new painting: Tigris

Happy friday.. so i finished a piece yesterday for a show and it had me thinking about how much it amazes me how fast i'm able to work when i have short time frame. The show was yesterday and i literally started the painting 3 days before (concept, sketches, and all). Anyway, I'm rather pleased with the outcome. Enjoy:

Tigris. 24"x18". oil on panel

Please vote for me... Rawartist - raw awards

http://www.rawartists.org/natedee

Hi all, if you remember i took part in an art exhibition roughly 3 months ago called RAW:Blend. The one night show was a success with a turnout of hundreds and as a result I sold 2 original pieces which was an added bonus.

Now that the Raw organization is ending their exhibiting season they are focusing on the Raw awards which is a national competition among those that got into their shows and exhibited. Over the next two weeks all artists take part in online voting per city... the 10 with the most votes move onto the semi finals for that city  in which they are judged by local creative celebrities and industry professional. They will choose 5 of those 10 to move onto the national competition. The benefit of winning the nationals is that the winner will receive a career building prize package... this includes gallery placement, services, consultations, business solutions, and national exposure.

This will be an amazing opportunity to really jump my art career forward ... so i ask that you please go to the link above and vote for me... you just need to register for an account (this only takes a minute or two) then you can vote for me once a day from today to October 15. (if u manually need to search you can do so by city, just choose miami... and I'm on the 2nd page)

AS YOU ALL KNOW, my goal is to be able to do my art full time and this is an opportunity to do so.. thanks for your continual support and please pass this on to your friends!

newest Sketchy submission

So its been about 5 month since i've submitted a sketchy to www.sketchymiami.com for their portrait project... so i figured why not do a quick one. I provided the original source image provided on the sketchymiami site... i actually had fun doing this one and its in line with my current series of painting focused on figures in animal masks. Enjoy

Transmute

My newest painting... not including research, Canvas building, rough drafts, and sketching this baby took 25hr just to paint. she's roughly 48"x48", and prints (as well as original) are available on demand (send ur requests through www.natedee.com) ..... enjoy!

inspired by the archaic science of Alchemy:

Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners' claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base metals into the noble metals gold or silver, as well as an elixir of life conferring youth and immortality. Western alchemy is recognized as a protoscience that contributed to the development of modern chemistry and medicine. Alchemists developed a framework of theory, terminology, experimental process and basic laboratory techniques that are still recognizable today. But alchemy differs from modern science in the inclusion of Hermetic principles and practices related to mythology, religion, and spirituality

Creatively Inspired: Brooke Shaden

so i was killin time on the web when i came across the work of Brooke Shaden.... it was amazing, awe inspiring, and began to get my own creative juice flowing... so i had to post some of her work here... to see more feel free to check her website at: http://brookeshaden.com/

FireFox painting: Painting Process

Every so often I like to document my painting process through images. Below you will find my latest Painting titled FoxFire... i am currently still working on it so I'll be update the images until its completed... enjoy!

next step is to finish the fingers,  then mask, then hair..... afterwards back into the background for final touches... this point represents 4 hrs of painting.

Showing May 9th: feat. @ The BlendXRaw Arts collective

I'm a featured artist in the Blend Showcase on May 9th by the Raw Artists collective, now before I give details about the show let me just explain the goal and reasoning behind it:

RAW:natural born artists is an independent arts organization, for artists, by artists.. whose mission is to provide independent artists within the first 10 years of their career with the tools, resources and exposure needed to inspire and cultivate creativity.

RAW currently operates in 32 cities across the United States and counting ...

RAW Directors hand-pick and spotlight local artistic talent in film, fashion, music, visual art, hair & makeup artistry, and performance art. With artists from all genres in each showcase, RAW events come together to form an amazing one-night circus of creativity.
Expect to see independent film, fasion, art, and musical performances. You'll get a little taste of everything. Combine all this creativity with drinks, fun, and good company!

