Unfinished Business - 1/8/15 - Image-a-day

I have a few things laying on the work bench that need to be finished; a tiki head, a couple of angel wings and two new Lo-Fi-Ga miniatures. Time moves too quickly and there's always duties and distractions that keep me away from the studio, but last year I found more time for my creative life and this is a good thing. My essential nature is to make art and I am always better for the time spent in the studio, so this year I hope to spend even more time.

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Je Suis Charlie - 1/7/15 - Image-a-day

I was sadden and horrified by the terrible news from Paris today of the brutal attack on the French satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdon". A few years ago I had heard about some French newspaper that had published some cartoons depicting Mohammad in an unflattering way and there had been death threats, but forgot about it until today's terrible news. I never heard of nor knew the magazine or the names of the artist, but know them now. Four cartoonist were murdered today for making fun of a religion. They drew funny pictures and made rude comments and that was enough to drive a few broken, deranged idiots to destroy them. Those four brave cartoonist were:

Stéphane Charbonnier "Charb"

Cabu

Georges Wolinski

Tignous

There were others killed in the attack, eight other people and more injured, and they too risked and gave their lives fro free expression. Tonight there were protests all across Paris and Europe, silent vigils of thousands carrying signs of solidarity that read, "Je Suis Charlie". I've been to Paris a couple of times and love the people and culture there. It makes my heart sick to think of the hate and violence of todays' events, but seeing those Parisans from all walks of life standing together reassures me that they will not be oppressed. 

"Je Suis Charlie" indeed. I thought about throwing out some snarky Mohammad cartoon, but my beef isn't with Islam or Muslims, the vast majority of whom are just as outraged at this tragedy as anyone else, so why throw more fuel on the fire? So instead, I drew my old underground comix character, 3-D Speed Freak saying "Je Suis Charlie", solidarity in the comix world and the real world too. Now is the time to stand with the Parisians and the French and all other lovers of art and free expression. 

Je Suis Charlie...

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Farewell Xmas Tree - 1/6/15 - Image-a-day

This morning I took our Xmas tree down to the beach and found a good spot along the dune and laid that baby to rest. It's always a little sad to walk the tree out of the house, usually leaving a trail of pine needles, but good to move it on to the next phase of it's life, dune builder. We still get a little, live tree every year, gotta have that lovely pine smell in the house. My two favorite parts of Christmas are decorating the tree and Xmas eve. A few months from now, while walking on the beach, I'll pass that spot and see that sandy bump and think of Christmas...

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Sunrise - 1/5/15 - Image-a-day

This is the view out the living room window of this morning's sunrise. Not long ago, the sight of the Chesapeake Bay and the bridge of the same name would have been hidden behind a crumbling hulk of a house, but not anymore. The house has been torn down and construction will soon begin on it's replacement, so we'll enjoy the view while we have it.

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Mystery Photo - 1/4/15 - Image-a-day

 

So, can you guess who or what this is?

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Janet Drawing - 1/3/15 - Image-of-the-day

Today's image is a photo of my wife, Janet Shaughnessy drawing, which is another kind of image making. Janet is my favorite artist. She can make art just about anywhere, anytime, unlike me who needs a controlled environment, proper lighting, music and mood. Janet can whip-out her sketchbook while waiting at the doctor's office or in an airport or during a meeting and make mysterious and wonderful pieces of art. I feel grateful to be witness to her ever evolving creative journey.

On another note, I am glad to have successfully inspired two of my fellow artists (and friends) to take up the "image-a-day" challenge. Check-out the fine art photography of Casey Gwinn at COGfoto and the freaky, underground comix and paintings  from Ralf Schulze's Aardvark Farms.

See you tomorrow!

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Mr Hobbs by the heater - 1/2/15

On these cold, winter mornings, our cat Mr Hobbs loved to lie near the space heater.

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Happy Cthulhu Holidays! - 1/1/15 - Image-a-day-2015

Happy 2015! I am going to post an image everyday this year. I've done it once before and find it to be an effective way to keep the creative juices flowing. Knowing I need to find or create an image will sharpen my antenna and keep me alert to the wonders that always surround us. 

Today's image is of a Cthulhu Xmas ornament that my friend Dave me. 

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The Return of the Lo-Fi-Ga - Daav

It wasn't always like this. Long ago, the world was run by many gods, large and small; powerful and meek; arrogant and humble. Every god had their place and task and their community hummed with divine purpose. As humankind crawled out of the dark of superstition and stumbled into the light of civilization, those gods were forgotten one-by-one, until now. I have begun a series of carvings to try and resurrect those old gods, because face it, these days we need all the help we can get.

Here is the very first one, a lesser god, or "Lo-Fi-Ga" in the ancient tongue. His name is "Daav" and his domain was/is the eye rub. Whenever you get an itchy eye, old "Daav" is there to help you out.

This carving is tiny, less than an inch-and-a-half high, not including the base. It's carved from a dried Hickory tree nut husk fragment which I have been collecting from a nearby park when I'm out walking.

