Elstabo's Canvas

One of the Joys of painting for me is at the beginning..once your set and ready to go, you grab the pallet and let it fly. It starts all Sloppy and loose, forming out the shapes. I use a Limited Palette at first using about 4 colors to knock out my over all shapes. It slows down a bit as more colors are detailed in using several palettes in the process.. Like every artist, I too obsess over certain things, And woman features like lips are one of those obsessions. This particular portrait painting is of my friend Judith whom I went to college with. She has a face like angel and smile that can melt you as you stand. Through out the process I came back over and over to her lips shaping and repositioning it, trying to get its subtle expression correct. They are full and lush, very pleasing to the eye..at least my eyes..

Ill be here participating with the rest of the Dr sketchy artist. http://www.facebook.com/elstabo#!/event.php?eid=127853237242598&ref=mf Start Time: Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 7:00pm End Time: Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 11:30pm Location: The Windup Space Street: 12 W. North Ave. City/Town: Baltimore, MD

A new Project im working on, its slow to do at the moment with the flux of commission work coming at me,,but i still am able to produce a lil something on my nights when everyone is sleeping. I work best this way,,cant help it, I'm a damn vampire like that..anyway the picture is shoty but its only cause these pieces aren't done yet. I hopefully to make a entire collection and format it into a book by the end of the year..if all goes according to my devilish plan that is.

Frank Frazettahas been and im sure will be for ever the only artist that has inspired me so much. His art work breaths life. He not only did fantasy paintings but a wide range of topics, from funny to westerns to movie posters ect. He battled heart strokes through out end of his life. I met his wife last year , a lovely woman Named Ellie who was the nicest person and also ran his buisness. She died a few months before he did. The world lost a genius of a artist. I will forever be grateful to be blessed by his work.  http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/fantasy/Frank-Frazetta.html

Mothers day is around the corner and what better way to let wifey know she still #1 oil on cnavas 16x20 one day to knock it out in acrylic, another day to do up in oil.

I got up the other day and smelled the clay, you can say.. I had in mind to do some cartoon head so I can make it quick, and boy was I wrong. It took me about 12 hours to finish it..if you can even call it finished. I started researching about smoothing the clay, cause I got to a point where it was sort of done but it was really ruff..and I really wanted a smooth feel to it..my fingers can only do so much smoothing on the face at that size. And all the tools I had were for picking ,scraping and poking..so after doing some more research I noticed a tool called a Stylus which is a long metal handle and round nib on the end. I thought to myself ; ok I don't have one of those..so I looked around..and found a match in the kitchen..and the head of the match actually worked well for me to get into some of the areas in the face to smooth out..but of course I still end up needing something even smaller...so I look around my studio..and of course I find a hair pin..so I straighten it out....

I first met Angelique at a poets gathering through a mutual associate on a rainy NewYork night. I didn't know it then, but she would end up being a very influential person in my circle. As I got to know her a little better, I came to appreciate and value what she brings to our friendly relationship. She can be sweet and calm at one moment and explode with fierce conviction at another. This specific painting is of a moment we had together creatively which just flowed out like a magic spring. She was submissive but yet dominating in her presence while helping make the process manifest. She is one of my favorite muses to work with and it would be no surprise to see more of her in the future of Elstabo's Art.