art of s.defnall

Motor cycle helmets

2009-07-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

I just started painting motorcycle helmets with my airbrush. I really enjoy it and it helps me relax and create some really unique artwork that gets a little more exposure than normal venues. Don't get me wrong i love painting with a regular brush and canvas. But even in a gallery setting only so many people will see your work. Now you just might see one of my helmets going down the road. To me that is kinda cool and what art is all about letting other peole see your work. I will post some pics on here in the next day or so.
Thanks
Steven Defnall

Living Mosaic

2009-01-19T12:31:00.000-08:00

The finished product of my iguana painting

A cute drawing

2008-12-21T22:22:00.000-08:00

This drawing just happens to be of my daughter and her favorite stuffed animal. I hope that you enjoy it. Please feel free to make any comments or critiques. This drawing was just for fun and I tend to tear down and nit pick my work to death I often have some one else look at my work before I post it on here or even give it to my customers. I guess i am my own worst critic but hey it keeps me trying to do better work and that is really what it is all about.
Thanks
Steven Defnall

Dog Portrait

2008-12-01T21:56:00.000-08:00

I have completely enjoyed doing this portrait of a boxer for a client of mine. I shot a time lapse video of it as a trial run but it did not turn out very good so back to the drawing board as they say and a simple photo will have to do. I hope that you enjoy viewing this as much as I enjoyed drawing "Butch" (the dog's name).
Thanks
Steven Defnall

New Mural

2008-11-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

I have a new mural that i am hopefully starting this week. It is a stone arch window with a landscape scene. I will post a picture of the sketches as soon as they are approved. I hopefully will have a time lapse video after i start on it. Until next time.
Steven Defnall

2008-11-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

The bourbon Street mural finished.
Thanks for watching.
Steven Defnall

Bourbon street pt 1

2008-11-11T15:39:00.000-08:00

Hope that you enjoy the beginning of the Bourbon street mural at Michael's Restaurant.
Thanks for watching.
Steven Defnall

test

2008-11-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

Test

Ray And Dizzy Mural pt1

2008-10-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

The beginning of the Ray and Dizzy Mural
Thanks for watching
Steven Defnall

Michaels sandwich shop in Atlanta

2008-10-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

I am indeed fortunate in my luck and new opportunities. I have several new clients wanting new murals as well as a few portraits that I am working on. I am also trying to upload a video on here that shows the latest mural that i am creating for a restaurant in downtown Atlanta. It is going to have a Jazz and R&B feel to it. I will post the video as soon as i can figure out how to load it to the site. Thanks
Steven Defnall

Iguana

2008-10-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

This is a video of a new painting that I am working on.
Thanks for watching
Steven Defnall

No more excuses

2008-09-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

I took a few reference photos yesterday for a painting that I am planning on working on this week. I still need to get something to mount the feathers on so they don’t move. If anyone has any suggestions on how to do that feel free to comment to this post. I need to go to the art supply store and pick up some more canvas. Not that I am being that productive but I am running low. Whenever that happens I tend to start saving my canvases for a potentially great painting that would make da vinci jealous however since all the great masters were much better painters than me. I just end up not painting. This is no good if you are an aspiring artist with dreams of feeding your family solely from artwork created. I know that if I work hard paint often and market myself that this will happen but if you get lazy it takes longer. This is why I am trying to change my habits about blogging and painting on a daily basis. I don’t mind writing I actually enjoy it. I just normally write for my own enjoyment so writing something that other people will read is a bit of a step for me. I love painting I just allow too many distractions to keep me from it. I am trying to cut down on the distractions and get over my fears by doing something about it.

