It’s been a while, but I had to come back to congratulate Shaun Downey (previously posted about here), his painting “Blue Coca” has been included in the BP Portrait Award Competition exhibition, and on top of that is being used as the main advertising image for the competition!  I can easily see why, this is a stunning portrait that seems to reveal a great deal about the subject while simultaneously suggesting an inner life that remains mysterious.  Great work!

Image taken from the the star article about Shaun’s work, August 1, 2010.

Working in the film industry has clearly influenced the brilliant lighting and colour choices Samuel Michlap makes in his paintings.  He has some great concept art on his blog too, where you can see how his painting is influencing him as a production designer and art director.

On a separate note, it has been an eye opening month for me, being away from PaintBlog.  I missed the daily routine of discovering and sharing a new painter every day, but I also discovered that I had many more hours available to work on my own paintings.  I have been very disappointed with my output this past year and a half, and have come to the realization that I have to narrow my priorities, which unfortunately means much less PaintBlog, and much more painting.  PaintBlog will remain, but my posting will be limited and somewhat sporadic from here on out, which hopefully will mean my work will be less so.  Thank you to everyone who has read and supported the blog these past years, and I look forward to sharing more work with you in the future, both from other artists, and my own.

Sunning myself on a beach in Florida isn’t on the agenda, but it is time for a holiday of sorts.  That is why I’m declaring “March Break” and will not be posting again for the duration of the month.  My real hope is that I can spend a great deal more time in the studio and get a solid body of new work well under way.

I will return in April with a fresh batch of artists for your viewing pleasure, and who knows, maybe even a tan (not likely, but a man can dream.) Until then, thank you for reading, and have a great month!

Mike Shankman’s paintings are relics of an aftermath, the debris left behind after powerful and destructive forces have toppled what once stood.  His images are both desolate and visceral, and I like them very much. Enjoy!

There is a fantastic, dream-like quality to Chloe Early’s canvases.  Urban super-structures give way to polar ice caps while bathing suit clad tourists lounge in the soft glow of unreal skies. This isn’t just another day at the office my friends, this is something much much better.

Thanks to The Jealous Curator for bringing Early to my attention!

I tend to use texture in an incredibly minimal way when I paint, but I love finding artists like Jean Moiras who use texture in a such a bold way.  It’s a good thing I’m only looking at these paintings online, if I were standing in front of Moiras’ work in a gallery I’m not sure I would be able to resist the urge to reach out and touch them.

Filled with comments on and references to art history, mass consumerism, environmental issues, social stereotyping and much more, Lisa Birke’s paintings verge on sensory overload. Spend a little time within the dense visuals though and you will be well rewarded for your efforts.

Mother nature has provided inspiration for artists since early man took to painting in caves. In the case of Tiffany Bozic however, nature is really just the starting point, things get pretty fantastical from there.

Being the fan that I am of cityscapes it probably won’t come as much of a surprise when I say that I am loving these urban landscapes by Jeff Bellerose, and I have All the Art Out There to thank for making the introduction.

There is a softness and warmth to Anthony Velasquez’s finely detailed still life paintings that has won me over in a big way. I would complain about the limited number of works available for viewing on his site, but this is clearly a case of quality over quantity, and I can’t complain about that.