Richmond, VA

As you may know, I love seeing images of my work as it exists out in the world. These come from where Sara and Andrew who live in Richmond with two of my paintings.

She Was Thus Protected hanging alongside some lovely, but unidentified paintings. Cool lampshade, huh? I think that the little toy person should be wary of the mutant pear creature that is poised in striking distance and attempting to look inconspicuous.


Here the Astounding Tide adorns a nice, broad windowsill. The thick sides of the little canvas allow it to stand on its own as a decorative object, which is pretty sweet.

I recognize the building through the window, and it makes me miss Richmond. The rubber mallet/window prop would be pretty handy for repelling potential invaders. Very useful in that town. In fact, I seem to recall both Andrew and I being burglarized by the same prowler-- only Andrew and his housemates caught him in the act. The guy would wander around looking for people that were hanging out on their front porches and then go around the back, dash in, grab something valuable, and run out. In my case, he swiped a woman's purse off my kitchen table, and I had a devil of a time convincing her that my housemate hadn't made off with it. Ah, Richmond!

Nice light too.

Thanks for the photos!

The Enemy Guns

The Enemy Guns
Digital
9"x 9.5"

Which is meant to be viewed with this as a soundtrack...

The Futility of Banishment (Work in Progress)

Up until this point I have been averse to posting images of works in progress. I suppose that I've wanted to retain the full freedom that obscurity provides, treating each piece as a bit of a secret until completion. Yet, I love looking at progress shots from other artists, so I have come to rethink my approach. In keeping with the new thrust of my blog, here is a peek into what's banging around my easel these days.


Entitled The Futility of Banishment, this painting is part of the Lysis series, which also includes In the Absence of Memory. I first painted this on Friday the 13th, though I'd already been playing around on the panel quite a bit. I've been experimenting with paper collage, though not in the manner of Hannah Hoch and Max Ernst. Instead I'm simply using paper to augment my ability to control the ground and specific images on it. Check out Perpetual Revision to see a different application of this same idea.

A week after the initial session, I spent a tumultuous Friday painting the panel to this state. While I like the added texture and the differentiation of the reds, I feel like I drove the painting into the mud... but it's nothing a paint scraper can't fix. (or at least obliterate)

We'll see where it goes...

New Website & Prints by Plywerk

When I first started this blog, I simply intended for it to be a place that I could post images of my work. Over the years it has grown into something more than that, but I have been perpetually hemmed in by my original mission. I've kept the editorializing to a minimum and avoided both process shots and shop talk. I felt this was necessary in order to maintain the blog as an online portfolio. It's done its job fabulously, but I am now releasing it from these constraints.

My new website is up at www.MMcDevitt.com.

It will take over as my primary venue for displaying finished work online. What's more, you can now purchase work directly through the site via Paypal. In the weeks to come I'll be adding more content and tweaking the form, so you might want to stop by a few times. I'll continue to maintain this blog, but will now use it to focus more on my process, practice, and progress. Of course, I'll keep having fun over at Letters from the Inquisition and plan on launching some new projects there in the next month.

In the mean time, I've added a new product to my art endeavor. I am now offering over a dozen images as high-quality, durable prints. These aren't just pieces of paper that I'm talking about either. I'm having the images professionally printed by Plywerk here in Portland, and their product is something else entirely.



The images are printed on silver-halide paper and mounted on 3/4” carbonized bamboo plywood using a durable, PH neutral adhesive. With a keyhole hanger on the back, the whole thing looks impeccably sharp and is ready to hang.

Shazam!

Check it out.

Image used with permission from Plywerk

Perpetual Revision

Perpetual Revision
From the series Quotidiana
30"x40"
Acrylic and Paper on Canvas
2009
Available

There Was Little He Could Do

There Was Little He Could Do
12"x9"
Acrylic on Canvas
Available

Quotidiana Studies

Dire Warnings
5"x5"
Acrylic on Paper
Available
--------------------------


An Excess of Zeal
5"x5"
Acrylic on Paper
Available
--------------------------


Volition
5"x5"
Acrylic on Paper
Available
--------------------------


Vainglorious
10"x10"
Acrylic on Paper
Available

A Benefit Concert for Maggie Kim

If you're in the Seattle area on August 16th, I highly recommend swinging by the Tractor Tavern for this benefit concert. Not only will you hear fabulous music in one of Seattle's most enjoyable venues, but you'll be doing your part to help out a wonderful lady.

