Colorado Dreaming

I feel so fortunate to be home in Colorado with all of the people that I love. I have decided to post a drawing with one of those very dear people as a model. The subject of this portrait is an extremely kind friend of mine, who has shown me light, wisdom and love. Sabina Beachdell, is currently touring the nation making music, and friends.

"Awestruck"

Dip Pen and India ink on Bristol board, 19x24"

Garrett Scott Ball

Detail of "Awestruck"

Detail of "Awestruck"

sticky icky Copaesthetic

I have been unable to post on here for a while. I am designing a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream" for the purchase Opera company, that will open in March. I has been all consuming with my time, but seeing as how the blog is approximately a year behind my current work, I really should try to update more frequently. 

"Defense mechanism"

Dip Pen and India ink on Bristol board, 19x24"

Garrett Scott Ball

Detail.

Eva Rose Warner

I've Always enjoyed making work based on the people in my personal life who inspire me. This piece was made using some photos given to me by a long time friend Eva Warner, taken from her trip to India. 

"Eva Rose Warner"

Dip Pen and India ink on Bristol board, 19x24"

Garrett Scott Ball

Still Life

I am currently so blessed to be given the opportunity to design the Benjamin Britten opera version of Midsummer Night's Dream, with the S.U.N.Y. Purchase opera conservatory. I am working with an amazing team and being given the chance to put into practice some ideas I've wanted to use for a long time, however with all of the work for the opera I haven't had time for much else. I will do my best to continue updating, and I hope to see you all there in March.

"Still Life"

Dip Pen and India ink on Bristol board, 19x24"

Garrett Scott Ball

Lost in translation

Sharing My work on a computer screen has never been ideal for me, I find that it often doesn't do the work justice, a lot of the detail and craft is rendered out of the piece. I find this especially true of my works on black. Please feel free to contact me for details, or higher resolution images.

"Lost in Translation"

Dip Pen and India ink on illustration board, 24x30"

Garrett Scott Ball

American Visions

While I'm working on updating the blog with all of the things I've been neglecting, its time to add some theater work. American Visions was a series of 3  one acts written by Samuel Sheppard. It was produced by the Purchase College Repertory Theater Company. I was the Assistant Scenic Designer on it, working under Michael Hirsch. The Director was Zenon Kruszelnicki. It was an honor and a pleasure to work with such a phenomenal team, and the work could not have turned out better.

Wood Panels

Just for the fun of it, I've decided to add some wood panels I made for my first show, that never made it on to the blog. I hope you enjoy. 

Billy saves a life.

         This is a piece from may of 2011, I've been delaying posting it because I have been concerned I won't be able to do its story justice. It is based off of a nude model we had several times at RMCAD, Billy. Billy was an older, heavyset man, who was always very kind to all of the students. On several occasions he and I spent time together after class was over, and he would tell me about his life. He is a painter himself, having completed over 200 (rather stunning if I might add) paintings of trains. He loves trains, he would show me a computer program that he is writing of all of the Colorado Train tracks rendered in great detail. Perfectly formed trains from head to caboose, and every junction and intersection they cross. He lives in a pop-up trailer in the back of a pick up truck, parked at his friends house. There are elements of his past, that he has asked that I keep private, to protect his reputation with the school. I have many stories that I learned from Billy ranging to every subject tangible. But one story has impacted me more than any other. 

        Billy was working as a paramedic in Philadelphia, after a tragic occupational accident put his painting career on hold. He was responding to the scene of a major car accident. There were several injured, including one young boy. The boy had the side of his body torn open, rendered clean of flesh and exposed. The boy was miraculously still alive but in very bad condition. While being transported to the hospital in the back of an ambulance, the boy fell into cardiac arrest. Billy, seeing no other option, reached his hand in through the side of the boys open chest and began to manually pump the boys heart. He wrapped his fingers around the heart and began to squeeze in rhythmic intervals. He continued to act as the boys life giving organ all the way into the hospital, until he could be stabilized with machinery. Due to Billy's efforts the boy survived. 

