Ballerina

Two Ballerinas Dancing In The Night. This is the final painting of the year before I ring in the new year. For some reason, the video isn't uploading, so here is the completed piece. If you want to view the video, you can see it at my instagram - @johnpriceart. Ugh ... damn ... even the link isn't working on my blog. #getitrightblogger ...
I'll be finishing up all commissions and then moving this weekend. Gonna restructure my art, writing, and direction in life. God I'm looking forward to this next chapter.

A portrait of Tyrion Lannister for my lovely daughter for Christmas

This lady has been collecting my work for some time, and after buying a Billie Holiday painting a few months ago, she commissioned me to do an Aretha Franklin right before Christmas.

Ballet WIP

Taking a step back from commissions today to put something small together. Hopefully it comes together how I visualize it.

Rumors of War unveiling

Today, I had the opportunity to go to the VMFA for the unveiling of Kehinde Wiley's statue, Rumors of War. It was raining, but there had to be close to 1000 people in attendance. Mayor Levar Stoney, Justin Fairfax and Gov. Northam were there. Unfortunately, as Mr. Wiley said, "ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Rumors of War," the tarp got caught on the dreads of the rider.

The lady standing directly to my left said, "this is perfect. It's almost a testament to the struggle for equality that minorities have. It's like there's a fight just to claim equality, and that tarp is an example of everything standing in their way to be equal."

So what's up with the velociraptor? There's a house in Richmond a few miles from my apartment that has it in their yard.

Farmer's Market Alley in progress

And ... back to working on this masterpiece of the alley across the street from the Richmond Farmer's Market. With a new work schedule, finding time to paint for myself is something I've lost touch of for the last year or so.

Completed Novel

There it is, a completed first draft of 50,108 words to complete the National Novel Writing Month Challenge. Done!

This is one of those hard posts that is difficult to make, simply because of the image above. Everything that could possibly be thrown at me in November, was thrown at me. From making the decision to move, leave a job I've been at for five years, falling into the same, sad routine of making the same mistakes with people who aren't serious about being in your life, to losing the family dog of over 13 years, it just felt like everything was falling apart. I don't like to use my blog to talk about overly personal things, but I feel like a lot of people go through the same shit, and we don't talk about it for fear of being judged.

And yet, in this darkness, I was able to pen a 50,000 word novel through it all. I'm looking forward to this new transition, and continuing on pursuing my writing and pushing my art.

Edward Hopper at the VMFA

A few weeks ago, I went to the VMFA to see the Edward Hopper exhibit. It was mainly about his artwork in hotels, and they even had a room at the VMFA set up like one of his paintings that people can rent out. I am someone who strives for detail, and was surprised at how simple his paintings were. In each one, the loneliness stands out as the models are so disconnected from each other. I found out his wife kept insanely detailed notes about his work, and had tons of journals about their travels. More than one person remarked at how lifeless the people in his paintings looked. They were simple, but damn they were amazing to look at. My favorite painting was the house hotel (5th painting down) where the light kind of glows from around it. 

The museum officials could be overbearing and would walk all the way across the room and get on to patrons like they were children. It was annoying. I've been to the Smithsonian more than once, as well as the Museum at Cairo, and none of the officials were as overbearing as the ones at the VMFA. It was difficult to study the brush strokes and colors without some jackass pestering you. 

Shortly after going, my phone began to act up and I took it in to get repaired. It took them a few days to get it back to me, and when they did, all my photos were wiped out. These were a few that I sent to myself, but the detailed shots as well as personal pics and messages ... all gone. 

Anyway, I plan to go back before the exhibit leaves. Hopper has been one of my favorite artists, and I plan to get to the Art Institute of Chicago to see his Nighthawks painting some day. 

Writing Update

If you've been following my blog for years, you know that I also write. Right now, I'm doing the National Novel Writing Month, where you see if you can crack out a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Right now, I'm sitting at over 30,000 words and along with having to put down our dog of over 13 years and getting a new job, this shit is exhausting. I'm detailing it in my blog, and you can click on the link and follow my progress, along with some of my other writing projects.
https://johnpriceauthor.wordpress.com/2019/11/18/an-update/

Sword Sheath Commission

RVA Farmer's Market Work In Progress

Toning the canvas to this next masterpiece. Usually you tone the canvas before you start a project, but I wanted to make sure I knew where my cool and warm colors were going to be first.

RVA Farmer's Market Work In Progress

I've come to love Richmond, and not just the touristy noticeable places, but also the back alleyways and side streets. i am painting the alley across the street from the Richmond Farmer's Market just at daybreak. The light from the morning sun is just beginning to peer over the top of the building while the streetlights and darkness of the alley adds a stark contrast.

A Golddigging Whore

The first two pages from my next short story, 'Pregator' to be released on September 25. Click the link to preorder your copy.

