Update - A Post From Santiago

The experience here in Scottsdale at the Celebration of Fine Art has been nothing short of AMAZING. Truly an experience of a lifetime. I miss my family (especially my kids) and that has been the hardest part of the show, just having them so far away. Over the last year I have made the transition to being a full time artist. Up until this point I have been running my VW restoration business, another part time job on the side, and painting with every free second that I have (which often means I do not sleep). So many things have fallen into place and I wanted to share part of my evolution as an artist that has happened over the last 6 weeks since I arrived in Arizona.

I will always remain passionate about VWs and painting them but the dynamics of this show has opened up a lot of doors for me to not be constrained in my subject matter. I love everything vintage - motorcycles, trains, and any type of classic car but I have always loved painting figurative pieces first and fore most. And now I am painting all of these things that I love and that is really exciting!

Here are some of my new pieces. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think! I will be enjoying this long holiday weekend with my family, but of course I will still be at the show every day if you are in Scottsdale and have a chance to stop by.

An Update From The Artist

Preparations are in full force for The Celebration of Fine Art show that is coming up in Scottsdale.  I hope to have over 40 pieces completed by early January. At this phase that means a lot of panels to paint and gesso.

Most of my inspiration comes when I have uninterrupted time to focus and let the inspiration flow.  That means I paint through the night and often times go to bed when the rest of the family is getting up.  The schedule is difficult, but I am energized about this new line of work that I am putting together.

I'm excited to reveal everything I have been working and am looking forward to the warm weather in Scottsdale, AZ in a little over a month.

The Kleinbus Series - A Post From Santiago

I had a lot of fun at the show and want to thank everyone that was able to come opening night.  I loved hearing so many fun and interesting stories about the subject matter that was my inspiration for The Kleinbus Series.  If you havent had a chance to see the show yet it will be hanging at The Meyer Gallery for at least another week.  After so many months painting to prepare for the show I am glad that so many pieces have sold!  Since the show I have enjoyed relaxing for a few days but preparations for my next show in December are already in full swing.

Christmas Gift - A Post From Santiago

This Friday, May 21st, is the first art show I will be having in the barn and preparations are in full force here. Details for the show can be found here and please know you are all invited and I would love to see you there!

Aside from that I recently completed the unfinished painting I gave to my wife for Christmas.  I had never painted Elizabeth before and it was a whole different experience (and pretty intimidating) to paint someone that knows me better than anyone else, and in turn someone I know so well. 

We have been talking for years about exactly what she wanted and narrowed it down to something that portrayed her Irish heritage and the work ethic of her ancestors.  We started at the local Hale Center Theatre and sorted through their rooms of costumes until we found one that matched what we had in mind (although not the color we were wanting).  Then we headed up the canyon near Dear Creek Reservoir for a photo shoot. 

We also took some shots on our property with the help of 'our little artist' and our newfie.

Here is the photo I ended up using as reference and the finished painting.  Elizabeth was very happy about the final product and the best part is we will have this piece to display in our home instead of sending it off to a gallery or show.

Barn Update - A Post From Santiago

This is the extent of my artistic expression on paper for the last week. No, it's not anything that will be going to a gallery, but it is a drawing of the final steps to finish enclosing the barn.  I designed and built these doors from the extra wood we had left over and I am very pleased with how they turned out in real life.  There is still so much to do but at the same time I am getting so close.  As I am working on all the final touches, one of the main things that keeps me motivated is the thought of finally being able to paint and have drawing sessions inside the barn.  I am constantly thinking about how I will set things up and considering the areas where there will be the best lighting.  In the meantime I have windows to install, wood siding to get up, endless staining and sealing projects, and lots more.  I'm really looking forward to being able to get back to what I love most and just be able to paint!

Tuesday's - A Post By Santiago

Every Tuesday night at 5:00 I make the drive out to Spanish Fork for the figure drawing class that Sean Diediker teaches out of his studio.  Some nights it's hard to pull away from the barn construction, but we are making a lot of progress! It wont be much longer until I can be back to painting more.  I have this idea to do an acutal size Volkswagen bus painting and the barn will be the perfect place to set the stage.

In the meantime, for the last several weeks, we have been painting and studying fabric folds in Sean's class.  Of course I love anything that involves drawing/painting the human figure, plus this meant doing another study of Sargent.

Here is the original.

Here is my study.

Aside From Painting - A Post From Santiago

Aside from planning and preparing for an upcoming show (more on that to come) I have been consumed with building our barn. 

I started restoring Volkswagen's in 2003 out of our garage.  Although I have been working out of a shop for the last few years, we thought it was a great time to build a place on our property. 

This will eventually be where my VW restoration work will take place. But even more exciting, this will also be the staging place for many of my paintings and future shows.

Volkswagen's are a big part of my life and as much as I love restoring them, I love to paint them! 

Even though my days (and nights) have been spent out working on the barn, my mind is racing with new ideas and plans for future paintings and every spare minute I have I am getting organized and ready to translate those ideas into new pieces.