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| "As an artist, you are a student of the human condition. There is no syllabus. You can go to school and seek structure, some technique, some advise. Ultimately you must make your own course description, you must discover your own book list, you must make your work regimen, your own discipline. You can work as hard as you like. Or not. You can use the time, or not. You can use the world - as much or as little as you like. Your job is not defined. There is no bar exam for you to pass; there is no oath for you to take. Nonetheless, you have a large responsibility and possibility if you would like to take it. Are you becoming an artist because you want the world to look at you? Or are you becoming an artist because you would like to use your ability to attract attention - and the ability to get people to look at your work - in order to cause them to see themselves and the world differently through you?" |
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| Here we go again... more on my recent creations! First I would like to say that I'm not thrilled about the lighting here in the above image, but it is 3AM and no sunlight, which gives a much better light for pictures of artwork (something I learned from my wonderful highschool art teacher, Mrs. Nancy Wells). Secondly, I would normally say that you can simply click on the image above to see it larger, but it's come to my attention that those of you reading this on any other site than direct from my blog (ie. email, facebook, etc.) this link doesn't always work. In any case, you can also see a larger version by clicking here. The painting is coming along wonderfully and despite some misjudged timeframes, it is about one session away from completion! The composition here really moves the eye through the piece which can be difficult with such a wide piece. After working hours at a time on a particular piece, simple composition mistakes are hard to find or recognize; however, another little trick I've learned from Mrs. Wells is to look at your piece in the mirror which will give you an entirely different perspective making it easier to spot mistakes you might have otherwise looked over. I've horizontally flipped the image through some editing software on my computer which you can take a look at here. What my initial reaction to seeing my skyline creation this way is: a. I LOVE the depth that is shown in the detail of the park in the distance! b. maybe there is too much dark space where the cast shadow from the row of trees falls... but what do I do to fix it? Currently I'm at a loss on the magical fix-it remedy, but maybe a couple of days with the piece facing the wall will refresh my perspective and allow me to come back at it with a new idea? I'm absolutely open to any suggestions! Another thing I am considering is placing people throughout the park. Risky, since I'm not sure if I really wanted to focus on that aspect, not to mention that the original photograph this picture was inspired from shows NO people in it whatsoever. Park lamps that were in the big brother (as I'm calling it) are also on the list of upcoming tasks. Finally, the frame will be put together tomorrow night and painted. The projected idea for this is going to be a 5.5 inch thick black border that will have a nice 2.5" depth to it. This is going to look sharp encasing this piece! SHARP! You can guarantee the quality of it will be just as wonderful as anything else I have made in the past (special thanks to my stepdad Dave for teaching me the ropes of handmade, quality woodwork), also you can look for pictures posted when the final product is ready for hanging. Creativity flows uncontrollably sometimes and you need to be there ready to make it materialize. Fortunately, right now I am completely ready and willing to act on it and hopefully that shows in my next couple art ventures. I know that as an artist I can not expect to wait for a fit of inspiration, which I am not, but when that feeling really clicks inside it feels like nothing can stop you. The feeling is real, and any artist reading this could most definitely agree that "unstoppable TOP OF THE WORLD feeling" is not only unexplainable, but intoxicating leaving you wanting more, much more. Successful consistent production of artwork is exciting and makes you want to create more! The more work you produce the more insights and breakthrough you'll have. BAM! Suddenly, more inspiration! This inspirational flow will produce better paintings... and the process is endless. What could be better than a life spent actively pursuing your own unique inspired vision? Keep the creative wheel turning, my friends. side note: the time, once again is 3AM. I don't intentionally mean to be making this pattern we have here... I guess this just must be my prime-time baby! -Josh Grabowski |
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| I thought it would be good to share with you all some progress shots of a recent "commission piece." I can't really share much more information about this piece's final resting place just yet but i can tell you a little about my work. For those of you who are familiar with this painting's big brother... YES, this is a rendition of the original and still done in the same medium of black and white acrylics; however, this little bugger is created on masonite board rather than stretched canvas. The width is a considerable 3 feet less and the height dropped a foot as well. You will notice all the details in the buildings coming together much more fluidly than in the first edition. The contrast and brightness needs a little attention, but as the label reads, this is still a WORK-IN-PROGRESS. By clicking on the image, you can view a larger version. Enjoy everyone. As always, I welcome your comments and questions! Just do it... don't hesitate. You must have an opinion, if not just a simple reaction. Have a wonderful day! :) -Josh Grabowski |
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| This is the newest piece that I was commissioned for. It now holds a residency with my other "Yellow Rose" piece in a private collection currently in Downers Grove, IL. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT ERIC! :) For those of you that would like to pay close attention to detail, you can see a picture of the backside here (originally took this picture for myself to reference the way I framed the picture and attached the hanging hardware). You might notice the style of this painting was inspired from the Autumn painting I created a couple months earlier for About.com's monthly painting project. Heavy paint and palette knifes create an interesting texture for the leaves. Eventually when the piece is dry enough, I like to run my fingers (VERY CAREFULLY) across the surface; visual and physical appeal! This piece came around after a recent sale on a website, comparable to eBay but tailored to artists, Artbreak.com. You can take a look at my personal page here. Since the sale of my work went so well on this site, I plan to post more material on my page in hopes to keep the art sales going! Hoping everyone is well! Now GO! Be creative everyone, it feels wonderful! -Josh Grabowski | |
