Chicago Art

Here are a few pieces from my recent trip to Chicago

 

 

 

         Lake Michigan Whitecap Effect - Watercolor

                                             

The Art Institute of Chicago - Pastel on Paper

On the Beach of Lake Michigan - Watercolor

Chicago Skyline at Sunset - Oil on Canvas

Summer Art

Here are a few pieces on which I've been working for the beginning of summer.

Still Life with Carnations and Book - Oil on Canvas

Still Life with Carnations on Table - Watercolor

Portrait of Kyle - Oil on Canvas

Karl on Footstool - Conte

Grove in Late Afternoon - Oil on Canvas

Blooming Tree - Oil on Foamboard

Breast Study - Conte

The Great Outdoors

Here are a few plein air pieces on which I've been working. 

Tractor Shed - Oil on Canvas

Old Chicken House and Wagon - Oil on Canvas

Spearfish Canyon - Watercolor on Paper

April Art

More pieces on which I've been working.  I have recently begun creating figure drawings with oil pastels.

Old Pump - Oil on Canvas

 

Nude by Blue Stand - Pastel

Empty Field - Pastel

Nude on Pillow - Pastel

 

Thinking Nude - Pastel

 

Cutting Hours - Pen and Watercolor

My Recent Works

Here are a few recent pieces on which I have been working:

Racist Hypocrisy - Pen and Watercolor

Carl 1 - Conte

Carl 2 - Conte

Creek - Oil on Canvas

Dead Trees - Oil on Canvas

Springtime Art

Spring (more like summer anyway) is here and so are a few more projects on which I've been working.

Untitled - Conte on Paper

Back of Nude - Conte on Paper

Nude Pointing - Oil on Canvas

Paint Tubes - Oil on Canvas

Untitled - Conte

Still Life with Fruit and Vegetables - Oil on Canvas

Kelly - Graphite

A New Book

I have just published a book of cartoons on Lulu.com.  It is called "The Heather Comics" and introduces a chubby heroine by the name of Heather Henson.  It is ready for order and will probably ship in a few days, depending on where you live.  


The Heather Comics

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February Art

Here are a few pieces I have been working on in late January/early February.

Nude on Mattress - Oil on Canvas

Chair in Corner - Oil on Canvas

Self-Portrait with Stocking Hat - Oil on Canvas

Nude Sitting - Graphite

Nude Pieces

Here are a few nudes I have completed.

Nude by Zebra Pillow - Oil on Canvas

Nude on Side - Conte

Nude on Stool - Oil on Canvas

Nude Stretched Out - Conte

The College Works of Ryan Howard

Here are a few pieces I worked on while attending Augustana College.  Most of these are quite primitive and were done in the first two years of college.  It was especially difficult when I began my freshman year art courses, not having very good training in high school.  Another factor that played into the struggle at the time was my Asperger's Syndrome (which I had not been diagnosed with until my junior or senior year of college).  Because of the Asperger's, I tended to be too literal in my art.  For instance, if I was drawing a model, I would tend to start off looking at everything analytically, rather than wholeistically.  If the model had a mole, I may pay too much attention to that instead of the model as a whole. 

Here, in their original glories (or non-glories) are my early works.  It's interesting to compare them to my current works and see how far I've come since then.

Coffee Mountain - Pen and Ink  This piece actually looks like a James Thurber Illustration. 

Keys - Graphite  I did this piece in Design class.  Because I was struggling so much, I had to RE- REDO the piece.

Cat on Buffet - This is an attempt to draw my (now deceased) cat Lucy with a houseplant on top of a buffet.  Notice the crudity in shading as well as the anatomical errors in the cat's eyes. 

Untitled - Graphite Something I did for Carl Grupp's Drawing 1 class during my freshman year of college.

Here is an early figure drawing.  It is unknown as to when I did this, but it would have to have been either drawing 2 or 3. 

Sadie in the Chair - Conte -  This is a drawing I did my freshman year.  Notice that the anatomy and form of the dog are improving.  The chair looks pretty good too, albeit rough-sketched.

Pill Bottles - Graphite - Another sketchbook drawing. 

Odyssey - Pen and Ink - This is my attempt at an abstract piece for Carl Grupp's class.  It doesn't have a pattern and there is no real harmony or balance, but Carl gave me points just for trying.

Trailer Park - Graphite - I created this piece on a trip to the Black Hills when we stayed in a trailer.  The perspective has certainly improved and the shading is getting better. 

Flowers - Pen and Ink - Carl Grupp had us go outside and draw the surroundings nearby the art building.  This was created from some flowers growing by the alleyway of a backyard.  There is some attempt on the shading, but I would not call this A-material. 

Meadow - Ink - This is a piece I created in my sketchbook for John Peter's Drawing 3 class.  The trees definitely do not look realistic, but there is some nice shading in the piece.