Thanks
S. Defnall

What was I thinking

2008-08-30T23:37:00.000-07:00

The difficulties that now lie before me may be tougher than originally thought. I am now faced with putting new content on my blog based on my ordinary and for the most part uninteresting daily conduct. Short of giving a role call of my to do list I am blocked about what to write about for today. Artistically I am still working on Love in bloom but I am at a loss for what to do or where to proceed at this current moment. I have an idea for a series of paintings but they are still in the sketch phase of the process. I am also working on a painting I started a few years ago but lost interest in because it was not in my style of painting so to speak. I like the way it is shaping up due to the skill level that I have achieved in contrast to when I started it. Which is not where I want it(my skill level) to be and maybe never will but the pursuit is the fun part. I also tried my luck on painting on feathers as a way of breaking out of my shell and doing something that seemed like it would be a challenge. I now have to find a way of mounting the feathers to a support so that they don’t move while I am painting details once I finish one that is mounted I will post it on here. Until tomorrow have fun and be creative.

Thanks
S. Defnall

In a rut

2008-08-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

The daily grind is one that we all face from time to time. We feel uninspired with where we are and what we have done. With the summer coming to a close I have never been more embarrassed about my lack of productivity artistically speaking. While other areas of my life have taken up more time like Fatherhood which I must admit has way more benefits than I first thought that it would. Who would have thought that one could love something so much that was that small? So with my other job (bartender) Looming large most days of the week and the weekend I have found myself with a sketchbook full of half sketched out ideas for paintings that just has not made it to the easel….. yet. I thought that I would paint during my daughters nap time which unfortunately has become a nap time for dad as well. I wish that I could say I at least have been more productive on a marketing standpoint but alas this is not the case either. So Today is the beginning of a challenge to myself for the next month taking off Sundays I am going to write once a day to break my daily grind and become more productive. I am hoping that I will paint more due to this since I put a computer in the studio for writing only since it can’t connect to the internet. So until next time seize the day before the day seizes you.

Thanks

S.Defnall

Love in Bloom (work in progress)part two

2008-07-03T09:57:00.001-07:00

I am still not finished with this painting but I am loving how it is continually evolving. I changed the background to make the flowers pop out a little more and to add a little bit of interest. I worked on the hair and the black and white section. I am going to try and make those sections part of the background later so that they are not as distracting. I also have a few minor corrections to make but for the most part I am very pleased with the painting so far. I have a few free days that I plan on working on this and will try to remember to post while I am working on it. Until next time.

Thanks

Steven Defnall

Love in Bloom (work in progress)

2008-05-26T22:46:00.001-07:00

This is becoming an obsession for me I have utterly enjoyed every second of this painting and It keeps evolving and that is cool too. The subjects of love in bloom are my wife and daughter. I have enjoyed experimenting with new techniques and compositions this is what I have so far. At first it was going to be a straight forward traditional portrait. The I was going to add inlays of important moments in her first few days. Then I had the idea to intertwine the flowers and their bodies. I am still trying to put the look of life into them it is slow going but it is starting to happen. I love my job! Even though this is not a commissioned portrait I am looking forward to doing many more with strong natural ties as well as some new wildlife work. Will keep you guys posted on how this one progresses and any new paintings that come up in the following weeks

Thanks

S. Defnall

Contemplation

2008-05-08T10:50:00.001-07:00

Hello again everyone. I recently finished this piece I entitled contemplation. I took a trip to the zoo a few weeks ago and one of the male lowland gorillas looked deep in thought laying on the grass lost in contemplation of what I will never know. The painting is acrylic on canvas I painted the background like i did to emphasize that the world around him did not matter at that point he was quite simply lost in his thoughts. Hope that you enjoy.

Thanks

Steven Defnall

Vigilance

2008-04-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

I often think that egrets are the watchers of the worlds between worlds having access to all three realms. Not going sci-fi on you guys or anything they just have access to air,earth, and water without any artificial means. I think that this makes them a special creature among those that I have witnessed. I have always loved birds. Though mostly from afar because I have cats. In this painting I tried to give an illusion that the egret was watching over us not spying or judging just looking. I hope that you enjoy this one.

