Pat Afforo

Hey,

I haven’t posted anything in four months and I assure you it’s not because I am lazy. I’ve just been busy handling some personal issues. I’m also renovating my home and I’ve only got 2 rooms and some minor fixing up to do until I can throw in the white towel and call it quits.

I just wanted to post a painting that I did of Jake Gyllenhaal. I’ve decided to show the process. One of my final assignments for Painting Studio: Observation with Lorne Toews was to paint in the manner of another painter and a few other options to choose from. I chose to paint in the manner of John Singer Sargent and I chose his painting of Field Marshal Viscount Allenby. I obviously didn’t succeed at painting in his manner, but the painting was a great experience. Although I couldn’t paint in his style and manipulate the paint as well as he does I had so much fun doing this assignment I didn’t care. My teacher suggested I go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) and look at John Singer Sargent’s paintings in person. “You’re not a bad painter Patrick,” Lorne would tell me, “You just don’t know a whole lot. Go to the MET and look at some good painters.” I will do very soon. Enjoy!

Pat

Hello,

I finished reading another Graphic Novel not too long ago. It goes by the name “STIGMATA”. If anyone has not read it you are definitely in for a ride and it is not a smooth one at the very least. This book covers a lot of different topics: religion, redemption, reincarnation, sin, good vs. evil, and above all love.

One thing I definitely enjoyed about this novel was the drawing style. It consists of intense line work which I believe illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti (http://www.mattotti.com/) captures and shows the pain of the main character through the thick and at times obscure line work. It seems the obscurity of the line work resembles the obscurity of his life. At times it seems the illustrator doesn’t know what he is doing when it comes to his drawing capabilities, - his consistency and draftsmanship - but I assure you it’s done intentionally and so effortless that the pictures are organic and simply more beautiful. I was sucked into this book right away as I pulled the first page resembling a vacuum cleaner picking up dust.. From the opening page the main character is tossed onto earth and he is fired like a cannibal into this dark world filled with wounds, humiliation, and a hunger for something new. From losing a few loved ones, to being an outcast, and finding peace through some sort of god, one is taken on a steamroller and this steam doesn’t fully evaporate until you reach the last page. I am very new to graphic novels and if all of them are even close to this novel sign me up to the nearest book club.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the weird plot/story. It definitely made me feel like I was watching a movie hence the many books that have turned into films. Things seem to foreshadow events in the novel and twists seem to take you down a spiral which you’d thought would never happen. If one hasn’t experienced what the main character is going through – which I hope you haven’t - you will be given a colorless picture that resembles the aftermath of a fire - lost memories with a hopeless new beginning.

Fortunately I don’t want to give away too much information on the book. I don’t like spoilers so I won’t do it to anyone who intendeds to read the novel. Thankfully the novel is a quick read and can be read entirely within a few days at the maximum or a few hours if one reads swiftly.

The images above were chosen not because of their drawing quality but because they enhance some of the ideas within the novel very well. All images rightfully copyrighted by and belong to Lorenzo Mattotti and Claudio Piessanti which is published by Fantagraphics Books. Special thanks to Kim Thompson at Fantagraphics Books for allowing me to reproduce these images and post them on the blog. Enjoy!

Pat

Hey,

I’ve been very sick for about the last 3 - 4 weeks. First I was exhausted and just was always out of breathe and decided to stay at home and away from work for about a week. Once I recovered I caught a cold the following week after. I still have the annoying sniffles which won’t go away but besides that I can say that I am almost back to being 100 percent healthy. I HATE BEING SICK! Now I can get back to art and such. I’ve done some photography in the past and just recently finished some new ones. If anyone knows David Hockney (http://www.hockneypictures.com/photos/photos_collages.php)  than you would have seen some of his joiner photographs. My photographs are joiners. Two done by hand and two done in Photoshop. I did a review on a  graphic novel I finished reading, but am trying to find a way to scan the pages since they are bigger than my scanner at home. If nothing comes up I’ll photograph them :(.

Hello,

Here is a painting I did for my Painting Studio :Observation class. My instructor was Lorne Toews. Here is a link to some of his work: http://www.winchestergalleriesltd.com/artists/toews/1/index.php Don’t forget the 2nd page. I’ve decided to show the process of the work starting from finish to start.

The brief of the assignment was to compose the human form. The employment of a mirror or any reflective surface was to be used to create a visually interesting painting. All thought was to be given to lighting (dramatic, natural, etc), mood, realistic/non-realistic, the relationships between colour, value, form and space. I focused a lot on space to create a sense of depth  and the repetition and relationships between shapes. The painting was done in oil and is 36 x 24 inches. In all I’m very pleased with the outcome of the painting.