Matt Cauley 11/24/13 Matt Cauley 11/24/13

New Painting: Molly II

Hello, everyone –

This latest painting was both a commissioned piece as well as being a bit of an experiment for me. I had worked with Molly previously for one of my Big Heads portrait paintings. That painting was a personal success for me, and a project I very much enjoyed. Molly’s parents were fond of the painting as well, and were interested in purchasing it, provided I might make some alterations to the image (most notably painting out the Batman comic). I was happy with the painting the way it was, but offered a compromise: I would paint Molly a second time, this time crafting the painting more towards their sensibilities.

Molly and I had a photoshoot during the summer of 2012 and I had every intention of diving into the painting. Unfortunately, my personal life took a bit of a detour and I ended up taking a hiatus of close to a year from painting. By the time I got back into the mindset to paint, I was curious how I might handle the piece. I probably overthought it too much, to be honest. The photoshoot had been extremely fun, and the reference photos were all very inspiring to look at again.

In the end, I wanted to take a quieter, softer, sweeter approach with this painting. I wanted something Molly’s parents would thoroughly enjoy and be proud of. Though this piece doesn’t have my usual quirkiness to it, I feel there’s still so much of “me” included here and there. And ultimately I am proud that her parents have this piece on display in their home.

My many thanks to Molly and her family for sharing this opportunity with me. As always, I would be grateful for any feedback you might have.

Matt Cauley
November 23, 2013

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Matt Cauley 7/23/12 Matt Cauley 7/23/12

NEW PAINTING: GRETA

Hello, everyone!

This painting has all of the ingredients of what I don’t like in a painting assignment: being asked to paint the portrait of someone’s child and being reliant on using someone else’s photographs as visual reference. I can be pretty finicky when it comes to that, and yet I couldn’t have had more fun with this project. Greta was a joy to paint!

This painting was commissioned in exchange for some design work I was in need of. I have always been a little hesitant of painting children, mainly because it doesn’t take much for a child to look unnaturally evil. Simply having too many teeth showing or too big a smile and all of a sudden you turn what was supposed to be a sweet angelic image into something dark and uncomfortable.

Still, Joe had gone above and beyond for me, and I wanted to not only repay him, but to prove to myself that I could use my artistic style in a way that would do justice to the subject. Plus it was an interesting challenge.

Working from several of the client’s own photographs, I took on the project and ended up having a blast with the project. I was fortunate enough to have some amazing photos to work from, and it didn’t hurt that the subject totally lights up the camera.

You can find this painting, along with others in the Misc Painting series, by clicking HERE.

And, here she is with the finished project:

Special thanks to Joe and Greta for allowing me this wonderful opportunity.

Matt Cauley
July 22, 2012

Matt Cauley 6/3/12 Matt Cauley 6/3/12

FROM THE VAULT: CLAUDIA

Hello, everyone!

This painting dates back to 2007. At the time, I was developing a series of paintings that had a Southern-Fried, Thelma & Louise meets Justified flair to them. Each painting featured a scene taking place in the deep south during the middle of summer in a place without air conditioning. The paintings were filled with heat, sweat, and often the grime of a dingy environment. Almost a crime noir for the South, though I certainly wanted them to be fun as well.

Several paintings were started, and most came near to completion. I have never shown them publicly before, as I had intended on developing several more and release them together as a series.

Flash forward a few years, and I began to realize I had a substantial body of work around the studio that had yet to be unveiled to the public. This piece, though, always stumped me a bit. I had originally planned on having a neon glow creeping in from off camera, and maybe have some take-out Chinese food containers scattered on the floor. I wanted the scenario to be this woman on the run, plopped down on a bed watching late-night tv in a gritty motel room. I never got around to adding in all those flourishes, and looking at the piece with fresh eyes now, I’m glad I didn’t. I think it would have complicated the image, and there is a more subtle approach to the story as it stands now.

At this point, I’m focusing more on portrait painting and exploring a more natural palette, but I’ll always have a soft spot for these bright vibrant works. They were fun and adventurous for me, and represent a time when I was still transitioning from an illustrative approach to painting.

Special thanks to Claudia for actually putting up with me saying “It’s almost finished” for close to 5 years. Who would have thought it was finished all this time?

