Trump Paintings. You want? I got.

The election of D.J.Trump as President of the United States has certainly brought about strong feelings for most people of the thinking variety. Both in the US and abroad. Trump is like the world’s largest balloon in that he spent close to 3 decades crying “Look at Me!” and blowing up, larger and larger. Imagine the cartoon sound effect of stretching and straining. Now imagine the cartoon noise for the world’s largest balloon exploding. Or being elected President. So we’re all here now. Feeling. Thinking. Shouting at each other on Facebook. Me too. And for some reason I want to create stuff related to the Image of POTUS. Wether you hate him or can’t stand him, one thing’s for certain, he’s a visual phenomenon, a moving cartoon, a caricature come to life with nuclear codes.  But whatever. I found myself last spring actually going to an Art Store. For those of you who are new to this, Art Stores are where people went a long time ago to buy acrylic paints, brushes, pre-stretched canvasses and sketchbooks because having those things used to be really important to a lot of folks. Hell, back in the 70’s and 80’s there were actually competing stores peppered throughout our town. And you could usually walk to one. Anyhow, living close to a University that still mentions Art in the catalog, there’s one near my house. And a good one. And I bought some stuff, like a Child’s First Paint Set,  some paper and other things and actually set about to painting.

I did a lot of weird nonrepresentational stuff. 

I was a photography major in college, but came to enjoy the one painting class I was forced to take.

 

I have always had  a cartoonish approach to most things, including drawing and painting.  So I started doing cartoonish paintings. And started painting Trump.

Here is one of the earliest ones, done shortly after the US missile attack on the airbase in Syria.

Seconds before announcing cancelling DACA.

I need to figure out Pence. And Sessions. I have also begun apple-head carving, as I think one could make a fine Jeff Sessions apple head. Hey, it keeps me off crack and running in the streets, right? 

I’m not too crazy about this one.

Here’s one thing. Thanks to how I like to portray VPOTUS M.Pence, I had to return to the Art Store, purchase frisket, or masking fluid. It is like hypertoxic rubber cement that dries quickly, resists paint, and peels off. Great for controlled blocking of washed.

Here’s one last thing. I did some research on You Tube about frisket and masking and OF COURSE looked at the “5 Mistakes Stupid Old Men Make When Teaching Themselves To Paint” and about 16 other general watercolor videos. The two things I took away from that somewhat painful viewing sesh: 1. Daaaamn there are some talented artists out there. Amazing technicians, teachers and painters. Simply Amazing. and B. I made literally every single mistake in the “Mistakes Beginners Make” painting videos. Every. Single. One.

On that note, back to the canvas board, or whatever people say. I’m not bloody drawing tho.