Oysters, anyone!?!

This is the space I choose to work on the project due to the size and hours of sunlight. I use the sunlight not only for light but to bake on my ceramicoat mixture paint I was using. With the heat and the time of the Sun I ensure the paint will never fail on the board no matter what it's age. A few blankets are thrown about the picture. Which are the quilts I used to cover the painting at night so dew would not settle and float the paint off when the wind and sunlight come on the next morning.

Starting to piece together the panels so they are lined up. Bringing in the lines from one to another to lose the lines formed at the borders. We are working to bring in the upper water region with the Spartina and Oyster Beds atop a water line and underwater area where the Manatee inhabit.

With a #4 sable and a #11 Flat brush we lay in the areas where the oysters are starting to emerge from the marsh during the falling of low tide ( Remember how dull and lifeless they look here on this panel then look at them in the lower picture and see how we can bring life and beauty even to the lowly slimey oyster. ) After the brushwork and some wet canvas techniques we start blending in the water and the some of the Marsh grasses with some custom N.B.L.M. colors with our Iwata Eclipse airbrush with a large cup adapter ( to get a wider spray ) and a thick blow nozzle to increase the volume of paint being dumped.

This is the Background and Middle ground are laid out. We use a loose interpretation of a marsh seen in the Golden Isles region and make an enjoyable place for these happy manatee to live!! As you can see you after Day 7 we are starting to bring out the details in the work and making gains on having a beautifully accomplished piece. The gaps in the boards you see do not actually exist after the panels have been laid up in Mural mode. They are a response to the space I put them in to paint and stresses of the angles in which they lay. Also, noted, there are some of the water affects happing in the background water way that will be brought down into the waters of the mid ground.

A Shot of the finished panel and the depth in which is captured by our painting technique. We are looking at a big mural here, but we still want to have an account of how beautiful and deep this Habitat is. We are using a technique that will allow the owner to take each panel and display them in other venues and have them stand up as Art pieces in and of themselves.

Believe me I was the same way when I was told that Oyster Beds have a plethora of colors and I was to be surprised. After Tom and My Kayak trip out in the intercoastal I soon learn that most D.N.R. staff actually know what they are talking about ( Actually already knew that before ). We were shocked though by the number and health of the Beds as we paddled right by them. I look at the beds in the bright Late Winter Sun and was astonished at what colors I saw in Oysters Beds. I used the inspiration of these images to the bring back to my mural and express them there. As an Education piece this image mixed amongst others will highlight the lesson " That Nature has no limit to it's Beauty and Bounty." We are reminded everyday that we should just look around and see the Glory in which Nature exist and notice that we are not Outside of this realm, but Part of It!

Good Day,

Buddy

Into the Weeds we go

From here we begin to start laying in the top colors ( Colors in the area above the Water line [ which you will see later] ). We are just hinting at shapes and pulling out aggregate highlights. We search through the space to find a space in which the Manatees will be swimming and we find the upper air of the brackish marsh starting to grow above. Using a wet board technique I apply the colors to the primed wood to allow the medium to float above the surface and allow me more time to bring in my big brushes and textured towels to wash and wipe away to I see a realistic background coming into view.

A lot of People have said that my style is either very realistic or slightly stylized. I tend toward the latter assessment when I conceptualize my Art but I do when time allows go all the way to Photo-realistic. I do push my paintings to a level, if I might say, where the craftsmanship and values reach a level where my clients can't look elsewhere for them. That is survival for me because to hold and solidify a following allows a future for my Art and skills. I do really like to paint in a more Stylized realism where the line and the colors, and in a small part I guess the composition, resemble the Masters Prints of old Nippon and works of some of the Turn of the Century Art Nouveau Masters. I have blended my background in Graffiti Arts, Drafting, and Sculpture to pull out images in the Canvas that will leave you visually shocked. Shawn and I learned in Rush Rankin's class and use it religiously that the Sublime is the world into which I like to take the viewer and offer them a taste of it.