TOYA LOOKED DOWN AT HER flat, brown stomach. There were no stretch marks, no blemishes, and the smooth, dark shadows where her belly contoured from defined abs was a beautiful sight. She lifted her breasts and watched as she ran her finger down past per belly button. Further, she continued until at last, she touched the trimmed pubes.

She spread her legs and let her fingers continue downward.

Whatever he is doing with his tongue is amazing, she thought, placing her hand on the back of his head, holding him there. 

Damn … right there.

Yes … that’s the spot.

Ooooh … fuck … that tongue of his.

Holy shit.

As Karl ran his tongue inside her, slowly flicking in and out, up and down, he moaned as well. It was almost as if he was getting off from going down on her as much as sh enjoyed receiving it. Holding his bald head there, she could feel the twitches begin to build inside. 

Damn … that bald head of his. A dark skinned man with a beard and bald head … double damn.

It was getting good, too. The sensations began to build up as he swirled his tongue around, flitting back and forth … sucking on her lips and clit. She dug her nails into his shoulders and he stopped. Karl lifted himself toward her and began to kiss her breasts, positioning himself between her legs.

Fuck.

It’s not that he was bad at sex, but he was definitely not the best.

As she attempted to mentally prepare herself for sex with him, she drifted off into fantasies of Martin.

Now that … that was a man who could fuck. 

Karl pushed himself inside and began to rock back and forth, but her mind was nowhere in this. Her mind was on Martin.

It was always on Martin.

Even now as she lay there with Karl’s baby inside her womb, her mind was on the past. The problem was, she hadn’t told Karl yet that he was going to be a daddy. They were still early in their relationship - barely six months. She’d quit taking the pill behind his back, and unfortunately for him, nature took its course. Besides, she’d just found out this morning.

She wanted to get pregnant.

A son. 

Toya wanted a son.

She always wanted a son for some reason.

Her biological clock was ticking, and if she and Karl didn’t work out, at least she’d be set financially. Her fantasy was to be with Martin, but Martin was not only ‘not’ the relationship type, but he was a piece of shit.

Nonetheless, she was still in love with him. She even had his birthday as the password to her phone.

But although she wasn’t in love with Karl, she knew he’d be a great father. Her only agony now was in how to break the news to him. As he pumped back and forth, sliding in and out of hr body, the only feeling greater than the sensation was the emotions she had for another man. It was fucked up, but it wasn’t something she could control. Everyone has that oneperson that stays in their heart, and for her, it was Martin.

Toya wasn’t in the mood for sex tonight. She tried her best to stay in character and moan, but her mind wasn’t in the right place. Unfortunately, Karl could sense it. 

“What’s going on?” he asked, slowing his thrusts to a complete stop.

Toya could feel him hard and erect inside her. He hadn’t come yet, but the throbbing and pulsing could be felt throughout her body.

“What do you mean babe?”

“You’re not here,” he said. 

He pulled himself out and slid over and beside her. Most men were not big on snuggling, but it was something Karl enjoyed. He pressed himself up against her and placed his hand over on her belly. 

“I can just feel it,” he continued. “Something you want to talk about?”

He was obviously disappointed; why wouldn’t he be? She’d just killed the mood.

“Just a lot of shit going on at work and they’re downsizing. I just feel like my job might be on the chopping block,” she lied.

Toya’s position at her job was pretty safe. She was the HR manager for a family-owned car dealership in Richmond, close to where the Staples Mill Road met West Broad Street. Broad Street, in both east and west directions, was the main road that cut through the city. Car dealerships were dotted throughout the city, but the largest, and most successful ones were on Broad Street. 

Toya made pretty decent money, but it wasn’t the best. Karl, as a lover, was the best option for her. At this moment, however, she didn’t feel comfortable breaking the news to him. 

Not now.

Not with his penis still staring back at her.

How she would tell him, she didn’t know. She hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“I’m sorry babe. I wanted to see you tonight, but it’s just weighing on me.”

“No, it’s okay,” Karl said. “You want to talk about it?”

“Not really. You don’t mind if I spend the night?” she asked.

Karl didn’t rally like her spending the night. It wasn’t that hat he didn’t trust her or had anything against it. It was that his ex-wife would sometimes drop their children off if she had an early morning appointment. 

Karl had been married for eight years, and upon his divorce, he had partial custody of his children. He and his ex were cordial with each other, and Toya rarely heard him say anything negative about her. However, he was veery protective of his children, even if he didn’t see them but a few times a month. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see them - it was that his job forced him to work long hours.

As a trial lawyer who worked for a large corporation in the city, not only did Karl put in a ton of countless hours, but he was paid very, very well in his field of work.

Toya knew this, and she wanted to milk this gravy train as long as she could.

It was wrong. She knew this.

