Colin Burke's Works

At Bat & Hockey Play

2010-07-09T15:29:00.000-05:00

"At Bat" 12x12, acrylic on canvas

This was my first attempt at painting using only whites, blacks, and grays. I feel like every attempt I've made with that pallet has always lead to unexpected results, most especially with my more recent work. To be honest, I also chose those colors based off the colors of the Chicago White Sox. I've had the idea of trying to do more sports figures with team colors, but haven't followed through with that idea yet.

So obviously, with the painting being based around a local sports team, you would think I sold it to someone from around the area. No! As a matter of fact, it ended up being purchased by someone in Utah. Go figure... Just goes to show that you never know where these will end up. The nice thing is, the sale of this painting resulted in the commission of a second painting to this client of a hockey player.

"Hockey Play" 12x12, acrylic on canvas

This ended up being my second attempt at using a more restricted color pallet, mostly black, white, and gray again, but with some red and blue thrown into the mix as well. The client wanted it to compliment "At Bat," and go with their collection of hockey memorabilia at the same time, hence the red and blue.

The tricky thing with painting sports figures in this style is having the figure make sense with all the weird bulges and shapes of any pads, helmets, or equipment he could be wearing. Whereas when I'm working with a simple figure pose that I can decide whether or not to depict clothing, I'm forced to acknowledge and work with whatever uniform and equipment a football or hockey player might have. It's an interesting challenge, having to make sense of the contours of a hockey player, especially with how bulky they are. The hockey stick and skates were tricky too. I can only imagine how my first painting of a football player will go...

Free Shipping on Prints

2009-10-25T09:42:00.002-05:00

Deviantart.com, the website that produces my prints, is offering free shipping on all prints until October 27th. All of the prints I've had them make come out looking quite nice, and there are all kinds of different options for how you can have your print made. Check it out before it's too late: http://tinyurl.com/yhtfd76

Art in the Barn

2009-09-24T07:50:00.004-05:00

Somehow I've managed to luck out and get into Art in the Barn after being put on the waiting list. This is one show we're especially excited about as it's the biggest one I'll be in this year, and it's one I've visited several times before I started participating in art fairs.

The fair will be this weekend, September 26th & 27th, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. It's located right next to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, IL. (Click here for a map.) Admission is $5.00 per person, no pets allowed.

You can find me at Tent 83, in the yellow highlighted area on the map below (click on the map for a larger image):

Proceeds from Art in the Barn benefit the Cardiac Care Center and the Emergency Department Expansion at Good Shepherd Hospital in addition to providing scholarships for college students pursuing degrees in the field of health care.

This looks to be the last fair I'll be in this year. Hope to see you there!

Art Fairs!!!

2009-08-21T09:27:00.003-05:00

"Feelin' the Heat" 16x20, acrylic on canvas

Hey all, it's been a while! Just a quick heads up: I have two art fairs this weekend and next. Saturday, Aug. 22nd, from 10am-5pm, and Sunday, Aug. 23rd, from 10am-4pm, I'll be at the Oswego Art Fair. Here's a map of where it's located: http://tinyurl.com/pverw2

The next weekend is a one-day fair called the Frankfort Fine Arts Festival: http://www.fineartsfest.net/

Looks like we'll be getting some fantastic weather this weekend. Hope to see you out there!

Upcoming Art Fairs

2009-05-15T11:09:00.003-05:00

Hey, been a while, hasn't it? I've been busy gearing up for the art fair season, so I thought I'd list which ones I'll be in this summer. I have three lined up so far...

The first one is THIS WEEKEND, Saturday from 10:00-5:00 and Sunday from 10:00-4:00 in Riverside, IL, starting at the intersection of Longcommon Rd. & E. Burlington St. Here's where it's located on the map: http://tinyurl.com/qssur5

My next one is a few weeks after in Algonquin, IL, Saturday, June 6, from 10:00-5:00 (or Sunday 10:00-5:00 if there's rain). It will be at Riverfront Park: http://tinyurl.com/o5ae3o

The last fair is in Oswego, IL, August 22-23, 10:00-5:00 on Saturday and 10:00-4:00 on Sunday.

