Colin

Colin

Ink + Digital. 2011.

Almost Breathing

Almost Breathing.

18" x 24"

Acrylic. 2011.

Self Portrait

Self Portrait

Ink + Digital. 2011.

Face I

Face I

Ink + Digital. 2011.

Towers II and III

Towers II & III

Ink + Digital. 2011.

A friend of mine was asking me how I make these drawings, so I'm going to extrapolate from that that other people may be interested to know. They're all done a bit differently, but essentially I start with a line drawing. This is one I did in my sketchbook while waiting for visitors at E.A.S.T. I then scan it into Photoshop, use the magic wand tool to remove the white background, and then insert another layer beneath the line drawing. Then, using either the pen tool or paint bucket, I fill in areas of grey, making a new layer for each new tone. (Keep in mind that each layer except the bottom one needs to be background-less.) Finally I select each respective layer and apply the Color Halftone filter, choosing a different dot pattern for each one. It's not much more complicated than that, and as you can see, it can yield some interesting results. Now on to self promotion:

Would you like to own a signed giclee print of one of my paintings? Does the prospect of my surviving the winter seem somewhat agreeable to you? Then check out my newly constructed online store! Give someone a really, really unique gift this holiday season! Also, anyone who purchases a print and lets me know that they follow this blog will receive an original drawing from me as well- for free. Ok, that's it.

Tower I

Tower I

Ink + Digital

Another new drawing for you and the family to gather around and gawk at this Thanksgiving.

East Austin Studio Tour 2011

The front entry way, with Melissa Cha's prints on the left. Hounds of Love crest by Hiromi Ueyoshi.

My piece at the end of the hall, Endless, sold to a renowned local artist.

All paintings tend to look about the same size online. This should give you some scale of Gothra.

My paintings will look great over your mantlepiece! Buy today!/end plug

Me doodling as I wait for visitors. EAST reportedly had a very low turnout this year compared to years previous.

Lauren Klotzman set up this teepee in our backyard as part of an installation/performance.

All photos by Melissa Cha.

Hover I

Hover I

Ink + Digital. 2011.

I'll post a report of E.A.S.T soon, but for now here's a little drawing.

Dissolution

'Dissolution'

24" x 24"

Acrylic. 2011.

Another new square-format painting. I'm working in squares partially because it's a challenge compositionally, but also because I'm thinking of record album sleeves. I'm working on the design for Single Lash's debut LP. More about that at a later time.

E.A.S.T is next weekend so I'll be fully occupied with that for the near future. Please come by and buy a painting; my house is studio #69 on the tour.

Monolith

'Monolith'

36" x 36"

Acrylic. 2011.

New painting finally completed. This one is clearly quite different from its predecessors as the initial observations for this work were made from an actual model. It was constructed with cardboard and playdough. I think the fact that this particular environment was directly observed gives the finished product an uncanny quality. Yes, this otherwordly scene was painted from observation.

I'm preparing for East Austin Studio Tour and one of my recent paintings ('Vision Thing') will be featured in an E.A.S.T group show opening on Oct. 22nd at 916 Springdale Rd., Austin, Tx, 78702 and running throughout the tour. Exciting times we live in.

Monsters

Monster I

9" x 10"

Mixed Media. 2011.

Monster II

9" x 10"

Mixed Media. 2011.

Continuing along similar lines to my recent comic, I have here two mixed media drawings of monsters. They were done primarily with acrylic, ink and Prisma. The drawings were done for the upcoming Monster Show at Austin's Domy Books. I really recommend checking Domy out if you're in the area- it's a bookstore and gallery that specializes in everything cool. (i.e. Zines, Comixs, Art Books, Poetry, Manifestos, etc.) It has sort of a counter culture vibe, but is spacious, well-curated and neatly organized. Definitely one of the best spots in Austin. Anyway, these drawings are based on celebrity photos. I'd be really interested if anyone could guess who these monsters are modeled on.

Dimensions

It has been a while since I've posted drawings here, I know. Well let me remedy that by posting for your enjoyment the first comic I've drawn in my "adult" life. No superheroes here. ('Nickman' has been retired, but my likeness is heavily featured here.) It's for the upcoming Dimensions III collection published by my good friend Zejian Shen. As a comics novice, it's really an honor to be featured alongside such pros as Hiromi Ueyoshi, Tom Toye, Leah Wishnia and others.

Passion Plague

Passion Plague

9" x 12"

Acrylic. 2011.

Vision Thing

Vision Thing

16" x 20"

Acrylic. 2011.

This one really needs to be seen in person. The triangular shape near the top of the composition is painted in 'Interference Orange' and has a beautiful sheen.

Antimodern

Antimodern

16" x 20"

Acrylic. 2011.

D.

D.

18" x 36"

Acrylic. 2011.

New commissioned piece. The typographical element was requested by the client but I think it suggests interesting possibilities for future paintings. What do you think?

My painting Heaven Sent is featured in the latest edition of Beautiful/Decay. The reproduction is actually quite good, although I did have to crop it to fit their format. Speaking of, I now have high quality giclee prints of most of my recent paintings. Contact me for details.

