Like pees and carrots again

So over the years I've found myself becoming more and more reliant on computers while at the same time having less and less fun with the actual process of doing art. When I first started out doing art as my career, I used Photoshop minimally and for the most part did everything by hand. Then as I got more and more work and especially as I got into working on rock posters I found myself doing less and less by hand because I was trying to be more efficient and think ahead...the last couple years I had really started to notice my enjoyment slowly dwindling. The work was technically getting better but it just lost that spark that would keep me working till 3 in the morning whether I needed to or not and would send me rushing to my art desk first thing in the morning. For awhile there I was really fearing that I was losing my art mojo, but couldnt seem to connect it with the fact that I was doing most of my work staring at a computer screen. I hadn't stopped doing hand done stuff completely - a few paintings here and there and some pencil stuff but as far as my commercial illustration work it was line art by hand and then everything else in computerville with maybe a transparent watercolor splatter layer to make it look hand done. So while working on pieces for a Halloween show I decided to dust off my Dr. Martin inks and try them just for the hell of it. One of the benefits/pitfalls of working on the computer is the ability to go back in history and change things that didnt work out so good. I started to become reliant on that and the idea of doing stuff by hand where I wouldn't be allowed that luxury really started to scare me. It's kind of embarassing to admit but it's true. So I started using my inks and it was like that old spark was back. I've been churning work out and with each piece I wonder why I stopped and also look back at old pieces I did on the computer and they just look so lifeless and flat in comparison. I'm not completely swearing computers off because I never know when I'll have to do another silkscreened piece or work for Hot Wheels/Mattel but whenever possible I'm going to do it by hand. It's good to be back.

Back on the wagon

Been working furiously on a couple different projects including one that's been in my noggin' for a couple years now that I would work on, walk away, come back to, rinse, repeat. I'm itching to show pictures of the progress but I'm making an effort to be more patient with my work and more selective as to how I go about unveiling it and at what stage. Also working on pieces for the Beggars' Night show at C2 on the 31st. Be sure and save your pennies because Jeffie, Mike Guidone, and myself are each working on painted skatedecks to raffle off the night of the show. From what I've seen from everybody it's shaping up to be a really great show.

Beggars' Night!

C2 gallery proudly presents Beggars' Night, a halloween themed art show occurring....wait for it.....HALLOWEEN NIGHT. For more information click here.

Blood and Dust 2

This coming saturday is the second annual Blood and Dust bike race in Dayton, Ohio and I did a poster to commemorate the event. It's very bloody and dusty.

Blood and Dust info

Art commentary Part 2

For the next installment here's a couple more pieces and a little bit of insight into their backstory

Alice in Chains - Electric Factory 2006




I was a little apprehensive about doing a poster for Alice in Chains mainly because of the death of their lead singer, Layne Staley of a heroin overdose and the feeling that the band wasnt "complete" anymore. But then I kind of gave myself a little peptalk and tried to imagine my 1992 self and how it would feel to know that I was going to do a poster for one of my favorite bands someday. In an early version I imagined an angel desperately trying to make it's way to the sun (I guess to regain power or something) and saw that as a reference to Icarus and flying to close to the sun i.e. Layne Staley and how his star had burned out....but after being art directed to make it "darker" I remembered an old piece I had done during college which coincidentally had a drug theme to it of an angel slowly sinking in water...




So then I basically changed what at that time was a sun into light above water, added a bunch of ripples, and completely changed my color palette. One cool thing was that after all was said and done I remembered the lyrics to their song Down in a Hole and was struck by the eeriness of their connection to my imagery. Subliminal? Coincidence? Layne Staley posessing my brain? You decide.

Down in a hole, feelin so small
Down in a hole, losin my soul
Id like to fly,
But my wings have been so denied

Ozzy Osbourne shirt - 2005




This piece is pretty self explanatory - Ozzy Osbourne as some sort of creepy religious angel.....the funny part is, those are my hands. HA

Giant Peach - Peach Asteroid ad 2008




There's a couple little stories going on in this particular piece. First off, when I first moved back to Dayton in 2006 I figured out a little walking route so I could clear my head when needed and brainstorm for ideas. Part of it comes to a little dead end and at the time the image of that began to really define how I was feeling at the time. I also had really been thinking of wanting to get a dog and had always pictured myself getting a white lab....eventually that stupid Marley and Me movie came out and seeing that type of dog all over the place caused me to throw that idea out the window...but I digress. As for concept, one day while on my route I got these visions in my head of a huge tentacled peach creature emerging from a bank of clouds and either attacking a large suburb or one of the huge water towers I passed while walking. Then I did a little bit of research into peaches and came across some old japanese folklore about Momotaro aka Peach Boy.

"According to the present form of the tale (dating to the Edo Period), Momotarō came to Earth inside a giant peach, which was found floating down a river by an old, childless woman who was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband discovered the child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The child explained that he had been sent by Heaven to be their son. The couple named him Momotarō, from momo (peach) and tarō (eldest son in the family)."

So basically the concept is that you are seeing Peach Boy's arrival on earth, kind of like Superman's spaceship crash landing. Also it should be noted that in the middle of working on this piece I had watched Iron Giant and it's pretty obvious how it influenced the art style and color palette.

Well, that's all for now...more to come.....

Art Commentary part 1

Inspired by some recent podcasts and my love for the commentary tracks on DVDs, here's some back stories behind some of my pieces.

Chris Isaak - Borgata Music Box 2006




The concept for this piece came to me after days of false starts and lots of frustration. My favorite Chris Isaak album is Forever Blue and when I thought of the color blue, the first thing that popped into my head was this painting by Picasso called "The Old Guitarist" that ushered in his "Blue Period"




The Giant Peach Peach Monkey Ad - 2008




This ad was inspired by a picture that was posted on Gigposters.com demonstrating a martial arts move where you grab your opponents testicles and literally rip them off, causing them to bleed to death. The name of the move? MONKEY STEALS THE PEACH as pictured below. YOUCH.




and last but not least

Killers - Borgata Event Center 2006




When I saw promo materials for Sam's Town I noticed a distinctive Atlantic City Boardwalk feel to it and the first thing that popped into my head was the movie Big where Tom Hank's character makes a wish on a Zoltar fortune telling machine and becomes an adult but later becomes a kid again




The kind of weird thing was that when the album came out my favorite song was Read my Mind......cue creepy music.....

Anyway, that's all for now...if anybody wants to know the meaning behind a particular piece drop me a line and maybe I'll have it in a future installment....

Anudder great podcast

Ninja Mountain Scrolls. Go search for it on iTunes.

Been eyeing the huge stack of unfinished paintings laying next to my easel......for some reason with painting, I have this fear of finishing or more specifically, can't visualize how a painting could possibly be finished - seems like there is always something that can be worked on/improved. I remember in an interview with George Lucas, him saying something about paintings never being finished, just ABANDONED - pretty much sums up my train of thought. But I think it's time for me to finally come back from going to get cigarettes and reclaim my kids.