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Saturday, December 29, 2007

FffffOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!



What's the secret to making a flipbook that flips cleanly and evenly? This here's a post-it pad, and after a couple hours of drawing and holding the darn thing, the pages become permanently curled. Makes for a stuttery playback!

And how do people keep their clear pyrex cookware free of stain and crust? I sure can't. Glad I'm not losing any sleep over that one, but I do wonder.

Hey! New Year's is coming! Another manufactured holiday! Let's party like it's 204632146687!!

p.s. the music is Deerhoof's Apple O' and the song is Hayley and Homer.

****

Friday, December 28, 2007

dream a little......hey I already used that subject line

okay! I'm up and running! the mac is being ultra cranky again, BUT, it didn't freeze up once when I was using it for hours on end last weekend, doing that application and stuff - woo! Seriously ecstatic about that.

Here's what I'm so happy about today:

I don't obsess about cracks on sidewalks (and avoiding them at all costs), and as a result, amnot impeded in my ability to go out the door and do whatever it is I want or need to do in the world. Nor am I obsessed with, say, albino ravens pecking my eyes out. Hey. Those obsessions would totally suck. The glass is frikkin' half-full, awright?!

Picture of my dream from last night and what the HELL am I still doing awake?!

In the dream I was using a mortal and pestle. As I was doing this, I was afraided. That the magic wouldn't work again, or any more at all. But, the grinding and friction produced a butterfly. A freakin' butterfly, yeah! Often when I sit down to draw I am afraid I won't be able to pull it off again, or after I've done a drawing or art project I think, ok that's it, I'll never be able to do it, that was an accident. Well okay lately, I'm feeling a little more like, ah, confident and such. Barring having my eyes pecked out by albino ravens, odds are that I'll be able to draw over and and over again.

Here is the picture:

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

wtf

I look back on things I've done and people I've been with and........what the fuck was I thinking?! No seriously! I am intelligent. I thought I was intelligent. So what am I doing right now (it's not a question of who I am seeing, you see) - what am I doing right now that, should I live to see another decade (because one never does really know), that I will look back on and say, "what the fuck was I thinking??"

What will I regret?

What'll I be ecstatic about?

How many of you are thinking about Fight Club right now?

Here are some paintings. I like them a lot, actually.

Jason:

jason's advent

And Bianca:

Bianca, again

Do you know how to read tea leaves?

solstice redux

And I look around and see people shacking up together. I mean, they actually pull it off! How?!?

for you



for YOU!

Sunday, December 23, 2007

flipbook-a-go-go



my latest obsession, things with teeth, drawn as I did when I was three, four, five....mouthfuls and gutfuls of teeth.....

Yesterday my pal Clark at work covered for me at lunch and helped with processing materials; when I returned, he'd put post-its all over stacks of stuff and one with 'too confusing for me'. I love it. And I remembered that I'd joined a post-it art group on flickr but hadn't yet contributed, so I thought I would just doodle a couple of post-its and send them off but it snowballed into an animation project.

Soundtrack courtesy Caribou (you may know him as Manitoba - and thanks to Clark for introducing me to Manitoba's Up In Flames!) - the song is Yeti.

(strangely enough......after another cold spell, it is near fifty degrees today and I haven't had need of my yeti slippers)

Saturday, December 22, 2007

solstice

As I was saying, yes it is, and here we are in the darkest hours. I've been reminiscing. Just a little. But, it's a trip, isn't it? to reminisce? A pal of mine (we just met through flickr and are going to collaborate on some comics, or whatever they/it ends up being) suggested posting pics of my art space and stuff, so I was looking at the ones from this summer, and from Donald Street (boo hiss! god I'm still so glad I don't live there any more!), and then from way back in the day over in Springfield. Sigh.....you can see tonight's solstice snapshots over here.

What else is a trip? The way that memories fade - or rather, the piquancy of them. But then, that can be resurrected with an image, or a smell. I mean, summer wasn't that far back, but skeletal trees and grey skies have been the norm for so many days on end, it was startling to see the lush greens and brilliant sunshine in the summer pictures. Oh yeah! that really happened, I remember how that was......

Finished that mile-long application and supplemental questionnaire for the LA3 position. Did I mention that already? Well it bears repeating. A milestone, that is! Now to prepare for the eventuality of an interview. Assume the sale, right? I'm getting an interview. I've worked there for five years, for god's sake, I should bloody well get an interview! And I glutted them with information, too.

I found this photo on flickr, and did a quick little doohickey with a gel pen and watercolor wash:

when all's said and done

Here are some teefies:

rogue appliances

Friday, December 21, 2007

i yam so happy...

