Danny Schutt

A Moose, A Bear and an Assortment of Weapons

2011-12-12T17:52:00.000-08:00

All new pieces created for the group show 'Trash' that just ended last week. Each piece was originally part of a shelving unit found in a dumpster. Each shelf was removed, stained, and paper was applied to the background before painting the image on the top.

More shows at Hold Up Art to be announced soon...

California Black Bear
.357 Magnum
North American Moose
A Grouping of Arrows
are all ink and paper on repurposed wood shelving, various sizes.

A New Map of North America

2011-11-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

Based on maps made around the 1850s.

Ink on found fence boards. 29.5" x 34"

Part of my new collection of art for Trash premiering tomorrow night.

North Western Moose

2011-11-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

One of eleven brand new pieces for Trash at Hold Up Art Starting this weekend. To follow the theme used for this show, I actually pulled apart and used a bunch of shelves found in the trash for this painting and the three others like it. The framing around each shelf was stained and the shelf tops were covered in old dictionary pages, which was then the surface I painted each picture on.

Only three more days!

Preview

2011-10-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

One of my small acrylic transfers for the upcoming show Trash at Hold Up Art Gallery in Los Angeles. acrylic transfer on found wood. 2.25" x 1.75"

Trash

2011-10-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

New show coming up November 5th with all new artwork and a bunch of amazing talent. Other artists in this show include:

Cody Lusby, Alex Chui, Craig 'Skibs' Barker, Kelly Castillo, Matthew Hodges, Noel Paris, Ryan Pratt, and Kilby Rodell. Each name is linked to their website so you can check them out. More information under 'Events'.

Trashshow.com

Holdupart.com

The Spool is Unwinding

2011-09-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

"The law can be stood on its head. When your ten years are up they can say, 'Here's another ten for you.' Or exile you.Yet there were times when you thought about it and you almost choked with excitement. Yes, your term really is coming to an end; the spool is unwinding..."-from One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksander Sozlhenitsyn.

The Spool is Unwinding is ink, acrylic, and newspaper on wood panel. 24" x 36"

Masters of this House

2011-09-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

" I wish you welcome, comrades peasants! You come here not as guests, but as masters of this house, which holds the heart of the Russian Revolution. The will of millions of workers is now concentrated in this hall... There is now only one master of the Russian land: the union of the workers, soldiers and peasants..."
-Leon Trotsky. 1917. As quoted from John Reed's 10 Days that Shook the World

Peasants protesting the Tsarist regime and the bourgeois power over them.
The banner in the painting reads: Death to Freedom.

Masters of this House is ink and newspaper on wood panel. 72" x 36"

By Hundreds and Thousands

2011-09-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

"The solemn proletariat revolutionaries with rifles half smile at the viewer as the series of seven post-card-sized drawings of a murder of crows exhibited above the painting look as if they're flying over the revolutionary's heads, lending exhilaration and movement to the freedom the men are fighting for." -from Dave Barton's review You Say You Want a Revolution?, OC Weekly 9.2.2011

I thought that was an interesting way of putting it. The only thing I want to add is that the crows lend an ominous for boding of a dark future that, at the moment seems so bright and free during their victorious revolution.

By Hundreds and Thousands is ink, acrylic, book pages on wood panel. 42.5" x 28"
Each crow above is ink and newspaper on wood panel. 4.5" x 6.5".

read more of that article here.

A Quarter and Five on the Horns

2011-09-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

A quarter and five on the horns means twenty five years and five additional years of deprivation of civil rights. In keeping track of the time until one got out of the labor camps, a simple mark scrawled on the wall meant one day closer to freedom. This installation piece shows almost one year of that time.

A Quarter and Five on the Horns is roughly 1.5" x 2" each. Acrylic on stained wood.

...To the Last Clang of the Rail

2011-09-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

"A day without a dark cloud. Almost a happy day.
There were three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days like that in his stretch.
From the first clang of the rail to the last clang of the rail."
-One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

...To the Last Clang of the Rail is ink and newspaper on wood panel. 48" x 48"

Below is a video of the final step in the process of making these pieces. I already penciled in the outlines and just needed to ink everything in. Thanks Zachs for the extra help with the video, it wouldn't have been possible without both of you.

No. Fifty Eight

2011-09-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

A flower for all those condemned under Article Fifty Eight during Stalin's reign.

No. Fifty Eight is ink, oil, and newspaper on wood panel. 15.5" x 18.25". Framed

Prisoners

2011-09-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

Prisoner no. 281

Prisoner no. 282

Prisoner no. 283

Prisoner no. 281, Prisoner no. 282, Prisoner no. 283 are ink and newspaper on wood panel. 16" x 23" each. Framed.

A Day Without a Dark Cloud

2011-09-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

"A Day without a dark cloud. Almost a happy day."
-One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksander Solzhenitsyn

A Day Without a Dark Cloud is ink, acrylic, and newspaper on wood panel.
Part of the current show "By Hundreds and Thousands" at Rothick Art Haus.

