I recently decided to take my ongoing Type Face portrait series to the walls. Here is the first. These are part of my ongoing body of work involving mixed identity portraits. This time the emphasis is on juxtaposing different languages and typography. Enjoy!
Linked In SF
Here is a wall commission I painted at Linkedin San Francisco Offices. The wall spans 100 feet wide and the concept is based on a 'meeting of minds'. Enjoy!
Ellington
Here is a piece I recently completed for Coltrane Curtis of Team Epiphany. Curtis, who is the son of one of my favorite musicians John Coltrane gave me the honor of portraying his son Ellington. In the spirit of creative experimentation such as the music of his father John, I decided to blend digital with hand made application. Hope you enjoy.
Complex: Honorary Degree
Here is a recent project I did with Complex Online Mag for an article they wrote that looks 10 years back at Kanye West's career since his 'College Dropout' album release. The images were created for an animated digital cover. I love technology for this type of stuff! Here is the raw animation by Robert Hribernick. Big thanks to Art Director Brent Rollins! Also I have attached all the sketches worked on including the ones that didn't make the cut. Enjoy!
The Process...
Complex Mag Portfolio Review
Complex Mag recently asked me to participate in their online Portfolio Review series. Here is a link to how that went including brief thoughts I have behind some of my works. Click here to read more: http://www.complex.com/art-design/2013/12/samuel-rodriguez-art-portfolio-review/
Words by Complex: "Samuel Rodriguez's paintings capture the multifaceted identities of his subjects. Instead of portraying an ideal whole, he fractures his compositions to suggest that we are made up of more than just a single belief, history, or culture. Rodriguez touches on themes of race and ethnicity, stressing that in our diversity...Read full article here >>
Limited Print. Limited Time.
I have just released another Print with 1xRun. The Original Painting, and Sketch are also available. Here is an interview I did with them and a link to where you can purchase. http://1xrun.com/runs/Softball_Cap_Original_Artwork
Process & Self Discovery
I have finally completed a piece that I am somewhat satisfied with. This was also one of the most transformative ways I have ever worked which included many stages in the process. The result has been very rewarding and I think I am beginning to fine tune my voice as an artist. It started as my usual random sketch which I selected from an instagram post awhile back and then turned into a loose digital mock up which finally became the schematics for a mixed media frenzy that you see here. I guess you can say it went from software to hardware. I think the reason why I am content with this one is because it mixes all of the things I love most in visual art such as graphic design, portraiture, sketching, digital references, 3D architect modeling, patterns, and graffiti marks. I especially loved working with less with paint and more with the hardware. One thing that stood out about the process was its similarity to cooking in that I needed to prepare the "ingredients" ahead of time which were the cuts and shapes that would later be applied to the final. I call this piece "Notes" inspired by the different tones in music and mood. This will be the first of many to come. Enjoy and feel free to comment!
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