Branch and Eggs Drawing

16" x 20" dry pastel, charcoal, and chalk on brown paper.

I did this drawing this past year. A good friend of mine did an oil painting of the same subject at the same time as I did, so we had a lot of fun working on our own pieces. Her painting was absolutely gorgeous, filled with lots of purples and yellows, cool and warm balancing each other so simply. What was most interesting to me is that we were working on the same subject, and even though our mediums were completely different, we were able to represent the subject so truly. That's why art is so beautiful; being able to express the same idea in so many different forms, how two separate visions can be so different and so similar at the same time. It's magic.

A few detail shots. You can find more on my Flickr page:

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.

Watercolor and a WIP

Watercolor Trees:



Very roughly 7" x 20" watercolor on cold pressed paper.

This painting was my first time using watercolors. They aren't nearly as bad as everyone says. Common complaint from people about the paint is that "they bleed" into other parts of the painting. The solution is that you have to let it dry, a lot. You seriously can't rush. Since the paint is pretty much pigmented water (hence it's name), it's just going to blend with anything around it that is wet. Unless you are intentionally trying to get a bleedy look, you must wait for your paper to dry before moving on. Otherwise, everything will run and turn ugly, which I think is the opposite of what you're intending.

About a year after I finished this painting, we had a huge rainstorm in Connecticut. We were sent home from school because of the rain. It was awesome. However, when I got home, the rain had leaked through the roof and ceiling and decided to be right over my painting. Not an oil painting, but a watercolor.

I was able to save most of it, but you can still see some of the damage.



Otherwise, the painting is in great shape.







Bonus for today: a WIP (work in progress).




I'm still trudging along on this painting, but I swear I'm going to finish it soon.

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.

Drawing/Painting, and a song.

About 10" x 12" charcoal, pencil, colored pencil, watercolor on drawing paper.

Inspired by the World of Warcraft warlock spell "Drain Soul." No detail shots since it's large enough to not have them.

Also, I have a song to share with you all.

The Avalanche by Sufjan Stevens.
(link leads to a YouTube video.)

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.

Wednesday 13 July, 2011

Happy Wednesday evening, folks.

Light the Way:



16" x 20" tempera on canvas.

This painting was inspired by the song "Light the Way" by Athlete. You can listen to it on YouTube if you want to try and see what I was seeing when I listened to this song. I painted this entirely from my mind, listening only to that one song. It only took a few classes, but I still love this painting.

Now that I listen to the song again while looking at the painting, I find that it doesn't exactly match up with the lyrics. Funny how the mind's eye envisions something, and generally only views it that one way when you hear something, smell something, any sense. It's funny to think about, sometimes.

Some detail shots.

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.

Mega-Monday-Update

I completely forgot to post anything Saturday and Sunday. This Monday will totally make up for it with not one new pieces, not two new pieces, but three pieces.

First, some watercolors.

Jar with nails, direct observation:

8" x 10" watercolor on cold pressed paper.

Self-Portrait from a photo:



8" x 10" watercolor on cold pressed paper.

Now, a drawing.

The Field:



8" x 10" dry pastel on brown paper.

This is a drawing of the field next to my house, however it's extremely stylized and illustrative rather than realistic. The yellow house there is not nearly that far away; it's much closer if you were to see it from where the viewpoint of this drawing is. However, I did this drawing from the perspective of a very young Kevin, which is why it's a much more "cartoony" feel. The field in this drawing is very rolly and hilly, and that fence looks much healthier in the drawing. I have a pretty heightened sense of perfection in my mind, it seems.

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.

Photo Painting - Harkness

This painting was done using a reference photo quite some time ago.

15" x 30" oil on canvas.

This was the first oil piece I had ever painted. I've come a long way in what really is a short time span. The title "photo painting" will be used whenever a piece uses a photo reference; in a way, it's cheating, but not quite. Y'know?

Detail photos below.

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.

Arboretum 1

I painted this back in October at the Connecticut College Arboretum.

11" x 14" Oil on canvas.

Personally, my favorite part of the painting is the trees. Not the leaves, mind you, but the trunks that fade into the rest of the woods. From where I was sitting, I was looking across the lake at the area where Flock Theatre usually performs shows at. You can see the stairs that lead down beneath the stone wall from the spot. It was a beautiful day while I was there; I took the day off from school just to paint. It did get a little awkward when a science class from the college walked by me as they observed leaves and different plants.

Here are some detail shots.

Artwork belongs to H. Kerr/Kevin Schlink.
Do not redistribute/use without permission.

Uta

I was reading over my current quote on the sidebar, which was said by a famous actress and teacher named Uta Hagen. In case the quote isn't there anymore, it reads:

“We must overcome the notion that we must be regular...it robs you of the chance to be extraordinary and leads you to the mediocre.”


After thinking about it for a while, I found that I 90% agree with it, and I 10% disagree with it. I only slightly, slightly disagree with it. I find it funny that I do have a disagreement with it, as I am an "actor" and should understand what it means. Of course, I do understand what it means, at least to myself I do.

