Fifth Post: Cotton Monster & Ornaments

"Cotton Monster"

12 x 17

Photoshop CS5

Second part of my illustration series based around the American slave trade, showing the systematic and machine-like qualities of slavery. The cotton industry depended a on slave labor, that why the diagram of the cotton gin is shown along with cotton fields. 

"Ornaments"

12 x 17

Photoshop CS5

The third part of my slave trade project shows the mechanic practice of lynching. Along with the other illustrations that depict a diagram or schematic, this one shows the step-by-step way to tie a noose, suggesting that it is still apart of a systematic institution. 

Fourth Post: African Cargo

"African Cargo"

12 x 17 

Photoshop CS5

The first of a series of illustrations based around the African slave trade in America. I wanted to illustrate the confined, brutal conditions of their storage as well as the dehumanization they where subjected to. 

Third Post: Scratch Board

"Tears"

20 x 16

Scratch Board

Second Post: Charcoal

Crimson Nightmare

18 x 24, Charcoal and Crayon on red paper

Second to last assignment for figure drawing II. Wanted to use facial expressions from a single source (myself) and also wanted to try out red paper. Red paper is awesome btw!

First Post

Hey everyone!
I'm Keegan Brennen and this is my first post! I don't have anything planned for this post but I will for the next time. So to get things started, I'm going to post my summer work.  This summer I mostly worked in Oils and Photoshop CS5 ( I got a brand new Webcom tablet for Christmas and I'm still trying to figure out how to use it ) And by the way, I do a LOT of self Portraits.

Ok so this was my Figure Painting final earlier this spring

Afro Scream

 30x40, Oil on canvas 

My first painting this summer. I really wanted to paint on 

wood because I love the texture of the grain. 

Birthday Suit

 11x11, Oil on wood

More Portraiture, this time my Uncle. Wanted to paint an elderly man that

 expressed "stern wisdom." Along witht he bold red and flat black lines, I wanted to 

emphasis aggression at it's most iconic. 

Call Me Uncle

10x10, Oil on canvas

Towards the end of the summer, I wanted to make a large mixed media thing- of -a gig. And thats what this is! I used spray-paint, india ink, acrylic paint and salt on individually cut pieces of board, then arranged them into this wonderful thing. 

Fetish

22x47, Mixed Media 

I am a cartoonist at heart. As a way to break from my summer of portrait painting,

 I did this oil painting that combines my love of African masks and eastern philosophy. 

Siddhartha of the Motherland/ Cosmic Black Buddha, 

24x18, Oil on canvas

This piece was inspired by a song that one of my friends wrote called "Substorm."

Sunstorm

 Scratch Board, Mixed Media