Pencil on paper character studies for a current portrait commission.
I just moved into a new studio in The Stutz Building, downtown Indianapolis. It’s a wonderful turn-of-the-century factory originally built for the Stutz Motorcar Company. Great windows, light, character and history throughout.
Morning sky outside of Bloomington, Indiana.
“Our senses enable us to perceive only a minute portion of the outside world.” -Nikola Tesla
Just finished this portrait of inventor & scientist, Nikola Tesla. It’s part of a series of portraits of historical scientists commissioned by a biotech company. This is a detail of the oil on paper painting, 2012.
Trees from the sketchbook, February 1.
Arrangement for a New Day, 24”x36”, oil on canvas
The current reading list: Van Gogh - The Life.
Portrait painting in the studio
A glimpse into some of my favorite work outside the art studio: I volunteer with IndyFeral, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the overpopulation of stray, feral & unowned neighborhood cats in Indianapolis through Trap Neuter Return. IndyFeral has fixed & vaccinated over 3000 cats this year.
Photographic reference material for paintings and illustrations are often created in the studio. This is a typical studio photo shoot with a model, costume and professional lighting (left). The photos of the model, along with additional historical research, were used as reference material to create a portrait of Captain Kidd (right) for the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. The original oil painting is 30”x40”.
New from the drawing board: G es para Gato is part of project involving a series of illustrations combining letterforms and animals. This drawing is my contribution to a benefit auction to be held at New York’s Society of Illustrators’ Gallery, 128 East 63rd Street, NYC, Thursday evening, January 19, 2012. Singer songwriter Cory Chisel will play at the event! All proceeds from the sale of this drawing go to one of my favorite organizations, Drawing Dreams Foundation. http://www.drawingdreams.org
Two of my recent landscapes are on exhibit at the juried 87th Annual Hoosier Salon at the Indiana State Museum, August 13 – October 16. Here’s one the paintings, Beyond the Field. The medium is oil on linen mounted on a wood panel, 18”x24”.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the largest children’s museum in the U.S., recently commissioned me to create this portrait of the famous pirate Captain Kidd as part of the visual identity of the Museum’s new exhibit, “National Geographic Treasures of the Earth.” The illustration is used in numerous print applications, advertising, exhibit video display, a television commercial and outdoor signage.
Detail of my cover illustration for the June, 2011 issue of Christianity Today. The cover story, “The Search for the Historical Adam”, explores the evolution debate as it relates to human genome science. The original illustration is 10”x14”, oil paint on paper.
Well hello there. My name is Rob Day. I'm an artist/ portrait painter/ illustrator/ creative type in Indianapolis. This tumblelog is a notebook of recent projects, photos and happenings in and out of the studio. Welcome! My portfolio & website: robday.com.
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