its tough to be a stand-up comic
By admin | April 1, 2009
i just got home from a local bar that had some stand-up acts tonight. i really enjoy stand-up and can appreciate just how difficult it is to do. what i realized tonight is that you can’t ever just sit still as a comedian. every joke is like life or death. that has to be so nerve-wracking. but i also imagine that if you get past it, you can experience a high like none other.
i saw a few acts tonight that had some definite rough spots, but you could see them up there, accepting the humiliation as a part of perfecting their art. thats like any art i think. the hardest part is letting go and allowing yourself to express without any inhibitions. its a tough thing, but ive noticed it as a common traits in a lot of the artists that i enjoy and find inspiring.
i haven’t been posting much here lately, but its almost a good thing in that its because ive been busy. there have definitely been sketchbook drawings and other projects worthy of posting, but the process of putting them online can be an incredible timesuck. in case anybody is interested in what ive been up to, or maybe just because its my site and ill write whatever the fuck i want, i will say that i have since the last posting painted another skatedeck and am about to undertake painting a friend’s hockey goalie helmet with black and gold paint pens. i moved to a new apartment in a different neighborhood and bought a few pieces of indonesian wood furniture. ive had some luck in the bartering marketplace, as i traded an old computer for a nearly brand-new guitar and am now putting the finishing touches on a couple of poster designs that im trading for a bunch of phish tickets for this summer.
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Finished My First Deck!
By admin | January 18, 2009
I had been seeing ads in various art magazines for a training video by this guy Drew Brophy. If you’re not familiar with him or his work, let me tell you that he is behind some of the most iconic surf images and illustrations that you’ve probably seen in hundreds of different places. His style combines colorful gradients with thick dynamic black outlines and his signature selection of surf culture imagery. Check his stuff out at: www.drewbrophy.com
So I got this video and a bunch of the water-based paint pens that he touts. His idea is that with these pens you can paint anything, and on the video he shows you how to paint surfboards, a skateboard, a guitar, a pair of Chuck Taylor’s, and an amazing motorcycle helmet. All of these with these paint pens. After the video I grabbed the smallest skate deck under my bed and started sanding.
Sanded, Primed and Ready to start
After I primed it, I sketched out a design and started the work. Was so pumped about it I didn’t really get any pictures of the process.
A Re-Painted Sector 9 Skate Deck, 7.5″x26.5″, Acrylic Paint Pens
Close-up 1
Close-up 2
Close-up 3
All in all, this was probably one of the most fun art projects I’ve done in a long long time. I loved the hands-on requirements of sanding and figuring out how to prime it best. Then the actual painting process was a blast too. I’ve mentioned before I think that I feel out of control with a paint brush, but these pens allowed me to work with paint in a really natural way. Will definitely be doing more of these. Think I might do my guitar next.
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Underwatercolors
By admin | December 21, 2008
In an effort to try and start taking my personal art ever-so-slightly more seriously, I decided to make another stab at painting. I’ve tried some things in the past but felt alien with a brush and gave up quickly. I’m a bit more determined now to try and work through these things while also developing the vision I want to lay down.
Sea Dragon, 8″x11″ Watercolor
Here’s a study of a seahorse, from a photograph in National Geographic. I figured it was apt to paint a water creature with my first new attempt in watercolors, and this one was rather interesting. I worked hard to continue pushing past my challenges and doubts, trusting the process of layering darker and darker pigments. What I found was an incredibly meditative and pleasing process. I think I even began to enjoy working with a brush, noticing the enormous advantage over pens in covering large areas with even color.
Topics: large format, watercolor, writings | No Comments »
Another Quote: by Winston Churchill
By admin | December 17, 2008
I’ve been really inspired lately and have been drawing in my sketchbook a lot. Suddenly I feel very motivated to make something that is of a little more value than just a doodle, and it’s starting to hit me that I should pick up a paint brush. While I’ve tried this in the past with very little success, I always felt lost about what subject matter to create. I’m just now realizing that I should use my more successful and interesting sketchbook entries as inspiration for larger pieces. So while that’s all well and good, now I just need to find the time, or rather make good use of the time I do have, to create these things.
Well here’s a quote I just found by Winston Churchill that will help me through this new learning curve I’m about to experience. I actually like learning new things through trial and error and this quote really sums up the process.
“Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm”
–Winston Churchill
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Rick Griffin Quote
By admin | December 14, 2008
I was flipping through a book of trippy concert posters from the 60’s when I found a quote by Rick Griffin that really struck a chord. If you don’t know Rick, you probably do and just don’t know it. He has a style that arguably defined the entire genre of psychedelic posters, and if probably best known for his image of a winged eyeball that ultimately became a logo for Jimi Hendrix.
“All of the best artwork is accidental. It happens when the artist works through his self control and goes beyond, into the realm of the unexpected and the unknown. That’s when the great stuff happens”
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Happy 80th Birthday Grandma!
By admin | December 11, 2008
Although its really Grandma-in-law, that will pass just fine since my own grandparents are no longer with us. We’re heading out to Rochester tomorrow, after the office work party so I should be nice and relaxed for the flight, and throwing a surprise party. I hope I didn’t just let the cat out of the bag. Oh well, what are the chances she’s reading this?
