Sapphire

Hello, dear reader.

I’m realizing how quickly the weeks have turned into months, and now spring will soon be here!  I’ve been a busy bee in my personal and business life and have been working away for my upcoming show on April 10th at Chapterhouse Coffee House in Philadelphia. I did take a little break from the show pieces to fit in a commission for some very special people.

Here is Sapphire, a beautiful little blonde horse. I’ve been drawing horses since I could hold a pencil and if I could, I’d spend my days drawing them.  This portrait was my first horse commission and I think she turned out quite nicely.

Here’s just a little glimpse of one of the little pieces I’ve been working on. There’s going to be a lot of fun animals at the show, so I hope y’all can make it.

Winter is Coming.

Bonjour!

It’s been awhile, friends.

Before I get into my ramblings about my personal life, I’d like to announce that April 10th, 2015 I’ll be having a show at Chapterhouse Coffee House!  I’ve been plugging away painting, and here’s what I’ve got so far.

Holly

Oak

I’m figuring out a new way to work, I don’t have the same perspective I did five years ago and the same images and styles don’t appeal so much to me any more. I’m really feeling Medieval tapestries and Renaissance era paintings. Let’s see how things go.

A long note on my personal life.

So, this year’s been…interesting. Today marks exactly one year since Tim and I became homeowners and these twelve months have been full of ups and downs, for sure.  Looking back, I wouldn’t really change anything. This is one of the biggest gambles I’ve ever taken and I did it with my best friend. Even though we’ve been living like hobos squatting in an abandoned hovel, we haven’t even tried to kill each other. I think that bodes well for our relationship.

In case you happen to not be one of our friends I’ve been incessantly complaining to about the condition of our house, this is a recap of what’s happened this past year.

November 2013 – move in, rip up cat hair covered carpets to reveal unusable floors beneath. Leave floors unfinished due to lack of immediate funds.  Also notice cockroaches turning up dead in basement. Cry softly inside.

-December 2013 – Leaky pipe in basement, find excellent plumber who fixes it/informs us that kitchen pipes are freezing because they are in the ground running to the extension that is the kitchen.  Pull up false bottoms in kitchen cabinets run space heater/hair dryer 24/7 into open ground under kitchen in what is the COLDEST FREAKIN’ WINTER in decades. Put all reno plans on hold and divert funds to kitchen. Cry audibly.

January 2014 – Happy New Year. Come home to find that a pipe has burst and there is 5 inches of water at one end of basement.  Water has created a cocktail of ancient dust and hundreds of dead cockroaches.  Put on pink rain boots and rage shopvac the mess. Develop theory that the house is cursed and that the Devil himself has engineered this specific Hell just for me. No crying, lots of inner screaming.

February-March 2014- Endure the worst winter in recent record with an ungodly number of substantial snow storms and subzero temperatures. Continue saving our pennies for renovation.

Spring 2014- Numerous random leaky pipes that need repairing.  Also, more cockroaches in the basement and creeping upstairs. Get exterminator. Feel slightly less icky but even more poor.

June 2014- A rat made its way into our house by getting under the kitchen and hopping up through crappy kitchen cabinets.  Suffer mental break after rat continues squeaking from inside cabinet hours later. Fortify house with chicken wire, rat poison, snaptraps and dark magic. Strongly consider napalm, flamethrower and pulse rifle, but decide against it after rat is killed on snap trap baited with Nutella. Laugh manically.

-July 2014-Present- Continue saving best we can and try to find a contractor to fix up the house before Winteracalpyse 2014.

So, that’s more or less it.  Like I said, it’s been a bumpy ride and Winter is coming, but we’ll make it. I hope.

I’m all about that bass

Good evening, dear reader.

The more-or-less completed sketch for Stormborn.  I have some other details to work out on the pencil sketch and perhaps a larger canvas to buy, or maybe board.  Who knows at this moment.  I have a goal of submitting to Spectrum this year so I’ll need to hurry up and paint this gal and get something else in the works. Also, do keep your fingers crossed as I’ll be chatting with someone this week about a potential  show.  Think good things or say a prayer to Cthulhu.