Driving to San Francisco

Meljenarts presents...

A ONE-DAY-ONLY EXHIBITION

Featuring the wonder-inducing works of Nicolas Nadeau
nicolasnadeau.blogspot.com
anartwebsite.com
singlelash.com

With projected video by Melissa Cha
vimeo.com/boomelcha
melissacha.com

-plus-
MOMO
Le Momo est Roi.
(The Fool is King.)

Open all day Saturday, July 16
Refreshments & reception at 7pm

LIVE WORMS GALLERY
1345 Grant Ave.
(between Green St. and Vallejo St.)

North Beach - San Francisco

Dead Princess

Dead Princess

Acrylic. 2011. 18x24"

Melissa

Melissa

Oil. 2011. 9x12"

My muse and frequent collaborator Melissa Cha finally gets a decent portrait from me. She really gives me this expression on a regular basis.

Empty Promise

Empty Promise

Acrylic. 2011. 18x24"

Wildlife

New video for my band Single Lash by the brilliant Melissa Cha. Yes, that's me being drenched in paint.

Signal Glitch

Signal Glitch.

Acrylic. 2011.

8x10"

When does growth become cancer?

"Cancer starts when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. There are many kinds of cancer, but they all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells.

Cancer cell growth is different from normal cell growth. Instead of dying, cancer cells continue to grow and form new, abnormal cells. Cancer cells can also invade (grow into) other tissues, something that normal cells cannot do. Growing out of control and invading other tissues are what makes a cell a cancer cell." (Cancer.org)

Millennium Artifact

Millennium Artifact

Acrylic. 2011.

9" x 12"

Thoat Art

Here's some logo art I whipped up for my friend Laura's non-profit arts organization Throat.

They're just getting started, but already doing some cool stuff. Check it out!

Endless

Endless

Acrylic. 2011

I've been working on this series now since a bit before I graduated from RISD- which was almost a year ago. Man, time really flies. The good news is that I clearly don't require the school environment to stay motivated. In fact, I feel like I've been thriving creatively since being cast out into the cold, cruel "real world". Here's to my fellow 2010 grads- I hope everyone's managing to do ok in this mess.

Gothra

New painting completed! This one is almost as big as 'HeavenSent'. 'Gothra' has been extremely rewarding to paint and I feel more excited and energized than ever for the next work.

Noise Artifacts

NOT NOT FUN house show 3/19/11 from Melissa Cha on Vimeo.

The always-amazing Melissa Cha, shot and edited this footage of our recent Hounds of Love show with Not Not Fun. The whole week of SXSW was a total blast and it all seemed to culminate on the 19th into what has to be one of the best nights of my life. If you've watched the video, you'll understand that we have some seriously cool neighbors. If you watch closely, you can see my painting HeavenSent behind the bands adding some color to the proceedings.

Also- my work was recently featured on the Faestheic blog!

Mediations (Portrait of a Woman)

I just completed a portrait of someone I've never met, nor have I any idea who she is. It was done in conjunction with Austin artist Kathleen Shafer and a project she's doing that will eventually incorporate several images of this woman rendered by different artists. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what her project is about but as soon as I saw this photo in a stack of several I could choose from, I had to say yes. This woman is such a fascinating subject and I had even more fun than I expected painting her.

Not x Not Fun

Here's a poster I designed for an awesome 9-band show we're hosting with Not Not Fun at the Hounds of Love. If you happen to be in the Austin area, you should come dance with us!

Total Eclipse

Total Eclipse

Acrylic + Digital. 2011

Photoshop experiment with a recent painting of Klaus Nomi.

Medicine- New Single Lash EP

Here's a Valentine from my band, Single Lash. The album art was designed by me using a photograph by the brilliant Melissa Cha. We have some exciting news for SXSW, but I'll save that for later.

Access Fantasy

'Access Fantasy'

Acrylic. 2011

This is an 8"x10" painting undertaken in exactly the same fashion as the (relatively) massive 'HeavenSent', but with one very small brush. A lot of effort for such a small piece.

HeavenSent

HeavenSent

Acrylic. 2011.

As promised, here is my latest painting, the relative behemoth of my latest body of work at 62" by 70". With this piece, I feel like I've reached a milestone. The vision I've been working for these past few months is coalescing more solidly than ever and I feel very confidant as I move on to my next work. I'm now working on two, much much smaller paintings. At 8x10", how much will they share with this work, and how much will the change in scale affect my approach as a painter? Obviously the impact of scale on the viewer is sort of a moot point on the internet, unfortunately.

Grey Noises

Grey Noises I

Ink on Paper

2010

Grey Noises II

Ink on Paper

2010.

Updates have been sparse as of late because of two things:

1) Holiday lethargy (aka I'm lazy)

2) (More excitingly) I've been working on a 60x72" painting and it is now nearing completion! I've set up in my garage, using large brushes and rollers to make a work in which one can contemplate each mark, but that overall comes together in movements. I'm really excited to post it here once it's finished. It's a new foray in the exploration of the themes I've been invested in these past few months.