Sorry, Buddy - New Painting by Derek Cadena

 Last week I had another sleepless night. I was lying in bed thinking about driving around taking pictures of people doing what they do. Soon, I was up and dressed and driving by the corner gas station, the Bradley at 50th and Federal.  It was around 5:50 A.M., and I knew that I could always count on a rich display of sketchy peeps on this block. I quickly took a few photos and went home to start painting.  The painting is a familiar scene of a beggar and a rich man. If I have money in my pocket I usually hand it to people who ask for it. The "rich" man (who looks a lot like Ed McMahon) is obviously in a hurry and can't be bothered by the guy with the cart, which I have to say is the best shopping cart I've ever painted.


Sorry, Buddy and a few other new paintings will hang at The Market on Larimer Square for the month of September. If you're in Denver, go check it out, eat a sandwich, have a latte and enjoy some killer desserts while you decide which painting to buy. Make sure to have plenty of coin in your pocket for meters and nice people who need a little help.

Waiting For The 6 - by Cadena

Tuesday, around noon, I grabbed the Nikon and jumped in the car following an impulse to capture an anonymous figure to paint.  Within 10 minutes I was back home drawing an image of a girl I had just photographed. It was a drive-by shot at the corner of 48th and Pecos. The startled girl glanced apprehensively at me as I "clicked" and drove on. She really had a Kung Fu grip on that bag, either she thought I wanted it or the number 6 bus is super shady.


That was SO much damn fun!

Waiting For The 6

Goy Paints Jewish Calendar

This is the second part of my two-part post on working with Scott Lyon on the permanent exhibit recently installed at the Mizel Museum in Denver.


This past Spring I was invited by Scott to help paint, fabricate and install pieces of the exhibit titled 4,000 Year Road Trip: Gathering Sparks. I was given the task and huge privilege of illustrating the large Jewish Calendar that hangs in the Synagogue. I had some concerns when I started, one being that I am not Jewish! I didn't know bubbe from bupkes... Although, now I know not to get the two confused.

The Jewish calendar is only similar to the Gregorian calendar in that it has twelve months. The months are lunar, which I painted a band of moon phases corresponding with observed religious holidays and their months.  Each month starts with a new moon, the first month is Nisan. Passover is celebrated in Nisan. Pictured here is a detail of the months with moons and seasons of the calendar.

 My favorite symbol that I painted here of the holidays is the Sukkah in the upper right corner of the banner, which is the wooden structure with twigs and fruit hanging from it. Sukkot is the harvest holiday celebrated in the middle of the month Tishre or Tisheri (roughly October).  Many Hebrew words have different spellings, which I was often told to change... I'm just the goy with a brush. Like the rest of the exhibit, I painted this banner in a colorful whimsical style. Here is a detail of the top half of the banner with the Sukkah.

You'll have to go the Mizel Museum if want to see the full calendar and all the other wonderful exhibit pieces. I had a blast working with Scott and the Mizel folks for those last six months, but the project is done and it's time to move on.  Now, I have seven paintings (possibly more) commissioned by Nordstrom to complete in the next six weeks. The paintings are for several store remodels. I'll be painting vintage looking mid-century styled athletic male portraits in oil for Nordstrom's menswear/sportswear department. I'm VERY excited, it's my biggest client ever! I'll keep you posted.

Derek

Sparking It Up At The Mizel Museum

This is the first post of the two-part blog about working on the permanent exhibit recently installed at the Mizel Museum in Denver.

This past Spring I was invited by Scott Lyon to help paint, fabricate and install pieces of the exhibit. There are too many projects to talk about, so I'll talk about one design of Scott's that I worked on in this post, and then I'll write about painting the Jewish Calendar that I designed and worked on in my next post.

Almost two years ago my friend and fellow Denver artist, Scott Lyon, was approached by the Mizel Museum to give the museum walls and the display cases that house the artifacts a makeover.  Scott began working with the museum's curator, Georgina Kolber, on the exhibit's theme, which is a 4,000 year journey of Jewish life, culture, art and stories.  The curator talks more about this in her interview with Ryan Warner on Colorado Public Radio.  4,000 Year Road Trip: Gathering Sparks is the educational, historic and whimsical exhibit that has been brought to life by Scott and his team that I was honored to be apart of. 

