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Thoughts and writings about art, painting, and tattooing, as well as my experiments and explorations in other media such as film photography, digital photography and design, video, and more.
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Secret Knowledge
BBC World Presents: David Hockney’s Secret Knowledge Yesterday I was shown a fascinating and intriguing exposé documentary on the origins...
nickbaxtertattoos
Nov 18, 20121 min read
Notes & Advice 3: Photographs vs. Paintings
The appropriate and effective use of reference material–notably, where and how to deviate from it to actually heighten illusions,...
nickbaxtertattoos
Oct 13, 20121 min read
Influences 2
Light Shines Through was a painting I completed in 2010 for a group exhibition memorializing artist and tattooer Monica Henk, whose life...
nickbaxtertattoos
Oct 1, 20122 min read
Passion
In between paintings of my ongoing surgical theme (The Apostasy), I’ve been searching for little sparks of inspiration for my next series...
nickbaxtertattoos
Sep 24, 20121 min read
Notes & Advice 1: Stepping Back
Words of wisdom, from the astoundingly skilled, 26-year-old, San Fransisco-based painter Hsin-Yao Tseng: “It’s important to squint your...
nickbaxtertattoos
Sep 3, 20121 min read
Realism Techniques 7
I finished painting #12 in the Apostasy series, now tentatively titled Sacrificial, a few days before my recent galavant to Galapagos....
nickbaxtertattoos
Aug 26, 20122 min read
Realism Techniques 6
After a few experimental forays I returned to the studio recently to continue work on The Apostasy series, which has been my major...
nickbaxtertattoos
Jul 21, 20122 min read
Influences 1
“Denial Vanitas” Redux You know that thing that happens when you stare at a single word for too long, and the letters start to separate...
nickbaxtertattoos
Jul 17, 20122 min read
Second Skin Group Show: Denial Vanitas
Below is a preview of my submission for the Second Skin group show opening this weekend at Copro Gallery in California. Previously I...
nickbaxtertattoos
Jul 12, 20122 min read
Realism Techniques 5
My Black Sauce In order to add richness, subtlety and depth to the darkest areas of my paitnings, I avoid the use of the color black...
nickbaxtertattoos
Jul 6, 20122 min read
Realism Techniques 4.5
Here’s the followup and conclusion to my earlier post featuring a texture experiment with some new subject matter. The results are now...
nickbaxtertattoos
Jul 3, 20121 min read
Kingdom Animalia
Recently I was invited to participate in a group show to benefit the kind people working to save wildlife in Africa from poaching and...
nickbaxtertattoos
Jun 5, 20121 min read
Realism Techniques 4
Splatter technique is one of my favorite methods for laying down a foundation of random texture on a painting. This is usually done...
nickbaxtertattoos
May 21, 20121 min read
Realism Techniques 3
Working Smarter, Not Harder Here are two more quick paintings from my visit to Jeff Gogue’s studio last summer, which I’ve blogged about...
nickbaxtertattoos
May 10, 20122 min read
Art & Life 2: Artistic Karma
(The following is an excerpt from a longer text I wrote a few years ago, posted here in order to explain in detail–with helpful hints–the...
nickbaxtertattoos
May 3, 20125 min read
Realism Techniques 1
This is the start of an occasional ongoing series on this blog where I’ll be discussing the process and techniques of sharp-focus realism...
nickbaxtertattoos
Jan 12, 20121 min read
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