Sean Lewis Art

2010-09-12T16:14:00.001-04:00

North Carolina Church 8x10 silver gelatin print copyright sean lewis 2010

I'm applying for a darkroom residency today. I had to pull some old photos out of storage and add them to the "archives."

Barn/Fog, Rochester Hills, MI

8x10 silver gelatin print copyright sean lewis 2010

2010-09-11T09:23:00.001-04:00

New abstract painting is finished!

Crash #1 16x20 oil on canvas

I decided to take away the intense color play and zoom in to capture a more abstract moment. I think it comes off as a bit more subtle, but still makes a statement.

2010-08-01T15:08:00.000-04:00

New Painting!

I'm starting a new oil. It's a design which I posted a while back. This piece is a bit smaller than most of my work. I hope to finish quickly and that it sells quickly as well.

2010-07-11T18:24:00.002-04:00

Too hot to blog. Sorry.

2010-06-19T15:15:00.000-04:00

Black and white prints:

2 more Floyd Bennett and 1 Athens suburb.

Floyd Bennett #7 8x10 silver gelatin print. copyright sean lewis 2010

Floyd Bennett #6 8x10 silver gelatin print copyright sean lewis 2010

Athens Subdivision #2 8x10 digital print. copyright sean lewis 2010

2010-06-17T21:39:00.001-04:00

Richmond!!!

I can't wait to get back to Richmond. I'll be there July 2nd! Here are a few pics I developed recently that I took on the roadtrip... In Richmond! Mysterious, no?

Richmond #1 8x10 silver gellatin print copyright sean lewis 2010

Richmond #2 silver gelatin print copyright sean lewis 2010

2010-06-13T14:34:00.001-04:00

One from Athens:

On the drive between Athens, Ga and our campsite there was an oddly vacant swanky looking subdivision. Big walls, gates, curves, and lamp posts, but no houses; no people. I almost missed the shoot, but the light was so beautiful at sunset, that I rushed over to capture it.

Athens Subdivision 8x10 silver gelatin print copyright sean lewis 2010

2010-06-10T22:48:00.005-04:00

More Floyd Bennett pics

Floyd Bennett #3 8x10 silver gelatin print copyright sean lewis 2010\

I actually took these before that last batch of color ones. Brandi, Geo, Nash and I went on an exploration trip in some airplane hangers. Here are a few of the best. More to come.

Floyd Bennett # 4 8x10 silver gelatin print copyright sean lewis 2010

Floyd Bennett #5 8x10 silver gelatin print copyright sean lewis 2010

2010-06-08T21:57:00.000-04:00

Not sure what to do with it yet, but isn't this the prettiest thing you've seen? New painting maybe? I have to build/stretch canvas. Oh joy.

2010-06-06T15:03:00.002-04:00

Houndstooth Pattern #6 (pointillist houndstooth)

The lightbox has reappeared

17"x14" Marker on Vellum. copyright seanlewis2010

2010-05-29T16:59:00.000-04:00

Collage #11

Collage #11 copyright sean lewis 2010

2010-05-29T11:05:00.000-04:00

More collage work.

I made the piece below out of old medical bills. I don't love it, but thought I'l share this new product I used to make it.

Yes! Paste. With the collage work I've been doing lately, I've had trouble finding the right adhesive. Glues make paper bubble and glue stick doesn't seem to last. I asked at the Pratt art store and they reccomended this paste. You brush it on and it sticks for good! No bubbles and it's archival. Yay.

Collage #10 copyright sean lewis 2010

2010-05-23T16:53:00.000-04:00

Fun times at Floyd Bennett

My friend Jeanette, and I toured some buildings at Floyd Bennet Field yesterday. There are many cool places to explore there. Every time I go, it feels like the place doubles in size. My suggestions for anyone planning a visit: Get lost, get into any building you can find access to, watch out for squatters!
Here are some pieces I've been working on that began at Floyd Bennett.

Floyd Bennett Ceiling Tile #2 copy right sean lewis 2010

Floyd Bennett #1 copyright sean lewis 2010

Floyd Bennett #2 copyright Sean Lewis 2010

2010-05-18T18:51:00.000-04:00

Collage #9

I'm really into collage lately.

2010-05-16T16:17:00.002-04:00

Collage #8

Looking through old snapshots. Photo and double. Original color. I think thats Lizzy.

