"Rot" Sketch

The next sketch in this series-within-a-series: "Rot." Next up, "Rise!"

(This piece is RESERVED.)

The painting based on this drawing will be part of my April 2013 solo show "Laid Bare" at La Luz de Jesus Gallery. For more info, to be added to the preview list, or to reserve a piece early, email Matt Kennedy at info@laluzdejesus.com.

("Rot" is now reserved)

Holidays at the SBNHM

Home for the holidays means another productive visit to the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum with my dear friend and very talented illustrator Kris Moore. (Visit the link to see her work!)

Here are my sketches:

And of course I had to take a bunch of photos of their insect wall:

The SBNHM has a phenomenal bird exhibition, if you are passing through I highly recommend stopping in! Be sure to check out their temporary owl photography exhibition as well as the great selection of scientific illustrations in the back gallery behind the permanent bird exhibition.

Happy Holidays!

One of the discarded rough starts for "Rattle" that just didn't work out... I may end up using it for something else...

SBNHM:

Quick sketches for the feral girl in the comic I'm working on:

In case I do not get a chance to post while out of town, happy holidays and a merry new year!

Drink n' Draw

Here are some sketches from the past couple weeks of drink n' draw at Casey's Pub on Thursday nights!

"Rattle" Sketch

Here is the next in the "Gasp" "Flinch" "Rattle" "Rot" "Rise" series. Two to go!

The girl is a crumbling geode- possibly malachite and azurite or maybe pyrite.... or maybe just boring ol' amethyst. So many choices!

I have what some might categorize as an unhealthy obsession with collecting gems and minerals, and curiosities of all types.

The painting based on this drawing will be part of my April 2013 solo show "Laid Bare" at La Luz de Jesus Gallery. For more info, to be added to the preview list, or to reserve a piece early, email Matt Kennedy at info@laluzdejesus.com.

"Petrified" Complete!

"Petrifed" is currently RESERVED. But there will be many other new paintings in my La Luz April 2013 solo show so stay tuned to snag one!

I'm very happy with how the background came out- with an extra day of work there is so much more depth, detail and contrast than before. This piece is ink, gouache, and colored pencil on mounted Stonehenge and is ~10"x14" with a 3" border.

This paintings will be part of my April 2013 solo show "Laid Bare" at La Luz de Jesus Gallery. For more info, to be added to the preview list, or to reserve a piece email Matt Kennedy at info@laluzdejesus.com.

Petrified Nearly Complete (Plus New Comic)

Here is "Petrified" about 90% done. I still need to work on details in the background trees and pop the color on the tiger but that shouldn't take long.

The elephant has moss growing on the parts of it that are turning into trees.

It's still all taped-up along the edges to keep them crisp, but here is a detail of the subtle clouds in the sky- I was relieved by how effortlessly they came out.

And here is a comic I started late the other night- it's going to be pretty surreal and twisted. Don't try to make any sense of it yet- it's all out of order and very rough for now.

And here are a few close-ups of the roughs for the comic.

Ink Wash on "Petrified"

Today, ink... tomorrow, gouache!

These paintings will be part of my April 2013 solo show "Laid Bare" at La Luz de Jesus Gallery. For more info, to be added to the preview list, or to reserve a piece email Matt Kennedy at info@laluzdejesus.com.

Freshly Transferred

Detail shots of freshly transferred drawings about to be painted:

These paintings will be part of my April 2013 solo show "Laid Bare" at La Luz de Jesus Gallery. For more info, to be added to the preview list, or to reserve a piece email Matt Kennedy at info@laluzdejesus.com.