.......cuz today, as most days, my commute to work was uncluttered, uncrowded, and unmitigated:



It wasn't yet above freezing when I left the house. It wasn't perhaps the wisest choice to go ahead and bike anyway, but I was all saddled up and not in a huge hurry, so I rode slow(ish) and took the corners even slower. No crashes. I passed several people on bikes going in opposite directions, too. A hardy lot we are. I guess.

I'm feeling better, finally rid myself of that unspeakably horrific headache too. There is another reason to be happy. If I yell too loudly with happiness I might bust a vein and reignite that splitting headache, so I shall remain....serene.

Charity and I threw together a goody plate for our mail carrier. Neither one of us are really big on the holidays. I mean, the manufactured hype.....ugh. I have to buy you a present because 'tis the season? Lame. I'm all for celebrating, don't get me wrong. I was at the bank depositing that Oregon tax refund/kicker check, to cover some doctor bills and some art supplies I bought, and the guy helping me was all about how great timing that was, you know it's gonna go right to Christmas presents. I didn't bother to get into it with him. Whatever. He was a nice guy.

But anyway. We threw together a goody basket, scrounging candy and crap (good crap) (including satsuma oranges) from the various satellite departments at work. I plopped it on a napkin first, then agreed with Charity that a plate would be nice and then she found some nice lavender paper and tied it up with jesus string.

The jesus string came from the jesus barn, or manger. Charity, you are fucking killing me here. Cracks me up.

And then I made a card. Charity talked to the mail carrier and she was ecstatic about everything. I didn't expect anyone to like that card. Charity told the carrier I was concerned, but Charity said that we're weird at the library, what do you expect? (I agree) The letter carrier said that they're weird at the post office. cool, cool!




Can't seem to stop drawing teeth. I left these guys in the phone booth outside of work, for Free Art Friday:



And I drew this on lunch:



Good times!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

i'm so......

fucking sick.

Literally. My lower guts are twisting up inside of me and my stomach thinks it's hungry. When I eat it makes everything worse. I don't know WHAT is going on, except nausea and cramps. And achey. Tired. Shit.

Okay to take up the litany again, I'm so happy cuz today

- I'm sick inside a warm dry room

- the toilet bowl is clean

- I did the laundry yesterday when I was still mobile

- I'm one step closer to annihilating my ego (one can hope) (the whole work scenario is really helping me examine how I hang on to shit and how I define myself)

Here is what I did today, in between wiping my ass and sleeping and deep breathing exercises:

bleargh

woozy

oy vey

I am so frikkin' hungry. And my guts are in so much frikkin' disquietude. What to do, what to do. Drink some broth, I guess.

Saturday, December 08, 2007

i'm so happy, cuz today

it's sunny;

I'm working alone, instead of with She Who Shall Not Be Named;

the recent eruption on my lip, named Coldsore #33, has not completed overtaken my face as in times past;

it's sunny;

my wrist isn't broke any more;

there are roasted vegetables for lunch;

and finally, for now, I am happy because my guts are bright pink:

inside out 2

tra la la

Monday, December 03, 2007

pit stop drop and roll

Just how much water can Eugene hold, anyways?? It has rained steadily and at times torrentially for days and days! Okay two full days nonstop. Again I with the lucking out - it was supposed to rain with snow mix on saturday but it was dry. Until JUST after I arrived home, ha haaa! And now it's crazy windy, I mean cray-zeeeeeeeee, for days and days! Okay two full days nonstop with the wind! There goes Toto!

Okay, another tshirt and one I'm saving to post until AFTER Marsha's birthday in case someone over there visits me bloggy and ruins the surprise. This is of a flickr friend, if you click on it you'll make your way to the full story, ah, yeah such as it is:


ta dah


erm........cheesey for sure

Let's see what else. Okay one more picture, of my favorite model and flickrfriend extraordinaire:

Mod Squad

I am yawning my head off. Oh but wait! There is more! An Hourly Comic Day!

Go forth and gander!




Now, I sleep. No teeth dreams. No.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Sharpie Tshirt Revolution

So sorry for neglecting you all these past several days. For shaem! Sheme. Shema. Shemaymay. Isn't that from In Living Color, or SNL? What's the funniest thing you've heard lately?

I'll tell you the funniest thing in my recent memory.

Ok no I won't, it's nasty.

No not really, I'm just at a loss and though I've laughed my arse off plenty, I think you had to be there.

I finally caved and turned the heat on downstairs. I could see my breath, it was so cold. And I didn't want to come home, it was so cold. And I didn't want to come out of the warm bed, it was so cold. I hope I don't pay through the nose. It is an unusually cold winter. But now, I feel so much better, my hormones are on an upswing, my landlady is being cool, and although a certain coworker is up to her usual tricks, I would be more worried if she were not. My humor has returned after a two-week absence, and I am relishing that.

