SOMETIMES DREAMS DO COME TRUE
And sometimes it takes forever to share it 

So it turns out life is a stage… I had the great good fortune of being a member of the Thirteenth Street Repertory Company for over a decade, and while trying my best to learn my craft, by performing in plays, doing stand-up, people at the Rep., suggested that I jot my little stories down. Perhaps something good could come of it. 

Those very stories, were developed into the play What’s wrong with this picture? I’m in it!  A  comedic look back at my life, my family, and some of the women I’ve been ‘lucky’ enough to have met in my life.  Greg Vorab, was one of the actor/directors at the rep., who had heard my stories, and lucky for me, he directed the show and guided it throughout its development.

What’s wrong with this picture? I’m in it! was showcased at the Thirteenth Street Repertory Company, in three readings, each followed by a Q and A. It was then produced, as a full blown play & premiered in August of 2003.  It ran for five weeks, with three performances a week.

A revised version of the play, was accepted into, and produced during The 2004 New York International Fringe Festival, and showcased at The Soho Playhouse in New York City. During this run, I got the chance to play Russel, the lead. So not only did I write the play, produce the show at the Fringe, I got the chance to play the lead... not bad for a first time playwright. 

I've adapted and written a screenplay for What’s wrong with this picture? I’m in it! and now its just awaiting a wonderful producer to say hi…

And finally the show is available to view online at youtube. Please check it out:  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02JhnyLylgI

Featuring: David Thomas Crowe as Oscar, Louisa Poster as Beatrice/Yenta, Noelle Pastier as Becky/Joanne, Jiffy Reed as Anita/Rosemary, Gladys Murphy Ryan as The Nun/ Shirley, Erika Sumner as Cynthia/Teresa, Cheniqua Carr as Renee, Karen Rousso as Martha, and yours truly, Neil Feigeles as Russel. 
Directed by Greg Vorob, ACR by Marc Seldenstein, & Music by Brian McCallister

RUNNING TIME: The Play begins 00:01:03 mins into it and runs till 01:03:31 mins.   Afterwards,  there are several minutes of after show interviews.  

Of note, the video showcased here was first taped on a VHS camera, and was recently transferred to DVD. That said, if you continue to watch afterwards, you will discover what was originally recorded on it… please disregard, that is unless you wish to watch.   

Until Next Time
Neil

THIRD TIMES THE CHARM
Or sometimes capturing someones likeness, isn't as easy as just putting pencil to paper

Michael Weatherly, Art © Neil Feigeles,  April 24, 2016

Recently as mentioned in this blog, I had the fun job of being a Sketch artist in a Court Room scene shot for the new Michael Weatherly television series Bull, well actually the pilot, the series hasn't been picked up… yet.
Its always fun when you get to a set, sometimes not knowing which actors you will be working with, or at least who you will be able to watch work. Learn from the people doing  what I'm striving to do. In the case of Bull, I honestly didn't know that the actor from such series as Dark Angel and of course NCIS was even involved. That is until I walked on set.  And saw him standing there and I went, yes! Talk about a pleasant surprise. 
So much fun getting the chance to just sit back and do what I like best, just sketch away, watching as what I see, is interpreted by my talents and transformed into works of art. If not in my eyes, at least in others. And when you are sketching, trying to capture likenesses, the client is really the person you want to please, even more so then yourself. Hopefully, in this case, whatever you put down to paper will be what the Director and any and all people behind the camera and in front of it, get visually what they are looking for.

While I did get to watch Michael Weatherly work, I didn't get the chance to sketch him during the three days I spent on set. Something I hoped to be able to do, I mean how many times am I gonna be in the same room with the actor, this could be my one shot. Alas where I was set up to sketch, he wasn't, so I never got my opportunity to try.  
Hopefully if the show gets picked up, perhaps if I'm lucky enough to score the gig again, next time Micheal Weatherly will be set up where I will be able to use him as a model in one of my drawings.
So this past week I decided, to try to capture his likeness, and as it happens with certain faces, sometimes it takes more then one try, to as Tim Gunn would say "Make it work".