 I worked on several exciting projects, however, one of the more memorable projects I worked on was the notorious "spark" emitting disco ball, which was the most terrifying piece to fabricate and install!  Scott began this project by designing and building a rocket fin shaped wooden support covered with foam and electrical bits that would be covered by a mosaic of mirror glass. The shape of this sculpture was designed in mind with the building's mid-century modern architecture and fun funky presentation of the exhibit's theme. I remember being a little intimidated by this skeletal structure, but I couldn't wait to begin covering it. This structure was heavy and awkward, it would rock back and forth, and needed to have a separate structure built to keep it upright.  Mostly there was a lot of gluing shards of glass, which one of the shards left a V-shaped scar on my wrist after I carelessly plunged my arm into one of those pointy corners... ouch!   It took several days for Scott and I to finish, working in shifts artfully cutting glass and arranging pieces to perfectly cover the structure.  After the last piece of glass was placed and the finished sculpture was cleaned we stood back in awe of it's shimmering beauty!  Now all we had to do was figure out how to hang it, which we did quite gracefully with the help of pulleys and a very tall ladder.  When you walk up to the front of the museum you can't help notice the large atomic disco ball hanging in the lime green entrance.  Guests who visit the Mizel Museum before dusk are really in for a sparkly treat!

Pictured here is Scott, the disco ball and a few bits of other exhibit pieces I put in to collage.  

5x7 Nude With Red Background - by Derek Cadena

I painted this small figure study last week.  At the time, while I was painting, I wasn't pleased. I was even a bit angry that I had painted it... or, I was just in a bad mood.  I threw a tiny little tantrum and walked away without signing it.  The next morning, after a good night's rest, I looked at it with fresh eyes and it made me happy, very happy. I really liked the minimal brushstrokes in the face, LOVED the glowing red background, and the very angular curves were just right... so, I signed it.  The paint was still fresh.

This painting is listed in our ebay store.

New Humming Bird

This 8x10 mixed media piece on wood turned out beautifully.  It features a brightly colored jewel like humming bird all up in some daisy's business.  The bird was drawn from a photo taken by a friend's Costa Rican Jungle adventure.  Shannon, thanks for letting us use your fabulous pic!

The original artwork is currently hanging at Bliss Salon, located at 2845 Wyandot Street
Denver, CO 80211.  The 8x10 mounted print of "Humming Beauty" is available in our Etsy store.

Upright Red - New Small Oil

I painted Upright Red on 11 11 2010.  I really like this little 5x7 painting, especially the reddish orange strokes.  She kinda looks like a mermaid with implants... Maybe I should change the title to "Sofa Siren".  What do you think?
 
See the ad for this painting on ebay.

Garden Planning - by Brent Rodgers

If only I had these classy ladies to help me design my dream garden!  "Garden Planning" is the latest image from my Fruitville Series. The background is from the beautiful Paulino Gardens, and, I have to say, some of my favorite childhood memories are going there with my Mother.  I still visit Paulino's every year, spending lots of money on lovely plants that may or may not survive. There's a learning curve to gardening...

Visit our ebay store to see all from this series!

How 'Bout Them Apples -

Brent and I worked on this piece together, it's a mix of photography, drawing, and painting.  We didn't have to go far to find inspiration for this illustration. Our apple tree is dripping with bright red fruit and the backyard smells like hard cider. Most of the tree has wormy apples, however, I picked a big bag of pretty unblemished apples that will be perfect for worm-free pies and other treats.

Here's the link to our etsy store for a 6" mounted print version of "Delicious"

Sparky the Chipmunk Seeks Fame

Sparky was very interested in our group hiking near Fraser, CO. He would scurry in circles around a rock chattering at us, then he would stop and hold a pose for the cameras. He did this several times! He clearly wanted fame and his camera hogging seemed rather desperate, however, we indulged Sparky's fantasy. He is now immortalized in art.

Although a friend of ours bought the original Sparky painting at our last show, I believe little Sparky will return in the near future.  We have created a fame monster!  

8" mounted prints of Sparky are available in our etsy store.

Walk The Line - Everyday Adventures

We rocked this piece out about 24 hours before the art show opened this past 3rd Friday.  If you missed the show, here's a look at our super sweet new tightrope/powerline walkin' elephant.  Walk The Line was the clear favorite of the night by the gallery guests(and us), however, we didn't sell it and it's still available... See the ad in our ebay store for the original 23 x 14.5 x 1.5" artwork by 2LF.

