Art
Art is both personal and historical, and it frequently crisscrosses with many of the topics discussed in Human Behavior. It is visual storytelling and an ongoing discussion between artist and audience, sometimes long after the artist themselves is no longer living. Although art can be admired for technical achievements alone, personal and/or historical context is often key to understanding and appreciating art. I have had the pleasure of both hearing as well as helping articulate the stories of numerous artists hoping to reach specific audiences.
Our artistic voyage may entail the following topics:
Perception, understanding light on form, color theory
Knowledge of perceptual biases and limitations
Developing techniques and tool skills to achieve representation
Personal values and explorations
Me vs. We: Propaganda vs. achieving greater social meaning
Role of art in human history
The didactic and other illustrations I have used on this site constitute a portfolio collection in and of themselves backed by traditional study in representationalism, both in figure drawing and still life oil painting. In more personal artwork, my fondness for character development frequently bubbles to the surface. I use my veterinary anatomy background to inform initial shapes and lines of animal characters, but it is my deep appreciation for emotional expression, social connection, and the human-animal bond that brings certain work to life. This also shows in my ceramics practice.
2-hour study in conte of woman sitting
Three 5-minute gesture studies in charcoal of woman sitting
2-hour study in charcoal of man reclining, focusing on hand and foot
5-hour study in pencil of man sitting
Still life in oil paint
Still life in oil paint
Character development of "hoarding squirrel" in ink and acrylic paint, respectively
First page of a short illustrated book about a fat dog that is put on a diet
Character development, and 3D modeling in ZBrush, of hippo teaching novel exercise for core strength