52 Fridays - The Center Isn't Holding Like it Used Too

This week I tweeted, "Looking through the news most days I feel like I am living in a prequel to Cormac McCarthy’s #TheRoad". If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, it's a tale of a father and son trying to survive and also keep their humanity in the face of an all too realistic dystopian near future of extreme weather and marauding bands of cannibals. I read the book once and saw the movie once and that was enough to haunt me. I don't think we are heading to the "end of the world", that would be too easy. No, I think we are moving into a new challenging era of chaos caused by climate change, the pandemic and hyper-tribalism that will just make life less pleasant than it's been in the Western world in the last century or so. Of course for most people in the "undeveloped world", it's more of the same. Life is never easy, so if they get flooded or there is a drought, those people pick-up their few belongs and move somewhere more friendly. In the west, we continue to build on the coasts, binge-watch streaming video in our air-conditioned McMansions and order shit we don't need from Amazon. Nothing hurts and the good times will never end. William Gibson the science fiction author once said, "The future will not be evenly distributed." I think the same thing can be said for this creeping dystopian environment we are living in. Parts of the world are burning and other areas are literally drowning. Some countries have more vaccine than they can ever use and the virus numbers are dropping quickly, while other regions haven't vaccinated anyone and the virus is running unchecked and unmeasured and the variants have fertile ground to mutate and get weirder and stronger. 

So what does all this DOOM TALK have to do with this week's drawings? I'm glad you asked. I drew the same face three times this week and realized that it feels like a scream. My scream. This is my version of Munch's "Scream". It's all I can manage in the face of such existential dread. It's the face I make while, "...listening to the terror through the wall." (Ginsberg) I hope it is not my death mask. Mixed in with this darkness is some light, some hope of reset and finding a new way to live. That a new society will carry on, despite the difficulties, but it will be a bumpy ride.

This is a "Keaka Head" created by the Ejagham People from Cameroon region of Africa.  I found this on "feereafricanart" an Instagram feed I have pulled from before. I was immediately hypnotized by the eyes and teeth. Also made me think of Jack Kirby, the legendary comic book artist's work. I did three versions to explore that face. Two drawn with a cheap-ass ballpoint pen, directly referencing the photo and one from memory with a marker type pen and intentionally trying to channel Kirby's style (and falling short).

Which one do you like?

Do you feel the DOOM as intensely as I do or do you think I am being melodramatic?

See you next week...

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52 Fridays - Yakuba Zakpie

“Yakuba Zakpie” sounds like the name of the coolest preacher in West Africa or something you might say to someone to acknowledge a small injustice in the world, like a nicer way of saying “shit happens”. This super cool mask comes from the Cote D’Ivorie region of West Africa and is a Dan Yakuba Zakpie Mask I found on the Instagram feed of “passionate_or_obessessed”. I like it because it reminded me of Grace Jones. I really like the asymmetrical form created by the necklace (?) ball things. 

See you next week,

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52 Fridays - Wide-Eyed

 This week’s drawing is a “Dan Mask” from the Gio subgroup of far- eastern Liberia that I found on the Instagram feed “evansafricanart”. I choose it because it has a haunted quality. There’s a wide-eyed wondering of, what the hell comes next in this crazy world. What a time to be alive.

Stay safe out there!

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52 Fridays - Happy Man!

 

This week’s drawing is a “Showwe Statue” I found on an Instagram post from “art.afrique.showroom”. I drew him because he reminds me of Sammy Davis Jr. and because he looks happy. I am also happy! I hope you are also happy.

Happy Friday! 

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52 Fridays - Deep Ripper

 

The deep oceans are the home for some truly terrifying creatures. It's a living nightmare to think of bizarre animals swimming around in total darkness eating each other. This week's drawing is my imagined idea for one of these fish, a "Deep Ripper", a fierce predator with a powerful fist-like head filled with curved, broken glass sharp teeth that will tear anything to shreds. Of course this fish might only be a few inches long, so wouldn't be a threat, but what if it were five or six feet long? Get out of the water! 