2010-05-16T15:27:00.001-04:00

Collage #7

2010-05-03T14:57:00.001-04:00

Installation #8

Our final installation on the road trip! This one, built in the Mt Hood National Forrest in Oregon was a tribute to moss. Our hike along the Salmon River was amazing. Everything was covered with a thick layer of moss. We scraped away the moss on this fallen tree in a spiral pattern. We wanted the installation to be noticable from the trail, but not to stand out too much.

Reflections on the installations:

I am so happy we chose to build the art installations on this trip. It was a good way to keep producing art while traveling. While hiking, we would often come upon places that we just wanted to spend some more time with. It was easy then to find the right locations. Geoffrey and I would consider what inspired us about the locations and then investigate the materials surrounding us in order to determine what the installation would be. We normally did not spend more than 3 hours on any installation and usually took less time. Normally, I would try to spend more time on a project, but I think this was a good way to start out. In the future, I plan to build more installations and would like to further explore urban installations. I plan to continue using only free/found materials and hope to develop an aesthetic that is dissimilar to current graffiti/installation art in New York.

2010-05-03T12:07:00.003-04:00

Installation #7

Big Sur was one of the most amazing places we saw on our trip (check out out campsite video here). Driving along the edge of cliffs on Highway 1 was what inspired installation #7. The sculpture is essentially a driftwood highway the hugs the cliff as it winds down to the beach.

2010-05-02T16:23:00.001-04:00

Face Collage

I became a bit lazy about blogging towards the end of my roadtrip, but I am back in NY now! There are a few more installations I need to post, but first, a collage of Angelina Jolie's face!

2010-03-10T12:39:00.001-05:00

Installation #5

Austin, Tx was a cool town full of good vibes. Throughout our stay, we kept finding beautifull rivers and creeks. Some were surrounded by developed parks and very connected to the community, while others seemed intimate and secret, surrounded by tall limestone cliffs. We fell in love with one such creek, that had bore into the cliff, leaving a hollowed out crevice. This creek, in Little Stacy Park, inspired our ladder installation. To us, the ladder signified Austins connection and dissconnection to it's water. The ladder is a way to connect places especially in a vertical manner. We also called it a ladder for squirells (to escape our dog Nash).

Using a knife, we cut through long vines and inserted stick "rungs". Geoffrey had a knife mishap and had to get 5 stitches! He's okay though.

2010-03-02T13:50:00.002-05:00

Installation #4

Gulfport, Ms has an interesting, post-disaster feel to it. This area, so dependent on the gulf shore, lost all the buildings within two blocks of the coast. Although much of the area was hit hard, most of it also seemed to rebuild except these two blocks. Similar to Detroit, an urban prarie remains on this central sight. I'm not sure if it's the land prices, the insurance prices, or just that people wisened up, but the coastline of Gulfport remains an anomolie to us. This sad reminder of Katrina and the destruction it caused inspired our fourth installation.

We could only imagine what stood here before and what might stand here in the future.

2010-02-24T14:14:00.002-05:00

Installation #3

Savannah, Georgia is an inspiring city indeed. The architecture, parks, food, and people are all amazing. What struck us most was the moss! I knew Savannah was known for it, but I had no idea how prevalent it was. While visiting, we camped at Skidaway Island State Park. Here is our moss inspired installation that we built behind our campsite.

Our limited equipment left us with just one building method: Throwing the moss

The initial idea was to create a curtain accross the creek. The moss was much harder to work with than planned. We had hoped for a more cohesive, fabric like result, but the moss was not cooperative.

From afar, Geoffrey compared the instalation to a giant sloth. How funny that later in the day we found out that a giant sloth skeleton had been discovered here and is at the Skidaway Interprative Center.

2010-02-19T11:45:00.003-05:00

Installation #2

While in Richmond, Virginia we built our second installation. While hiking the north bank of the James river, we came across this giant rock with cool holes in it. I didn't really want to leave, so Geoffrey suggested we build our next installation here.

We were inspired by the giant rocks similar to this throughout the Richmond/James River shore. We chose to use the surrounding stones to make a path on this stone. I was thinking of where I would walk on the stone if I were miniature. Geoffrey started at one end, and I at the other. After a little finnessing, here is our final piece:

I think Andy Goldsworthy would be proud, right?

2010-02-17T12:22:00.000-05:00

First Installation.

