Treasure Trail

“Treasure Trail” has to be one of my favorite pieces that came out of the photography sessions with the model.  Again, a bit of a hybrid, with most of the black line work being completed in the mid 1990’s using that same triple zero Sable hair brush and India ink on hot press Bristol board.  “Treasure Trail” remained a black and white piece until recently.  The color was added using Photoshop.  It also remained a smooth piece.  The body hair and facial stubble was also added recently.  I definitely approve and think he looks better as a muscle bear.   

Vested

“Vested” is also a hybrid design.  All the black line work was completed in the mid 1990’s using India ink and a fine triple zero Sable hair paint brush.  The black and white artwork was scanned and the color was added recently using Adobe Photoshop.  Not all the artwork generated from that session with the model was taken past the black line work stage.  As I said, “Vested” was black and white until recently, but I always knew I wanted the vest to resemble the American flag with rainbow stripes.  I actually like the creativity behind the modification of the American flag into becoming the gay American flag.  It’s creative and I guess this is my homage to the person who originally came up with that idea. 

The next several artwork posts will be the results of my photographs from the session with the model.  All the photos came out great; however, all the poses were not that good.  The model did a great job and so did the camera.  And at the time of the photo session, the poses seemed “cool” and “very interesting”.  Well, they were a little too interesting; as I felt I could only use a handful of the photos. 

Deforestation 1991

As I mentioned in my previous post, “Deforestation” was originally painted in 1991 using India ink for the line work and the background texture and gouache for the color areas.  I digitally scanned the original art and what you see in this post is essentially that art as it was painted twenty years ago.  That being said, I did use Photoshop to brighten the colors some, add my signature and copyright, but other than those very minor changes, the original art remains unaffected. 

Deforestation

Originally painted in 1991, what you’re seeing now is a bit of a hybrid.  The black line work and background texture was painted twenty years ago, using India ink and brushes.  And although it was colored similarly back then, the color you see in this version has been applied using Photoshop.  The original colors were painted in gouache. 

This “Nagelesque” style is firmly taking hold, as seen in “Princess”, “Tex” and “Nagel Boy”.  My artwork has always been stylized and graphic.  But after seeing Patrick Nagel’s work, my commitment to this style, which I have often referred to as “high tech coloring book”, is unwavering. 

I have been presenting my work somewhat chronologically, indicating something of a progression.  Hopefully, this progression shows some level of improvement.

Nagel Boy

Simply called Man #1 back in 1990 when it was painted, I thought I would update the title for the blog.  This was called Man #1 because it was my very first stab at emulating Patrick Nagel's style and applying it to my vision.  As you can see from the checkerboard background, I was influenced as well by the Memphis design movement.  The reference or inspiration for the man was from a black and white newspaper advertisement, most likely the Sunday New York Times Magazine.  I like the design of the leather jacket's lining, pseudo Memphis design-y.     

Memphis design originated in Italy in the early 1980's and held on tight for most of that decade.  The bold geometric shapes and bright primary colors that were the foundation for this design movement could be seen everywhere from music videos to home furnishings and decor items.

"Nagel Boy" is painted on illustration board using a combination of gouache and India ink.  This painting measures approximately 20" x 22". 

Creative Influences: Patrick Nagel

One of the main creative influences on my work is American artist Patrick Nagel (November 25, 1945 – February 4, 1984).  He created popular illustrations in the 1970’s and 1980’s, most of which emphasize the simple grace and beauty of the female form.  He is best known for his illustrations that appeared in Playboy magazine.  

In 1972, he began work as a freelance artist for major corporations and magazines, including Architectural Digest, Harper's Magazine, IBM, ITT Corporation, Intel, Lucky Strike cigarettes, Ballentine Whiskey, Budweiser, MGM, Oui, Rolling Stone, United Artists and Universal Studios.  In 1976, Nagel began to regularly create images for Playboy magazine, which greatly improved his exposure and brought much attention to the highly stylized "Nagel Woman".  In 1978, he made the first of many posters for Mirage Editions.  Nagel's 1982 painting for Duran Duran's album cover "Rio" would become one of his best known images. 

According to Elena G. Millie, curator of the poster collection at the Library of Congress:
Like some of the old print masters (Toulouse-Lautrec and Bonnard, for example), Nagel was influenced by the Japanese woodblock print, with figures silhouetted against a neutral background, with strong areas of black and white and with bold lines and unusual angles of view.  He handled colors with rare originality and freedom, he forced perspective from flat, two-dimensional images and he kept simplifying, working to get more across with fewer elements.  His simple and precise imagery is also reminiscent of the art-deco style of the 1920s and 1930s- its sharp linear treatment, geometric simplicity and stylization of form yield images that are formal yet decorative.

Nagel would start with a photograph and work down, always simplifying and removing elements which he felt were unnecessary.  The resulting image would look flat, but emphasized those elements which he believed were most important.  Nagel's figures generally have black hair, white skin, full lips and the distinctive Nagel eyes, which are often squared off in his later works.  Because of the intense stylization and simplification of the facial features, the figures resemble each other, even though Nagel worked with many models, including Playboy playmates Cathy St. George, Tracy Vaccaro and Shannon Tweed.  Nagel also painted several celebrity portraits including Joan Collins (whose portrait was subsequently released as a limited edition print) and Joanna Cassidy.

Nagel did paint men, but only one was ever released as a fine art print while he was alive.  Nagel continues to have a devoted following of collectors.