| After letting the paint dry a bit on the yellow rose, I added another couple of glazes. Since the last picture of the rose was a little blurry and the quality wasn't the best, I thought that I would post another. |
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| After working on this little project, I feel GREAT! One of my greatest "art finds" recently is About.com's Painting site. This website is an invaluable resource to any painter! One of the interesting features that I found is the Monthly Painting Projects. For the month of March, the project was to create a painting portraying the "essence of a season" using only a palette knife, no brushes. I chose to portray autumn/fall because I love the colors of the leaves (NOT THE TEMPURATURE!). Take a look at my results! |
 I am heading to my easel now to work more on the italian staircase piece. Stay tuned for the results of tonight's work! -Josh Grabowski |
| Well folks, as promised from yesterday's posting... here is the rose that I am working on. It isn't dry enough for me to put the final glazing layers on it, but it is getting close! This little project has been fun for me and I feel recharged! Stay tuned for more artwork, coming soon! -Josh Grabowski |
 The yellow rose from yesterday's post. :) Sorry the photo is so blurry. I couldn't seem to keep the camera still! |
| While coming out of a huge creative slump I am trying to remember that the only way my artowrk is going to be created, either good OR bad, is by simply creating. A good way to get over any drought in artistic productivity is to give yourself "assignments" or just simply spend time in your studio milling around. An art project that I decided to take on was simply painting a rose that was waiting for my arrival back to MI this week (it smells amazing and seemed to bloom for days and days); the original rose is pink, but I am painting it yellow instead. Since I know that I can create a painting of a flower this is just like the first post about the lighthouse that I had made for my grandma's Christmas present, and as well a jump start to my creative flow. While I have been working on this small/quick project I remember how much I really do like spending the necessary time with my brushes and pigments (not that there was much question in weither or not I enjoyed painting)! I feel like I can NOT put down the brush all over again... I don't want to walk away from the painting! Feeling good and on the right direction to get momentum again, I thought I would make a simple post letting everyone know they can expect more artwork up soon. On another note, who is excited for tax returns? Fortunately, I do not owe anything this year and I am due a refund! Yay for IRS tax refunding! -Josh Grabowski |
 This is the palette that I have been using the past two days for the painting of the rose. I hope to finish it tomorrow and have it posted! |
| So, it has officially been over a week since my last post! I know, I know, I am sorry! Trust me, I feel worse about it than you do! Anyways, for this post, I thought that I would share a painting that most of my family and friends are familiar with since it has been a long, long process finishing this piece. One reason for the lengthy process is that most of the piece has been made with very thin oil glazes using galkyd lite (as I have mentioned in previous posts). I started this painting a while back as a submission for a gallery review (which didn't end in my favor, but it was a great experince). Months and months later, I keep telling myself "since it's almost complete, I am going to finish it," and well... NOW I AM! Most of you would recognize this painting about 15 layers back, so take a second look if you remember it! -Josh Grabowski |
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| This work-in-progress painting is a 24"x48" acrylic on masonite board. I plan to eventually paint in oil colors and use the acrylics as a very detailed underpainting. Acrylics have a very fast dry time and are much easier to use (this could be merely an opinion, but I think that many artists would agree with me) without hassle of difficult clean up and the you can use the easiest, most-available medium of all: water. The best part about using water-based acrylics as an underpainting is that oil paints can be applied on top of them with ease, but the same does not apply with acrylics on top of oils... remember last time you tried to mix oil and water? Probably didn't work out the best, right?! -Josh Grabowski A special thanks needs to go to my good friend Stacey Marek for the picture where this painting has originated. Thank you for sharing your pictures from your trip! They have been so very helpful! |
| Since the last post was about my experimenting with textures in oil paints, I thought it was nessecary to include some others that I made around the same time using the same concept. The two paintings below were made at the same time using a palette knife instead of a paint brush. The paint was applied directly without any use of oil mediums. I would say that these paintings are completed very quickly and expressively allowing for the viewer to see whatever they would like. In this case, the idea is so abstract, you might actually see only yellows and reds whereas with the "Lights On the Water" painting, the viewer might see something other than just abstracted colors. -Josh Grabowski | |
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If you didn't already know, the image behind the title of my blog is actually a painting of mine as well. I created it while studying texture, dry times, and color placement with oil paints. The stretched canvas is 25"x48" and has an additional board attached to the top with three recessed under-cabinet lights to help create a dramatic effect on the extreme texture of this painting. Since the harsh lighting reflected off of the wet paint so beautifully, I wanted to capture this after the paint had dried and placed a high gloss finish over the top. Most people see this painting and immediately think that it must be lights reflecting off of water and floating flowers; however, that was not exactly the original intention, even though I will agree that it does! Currently, this painting helps decorate the office at my mother's house. -Josh Grabowski |