Been plugging away in the studio, dodoling, or doodling as the kids these days say, and I found a photo on fluckr or actually it's flickr, and so I watercolored my own version here:


sWaN


If you click the picture you can be directed to the flickr photostream and get the full story. Such as it is.

Over on fluckr are many more, well a few more, photos of what I've been up to mucking around with art stuff lately. But what I'm most excited about now is taking sharpies and tshirts to task!

This is for Megan, who turns 12 in a few days:





That was last night's foray. Oooh so fun. And tonight I did another Jason head for my Hundred Heads of Jason Projekt:





heh heh heh. Wouldn't this be natty with a blazer and a pair of Docs? Wouldn't it just? Too bad I own neither. But tomorrow, black jeans and skater shoes will suffice.

heh heh heh

Saturday, November 24, 2007

dem bones dem bones

Evenin' goyls and gents. Finally I am snug as the proverbial bug in a rug. I guess it must be hovering at freezing instead of plummeting into the 20s. Makes a big difference, you know. Two pairs of socks and yeti slippers are enough when it's this warm.

There was frost on the windows yesterday morning. No, on the INSIDE of my upstairs windows. And I, the starving artist in my garret, making due with gruel and weak tea. Oh yeah right whatever. I would still rather work one job, part-time, and neglect to turn the heat on at night, instead favoring an extra extra blanket.

Tonight, the electricity is out again....this time it's downstairs. Ok be careful what you wish for. When I was looking for a place to move into, I was okay with 'funky'. But I'm not okay with it any more. The folks are out of town, and my breaker box is inside their house, next to their breaker box. Luckily, the fridge, oven and stove are on a line that wasn't affected by my extracurricular electricity maneuvers. One too many lights on in combination with an iron and a vacuum and POOF.

SOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOO freakin' glad that the upstairs is lit; otherwise I would be seriously eff you see kay'd. I would be riding my bike over to Jacque and Marsha's, is what I would be doing.

It's nice going to work. It's always a comfortable, even slightly warm, 72 degrees. No wonder so many people off the streets clamor for the easy chairs and set up camp for the day. They do. And they leave their gear strewn about if they wanna step outside and roll a cigarette. It's cool. I know one guy who sleeps under a bridge. He's a good guy. He treats me right - doesn't give me the leer-eye, speaks to me and not my arse-end or my front-end-shelf. Damn funny too, and polite, but not saccharin. Genuine. But he asked me if I was chilly riding in this morning and yesterday and I said fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck yeah man it was cold out there! Froze my ass off! And he laughed and gave me the high five. I can't believe he's out there sleeping. But, it's kind of his choice. He won't work for Tha Man, or Ya Big Thugs.

Anyway. It's good to reminisce. And draw, and paint. Here is some stuff from the last several days. I've been taking a little dive, a small plunge, if you will: painting without sketching in pencil first. With those Heads of Jason. Yup.



Watercolor in german-english dictionary of my flickrfriend Mara

Queen of the Night

(I did sketch in pencil first for Mara)

And then we have:

jasonacrylic

free man

I painted these co-tangentially....is that even a word? does it even mean what I want it to?...they weren't exactly successive paintings, as I worked on them simultaneously. A new thing for me: acrylic on wood. 4 x 4".

Here is what a flickrfriend calls the Jason Totem:

three heads are better than one

just add water

Another Jason.....it's a good thing I suck at drawing the exact same head (person, features, face). Slim to none chance of losing interest in the project or becoming utterly redundant....

And for tonight, guess who? Yes! You guessed right! Another Jason. Postcard sized, on some print paper. Crayola markers with gel pen. Love the guy's nose, very fun to accentuate.

what's that you say?

I go watch movie now. In warm upstairs with yeti slippers and salted broth.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

groundhog day

I'm referring to the rapidity and repetivity with which the days are passing - wasn't I just sitting here doing this same thing this morning in the dark and it was cold? Well it is cold and dark again and I am having much fun dicking around on the computer tonight. And, making art. Revisiting my old flame, printmaking, after a rather long hiatus. The sketch was ok, it's fun to be able to draw something recognizable, but really it's so straightforward and well, honestly, quite boring to behold. Thus the little flamey squirrelly hairdo and the pointy ear so he's a bit of the devil (may care).

from concept sketch....

the sketch

to print....

the print

to sticker! heh heheh.....three for the price of one

three for the price of one

Wanted to do something different for the actual print. I am always fascinated by Kathe Kollwitz's self-portrait print. So I reference it a lot and someday I may even begin to approach the depth and texture she manages to convey so effortlessly through simple line.

