:24:00.000-06:00

I was updating some portfolios last weekend and found a series of paintings I did a couple of years back for the American Fable Stormalong. The story of Alfred Bulltop Stormalong who begins life as a larger than life abandoned baby who is raised by an entire harbor town. He was hauled back to town in a wheelbarrow and continued to grow until he was as large as a whale. Stormy then goes on to have all sorts of adventures as a sailor on the high seas. In the end, a statue is erected in the town square
as a tribute to his legacy. I have enjoyed American Tall Tales since I first heard the Paul Bunyan legend, but I was not as familiar with this one. I did a total of nine images for this story that was included in a reading anthology textbook for elementary aged students. I'll post some of the others I have not posted before later this week.

Battle of Bosworth 2 - Finished

2013-05-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

For Want of a Nail - Oil on board, 19" x 10" by Greg Newbold

As I explained when I posted the sketch version of this piece, the symbolism of King Richard III's fall is carried by the rumpled battle flag on the ground and the thrown horseshoe. I preferred this to the the proposed mob battle scene. I think it says more with less and the first piece is plenty to set the battle scene. This ended up being more fun than I thought when I took on the project. I especially likes painting the contrasting textures of the flag, the grass and the horseshoe.

Battle of Bosworth 1 - Finished

2013-05-02T14:39:00.002-06:00

Richard III falls in battle signaling farewell to the Plantagenet Dynasty in Britain. I think this one is done, barring any feedback to the contrary from the client. I enjoyed the challenge of creating a battle scene and overall am pretty pleased with the result. Despite the vibrant primary colors in the heraldry, I think that the neutrals carry the show which is what I wanted. What do you Think?

Battle Of Bosworth Sketch - Part 2

2013-04-25T12:19:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I posted the drawing for the opening spread of the Battle of Bosworth article I am illustrating. This second spread depicts the aftermath symbolically by showing the fallen King Richard III battle flag and the thrown horseshoe. This solution was my attempt to simplify the original concept proposed by the AD in which it appeared that the entire royal army would be raging into battle. I don't much like what I call "mob scenes" in my illustration work and I had already given a very ambitious view of the battle in the opening sketch, so this quieter resolution was embraced by the art director. Both of these will be oil on panel. I'll post the finish pieces later.

Battle of Bosworth - Sketch

2013-04-24T10:42:00.000-06:00

Battle of Bosworth- 11" x 17" graphite drawing by Greg Newbold

Here is the working drawing for a magazine article am illustrating that recounts the Battle of Bosworth, in which Richard III of England was defeated by Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. The popular account of this battle suggests that a poor blacksmithing job resulting from a lack if time and nails led to Richard's horse throwing a shoe in combat. Richard's horse stumbled and fell after throwing a shoe he was forced to engage the battle on foot. He rose from the ground as his horse galloped away shouting "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" Henry's army ultimately killed Richard and Henry assumed the throne. The Battle of Bosworth Field is deemed the decisive battle that ended the War of the Roses and brought to an end the reign of the Plantagenet dynasty in England. I admittedly am not an English history buff, so it was fun to dig a little into the details to arrive at what I hope is a pretty accurate depiction of the scene. I am limited as for time and space (note the large area to the left of the spread where type will fall), so I had to creatively suggest the raging battle. I also needed to focus on details like the heraldry in the flag and the styles of armor and weapons of the period. If I did not achieve total accuracy in historical detail, I think that I was able to capture the spirit of the action. For me, that is half the battle, so to speak. This will be a fun one to paint. I am doing this one in oil and hope to get going on the paint phase it today assuming
I get approval from the client.

Worm Scale- Final

2013-04-18T20:29:00.000-06:00

I finished up this little editorial piece today. I posted the explanation of the concept along with the sketch in a previous post a couple of days ago. I was asked to keep the background simple, so I opted for a water stained paper at low opacity. This magazine gets translated into several languages, so they like near white space in which to accommodate different amounts of type. Once again, this one was Photoshop over a graphite sketch.