Maggie Kim is a very talented musician and a very kind soul. She played at the the opening of my show "Fog & Other Mysteries" at the late Gallery 070 on Vashon Island (above). Lately she's fallen on some rough times and has racked up some hefty medical bills. While musicians don't have health care, they do have friends that care, and benefit concerts like this are our 'public option.' That's why all the musicians are donating their time, and I whipped up the above poster to help publicize the event.

So come take part in a bit of DIY health care reform, and have a great evening in the process.

Voilà!

L'Incertitude des lumières
36"x24"
Oil on Canvas
Available


If you happen to be in downtown Portland swing by Cafe Voilà to see some of my work. I'm displaying nine paintings, most of which are part of the series Fog & Other Mysteries.

I'm also working on a new series for an upcoming show here in Portland. I'll post more information once I've nailed down the details.

Dust My Broom

I'm moving into a smaller studio and need to make a little space. For a limited time I'm offering a 20-50% discount on selected pieces.

Thanks for a good sale folks! Now back to the art...

Still

Still
Hand-drawn on Wacom Tablet in Photoshop
Dimensions Variable

Vigilance Eternal

Last night, I reunited with some old acquaintances, including the former editor of a newspaper called Vigilance. Based out of Port Townsend, Vigilance was an independent newspaper serving the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. I had the pleasure of working with the folks at Vigilance and wanted to post a couple of images that ran in the paper back in the early 2000's.

This image ran as the banner for the column Community Roundtable, which published letters to the editor and short essays.
Watchdog, as the name implies, was a column that kept an eye on local and national current events. I don't usually use photo collages as finished products, but fit the mood of the column.
When Vigilance folded in 2005, I was working on this vertical banner for a column called the Grapevine. It never ran, but I had a fun time making it.

I did other work for Vigilance, including a two-part comic called Liam and the Crow, and I was sad to see them close their doors. They had a good run, and the memories live on.

Goats, Dogs, and the People That Make It All Worthwhile

I'm pleased to report that my painting Into the Wilderness has found a good home with Miguel Guerrero, author of the blog Your Brain on Eggs. This is the kind of picture that makes me very happy.

Coincidentally, I recently received images from my friends, Craig and Tricia Besley, showing my Polaroid Portrait of Jonas in its home.

I executed this piece back in 2003 for a Polaroid-themed show in Richmond, VA. I based the piece on an actual Polaroid of Jonas taken in Craig and Tricia's kitchen. Using photoshop, I sliced the image up into 'topographic' layers and resized them. I used watercolors and acrylics to create the color and texture on corresponding paper pieces that I created. After stitching it all together, I mounted it on a wooded frame and used mylar and thick white paper to mimic the look of an actual Polaroid. After the original show, Polaroid Portrait of Jonas hung in the Anderson Gallery's annual juried show.

This is Jonas. She's a pink-nosed pitbull and one of the sweetest dogs that I have ever met. She's blind in one eye as a result of an injury received when she was a puppy. If I could, I would tackle her right now. Here she poses with the portrait in Craig and Tricia's Florida home.

Thanks again to all of you that have sent me your photos, links, and kind words. You make it all worthwhile. If you own one of my pieces, please send me some pictures so that I can post them (if you prefer anonymity, just let me know and I will happily oblige).

'Voyage of the Manticore' purchasing information

The Sinking of the Bafflethwaite
Acrylic on Canvas
20” x 16”
2009
Available

I've received a few inquiries and realized that I neglected to post one very important detail. If you are interested in purchasing work, please contact the show's curator, Chris Crites, at cchris13@bagpainter.com.

The Voyage of the Manticore

The Fearsome Manticore
Acrylic on Canvas
Available


The Mighty Storm
Acrylic on Canvas
Available


The Sailor’s Sweetheart
Acrylic on Canvas
Sold


The Melancholy Sailor
Acrylic on Canvas
Available


A Damnable Position
Acrylic on Canvas
Sold

The Raft of the Mutineers Hailing a Very Strange Vessel
Acrylic on Canvas
Available


The Schooner Manticore
Acrylic on Canvas
Sold

The Voyage of the Manticore

Moonrise Over the Desolate Island

12" x 24"
Acrylic on Panel
Available


The Night Mission
11" x 14"
Acrylic on Canvas
Available

Evening in the Harbor
12" x 12"
Acrylic on Canvas
Available


The Manticore Anchored Before the Volcano
8" x 10"

Acrylic on Canvas
Available

The Voyage of the Manticore

A Portait of the “Mad Bosun,” Caleb Domino
Acrylic on Canvas

36" x 24"
Sold


The Levitation of the Manticore
Acrylic on Canvas
18" x 24"

Available


The Astounding Tide
Acrylic on Canvas

3" x 3"
Sold

Voyage of the Manticore Update

Due to technical difficulties, I'll be posting images of my work after the opening reception [Tonight from 6-8!].  Look for them tonight or tomorrow.  I suppose it's only fair to give first dibs to the folks that actually show up... no offense to my far-flung friends.