Mah toes need some heat! I'm gonna watch some Art:21 on DVD before I fall over sleepified.

ps, did you know that by February 2009, there will be no more analog TV? It's all gonna be digital. Which means if you haven't bought a new TV with these digital-loving devices, you will need to buy a transformer if you want to watch even the local 'free' channels. Worry not. The government, hereafter to be referred to as Ya Big Thugs, has provisioned for each household to receive two (2) coupons worth forty (40) or maybe it's thirty (three times ten) dollars to help buy said transformulators. Expected cost for these miracles of technology: around 70 smackers.

I am so so so glad that TV is not one of my vices. I have my hands quite full already, thank you.

and another think

urgh. Why do I feel like such crap in the mornings? Is it the place in which I live, called Oregon, with its beautiful mold-scapes and perfect growing weather year-round? Is it the place in which I live called my body which is now close to 40 years old? (WHAT?!) Is it the place in which I live called My Mind, whatever the hell that is, which is by turns entrenched in queer beliefs and exalted by new ones? I don't know but it is thrice hard to pry myself from between covers and I look pretty rugged every morning.

Here is my routine, as of the onset of chilly weather. I nestle as long as possible, because I do not turn the heat on at night. Amazingly, this place stays tolerably warm (that being a relative term), and I do own quite a few blankets. But my nose says it is rather nippy out among no-covers. I burrow some more. Unless I have to go to work early.

If it is a very frosty night, I wipe this off the windows (they being single pane):



Then I rehydrate myself, since all the water I drank the previous day has just been condensing on the windows. Every morning a tall glass of water. And I turn the heater on, which squats inside the east wall, and it surprisingly quiet and efficient. I drape the now-wet towel (after wringing out excess water into the basin) over the clothes hamper which I place not too close but close enough in front of the cadet heater, and inside of 15 minutes, the towel is dry and my room is toasty and my arse-flesh is mostly not goosepimpled.

A couple more Jason heads:

jason with a turban?

(one of my flickrfriends says that is looks like a loaf of bread molded into the shape of a camel......how did he know??!)

yes, he is, at least for this panel

yes, yes I know

just ink it

now this last one I am particularly fond of, since I did not sketch it out in pencil prior to piddling around with sumi ink directly on the paper. One of my other flickrfriends, Z, remarked that the ink is unpredictable but in a good way. That is so true! I love that about ink (and am frustrated about that in ink....).

Time's near to riding out for work: I must bundle myself proportionate to the outside temperature which I am not sure has even reached above the freezing point. One would think the extra padding I've acquired after a half-season of cobbler and pie would help keep me warm. Funny how it doesn't work that way, eh?

Monday, November 19, 2007

dear jason

Okay, this could be creepy, but it's.........not. I mean, I don't even know the guy, where he lives, nothing. Except that he's a twice-over survivor of cancer. But his photo is providing me with much inspiration. So here is another head.



a couple of stills

oh brother

sculpey jason

pencil end

erm.......

How can I not? It could be the official 8th Jason, impersonating a...yakuza?



Pretty cool site, I remembered goofing around on awhile back. Create your own at:

Pictap!

Here's the above in full-screen-splendor:

Poodle?!

(I had to name it something........)

93 to go

Oh me goddy god I'm glad I went arsing about out in the garden before that torrential front moved in. All morning, it was sunny and dry (relatively speaking......nothing ever really dries out around here). I dithered around inside, inside my jammies, up in my room thinking to go for a bike ride. So I did, and by this time it was early afternoon, and was pelted with pelting rain. A fair bit of wind too. But damn it, I enjoyed myself and the hot shower afterwards! Oh yes! Cleared up for a moment this evening, here - this is to remind myself during the long winter months ahead that the sun really does exist:



I'm doing heads now. One hundred of them. I found this picture on flickr, of a guy. And I spent some time studying it and I liked it a lot. Turns out he's a cancer survivor (TWICE, no less). I learned this through a person who holds him in special regard - the set where I found the photo. Meanwhile, my favorite illustration blog for all things high and lowbrowlustrous ran a post about a 6000 Heads project. And I am transfixed by all these heads with faces on them. And I put the two together and I am doing one hundred heads of a guy named Jason, here are seven so far:

still alive


take two


number the three


4 of ?


sixième de l'homme Jason


numero seis


fifth event

Saturday, November 17, 2007

untitled

untitled

I'm so happy cuz today....sluuuurp....coffee....as is not my usual wont, if you know me at all. So I am of the bit of hyper persuasion, add the fact that I get to work alone instead of with my favorite sharp-tongued co-worker.

Someone threw me a bone fer sure. Yip yip!

p.s. I used Frank Ze's Scribbler, and you can too. Just google it. I'm not providing a hyperlink.

***edit at 1:21***

I CANNOT DRINK COFFEE NO MORE NO I CANNOT!!!!!!

ping ping ping puh-ping pingping

me no like