Show Posters

Here are a couple of posters for the two shows that I have coming up in the next few weeks.

Wizards and Warlocks Vol. 1: The Shadowmarch Series by Tad Williams

Hello friends,

This is the first installment of a weekly, "what I am listening" to post. I am proudly addicted to fantasy novels and heavy metal, and I thought it would be nice to get the word out about those authors and bands that help get me thought the long hours of painting. I love audio books, and I have a subscription to audible.com. If you like audio books too, then check out audible.com, you won't be sorry.

This week:

The Shadowmarch series, by Tad Williams

There are four books in this series and I am at the very end of the last book. It has been a pretty fun ride, filled with awesome monsters, memorable characters, and great story.

And because I am to lazy to write my own summary, here is the plot summary taken from wikipedia:

"The first Marchlands kingdom, Southmarch (commonly called "Shadowmarch"), lies directly on the edge of the mysterious Shadowline, a shroud of endless mist that marks the entrance to the realm of the fairy-folk, the Qar. Crossing the Shadowline is said to drive any human mad, but, as far as anyone knows, the line has not moved any further south for centuries. Now, inexplicably, it has begun to creep slowly but surely deeper into the lands of Southmarch, bringing an unknown menace with it.

Coupled together with this threat is the dissension and endless political maneuvering of many of Southmarch's nobles. The king of Southmarch has been captured and is imprisoned in a distant land, and when the prince regent is murdered, the burden of rule falls to the inexperienced princess, Briony, and her moody brother, Barrick. Faced with invasion, betrayal, and conniving nobles seeking to take advantage, it is up to them alone to hold Southmarch together." -wikipedia

One thing the summary forgot to mention was that the fairy-folk in this series are actually brutal demons lead by the "Porcupine Queen", named after the black spikes that cover her armor. Rad! Anyway, I highly recommend this series and I think the title "Shadowmarch", would make a super heavy band name. Next week I will talk about metal, and maybe post some videos, in my other bi-weekly series, called "Into the Pit".

Work In Progress

Hello everyone,

I am currently working hard to finish an 18 X 24 painting called the "Antidote" for an up coming show. Today, I thought it would be fun to post some photos of the work-in-progress.

As you can see, I've got quite a ways to go.

A detail of the radish-head guy.

Here is the original sketch.

This next photo is a really wacky part of my process. In order to transfer my sketch to the canvas, I scan the drawing into Photoshop, enlarge it to the size of my canvas, then chop it into small pieces--my printer only prints 8.5 X 11-- which I then print out and reassemble. The end result is a pretty dumb looking poster. With a piece of graphite transfer paper between the canvas and my printed out drawing, I trace over all the key lines and bingo! my canvas is all ready to paint. By-the-way my printer prints everything in beautiful rose color when it starts to run out of ink.

...and here I am hard at work.

Events!

I am pleased to announce that I will be part of two upcoming shows. The first of which is a solo show at the gallery formerly know as the Voyeur, in Eugene's wonderfully weird Whiteaker neighborhood on the last Friday art walk. The gallery has been taken over by my talented friend Sabrina, who I might add is also an excellent painter, illustrator, and co-owner of Poppy and Moe.  The official name of the gallery will be determined this week. I have about eight spooky paintings ready to go, and if all goes according to plan, I will also have prints. Expect surf music and possibly Halloween costumes.

When: Friday, October 28th
Where: 547 Blair Blvd, Eugene Oregon

The next show that I will be a part of is on the following Friday at at the Good Gallery, in Portland's historic Mississippi District. I will be part of a group show entitled, "What the Undertaker Saw". It should also be a spooky fun time and it will be great to see what the other artists came up with.

When: Friday, November 4th 7-10PM
Where: 4325 N Mississippi Ave, Portland Oregon

My Submission to Good Gallery's "What the Undertaker Saw" group sho

Look forward to seeing you there.

Their Perpetual Soiree

"Their Perpetual Soiree" 36 X 48 Oil on Canvas 2011

Alright friends, like most of my other paintings, this one is semi-autobiographical and semi-fantastical. After years of as bartender I wanted to paint about drinking and partying and the weird tole it takes. 

I love whiskey and booze still pays for a big portion of my bills. My inspiration for this painting however, was the tired, cheerless look that I've noticed in people get when they go out night after night. It is as if hanging out at the bar has become a boring routine rather than an exciting choice. In this painting I wanted create a party in which no one is really having any fun at all. I wanted to illustrate that fine line between the habitual drinker and the alcoholic. 

Actually, the T-Rex is an alcoholic. He is an angry drunk, and so am I. Just kidding, I'm really nice. And by-the-way I can't drink anymore. My doctor told me not to.

The Sketch

This painting took me much longer than usual, about two months. I had a couple of other projects in between the time I started the painting and the time I finished. Also, the painting is huge.  

Here is the rough sketch for the painting. It is kind of beat-up looking. Honestly, I thought that I had lost the drawing. Later I found it in a sad pile on the floor behind my drafting table. As you may notice, the monkey in the tree was almost an after thought. I quickly drew him on tracing paper and taped him to the original. 

There are many differences between the sketch and the painting. I think it's fun to compare the two to see what I changed along the way. I love doing this when looking at comps and painting by artists I admire. When I am working on a comp like this, I am really only interested in the composition and placement of key elements. I usually freestyle everything else. 

Along with sad drunks, I was inspired by two other things, the first being my t-rex figurine. I have a whole collection of figurines, and they seem to appear quite often in my paintings. 

And the final thing that inspired me was the Shadowmarch series by Tad Williams. When I work on a drawing, I listen to heavy metal, and when I paint, I listen to horror or fantasy novels on audio book. I know I am a dork, but his series is pretty bad-ass. I am almost finished with the last book and if you like fantasy novels, be sure to check it out. 

Bar Drawings

For this week's blog I decided to share some doodles from my moleskin. Once a week I go out to a bar to  drink whiskey, shoot the shit with my friends and draw cartoons just for fun. Usually I try to draw something that makes my pals laugh. ...and yes, I am that weird guy who draws at bars. At least I am not that guy pretending to read a book.




I drew this first one at the Starlight. I was thinking about  starting an exercise routine. That never happened.

I have no I idea what I was thinking at the time, and yes the spotted unicorn is both vomiting and peeing at the same time. Watch out world, my art blog is super highbrow.

I also drew this one at Jameson's and I believe that there was a homeless person on the corner with a bong. I do live in Eugene, Oregon after all.

And I drew this one at the Horsehead, the day after my birthday. I am 32.

A Lesson in the Arts

"A Lesson in the Arts" 24 X 18 Oil on Canvas

I have been thinking about going back to school to get a degree in painting. For some reason, it feels like a really hard decision to make, and instead of making a true decision, I decided to paint about it instead.

...and here is what it looks like in the frame.