I have some new paintings ready for Riverside, plus a number of prints available not only from my digital work, but also some of my acrylic paintings. I'm curious to see how all this turns out, since it's going to be my first established art fair. Be sure to stop by and say, "Hi," if you're around!

Work in Progress...

2008-12-03T18:04:00.005-06:00

Currently working on a new set of paintings right now. Hopefully I'll have them up soon. Stay tuned!

Descent

2008-11-26T12:41:00.005-06:00

24 x 12, acrylic on canvas.

So it seems I was too late pointing out Pushing Daisies, because they won't be renewing it past the thirteen episodes that have already been shot for season two. It's a shame that fun, unique shows like this end up getting axed before getting a chance to develop an audience, while the same old cop and lawyer shows keep on getting churned out. I've heard they hope to continue the story in comic book form, but as much of a fan I am of comics, I'd prefer they would just wrap things up in television format. It's a rare case for the magic to be captured in comic form without the actor's voices and pacing to match what's written and drawn. The show was going strong its first season, but the writer's strike prevented it from getting a full season in. I wonder if things would have turned out differently for it then? In any case, I still recommend checking it out on DVD.

In any case, I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Escape

2008-11-19T13:54:00.005-06:00

40x30, acrylic on canvas. It's a big one! Let me know what you think.

I'd also like to take the time to recommend a show to anyone looking for something fun and different: Pushing Daisies. Part fairy tale, part murder mystery, part comedy, and party romance, this show is one of a kind. It's hard to even explain the premise behind it, but this youtube video presents it pretty succinctly. My recommendation would be watch it from the beginning, which shouldn't be too hard since it's first season was cut short by the writer's strike. But don't let that stop you from checking it out Wednesday nights at 7 PM (central) on ABC. This is one of my favorite shows, and it should be your's as well! Go check it out!

Behold

2008-11-10T10:48:00.006-06:00

16x12, acrylic on canvas. Apparently, trying to pay overdue bills with drawings doesn't work so well these days: "Broke Man Tries Paying Bill With a Picture of a Spider"

In Thought

2008-11-04T23:44:00.002-06:00

12 x 16, acrylic on canvas. It feels good to finally know who will be the next President of the U.S. A rather historic one to boot! Now we can finally move on and stop hearing all about campaigns and the baggage that comes with them. Is there a more relaxing time than the day after an election? I think not!

Toad

2008-11-01T22:38:00.006-05:00

36 x 24, acrylic on canvas. This was pretty fun to do. :) Let me know what you think!

Bullet

2008-10-27T16:39:00.003-05:00

14 x 11, acrylic on canvas. Our office is still in disarray at the moment, as we continue to get the new furniture in and old furniture out. The walls are already painted a pleasant blue color, and a few of the new bookshelves are up, so we're moving along. Is it weird that I'm excited for all the shelf space we're going to have?

Poised

2008-10-24T16:33:00.004-05:00

24 x 36, acrylic on canvas. There's rumblings of our office being painted & rearranged, with the goal of more shelf-space. I'm all for that! We're also in the process of creating a more proper website for my paintings. The blog will still be here, but now there will be an easier way to look at all my work without scrolling all over the place. Stay tuned!

PS: This painting may become available as a print, depending on how things end up looking. I'll let you know if that comes to fruition. Stay even more tuned!

Bony Bug

2008-10-22T08:32:00.004-05:00

14 x 11, acrylic on canvas. This is my first time with an insect. It was a little tricky trying to paint in this style with the skinny legs. How do you think it came out?

Clambering

2008-10-18T15:57:00.005-05:00

12 x 24, acrylic on canvas. It's been a while since we've gone climbing. Pretty sure we need to change that soon. Otherwise, I'll be lucky to make it up four feet, let alone forty!

Just a Glance

2008-10-15T22:12:00.004-05:00

14 x 11, acrylic on canvas. Let me know what you think!

Glow in the Bark

2008-10-14T09:34:00.001-05:00

14 x 11, acrylic on canvas. Arf!