Geoffrey and I are building art installations as we travel the country. Our first stop was Virginia Beach. A friend Janis has a great farm house on a big piece of property in the country. There is a path through the back woods that leads to an inlet off back bay. After canoeing through the system of inlets and creeks, we were inspired by the cypress knees.

After mentioning them to Janis and hearing her loving response, we knew we had the right idea. We used scraps from a tin ceiling in their house and made a little world off the path. I thought it would make a great transition from the land to the water.

2010-02-15T17:19:00.001-05:00

More black and white photos.
Here are the trains I shot a few weeks back:

Train #1 copyright sean lewis 2010

Train #2 copyright sean lewis 2010

These were on some tracks in Long Island City, Queens. Along these tracks, I also saw these:

Industrial Building #3 copyright sean lewis 2010

Truck #1 copyright sean lewis 2010

2010-02-12T15:04:00.001-05:00

Brooklyn Navy Yard

Went to print some of the black and white train pics yesterday. Apparently I left some pictures in the darkroom on my last visit. I thought people might enjoy seeing some scenes from inside the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Tomorrow I'll get the train pics back. They turned out awesome.

2010-02-10T00:07:00.000-05:00

Alleluia!

It's finally done! That was the fastest I have ever painted a large scale painting. It's amazing what having a deadline will do for you. Now I am off for a two month road trip! Geoffrey and I are planning on exploring installation/performance art while we travel. I will update with plenty of pic's and new work.

Collage #6 copyright sean lewis 2010

2010-01-31T10:41:00.001-05:00

Sooo Clooose...
Ok, not done yet, but here's an update. Pretty, no?

I still have a week to meet my deadline. I think it's gonna happen. Hoping to complete the foreground today. Better get to work!

2010-01-27T13:07:00.000-05:00

Jackpot!
While searching through some old CAD files yesterday, I sumbled upon these designs. I reworked the colors a little bit, but the pattern designs were from probably 3 years ago.

Hex pattern 1 copyright sean lewis 2010

Cone Pattern 1 copyright sean lewis 2010

And my personal favorite:

Untitled pattern #2 copyright sean lewis 2010

2010-01-26T13:34:00.000-05:00

Pattern Art
Taking a much needed painting break today. Here are some patterns i worked on:

Houndstooth pattern 5 copyright sean lewis 2010

The houndstooth pieces always end up looking like snowflakes.

Houndstooth pattern 4 copyright sean lewis 2010

Wale pattern 4 copyright sean lewis 2010

This is a piece I gave to Geoffrey's mom for xmas. Hers was done in blue with a white background though. The painting is looking absolutely amazing. I think I'll wait a bit longer before showing it again. Maybe I'll wait till it's done. Ha!

2010-01-21T23:23:00.001-05:00

Work Continues

I wish I had more time to continue process pieces, but the painting has become all consuming. I'd like to get it finished in 3 weeks. Hmm, this may be a stretch.

2010-01-18T17:35:00.001-05:00

Went on a photo taking expedition with Brandi today. Who knew that Queens was so photogenic? The good shots are being developed in black and white. Here are a few I took on Brandi's digital.

Train copyright Sean Lewis 2010

Untitled copyright sean lewis 2010

2010-01-17T15:06:00.000-05:00

Process/Progress

The Liquin original has worked well so far. It stretches the paint and makes it more workable. I think I would like to use something that has a bit more thickness for texture. The painting is coming along. I'm going to try and do some photo work over the next few days as well.

2010-01-14T20:50:00.000-05:00

RESPONSIBLE! FASHION! NOW!

Well, maybe not now, but soon. I met with Elizabeth Suda today who owns a fashion accesories company called Article22. They sell cool scarves and bags handmade by people in Laos. Soon they will be weaving colorfull car crashes! Haha. Maybe not, but if my prints turn into scarves then I know what you're all getting next Christmas!

2010-01-11T00:11:00.000-05:00

Progress/Process

After letting my first coat of white oil paint dry, I'm off to a nice start on the collage. I mixed the top layers with liquin original medium. My friend Andrea reccomended it. I'm not sure if I will appreciate faster drying time, but I think the improved transparency will be great. The blue didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, but I think once I add the highlights, it might look brighter.

Houndstooth Pattern

2010-01-07T13:26:00.001-05:00

I'm waiting for my first layer of oil paint to dry. Here is a houndstooth pattern I drew today. It's actually above freezing today and sunny! I'm off to take some pictures.