S. Defnall

Latest portrait

2008-03-31T23:27:00.001-07:00

Finally getting back into the swing of things since the birth of my daughter the ability to finish easy tasks has been somewhat limited. For Example not falling asleep during lulls in conversation. I have started a routine that puts me focused mostly on art for at least three days out of the week so I am going to blog before I go to bed tonight. This Portrait has already been delivered to one of my collectors. Thankfully they were not mad at the fact that this one took me longer than normal to complete. Obviously Raelyn has something to do with that but she is a beautiful healthy baby girl and I would not trade her for the world I am also starting to do a series of drawings that have to do with zoo animals that I am interested in whether the beauty that they contain or the soulful introspection they might show or their plight that draws me to them. I am about ready for bed so until next time. Which will hopefully be shorter than a few months

Thanks

S. Defnall

Two girls

2007-10-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

This is a commisioned portrait that I am working on. It is fairly close to being done just a few little touch ups here and there i think I may just have about thirty minutes left in this one so I am taking a short break to post this and give the painting a little time to dry. I am not going to post the names of the two girls out of respect for their privacy. I hope that you guys out there in internet browsing land enjoy this one.

Until next time,
Steven Defnall

Pelican

2007-10-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

I think that as the seasons change a little and the sweltering heat that is prevalent during summertime in Georgia starts to disapate. The Ocean starts calling to me in my dreams I hear waves crashing I see palm trees and glorious sunsets. I long for the ocean and I think that is why I do paintings of the ocean and the life that surrounds it. I am also drawn towards pelicans not because the are beautiful or graceful but I think they remind me a little of myself. Slightly awkward looking and a little shy but over all good natured and laid back. I prefer the studio and nature to most other locations. I paint in order to record a thought that I had and preserve it in a way that I think is beautiful. I hope that you enjoy this painting.

Thanks

Steven

Art classes

2007-10-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

The registration for the Art classes at the Dallas Cultural Arts Studio is going on right now. I am the instructor for the beginning drawing and painting courses. Classes start next week so be sure to stop by and sign up before its too late. I hope to see you there. Ok that was a vey bland introduction for something that i am extremely excited about. The classes are for both adults and children( they are separate) Mondays are for drawing tuesday is for painting and if enough people sign up there will be a Saturday class as well. For more information email me at creative_end@bellsouth.net

THANKS
Steven

The BIG NEWS

2007-08-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

Ok so where do I begin? I guess the cat must be let out of the bag(honestly where did that cliche come from who keeps cats in bags anyway) sometime and all of my friends have the right to know why I have been avoiding people and been a little on the quiet side for the last two months. I am horrible at keeping big news from people so when I found out that my wife was pregnant I wanted to shout from the rooftops "I AM GOING TO BE A FATHER !!!!!!!!!" first off my wife and I agreed that it would be better to wait and tell everyone once we had a healthy sonogram( is that spelled correctly I mean really a father should know little details like that) and secondly I live in a one story house between train tracks so the news probably would not have been spread very well by shouting from my rooftop atleast. In much lesser news however still good I will be teaching a few art classes in october at the dallas cultural arts studio. Back to the main fact at hand I will be a father by this time next year and I am so excited and I can hardly wait. So until next time my friends be safe and remember to always look both ways before you cross the street don't talk with your mouthful and don't do drugs cause drugs are bad mmm kayy. just a little fatherly advice from me to you. I am also doing a little remodeling of my former office it will become the baby's room. We decided to go with a beach themed mural for the room I will post some pictures of the mural when I

Steven Defnall

Friends old and new

2007-03-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

This is the completed version of the painting that I began in February. I decided to lighten up the shadows for a better composition. The subjects in the painting are actually friends of mine. Jeran the man in the painting is actually one of my best friends. He was the best man at my wedding. Syd Vicious the cat who is actually not vicious at all. I was going through some old photographs and found a picture of these to sitting together. I fiind it funny because Jeran is really not a cat person but then again syd does not believe she is a cat. I hope that you all enjoy this painting as much as I enjoyed painting it.

