Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #33, August 13, 2015

What is so special about the Cyprus Citrus IPA by Hula Hops Brewing that made me decide to immortalize this bottle in oil paint?  First, it was brewed in Cyprus!  Second, I drank it in Alaska!  Nothing like a special hand-delivery from the eastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea.  Thanks Sergios!  More surprising was how delicious this bottle-conditioned IPA was, considering its long journey.  Obviously, dry-hopped with Citra hops, this beer would give an IPA such as Deschutes’ Fresh Squeezed a run for its money.  I think you can only get this beer in Nicosia.  It just warms my heart that IPA, an American-style beer, (really you can argue that IPA is from England, but just go there and try to find a good example of the brew) is being emulated in other countries.  I am glad that pilsners and American lager are taking a small hit in the world of what people are drinking.  Not just in the hip continental US, but in a country far from American cultural influences.  It was a pleasure to sip on this beer, and I am glad I had the chance.  Now Cyprus is on my radar, and when I looked at it on a map, I thought about the possibility of visiting the island.  If I ever make it there, I’ll bring my paint kit, as I do on every trip, so I can capture the beauty and culture of the Mediterranean.

The original oil painting, and limited-edition prints are for sale at my Etsy shop.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #33 by Scott Clendaniel. August 13, 2015. Cyprus Citrus IPA by Hula Hops Brewing. 8″x10″, oil on panel.

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Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #30, July 23, 2015

For this painting I decided to just put the paint down with a palette knife. Sometimes my palate is overwhelmed by thirst and the beer disappears. Did you catch that play on words? I haven’t worked with only a knife for a while now, but it feels good to watch the thick impasto go down. Like being thirsty, palette knife paintings take a lot more paint than traditional brushwork. Since I have upgraded my paint to the highest grade I can find, which seems to be 400% more expensive than the student grade paint, yet only 25% better, I have steered away from such thick work. But I just felt like splurging, and wanted to make this painting. I had fun working with so much medium. Unfortunately, I have been paying for it in more than just more expensive paint. The thicker the paint, the longer it takes to dry. I painted this piece in McCarthy, 310 miles from my studio in Anchorage, and I have been cleaning purple paint off a lot of things as a result. The painting spread some purple paint all over a stainless steel growler, as well as the keg hose. I was glad it didn’t get all over the inside of my truck. It rode home on the dashboard after I realized it was falling over in the back seat, thanks to the McCarthy road being so bumpy! I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I enjoyed making it! Cheers!

The original oil painting, and limited-edition prints are for sale at my Etsy shop.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #30 by Scott Clendaniel. July 23, 2015. Palette Knife Oil Painting of Beer Pint. 12″x24″, oil on panel.

Close up of paint texture #1

Close up of paint texture #2

Close up of paint texture #3

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #23, June 4, 2015

What does the Farm Boss drink? Well, gasoline mixed with 2-cycle oil, but I’m referring to an actual farm boss, not a Stihl chainsaw. I’m betting it is not an oak-aged barleywine, although I’d drink that after hydrating with a PBR. In the backwoods “edge of Alaska” community known as McCarthy, in the heart of the Wrangell Mountains there is one beer that everyone agrees upon, and that is the Blue Ribbon winner of 1893.

I have painted several PBR paintings over the last ten years and most of them sell immediately. This is the manliest one I’ve done. A couple months ago Pabst contacted me and bought the last one I had, and also asked me to repaint two others for the marketing office! They must be flush with Russian rubles! I was excited, but thought it could be a scam, so I waited for the check to come in the mail before sending out the paintings. The check arrived, and the Pabst rep was happy with the way the paintings turned out, so I have to say I now like this company for more than just palatable lager.

I just cut down about a hundred trees on my ten acres, saving the best trees and freeing the overgrown forest from the chokehold that was prime for forest fire. I was a thirsty man at the end of the day. When I went into town to see what was going down at the Golden Saloon, I ordered the red white and Blue Ribbon. You know, the first two beers are for hydration, and I think beer does a better job replacing the necessary bodily fluids than Gatorade. After the first two your body will not be as happy about the bold gold, and I can’t recommend finishing up the six-pack, let alone crushing through a case! Nothing is a better thirst-quencher in the evening sun than a lager. I call this painting, Stihl Life of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

The original oil painting sold.  You can purchase limited-edition prints, or order a custom painting at my Etsy shop.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #23 by Scott Clendaniel. June 4, 2015. Stihl Life of Pabst Blue Ribbon. 12″x24″, oil on panel.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #19, May 7, 2015

