Happy Thanksgiving!

I ran across this hand turkey I made SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO! It's hard to believe it's been that long since my days teaching preschool while I attended the University. We all made these in Mr. Colin's class to hang on our cubbie slots- my name had been trimmed off mine at some point before it was tucked away in a sketchbook, so I pasted a new one on here for illustrative purposes. I never did fully pursue my education degree, moving to St. Louis instead to pursue my musical & artistic ambitions. Nevertheless, I am thankful for the time I spent with the little people- they taught me a great deal about life. I can still see their little faces in my mind, and hope that wherever they are, they have something to be thankful for and are with their families on the forthcoming holiday. Happy Thanksgiving-

Black Like Sunday No.1

"Black Like Sunday No.1"   $45.00
charcoal and acrylic on paper, 14 x 20"

I made a cut cardboard version of this as well that sold in '09, but like "Cry No. 2 & 3" , I have a fondness for the graphic quality of these charcoal/acrylic drawings on paper- they are more immediately powerful due to their stark nature.

See more of my available works at my WORKS AVAILABLE page at Shawart.com :)

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Cry No.2 & 3

"Cry No.3"    $40.00
14 x 20"
acrylic, charcoal on paper

"Cry No.2"    $40.00
14 x 20"
acrylic, charcoal on paper

The graphic quality of these really turned out looking like poster art, which I love. My brother gave me a coffee table book of Picasso's poster work a few years ago that I never get tired of. I made a cut cardboard version of this as well, the whereabouts of which I am unsure. These two were drawn in charcoal and sealed in acrylic medium during the painting process.  

See more of my available works at my WORKS AVAILABLE page at Shawart.com :)

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Handle With Care

"Handle With Care" 2010    $85.00
acrylic, mixed media collage on canvas
16 x 20"

You just never know what someone's been going through- their private anguish, frustration and/or long hours at work, a hair-raising rush hour drive, or a broken heart/broken dreams/a broken life. Handle them with care.

This heavily textured, mixed media canvas is gallery wrapped & painted around it's edges -no framing necessary, ready to hang   :)

See more of my available works at my WORKS AVAILABLE page at Shawart.com :)

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January No.3 & 5

January No.5, 2009 $20.00

charcoal, acrylic on paper

8 x 10"

January No.3, 2009 $20.00

charcoal, acrylic on paper

8 x 10"

I made these two at the same time I made January No.1 & 2, of course, and won't hesitate to say that No.5 was my favorite of all   :)   Henri Matisse has had a huge impact on my art, and while the influence of his color is not apparent here, my love for his simplicity of design certainly is. For as the great master Picasso said, “Au fond il n’y a que Matisse” (All things considered, there is only Matisse).

See more of my available works at my WORKS AVAILABLE page at Shawart.com :)

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January No.1 & No.2

January No.1, 2009   $20.00

charcoal, acrylic on paper

8 x 10"

January No.2, 2009   $20.00

charcoal, acrylic on paper

8 x 10"

I have two boxes FULL of art on paper. I thought of these two the other day while working on my new abstracts, several of which feature circles but none of my birds. One even has two intersecting circles. I always come back around to that shape- I find it pleasing, no beginning no end. These are much prettier in person, all the texture of the paper's tooth and subtlety of the brushstrokes more visible- they'd make a nice pair on a small wall together, and are a "readymade" size for easy, inexpensive framing  :)

See more of my available works at my WORKS AVAILABLE page at Shawart.com :)
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November Twilight 2

"November Twilight 2"
digital photograph

C.M. Shaw, 2011

November Twilight

"November Twilight"
digital photograph

C.M. Shaw, 2011

Soldier

"Soldier" 2010    
carved PVC board, acrylic, varnish
8.75 x 15.625"

I produced three of these carvings on “signpainter’s board", for a show last year. This substrate is essentially a thick PVC board that can be cut and shaped with carpentry tools or even with a small hand tool- in my case a bamboo pick I fashioned by hand for sculpture class at the university many years ago. I painted this in many washes of a deep iridescent red acrylic which has a somewhat metallic luster to it, then varnished it heavily with a glossy coat.

While I haven't been working with the figure at all on my new paintings this year, I don't feel as though I'm done with it. I had a great time with male figures I did last year, and would like to continue that some day. They don't sell as well as my females. A couple of my girlfriends really gushed over this guy. I just liked the left breastplate of his armor shaped like a heart.

email me if you are interested

Ship of Fools

"Ship of Fools" 2010       $95.00
acrylic, mixed media collage 18 x 24"

Contact PHD Gallery, St. Louis, MO (314)664-6644

The ship of fools is an allegory of the 15th and 16th centuries, depicting a vessel populated by human inhabitants who are deranged, frivolous, or oblivious, passengers aboard a ship without a captain, ignorant of their own direction or destination. The Ship of Fools, a book of 112 satires criticizing the state of the Church's Christian nobility, was published in 1494 by German theologian Sebastian Brant. Inspired by a popular motif in medieval art and literature, particularly in religious satire due to a pun on the Latin word "navis" which means a boat and also the nave of a church, the Reformation movement quickly latched onto the book & Brant's like ideals, making it a huge hit. Notable of this publication were the commissioned engravings by Northern Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. (source: Wikipedia)

I wasn't being critical of the church in making this, though I'm always thinking about art history. This one is a more personal interpretation of the allegorical tale using my accumulated vocabulary of little pictographs. I produced this canvas last summer for a showing at Urban Arts Collective in in South St. Louis along with several others done in the same style. The collaged scraps of canvas are utilized as narrative panels, illustrated in glue which dries to form a raised line. Many layers of primer & acrylic wash give the canvas a worn look I find pleasing. I've been working in this method since college, all the time refining the technique & experimenting with different colors & collage textures. They are a lot of work and easier done several at a time due to the time required for the excessive layering to dry.

See more of my available works at my WORKS AVAILABLE page at Shawart.com   :)

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Lost My Mind

I can no longer criticize Twitter for being pointless. I just sold "Lost My Mind" because someone discovered my chronically neglected ColinShawArt Twitter page. The poor man had to hunt me down because I never look at it- I need to pay more attention  :D   I made this 11 x 14" acrylic on masonite along with a matching piece, "Loving Cup", in 2006. I was working on masonite and plywood for quite awhile- like plywood,  masonite can be cut to any size, but fits better in the rabbet of an open back frame, weighs less, and sands smoothly for priming.

Below is the original rough from my sketchbook done in oil pastel and watered down acrylic. Removing the heart was a good move- it looks so much more disturbing, silent, and cold. I like the texture of the sketch though- the blood looks great! It kinda looks like a child drew it, and that's nice.

Thanks Mathius!

See more of my available works at my WORKS AVAILABLE page at Shawart.com   :)

email me if you are interested!