12/24/2025 Creation Batch

It's been crazy the past couple of weeks but now I'm on winter break and I don't have to go back to (non-artistic) work for nearly 14 days. It will be nice to decompress, relax and refocus.

My primary artistic goal lately has been getting a private commission completed. It's pastel on a 11" x 14" toned blue sheet of 184lb Strathmore 400 paper. The client loved it and it's been shipped off to a new home! I also included the first sketch in this post to show the changes I made after receiving feedback.

Initially I wanted to emphasize the woman's form only and have the man take a backseat in the composition. This is evident in the rough sketch because he shares the same tone as the couch/background and woman is highlighted at the center. I wanted a sort of Gustav Klimt approach.

But after reflecting on it, I realized this particular moment is about the unity of two forms. A consummation. I needed to make the two closer to equals but still have the woman steal the show. I made the necessary changes but she is still the dominating shape of the composition. She engulfs him. All the lines in this piece lead the viewer's eyes to her, and even if you try to look away your eye is brought directly back to her.

One trait I hope to carry across my work is never making a woman seem weak or submissive.

I've been playing around with AI a lot. It's quite a dopamine hit to get a finished picture so quickly; but the culture surrounding NFTs and AI is so trendy, impulsive, and robotic. Social media is flooded with people who are just playing the algorithm. Empty comments, empty art. Lots of "ooo shiny" moments that fade within seconds. But much like traditional work, I'll put the time and effort into it for the long haul.

I'll do a lot more traditional work in the upcoming days and write a lot more, but for now I just wanted to give everyone a quick update.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season!!