Until next time
Steven Defnall

Going to Carolina

2007-02-21T20:22:00.000-08:00

I think that I have been trying to do way too much and accomplishing way too little. I have these beautiful illustrations that I have been working on but I keep chopping them to pieces because N.C. Wyeth could have done them better. So in my own defense I am not a great master. I am an unknown in the world of art as of right now. This hopefully will change. I think that I am trying way too hard to get everything perfect and to be a control freak in a manner of speaking. This is not my normal working manner. I listen to rock and roll while I am painting I listen to books on tape. I sing very horribly as I dash paint around in the studio and I have fun with it because I love to paint and like anything else I love it has to be fun. I have been silent in the studio trying to get the illustrations just right. So I am going to change my surroundings for the weekend and go visit some dearly loved relatives in North Carolina and finish my work up there and have fun with my art as I will have fun with them. I hope that if you are stuck in a rut so to speak that you let go of your insecurities and just have a little fun.

current painting

2007-02-18T18:03:00.000-08:00

At last two days in a row and I am delivering what I promised you. Alert the media I am now on a roll. This is the painting that I am currently working on there are a few more that I am not ready to show just yet and this one is still in its early stages. In fact I still have probably 80% left on this bad boy plus a few hours to decide what to call it I have a few names I am kicking around but they don't fit the painting just yet maybe when I am farther along than I am right now. This painting is of a close friend of mine at a relatives lake house with their cat. Let me know what you guys think about it.

Thanks
S. Defnall

I am trying to blog on a more regular basis

2007-02-17T20:44:00.000-08:00

I know I have written on here several times that I want to make daily or weekly posts on my blog. While this is true is the very worst way. Here is my ultimate problem. I am not a very fast typist. I also work doing construction when I don't have a mural or other commisioned paintings to do. Unfortunately this has been a few months since I have sold any art. I don't have to tell any of you out there that a few months with no money will make you a little nervous. Thank God for the people in my life who have helped me beyond belief these past few months. I have been putting in between 40 and 60 hours per week which tends to leave me drained and in a near comatose state when I get home. In short I have been a little busy and haven't produced much art. This week I have painted everynight. It felt so good hanging out in my studio again. Kind of like visiting a friend that you are very close and can always start off right where you left off. I wish I could say the same thing about the blog. This generally doesn't flow as well and sometime I wonder does anyone read my ramblings. I only have one uncomplete painting to show for this weeks worth of work. I like it and it has made me happy. I will try to get some pictures of it up here soon hopefully tomorrow if I can talk myself into being a little more attentive to the blog and my website. If anyone out there is interested in having a mural painted in the Atlanta area I would love to hear from you.
Thanks

S. Defnall

Sorry for the month long absence

2006-12-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

In the past month I have neglected my blog. Mainly because I took a job to prepare for the holidays and get a few extra dollars. I now see the errors of my ways so I decided to once again let my presence be known to my multitude of fans. The two of you guys out there make it all worth while. :) All kidding aside I somehow managed to make some new art during the last month. I also decided to put some of my artwork up for sale on ebay. The four pictured are up for sale on ebay. I am trying to do a painting everyday. These are the past four days effort. I want to do something that have a little story behind it that I can share with you. While I cannot gaurantee that I can post everyday I will post atleast weekly and show you the new paintings I have placed on ebay. I will try to tell the story behind each piece as well. The fire hawk actually came to me while I was sitting in Borders and looking at a book about hawks. I feel like they are one of my totem animals. I was doodling in my sketch book and my eye caught a man lighting a cigar in the parking lot. The lighter was turned way up so it had a fair amount of flame to it. the images just clicked and "fire hawk" was born. The piece with the orangutang (sorry my spelling is horrible I blame the dyslexia) is from a picture I took on my birthday. My wife took me to the zoo for my birthday which is one of the coolest gifts she could have given me. "allen" is actually the oldest orangutang they have at zoo atlanta. I kind of made a connection to the big guy. he looked like he was studying me as much as I was studying him so I had to paint him out of respect. The little girl is named "Lila Grace" she is a friend's new daughter so I painted her. I plan to do a full color work up and see how that turns out later on. Walking the plank is something I painted to pass some time while I was at the dmv getting my car tag and license renewed. I had to finish it later that day but I did this from several pictures I took while i was in Florida a few years back. Call me a procrastinator if you will but the misplaced film was actually like finding little gems of ispiration. So there you have the short stories behind each painting of the lot and hopefully you will see why i love being an artist there is so much beauty around you just have to struggle to see it sometimes.
S. Defnall
Murals Painting Portraits

