Website Update .... Finally

I finally updated my website, something I've been meaning to do for about the last 6 months. For those who don't know what it is, or haven't been in awhile, feel free to swing by to:

http://www.mattelder.com

One of the updated images, done with 'traditional' gouache media below.

Its All About Satisfaction

Today I finished the pencils/inks on a new comic short story that I am working on. Visually it is an improvement upon my last comic story (kinda learnt a lot since then). Now I just have the 'painting/toning' which will probably take just as long. Here is a sample page:

Pearl Jam - New Album

Pearl Jam released their 8th studio album today and I got my grubby little hands on it. I usually have to listen to a new album a dozen times to get a good feel for it so my impression will come later.

I am cheering that they are touring in Australia later in the year (November is the rumour mill at the moment). That will give plenty of time to get into the new album. Last couple of albums they have released, a month or so later they have come to Australia.

Archibald Show 2006

Those in Sydney would be aware that the Archibald is the annual portrait painting prize of $35,000 held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. It is usually one of the most topical with everyone having an opinion. I guess I'll have my 2 cents now.

Archibald seems to be one of those competitions that people love to hate, I'm normally no different. This year however, I enjoyed the show. There were a number of entries that were very technically well executed but didn't do much for me. I think I'm now in a phase where I'm appreciating more the painting surface falling apart - kinda like Impressionists on Speed. Ironic considering how much time over the years I've tried to get everything to be just right.

The winner, I guess, was deserving in my opinion. My 2 cents worth. Hopefully in the next couple of years I'll get my stuff together and consider entering .... maybe...

A Couple of Days of Painting - Part II

Here are a couple more digital paintings from the weekend. First is another model one, about 20 minutes:



Another landscape which was a bit over an hour:

A Couple of Days of Painting

Managed to get out of Sydney for a couple of days and headed over the other side of the Blue Mountains. An artist friend of ours, Lucy Culliton (check her artwork out at http://www.rayhughesgallery.com/artistDisplay.asp?artistId=21), has her studio set up there.



Several of us hired a model and I did some digital paintings. The one shown here is just a quick 20 minute painting.



The area is amazing out there so I also did this quick landscape (bit over an hour).

Reboot the Blog

I know it has been aloooooong time since the last post. I've spent alot of that time actually working on my art. It has really come along in leaps an bounds in the last 6 months. Hopefully I'll do a website update some time in the next couple of months and get some decent work up. In the mean time, this was a recent gouache painting that took about 3 hours- A3 size (17x12 inches).