The Voyage of the Manticore

The Sinking of the Bafflethwaite
Acrylic on Canvas
20” x 16”

2009

Available

I'm happy to announce that my new show, The Voyage of the Manticore, will be hanging next month at Joe Bar in Seattle's Capital Hill.

The Voyage of the Manticore chronicles the adventures of a fictitious 19th century schooner. The series takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the romantic exploits of the great Age of Sail. From the melodramatic to the absurd, each vignette illuminates a brief moment in the untold story of the Manticore. Based on the schooner Chasseur, a historic blockade runner, the Manticore is a 14-gun Baltimore Clipper typical of the early 1800’s. Inspired by 19th century maritime art, the paintings draw from both vintage and contemporary sources to tell a story that is equal parts tall-tale and satire.

Come down on for the opening reception.

The Voyage of the Manticore
Wednesday, March 4th
6PM-8PM

Joe Bar Cafe
810 E. Roy
Seattle, WA 98102
(206)324-0407

All Apologies...

I've been up to my eyeballs in work and drama, so the posts have been lacking. I assure you, dear reader, that the dam is about to break, and I'll be filling this site with new work. But not just yet...

Perching Magpie

Perching Magpie

Approx. 17" x 12"

Woodblock on Mulberry Paper

2003
Available

This print required six blocks and was executed in the Japanese style under the tutelage of Hiroki Morinoue.

Love Among the Ugly (diptych)

Love Among the Ugly (diptych)

Acrylic and Enamel on Panel 

Each Panel Approx. 36" x 24"

2003

Sold 

The sides of these panels were painted in the same textured, bright red enamel as the red stripe through the center.  

The Juggler (Half a Circle)

The Juggler (Half a Circle)

48" x 24"

Oil on Canvas

2004

Destroyed

There are a lot of stories around this painting-- some of them funny, some of them quite sad-- but I'm not writing any of them down.  So, you can buy me a beer, if you'd like, and I'll tell you all about it.

The Heirophant

The Heirophant

48" x 24"

Acrylic on Panel

2003

Sold

I am going to continue digging through the archives for the next few weeks, but new work is forthcoming.  I'm neck deep in producing work for my upcoming show, The Voyage of the Manticore.  It's a fun one, and I'll post more about it soon.

Hoc Corpusculum

Hoc Corpusculum

Acrylic on Panel

48" x 24"

2003

Sold

The inscription across the bottom reads HOC CORPUSCULUM QUO INDUTI SUMUS.  A quote from Augustine, it translates to This little body which we wear.

The Old and the New

As you may know, I love it when people send me pictures of my work in its new home. These come from my brother Sean and his wife, Pam.
Here, Samsara hangs on the walls of their new house.  It's a particularly cozy and festive Christmas, as it's the first one for my brand new nephew, Colin.  Birth and rebirth, indeed.
In this photo, you can see Samsara in it's old locale.  It shares the wall with some Ansel Adams prints.  I can't quite remember if the brown water in the fish tank is the result of naturally occurring tannins or of medicine to treat a fungal infection called 'the Ick.'

  
This painting is one of my first "real paintings."  Done in 1994-1995, it depicts our late dog, Loki, sniffing around in the alley between Hanover and Grove in Richmond, VA.  This very alley would later be the centerfold for my book 'Grace,' which was a homage to the alleys and buildings of Richmond.   
This painting, is also an oldie.  Done in 1996, it depicts an oni-esque angel hurling a lightning bolt from the heart of an expressionistic storm.  In this picture it hangs in the original corporate headquarters of Ideas2Image.
This little print belongs to Pam.  It is the endplate from my  series The Spider and the Dog.  It shares this artfully lit shelf with a neat ceramic monster from Argentina and a handmade bowl from somewhere in the chilly north.


It's a little hard to see, but nestled behind keepsakes and curios, a colored pencil Beastie grins. 

Thanks to Sean and Pam for the photos, and 'Happy New Year!' to little Colin.

Again, if you own some of my art, I'd love it if you'd send me your pictures of it in its new home.  Of course, if you don't any of my art, then you should probably buy a piece so that you can send me a picture of it.  Right?