From the Show

2011-09-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

Russian Red

2011-08-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

During the October Revolution the Winter Palace was raided of its wine cellars and made much of the Petrograd population quite drunk. It got to the point that a decree was issued that any stock of wine found would be blown up with dynamite... To celebrate the wine pogrom issued by the Regimental Committee, Lenin, and Trotsky, I give you Russian Red... almost good enough to be straight from the cellar of the Winter Palace.

The Modern Matryoshka

2011-04-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

Solzhenitsyn: front

Solzhenitsyn: side

Solzhenitsyn: back

Tolstoy: front

Tolstoy: side

Tolstoy: back

Dostoevsky: front

Dostoevsky: side

Dostoevsky: back

Inside

Finished!

2011-04-06T14:32:00.000-07:00

After many intense hours, these dolls are all finished and ready to be shown this weekend. For Solzhenitsyn, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky I also designed an official 'stamp' for the bottom of each one and included their names in English and Russian. When creating these, I decided to size each one according to his age, with the oldest (Dostoevsky) being the smallest. It was in no way to show partiality to Solzhenitsyn, but rather, as they are stacked inside each other, to show how each inspires the next.

The Modern Matryoshka opening reception is April 9th at 7pm
Click here for more details.

Adding Detail... after detail... after detail

2011-04-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

Well I have now definitely spent a lot more time working on these dolls than I originally intended. I just kept dreaming bigger. For starters, I added special touches to the inside of each doll. I pasted in old Russian newspaper, and included images I found from these papers on the inside bottom of each 'cup'. Then to add a bit of much needed color, I painted the insides red. On the outside, I decided to finish each doll off with a textured looking fabric sketch. You can see me working on Solzhenitsyn's herringbone jacket above. I had to put on two coats of lines in order to achieve the darkness I wanted, but I think it turned great. I will be adding textured 'fabrics' to the other two dolls as well and the next posting should be the finalized product.

Character Begins to Show

2011-03-30T17:26:00.000-07:00

I got the faces all inked in using a micro pigment pen and each doll is beginning to show some life! Using the curves of the wooden doll to accentuate each face by placing the eyes, mouth, and especially the nose on the right part of the curve required a little extra thought, but so far so good...

Drawing Out the Matryoshka

2011-03-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

Here are the first, and very rough sketches of each doll. After a long debate with myself I decided on doing three of the most influential Russian authors: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Solzhenitsyn. I didnt want to make them too cartoony and goofy looking though. Hopefully I can accomplish that.... At this point they are mere sketches, and I havent even started working on the body of each one, because well, Im not sure what to do to them at this point. I have been debating doing different, more traditional patterns and colors, drawing clothing, scenes from their literature, or keeping it really simple and just staining them with a light pattern. It should be figured out by next post...

In Preparation for the Modern Matryoshka

2011-03-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

Ill be part of another group show at the Rothick Arthaus soon. We have over 50 artists painting Matryoshka (Russian nesting) dolls. This is going to be insane! I will be posting up pictures as I work on these dolls. The first is what I have to work with... more coming later this week!

Whole Lotta Rosas

2011-02-14T17:02:00.000-08:00

Artwork done for the "Whole Lotta Rosas" show this past Friday at the Camp in Costa Mesa (photos of the event coming soon). The second photo is 15 parts that comprise the piece "Soldiers! Workers! Citizens!" There are still a few left if anyone wants them...

A Glimpse

2011-02-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

Here is a few of the 15 individual parts that comprise the piece "Solders! Workers! Citizens!" that will be on display this Friday. Though it is one piece, I will be selling off the individual 'parts' starting at $20 each.

"A Whole Lotta Rosas" Group art show
at Ecco at the Camp in Costa Mesa
click here for more info
Directions

Shows Added!

2011-01-24T18:02:00.000-08:00

I have added two new shows to the year. Both are coming up rather quickly with the first, A Whole Lotta Rosas, happening on February 11th. It is a one night show at the Camp in Costa Mesa and will feature a wide variety of artists focusing their talents on this rose themed art show. It is being put on by Tim Shelton, a tattoo artist from Costa Mesa. There will be a lot of fresh, new artwork there, live painting by some of the artists, and the best part!?! Nothing costs over $200!

then....

On April 9th, Rothick Arthaus will be putting on a massive Nesting Doll art show. There will be hundreds of nesting or matryoshka dolls painted and created by over 50 artists. Both events will be a lot of fun, and there will be no shortage of cool things to look at.
Visit my events page for more information (more will be added as soon as I know).
Contact me if you have any questions

After a Long Break...

2011-01-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

I still believe the best Christmas presents are ones that people made themselves. Though I dont think much could beat last years christmas present to my fiance, this year's is pretty cool too. I made this box from left over construction wood. I brushed a clear coat on the outside of the box to enhance and protect the wood from aging. The inside is lined with cactus and succulent illustrations from a book I picked up at the thrift store. Tell me this isnt better than any box you could buy in a store...