This week’s beer-themed painting is of my homebrewed Saison chillin’ in the snow on top of Flattop Mountain. After a vigorous hike to the summit we drank the beer while enjoying the view and then had a good time sliding down the snow on our way down. I chose to paint homebrew this week because May 7^th is the day that National Homebrew Day was announced before Congress in 1988. Last Saturday the Great Northern Brewers Club put on an event known as Brew-a-thon where home brewers of Anchorage showed up to brew together. It is a national event that kicks off with a nationwide toast at noon CDT, 9AM here in Anchorage! I teamed up with newly retired Rick Levinson to brew a California Common Beer (like Anchor Steam Beer) we are calling the Steamy Retirement. I have been home-brewing for ages and consistently putting out homebrews for ten years now, but I recently upgraded my system from a less than five-gallon setup, to a ten-plus-gallon, all-grain, two-kettle brewery. I enjoy every aspect of the brewing process, except for cleaning fermenters, which is the most boring, although extremely important part of the job. In brewing, cleanliness is next to godliness! I have filled every fermenter I own with beer from the new system. Cheers to Arctic Brewing Supply for having every piece of gear a home-brewer could ever need, and all the ingredients to make world-class beer! I hope your homebrew tastes fresher and more delicious than any commercial beer! If you brew with the GNBC, you are on your way!

The original oil painting sold.  You can purchase limited-edition prints, or order a custom painting at my Etsy shop.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #19 by Scott Clendaniel. May 7, 2015. Home-brew on Flattop Mountain. 11″x14″, oil on panel.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #18, April 30, 2015

This week’s beer-themed painting was inspired by Henri Matisse (1869-1954). He is credited with many famous works and is known for his color and unique fluid draftsmanship. I have always been a fan of his work, mostly because of its rich color. I was lucky enough to see a version of The Dance, the piece that inspired this painting, on display at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. There are two of these in existence, one in Russia and one in NYC at the MoMA. Even though this painting is ridiculously simple, it has a flow and movement that makes is as important to view as any of the extremely detailed classical and Baroque pieces that are prevalent on the lower levels of the Hermitage Museum. This painting was done between 1909-1910, and is probably Matisse’s most famous one, aside from his portrait of his wife, the lady with the green stripe down her nose.

Matisse developed his style over a period of many years. Although he started out studying law, he fell in love with painting in his 20s, much to his father’s, a wealthy grain merchant, disapproval. Matisse is considered a leader of the Fauvist movement, a group of painters working in the 1920s that was dramatically influenced by color and painted in a way considered to be Neo-Impressionism. I have to say that, although the paintings are simple, the striking balance between color and form makes for impressive compositions that evoke thoughts and may require longer contemplation.

I put a pint in the middle of this painting to alter the composition, making the figures appear pixie-sized, or the pint keg-sized (your call), as well as creating a central focal point. Either way I feel it makes for a delightful play on beer and art, evoking a feeling of lightheartedness and celebration. I enjoyed looking at the color combination of this master’s work when I was executing the piece. I hope you enjoy looking at this delightfully simple piece, and that you savor a pint while doing so! I call this piece, The Dance Around a Pint.

You can purchase this painting, or a limited-edition print at my Etsy shop.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #18 by Scott Clendaniel. April 30, 2015. The Dance Around A Pint. 11″x14″, oil on panel.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #17, April 23, 2015

The Sistine Chapel ceiling mural is a fresco painting that was painted from 1508 until 1512 by Michelangelo.  Frescoes are large paintings utilized as architectural decoration often covering the entire walls.  The paint is laid into the plaster, or wet lime as it dries, which creates a painting that is an integral part of the wall.  The earliest known frescoes are from around 1500 BC, and can be found in the archeological sites on the Island of Crete.  The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was created nearly 3,000 years later.  Michelangelo’s work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is considered to be the pinnacle of Renaissance painting.  I sampled the famous scene where God is creating Adam and inserted beer into God’s hand.  I call this painting God’s Gift.  I have never been to the Sistine Chapel, but intend to get there sometime in my life.  Maria has been, and she was the instigator for this painting.  I found it difficult to emulate the style of Michelangelo, not only because he was a very gifted artist, but also because there is a difference in medium as well, and making my style of oils look like a plaster painting was interesting.  Not to mention, hands are very challenging subject matter… thanks Maria.  I hope you don’t find this painting offensive due to the change in its meaning, however I think our founding fathers would approve.  “Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!”  -Benjamin Franklin

The original painting sold. You can purchase limited-edition prints, or order a custom painting at my Etsy shop.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #17 by Scott Clendaniel. April 23, 2015. God’s Gift. 11″x14″, oil on panel.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #16, April 16, 2015

Super Mario Brothers and beer sounds like a solid Friday night plan to me.  In 1985 Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Shizuka produced the fourth best-selling video game of all time with 40 million copies sold.  Although Tetris, Wii Sports and Grand Theft Auto have all sold more copies, I think that Super Mario Bros is more iconic.  I grew up playing this game, and it has been one of my favorites since I bought my first Nintendo with my paper route money.  One thing to keep in mind is there is a direct correlation between the amount of beer consumed and the quality of gaming performance.  This painting shows Mario about to hit the most amazing power up — a giant beer, so I call this piece Super Power Up.

The original oil painting sold.  You can purchase limited-edition prints, or commission an original at my Etsy shop.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #16 by Scott Clendaniel. April 16, 2015. Super Power Up. 8″x10″, oil on panel.