Monolith- Finished

2013-04-17T11:50:00.000-06:00

Monolith- by Greg Newbold; 24" x 24" oil on board; 2013

Just finished this one up today. I am particularly happy with the feeling of distance that I was able to convey with the atmospheric perspective. I also like that as I do more and more of these paintings, I become less attached. There was a time when I couldn't imagine letting go of my paintings, let alone my favorites. Over the years, I have done so much work, it becomes easier to see them go. In illustration, I always got the work back so it was not an issue. Working in the gallery market now, I have had to adjust to a different train of thought: that I am sharing my vision with the public and that letting the paintings go is part of the creative process. Also, getting a check is a nice motivator.

See my post of this painting in progress

Wendell Berry Portrait in Springville Spring Salon

2013-04-15T13:51:00.000-06:00

Beckoning the Peace of Wild Things - by Greg Newbold
oil on canvas 30" x 18" - 2013

I learned this morning that my recent portrait of Wendell Berry was accepted into the 89th Springville Spring Salon. My painting, now entitled "Beckoning the Peace of Wild Things", will hang in the Salon from April 20 to July 7, 2013. This exhibit is one of the most prestigious juried shows in the region and acceptance is always an honor. I am pleased to be counted among so many talented artists and friends. Congrats to all my art friends and even former students who also gained acceptance!

Springville Museum of Art hours and directions

The painting title comes from the Wendell Berry poem below.

THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

— Wendell Berry

Do You Sell Your Feathers for Worms?

2013-04-12T14:32:00.000-06:00

Here is the preliminary drawing for a magazine illustration I am working on. In the article, the allegory is told of how a bird begins to sell his feathers for worms thinking that is easier than actually going out and catching worms. Besides, he has so many feathers. Well, on the day he realizes that he can no longer fly, it is too late. Comparison is made to choices in our lives and the question posed is whether or not we are selling our feathers for worms? Do we trade what is of most value to us for something less, simply because it is easier? Do we opt for the smoother path or maybe even give up our dreams because they seem too hard? I have made a few of those choices in the past including diet and exercise. That's why I am currently undertaking a challenging climb back to better physical fitness, but I bet there is something in every one's life that equates to selling your feathers for worms. Regardless of where you are in life, I think it's a topic worthy of consideration. What have you sold your feathers for? How have you recognized or overcome this? I look at where I want to be in all aspects of my life and realize that it will take time to grow back a few of my feathers before I can soar again. I'd love to hear your stories!

Work In Progress - Monolith

2013-04-09T12:26:00.001-06:00

Monolith- WIP; 24" x 24" oil by Greg Newbold

I started this painting a while back and coming off the big Kolob painting last week, I decided it was time to finish it up. I had a good painting session last night and laid in the center section of the painting and look forward to getting the bottom section blocked in today. This rock is called Siegfried Pyre and can be seen from the north rim of the Grand Canyon near Point Imperial. I am having fun painting a little bigger and it seems that my graphic sensibilities are showing up a bit more the larger I work. I am cool with that since it feels like a natural progression.

Storm Over Kolob- Bridging the Gap

2013-03-30T13:31:00.000-06:00

Storm Over Kolob- 30" x 40" ; oil on canvas by Greg Newbold

One of the risks you run as an artist is knowing when to call something done. I have been painting hard on this first large canvas for about a week now and I think it is about finished. At the same time, when working on a picture like this, I find that the gap between my artistic intent and what actually made it to canvas is larger than what I wanted. I know that at some point, I just have to quit and call it done, but I am still making mental gyrations to figure out if there is something I could have done differently or that I could still do to close the gap between my vision and reality. I guess in many ways, this is a good thing. At least I know I fell a bit short. Too often when I teach, I see students that not only don't realize what is wrong with a piece, but they don't even see the gap. They don't see the problems or what would make it better. Over time, some figure it out but some never do. The rest of us keep striving to close the gap, to make what we envision in our minds become real on the canvas. Have any of you felt this same way? What do you do to bridge the gap?

