Category Archives: Figurative Painting & Drawing

New work from The Lebowski Cycle – Limited edition etching of The Taking of Christ

The Taking of Christ (After Caravaggio) • Joe Forkan 2012, etching and aquatint with soft ground on 100% cotton acid-free paper, 13.25″ x 23.75″ image size, 19″ x 30″ sheet size

New work from the Lebowski Cycle! This hand-pulled print (etching and aquatint with soft ground) is based on the painting “The Taking of Christ”, which references Caravaggio’s painting of the same name. This is the first of several paintings from the Lebowski Cycle that I am going to tackle as prints.

I’ve had a lot of people ask if this was a photo etching of the painting. It isn’t. The image is drawn by hand and printed by hand. The process demands a very different approach to building images than painting does, and lends itself to a very different range of possibilities. Working in black and white also creates a different feel, which I was very interested in exploring.

The edition is printed on 100% cotton paper in a hand pulled edition of 30. Each print is signed and numbered. The price is $300.00 and includes FREE Shipping and Handling within the Continental US.

Exhibition posters from the Lebowski Cycle Exhibition

Exhibition posters of The Oath of the Horatii, from the Lebowski Cycle Exhibition are also still available 28.00. (The posters include FREE Shipping and Handling within the Continental US).

The poster is an 18 X 25.25 Digital Offset Print –  Limited Edition of 200 – Signed and Numbered by the Artist.

A list of prints and posters can be found the main menu bar.

The Lebowski Cycle at MOCA Jacksonville • Feb. 3 — April 1, 2012

I was recently invited to do a painting workshop and a series of lectures at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville as part of the Barbara Ritzman Devereux Artist Workshops, in coordination with The Lebowski Cycle exhibition at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville, (where I also gave a lecture on the Lebowski Cycle). I also spoke at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

These photos are of the exhibit at MOCA Jacksonville, which is up through this Sunday.

The Lebowski Cycle at MOCA Jacksonville • Opens Feb. 3 — April 1, 2012

An exhibition of paintings from The Lebowski Cycle opens tomorrow at MOCA Jacksonville. 11 paintings from the cycle are included in the exhibition, which runs through April 1st.  A talk on the series will be given at MOCA on Thursday, March 8 at 7:00, followed by a screening of The Big Lebowski at 9:00.

LECTURE – March 8:
Ideas and Process: Painting The Lebowski Cycle
7 p.m.

 

 

More information can be found on the MOCA Jacksonville website.

 

Lebowski Cycle etching w/ added conté & graphite @ Laguna Art Museum Auction 2012

The Taking of Christ (After Caravaggio) • Joe Forkan 2012, Conté crayon and graphite over etching and aquatint on paper, 13.25" x 23.75"

From the Laguna Art Museum website: “This stylish event will showcase works of art from over 100 premier California artists, which will be sold during a fast-paced live auction as well as an exciting silent auction. Attendees will have the opportunity to support the museum’s extraordinary education and exhibition programs by adding prestigious works of art by California artists to their collection.”

The Art Auction Preview begins Tuesday 31st, 11:00 a.m.-5:00 .p.m. at the Laguna Art Museum. Admission to the Preview is free.

The Art Auction is 6:00-9:00 Saturday Feb. 4, 2012. More info can be found on the Laguna Art Museum’s Auction website.

This reworked early stage etching is included in the Laguna Art Museum’s Auction 2012. The etching has been underway for some time and the final stage is being printed right now.

I will post more information and images soon.

The Lebowski Cycle – Jester (Detail)

Detail - Jester (After Velazquez's Portrait of Pablo de Valladolid) • Joe Forkan oil on linen, 48" x 76" (121.92 cm x 193.04 cm)

I just received some new photos of The Lebowski Cycle paintings that I had shot while the Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion exhibition was still up. Photographer Susan Einstein did a great job and I got many very clear detail shots like the one above (the complete painting is here.) I’ll be swapping out some of the post images for some of the clearer ones from this shoot, and posting more process info on the paintings soon.

The show is down now, but most of the paintings (and a few additional ones) are going to travel to an exhibition of The Lebowski Cycle at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville, FL

That exhibition opens at the end of February 2012.

More on that soon.