I’ve been trying to stay really motivated in growing my business, and sometimes it’s tough to stay positive especially when one’s efforts don’t yield immediate results.  I mean, how dare all persons I thrust a promo card at not immediately email me requesting a portrait of their dog or small child?  Or their dog that fills the role of small child? Or their child that is going through a barking stage? Or werewolf baby?  Are werewolves still a thing?

The point is, it is unreasonable to expect any such response so I’ll keep at it.  Like a dog with a bone.

Until later,

April

I buy my own diamonds

EDIT:  I wanted to post progress on this sketch.

Bonjour, good friends.

I’ve been so fortunate over the past few months because I consistently had at least one project in the hopper and it felt so good just to paint while having smallish gorilla on my back to keep me motivated. A really nice gorilla, who would say encouraging things and feed me candy and watch endless episodes of Law&Order over my shoulder.  Wait, what?

Anyway, I don’t have anyone banging down my door for a painting at the moment (ha…ha…) so I’m trying to keep busy on personal projects, and my darling boyfriend has taken over the gorilla’s job of motivating me.  He, too, feeds me candy.  Actually, writing this I think he was the gorilla all along.

 

Now that I’m done writing stream of consciousness, this is just a little preview of the value sketch for a personal piece/fanart (oh, gawd, did I just say fanart?).  The title is “Stormborn” and happens to be of one of my favorite Game a’ Thrones characters, Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons. Or Dany. Whatever.

This is still very much a work in progress, but I like putting pictures up, being the visual person that I am. The final will be in oils I think. Yes, yes I think oils.

So while I plug away on this painting, I’m also pounding the pavement distributing promo postcards for my dog portraits.  Didn’t you know about those?  GO HERE!  Not having a project makes me itchy and a little bit scared, so I’m going to get back to work.  My ambition is feeling viscous.

Until next time, dear reader.

-April

 

Do you Kudzu?

Hello everyone,

Thanks for visiting, it’s good to be back.  I recently wrapped up a commission of a kudzu plant, which my research tells me actually landed in the U.S. at the time of the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.  Being a Philly girl, I found this to be quite neat.

I was really inspired by vintage botanical illustrations for this project, especially the very old ones that seemed to be pulled from illuminated manuscripts. Usually my pieces are very tight and finished, which there are some elements of here, but in the surface prep I left a lot of texture, including brush bristles, in the gesso.  This painting was a bit of a challenge, I didn’t realize how out of practice I am!  Also, it’s been forever since I’ve painted flowers and I didn’t want this to simply be a still life, it needed to have as much energy as a portrait of a person.  There’s always room for improvement, but I’m glad that the good folks who commissioned the piece as well as the recipient are pleased with the result.

Oh, yes, I even framed and wrapped it, because why not?  Also, here is a sketch I’ll be continuing to work on, my goal is to submit it to Spectrum this year.  And then just a warm up doodle next to it.

Alright, til next time!

-April

 

I need to update!

Oh my gosh, I haven’t posted here in forever. Please check back soon for a more coherent blog!  Avert your gaze! Only temporarily!

Go here!

What’s this here?

Alright, I swear that I’ll really start keeping on top of posting regularly. Really. Honestly. Swear.

So far this year I’ve really gotten into sketching digitally since I was gifted a wonderful Wacom tablet by my roommate.  I love how forgiving it is to sketch in Photoshop and it’s helped me get a little more familiar with the program. I plan on trying to discipline myself and do a full illustration digitally, as I begrudgingly join the modern world.

These past few months have been a little slow for me creatively, and I haven’t created many serious pieces.  However, I just completed my internship with the fine gentlemen of the wonderful DrinkPhilly, with whom I’ve done 2 gallery shows.  I created this for them, an infographic of sorts depicting some of Philadelphia’s proud drinking history.  Curious? Just take a look!!!!! Really like it? Buy the poster!!!

Here’s some eye candy for you:

Some shows should be happening soon, one being another exhibition at DrinkPhilly in July.  This next month will be a busy one, much to do with my personal life and doing those annoying things like moving -.-

I’ll be hoping for the best and churning out art in the process.

Until next time!

