Category: Artistic Process

Two new artworks for summertime.

Posted on by Joseph Lawrence

 

These two pieces are both related to the summer season. They were inspired by a bouquet of flowers that I noticed while visiting my sister in Minnesota.  The painting’s ocean background  was inspired by a trip to England by way of the Queen Mary II.   The subject of the pastel drawing is the same bouquet.  However, the setting has been changed to a meadow in front of a forest.  Both artworks show aspects of nature.  A romantic critic could interpret the flowers as nature domesticated, while the meadow and forest are nature untamed.

 

Oil painting on canvas.
Seascape with Bouquet, oil on canvas, 30″x26″, 2025
Pastel drawing on paper.
Flower Bouquet and Forest, pastel, 25″x19″, 2025

Newest oil painting and brief explanation

Posted on by Joseph Lawrence

 

A recent painting with
notes on its creation

I had several concepts that I wanted to explore in this painting.   They involve some aspects of surrealism:  improvisation and the exploration of the unconscious.

The initial idea for this painting was to do something that utilized perspective, transparency, and light.  I began with a sketch of some stairs and rays of light coming from above the horizon to the picture plane.  In the foreground, I blocked out two buildings.  The building on the left is a tower with a high window.  The modernist building on the right is shown in perspective with a large semi-transparent window.

I decided to add a male nude on the left coyly wrapped in a towel.  This figure is contrasted with the muscular and nude figure advancing from the right.  I want these figures to allude to interpersonal conflict.  However, the viewer is free to interpret this in their own way.

 

large format picture - Instagram
Two men on building site, oil on canvas, 38″28, 2025

 

Like A Message In A Bottle

Posted on by Joseph Lawrence
Pastel Drawing 2025

My humble posts seem as effective as putting a message in a bottle and throwing it into the ocean.  Now DOGE and Trumps tariffs are the only item in the news.  I hope there are some readers here who have not stopped reading the news on their social-media accounts.

Here is one of my recent drawings.  The title is “Man and a Circle.”  I probably will change it when I can think of a better one.  It is a pastel on paper, 24″x18″, 2025.

 

Pastel Drawing 2025
Man and a circle, pastel, 24″x18″, 2025

 

News and Assorted Worries

Posted on by Joseph Lawrence

 

t has been a while since I last posted anything, and I am beginning to feel that my followers and friends have lost interest in me.  I have completed some new drawings and a small oil painting which are outside of my usual style.  I have lately been more interested in breaking up any implied narrative meaning in my work by overlaying the works with abstract, geometric shapes.  Need I go on about the latest news from Washington?  I worry about our country’s direction — and Income Tax Day is coming up!Building innovation to, consequently, create actionable insights. Considering above the fold while remembering to create a better customer experience.

 

Pastel Drawing 2025

Portal to Mystic Woods, Pastel and charcoal, 18×24 2025

Link 2

 

Oil on canvas painting

Upturned Male Profile, Oil on canvas, 20″x16″, 2025

Link 3

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Greetings Friends;

Posted on by Joseph Lawrence
Photograph

Greetings friends:

if you have seen my website here before, or online, you probably have a few questions.  People sometimes ask me why I do not have gallery representation.  It might be that I am considered too old or not marketable enough.  In lieu of writing another Artistic Statement, I thought I would briefly describe some recent work. 

Inspiration comes to me in mysterious ways.  I had been thinking about my sexuality again.  My imagery can be read as homoerotic, but since the AIDS epidemic, I had been interested in exploring other ideas.  Being a “Gay Artist” is putting your creativity into a box.  It is more creative to be an artist who is gay.  So be prepared for something new.

Notes on drawing with pastels:

Posted on by Joseph Lawrence

Greetings!  This blog is about my preferred way to draw, which is using pastels.  I had experimented with various drawing media: pencil, colored pencil, charcoal and pen and ink, but I kept coming back to pastels. With pastels, I can create drawings in complex color pallets that have the richness of an oil painting.  The factors that must be considered while using pastels are many, the density and darkness of strokes, how layers of color affect one another.  The color of the paper being used will also affect the overall appearance of the finished drawing.

I enjoy working with pastels because they enable me to work with great freedom and experiment with different colors spontaneously.  There is no need for special tools or solvents.  A bad composition or mistake can usually be corrected.  

Pastel, lawrence-studio, 2024
Abstraction with letter forms, Pastel, 19×25″ 2024