When I illustrated Whitney Houston in oil paint for the cover of a Tribute comic book, my first attempt on canvas, for whatever reason, just didn't feel right. And the more I attempted to right what was wrong in the art, the less it looked like the great singer. So after a week of painting, I scrapped the canvas and bought a new board to paint on. And happily this time, from the first brush stroke, the art felt right. Actually it was more of the case of not doing too much. Cause sometimes, you can actually over do it, and actually lose the essence of the person you are trying to capture. One of the tricks of the trade, is to to know when to stop and say, my job is done.
I brought that story up, because believe it or not, Michael Weatherly turned out to be someone not so easy to capture. It actually took me 3 attempts to get to the final art,
which I sketched on April 24, 2016.  It was drawn with Prismacolor pencils on 30 lb  8.5 x 12 white paper. and if you ask me I think my job is done. I look at the sketch, I see him, I'm happy.  Hopefully you're agree.

If you do, and would like to see more, please check out these links: At Red Bubble and Fine Art America you can buy my art in various formats as well as clothes:

http://www.redbubble.com/people/neilfeigeles/works/21644885-michael-weatherly

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/michael-weatherly-neil-feigeles.html?newartwork=true

Thanks for visiting today. Questions, comments, commissions…
Neil 

SO NOW I'M A CLOTHES DESIGNER…
WHO KNEW?
Seems my having fun with my iPhone has maybe transformed me into the next Project Runway Contestant.
As some of you know I've been discovering another part of my creative world, photography. And have been showcasing that part of my creative life on Instagram. Well recently I've been putting some of those images on Red Bubble, where my art and now digital photography can be purchased as t-shirts, prints and many other items. 
Here's a link to those.
http://www.redbubble.com/people/neilfeigeles/collections/499549-photography

Well, I was recently contacted by another site Vida (or ShopVida, as they like to be called), to sell my art, actually mostly my photography. Its pretty nifty to see what was once something that made you pause and take a few shots to seeing them transformed (if I do say so myself), into really pretty cool looking wearable clothes. 
Maybe my obsession with Project Runway, including those from other nations (showcased on Youtube), have led me to this. 
Well at least next year for Christmas and other occasions, when I never know what to get for my friends and loved ones, I think I now know where to buy scarfs and pretty frocks. Way cool.

And here's the link to that.
http://shopvida.com/collections/voices/neil-feigeles

Currently there are 100 items online for you to look at. Here are just a few to make you go… hm. 

Hope you like. check out the site, perhaps maybe I could help decorate your life as well as your walls.

Neil

MY LIFE HAS COME FULL CIRCLE… AGAIN
Seemingly my life as an actor has transformed back into my life as an artist. Or has it just finally merged into one
I find it fascinating that my work as an actor and background performer has seemingly awoken the artist in me and in the eyes of the public. As I've gotten the chance over the last year and a half to use my talents as an illustrator and portrait artist to showcase my talents on screen. In a crazy way, my love of art and the thrill I get every time I create something new and my love for performance was always meant to join forces. Maybe thats my niche in this crazy business we call show, they say you must have to set you apart. 

Actor Luke Slattery with sketch I did of him and actress Dena Tyler, drawn on day 3.

As showcased in the pictures here, my latest gig was working on the pilot for Michael Weatherly's new television show 'Bull'. For three days, I was cast as a Court Room Sketch Artist. The art above was done on the third day, talented up and coming actor, Luke Slattery was featured testifying in court most of the day. Sadly I couldn't capture Dena Tyler, the actresses face in the sketch. Hopefully I'll get another chance when (if) the series gets picked up and begins taping its first season's episodes. I mean somebody might be cast to sketch again in court scenes, and it might as well be me right. Lets hope I passed the audition for that part, if they ever start looking. 
As the day was going on, one of the actors playing a jurist went over to Luke to tell him about the art. Well luckily for me he was thrilled.  He took a few snaps as the art was developing through out the day and at the end, after I wrapped, I gave the him the sketch as a gift. And he was gracious enough to allow me to photograph him for my records. Is it me, or should he have been cast as the new Peter Parker, I think Steve Ditko himself, might agree with me on this one.
So I basically got paid to sit in a real Court Room in Yonkers, New York, on a television pilot, and simply sketch to my hearts content. Well, that is when I was allowed on set.  The great thing was, there were several hours where I was on set while they were setting up the scenes, and I got the chance to watch the real work that you usually don't see unless you're in the inner circle. The one where the actors, the directors and the crew get all their ducks in a row,  preparing for the shoot.  For the action. I felt this much closer to my goal of being in their inner circle, while my friends the working background looked at me as if I had arrived. 
It doesn't get much better then that for me.  The best part it seemed, good or bad everyone liked what I was doing. Personally its always thrilling when your subject's and the people paying your bills get excited about what you create. The look on their faces can be the best part of the gig.   Below are the other sketches I did while working on Bull.