The box is 10" x 6.5" x 5"

National Homeless Youth Awareness Month

2010-10-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

I created these posters for YouthHope in Redlands, CA to help promote National Homeless Youth Awareness Month. They will be placed all over the city of Redlands and the surrounding area to help raise public awareness. They also have a hotline number for homeless youth to call to get help. If you dont know about YouthHope, I posted some of the information from their website below:

YouthHope is a non-profit organization that helps homeless youth in Redlands, CA receive the medical, dental, and eye care they need. They also help them get into schools and job training programs. YouthHope feeds an average of 50 youth every Tuesday and Thursday who would go hungry without their help.

Visit the YouthHope website

The best way you can help YouthHope and the homeless teens and young adults in Redlands is through donations.

Click here to learn more

Feel free to print these out and distribute them. The full size I uploaded on Flickr is just right for 8.5" x 11" posters.

Manipulated Photos

2010-10-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

Photoshopped images I created to use as the background for a series of posters I am currently working on for YouthHope. November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month and these posters will be going up all over Redlands, CA to help raise awareness for these homeless young adults. Ill post up the final versions with text next week, but thought I would share these photos with you now....

Bears

2010-10-08T16:17:00.000-07:00

For the past month I have been really busy and unable to do very much artwork... and its been killing me! Finally today I was able to sit down and just draw something for fun. Lately Ive been wanting to draw bears. Im not sure what brought it on, but I have actually used them in a few different things over the last couple weeks. Here is a bear I drew with my wacom tablet in Illustrator. I still have a few fixes to make, but this is a good stopping point for now...

Apples Are People Too

2010-09-25T23:40:00.000-07:00

Standing up for the rights of apples everywhere.

Promo Cards

2010-09-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Ok the final part before the big show was to make some promo cards. I only make 100 of these per show and use some part of my artwork for one side - in this case Aleksandr's face. I thought about going as far as numbering these just to add a personal touch, but just didn't have enough time or energy to do it.

In case you missed this show, I will be back at Rothick again next August for my first solo show! It seems like a long time to wait, but I know it will be worth it...

Portrait of Aleksandr

2010-08-31T12:51:00.000-07:00

This is the finished portrait of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and I have to say, the photo does not do it justice. This thing is really big, like four feet tall big! If you have a chance, go check it out, as this is the last weekend it will be hanging in the gallery, or if your around during the week you can call and make an appointment (Rothick.com).

I created a page for all the steps in making this portrait of Aleksandr. The steps are in descending order so you can easily scroll through the entire process. Click the link below to see this process and read more about the meaning behind this portrait of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

Creating the Portrait of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Portrait of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is ink, oil, and paper (pages from Cancer Ward) on wood panel. 32" x 48". Sold

The March to Tashkent

2010-08-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

Here is another piece from my show at the Rothick Arthaus. Entitled The March to Tashkent, it is based on a time when Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, while still serving time in the labor camps (gulags), had to go to a hospital in Tashkent because of a tumor. His tumor was removed, but the cancer was not diagnosed for a few more years, almost killing him (I know what that feels like). This hospital in Tashkent was the inspiration for his novel Cancer Ward, a story where he used tumors as a metaphor for the problems in Russia. The novel is also the basis for most of my artwork in this show.

The March to Tashkent is ink, acrylic, and newspaper on wood panel. 24" x 32"

Portraits

2010-08-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

Vadim (lives!)

Pavel Nikolayevich Rusanov

Friedrich Federau

Aleksei Filippovich Shulubin

Oleg Filimonovich Kostoglotov

These are all small 8" x 10" portraits of some of the characters in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's book Cancer Ward (the same book I used for the background of Aleksandr's portrait). I was originally going to make eleven portraits to coincide with the eleven patients in Cancer Ward, (which also happens to be the number of years Aleksandr spent in labor camps and the number of flowers I made for exactly that reason) but I ran short on time after having quite a few complications... so there may be more of these to come.

Each portrait is ink, oil, and newspaper on wood panel. 8" x 10"

Beneath the Broken Bottles Recap

2010-08-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Awesome night on Saturday for the opening of Beneath the Broken Bottles and Cigarette Butts. I included a few pictures, but didnt have a whole lot of time to take much more than that. I met quite a few artists, chatted with tons of interesting people, and sold quite a few pieces - including the portrait of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn!

I will be profiling these new pieces a little closer the next few weeks and explain a little more about them. Make sure you check back for that! This show will be on display through Sept. 4th so get down there as this will be the last time they are all up together. Plus the artwork of Ryan Clemens and Cody Lusby (aka Mustachio) are amazing mixed media works and must be seen up close to really capture all their details. Thanks for everyone that came out and to those who now own a piece of my work!

Show this Saturday!

2010-08-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

The Agony of Drying Paint

2010-08-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

Well this is it! Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's portrait is finished...well mostly. I still have to let the oil paint dry, which can take up to a week! I put it and the flowers under a heat lamp to hopefully speed up the process; hoping that it will be dry enough to take to the gallery tomorrow. After they all dry, the flowers have to be pasted to boards and everything needs to get a nice protective clear coat put over them so they will last.