Deadline for portraits

2006-10-31T07:26:00.000-08:00

The Holiday season is almost upon us and I am putting a deadline for portraits to have them done by Christmas. December 1st is the last day I can take portraits so please email me your pictures early so I can have them complete and everyone is happy and I can spend my time with my family instead of holed up in the studio doing last minute portraits. I need about three weeks per portrait so please allow this time before you give me the picture or schedule a sitting or photo shoot. Now that is out of the way I want to apologize to everyone who looked for me in St. Simons a few of you have emailed or called me to ask where I was. My wife had a medical emergency the day before we left and I was unable to attend. I trust that you guys understand.
Steven Defnall
Mural Portraits Commmisioned Paintings

Upcoming art fest in St. Simons Island

2006-10-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

The next festival I will be attending is in one of my favorite places in the world and that is St. Simons Island, GA. I like the area just because it is very laid back and peaceful. When ever I go down there it takes a lot for me to come home. I just don't want to leave. So when I got the chance to do a festival there I jumped at it. This is my second festival that I have attended in SSI. The festival is on Saturday & Sunday Oct. 14 & 15. So if you are in the vicinity drop by and find my booth. I look forward to making some new friends and new art. I also wanted to show you some of the new art I have created. This one is actually my great aunt at my wedding. So the tears she is crying are happy tears (at least I hope she is my wife's great aunt). I thought that if I could capture her expression then I would be able to do any expression. Hope you guys like this one it is my favorite painting that I have done so far.

Thanks
Steven Defnall
Murals Portraits Commisioned Paintings

The day after

2006-09-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

I have now recovered from The family fun festival. I think that festivals zap your energy because I just want to sleep the day after. I have some possible leads for murals and an illustration job after yesterday. I also made some new friends at the festival. So I am going to count this festival as a huge success. I started several portraits of friends and family at the festival and as soon as I can I will post them on this blog. I think you will agree that these are a few of my best works. I also think that as an artist my skill is starting to improve. I can not remember who said this quote but when they were asked which of their paintings was the best the artist replied "My next one." I feel this is true of most artists occasionally you have a light bulb moment where you take the next step in your art. I think I have taken a step towards creating better art. That is really what it is all about. I love my job. Hopefully next weekend at the car show will be just as rewarding. Hopefully I can take the next step as a business owner and become a slightly better salesman. I don't want to be pushy just more confident talking to people about my art and passion for art. Wish me luck this coming Saturday
Steven Defnall
Murals
Portraits
Paintings

Family fun festival

2006-09-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

The family fun festival is just around the corner. I will be at the Douglas County Courthouse from a little before 1pm until 6pm this Saturday. I hope to see you there. Stop by my booth and see some of my art work. I am working on several new pieces to have for the festival but I am not sure when I will be able to finish them. I am also redoing some aspects of my booth so come out and see the changes. I am in process of trying to accept visa and master card but I won't know for sure for the next few days. I hope to see you guys out there. I also wanted to show a piece of art that I created a while ago. The title is Reverence. Wolves have always been an extremely fascinating animal to me and I wanted to paint one. I named the piece reverence because I feel the wolf is a magical and wise creature that is often misunderstood and I wanted to show the wolf as a wise and thoughtful creature.
Steven Defnall
Murals Portraits Commissioned Artwork

My new website

2006-09-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

In the past week I have partnered up with www.softduit.com to create a website. The results were better than I could have imagined the website is now up and running and it only took a few days. they were able to take my design ideas and artwork and the result was something far better than I could come up with on my own. my website is www.creativeendeavoursonline.net. If you want to check them out I am providing a link on the sidebar. I can not thank Brett (the owner) enough for the excellent job that he has done and his patience with me through the whole process. I have all the web skills of an orangutange. In other news I could possibly have another out of state mural to do in the next few weeks in North Carolina. Wish me luck.