 On the set of Bull, Jane Dashow as Judge Greenfield. Drawn on day 1.  

Jane Dashow and Peter Francis James as Clyde Rutledge, this sketch drawn on day 1 of the shoot, and will be featured on camera as I'm drawing it.

Jane Dashow, Peter Francis James, and Katherine Reis. Dawn on day 2.

Katherine Reis as Taylor Bensimon on the witness stand, drawn on day 2.

My abilites as an artist have been showcased on several television programs including: Law  and Order as a Court Room sketch artist. As the hands of a serial killer, pretending to be a sketch artist in the park on Law and Order: CI. I was the lead in the film The Painter as the Painter, and most recently I was seen as Court Room Sketch Artist's in the upcoming season 2 Premiere of The Jim Gaffigan Show and as showcased here, the Pilot episode of the new Michael Weatherly series, Bull.
I just had an idea. Perhaps I need to pitch a series about a Court Room Sketch Artist, the silent witness if you will, to each criminal case tried in court, cant't remember that ever being done before. And for once the actor playing the character wouldn't need a photo double doing the art. Now, if I can get a meeting with Dick Wolf…  

Guess thats it for now, hope you enjoyed the view.
Neil

 

FRANK SINATRA

by Neil Feigeles 

Art sketched on Monday, February 22, 2016. 
Hand drawn from scratch with Prismacolor pencils  
on 30 lb. 8 1/2” x 11” white paper 

Frank Sinatra was, is and always will be my favorite male singer, and one of my favorite film stars. Simply I grew up listening to him, watching him and fantasizing a lot what it must be like to be born with such charisma ands talent. Growing up a son of a Sinatra fan, from his earliest days. My father actually saw him perform at one of his famous concerts with Tommy Dorsey at The Paramount Theatre in New York in the 1940's. There is nothing better then sitting back and listening to Old Blue Eyes singing a Gershwin or Cole Porter song. Some of my favorite times of my life have been watching High Society, Pal Joey, A Hole in the Head, or The Joker's Wild. And thats not even discussing his dramatic turns including his Oscar winning turn in From Here to Eternity.   

In regards to the art, I decided to try to capture him during his A Hole in The Head phase. Personally it may be my favorite film role of his. Probably because of the Amusement park idea in Florida, showcased here before Disney did it and of course, because of Eddie Hodges, who played Franks' son in the film. For once I could fantasize that Frankie was my dad. And of course because of the classic song from the film, High Hopes. 

I scanned the art, in stages, though out its creation, to showcase this was done by hand. Basically after I get to a point, or I take a break. I scan the art at that stage.  Also, you get to see it on your monitor, so Its like taking a step back giving me fresh perspective to the art. Gotta love modern technology.  

Below, is a .gif,. showcasing all the stages of this sketch. Note, on this one, there's 9 scans.

Hope you like… If you do, and would like to see more, please check out these links: 

At Red Bubble and Fine Art America you can buy my art in various formats as well as clothes :

http://www.redbubble.com/people/neilfeigeles/works/21015109-frank-sinatra?ref=recent-owner

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/frank-sinatra-neil-feigeles.html?newartwork=true

And if you're interested in possibly buying the original art, please visit my new ETSY shop. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/269446930/frank-sinatra?ref=shop_home_active_1

Any questions comments, suggestions… commissions… let me know… thanks. 