Unfortunately, I wont be putting up a picture of the finished portrait until after the show. It just looks so much better in real life, and I dont want to take away that element by showing you now. It would be like telling you how an intense movie ends... So instead Ill give you a little spy shot and a few other steps of things I worked on yesterday.

Only eight more days until the show!

This is what I CAN show you of the portrait

Here is the first step in redoing the flower in the portrait. I had to wipe off the oil paint first so I didnt smear it when I pasted the page over it.

Covered up the old flower

Now I start inking in the new, bigger flower

Add a little paint

And let them all dry

Off for Framing... and Flowers!

2010-08-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

I got the portrait of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn to a good stopping point and gave it to my neighbor to build a frame for it. We have been trading work back and forth, I design print and website stuff for his carpentry business, and he builds me beautiful frames. It has been working out great. So while the portrait is across the street, I have been keeping myself busy with these flowers. I am making ten of these, plus the one in the portrait makes eleven. Eleven flowers for eleven years Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn spent in the labor camps.

The process for making these is quite simple. I tried to use mainly photos I took of the roses in my backyard. Once I ran out of those I turned to the internet. I didnt spend a lot of time on the actual details and getting everything perfect. I wanted to keep them a little sloppy. I painted each flower on the beginning of each chapter, 1-10, from Solzhenitsyn's book Cancer Ward (the same book I used for his portrait). I will be selling these flowers at the art show for pretty cheap. Like $20 a piece, cheap. So make sure you come get one before they are all gone!

Almost Finished...

2010-08-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

After finishing up all the outlining, it was time to start filling in the body with black ink. I actually went back through and filled in all the smallest areas using that same fine point brush. I also used it to round out any detailed areas in preparation for a bigger brush. With artwork, I was always taught to use the biggest brush you can, and thats exactly what I did here. I used three different brush sizes to ink in all the areas. Below is as far as I got yesterday, that shoulder is responsible for most of my time...

My close friend and fellow world traveller has posted up Aleksander Solzhenitsyn's biography for this weeks Wikipedia Wednesday! Check it out here, and look at his site often. There is fresh and very entertaining posts daily and his music reviews are always right on. Thanks Brad!

And make sure you mark your calendars, call your friends, cancel your appointments, because Beneath the Broken Bottles and Cigarette Butts begins in 10 days!

Up close with the fine point brush.

Got the details in and even finished the flower. You can also see the pages I had to paste over for my late night shading mistakes. It all works out in the end... Now the body is ready for the big brush!

Inking in the Outline

2010-08-03T16:19:00.000-07:00

My next step, once I got everything in its proper place, is to ink in the outline. I am doing the whole portrait in ink because 1. its not thick like black paint 2. it blends really smoothly 3. it dries flat and doesnt show brush strokes. So basically Im going over all the lines I already drew, but with a bottle of ink and a very fine tipped brush. This actually took me most of the day to finish because this picture is huge and there is a lot of detail to it. Eleven days until opening night at the Rothick Arthaus!

On this day in 2008, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn passed away. I hope this portrait will both honor his accomplishments and inform more people about who he was and the relentless stand he took against the Soviet Union.

Tools of the trade.

You can see there is an area I still have to do on his chest. Im adding a flower in there and I just haven't figured out how I want to do it...

Detail shot of the sleeve after inking in the outlines. Can you find a penguin, a polar bear, a whale, and a map?

A Complex Drawing

2010-08-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

Now that I got all the pages pasted on a board, my next step is to start drawing Aleksandr. It was a full day just to get the outline and placement correct, and another half day for his shoulder. By the evening of the first day I was getting pretty tired and should've called it quits. Instead I got the idea to shade in the dark areas with a light ink wash so I could get a feel of how it will look. Afterward, I had to paste a few pages over the areas that should have stayed the page color...oops.

Penciled in the outline, and started to wash it with ink. Even there I had already painted over vital highlights. A few pages pasted over fixed it pretty easy though. You can also see the shoulder here is still pretty basic.

Finished shading the big areas. These will be black. Although it was a bad idea, at least you can see what it will kind of look like... its hard being patient.

His shoulder has so many little parts to it. It took me a long time and a lot of erasing to get it to look accurate and correctly shaped.

Beginning the Portrait

2010-07-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

It is two weeks before the art show at the Rothick, and Im creating things like mad! I have a lot of things I want to do for this show and of course they are all big, detailed, and take a lot of time. So the first one I am starting with is a portrait of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. He is a Russian author and Nobel prize winner. He had a pretty crazy life living in Soviet Russia, and writing all of his books in secret. Read his biography on the Nobel prize website.

I started researching Aleksandr a few weeks ago. I stumbled upon his biography while reading up on Russian history. I ordered a few of his books including "Cancer Ward" (which I am currently reading) and "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich". I also ordered an extra copy of "Cancer Ward" to use as the background of this piece. Below you can see what Ive done so far, and I will keep posting up my progress daily.

