"Rowdy Crow Garden Party "
By Bobby Padilla
circa 1992-93, oil on wood (2'×4')
As I've mentioned before, I would like to utilize this blog to bring to light paintings I've done throughout my career. Some haven't seen the light of day for decades wrapped up and tucked away in the archives. Many haven't been "shared" with the ease of your last party pics or great night out. Social media does have the benefit of allowing artists to instantaneously share art without the need of galleries or the like, not to mention, has a farther reach and audience.
Having said that, I present a painting I did in my early 20's. I put it around 1992-93 before I attended Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).
Rowdy Crow Garden Party (detail)
Absurd, crudely drawn, and strangely applied. That was also me in my twenties.
The painting depicts crows sharing beers with dandelions and snails while atop a brick wall. I can't help thinking this could be a Tom Waits song. It's animated nature seems childlike and illustrational like what you would see in a cell in a comic book. While the theme is thought through and developed, the characters not so much. This evidence is how I'm able to determine the proximity of its completion. Much more process oriented at 49 than 23.
Rowdy Crow Garden Party (detail)
At MICA I learned to develop sketches and refine drawing elements. Don't get me wrong, I still have a clunky, quirky way of drawing, for which I embrace completely. Think of a young musician who "mimics" their favorite songs on guitar. At some point, they may learn to craft their own melodies and learn to actually write their own song bringing to the world their unique creative voice. For better or worse, it only gets better with time and the ability to refine that process, trial and error.
I can't help but to feel the desire to rework or redo some of these paintings, because I know I can execute them better now, but I refrain. That was me in my twenties. Just like l can't go back and rewrite journal entries or poems.
Rowdy Crow Garden Party (detail)
Artist are journeymen. We seek truth and honest emotions in our work, not revisionists history.
Rowdy Crow Garden Party (detail)
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