some studies from 2021

"Mechanic" sketch copy from an ad...

"Ashley" (and others below) from the Open Draw at Lyme Academy… 

"Rene"

"Lauren" 

"John"

UPDATES 

study for 'Job', graphite on toned paper , 2017 detail...

&... my other half and I have slowly been working on a book... see below :)

COMIC BOOK WEBSITE CLICK HERE 

welcoming fall...

(figure collage / promo art idea... )

instruction, collaboration, illustration, portraits, commissions, etc : jamesmorren at gmail dot com
 

works in progress, spring figure studies

Mary Anne (24 hrs in...)

Freddy (as John the Baptist)

(both color pieces) oil on board, 18"x24"...

(pieces are gonna be used in a series of paintings I'm developing over this up-coming year... hopefully... :) )

lost at twenty

(another throwback: self portrait, oil)

the watchman

Jimbe figure study, oil on panel, 18 x 24

... I posted some the progression of this dude in an earlier post. Since I am now abstaining from most social medias (for various reasons, primarily "focus!"), I feel inclined to make another post that directs viewers to the exact image - also I am so grateful to be painting the figure in proper color (after 3+ years studying in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts methods through GCA & my own grasping). Thanks (again!) to Will St. John & Colleen Barry for guidance. 

winter scene, progression from block-in

(still a work in progress, would love to correct some errors I already see... gotta wait till the next storm...)

Jimbe figure study in progress

details of the under-painting above... back in the figure room at GCA; below, a good display of the progression of studies, from Diana's drawing the figure (right), to my grisaille under-painting, to an eventual color study (by Raina Dai) below...

... (update) before I put in a color tone / background, here's the dude with a color pass in the studio: 

...

Jimbe figure study... / 'The Watchman" , oil on board, 18 x 24

(will upload a better (non-phone) pic ASAP)

clearing out studio / selling old pieces

Letting go of each of these pieces is hard, as they hold a personal place in time, learning, effort & (at times) subject, but sometimes one has to let go of the past - especially when you gotta pay un-for-seen bills -you gotta milk whatever you got! Prices are on a sliding scale, but basically affordable (between $150 and $300... for original art!) - every purchase helps me keep encouraged, drawing & painting, etc , but more importantly helps keep the family fed and kiddo well learn-ed.    

Please e-mail (contact above) if you are interested. 

Cloud Study 24" x 14" SOLD

Pine Study 

Stoic Portrait (George)

Rashmi

Toni (Figure Study)

Sarah

Kiesha Portrait

River Study SOLD

Oak on Hudson SOLD

Marshland Sketch SOLD

Bather Study

 portrait detail ...

(roughly) 3 hr figure sketch, graphite on toned paper

happy new year & sending off some old landscape studies

getting ready to send off two landscapes, both painted on location last summer ; "Scorched Pine, Estes Park, CO" & "Oak overlooking the Hudson River, Yonkers, NY ", oil on board, roughly 12" x 9" each... below is a detailed graphite & chalk study of the dying Pine tree that is featured in the "Estes Park" painting (from the sketchbook)...

...

 details of evening lit "Pine" ...

Looking forward...

portrait of Jamal

another study of Jamal, (see earlier figure study a few posts below), portrait sketch (in ~4 hrs), graphite & chalk on toned paper... 

Jamal figure study; new work in progress

detail of 'Jamal', my first time using charcoal since... high school, I think.

...then onto a color pass, here's a detail of the portrait in progress, oil over the charcoal on panel.

…more progress down the torso, trying to keep my "shadows warm, transitions neutral (cooling?), local colors chromatic (warmish?), and high-lights cool", in accordance with the laws of the "flesh-ball", pictured below (a new concept introduced to me by Colleen Barry) : 

... and wrapping up - the full figure,  before the final touches:

october developments...

 Rye Nature Preserve Ruins, 2 hr oil sketch

(work in progress) Angel Study, oil 

some plen air art on view in Rye, NY, September 21st into October

I am looking forward to participating in a lil silent autction up in Rye, NY with the Rye Arts Center this fall.

I'll have the above alla prima piece I made earlier this year in Maine, up for auction in their gallery, as well as painting a another piece on location, for the auction, the day of the auction - October 3rd. If you are in the Rye area, check out the painters around the town! Thanks for the invite, Rye Arts Center & Jim Langley! Here's more information: http://ryeartscenter.org/?page_id=5539

studio painting in the works

started working on a new studio painting, here's some beginnings… and then some studies of the subject & muse, Renata:

(grisaille early stage…)

(UPDATE: filling the figure out before background...)

 Coming up for Air is a tenative title... w/ graphite figure study; would it be lame to include fish or squids? lol...

 At Rest #1 (study), oil

At Rest #2

portrait sketches and studies



Joaquin, 2 years old  

"recline", 3 hr sketch

(filtered...) Tram, 3 hr sketch, 2013

 Susannah, 6 x 6 portrait, 2015 

 Renata, 2015

Renata, 2012

 To be Wedded, copy of a Васи́лий Васи́льевич Вереща́гин / Vereshchagin sketch  2011

 Jessica and the Woods, oil,  2014

oil 

Orientalism (Bargue copy), 2012

 Mary Jane, 8 x 11, grey scale study, 2013

Liz, 2014

Yer Grandfather, 2015, oil sketch

Noah - sketch, 2012

 Andre, oil sketch, 2015

Rashmi, graphite, 2013

Freddy, oil, 2015

Erica, in sketchbook, 2015

Jenna, oil, 2015

 Ennis, sketch, 2013

Ennis, sketch, 2013

Stoic, 2012



Mary Kate, 2016

(portraits can be done in one 2-3 hr sitting ... )

Anthony Roque, from a friend's photo / drawing in progress...