So far I have cooked up some wheatpaste... its super easy, cheap, works really good, and you can eat it (it doesnt taste very good but its just flour and water).
To make your own follow this simple recipe:
for every 3 tablespoons of flour, use 1 cup of water.
heat up water on stove without bringing to boil.
in separate container mix flour with a little water to make it pastey.
then pour into hot pot of water. mix for a few minutes.
I like to strain mine afterwards as I pour into a container, just to make it extra smooth.

Then I cut out pages of the book "Cancer Ward" and began pasting them to this a board. I use an old gift card to press them on there and flatten out any wrinkles.

There you have it.... more coming Monday!

In Preparation

2010-07-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

These three sketches are for an upcoming piece Im working on. Its gonna be pretty big and hopefully awesome. Actually I know its going to be awesome, and it will be revealed at the upcoming art show "Beneath the Broken Bottles and Cigarette Butts" at the Rothick Gallery in Anaheim, CA. I urge you all to come, its gonna be crazy! I will have my own room there and will be showing new stuff. I will also have a limited number of small sketches that will be sold for cheap! Make sure you get there on time so you can get one before they are all gone... Go to my events page for more information.

Gibson

2010-07-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

A little while ago one of my friends worked for a company that wanted artists to design guitars for them. He asked me if I would want to do one. It sounded cool to me so I went home and started playing around with ideas. Though it never got off the ground (the company shut down! talk about an unlucky break...), it was still entertaining and fun to think about. I thought an all white guitar with red roses would look pretty sweet too. The pictures you see are just photoshop comps of what my artwork could look like if I had a guitar to do it on...

Classes

2010-06-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well this week I finished up teaching my Intro to Sketching and Drawing class and my Photoshop class at the IncredibleArtist gallery. Both classes were three sessions and each session lasted three hours.

Intro to Sketching and Drawing was every Wednesday night. I ended up having four students (yes, I know there are only three in the picture... I can count, promise). It was a lot of fun, and I think we all learned a lot. We went over three different subject matters: still life, landscape, and portrait drawing. I pushed the students as much as I could without making them angry at me. I will be teaching more drawing classes later on this summer too. Ill let you know when I do...

The Photoshop class, I decided, would be better as a one on one class. It works out better this way because I can really focus on just one person at a time and make sure they understand stuff better. The lady I taught this week knew absolutely nothing about the program before we began. Now she can edit photos and knows the basics for almost any type of work in Photoshop. She will also be showing her work at the gallery starting tomorrow night at our summer Artapalooza party!

I only have a few photos from my classes, I will put up more once I get them from the gallery... Thanks Joanna, Liz, Stephen, Donny, and Diane!

Reclaimed pt.7

2010-06-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

One day while in Florence, my friends and I decided to jump on a train and see where it would take us. It sounded really exciting. First we stopped off at a small town to get some local wine, but the winery was closed. Then we got here. It was a big city with a big church built on the side of a hill. In fact most of this city was built on the side of the hill and had really steep streets going up it. We hiked up to see what we could see. I saw this and the rather large church. Afterward we thought the trip was kind of a waste, but I recently changed my mind because I just some art out of it...

In Italy is ink and acrylic on cardboard. 8.25" x 10.75"

Somewhere in London... Reclaimed pt. 6

2010-05-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

I took a photo of this while wandering around London. I believe I was on my way to St. Paul's Cathedral, but I could be wrong. It was an interesting place because among all these tall buildings was this pit where trains emerged from underground tunnels. I spent some time trying to find it on google maps, but i havent turned anything up just yet... if you happen to recognize this place let me know.

Somewhere in London is ink and acrylic on cardboard. 25" x 28"

part 6 of my "Reclaimed" series.

Steps:

Saints

2010-05-21T13:26:00.001-07:00

I painted these saints back in college and posted up the process a little while ago (see it here). Well I finally got frames built for them and they look amazing! If you look back at my previous post about them you can see they were all painted on a single board that I found behind a shop near my apartment. I had a lot of different crazy ideas about what to do to fill the space around them, but most of them were just too crazy. I already got an offer on one of them, but honestly, I just cant part with them just yet...

Trichotomy of Saints is oil on wood panel. 12.5" x 22.25" each

Torn Apart

2010-04-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

This series will be going to Amsterdam on Monday. It is now in the hands of two art collectors from that city. They are really cool guys that come out every year for Coachellafest and I couldnt be happier that they were the ones to get it.

I cant say it was really easy for me to part from this series, as I created it shortly after going in to remission from cancer. It is the first of my artwork to get in a gallery and it is also my first 'real' sale (see the original post here). On Thursday I got to pack it all up and ready it for the flight to its new home. The photo below includes one of the guys, Robert, and I in front of my series...

Torn Apart is a 9 panel series. Each panel is ink, acrylic, and newspaper on wood. 12" x 18"

Art4aCure

2010-04-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

I just finished this piece for Art4aCure. They are a non-profit organization that sells donated artwork to raise funds for stage one cancer research. This is the cutting edge research that explores new ways to fight cancer with less harm to the patient. It is a great NPO and I wanted to contribute something to them for a while. A lot of the artwork gets hung up in Premiere Oncology, an infusion room in Los Angeles.

