Piece of the Week

I've been trying to keep the piece of the week more recent pieces but today's piece of the week is from a few years ago, but I only recently was able to take a decent picture of it.

Joachim and Boaz
watercolor and pen and ink
9x9in
2010
Series: Choices

This piece is called Joachim and Boaz, the names of two columns/pillars that I believe were in/at Solomon's temple. I believe that pillars/columns as the above, can be symbolic for a transition, moving from one thing/place/etc. to another.
Update, so after I wrote this post, I went to Wulf's exhibit at the Springville Muesum of Art I noticed this painting of a similar title.

This is what the little card by it had to say about Joachim and Boaz.

I was recently talking to a friend and fellow artist who shared that in the new year he hopes he'll be able to quit his job and support himself with his painting. I'm so excited for him. It's always great to hear about a friend's artistic success, so many times that doesn't happen, or maybe that's just what the world says and I've heard it so much that I started to believe it. A lot of times I get discouraged and feel like a failure. There's always the opportunity to improve upon the past, meanwhile I haven't been a total failure, I had the privileged to be included in a great show this year, with artists that I respect. I'm going up from there and not going back.


Finally, here are pictures of the piece that was in the Springville show.

Enlightened
graphite pencil on arches 88
2010

Sometimes I feel like I'm going in all different directions art wise, I don't think I will ever be the artist that just does one style or sort of thing. I'm interested in geometry, sacred geometry, Islamic designs, painting, drawing, and the list goes on. Today's focus was Islamic designs.

I'm trying out a new paper, Arches (pronounced arsch (it's a French paper) but people will probably call it arches) Watercolor Hot Press. Hot press means that it's smooth, cold pressed papers are rougher/ more textured. I'm liking it so far but I haven't tried any shading on it yet.
I love Islamic designs because they're so beautiful but I also like them because of the symbolism they have. In Islam they don't use images of people or animals, etc. to avoid idol worship, so they use designs and they have symbolism in them. This design is called "The Breath of The Compassionate"

This is an older piece but now that I've learned how to crop my photos, I finally have a pretty good picture of it. It's from the choices series. I'd love some feedback.

Watercolor on Arches watercolor paper
2010
9X9 in.
Series: Choices

Tools of the Trade: Watercolor

Here's what's going on in my studio.

Right now I'm mainly working on watercolors and these are the "tools" I use.

Arches Watercolor Blocks, I can't tell you how nice it was to find that there was an alternative to taping down your own watercolor paper or not taping down your own paper and having it buckle. Watercolor blocks are pads of prestreched paper and Arches is some of the best watercolor paper I know of.

Windsor Newton Series 7 sable brushes; it took a long time for me to accept that I could make better work with quality materials. It seems natural now that poor quality materials will not make something high quality just through sheer artistic talent, that if you want to make something great it seems only right to start out with quality.


Another wonderful type of brush is a Hake (pronounced ha-ke); Windsor Newton Series 7 brushes are wonderful, but they are also expensive (justifiably so) and more than that, if you want a very large brush there is not only a large price but a waiting list; hake brushes are another solution to the problem. Hake are Japanese brushes made of soft natural hairs and are much more affordable.