Humbled

2008-10-12T22:20:00.004-05:00

16 x 20, acrylic on canvas. We hit up the corn maze at Richardson Farm this weekend. They offer you maps with various points that you can try to find in order to punch holes in the maps. They're divided up into various sections, but you can do all of them if you want, causing you to find 24 separate stations and going through practically the entire maze. It's starting to become a Fall tradition for us to go there and do the entire maze. If you're dedicated enough, you can finish it in about an hour and a half, barring getting stuck behind large, slow groups of people. This was our first year attempting it with a (nearly) full moon, and neat as it is to have your path lit for you only by the moon, it does little good for reading a map. ;) The very first time we did the maze a few years ago, we didn't have flashlights with us and had to use our cellphones to see the map. I have no idea how we managed, but we made it the whole way through with our phones practically out of batteries. Good times!

Drenched

2008-10-11T15:36:00.003-05:00

20 x 16, acrylic on canvas. Our neighbor's across the street are moving today, and they're taking their three (we always thought they only had two) shelties with them. We didn't see those dogs too often, but it was always a treat when we did. I don't even know if anyone's bought that house yet. One house next door to us has been empty for almost a year and a half, and now we may have another empty house across the street. Nobody wants to live near us, I guess. The only question is, how can I turn one of these houses into a studio without anyone knowing? Hmmm...

5.Fingernails

2008-10-10T14:57:00.004-05:00

30 x 24, acrylic on canvas. My wife is a big fan of climbing, and I'm slowly starting to get the (no pun intended) hang of it myself. Of course, a fear of heights makes it that much more difficult to come to grips with (again, not intended). Thanks to her for help with the title. I feel like that brings this painting to new heights! (Okay, that pun was intended. And pretty weak. :P )

Statuesque

2008-10-09T14:46:00.004-05:00

30 x 24, acrylic on canvas. Comments and critiques are always welcome!

Golden Mop

2008-10-08T15:56:00.003-05:00

"Golden Mop", 24 x 18, acrylic on canvas. This one almost got away from me a couple times. It's the first time I've tried focusing on hair. Let me know what you think about it in the comments!

Craziness

2008-10-06T22:29:00.003-05:00

I had the darndest time figuring out how to show the rock this climber was on. I think the solution I came up with works pretty well. What do you think? Prints for this are available here .

Game On

2008-10-06T22:25:00.003-05:00

So much for Chicago's hopes of baseball glory this year, huh? Oh well, here's a snazzy baseball themed digital painting to help cope with this untimely tragedy. Print available here!

Wings

2008-10-06T22:24:00.003-05:00

Acrylic on 24 x 18 canvas. I almost did more with this, but cooler heads told me to stop. Glad they did! Let me know what you think. Quack!

Tracker

2008-10-06T22:23:00.003-05:00

Acrylic on 8x8 canvas. I'm pretty happy with how this one came out. Hopefully I can continue to make small paintings like this.

Figero

2008-10-06T22:16:00.003-05:00

6 x 8, acrylic on canvas

This was my first attempt at this painting style on a relatively small scale. It was surprisingly trickier doing it this small, but I think I managed alright. What do you think?

ACTING!

2008-10-05T16:09:00.004-05:00

Done in Photoshop. Print available here!

Overcome

2008-10-05T16:06:00.003-05:00

Done in Photoshop. Print available here.

Figure 1, digital

2008-10-05T16:02:00.003-05:00

This is my first attempt at digital painting with this style. I'm pretty satisfied with the result. More to come from this! Print available here.

Commissioned Paintings

2008-10-05T14:51:00.014-05:00

These are a few commissions I've done over the last few years.

A few more paintings...

2008-10-03T22:05:00.001-05:00

Many more paintings to come in the next few days! :)

Some Paintings

2008-10-03T21:51:00.000-05:00

Welcome!

2008-10-03T21:49:00.000-05:00

Welcome to swirlingpaint.com! You'll find all kinds of acrylic & digital paintings done by me, and I'll continue to post new work as I complete it. Please feel free to post comments to let me know what you think or even just to say hello!