I designed this piece specifically to be hung up there and used cool, calming colors for it. The meaning of flower itself is calming and relaxing and you are supposed to send it to people you admire. The white spatters project purity and cleanliness (from cancer), and encourages us to clear obstacles. The blue background invokes rest and serenity. The newsprint that is barely visible stands for all the things that gets put on a back burner while one fights through this life threatening disease (at least thats how it was for me).

Quite an explanation, but hopefully this helps some of the cancer patients who go to Premiere Oncology for chemo infusion...

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

2010-04-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

This is Pigeon Point Lighthouse, just south of Half Moon Bay in California. Its over a century old, and although updated with modern equipment, still aides in navigation. You cant go inside it since a large chunk fell off of it a few years ago, but you can stay at a hostel on the grounds. Its definitely a cool little piece of California history and that is why I chose it. I was commissioned to do this lighthouse after a friend of the crazy Martinez family saw the lamp post they got from me last month (from Eastside). I was happy to do it and I think it turned out pretty cool...

Pigeon Point Lighthouse is ink and acrylic on cardboard. 7.6" x 14"

Skate Deck Art Show Recap

2010-04-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone that could come out to the Room n Board Show at the Rothick Gallery last Saturday. There was a huge turn out, great food, amazing art, and a crazy crowd. I posted a few pictures from the event below...

Open Mic Night

2010-04-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

I literally just finished designing this poster. It was pretty short notice so I had to get something done quickly, which means I didnt have time for fresh brand new artwork. The sketch I used was something I did a while back using photoshop and my wacom tablet. Its a kind of self portrait... really I just needed a face in that pose, and well my face was available. So there you have it. If anyone is in Redlands (or even if your not) next Friday they should definitely check this out. The whole thing benefits YouthHope, a non-profit that works to help homeless kids get off the streets. Definitely worth your time...

Dont forget that my skate deck show is this Saturday! Go to my events section for more info

Skate Deck Art Show

2010-03-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

This was one of the big projects I have been working on. Its not so much that the artwork took a really long time, I mean it took a while (about a full day per board), but it was all the set up that kept me busy. I had to figure out if I wanted to use beat up decks or new ones (thanks Brad for all the decks!), how to make the broken boards hang like they are broken, and how to appropriately hang each one of them on the wall... it took some thinking.

The subject matter for this is an idea I've had for a while, and skate boards just seemed to work perfectly for it. The gun (both are the same model) is the first single action revolver made by Colt, it was named "The Peacemaker". The rose is actually pieced together from a few different pictures (including ones from my own backyard)... You will be able to see these boards at an upcoming skate deck art show at the Rothick Gallery in Anaheim. The information is below and in my new "Events" section to the right (or go to Rothick.com). I hope you all can come, it should be pretty fun! oh and did I mention Kogi's will be there?

Peacemaker is acrylic and ink on skateboards. Each board is about 8.5" x 34"

Windows

2010-03-12T17:18:00.001-08:00

I had done a few of these simple sketches with a light watercolor wash for color. This was probably the best one. At the time I thought it was a good idea to add a cup ring to it, I guess to add extra texture and make it 'sloppy'... it didnt work out.

Interview!

2010-03-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

I was on the news! Last week I was interviewed by CBS Local News regarding the Alphabet Board Project I talked about earlier (A is for Alphabet Board). I got to meet some cool people (thanks Louisa and Mary!), and talk about art and battling cancer. It was actually pretty fun and I think it turned out pretty good overall. After the interview I was told to stay seated on the stool. I had no idea I looked so serious when I sat on a stool...

Reclaimed pt.5

2010-02-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

Here are some smaller pieces I made for my reclaimed series. I pulled these from photos I took while traveling through Europe. The lamp post is London's East side and the cloud is from the sky. They will be used to fill in gaps in areas and add more interesting sizes to the collection. Nothing really exciting but itll be worth it in the end... trust me.

From East Side is acrylic and ink on cardboard. 10.5" x 3.75"Rain is acrylic and ink on cardboard. 3.25" x 5.25"
Related Posts:

A is for Alphabet Board

2010-02-23T22:23:00.000-08:00

Back in October I was asked to do a letter of the alphabet for the Palm Springs Unified School District. I was assigned 'X' (see it here). Well the alphabet board was finally assembled and has started making its rounds to the different schools to teach kids more about art and letters. As you can see these children now all have a better understanding of the diversity of the letter 'X' and look very excited to put it into use.

On a side note, I guess the artist who got 'W' doesnt know how to follow directions or never learned how to measure properly (its hard to see but its some big bowl made out of paper, well over the size limits). Its because of people like them that children grow up to do bad things...