Until December 7, 2014, you can see this piece in the flesh at the "Small Works" Exhibition at the Charles H. Taylor Center in Hampton, Va. After that show, I don't know where you'll be able to see him as he has become part of somebody's collection.

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"ZANK" Rides Again!

"ZANK" is a short stop-motion animated Super 8 film I made in the early 21st century. It's been in a few film festivals here and there through the years (you can read a brief history in past posts here), but lately "ZANK" has been in semi-retirement on YouTube and Vimeo. Recently I was invited to participate in an art exhibition called "That's Funny! - Art with a Sense of Humor" at the Charles H. Taylor Center in Hampton, Virginia, September 13th - October 19th. Besides "ZANK", I'll also have two bas-relief sculptures and a black & white drawing done for an underground comic book back in the 1980s, which I'll be writing about on my companion blog "The Reluctant Sadist and Other Wanderings in the Comix Underground". 

I'm grateful for another opportunity to share "ZANK" with a new audience. One of my favorite things about the film is the great soundtrack by my friend Neil Spencer Bruce, a multi-talented musician and filmmaker. You can out more of his work on his web site.

Here's "ZANK" for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy,

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PS - This is my 400th blog post! Thanks' for reading! :)

"Maya Bird" Takes Flight

My latest woodcarving was inspired by a Mayan icon of a bird that I found in a book called, "Design Motifs of Ancient Mexico". The book features simple black and white drawings collected from rubbings of pottery and temple art across central America. The author, Jorge Enciso, has categorized the images by subject; geometric shapes, types of plants and animals, etc., and I never fail to find something to get my creative juices flowing again.

I am still working on a pile Cedar boards leftover from a fence project. The wood is not ideal for detailed work as the grain density isn't always consistent. Sometimes a good section will have a fibrous, coarser band running through it that makes it difficult to render finer bits.

The first photo shows my simple reference freehand drawing and the next photo was the outline cut done with a coping saw.

Sometimes, on larger pieces, I'll use a jigsaw to do the outline cut, but this wood is prone to split and this is a smaller piece, only five inches long, so better to take some extra time and care and do it the old-fashioned way.

The third photo is the completed carving before any finish has been applied.

I used artist's acrylic paints to finish this piece, experimenting with a resist method by covering some of the raw wood with a gloss medium to create naturally lighter areas; beak, body and tail feather tips. Then I washed in some brunt sienna and red in the lower areas and crevices. To further emphasize the deeper lines, I used a little bit of black, then coated the entire piece front and back, with more gloss medium.

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"Eyes of the Buddha"

"Eyes of the Buddha" is my latest woodcarving done as a gift for a friend. I did a variation on the classic image and added contour lines and left some texture from the chisels. All hand tools this time, no dremel or other power tools used. Sealed and painted it with acrylics.

The teardrop between the eyes traditionally represents "the third eye", but I also like to think of it as representing "a diamond in the mind", determination, clear sense of purpose. When my friend looks at it, I hope it helps him find peace and strength.

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How to leave the shell of the old life behind...

Tonight while taking out the garbage, I had a chance encounter with an alien being. Well, alien to my normal experience. I found a cicada emerging from the shell of the life it had out-grown. I've seen plenty of the the empty husks left behind by these noisy insects, but never witnessed the act of transformation. I dropped the garbage and grabbed my camera. As I maneuvered for a decent angle, I could see it slowly wriggling back-and-forth to free itself from it's bug-shaped suit. If only we humans could do that when we have outgrown our body or life. Sometimes you do see it happen with people, often after a major life event like a divorce or death of a loved one. The shock cracks the shell of the old life and they wake-up a new person. The old rituals and habits don't satisfy any longer. The path branches off in a new direction. The advantage the cicada has over us humans is, it has no choice but to grow and literally leave that husk behind; we humans have to work at it. I am working to change my life. I want to make more art. I want my creative energies to fill my days much more than it does now. Any time you see me post a photo of a new woodcarving or drawing or video clip, that's me trying to wriggle free of the old life. It can be done...

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The Angel has Landed

I finished "Bernie's Angel" in time for her birthday at the end of March. There were a couple of late nights and the paint was a tad tacky when it went into the gift box, but I got her done.

I learned a lot about woodcarving doing this piece and can see progress in my technique. I chose to paint this piece instead of a simple stain as it fit the subject matter better. I used acrylic washes and some iridescent gold for the halo and silver for the wings.

Here's a shot of Bernie "unboxing" the angel. It was very satisfying to see how happy it made her. It helped remind me how special and meaningful art can be when created with heartfelt intent. We live quite far apart, but this little angel adds another connection and brings some comfort to Bern.

Here is the angel's final home on Bernie's kitchen wall. She fills the empty space where the former terra cotta angel hung before she was knocked down. I always like to see where my art winds up "living". I like to think of the angel looking down on Bernie in the morning when she's fixing her breakfast. I want to make art that is a part of people's life.

OK HW