      

         I find that story so beautiful. The strength of the connection between Billy and that boy, a stranger. Billy rescued that boy from certain death by physically willing his body to go on. For a brief moment they were one, the boy completely dependent on this man for survival. It is an inspirational act of love so intimate, it defies mortality. They may never see each other again, but i'd like to think that both of them, are permanently bonded.  I found the story so profound that I had to create a piece inspired by it. 

"Billy saves a life."

dip pen and India ink 19x24"

Garrett Scott Ball

Rebellious Palpitations

"Rebellious Palpitations"

Dip Pen and India ink on Bristol, 19x24"

Garrett Scott Ball

Return.

I apologize. I spent the summer working at the Santa Fe opera, painting props. I lost sight of updating this website, for several reasons. But I have recently had a few friends ask me to continue adding work. And I am fairly backlogged at this point. So Here is a piece called, "Nothing Lost or Forgotten." I'd like to give it to the volumes of character that comprise the people in my life, that I may never unravel.

"Nothing Lost or Forgotten."

Dip Pen and India ink on Bristol, 19x24" 

Garrett Ball

To all those, who told me they missed being updated on my work, thank you it means a lot. 

New Beginnings

This piece was meant to be a juxtaposition of age and youth. It was made after having an in depth conversation with a friend, who had a mortally ill grandfather.

"New Beginnings" 

Detail of "New Beginnings"

Dip Pen and India ink on Bristol, 19x24" 

Garrett Ball

Crossing the Event Horizon

           I apologize that I have been infrequent in posting the past few weeks. I recently started work at the Santa Fe Opera. I have been so totally consumed by my work painting, and in my journeys from New York, that the digital world has fallen by the wayside. In light of the new adventures and experiences I chose to post this piece. When making it I was considering how no matter where we go, we carry where we've been. 

"The things they carried"

Dip Pen and India ink on Bristol, 19x24" 

Garrett Ball

(detail)

Howling

I generally like to display this work next to another work, posted previously,  "Peek-a-boo." Mostly because they show polar views on women. They were made at roughly the same time, but one depicts women as sweet and misunderstood. This piece shows feelings that women are deceptive and cruel. But I figure there must be at least half as many types of women as there are types of people, and I hope one day to find time to draw them all. 

"Wolf Like Me"

Dip Pen and India ink on Bristol, 19x24" 

Garrett Ball

Detail of "Wolf Like Me"

transcendence

I recently took a new batch of portfolio photos, so look forward to plenty of new works. 

"Transcendence"

dip pen and India ink on bristol 19x24"

Garrett Ball

That Crunchy Copaesthetic

The model for this piece was a friend of mine, Amanda Kelly.The anatomical drawing came to me as a metaphor for introspection.  I wanted to make a piece that was beautiful calm and serene.

"short term memory"

India ink on bristol 19x24"

Garrett Ball

The Tasmanian Tiger

While working on  a few pieces regarding endangered animals I decided to include a piece that included the extinct tasmanian tiger. It was a species endemic to Tasmania that was hunted into extinction in the 20th century, only few photos survive of this wolf species. I wanted to use the piece to show defiance in the face of fear and mortality.

"Cessation"

India ink and dip pen on bristol 19x24"

By, Garrett Ball

More of the Copaesthetic

I've named the most recent body of work that I have been doing the "Copaesthetic" It is a Portmanteau or a combination of two words into one, that I made up. It combines the word Copacetic, meaning very satisfactory, pleasant, or agreeable. The second word is Aesthetic, meaning a work of artistic value. I suppose to me it means that in my work I am looking for a visual image that can convey accord and harmony. 

I always hope that the viewer can find piece of themselves in my work. I hope that when examining this piece we can all recognize the boisterous facades and guises we all use to conceal our inner nature. 

"Peek-a-boo"

19x24" dip pen and india ink

Garrett Ball

Sun Bear

"dance of the sun bear"

19x24" india ink on bristol