After Greco

2010-02-12T16:24:00.000-08:00

I painted these saints a couple years back with the original intent of keeping the wood grain showing in different ways throughout the painting. As I got to those stages, I decided it would just look a whole lot better if I painted all of it, but left the outer edges as wood. I loved it for a while, but then it started to bug me. So now I am back to trying to figure out how I want to finish it. I have several different options in my head, but havent found out that solid idea just yet...so once I get some extra time Im gonna start to finish this piece... if that makes sense. I compiled this whole thing into the steps it took me to get to where I am.
After El Greco, The Trichotomy of Saints is oil on wood panel. 41.5"x24.25"

Leftovers

2010-01-22T14:55:00.000-08:00

This painting I just did yesterday. I dont like wasting excess paint, so all of the paint used here has been left overs from other projects. The purples, blues, and oranges are all from one of the first projects I posted on here (Color Assignment). All of the white was excess paint from the white wash used in upcoming pieces of my Reclaimed Series (pt.1, pt.2, pt.3, pt.4). The shapes in the smeared colors provided the "inspiration" for the cabin and forest (and what appears to be a volcano or forest fire in the background).

Moss Mountain Shanty is acrylic on paper. 8.5" x 11"

Shakespeare's Library (as told by my left hand)

2010-01-15T12:31:00.000-08:00

This is a charcoal sketch of Shakespeare's Library in Paris. Its a really cool old bookstore packed with books. They have a small place upstairs where I heard they let writers stay for free. Im not sure the validity of the source, but if its true I bet there's a long waiting list. I sketched this with my left hand while still suffering from tendonitis in my right (going on 9 months, aaaah!). I used this really old parisian charcoal from the early 1900s, I though it was appropriate for this sketch...

Shakespear's Library is charcoal on paper. 16" x 12"

Christmas, Rings, and Bullet Shells

2009-12-30T17:41:00.000-08:00

This Christmas I asked my girlfriend to marry me. We had decided ahead of time that instead of spending money on each other, we would make each other gifts. I made her this ring using .22 bullet casings and a hammer... it took me a few weeks to test different techniques and styles of rings to make. I finally settled with this one... We later went down to buy a more "formal" wedding ring, but if she said yes with a ring like this then you know she's a keeper.

Reclaimed pt.4

2009-12-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

Add this one to the slowly growing pile of the series I have entitled "Reclaimed"(pt.1, pt.2, pt.3).

Via Barcelona is Ink and Acrylic on Cardboard. 7" x 9.75"

Lotto Tickets

2009-12-04T14:34:00.000-08:00

I had a few lotto tickets laying around (i got two of the numbers right! pretty good eh?) and just started sketching on them. This is the result. No deep meanings, no planned out ideas, just did it for the fun of sketching. Bic pen on lotto ticket paper.

Krochet Kids Presents

2009-11-24T12:03:00.000-08:00

A billboard I painted for the Krochet Kids concert last friday. A lot of people came because of this painting.. I guess I shouldve painted "go home" on it because then maybe, just maybe, i would have won the raffle that night... live and learn. Tempera on glass 4' x 5.5' (estimate)

This painting made it on OrangeCounty.com! It was included in a write up about Krochet Kids. Click here to check it out.

Sans Skin

2009-11-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

Self portrait without all that skin and hair in the way... just stripped down to the bear bones. You gotta admit, according to this picture, I have a pretty decently shaped, proportionate skull. I did however throw a few extra teeth in there to make up for all the ones I broke... Oil on Watercolor Paper. 15" x 11.25"

Unknown

2009-10-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

Art for a cause. I used this piece for a domestic abuse forum at my university. The yellowing on the picture happened after I moved back to Palm Springs. I could paint over it, but decided that its just part of the natural aging and life of a portrait... Oil on canvas 16" x 20"

X is for Xenops

2009-10-23T14:37:00.001-07:00

The owner of the IncredibleArtist gallery approached a few artists (including me!) about a project being put together by the Palm Springs Unified School District. They were calling artists to help participate in making an exciting, art-driven alphabet to be shown at the schools here in the valley. I joined in and was assigned the letter "X". This was definitely not an easy letter to do as the only words that immediately came to mind were those I remember seeing on alphabet charts: X-ray and Xylophone... blah. Because of this, I had to change it around and teach everyone a new word that starts with "X". I went with Xenops (xerophyte, xiphopagus, and xanthous were just a little too complex for 5-10 year olds). It may seem just like a silly letter, but the seeds have been planted. Maybe some of these children will go on to do great things... and it will all be because they learned a new word for the letter "X".

Reclaimed pt.3

2009-10-16T15:32:00.001-07:00

Yet another beautiful piece for my reclaimed series. It took me three days to do this one because of tendonitis in my wrist. Frustrating, but patience will only make my artwork better... right?
Shelter is Ink and Acrylic on Cardboard. 5.75" x 6.5"

Mt. Hood

2009-10-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

This piece was painted after a picture of Mt. Hood and was commissioned by Alana Mayer for her husband Jason. He had loved the piece I had done earlier entitled Life is Beautiful, so we decided to base it off of that. Though in the same style, the mountain is all acrylic paint (no inks). You may also recognize the mountain from an earlier piece painted from the same picture (as seen in this post: Mountains). I also built the framing around it using good ol' fashioned wood and nails. Acrylic and Oil on Newspaper. 24" x 30"

And if your in the mood to do a little shopping, Alana has started her own clothing store entitled The Retreat.

