Here is the product of a little game called Exquisite Corpse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisite_corpse). These two masterpieces were completed by myself and my friends Tim and Kate. Below are links to their respective artist websites.

This princess looks pretty fancy.

Where is THIS nude beach?

http://timmccool.com/

http://www.katecastelli.com/

Self Portrait

Self Portrait, 2012, Acrylic on Canvas, 30" x 40"

After not having posted anything on here for quite a while, I thought that it was about time to show some of my newer work.  This painting is based on a photo I took of myself with my camera phone. It was completed this summer and was a very fun painting to work on. As the painting is a self portrait, I will also take this chance to shamelessly promote my website that we have all been waiting for...

www.carlvestweber.com

Over the next couple of weeks I will randomly blog as I tweak the site with new work and random goodies. Enjoy.

Pipe Cleaner:

Over the last half of the summer, I have been taking a class called Picasso to Pollack. It's basically a class focusing on modern art made during the first half of the twentieth century. Even though I found myself familiar with most of the artists and artworks discussed in the class, I did find the class to be an excellent refresher course on the things that I did already know while informing me about the things that I didn't. The piece below is a piece that I have been familiar with for a better part of my adult life. The first time I saw this piece, I was very confused. The French text below says "This is not a pipe". I remember thinking to myself after the first time I saw it, "Yes it is!" It seems I had a very hard time differentiating between a pipe and a depiction of a pipe.

Rene Magritte, The Treachery of Images, 1928-29, oil on canvas

Now, after being in college for more than five years now, the difference seems immediately obvious. Well, most of the time. Every once in a while, I see this painting and I think to myself, "This is not a pipe? No, that's wrong. It is a pipe. What else could it be? Yes it is". The piece below represents something that I have been thinking about making for a very long time but never got around to it until now.

Pipe I, pen and collage on canvas, 2012

After I finished the piece, I still found myself feeling a bit unsatisfied. Soon, I began to cut out more shapes that looked like pipes to move around on blank pieces of paper.

Pipe II, collage on paper, 2012

As my mind started to wander I couldn't help but thing about sex and the subconscious. That led me to this weird little collage below. I'm sure the surrealists would be proud.

Pipe III, collage on paper, 2012

After that last one, I felt the urge to go in another direction...

Pipe IV, collage and watercolor on paper, 2012

I had originally intended to make an exact copy of the last image with the added text. However, I hadn't paid attention to the fact that I had run out of pipes. I found myself with this interesting little piece on my hands. I decided that I had an adequate response to Magritte. It was a good day in the studio.

Pipe V, pen and watercolor on paper, 2012

Deer Diary:

My time spent in the screenprinting lab has been an enjoyable one. I completed my first two editions of screen prints last week. That was pretty exciting.

Buck, screenprint, 2012

The print above was a result of my first four layer print. It was based off of an earlier drawing for another project. I liked it so much that I thought that it might work as a good experiment with screenprinting. It was. I tried not to worry that the layers didn't line precisely up with each other. I tend to like it when accidents happen in the studio.

Artist's Proof, screenprint, 2012

This was an accident that happened when I wasn't paying attention. I felt that it did some interesting things that a normal print did not do...

Buck, screenprint, 2012

This is the second edition of prints where I incorporated the previous accident into into the process. I toned the red-orange down significantly to try to match some of the tones in the original watercolor. I liked the result but I still think that there is something very interesting about the original accident. Those bright red-orange patches of color from the first edition really popped out of the page in a cool way.

Buck, hand-painted screen print, 2012

When I printed the second batch of screenprints, I made a couple extra prints with just the line drawing on it. I painted watercolor paintings on top of them a couple of days later. This was my favorite.

For the last week or so, I've been putting most of my artistic attention to dachshunds. Spending most of my Wednesdays in the screenprinting lab has had an influence on my work as of late.

Twins, screenprint on paper, 2012

 There is nothing like the satisfaction of looking at the product of a full day's work.

Studio-cam

Dancing Dogs, collage on paper, 2012

One of my favorite creatures in ancient Greek mythology is Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog at the gates of Hades. I like the idea that you couldn't really prove yourself as a hero until you figured out a way to get past this beast. This little collage is a hybrid of the Cerberus myth, the Three Graces, and our dog at home, Chloe.

Twins, collage on paper, 2012

This collage was an early version of the screenprint. Here I am thinking about the Cerberus myth along with the ideas associated with a rorshack test. Alot of people tell me that it looks like a mustache. I think this is interesting because I have invested a good amount of artistic attention the the concept of beards.

Hot Dog Fight, collage on paper, 2012

This is just weird and funny.

Long Walk on the Beach, watercolor and collage on paper,  2012

Uniform Coyote, watercolor and collage on paper, 2012

Fashion Coyote, watercolor and collage on paper, 2012

So stylish, those coyotes.