Aprilina

Bitter Sweets

Ah, three months from my last post.  So much has happened but not all that much to report.  Now, where were we? Oh, yes.

I left off with the grand opening of the Drink Philly Gallery in early August (the painting above is from that show and titled “Boy in the City”).

A few weeks later, August 24th, I showed with the wonderful Megan Coonley, a fabulous painter who also was a part of the Drink Philly opening.  She had a show titled “Melt” which was all about food.  You’d have to be crazy to think I wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to paint food.  Plenty of eating happened to spur on my inspiration.  Research.  You know…

After that the wheels started turning on my second show at Drink Philly.  The show was “Bitter Sweets” and featured my dear friends Jeremy Goodfellow, Millie Landis and Linnea Vegh. Oh, yes, me too.  It was a great success, great turnout, wonderful people and loads of fun.  I’d like to thank the gentlemen of Drink Philly once again for being so great and supportive and wish them fantastic success in their future shows.

And pictorial documentation of exactly how great the show was.

Us artists and friends, My work, Millie’s work, Linnea’s work, and a mask I made “The Great Grey Owl”

Keep an eye on my website (aprilkuhn.com) for more work that will be posted. My center pieces were portraits of Florence +the Machine, Ingrid Michaelson and, brace yourselves, Lady Gaga.  They are great.  See what I mean!

I can’t seem to come down from the show, so I’ve still been creating artwork like mad.  I also have a particular liking of making masks. I had one in the show as seen above, and here is the new guy I’m working on. He’s based on crocodiles, because I love reptiles and love making animal-spirit masks even more.  I just baked him in the oven tonight, on to sanding and painting.

Well, I suppose that’s all for now.  Big wheels keep on turnin’.

Stuff is in the works.  Art is being created.  Be prepared.

Until next time, dear reader.

Drink Philly Gallery Opening

Well, hi!

Life’s been busy for the past few weeks.  Some interesting events in my personal life mixed with trying to get ready for my first gallery showing made for some sleepless nights.  Ah, felt like college again.

About the gallery showing.

Some months back I worked in a chocolate shop with a super-awesome fella named Justin.  We both have moved on to different places of employment, but one day I stopped by his new job to pick up a cupcake, didn’t find him there, text him to express my sadness and wound up getting drinks with him and his super-cool friend and business partner, Adam.  These amazing gentlemen had just opened up their office for their company Drink Philly (check out their site! It’s fun, cool, and full of useful information including bar specials throughout the city!!) and wanted to also use the space as a gallery for First Friday.  And from there the first show was born!

A few weeks and a lot of cups of coffee later, I had three new pieces to show.  Sweet.  And can you guess who I showed with?  Millie!! Because I can’t help but rope her into every endeavor I embark on.  No matter how stressful or crazy it may be.

There were three other great artists there and everything was a smashing success with a great turnout.  See for yourself!

And my favorite one.

Millie is on the right, I’m on the left. ❤

I just want to thank all of the fine gentlemen of Drink Philly for being so awesome and making my first showing special.  It has been great working with you and I can’t wait to do so again!

Congratulations on your success, you’ve earned it!

At this moment I don’t have any good photos showcasing the work.  That will have to come later.

See what I’ve also been working on!!  It’s a mask I originally wanted to display in the show but wound up starting over on the painting part.  Meh. It will eventually be some kind of spirit.  It’ll be awesome.

Thanks for reading.  Until next time, dear friends!

A day best spent indoors

G’day!

It’s a perfectly warm and rainy day which means it’s just the right time to make a blog post before I run out the door!  I just thought I’d post a little self-portrait I started on Thursday.  Self-portraits are what I do when I want to paint but don’t quite know what to do, they’re also fun and easy and it’s always good to brush up on anatomy.  It’s not quite finished yet, the hair has to be resolved a bit more and I need to tweak some other anatomy issues. But it’s so nice to get back to my fine arts roots. Oil paint on gessoed illustration board over a few hours in 100 degree weather.

And for for the sake of updating, here’s some progress on Bird Boy. His shoes make me happy. Also, that he looks less like an underdeveloped fetus is a plus.  Whoo-hoo!

Stay tuned, viewers.