Latest Abstract Painting

Abstract 10-11, 36" x 33", oil on canvas, 2011.

My latest abstract painting was perhaps influenced by the colors of October even though that was not the intention from the beginning. I started by just putting down fields of color and shapes, unattached to anything in particular. The painting and color scheme eventually took form, as seen in the final product here.

Happy Halloween!

Thank you for following the paintings, creations, sculpture, drawings, works in progress, Doodle of the Day, and other art by Los Angeles artist Lucas Aardvark :) To see older blog posts click HERE.

Visiting the Art Institute of Chicago

After visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art last week and the statue of Rocky Balboa, I stopped in Illinois on my way back to Los Angeles and visited the Art Institute of Chicago. The Art Institute remains my favorite museum in the country with its mind-boggling collection of unbelievable artwork from all around the world.

Although it would be nice if the institute could add some more paintings by older Europeans such as Velazquez, Rembrandt, Vermeer, and da Vinci, certainly the small number of pieces by these artists is understandable considering the relatively low number of remaining works in the world, along with their high demand everywhere. Nevertheless, the stimulation from every room in the museum is both inspirational and exhausting.

When I first visited the museum years ago, I was struck, like a lightning bolt, seeing the above Picasso painting in person. Having only previously seen it in art books, I had never really thought it special until we met face to face. And then I examined it for two straight hours.

Certainly the reproduction on this little blog of some of the works I found to be most profound during my most recent visit does not do the paintings justice, but the following are images of some of them anyway...

A painting by Toulouse-Lautrec with sketchy lines and dripping paint depicting a moment in time, as though he passionately needed to get his vision onto the canvas before the moment passed:


Another painting by Toulouse-Lautrec, a scene of interesting characters (which includes himself in the background) in a harmonious balance of color:


A painting by Degas (being viewed by my friend), capturing a woman performing the insignificant, dull act of trying on hats, yet a work of art which stands out across the room:


The museum also had an entire room filled with works by Gerhard Richter, probably the best painter alive today. The guard scolded me for getting too close to one of his paintings in an attempt to investigate the texture and dissect the process of creation. The following painting by Richter is bigger than life-size, and the way he was able to create a beautiful portrait, with completely blurred lines and blended paint, brilliant light and dark contrast, and rather uniform texture, is perplexing and intriguing:


And a painting by Mondrian, very different from his flat grids and squares paintings for which he is most well-known:


The visit to the museum was an all day affair, yet it felt as though I had only scratched the surface of what was to be discovered there. After a few hours, my mind was overwhelmed and my body was exhausted. There reached the point where I could no longer analyze the process of creation, nor comprehend what I was looking at. Quite an experience.

Thank you for following the studies and creations, the paintings, sculpture, drawings, works in progress, Doodle of the Day, and other art by Los Angeles artist Lucas Aardvark :) To see older blog posts click HERE.

Visiting Rembrandt at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

In the past week I visited both the Art Institute of Chicago and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Each is world renowned for its gigantic collection of some of the greatest works of art ever created. Although I did not have enough time to give the Philadelphia museum an investigation in its entirety, I was lucky enough to visit when the museum was featuring the works of Rembrandt with Jesus as his subject.


The show was smaller than a typical exhibition at a major museum, since many of the works included his drawings and works by his students, instead of the iconic paintings by the master himself. However, in the art displayed that was painted by Rembrandt, the show was a powerful declaration of faith — not just the faith in Jesus portrayed by Rembrandt, but our faith in the authority of Rembrandt’s painting hand. Rembrandt redefined the grand religious narrative scene as a subtle but powerful human moment.

The tablecloth alone in the following painting, The Supper at Emmaus (on loan from the Louvre), struck me as though Jesus himself touched the painting with his hand:

Even the life story of Rembrandt seems somewhat biblical. He accumulated wealth from his art, and in his later years he lost everything and declared bankruptcy. When Rembrandt died in Amsterdam in 1669, he was buried in an unmarked grave and disappeared as if his body never existed. But throughout his lifetime he provided the world with hundreds of revered paintings, drawings, etchings, and prints, artwork that continues to be revered today, like gifts from the Heavens. While the body of Rembrandt was just another person, buried and forgotten, the portal of Rembrandt led to sanctity.

Doodle of the Day - Adventures in Online Dating

Online dating appears to be the new hot thing for many people. But beware: it doesn't mean you will meet the next hot thing!



Thank you for following the Doodle of the Day and the paintings, sculpture, drawings, works in progress, and other art by Los Angeles artist Lucas Aardvark :) To see older blog posts and other doodles, click HERE.

Audio Book Cover Art

I was recently commissioned to create the cover art for the audio book The Forever Garden, and this is an image of the final product (oil on wood panel, 18" x 18"). The author is John Janda, also the author of the novel American Spirit. The Forever Garden is a fantastic story for all ages. Stay tuned for its publication!

Thank you for following the paintings, the Doodle of the Day and the sculpture, drawings, works in progress, and other art by Los Angeles artist Lucas Aardvark :)
To see older blog posts and other works of art, click HERE.

Doodle of the Day - The Expert Witness

Yesterday, I had jury duty. I sat in the jury assembly room all day with others at a courthouse in Los Angeles. Some people were clearly irritated about sitting there all day - twiddling their thumbs or playing Angry Birds on their phones. But I didn't mind it at all - what a great time to sit around and draw doodles. And of course I had to doodle about the legal system...


Thank you for following the Doodle of the Day and the paintings, sculpture, drawings, works in progress, and other art by Los Angeles artist Lucas Aardvark :) To see older blog posts and other doodles, click HERE.

Doodle of the Day - In Trouble With The Authorities

Every so often you hear about criminals who make stupid mistakes. This time, these bank robbers made the mistake of targeting The Piggy Bank!

I hope this doodle doesn't get me in trouble with the authorities or my police officer friends :)

Thank you for following the Doodle of the Day and the paintings, sculpture, drawings, works in progress, and other art by Los Angeles artist Lucas Aardvark :) To see older blog posts and other doodles, click HERE.

Oil Pastel Still Life

Edgar Degas said, "The secret is to follow the advice the masters give you in their works while doing something different from them." Before a true artist may successfully do something different from the masters, he must first understand their advice.

I don't think that every artist must first learn to paint like all of the old masters, nor is it my intent to do so. But it is the naive and pretentious man who disregards the importance of drawing, line, and composition, mastered by those of the past, in the man's quest for artistic greatness. The practice of art is a lifelong study, and even Degas himself, on his deathbed, lamented, "Damn, and just when I was starting to get it!"

In continuing my lifelong study, even though most of my current larger works may be categorized as abstract, I hone skills by investigating the paths of the masters, like Degas, by examining people and objects and translating what I see to paper using oil pastels. Avoiding the laborious photo-realistic style, I am more interested in creating a representational picture in an efficient, economical, and natural way, as mastered by Degas and Spanish artist, Diego Velazquez. This approach allows for the inclusion of my own stroke and subjective feelings, and it places the emphasis on color, texture, line and composition, rather than subject matter.

Thank you for following the paintings, the Doodle of the Day and the sculpture, drawings, works in progress, and other art by Los Angeles artist Lucas Aardvark :)
To see older blog posts and other works of art, click HERE.