Neil

DRACULA BLOOD MOON RISING

by Neil Feigeles 

Art sketched on Saturday, February 20, 2016. Hand drawn from scratch,
with Prismacolor pencils  on 30 lb. 8 1/2” x 11” white paper 

Bela Lugosi was, is and always will be Dracula for me and for the millions of people who've ever seen the film, pictures of him, or the multitude of illustrations done by others. As a kid growing up, loving movies, well any movies, but especially films from the 1940's and earlier, watching the old Universal horror classics on too many occasions has ingrained in me what a vampire looks like, how they act and why, especially as a kid I so wanted to grow up to become one. I know, a vampire? Well, the way Bela Lugosi transformed into him, the simple answer is yes. That said, I also wanted to become The Invisible man, The Werewolf and any one of the multitude of monsters that Hollywood gave us. Of course, when he gave up the mantle of the most famous vampire in history, and others replaced him, Christopher Lee, being my other favorite, he still remained the template of what a vampire looks and acts like. So much so, that when anyone plays the character, they usually are doing a bad version of what he originated in 1931

That said, sometimes capturing likenesses aren't as easy as others. And some sketches sometimes give us creative types, head-aches. To be honest, I almost stopped working on this illustration, on multiple occasions, I just wasn't happy with how it was coming together, and to put it nicely, When I started the drawing, I actually google searched Bela Lugosi as Dracula, under Images. and was surprised to see how many others had gotten the idea to draw him.  Seemingly most of those all used the same reference of the man himself. Luckily when I had decided to do this sketch, as usual I didn't go with the first good image i found. I researched and found lots of options. So instead of taking what everyone else did (phew), I used a different photo as the main reference. Plus I used, several others combining them to create a new take on him, which was inspired by him.

And since this was a sketch and not done as a specific illustration, of Bela Lugosi, capturing his likeness wasn't really necessary. If it had been an assignment. I probably would have started from scratch. using this simply as my sketch to work out the kinks in it,

That said, because I used more then one picture to capture his likeness, to be perfectly honestly getting it to look like him, wasn't easy. And for the most part, I was more interested making the art work by the end then capturing his likeness. I see Bela Lugosi in the portrait, but I also see it as a portrait of the character, even if not the actor. Hence I titles the sketch, Dracula Blood Moon Rising, as opposed to using Bela's name in the title or sub.

I'll let you the viewer decide if in the end, the sketch works.

I scanned the art, in stages, though out its creation, to showcase this was done by hand. Basically after I get to a point, or I take a break. I scan the art at that stage.  Also, you get to see it on your monitor, so Its like taking a step back giving me fresh perspective to the art. Gotta love modern technology.  

Below, is a .gif,. showcasing all the stages of this sketch. Note, on this one, there's 11 scans.

Hope you like… If you do, and would like to see more, please check out these links: 

At Red Bubble and Fine Art America you can buy my art in various formats as well as clothes :

http://www.redbubble.com/people/neilfeigeles/works/20994068-dracula-blood-moon-rising

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/dracula-blood-moon-rising-neil-feigeles.html?newartwork=true

And if you're interested in possibly buying the original art, please visit my new ETSY shop. 

https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/ARTBYNEILFEIGELES/tools/listings/269059459

Any questions comments, suggestions… commissions… let me know… thanks. 

Senator Bernie Sanders

Candidate for the Democratic nomination 
for President of the United States

by Neil Feigeles 

Art sketched on Saturday, February 13, 2016. Hand drawn from scratch,
with Prismacolor pencils  on 30 lb. 8 1/2” x 11” white paper 

Feel the Bern. Thats the slogan under which Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is using to promote his Progressive Change movement. I realized that the expression itself, Feel The Bern actually could be used both for him and against. Think about it. As a fan of politics I find his rise in the national consciousness an amazingly interesting American story. And one which I only can imagine will change the course of history in our country. Either by his winning the Democratic nomination and then the Presidency. Winning the Democratic Primary, losing and/or losing the Democratic nomination and making an impact in the final Election with his opponent Hillary Clinton. And does what he bring to the race, help or hurt her in the final analysis. 

As for the art, this was the first attempt I've done with Bernie. And it wasn't easy finding the right shot to use as a jumping off point. Trying to find one that showcases his energy, political drive, and appeal to the masses. I think my final sketch showcases everything that makes him attractive to the voters. I'm pretty pleased with the final result, and hope you are too.