As actors, we are taught to be bigger than life, and that boring is not what any audience wants to see. We must become something that is totally not regular, something that truly stands out from the rest. And, we reflect this in our lives, as well. We always strive to be something that is great. Many actors try to "change the world" or try to find a way to "become something" in the world. It seems that's what many people in the theatre, and the arts in general, want; to be something so extravagant. Extraordinary. And that's what we want to do and all we want to do, is to be something so amazingly great, known for something. And that can't happen if you're "normal," if you don't have that drive to be great. If you are a regular person, you carry on life like everyone else, and "conform."

I'm sure that's what Uta meant, but there's still the 10% that doesn't agree.

There was some valedictorian from some school, which I honestly wish I knew where it was or had a copy of the speech, but I heard it somewhere. In his speech at his graduation, he talked about how he tried to stand out and be the best. He tried so hard to be known for something, and he fell flat on his face. Sure, he had the grades, but that was it. He didn't have anything else. His friend, on the other hand, was the most interesting person he knew. That person didn't try at all to be who he was. He was simply himself; he was being "regular." He was everything that the valedictorian wanted to be, and he didn't even break a sweat trying to do so.

Does this mean that regular can be extraordinary? That the most simple of people can be the most amazing, different, and wonderfully extravagant beings that exist? I pondered this. It's like every time I try to find an old gameboy game. It seems like that when you search for something, you never find it. When you stop looking, almost instantly it's there.

It's an interesting conundrum. If we don't strive to be extraordinary, we're mediocre. If we simply stop trying, we can discover that we're all great in our own ways.

Personally, I indulge in the "regularity" of the world. There is so much beauty in everything: One of our assignments in art one year was called "ugly into art." We were able to make beautiful images from ugly concepts. And, observing the regular world shows you how extravagant it is. Why should we try to be more than what we are? It's an amazing concept, really, how we can become more than what we are through determination.

It's a double-edged topic, but I want to hear your thoughts. Comment below, or leave an email, or ask on my tumblr, anything.

Thinking of a Change

The other morning, I read a book called "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Spencer Johnson, M.D.


It was a short read, being 94 pages with pretty large print, but it was seriously thought provoking. My mother read it for her job, something that her boss had all of the employees do, and she suggested it to me.

I decided to read it, since I thought it had sounded interesting. The book deals with the subject of change, and how people are usually terrible and handling and coping with change. I knew I had to read it, since I realize that I am one of those people who, quite frankly, suck at dealing with changes in my life.

The central idea of the book is around four characters: Two mice named Sniff and Scurry, and two Littlepeople (humans) named Hem and Haw. The four live in what is called "The Maze" and are on a constant search for Cheese, the one thing that grants happiness. Sniff and Scurry are able to cope with finding new Cheese when it goes missing, but Hem and Haw work themselves over that fact that things are different when their Cheese disappears. There's much more to it, and honestly I can only suggest that everyone should read it. It speaks so many truths about change and why we work ourselves up over changes in our lives, and yet it does so in a simple way that is easy to understand.

I read it four or five days ago, and I keep thinking about the book. I thought about things in my life that I was too afraid to change, or even accept that they are changing, and I decided to take charge. Already, in just a few days, I find myself better capable of handling these problems.

One point of the book stuck out to me: The character Hem explains that he isn't willing to go find new Cheese because "He is comfortable" with how things were, even though the situation had become dire, as there was no Cheese left. The situation and the environment had changed, yet Hem refused to believe it and wanted to stay because it was what he was used to and what he knew. I reflected this on my own situations. My situation has changed, yet is still seemingly similar to how it had been. Hem did not see that things had changed, and I did not see that my environment changed as well. In a sense, I was exactly how Hem is, refusing to amend because the past was comfortable, that it was what I knew.

Fortunately, I am starting to see that it is no longer what I knew, and that I have to move forward with what is going on. The Cheese has moved, and I must move with it. Yesterday I sent in requests for information to a few different colleges, something that I should have done over a year ago. Because I did not move with the Cheese (moving on with life/college), I'm stuck in a Cheeseless place, and I'll be stuck here for a year. Yet, I'm taking this trek through the Maze head on, and I'm taking the initiative to find the new Cheese.

Basics

To start with, my name is H. Kerr, though some may actually know me as Kevin Schlink. Either name works for me, however, you may want to keep H. Kerr for the art and not the real person.


I paint, write, sometimes act, sometimes draw, sometimes get into things that I shouldn't. I am a geek inside and out, a son of two wonderful parents, a brother, a bro, a student (as of this moment) of my own education, a friend, a best friend, not a lover, and a human being.

If you've stumbled upon this little blog, that's great. You might want to leave if you are not a friend of art, discussion, sometimes possibly (a little bit of) offensive material including but not limited to human beings, human nature, human sexuality, human behaviors, observations of human beings. Pretty much humans.

But, also, there is a lot about nature and art. I think mostly nature and art, which makes my previous statement somewhat of a contradiction. We'll see what will happen.

If you've decided to stay, then I welcome you with open arms. If you feel the need to leave at anytime, I'm not offended at all. Sometimes I feel the need to leave my own work, too. Some things aren't for everyone, and I'm sure we all can empathize with that.

In the beginning, welcome.

The photo above belongs to Karen Schlink. Find her blog here: karenschlink.com