Some artist have admitted in the past that when in Creative moments they enter a state where they are sublimely connected to all the things around them and pull from all that space the images and the feelings which which come through in the master's works! We have to respect and search for the space and time in which we can release the pressures of performance and business and remember the Ethics of Workmanship which gets us to where we are going. Because it may be some that sell there art through slick media or tricky advertisement but it boils down to the meat's bone where we all know that the Person who owns the Art must love it first and be excited by having it and also continue to love it and continually keep getting some sort of value out of the work as they live with it. All in all when you are creating a piece for a certain individual or group you are making an entity that will live with them forevermore ( Either in their face or in their mind ). We have to keep ourselves as Artist and Craftsman honed with the standards that supply our own true wealth and that is the Beauty of the peace and tranquility that we find ourselves when we are fighting to bring that Artwork into life. We travel to that spot into which professional athletes and performers call the "zone" and we should always be yearning to get back to that place that brings you the most joy. You soon realize that what brings you "true" happiness in this life will serve you well unto your dying day.



I haven't told you about the tarp I laid out to form the base in which I paint and position my mural on to. I laid out a huge black pool tarp that covers the driveway over and blew it off with a leaf blower ( because it is so big ). I lined up the boards with great scrupulousness to make sure all edges lined up perfectly


I had to move a few boards around before I found the perfect fit. So I was loosed to paint freely as I saw fit. I painted in the oyster beds and Spartina grass. I began the Wet painting technique in the water before I put too much detail into the grasses so I wouldn't lose them to over-painting. I ended the evening when the Sun went down by blacking out the shapes of some of the upper left hand corner land areas before I cleaned up and turned in.

After a good day of painting ( no matter how long ) I feel that tomorrow I can wake up joyful in the knowledge that my task will be easier after the work I got done the day before. Tomorrow I will start working in the shapes of the background, working in the grassy knolls, and tying the water effect from one panel to the next. I look forward to seeing what tomorrow brings and I should be done by the weekend!!!

Good on you, Mates.

Bud Hale!

Jump on a Manatee's back!

After careful measure and sketching out the image I took the wall apart and partnered neighboring boards two by two to start painting. I took the work to the side yard and constructed a make shift easel and started painting. I started in on the Manatees and studied them to see what kind of background I wanted them to live in. Don't think that the bright colors and shapes I supplied are the finished product. You will see in the next few steps how they transform into a bounty of underwater interest. I have started on the oyster beds too so they will become more prevalent as you see them emerge up above the water line in the next few posts.

What's been happening!

Hey Gang,


Just here at the Noblelements ranch getting started on the painting portion of the Manatee Habitat Educational Mural. It is going very well this week and the usual Gremlins that trouble a project seem to be staying at bay! I have a specific plan about how to finish murals. Something I had to learn while growing up being commissioned to do art pieces. Something you just have to do to survive. If you don't learn tricks and a routine to use you usually fail at what you do. I always believed and I know other artistic types do too that you set out believing that the planning of a project itself and the careful carrying out of those plans sometimes gets in the way of the creativity. So you rationalize that you have to moderate strict rules for creativity, and visa- versa. But in all actuality you soon realize through experience that the best thing to do is to just get out there and do it ( Yes, Nike style! ). You may sometimes have butterflies and nerves when you try something new or have to explain what you are about to paint for a client but believe me the best way to stay your nerves is to get a paint brush in your hand and see what will come out of it. I compare it to some financial advise I got at a young age that said: " When you are about to make a big investment or purchase always count the money you already have in the Bank at that moment and not the Money you think you will get into the bank in the future. " In other words: " Bank off the interest you make yourself once you start." So here we go. We have some very interesting photos of the progress of Noblelements latest mural. We will add new updates everyday to let you see the progress. I will add captions to the images as they need and explain what is going on as we do it.

The first pictures is how I laid out the marine grade boards after I cut them to shape and getting them lined up. ( This project manager called for a minimum of lines and gaps in between the boards. So that is what we are conquering here. ) This is also a good shot of what the boards looked like before I soaked them in waterproofer and sealed them!!!


The second photo is a shot of the right of my studio and the tools I am using for this part of the project. " Tools of the Trade. "

The third shot is a working shot of me sanding the boards to the right plain and getting the surface smooth enough for a great painting surface. During this step I also back-filled with wood filler and bevel up the edges to create a tight, tight fit.