Houndstooth Pattern #4 copyright sean lewis 2010

It begins

2010-01-06T17:22:00.001-05:00

The painting and I were not getting along very well. I had to start over when I realized I had mismeasured the canvas. But I think it was for the best. I was going to paint the entire background, but then realized much of it would be too dark and show through. So, I made a template on photoshop and drew in the edges with oil pastelle. It was important to lay out the lines of the background first, so I didn't have to lie my ruler on the center after it had been painted. Here is a view of todays progress:

Now, I plan to paint the center first and background last. Seeing as this is going to take forever, I thought I might document it rather than not post for months. Enjoy!

2010-01-04T23:45:00.004-05:00

New painting sneak peak.

After much design work and much giving up, I have laid out the next oil painting! This is a preliminary outline and some things will change, but how cool is it?!

I think I will photoshop some rims on the lower car and maybe play with the background colors some more. Any suggestions?

Collage #4

2010-01-02T15:12:00.000-05:00

Here is another piece I started on. I think it's going in a good, abstract direction. the black box is just to give an outline, not part of the piece.

Car collage

2010-01-01T20:25:00.000-05:00

Got to work on some ideas for the next painting. I'm thinking a car crash collage. Here's a first attempt. This will be hard to paint though.

Christmas Presents!

2010-01-01T15:10:00.004-05:00

Sorry about the delay in posts. It was a busy holiday in Detroit and Chicago. I did get some cool digital pics of nuclear power plants on the way home in Pennsylvania. I'll post some art made from those soon. This year I made everyone art for Christmas and was planning on posting all the pieces after I gave them out, but things got busy and I didn't scan or photograph any. Many of the pieces were made digitally, but then traced, drawn, or painted. So, I'm going to post a few of the initial digital pieces. Here is one that I gave to my dad. It's based off the same Mercedes that I painted (shown in first post).

Another photo abstraction

2009-12-20T17:43:00.003-05:00

I took one of the black and white photos from an earlier post and made this color overlay in photoshop. I then painted it in oil for Geoffrey for christmas! Merry christmas!

Disco Stripes

2009-12-18T16:54:00.004-05:00

I drew lots of stripes today. I'm all striped out.

Disco Stripes 1 copyright sean lewis 2009

Sidewalk findings

2009-12-16T18:38:00.003-05:00

I walked around Clinton Hill today looking for cool sidewalk crack patterns. Finding good ones was actually harder than I thought. I guess people keep their sidewalks in good repair in my hood. Here's one of the pieces I made from them: Sidewalk Crack #1 copyright sean lewis 2009

I also found this green paper that had amazing folds: Green Paper copyright sean lewis 2009

One more wale

2009-12-14T22:08:00.005-05:00

I decided on "Wale patterns" cause they kinda have a wale and no one gave better suggestions! Here's one I did in oil paint about a year back. Teal and Red 48x48 Oil on canvas copyright sean lewis 2009

This was inspired by my computer's glitches. I was overlaying the red pattern on the teal one in CAD, and the print preview showed it all weird and intertwined. So I gave it that effect when I painted it. Not the first computer glitch inspired design of mine. Excited to go photographing tomorrow! I'm gonna take some sidewalk crack shots!

N Patterns

2009-12-11T11:36:00.005-05:00

Some older patterns that I just recolored. Calling them "N" patterns for now. Can anyone think of a better name? Wale pattern 1 Copyright sean lewis 2009

B+W photo abstraction

2009-12-10T21:21:00.005-05:00

2009-12-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

Developed some pictures with Brandi last night. It's so nice to be back in a darkroom! Here are a few of my faves. Can't wait to cut them up and collage. Bent Metal 1 copyright sean lewis 2009

Houndstooth patterns I worked on today:

2009-12-09T15:18:00.001-05:00

Houndstooth Pattern 3 copyright sean lewis

Houndstooth Pattern 2 copyright sean lewis

Houndstooth Pattern 1 copyright sean lewis

Car Paintings

2009-12-09T10:41:00.001-05:00

Some older work:

New blog!

2009-12-09T10:33:00.000-05:00

On this blog I will be posting as much work as possible including sketches, process pieces, etc. So, all work is not to be considered "final" or "Portfolio" work. i hope you will take part in my work process by commenting/criticising. Thanks and welcome!