Whats in the works ...

"Sprawl"

Wow, apologies all around for my atrocious posting habits of late. No real excuses to be offered, so instead have a look-see at whats currently crowding out my desk. This 24" x 24" beast is for a show in Barcelona next year. Yes, Spain. I'm pretty excited about the whole project, and I'm hoping I'll be able to attend the big event itself when the time arrives. The show is going to feature all LA based artists, from established giants to up and comers like myself, in a fancy art-based cultural exchange.

Rejoice, however, because there will be some more paintings coming in the near future. So at least for a while I should actually have something to post.

In other news, some of you may have wondered what it is I do for money, since this whole paint-slinging debacle doesn't really bring in the bacon. Well to answer your theoretical question, Internet, I happen to make my moneys building fancy flash websites (the brutal irony in this of course is that I have not once updated my own website in the last two years).

Two such fancy sites are currently up and operational for your general enjoyment and perusal, so if your interested why don't you check them out.

Firstly, there's the new Spyglass Entertainment website. A friend designed the site and I built the interactions and animations.

Then theres the Kid's Science Challenge, this site was a ton of fun to do. I got to design, code, and animate the majority of the site myself, including some sweet video games. Theres even a guest appearance by the Prince of Cake in the Skateboard Science Game. He helped me out with all the designs and decals in that game. The site itself is really cool, its a contest for the young and science inclined, where they can win prizes and help scientists with awesome experiments. So if you've got a wee friend with a hankering for science, you should have them check it out.

Thanks to the teams at A Creative Project, and Zumwinkle.com since theres no way I could have done these things myself.

Teeter ...

"Teeter"

I actually finished this piece with time to spare, its such a rare occurrence I felt like sharing, because usually I'm running out the door with the varnish still wet. Its especially uncanny considering the size of this piece, at 10" x 20" it's not the biggest thing I've ever done, but its still roughly twice the size of my usual fare.

This piece is going into a show with Brandon Sopinsky next week at Alpha Cult called "This is Going to Hurt". The title of the show sort of inspired this piece. I went through a lot of different ideas before I got anywhere I liked, and even then I had to draw this thing like four times before I liked it enough to start painting. Even then I still ended up making a lot of changes on the fly, which was sort of a change of pace. Usually I have everything locked in before I ever touch a brush.

The show is opening on the Eighth of November, so if your within a stones-throw of Long Beach you should pop in and have a look-see. Apart from being a classy gallery, Alpha Cult also boasts a fine selection of Vinyl Toys and Collectibles. It's totally the place I'd shop if I had enough money to buy my own paintings.

Atop a precipice ...

Just a quick post, letting you all know I still exist and post and such. Just a little sample of my current piece, as yet unnamed, which I'll be contributing to Brandon Sopinsky's "This is Going to Hurt" early next month. I just finished all the environment bits, so I figured this was a pretty good time to snap a picture and share it with all my internet friends. Stay tuned for more updates, and let me know what you think.

Au Naturel ...

"Au Naturel"

This Saturday, Alpha Cult will be hosting a little group show called "Against the Grain". The show is all about wood, specifically its use as a medium in the contemporary art scene ala Audrey Kawasaki.

I didn't have a lot of time to work on this piece, but I wanted to try something a little different, both from my usual offerings and from the current trend. For the most part woodgrain is often used as a background, so I decided it would be fun to try and use the woodgrain as my foreground element instead.

The skull in the painting above was masked out so that the original wood panel would still show through after I finished the background. Then I fleshed it out with some transparent washes to create a bit of rendering. Overall I decided to keep everything simple, because I wanted the usage of the wood to be the focus of the piece.

I ran into a few snags at the beginning, and anytime I try masking is always a harrowing activity, but I'm really happy with the final product. The whole thing was sort of an excuse to play around and experiment with technique, but I think it turned out for the best.

You can check the piece out this Saturday at Alpha Cult in Long Beach.

La Calabaza ...

"La Calabaza"

If your wondering that's Spanish for "The Pumpkin". However, because it's in Spanish it immediately sounds cooler and more mysterious, especially with the z in it.

I actually drew this character almost two years ago, but I scrapped the original painting and hadn't really had any use for him until now. I figured it being an October show I'd show off a little Halloween spirit. He he, spirit (cuase he's a ghost, ya know? ... never mind). I really like the way the lighting came out on this piece, especially with the dual lighting on the character, and the glowing Jack-O-Lantern skulls.

This piece will be at the Hive for tomorrows big October group show, which will feature brand-spanking new work from my buddy 13:11. I strongly recommend your attendance, assuming of course you live within a reasonable driving distance of the Downtown Los Angeles Area, and that you like cool things. Which I think you do.

Just check out the flyer...

Where do we go from here... (finished)

"Where do we go from here?"

It took a lot longer than I expected, but I've finally gotten these paintings to where I like them. These are eventually going to be shown in my featured spot next year, but for now they're just going to chill out on my floor.

So um, yeah, sorry about the whole 'not posting for two weeks' thing, I'll get you something nice to make up for it.

Beerotica...

"Gift Wrapped"

This Saturday the Hive Gallery is hosting an erotica themed group show titled "Beerotica". It sounds like a killer event with tons of participating artists, as well as dancers and live performances.

This painting was a challenge for me. I don't consider myself a skilled hand at drawing women, in fact I'm usually pretty awful at it. Marathoning 'Justice League' definitely helped, I got a lot of inspiration from Bruce Timm's characters and art style. I was really hung up for a while on what to draw, but I eventually decided to go back to basics, by which I mean monsters. I mean really, who can refuse a sexy mummy?