Anyways, I haven’t posted much work lately and there’s a decent backlog to show. So here’s a big mixture.
This is a before and after. I posted this first one early on in the process and kept adding to it over awhile. I like how complex these types of things start to get and love what a wide variety of little images pop out of the page.
this is one that i thought i had pushed too far but i kinda saw something after i started adding some hi-lighter. its almost like the brightening up of it helped me see some depth in it.
this started off with the woman’s face, coming out of nowhere and a line exploration that ended up being what she’s holding. ive been trying to work on creating more complete worlds while maintaining the loose mixture of ideas and forms.
this is a stickynote doodle i did over the course of some downtime at work.
Topics: sketchbook, stickynote art, writings | No Comments »
Is Art like Science?
By admin | December 2, 2008
I am reading a book by Bill Bryson, called A Short History of Nearly Everything. It is a very scientific book written in a very non-scientific way, and is one I recommend to anybody with questions about our origins as a species and planet. One quote in particular got me chuckling and I had to share it here. It also made me wonder if things work the same way in the art world.
“There are three stages in scientific discovery: first people deny that it is true; then they deny that it is important; finally they credit the wrong person.” - Alexander von Humboldt
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Indecisiveness & Being a Spectator
By admin | December 2, 2008
When it comes to working on projects, I am all over the place, and its is sort of a nerve-wracking thing. I suffer from having too many ideas and a lack of direction, so that I am constantly jumping from a logo design project, to a life drawing, to abstract works on paper, to animated short films, to live action films, to a screenplay, to a socially conscious motion graphics essay, to photography, to playing guitar in a band.
Sure, there is crossover between many of these mediums, but in reality they’re all very separate fields of interest. And I feel so unproductive when I get halfway through one of these projects only to realize that it isn’t turning out how I planned and then lose interest and drop the project altogether.
Why can’t I just have one major interest? Why can’t I just use my time to do what I am strongest in, and be happy just looking at life drawings, reading screenplays and watching animated films? Why is it that just because I enjoy a particular medium I feel it necessary to try and do it myself? Why can’t I revel in the role of being a spectator? It sure as hell would be easier.
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I’m A Fan: The wave at Sunset Beach, Hawaii
By admin | November 25, 2008
It is prime season to be a surfing fan. Coming into December only means one thing…..the Triple Crown Surfing competition on the North Shore of Oahu. Some of the biggest, meanest waves in the world break on the shores of this idyllic place, during a few of the coldest months of the year.
The Triple Crown is actually 3 separate competitions on 3 different waves. It starts at Haleiwa (Hal-ay-ee-va), a nice right-hand that gives out heavy barrels with a good amount of swell. It finishes at Pipeline, which is probably the most well-known wave in the world, and is also regarded as one of the hardest to surf. But in between these 2 spots is my favorite wave EVER. Sunset Beach.
Sunset Beach is a wave that looks from a distance to be fairly gentle and manageable, at least when compared with something like Pipe. But if the juice is pumping here, this wave turns into a nightmare real quick. It sort of comes in rolling and looking like a wide open slope for doing big swooping carves. But as it pushes in further, the wall of the wave quickly jacks up and heaves over, creating a thick, pounding barrel.
And that is what I love most about it. It is raw nature at its best, almost taunting people to come and tame her, only to rear her snarling teeth right at the end, when its almost too late. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching people surf at Pipe, but there’s something about Sunset where I just can’t see enough waves breaking.
Here’s a few links to some GREAT videos of North Shore surfing:
Nice long shots of Sunset breaking on a pretty good day. It shows off what I consider to be the essence of the wave, the enormous width of the peak. To me, it looks like four fingers clenching into a fist. I sure wouldn’t want to get caught inside there.
Real footage from the Real Big Wednesday in 1966, when a few brave souls ventured out to 2nd Reef Pipe for the first time. It is a truly amazing and historic event.
Topics: im a fan, writings | No Comments »
Finders Keepers
By admin | November 19, 2008
I enjoy riding my bike to work. It gives me a really good feeling to know that I’m commuting on my own power alone, getting exercise while doing my part to help the problem of dwindling resources and pollution. It also helps that I save a $4 in daily bus fare and can make the trip in 20 minutes, while it takes 45 on the bus and is a constant fight for space. As you can see, biking is a no-brainer.
But since I live in Chicago, I always knew it would eventually get cold. Brutally cold. So I stocked up on earmuffs and gloves and remain determined to keep riding as much as I can throughout the winter. I have to say though, it’s really not that bad. I stay pretty warm because I’m moving constantly and I feel even more hardcore than before. For me, its a huge rush and I usually feel more energized afterwords.
Today, when I pulled into my alley, I saw a painting lying in the middle of the road. It looked like somebody left it there, wanting somebody else to pick it up. But it also could’ve just as easily been blown from the garbage by a strong wind. The artwork wasn’t terrible, but nothing particularly moving for me. I was so amped from my cold ride that I picked up the artwork, took it home to krapify it, and then put it back right where I found it. Here’s the results:
Topics: large format, writings | No Comments »