But getting pregnant by him would put her in a better position financially. She was an attractive and sexy woman, with a sweet pussy and tight body, and could easily be trapped regardless of his level of success.

Rich or poor, men were all the same. They were controlled by their desires and easily let down their guard in hopes of quick, and good sex. They would never admit that pussy controlled them, but these were the biological facts.

Men were so stupid. 

https://www.amazon.com/Pregator-John-Price-ebook/dp/B07X48JN2D/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=pregator&qid=1568115741&s=gateway&sr=8-2

Aretha - In Progress Commission

One final color study

One final study of the Richmond Farmer's Market at night before starting the actual painting. I've been over there with a friend quite a lot lately and this alley really stood out to me.

Night Alley Study Cont'd

This is the completed study of the night alley in Richmond, right near the Farmer's Market. I went out there to take a pic of it at night and then another time during the day. Then, I had a model stand in front of the building during the daytime and took a pic. I got the idea from Magritte, where there's clearly a clash of day and night - the nighttime alley with a daytime sky. I'm not sure if I'll leave the model in just yet. This was a challenge in and of itself because I'm used to painting a scene realistic, and here, it just doesn't make sense.

Just some random thoughts

One of the biggest issues I have with social media is also one of the things I love about it. As an artist and writer who is trying to make a name for myself, I have to be completely transparent, especially when it comes to social media. It requires you to put yourself out there and in doing so, you open yourself to scrutiny, overbearing followers, and of course, admirers and buyers. The last two are what you want, but unfortunately, you have to take the first two as well.
It's often been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. That being said, 'likes' on Facebook and Instagram also speak a thousand words. When the same person continually likes and follows your work, the public make the assumption that either a. the person is a huge fan, or b. maybe they have a "thing" going on. People who suffer from low self esteem tend to latch on to the latter, that the artist, author, actor, must have a "thing" going on with the person liking their pics. They form an idea about that 'like' button and the poster is now guilty of those ideas.
The worst part of it all, is that the ones who form these ideas have the luxury of keeping their own life (and shall we add, dirt) private, all the while making assumptions about the poster.
The reason I write this blog is because of a comment that was made from someone just based off of 'likes' on my art. I have a few people who follow me regularly, and I guess that means I have some kind of relationship with them. A friend once told me that the guy who created the 'like' button, Justin Rosenstein, regrets ever creating it. He said that people validate themselves off of a like. Think about it, people actually pay for likes on Instagram. That's like paying people to give you an applause after doing a show. Who does that? Either people like my shit or they don't.
That being said, if people feel validated based off of likes, I can't imagine how many relationships are destroyed because a woman saw her boyfriend getting a lot of likes from a woman, and assumed he and she were involved.
It's disgusting. It really is.

Night Alley Study Cont'd

More of the Night Alley study near the Richmond Farmer's Market. I had this idea of doing a daytime sky with a nighttime image of the alley and see which one looks better - one that is empty, and the other with a person standing in the middle of the alley with daylight shining on them. I have no idea if it'll work, but I'm doing two mockups side by side. Yes, I know the lettering on the building is of different sizes, but I'm going more for the look of the image - one with a person or on without. I'll post the final image when I get finished doing the studies.

Night Alley Study

The beginning studies of a night alley in Richmond near the Farmer's Market. I had this idea of a Magritte-style painting, where it's clearly at night, but a daytime skyline. In one image, I'll just have the alley, and in the next image, I'll do the same painting, but with a woman standing alone. I just want to see what kind of effect the night/day looks in the painting.

Tobacco Row Lofts

Completed painting of Tobacco Row in Richmond, VA. The painting is on display at MCV until September 2. When I started the painting, Connecticut, the sculpture of an American Indian, was at the top right near the Lucky Strike Factory. He's since been taken down.

Tobacco Row Work In Progress

In the front of all those Tobacco Row apartments, there are a TON of trees. Originally I was going to leave them out because I wanted to have the apartments stand out. Sorry, I love trees ... couldn't help myself.

I do this thing I like to call, 'how do I lower my property value' and then I go from there. Today, I painted the Argonath on my door. I'll put color on it later on. 

Tobacco Row - Work In Progress

Tobacco Row - Work In Progress

Work In Progress

Start of another painting of Tobacco Row in Richmond, VA

RVA Coffee Art

I went to Sub Rosa Bakery about 2 weeks ago. No matter how many layers of the coffee from the espresso I put down, I couldn't seem to get it as dark as I wanted. I decided to eliminate the people in the painting. Usually I will put the patrons in the painting, but it just seemed to take away from the ambiance of the painting. We met a really nice couple there. They were the friendliest couple. Definitely going back to this wonderful place.

Last week, I forgot to upload this. I went to Whisk, a bakery and coffee shop (amazing macaroons by the way) in Richmond and painted the inside of the shop with espresso