I scanned the art, in stages, though out its creation, to showcase this was done by hand. Basically after I get to a point, or I take a break. I scan the art at that stage.  Also, you get to see it on your monitor, so Its like taking a step back giving you fresh perspective to the art. Gotta love modern technology.  Below, is a .gif,. showcasing the 11 stages of my 'sketch'.  

Hope you like… If you do, and would like to see more, please check out these links: 

At Red Bubble and Fine Art America you can buy my art in various formats as well as clothes :

http://www.redbubble.com/people/neilfeigeles/works/20919934-senator-bernie-sanders-candidate-for-the-democratic-nomination-for-president-of-the-united-states

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/senator-bernie-sanders-candidate-for-the-democratic-nomination-for-president-of-the-united-states-neil-feigeles.html?newartwork=true

And if you're interested in possibly buying the original art, please visit my new ETSY shop. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/268120769/senator-bernie-sanders-candidate-for-the?ref=listing-shop-header-0

Any questions comments, suggestions… commissions… let me know… thanks. 

Neil

HISTORY IN OUR LIFETIME  
THE PRESIDENCY 
OF BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

Art was sketched on Monday Feb 8, 2016  © Neil Feigeles  

Hand drawn with Prismacolor pencils on 30 lb, 8 1/2 x 11 white paper.

Sometimes we don't see it. Sometimes, greatness just happens and its not until years later its celebrated or turned into legend. Well, living in the age of President Barack Hussein Obama, is one of those times. And its amazing to watch as his story unfolds in front of our eyes. One can only wonder what he'll do in his remaining months in office

One day he was a little known Senator, the next he spoke at the Democratic Convention, the next he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show,  and then, he began a movement of Change and Hope, which eventually landed him in The White House, twice. And once in the White House, he has only showcased how right the American people were. 

To be honest with you, I was not a fan at first. I've never been a fan of speech when it feels almost like a sermon.  My problems with him, were more about, the years of listening to others make those speeches, and then discovering half of them seemed to have skeletons in their closets  or worse. Which Caused me to instinctively mistrust those who spoke in such cadence. I also, was and am a fan of Hillary Clinton, so I regarded him as a threat to my fantasy of seeing her as our first woman President. Heck, honestly, I want to see if a woman could do a better job then the bozo's who've done it, hard to believe a woman could do worse.

That said, it didn't take me long to recognize there was something special about him. And before election day, I was a supporter and a fan. That is if you can be a fan of a politician? In any event, my admiration for his qualities, intelligence, graciousness, policies, family, everything, has only grown. 

What gets me is, that compared to the other politicians out there, now and in years past, the man's in another Universe. He's heads above seemingly everyone. And as we've watched as his accomplishments, his achievements have accumulated, more and more, I'm finding it hard not to stand and applaud, and shout out loud, bravo, after yet another brilliant speech.  

And seemingly he's done everything with half the political world screaming racist comments, lying about everything, trying to stop him at every turn. Which makes what he's done even more amazing and astounding. When he says that Joe Biden is gonna lead the parade to end Cancer, for the first time in my life I actually believe its possible.

Well if there's a petition to add his bust to the fame Mount Rushmore I'm gonna be the first person to sign it.

As for the art, as showcased elsewhere in this blog, I've illustrated our President once before. That time I painted him on canvas with oil. This 'sketch' was my first attempt to capture his essence using Prismacolor.  I'm pretty pleased with the final result, note to self, must pick up a a bunch of new colors to choose from.

I scanned the art, in stages, though out its creation, to showcase this was done by hand. Basically after I get to a point, or I take a break. I scan the art at that stage.  Also, you get to see it on your monitor, so Its like taking a step back giving you fresh perspective to the art. Gotta love modern technology.  

Hope you like… If you do, and would like to see more, please check out these links: 

At Red Bubble and Fine Art America you can buy my art in various formats as well as clothes :

http://www.redbubble.com/people/neilfeigeles/works/20877226-history-in-our-lifetime-the-presidency-of-barack-hussein-obama

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/history-in-our-lifetime-the-presidency-of-barack-hussein-obama-neil-feigeles.html?newartwork=true

And if you're interested in possibly buying the original art, please visit my new ETSY shop. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/267546205/history-in-our-lifetime-the-presidency?ref=shop_home_active_1

Any questions comments, suggestions… commissions… let me know… thanks. 

Neil