Thursday, May 7, 2015

Black Betty


'Black Betty' was the first piece I ever made with multiple canvas'. The piece was originally made as a Valentine's Day present but eventually found its way back to me. She is obviously named after the 1977 Ram Jam song Black Betty, a fellow art student of mine came up with the name. The piece was painted with acrylic on five homemade canvas' (Visit How to Make Free Canvas) and measures 26" X 36".

'Black Betty' is currently for sale on Etsy!

Interested in Owning Some of this Art?

Feel free to visit my Etsy shop to browse pieces I have for sale.

     P.S. If you are interested in a certain piece but would like some changes made to it, feel free to contact me for a custom order.

How to Make Free Canvas

Have you ever been surprised at how much canvas can cost at the art stores? Instead of spending money that could be used for paints and other materials, simply make your own with household items. Here is a simple way to do just that.


You will need

Cardboard
A large sheet of paper (preferably poster board)
Scissors/Exacto Knife
Tape (glue works just as well)

Step 1: 
Measure out the dimensions you want your canvas to be. In this case the canvas is 10 inches tall and 6 inches wide. Once you have measured out your dimensions and squared your lines proceed to cut your cardboard in the shape of your canvas.

Step 2.

Measure your paper so that it is two inches wider then your cardboard on each side. This allows a two inch overlap which you will need to secure your paper to the cardboard. Example: since my base is 6X10 the paper needs to be 10X14. Once you have your paper measured cut it out.

Step 3.

Center the cardboard on the paper. Then cut along the dotted lines (illustrated above).

Step 4.


Once you have made the cuts, fold the extra paper back on it's self.

Step 5.

Fold the paper around the cardboard and tape it together (you can also glue it together). Make sure the paper is tightly pulled around the cardboard.

The final product



 A very cheap  way to make your own canvas. I have found that the unusually light canvas allows for easy wall mounting, and as long as the paper you are using is durable you can do whatever you like with it.

Here is a piece I made with 'paper canvas'
Black Betty

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

The Art of Conviction

         Sadly my story is much more common these days. The whole beautiful child growing up to become angry and criminal. Something about society keeps getting more and more conditioned to people making this transformation. The people who have gone down this road with me, we didn't just become angry, something made us that way. I'm not writing this to find a solution to the problem, but simply tell a story that will hopefully put it in perspective. For me it was my parents divorce.
         I grew up with a loving family, two parents that loved one another, two younger siblings that were really my best and only friends. We grew up on a sailboat, no seriously a 26 ft. riverboat that we braved on the ocean waves. My parents got sick of everything, the house, the mortgage, city life, and the way the world does things. So we sold everything and bought a twenty-one window deluxe Volkswagen Micro-Bus, three kayaks, and the sailboat. We were officially gypsies. 
         I have always been artistic, my mom used to draw me these beautiful pictures of animals and I would draw little lines to each animal illustrating them interacting with one another. My goal was to some day be as good as her, so I quickly achieved it. My father taught me the hands on approach, teaching me carving, bow making, flint napping, and chainmaille. As a young child these things were always half-skills but as I grew so did my ability to perfect those skills. 
         These articles will tell my story with the words that my art attempts to convey. This story is beautiful, its dark, depressing at times, but even though the past has its scars I have found a way to heal them. Maybe you feel the way I do, or maybe you want to understand it, or perhaps you just want to see some cool art and how I created it. But either way I hope you get something out of it, I know I did.