Posted on 19 Aug 2012 - 5:44 pm | by
jeff | Filed under:
Artwork,
Shop
Some of my most favorite paintings and drawings by other artists are black and white. Before I got really into painting almost all of the artwork I made was in black and white. It is, without a doubt, the quintessential color combination. And if you think about it, black and white is probably the starting point of most works of art. From preliminary sketches on paper to pencil sketching on canvas before the layers of paint are applied.

Whether you are drawing mock ups in a sketchbook for a redesign of your website, drawing plans for a future house or designing a new car, you are most likely making something in black and white.

Even big budget summer blockbusters start with a black and white storyboard.

Before opening my gallery in November of 2004 I was one of those quiet people in the corner at social gatherings drawing in my sketchbook and avoiding eye contact. I was never without my trusty Rapidograph pen and my hardbound sketchbook.

That all changed once becoming a gallery owner because I needed to make artwork that I could sell. And selling torn pages out of my sketchbook didn’t seem like the most profitable option. I had been painting for awhile before starting the gallery, but I was still pretty attached to my sketchbook and was probably drawing a lot more than painting. So, I put my pens and sketchbooks away and dove into painting full time. Before ditching my pens for the paintbrush I would fill a sketchbook from cover to cover in about six months. It’s now been over eight years since filling a sketchbook. In fact, I don’t even remember the last time I carried one with me. Of course, I’ve made tons of paintings since leaving the sketchbook and even managed to sell quite a few of them, so it’s been a good tradeoff.
For some reason it never really crossed my mind to make black and white paintings until a few years ago. And honestly, I’ve probably only made about five of them. Although I adore black and white, colors are fun and I just can’t fight the urge to throw a little color on there.
The first black and white painting I made was “Gone But Not Forgotten”. I think I named it that as a reference to the fact that I traded in my love of black and white for painting with color.

Soon after, I painted “Reunion”.

The third one is called “Vacation” and is a lot smaller than the first two. It’s about 6″ x 6″ and the other ones are 18″ x 24″.

Then there is “Faces In The Sky”.

My most recent black and white painting was done in March of this year and is called “Village Folks”.

That’s about it for black and white paintings I’ve made. I feel like there might be one or two more, but I can’t seem to find any in my files. All but one of the originals of these has sold. If you would like to purchase any of these they are all available as limited edition prints on wood. Here are some smaller versions of the images with links so you don’t have to scroll up and down this post looking for the titles.

“Gone But Not Forgotten”
5″ x 7″ – limited edition of 50
Purchase at: https://www.etsy.com/listing/98746187/print-gone-but-not-forgotten-limited

“Reunion”
5″ x 7″ – limited edition of 50
Purchase at: https://www.etsy.com/listing/98745702/print-reunion-limited-edition-of-50

“Vacation”
6″ x 6″ – limited edition of 50
Purchase at: https://www.etsy.com/listing/43228236/print-vacation-limited-edition-of-50

“Faces In The Sky”
5″ x 7″ – limited edition of 30
Purchase at: https://www.etsy.com/listing/98745983/print-faces-in-the-sky-limited-edition

“Village Folks”
8″ x 8″ – limited edition of 50
Purchase at: https://www.etsy.com/listing/94349168/print-village-folks-limited-edition-of
The orignal of this one is also 8″ x 8″ and is available at Lumen Gallery in Capitola CA, (831) 607-9255.
Thanks for taking this little black and white journey. I hope you enjoyed it.
See ya!
– Jeff