Storm Over Kolob - Progress

2013-03-27T15:18:00.003-06:00

Storm Over Kolob - Work In Progress; Oil by Greg Newbold; 30" x 40"

I now have the entire canvas blocked in. Even though the entire canvas is covered, some areas feel much closer to finish than others so I still have a lot of work to do. Now comes the process of laying in a second pass or "skin" as some artists call it. I will concentrate on adjusting values where needed by pushing things darker or bringing up the highlights. I will also focus on adjusting hue and saturation. In areas where colors are a bit intense, I will neutralize things. I also want to make sure the temperature shift from the warm sunset light to the cool shadows is consistent. Right now I think some areas are still a bit too warm or too cool. Concentrating on having a nice consistent surface with texture where it should be and interesting brushstrokes will also be in the working mix. Should be fun finishing this up.

Previous progress on Storm Over Kolob

Storm Over Kolob - Study

2013-03-25T14:40:00.000-06:00

Storm Over Kolob- Study; 8" x 10" - oil by Greg Newbold

I am undertaking what is to this point the largest oil painting I have ever done. I set a few goals this year for my art and one was to finally begin to do "epic" size work. For me that meant anything bigger than 32" on a side. The subject for this first large painting is that moment of fading light and cloud I witnessed at Kolob Canyon on a 30" x 40" canvas. The inspiration for this painting was a study started on site as the last painting in my southern Utah painting trip with Richard Hull last fall. We had about 35-45 minutes to paint and the lighting conditions were shifting so much that I really didn't get much more than a rough block-in. I did like the basic structure of the scene including the storm clouds. I was struck also by the way shadows crept quickly up the vista and completely obscured the light in a matter of about five minutes at the end of the day. I was scrambling to capture something in the fading light but then resolved to do the scene justice later.

Well later is right now. Along with my photographs, I used my on site study as the under painting for a more resolved piece. Some plein air purists will cringe at this but I figure that I really didn't capture anything more worthwhile than some color notes and basic structure, so I had no qualms painting right over it. If you follow my blog, you'll note that most of my plein air studies are polished up in the studio anyway. After the study was more or less resolved, I transferred the painting design to the canvas using a grid system. My canvas was a pre-stretched number that I thought would save me some time preparing. As I applied several coats of gesso, since I really dislike the mechanical weave of factory canvas, I noticed that the tightness of the canvas was not to my liking either. I removed the staples from two sides and pulled another quarter inch of slack out of the fabric. I didn't save any time and now I think I may have to start stretching my own canvases in order to get what I like.

Storm Over Kolob-Work In Progress; 30" x 40" oil on canvas

With the drawing laid in. I gave two light coats of a reddish brown acrylic to stain the surface and seal in the drawing. I used a damp sponge rather than a brush. Acrylic allows me to get painting almost immediately since the gesso coats seal the surface and the tint coats are really thin. This progress shot is about halfway through the block in phase. After the canvas is all blocked in, I will make another pass over the entire piece and then I will probably have one last session to bring up any highlights that need to be pushed or glaze back any shadows that want to go deeper. for me, a canvas this large feels like a lot to chew on, but I am having fun and it seems like it is coming together well. I am glad I took the time to do a good small study though. I have about a week to get this thing singing- wish me luck!

Running With Geronimo Finished

2013-03-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I posted the drawing for this one and here's the finished piece. Painted all digitally in Photoshop. Let me know what you think.

Running With Geronimo - Final Drawing

2013-03-19T11:25:00.000-06:00

As promised this is the drawing for the opening spread for the Boys' Life historical fiction story I am illustrating. It accompanies the piece in my previous post. I am still finishing it up, so rather than show it in progress, I will just let this one tease you a little bit. In the story, the cavalry posse searching for Geronimo and his small band of rebels comes to the farm of the young main character and asks him if he has seen anything. The young man plays dumb even though he is harboring his Native American friend, one of Geronimo's braves, in the barn. It is both fun and challenging to create these sorts of historically based pieces. The research involved is sometimes the hardest part. I will post the final piece when I finish it up in the next day or two.

Geronimo Final Rendering

2013-03-16T14:26:00.000-06:00

Geronimo's Last Night of Freedom- Greg Newbold; digital

Here is the final rendering for one of my Geronimo pieces. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I wanted to explore the color of night as Frederic Remington did so successfully. It was harder than you might think and I may have overplayed the subtlety of the colors, but think I captured the feel of night pretty well.