Krochet Kids

2009-09-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

This is another piece I made for my friends at Krochet Kids Intl. They just moved into a warehouse and the walls were looking pretty bare. It should be getting put up soon, but at the moment one of them (brad!) stole it to decorate their bedroom...

Charcoal and Acrylic on Cardboard. 44.5" x 26.5"

If you havent heard of the Krochet Kids, they are a group of guys that have started working with Ugandan "child mothers" (women who are raped by soldiers to bear children for the war), teaching them how to crochet beanies. They then take these beanies back to the states and sell them, giving the women all the profit. Its a really cool thing. Check out their website, buy some beanies, and help a really good cause. They are also having an art show this Thursday; the flyer is down below:

www.krochetkids.org

Washed Out Vespa

2009-09-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a book I just made for fun. Inside is a collection of my photography from Europe. All black and white photos from London, Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Florence, Rome, and others. Its a random little coffee table type book. Hard cover. 22 pages. If you would like a copy let me know...

AK!

2009-08-31T17:42:00.000-07:00

I am now offering limited edition (only 47 available) skate deck prints of my Life is Beautiful painting. They are all signed and numbered. I am working on a cheaper printing method so I can also sell them to actually skate on. But for now they will look great on your wall. Let me know if you want one...

Reclaimed pt.2

2009-08-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

Here is another one I did for my Reclaimed Series. The 17th of November, Athens is Ink and Acrylic on Cardboard. 11.25" x 16"

Santiago Art Walk!

2009-07-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, July 18th, I will be participating in the Santiago Art Walk in Santa Ana! It starts at 7pm. There is a map and more info on the flyer above (just click to see it full-size). I will be showcasing my new "Reclaimed" series Ive been working on (some of which are in the previous post), and many others. So come by and check it out!

Reclaimed!

2009-07-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple pieces I made on home-made cardboard "canvasses". Just did them for fun, kind of experimental. Ink and Acrylic on Cardboard. C is 11.75" x 3.25" and Self Portrait is 7" x 11.5"

Life is Beautiful

2009-06-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

"Drawing from current events, and using them as the background, this piece twists the perceptions of peace and war and catches the eye with a beautiful red that may possibly invoke passion or blood shed."

Created for my fiance, this piece made its debut in the IncredibleArtist Gallery and received great feedback. It literally stopped people in their tracks and drew them into the gallery. Quite a fun project, I would be making more of this style now but its just too hot outside to work on that stuff...

Life is Beautiful is oil, ink, acrylic, and newspaper on wood panel. 24.5" x 48"

Skate Deck Prints available HERE

Prints and Giclees are available

Email me for prices or questions...

moleskin monday!

2009-06-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

This is a sketch I saw in London by Claude Gellee Le Lorrain. I reproduced it quickly and thought it turned out alright...

Bic Pen!

2009-06-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a sketch I did back in college with a bic pen. Based on a bamboo wall hanging I bought in San Francisco's Chinatown.

For Uganda with Love

2009-05-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

This is a painting I did for Brad. He had wanted something completely different, but I just couldnt get into it. I made this instead. Its a heart that I manipulated to be in the shape of Africa. Brad and his friends have been working hard in Uganda with Krochet Kids Int. and I thought he may appreciate this painting a little more. To learn more about what they are doing visit: http://www.krochetkids.org/

Death and the Desert

2009-05-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

A while back I had to come home during school for a funeral. My art teacher, since I had to miss class, asked if I could paint something while home to make up for it. Im sure he was expecting something more along the lines of a desert sunset or landscape with pastel colors, but I wasnt in the mood (nor have I ever been) so I painted this instead...

Pictures from the Art Show

2009-04-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Art Show was a success! Thanks to everyone that came out and made this the fun exciting night that it was...

First Gallery Showing!!

2009-04-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

The IncredibleArtist.Com Gallery Proudly Presents:
“Torn Apart” by Danny Schutt
Danny Schutt is a talented young artist and cancer survivor. His first major work is “Torn Apart”, a powerful nine-panel sequence on Life. Come see it this weekend (Sat. April 25 7-10pm)! We are very pleased to display this incredible work in the Gallery, and to welcome a new emerging artist to the IncredibleArtist.Com family.
Learn more about Danny on our website: http://incredibleartist.com/artists/danny-schutt/
The original is available for sale, and will shortly be available as fine art giclées.
This is a series I created that follows a character's life from the moment he was born to his untimely end (reads like a book). I wanted to create it in a way that would make people think. I didnt want this series to be spelled out, instead I tried to really stretch the visual representation as far from the original meaning as possible without losing it completely...

Illustration

2009-04-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a poster I designed for the awesome people down at Wolfpack Theatre in Montana. Ive been wanting to do more illustrative work and I finally got my chance...