Enjoy your beach time!

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52 Fridays - 80s Heavy Metal Horror or Congo Mask?

Happy Friday! This week's drawing is a Salampasu mask from Congo that I found on the Instagram account of "lesboisnoirs". I chose it because it reminded me of some half forgotten 80s horror film killer, something like a heavy metal "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". It is an intense looking mask made up of scraps of metal and topped off with some cute hair bun, ball things. I accentuated the horror element by making the teeth more jagged, but it really didn't require much as the original is terrifying enough. The angular shape of the face is distinctive, with the broad forehead tapering down to that sharp, nasty chin. Imagine the ceremony it was designed to be a part of...

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52 Fridays - Doodle Dan

 

I don't doodle enough, but I did this week. Doodles are generally idly done while thinking about something else, so they are, I believe, a connection to the subconscious. With my other, more formal drawings, I can be too conscious at times, thinking too much about the drawing and how I am doing it and that it had better be good. Doodles are the opposite of that. I'm just playing, making marks and not trying to make a "good drawing". I often throw them away. I saved this guy because I like it. It's on a scrap of paper I used for my daily To-Do list. The back of this note was filled with small tasks that have been marked through. There's one task at the top of the drawing, "LATVIAN", my reminder to take an online Latvian lesson and next to that, WALK, which I also did. Then I noodled up this little guy in a couple of minutes. I like the looseness and energy of the line. It has a bit of a 1980s feel to it. Do you doodle? If so, do you ever save them?

Happy Friday again and welcome to June!

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52 Fridays - Unknown and Toothless

 

Greetings and Happy Friday! Have you ever felt like a toothless unknown? I know I have, so when I saw this toothless fellow, well he's missing one tooth, I had to draw him. He's another find from Instagram, this one came from the account of artsafricains.bakongo. Unfortunately there is no listed information about where or what tribe or anything, hence the "unknown" factor. If anyone out there can tell me anything about him, drop a comment below. I used a basic black ballpoint pen to sketch him out and finished with colored pencils.

Thanks' for stopping by and have a good week!

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52 Fridays - M-78 a.k.a. MoonFace

 

This week's drawing is from a miniature carving (less than two inches tall) I did called "M-78". It's carved from a Hickory Nut husk and was part of a series I was working on called "Lo-Fi-Ga" which I have posted about many times before. I also wrote specifically about "M-78" back in August 2015 (ye gods has it really been almost six years?!). My fav quote from that post is:

Is he a secret agent? Is he a wrestler? Maybe a secret wrestler? He is marked and mysterious and blind.

 My girlfriend Ieva thought a good name for him would be "MoonFace", so maybe that's what the "M" stands for. What do you think he might be?

Happy Friday. Keep smiling and don't let the bastards grind you down.

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52 Fridays - Acorn Head - Ibibio

 It's week twenty of this fifty-two Fridays drawing project and this week's subject is an African mask from Nigeria of the Ibibio people. Another wonderful image harvested from the seemingly endless treasures to be found on Instagram. Sidebar - I'm no fan of Zuckerberg and don't like that Facebook (also don't like Facebook) now owns Instagram, but it's tough to find a better place to look at such a wide variety of different kinds of art easily. Maybe Pinterest? (What's your favorite site to browse art?) I'm constantly adding new images to a saved collection in my IG account, so there's always several things ready to draw.

I found this Ibibio mask on "afrikaria" and it is the third image in a collection of masks depicting disease and deformities. I will likely draw the other two masks sometime in the future as I find them all to be fascinating. My immediate response to this mask was "Acorn Head" and I intentionally exaggerated the shape of the top of the head to convey this. It also reminded me of a series of tiny carvings I worked on for a time called the "Lo-Fi Gods" that were carved from Hickory Nut Husks. Maybe I'll do a drawing from one of those next.

I've mentioned in the past that I sometimes struggle with my inner critic as I draw, but this week I tricked it by telling myself this was just going to be a "warm-up" drawing before I started the real thing. The critic was silent and I did my work. Truly, all art is just "practice"; a ritual of creation that exercises the soul. That inner critic is also the voice that tries to talk me out of going for a run or eating healthier food. This voice is not my friend.

