Fire up the copy machine!

Inspired by Jeremy Cowart, I decided to try my hand at a heavily-photoshopped self-portrait.

I really like that video, though the more I think about it the more it surprises me. It's a picture of Jesus. I have been conditioned (mostly conditioning myself) to be somewhat of an iconoclast. Crosses, doves, crowns of thorns, all that stuff, it just seems like a cheap shorthand for ideas that are incredibly complex, rich, and worth a lot more thought. And I suppose that if I just saw the end result of the video, I'd probably give it about a half second of thought, then move on. Not that it's fair to the artist, but it's how I would react.

Watching the process, however, is the magic--at least for me. I love the immense layering that goes on in photoshop. It's one of my favorite things to do. That's more why I made my own version, to learn a bit by emulating the process in the video. (Mission accomplished, in case you're wondering.)

Also, hey! Follow me on the twitters! And keep exploring.

Baconstruck!

Some things are automatic when you see them every day. Some things aren't.

Elvis

It occurs to me that Elvis Presley could be a myth that society agreed they would make up. Really, I wouldn't know any better. As technology progresses it seems this would become more difficult, but it's still essentially what happened with Paul Bunyan or Johnny Appleseed, right?

I loves me some bloodfire!

Wow. It's been a long time. I've been very busy on my paternity leave and over the holidays. I've even done plenty of art, just haven't posted it. And now it feels old and unworthy of sharing. But here's something I just did!


It's sort of a visual basis for my next attempt at a children's book I've yet to write or even choose a topic for just yet. Any suggestions for a topic that children need to know about?

Crayons and cahiers.

Ruby's Hand.

Ink, watercolor, and crayon on watercolor paper.

Sketching.

I'm trying to approach my passion for drawing with as much discipline as I can muster. And with crayons. Definitely crayons.

Another Way Home

Acrylics and watercolors on canvas, 8" x 10".

This one took forever to come together, and almost claimed my favorite jeans along the way. But it's worth it. Eventually things arrange themselves, though it's surprising every time.

Drowning in a Desert

This week's drawings

I've been working on using my dip pen and creating from my imagination instead of photographs. There's a delicate balance between going fast enough to have interesting, sketchy lines and going slow enough to think about composition and form. I've yet to find that balance. The dance of artistic discovery continues.