Amorous Grasshoppers and Other New Art

We've been working overtime this week to get at least 15 new small artworks finished for the next art show this First Friday evening, 10/01/10 at CoArt Gallery located at 846 Santa Fe Dr. Denver CO. 

Flowers, bugs, and animals illustrated or altered photography, are hand-colored with acrylic paint and then transferred on to 6" colorful wooden backgrounds.  LOVE this new series and can't wait to show it off!  These pieces will be $55.00 each, and, we'll knock off a few bucks if you buy three or more!  

Select 8" mounted print versions are now available online in our Etsy store.

 Here's a few new images:

Western Spaghetti - By Derek Cadena

Western Spaghetti is a grouping of four mixed media paintings commissioned by a friend of mine.  She and her husband had just painted their living room and were in need of wall art.  I decided the painting(s) should start with a horse and a cowboy.  She grew up with horses, and I thought it would be fun to incorporate a graphic image of a running horse.  For the cowboy, I used an image of the 40 Ft. concrete cowboy that guards the entrance to the Rustic Ranch trailer park on Federal Blvd. here in Denver, CO.  This big bow legged horse jockey has made his appearance in a few recent art projects.  I must have a bit of a crush on him...

Here's a picture of Western Spaghetti.  And, the rustic ranch guardian cowboy.

The Welcome Shower - Joe Enjoys The Denver Rain

"The Welcome Shower"  a mixed media delight by Derek Cadena and Brent Rodgers.

Here's another one of the Joe illustrations we showed at CoArt Gallery this month.   We photographed the image of Downtown Denver from Diamond Hill.  This spot has to be the most popular location for shooting the Denver skyline, the view looks like a postcard or a screen saver.  The Welcome Shower is one of our faves!

View the ad for the original on Ebay here!

A Rainy Day Drive - Brent Rodgers

I love Spring!  The cloudy wet cool mornings that glow with rich green plant life are some of my favorite moments of Springtime. A Rainy Day Drive is the latest in the Fruitville Girl series, illustrating that perfect moment.  I imagine she is zipping down the road, rockin out in her VW with not a care in the world.  Check out her ad on etsy here!

2LF at CoArt Gallery in Denver - by Derek Cadena

If you're just visiting or you live in Denver, you have to stroll up and down Santa Fe Drive's art district.  First Fridays (every first Friday of the month), are Denver's busiest nights for art gallery patrons and collectors to see what's fresh and new. 

We have joined CoArt Gallery at 846 Santa Fe Drive, between 8th and 9th street.  We will have new works hanging every month, and there are 20 more artist members, so, there's plenty of art to look at, and buy... Come on down, enjoy some refreshments and help support the arts, and the artists!

A Couple of Joes - by Derek Cadena

My most recent still life painting has two G.I. Joes posing with a P.B.R. beer can. Just a couple of Joes having a beer... in the nude.  I don't see any military policy violations happening...

Click here to visit the Joes ebay ad.

Go Joe!!!

A Painting A Day - Ants on a log - by Derek Cadena

Celery, peanut butter, and raisins were on the lunch menu last Friday, but of course, it became the focus of my painting session.  I was out of raisins, so, I used currants instead... I made tiny ants on a log.  About three hours later the painting was finished and I was finally able to eat my lunch.  I'm very pleased with this little painting!  See the ad on ebay: Ants on a Log

 

 

A Painting A Day - Avocados by Derek Cadena

Avocados are only 39¢ each at Sunflower Market this week!  I've eaten a few avocados in the past few days... after they pose for me!  A bath of lemon juice keeps them from getting too brown while I paint, and it makes them more delicious for my after work treat.  Here are two of the avocado paintings titled "The Better Half" and "Two Halves". They are both listed on ebay, click the titles to see the ads.

A Painting A Day - Still life of Mighty Tonka by Derek Cadena

A couple of weeks ago, Brent's father dropped off a well used Tonka truck that was, once, Brent's favorite toy.  It's beautiful! And now, it's the studio mascot/art caddy, holding brushes and other art making tools.   I had to paint the Mighty Tonka!  You can see the ad for this original painting listed on ebay, and I will be offering larger Giclee canvas prints of this painting on etsy in the very near future.