See you next week.

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52 Fridays - Chokwe Mask

 

Another Friday already. This year is flying by, unlike last year, which seemed to last for ten years. Now that I am all vaxxed up (get your shots you swine you!) I'm beginning to get back out into the world and it's good. I'm returning to a more normal rhythm of life, so the pace is picking up. Starting to look forward to going to the movies again and hanging out in restaurants and pubs. 

So what does that have to do with this week's drawing? Absolutely nothing at all!

This week's drawing is a Chokwe Mask, an image I found on the Instagram feed of johngrahamtribalart. A quick bit of research shows me that the Chokwe people live in south central Africa where the Congo, Angola and Zambia are today. I chose this image because of the tight framing that fills the space, for the big, alien-like eyes and the expressive mouth lined with the sharp teeth. I used an ordinary black ballpoint pen. As is often the case, I began doubting what I was drawing, resisted the urge to abandon it, but fought through and kept with it and like the final result. I don't know why I make the drawing process so difficult. 

Did you make anything this week? If not, get your ass in gear, time is a wasting.

See you next week,

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52 Fridays - Nosferatu

 

Welcome to week eighteen of my "52 Fridays" drawing project. This week's drawing is "Nosferatu", which I drew from memory. It was inspired by an Instagram post by "instahorror" which is an image from the TV adaptation of Stephen King's "Salem's Lot" (1979). In that story he is referred to as "The Master" and scared the crap out of me when I saw it as a child; still creeps me out. There are of course many other versions of Nosferatu on the screen, the most famous being the first one from 1922, directed by F.W. Murnau's version. The German actor Max Schreck portrayed the creature in that film and his strange, expressionist style continues to be an influence to this day. I'll be doing some drawings of his version at some point for sure. Today's version is quite different than the "Salem's Lot" inspiration, which is fine as I purposefully chose to work from memory because I wanted to see how different my version would be and what I changed. The shape of the nose, addition of big eyebrows and larger eyes seem to be the biggest changes. Maybe next week I'll draw from the photo.

Have a good week!

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52 Fridays - Happy Earth Day

 

Happy Earth Day! It was a chilly, but sunny day in RVA yesterday. I got out for a five mile walk, then sat down and drew this lovely, little cabbage head. She was inspired by an image I found on the Instagram account of "fernandin_jones". There is no description, but it looks like a carved piece of jade, a bead from a necklace. I'm guessing it could be from Central America? I always prefer to credit the culture I am drawing from out of respect, but also to provide a node point to connect fellow seekers. I pushed the green color in my interpretation just because it is my favorite color. 

This is week seventeen of the 52 Fridays project. So what is your favorite drawing so far? Any requests?

See ya next week,

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52 Fridays - Revenge of the Nose

 

Yes, I did have acne as a teenager. Funny how that shit still comes out when I made this drawing. I didn't even realize it until I started writing. We are the sum of all the good and bad in our lives after all.

Happy Friday! This week I decided to riff on last week's subject, but this time only work from memory and give myself free rein to play. This profile is so captivating to me that I could just draw it again and again for the rest of the year...that's an idea! I made a lot of changes, primarily making the ear larger and adding the rings, covering the skin with strange tattoos or maybe lesions, and enhancing the lips. It is also rendered in black and white ballpoint pen in a more comic book style. I loved the magazine "Heavy Metal" when I was a teen and there are echoes of that here too.

See you next week.

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52 Fridays - This Week in Living Color

 

Welcome to week fourteen of my "52 Fridays" art project. I'm changing this from a "drawing project" to the more general term art because I want latitude to play with different mediums. Sculpture, painting,  interpretive dance? Stay tuned and see what happens.

