DECODING THE PAST: SHROUD OF TURIN

About a year ago a colleague of mine at the Art Institute of California - San Francisco and I were asked to be part of a documentary that would appear on the History Channel series Decoding the Past featuring the Shroud of Turin. Jumping at the chance to work with the History Channel, my partner Alex Peter and I flew to Los Angeles to meet with the film crew, animators and Barrie Schwortz one of the leading experts on the Shroud of Turin. We were immediately thrown into the project and asked to help visualize the Shroud's controversial yet faint and distinct image. After careful observation and analysis with Mr. Schwortz, I embarked on a series of drawings that would be used by the animators in their attempt to render the figure digitally in three dimensions. The difficulty in this challenge for me was to produce drawings that depicted the body in various positions and angles using only the FLAT two dimensional information that is cast in the Shroud itself. This took all my knowledge of human anatomy and matching it carefully with ONLY the data provided by high-resolution shots taken by Mr. Schwortz from the Shroud years earlier. It was a fun project that spanned several months and took many hours of careful drawing and study. For a brief moment I felt kinda like Indiana Jones(in an artist kind of way). I did a total of seven drawings of the head and full body. Here are three drawings of the head. Only one drawing made it on the "air" but all were used faithfully in the three dimensional sculpt made by the animators.
Image: ©Copyright 2005 Trey Gallaher. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
11x14in. conte on paper
Barrie Schwortz's Shroud Website --> HERE
Alex Peter's Website --> HERE

B.E.A.T.

I was approached in the spring '06 by a former student Cassandra Voors who was working to put together the upcoming student newsletter B.E.A.T.(Because in Everything Art Thrives)at the Art Institute of California - San Francisco. I was interviewed by a student journalist Bunny LaValliere who I had a great conversation with one afternoon in the summer. After some time and production this newsletter hit school circulation late in the fall quarter '06. It is the first edition that was printed and distributed and I was proud to be featured in this important issue. A BIG THANK YOU to Cassandra and Bunny and all those behind this exciting issue. You guys are great! I wish to only make 2 corrections (I have to they are my favs.). I love the radio station 91.1FM KCSM (best jazz radio in the country to paint by Saturday mornings over coffee) and John Coltrane.
Download a PDF of the article here --> HERE
©Copyright The Art Institute of California - San Francisco

NOT SO STILL

Just a little wet into wet demo for class; havin' a blast!


Image: ©Copyright Trey Gallaher
11x14in. watercolor on coldpress

TAKING TIME

It can be very rewarding to simply take time out to draw whats around you. Exercises in composition and perspective can be found almost anywhere. Over the last several years I have found plein-air painting to be very relaxing and enjoyable and uses an entirely different vocabulary from my other work. Something about being out IN the elements and responding to what you are experiencing in nature in the moment. There is a purity to that, and it's great fun! This was done in Golden Gate Park near the polo fields. The drawing took about thrity minutes and I was using chalk pastels on Canson paper.


Image: ©Copyright Trey Gallaher
8.5x11in. pastel on paper

DIGITAL FUN

I continue to believe that the digital revolution is and will be the wave of the future and does more for the arts than take away, not just in style (infact less is better) but in delivery, reproduction, distribution, presentation and effects. While the digital age has many bells and whistles nothing will take away the satisfying feel of the "human touch". Just a couple of quick drawings here by hand and having a little digital fun with them.















Images: ©Copyright Trey Gallaher
11x14in. charcoal on bristol with Photoshop

PICK-UP GAME

I fell in love with chess in my early college years and have played it off and on ever since. I recently picked it up again and was immediately thrown back into an old familiar world. I love to watch the game in coffee shops where people are doing battle over endless caffeinated drinks and hours of "fun" concentration. It's fascinating to watch this puzzle unravel where everybody is staring intently at the same pieces for the same answers and yet nobody says a word; meanwhile, a hidden language is silently being spoken through the moves of little "men". It's a great subject for drawing.



Image: ©Copyright Trey Gallaher
14x11 ink,gouache and pastel on bristol

BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE

Before anything else, I start with a drawing, whether it's for thumbnail sketches or for a painting, and there is something special about those first marks. They are the first visualization of what has only been in your head up to that point. It sometimes gives me goose-bumps momments before. This drawing of Woody was the first one I attempted and ever since I've loved the way it looked. This doesn't always happen but with this one it was immediate and I could see the spirit of the finish right away. I don't know why but something about the ease of how it came out and it's gestural nature captured my hero. While I was very happy with the finished painting, I keep coming back to this drawing.

Drawing: ©Copyright Trey Gallaher

9.5x11in. sharpie on tracing paper

Illustration: ©Copyright Trey Gallaher

14x17in. sharpie on tracing paper

PROPS TO MY PAINTING PEOPLE

I have got to send out a big PROPS to my painting class at the Art Institute of California-San Francisco this Fall '06 quarter. You guys were outstanding! I had a great time teaching this class and you all made Wednesday nights until 10pm feel like a Saturday afternoon at a BBQ. This class was one of the most enjoyable I have ever had the pleasure to teach. I challenged you and you showed up in force! For a teacher there is no greater sense of pride. You were enthusiastic, fun, passionate, sincere, hardworking, dedicated and supportive of each other all the way. With a full load of classes on your plates, jobs on the side, girlfriends and boyfriends, and keeping yourselves fed on next to no sleep, you still made this class a priority and I thank you. You make it all worth it for me. Keep up the hard work my people and you will go far. With respect - "T"

SKETCHES OF MILES

One of the most rewarding aspects of making art is you get better as you go. Image after image you learn with each mark you make, color you add, or image you compose. From the first to the last piece you make, regardless of ability, the learning never stops. I love to come home after a long day, put on a fresh pot of coffee, drop in some Miles or Coltrane and just push paint around or create a drawing and let my mind go elsewhere. It doesn't have to be "for" anything but just investigation and creative release. It never gets boring to think you can sit down and in twenty minutes have something fresh and exciting happen before your eyes. It doesn't always happen so easily, but when it does, for me there is nothing higher on this earth. In this case I started with a simple drawing from a couple scrap photos I had laying around from various cd's, books etc. of my boy here. I collect lots of interesting photos I find to study from. I try never to work from just one piece of reference but to study my subject from several sources and make it my own. You have to know your subject and be able to draw well. It may take more than one go around to get the feeling right. Once satisfied with the drawing I added gouache in a loose spontaneous fashion right over the top. I kept it simple and punched up the highlights with some pastel. Sounds easy huh? Ok not always, but again as you get better, your instincts get better and so are the rewards.
Image: ©Copyright Trey Gallaher
14x17in. Prismacolor, gouache and pastel

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

This is a posting site for what I will call my "Dailies". The term traditionally applies to a newspaper that publishes each day of the week. While I may not post here everyday, I will attempt to post in a semi-frequent manor the workings and goings-on of my studio life, special projects, and observations (made behind the scenes) of my picture making process. This is NOT a portfolio of which I direct you to treygallaher.com for a more formal presentation of my work. What you will find here is work in-progress, studies, drawings, experiments and discoveries made along the way. While I am not inherently a fan of self-indulgent daily blogging diaries, I do find the virtual space to be a great place to quickly and easily share two-dimensional visual art and process. At the risk of sounding hypocritical, I move forward with caution and respectfully invite your honesty, feedback, commentary and questions. I hope you enjoy.
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