"Just like heaven"

I recently had a painting stolen from an exhibition,Stardust #2 (pictured top left)a 38x38 aerosol i had painted back in August 2009.I feel no loss,no sense of redemption.I know it's long gone and yet i feel honestly quite flattered.My curators are making things right and there are no worries.I have many questions of course ,but no answers.Does this sorta thing happen very often to starving artists and if not why am i a starving artist?I like the motivation this question raises in me.I look at this as an opportunity to make an evolution with that particular motif (Marilyn Monroe)...I blew the image up by another 100% and set about creating 6 multiple stencils for a two-tone effect,along with 6 stencils for 3 different sized two-tone stars.The first one in this series of 5 is "Stardust #5 (pictured top right) a 21x27 aerosol on canvas beat my own wildest expectations.I was then accepted to present work for the i heART show February 13th at Junctionview studios and i hurriedly set about on a 23x32 "Stardust Valentine" with the holiday of love (both good & bad)in mind.I enjoyed working on it while listening to an 80's mix of The cure,smiths,talking heads,public image and some others.I painted and envisioned myself working in New York City in the 80's.A favorite day dream of mine and as i painted i thought of no valentine,no past love or great love lost.The moments flowed thru me as the paint flowed from the can.It felt "Just like heaven"............

New studio and sessions

I've been in my new studio now for 1 week and the first few days were spent feeling the space out.Imagining what all it would allow me to do.Very much like the first few rounds of a boxing match i circled and paced w/ a determined enthusiasm.Feeling the approaching sessions and what painting,style,media,medium and motifs would i use as the studios first piece?In the end i chose to return to a theme i first did 2 years ago.There was a commonality and desire to top the first one.The Pink Panther...This one would be different,better.More thought out and w/ out the urban landscape of skyscrapers in the background.I went w/ a 34"x26" size canvas and decided on aerosol for my paint.The first session was tediously slow and all the coffee in the world wasn't going to make this process any faster.Stencils had to be cut while hunched over my new desk,although this was not as bad as anticipated.The desk and chair are at that perfect height and meet like two corresponding puzzle pieces.The background took most of my attention ,along w/spacing and proportion.I wanted to go w/a first layer that was "aerosol point ism",followed by an "Expressionistic outburst" of throwing paint.It started to look like a summer sky w/explosions like those of fireworks.Next was applying the stencils one at a time and one spray at a time.This is the most time consuming part of this style.Care must be taken as to not allow over spray,bleeding (which can depend on glue)or impatience in dry time.For if you're ready to put on another layer ,while the painting is not...We all know bad things will happen.This next session was faster and fresher.It flew by and the ideas come rushing in and i felt very much in control.I even painted for a time in silence and the studio was serene and i knew it would allow me to do whatever was within reason.It feels very nice to start and finish this piece in 3 days in the new studio.It's been broken in and i'm ready for 2010......