This week is a drawing of a wood carved figure of the Gurunsi tribe from West Africa (learn more at Africa 101 Lost Tribes). I found the photo on "Zachary Feere—African Art" Instagram's feed, which has been a treasure trove of amazing stuff and this is not my first time pulling something from there. I was drawn to this piece because of the strong cuts across the face that suggest ritual scarification or maybe, healed wounds. The epic nose and sensual lips and overall shape of the head also attracted me. I decided to add color to this piece and used color pencils to overlay my ballpoint drawing. My girlfriend, Ieva, commented that "He looks bloody.", which I didn't notice, but see that now. I think he looks like a warrior who has been through hell and out the other side and wears has scars proud.

Happy Friday and see you next week!

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52 Fridays - Fast and Loose

 

"I'm better when I move..." A favorite line from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". This week's drawing is of the fast and loose variety. I seem to have two speeds, either "fast and loose" or "slow and tight". It is some insight into my psyche. The F & L drawings drop from a place of confidence and have more life. The S & T drawings rise from an opposite place of careful, too careful, consideration and a desire to disappear into the details. Somehow the F & L drawings manage to capture more of my soul, maybe because I am thinking less and just making marks, which feels good. 

This was drawn from an image found in the book, "African Art" by Frank Willet. This mask is from the Congo basin area of Africa and is called "Ngbangba Ikoro" and was carved by the Ibo tribe. I always include this information so you can research this if it inspires you like it does me. It's a holy act to speak those tribal names and draw their image with my own hand attaching some of my spirit to their's to keep that energy flowing. I'm not trying to appropriate the culture, rather, I hope that it will appropriate me.

Happy Friday amigo,

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52 Fridays - I Didn't Draw This for You

 

Just sayin'. Not you specifically, but anyone, everyone. If I start thinking about an audience, I get self-conscious and the drawing is dead. All the magic and mystery leaks out onto the floor. This week's drawing is called "I dreamed I disappeared, but I was wrong." It's built from the leftovers of last week's drawing, those splotches are the bleed through of the India ink on the page below. The ink went through several more pages creating ever smaller and fainter shapes, so I will continue to harvest this randomness. I like how the ink has warped the paper creating a subtle series of dunes, like a desert. 

See you next week.

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52 Fridays - The Headless Troll King of the Free Flat Land

 

Greetings friends and welcome to another happy Friday! This week's drawing is an original piece I call, "The Headless Troll King of the Free Flat Land". I used a technique of randomness beginning with a couple of drops of brown India ink on paper charged with clean water. I let it dry and then looked at it from all angles, seeing different things. A process not unlike looking for shapes in clouds. This strange troll, orc thing was what I found. Somebody call a psychiatrist! I enjoy drawing from real life objects (or photos thereof), but part of that exercise is to add layers to the compost pile; build a vocabulary of mystery to articulate my own thang. 

See you next week!

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52 Fridays - Teotihuacán Head Mexico

Welcome to week ten of this 52 Friday's drawing project. This week I was inspired by an image from a book called "Before Cortes Sculpture of Middle America" from the MOMA online library.  Great site to visit if you have a few hours, days or weeks to burn. I find the I'm compelled to draw pieces that have some damage; chips, cracks, worn surfaces; something that has a bit of character. This is the face from a female figure carved from greenstone. I think I will draw her again sometime as I'm not completely satisfied with this one. I drew the forehead to high and the eyes are too small. I also think my tones are too flat. I took too much time and over thought it a bit. Even so, I had fun making this drawing. Not a bad way to pass a Friday evening...

Have a good one,

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52 Fridays - Ibo Mmaji Mask

 

Happy Friday once again and the last one of February. This week's drawing is a "Mmaji (or maji or ma ubi) mask from Ibo, Nigeria I found in a book called, "Masks of Black Africa", that is in my personal library. Sometimes I prefer to draw from a book and take a break from the screens that dominate my life now (computer, phone and TV). I chose this mask because it is so weird and wonderful and just makes me smile. It is abstract and goofy and kind of cyberpunkish. I used a basic black Bic ballpoint ink pen.

I noticed that since I've begun this project that I am doodling more. I crave drawing. I'm compulsively making marks everyday now. It's my natural state. Go with the flow...

I hope you are safe, healthy and can go with your own flow.

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