The Fourth is the best shot. That is of my best bud, my right hand mutt, my main hibbidy jibbidy... that keeps me company all my day long; "Tony" Toner.


The fifth is of the boards as components after sealing and staining.


The sixth shot is of how the boards look together once they were sanded and sealed. Look no Gaps!!!


The seventh is of the sketching process as it became night. I am laying out the water line, the oyster beds, and where the Manatees are swimming! I will include the rest of that process in the next Update!!!

Woo-Woo!!!

Love Painting in the Rain!!!

I love working in the rain. It gives you a sense of peace and resolve. Like you can't go outside and you are hold up in your House so you should make the most of it. Use your time wisely. Paint alot. Get your ideas on paper. Fumigate the rafters. ( Oh, I don't know where that came from. Any man can get bored with painting all day.) ...Don't let any moments pass you by. Let yourself be free to see the potential of what everyday brings. Let the rain pound on the roof and pour on the ground then realize that you have friends and family that you can bring together and create wonderful moments and memories that you can share together forever.

Although I am working outside safely I covered everything near the screens. Even in hard rain and wind there is no rain damage whatsoever. So I am happy to be so blessed. I will keep my eyes open though to keep everything intact and safe. At least the chimes I bought are chiming.

While I was sitting out in the studio I learned that a lot of people have been killed or hurt in this storm. So it leaves it to us to remember that you never know when you are safe and when you're not. It makes you remember that you should increase your likelihood of safety by using the good wisdom that God has given you. So count your blessings and pray for those who were not so fortunate today and for the hope that they will have better days. And pray that you will have better days too.

" Count your blessings, name them One by One. "

Oh, Yeah...one more thing:
Eat your Heart out Eddie Rabbitt.

You know who you are.
...yeah !!!

The Beginning of the Manatee Habitat Educational Mural !!!

I love helping others learn about the Bounty of Mother Nature. This project is right up my alley. I have put a lot of design and research into this project so keep checking back to see how it progresses. Working with the D.N.R. and the Tidelands Crew and their constituents up there in the 4-H center I am blessed to have a good team working behind me. Without them this project would not look as good as it does!

Here are some sights and scenes of what has been going on.
Enjoy and remember to check back in soon. This is the main project of March. Remember last year which seems like 10 years ago that we were a few weeks into painting The Navajo Room. What a Good thing! ( Martha Stewart Style!!! ) Hahaha ! J/K.

Setting up the Template

Cutting the wood

The Space I am transforming

A Final Sketch

Finally...

Good afternoon Noblelettes,

How's it swinging!?!

Well here at the Noblelements workshop you bet your sweet bippy we have been steady crafting
and whipping out those Tasty morsels you and the others have come to love and expect.
Thanks for your prayers and letters ( and casserole dishes. ) the other day during the first downpour. We have finally got up the infamous paper Shroud of Tidelands and have proliferated it back to Noblelements Studios East safely! We are all a' jitter and set up in the studio and ready to start the Manatee Habitat Education mural to deliver it to it's rightful owners in the next few months.

Although, I briefly became Ahab of the Mighty Island Breeze the other day and was smote and pelted mightily by the ever deadly Hailstorm of the North I came out as a winner and got the template put up to use on the mural. (... and after a few dead chickens were sacrificed and some sarsaparilla root was sprinkled over the worksite and incantations. ) With my Christianity intact and Dawn and Tom's help we were able to finally lay out and measure the entire wall and figured out where the 3-D sculpture and the Sign were going to be. Joy is me! It is a good idea to lay out a paper template over multi- faceted surfaces when you are attempting a large mural like this. So that is what I did and that is what is done.

Ready to paint now! With my template in hand and a twinkle in my eye I should not have as much pain getting the Mural up and in place!!! So wish me luck Big Guys and check back shortly with your favorite Traveling Mural Painting Wacky Guy and see what adventures he will get into next. Back to the drawing board ( no, literally )!!!

" Pet a cat on your sleeping bag at least once everyday."
- seriously! : )

Love,
Buddy