Starting from the top left, 18"x24" acrylic on stretched canvas, 8"x11" oil pastel on paper, 18"x24" acrylic on canvas board. | ||||
The pictures above are projects from art classes through highschool. Most of these pictures hold a special meaning to me. The first picture (top left) is actually the very first canvas that I had ever stretched! From doing that simple painting, I learned so much that I apply to my work now. The assignment was to paint something that had background, middleground and foreground using only our fingers. I did a lot of research in the library during art classes to find images that inspired me. The next picture (top right) is from a set of 4: graphite on paper, oil pastel on paper, white & black contrast, and chalk on paper. This original image was a Covergirl advertisement. The final image and most meaningful (bottom) was done in my spare time but used in class. This was made at home one night when my best friend and I painted leisurely since we were both very "artsy" students. We went on later to actually spray-paint the all of the walls of his mom's basement with scenes from hawaiian sunsets to dolphins to a giant face of a tiger. Total Blast! When I take the time to look back at the previous artwork of my life, I am reminded that this has always been something that simply came very natural to me. I never seemed to find it hard or considered it to be "work" but found it to be the best way possible to keep myself entertained by doing the most innate thing I know. -Josh Grabowski | ||||
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| I first became interested in "Rio" when I was doing initial research of cityscape images strong enough to create a dramatic painting. While this location is obviously beautiful enough on its own, the city structures and buildings make this piece of Brazil sparkle. The giant statue of Jesus, known as Christ the Redeemer ('Cristo Redentor') atop Corcovado mountain, has recently been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. I myself have not actually seen this wonderful example of one of the man-made marvels this world has to offer, but would love to make it there someday. | |||||||
| Anyways, the paintings on the left are simple progress shots of the 24"x48" oil painting panel that I am currently working on. As you can see in the bottom picture, the entire board is painted with a thin layer of, in this case, Magenta acrylic paint to warm the proceeding colors laid on top of it. Each shot progressively above shows the work of multiple thinned layers of oil colors using a combination of galkyd lite and turpenoid. In between each session, the painting is allowed ample time to dry. In person, the colors are able to shine through each other making it much more luminous than any picture I will be capable of posting online. I guess to get the full effect of my paintings, you will just have to come to a showing (lets all keep our fingers crossed that is sooner than later). -Josh Grabowski | ||||||
 This is a picture from my studio of some of the oil mediums that I have been using. |
One of the hardest things that I have faced over the course of my art adventures has been the science and art of oil mediums. I have been trying to make my own and experiment with recipes that I come across online. I recently found a book online that I plan to get sent via Amazon or Google, "Formulas for Painters." In it, author Robert Massey lists over 200 recipes for sizes, grounds, glazes, paints, varnishes, fixatives, and adhesives for a wide range of art mediums. Thanks to the wonderful technology that Google brings us, I am able to preview about 20-30 some-odd pages using Google Book Search. I feel that this book should bring me some invaluable information and recipes on whipping up some useful things to use in my studio. If by some chance I catch a reader that knows something that I don't about this subject, please contact me; otherwise, I will continue my search and experimenting on my own. I will be posting more about my recent works within the next couple days. -Josh Grabowski |
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| Put in many more hours while watching a couple movies and listening to some good music today on the lighthouse and finally came to a point that I can be happy with calling it, "the finished piece." This makes it, the first painting completed by myself in 2009 (hold the applause til later). After this picture was taken, I applied a generous coat of galkyd lite as a simple, fast-drying varnish that will have a high gloss to it. I plan to place this canvas board in a frame underneath glass as an added form of protection, but the varnish layer really makes the colors pop. This painting will soon be going to the personal collection of my grandmother as soon as I can make it back home and there is a little less snow and the temperature is at least back above freezing... *lets keep our fingers crossed!* Speaking of cold, there are icicles outside of the living room window that connect the gutters to the deck. Pretty cool! I will continue to enjoy them from the comfort of my pajamas & slippers... indoors... in the warmth. :) -Josh Grabowski |
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| To finally get my blog started, I thought I would post a little bit about the painting I had started for my grandmother's Christmas present. It is a simple acrylic on canvas-board, 16inx22in. Okay, now that the ice has been broken, I will explain a little bit about this blog and the reason behind getting it started: While being away from family and friends, I am always having a problem keeping everyone updated on the latest and greatest of my works. SOLUTION: enter stage left new Josh Grabowski Art blog for family and friends reading/viewing pleasure. I will be trying my hardest to update this at the very least once a week if not everyday with a new photo of something I am currently working on or something that I have previously done. I welcome (actually encourage) all of your comments and/or questions about anything on here as I share things of the past, present, and future. After endless searching through other artist's blogs for examples of "the perfect blog" and which format to follow, I have decided that with this new format of recording my progress via technology publicly I will create the best format for myself in time just by simply doing it... Thanks for stopping by and checking out my new blog, be sure to check back often! -Josh Grabowski | ||