One Down Two to Go

2006-09-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

The first of the September Saturdays festivals went off with out a hitch. I was a little nervous since this was only the second festival that I have attended. I have to say that it was a success by way of making contacts. However I did not sell a painting at the show but instead talked to several people about doing a mural for them. This weekend I will be at the courthouse again for the Family Fun Festival so if you are in the Douglasville area between 1pm and 6pm please feel free to stop by my booth and say hello.
Thanks
Steven Defnall

Mississppi Gambler Mural

2006-09-17T00:42:00.000-07:00

This Mural I created for a couple it is in the basement of a home they own in Alabama. The idea behind the mural was to include the paddle-boat that the gentleman's Grandfather ran up and down a river in southern Georgia. He was also quite fond of the movie the Mississippi Gambler and wanted to be in the mural wearing the time period clothing of that movie. This mural was alot of fun to create especially since a little bit of imagination was necessary to get the clothing for the couple correct.
Hope you enjoy
S. Defnall

September Saturdays

2006-09-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

September is shaping up to be one of the biggest months of my artistic career. The next three Saturdays I have festivals to attend as a vendor. They all happen to be at the same venue so if you are in the metro-Atlanta area feel free to stop by my booth at the September Saturdays festivals going on the 16th, the 23rd and the 30th of September at the Douglas Coounty Courthouse. I will be working on some new pieces while I am there so feel free to take a sneak peak at the new work before I put it on my blog. I also now have a working website other than my blog dedicated to my artwork as well. Please check it out by following the link on the sidebar. Til next time Thanks
Steven Defnall

Baseball Murals

2006-08-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

There are two murals that I did for a seven year old boy. He is a huge New York Yankees fan. The first one that I did was a baseball busting through the wall with the Yankees' logo on it. The second was a mural in the opposite corner of the room of Yankees' Stadium the way it looked when it opened in 1923. I had an absolute blast doing these murals. The boy was so enthusiastic about the murals it really made my day coming to work on these murals. The stadium was a little challenging but that was part of the fun of the whole experience.

The Jungle Java Mural

2006-07-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

I decided to put some of the murals in my portfolio online this is one of my favorites. The woman that I did the mural for owns a modeling school. Her daughters have won several pageants and are only in elementary and maybe middle school. One of the girls wanted the play room to be painted like a coffee shop and the other wanted it to be painted like a jungle. I decided to come up with a sketch that would incorporate both ideas the result was Jungle Java. The lemur runs the coffee shop and the other animals in the mural are patrons. I had so much fun doing this mural. I don't know if you will be able to see the coffee cups that well but the girls each put their name on the cups. I think that added just a little extra touch that really meant something to the mother. I have a few people that I have created artwork for that let me have full run of the design and this was one of them. She loved the idea behind the mural but didn't want it to overpower the room. I think that it worked out very well. Let me know what you guys think.
Steven Defnall
Murals Portraits Commissioned Paintings

A few of my pieces

2006-07-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

These pieces have all been done in the past few years. Some have been commissioned some I chose because I wanted to see if I could accomplish what I envisioned when I started them and others were just for the love of putting a brush to canvas. The picture of the pelican is actually a friend of mine named fernando he is a brown pelican I met while vacationing in Ft. Walton , FL. He had been caught in a plastic bag the wild life authorities had freed him but he was injured and could not fly great distances so in exchange for his companionship I fed him the smaller fish that I caught off the dock where I was staying at the Leeside motel. I have seen him since then but our visits are few and far between. The Little girl is the daughter of a friend her name is Destiny. I came across a photograph of her when she was three she is a four years older now but I wanted to capture her with the expression she had in the picture. The other painting is a commission and at the clients request painted in black and white this one was a challenge because most of the people and animals had passed away when I undertook this project.

Just Starting Out

2006-06-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

This is my first post that I have ever created. I am new to the blogging community and hopefully this site will get better as I go along. I started this site as a way to get feedback on my artwork. I am trying to take my art to the next level and rely on murals and paintings as my sole source of income. However, the income is not steady enough to make the move as yet. If you guys and girls out there could help me out with a little constructive criticism and advice on how to market my work or if you would like me to create a work of art for you that would be very helpful. I will post new artwork as I create it and tell you the story behind each piece. So you can get a glimpse of what's going on in my mind. thanks
Steven Defnall
Murals Paintings Commissioned Artwork Portraits