To attend this event tickets only cost $10 online (until 3 days before the event), when you purchase a ticket you may put which artist you are supporting. this in turn benifits me as i can be invited back to show in another showcase in any city nationally... with that in mind my goal is to show in California which will give me the oppurtunity to form connections with the art community on the west coast.

the event:
THE BLEND
May 9th
8pm-12am
The Stage
170 NE 38th St, Miami
to purchase a ticket please go to:
http://www.rawartists.org/miami/theblend

click on the green banner that says buy tickets... and please be sure to select my name as the artist you are supporting!
thanks,
Nate
http://www.rawartists.org/natedee

Mexican Hairless Painting in tempera

 So Not only am i a professional artist but I also am an art educator that instructs in drawing, painting, and computer art...

Today i decided to do a 30 minute demonstration on the use of tempera paint for one of my classes and here is the result.
 not bad for 30 minutes huh! enjoy!

Because Greatest Rapper Alive Died on March 9th

Being march 9th I wanted to do a post dedicated to Notorious B.i.g, below you will find some interesting facts on the legendary emcee:

-double-disc set Life After Death, released 15 days later, hit #1 on the U.S. album charts and was certified 

-Diamond in 2000 (one of the few hip hop albums to receive this certification)

-noted for his "loose, easy flow",dark semi-autobiographical lyrics and storytelling abilities

-MTV ranked him at #3 on their list of The Greatest MCs (Rappers) of All Time

-certified sales of 17 million units in the United States

-March 1992,  featured in The Source's Unsigned Hype column, dedicated to aspiring rappers

-1995 2 billboard awards

-1995 won 4 source awards

-1998 3 grammy nominations

-The Source and Blender named Wallace the greatest rapper of all time

-Wallace is celebrated as one of the greatest rap artists and is described by Allmusic as "the savior of East Coast hip-hop"

-Since his death, Wallace's lyrics have been sampled and quoted by a variety of hip hop, R&B and pop artists including Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Fat Joe, Nelly, Ja Rule, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Game, Clinton Sparks, Michael Jackson and Usher

CREATIVELY INSPIRED (to paint a series)

a few images that are inspiring me during this painting and planning process for my next series..

sketch for next painting

enjoy the possibilities

drawn out on canvas.... lets see what happens from here ;-)

Miami Critical Mass pics Feb 2012

A few images from the Critical mass ride in miami, friday evening feb 24, 2012 (c/o beachedmiami.com)

3rd annual tweed ride!

Saturday, March 3rd
10am

20500 SW 112 Avenue
(US1 busway, next to Target)
Cutler Bay, FL 33189

"Get your costumes ready, lads and lassies, so you can kick off Florida Bicycle Month in style with Miami's 3rd Annual Tweed Ride.

(provided by the same folks that did the Seersucker bike social a few years back)

This year's 10-12 mile ride will be at a leisurely pace to Cauley Square Historic Village, once part of Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway. The social ride includes a narrated historical tour, raffle, prizes for the best costumes, best bike and best mustaches - real or fake. Enjoy lunch at The Village Chalet or bring a blanket and a picnic lunch. It is fun for the whole family.

So, hit your closet and get your tropical tweed costume picked out, primp your wheels, ready your gear and meet at the Park & Ride Lot, located at 20500 SW 112 Avenue, Miami, at US 1 Busway, next to Target."

RSVP on Facebook

The Scorpion and the Frog

 

One day, a scorpion looked around at the mountain where he lived and decided that he wanted a change. So he set out on a journey through the forests and hills. He climbed over rocks and under vines and kept going until he reached a river. The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He couldn't see any way across. So he ran upriver and then checked downriver, all the while thinking that he might have to turn back.
Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream.
"Hellooo Mr. Frog!" called the scorpion across the water, "Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?"
"Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you wont try to kill me?" asked the frog hesitantly.
"Because," the scorpion replied, "If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!"
Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. "What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!"
"This is true," agreed the scorpion, "But then I wouldn't be able to get to the other side of the river!"
"Alright then...how do I know you wont just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?" said the frog.
"Ahh...," crooned the scorpion, "Because you see, once you've taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!"
So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. The scorpion crawled onto the frog's back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog's soft hide, and the frog slid into the river. The muddy water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current.
Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog's back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.
"You fool!" croaked the frog, "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?"
The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog's back.
"I could not help myself. It is my nature."
Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river.
Self destruction - "Its my Nature", said the Scorpion...

nevadas finest

A diabetic who was suffering from insulin shock when Nevada police officers mistook him for a drunk driver and physically assaulted him will receive a settlement of nearly $300,000.