You can find this painting, along with others in the Misc Painting series, by clicking HERE

I am extremely grateful for everyone’s support over the years. As always, I would be grateful for any feedback you might have.

Matt Cauley
June 2, 2012

Matt Cauley 5/30/12 Matt Cauley 5/30/12

MINIATURE PAINTINGS

Hello, everyone!

There is a long, rich history in the art of Miniature painting. While studying portraiture at The School of Visual Arts, I experienced firsthand how challenging and rewarding it is to work on such a small scale.

I am pleased to finally unveil two of the Miniature Paintings from that class. Each measures only 2 inches by 2 inches, yet when you zoom into it, the surface becomes lively with both the brushwork and sculptural quality of the paint. This was an amazing experience for me, and an exercise I would highly recommend.

You can find these paintings, along with others in the Misc Painting series, by clicking HERE.

As always, I would be grateful for any feedback you might have.

Matt Cauley
May 29, 2012

Matt Cauley 4/7/12 Matt Cauley 4/7/12

FROM THE VAULT: ALI II

Hello, everyone –

Several paintings were started, and most came near to completion. I have never shown them publicly before, as I had intended on developing several more and release them together as a series. Of course, that was a few years ago, and I think it is time to share some of the works.

Ali II is actually the second Southern-Fried painting featuring Ali as the subject. The first version has yet to be complete, but you’ll see it here soon. Anyway, I was having fun with the primary painting we worked on, and added this in as a quick study to see if a campfire scene might work for a future project. The painting quickly moved beyond just a study and took on a life of its own.

These days, my palette is a lot more subtle, though I still enjoy the enthusiasm of this piece. I certainly loved those orange and reds. I look forward to sharing the rest of the series with you later this year. Hopefully.

You can find this painting, along with others in the Misc Painting series, by clicking HERE.

My many thanks to Ali for being such an inspiration over the years, and supporting me with so many artistic endeavors.

Matt Cauley
April 6, 2012

Matt Cauley 3/12/12 Matt Cauley 3/12/12

NEW PAINTING: FLORENCE WITH FAMILY

Hello, everyone –

I would like unveil a recent commission: Florence with Family.

Florence was in her eighties, and is easily one of the most impressive people I’ve ever had the opportunity to meet. She was funny, world-traveled, tech-savvy, and just a genuinely kind and warm person. The same can be said for her extended family. They are all kind and outgoing, but also quirky and amazing in their own unique ways. There was never a dull moment any time they invited us over.

Eventually Florence passed on back in 2010, and shortly thereafter her daughter Sue approached me to see if she might commission a portrait of her departed mother. I was deeply touched by her asking, but admittedly I had concerns regarding the logistics of such a project. Though there were a substantial amount of personal photos available, I prefer not to work from snapshots for a variety of reasons. In this case, translating a 1″ tall face in an old photo into a full-blown painting seemed daunting. The last thing I wanted was to deliver a painting that didn’t live up to Sue’s expectations.

After batting around a few ideas, I asked Sue if we could proceed with an alternate, expanded approach. Since Florence was so well-loved by her family, as well as being constantly surrounded by them, it made sense for me to include the extended family in the painting as well. We began a photoshoot in November of 2010, with my wife sitting in for one of the granddaughters who was away at school, and Sue posing as both herself and as a stand-in for her mom, based off a small but charming photo we had found. This would allow me enough visual reference to fill in any blanks that might be missing from the original tiny photo. The following month, I went back for a few reshoots, as well as to photograph the granddaughter who had been away. With all of the reference photos together, I was ready to dive into the painting.

The painting itself was pretty straightforward, though I was surprised how complicated it became to paint. Any color decisions on one figure needed to relate to all of the other characters shown in the piece. It took several months to complete, and I’m overall very pleased with how this turned out. I did eventually abandon an ideas I had for large scale plants and other items in the foreground; this would have shifted the family to the mid-ground, and would created even more depth to the painting. In the end, though, it felt an unnecessary addition, and I wanted to deliver the painting for Christmas of 2011.

My many thanks to Sue and her family for sharing this opportunity with me, and to Florence, who inspired us all…

You can find this painting, along with others in the Misc Painting series, by clicking HERE.

Matt Cauley
March 11, 2012