Adam Greene, 38, settled his lawsuit against the City of Henderson and the state of Nevada on Tuesday night. Per the terms of the settlement, Greene will receive $158,000 from the city and $35,000 from the state. Greene's wife will receive an additional $99,000 from the City of Henderson.

The $292,500 payout settles a federal civil rights lawsuit Greene filed against Henderson police and the Nevada Highway Patrol. The suit accused the agencies of battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

"We think it's fair; we agreed to it and we're satisfied," Greene told KTNV about the settlement.

The lawsuit stemmed from a traffic stop that occurred on Oct. 29, 2010. Portions of the incident were captured by dashboard cameras mounted in four Nevada Highway Patrol cruisers. The videos were released Wednesday.

Greene is observed on video swerving in the eastbound lane of the Lake Mead Parkway. When Greene stops at a traffic light at the Boulder Highway intersection, he is approached by a trooper who draws his service weapon, kicks the driver's side window and yells, "Don't move! Hey driver, do not move!"

When the trooper opens Greene's door, another officer moves in and places a handcuff on one of his wrists. At that point, the state troopers, with assistance from Henderson police officers, pull Greene from his vehicle. Greene's four-door sedan rolls forward until an officer stops it.

Five officers force a dazed and confused Greene to the ground. A sixth officer, a Henderson police officer, then walks over and kicks Greene in the face multiple times, as one of the officers yells, "Stop resisting, mother fucker. Stop resisting, mother fucker!"

Once Greene is subdued, an officer discovers a vial of insulin on him and announces Greene "could be a diabetic."

Moments later, an offer can be heard talking on the radio to a police dispatcher.

"He's a diabetic. He's probably in shock, semiconscious."

Other officers are heard joking about the incident.

"[He] was not a small guy," an officer laughs. "I couldn't take him by myself."

Greene was not charged in connection with the traffic stop. When he arrived at a local hospital, he was treated for low blood sugar and multiple injuries that he said he received during the traffic stop.

"I ended up with two broken ribs. I had some cuts and a black eye on my face," Greene told KTNV. "I was confused, but I wasn't resisting and I would think this would be incorrect and inappropriate behavior whether I was drunk ... or not drunk."

Greene told The Las Vegas Sun that he was on his way to work when he had the diabetic reaction. He said he is a father of four and has been a diabetic for 26 years.

According to The Las Vegas Review-Journal, a sergeant involved in the traffic stop was disciplined but remains employed by the department.

Nevada's Fox 5 News has identified four of the Henderson police officers involved in the case as Douglas Lynaugh, Francis Shipp, Seth Vanbeveren and Brett Seekatz.

Despite the ordeal he has been through, Greene, whose father was an Arizona state trooper, said his family does not hold a grudge.

"We hold no ill will towards the officers involved or the other police officers in the city and we support them and we're ready to move on," Greene told 8newsnow.com.

last friday's critical mass coverage

So I finally had a chance to take part in Miami's monthly critical mass and i want to say it was amazing. These are the type of peripheral activities that make me love being in a big city. With that said below you will find a quick blurb & photos that were published by the good folks over at beached miami.

Photos: Miami Critical Mass January 2012
On Friday night approximately 1,200 cyclists (!) rode 12.5 miles through downtown, East Little Havana, West Flagler, Coral Way, Little Havana, and The Roads in Miami Critical Mass. With the huge turnout and tropical “winter” weather, the ride had an amazing energy. The only hiccup for me came toward the end of the ride, at the intersection of South Miami Avenue and Southwest Eighth Street, when the strung-out Mass made four lanes of cars wait for at least 10 light changes. The motorists were honking and yelling, too many cyclists — mostly stragglers — were taunting the drivers (“We own the road!” “Wait your turn!”), and one guy got out of his car and into the face of a corker. This kind of thing will happen when 1,200 riders take over the road, but heckling motorists is childish. Critical Mass is a statement ride, but that statement should not be: “We’re a bunch of assholes.” If a driver gets feisty, there are ways to handle it. You can ignore it or try to calm him down. But don’t tempt him to run you over — you might get someone else hit. Alright, sermon over. Here are our photos of the ride.