Skeleton riding a coffin skateboard: Part 2

In the earlier version, the skeleton sort of looked like he was flying... instead of doing an ollie. Now that the crucial banana peel has been added below his board, he appears to be skating on a road and not flying through the cosmos.

A Familiar Face"

I've been working on this one since January. It has been sitting around for over a month now while I've been deciding whether or not to declare it as finished work. Finally, yes, I can say for certain that it is finished.

There's nothing too profound to say about the concept. The idea just kind of came to me one night:

Disappointment

This image is from a dream of mine from all the way back in 2007 or 2008.

Here's what happened:
The moon floated down from the sky and hovered in front of me. The moon was really crazy looking in this dream. It was full of weird crystals and patterns and it was glowing in a really odd way. I tried to make a grab at it while it was near, but it floated away as soon as I began to show any interest in it. I chased that moon all over dreamland and was eventually able to catch it, but as soon as the moon touched my hands, it began to melt. I felt incredibly sad that I had ruined the moon; I really wished that I had never even tried to pursue it in the first place.

Since dreaming this up, I've always interpreted the moon (this dream only) to be a metaphor for failure, or at very least it represented something similar to a goal that was never achieved.

 On the brighter side, the painting itself is no disappointment. Finally, after seven or eight years, I can cross this off my list of things I've been meaning to paint.

TSA 3000 - Final Draft

With many big projects on the horizon, I really wanted to wrap up my work on the TSA drawing, which has been an ongoing struggle for the last year.

When I first set out to color this picture, I had in mind a dramatic/limited nighttime color pallet of dark blueish gray with a yellow or chartreuse highlight. Things didn't quite pan out the way I expected (they usually don't), and suddenly deep red became the only background color that made sense.

This design will eventually be printed on American Apparel t-shirts and sold through our website ThoughtLion.com. A few high-quality art prints will also be made from this design during the next few months.

Medusa Drawing & Print, 2008

Here is another favorite of mine. I made this in 2008 after taking a long break from drawing... about 2 years! This work was strongly influenced by the time I spent at UCSB, and particularly recalls to my mind a certain Italian art history class I took, where we briefly studied Medusa as she appears in artwork.

My favorite aspects of this drawing are her forked tongue and the many different types of snakes in her hair. If you look closely, there are also a few snakes that have been severed and are falling away in mid-air. This was the moment immediately following her beheading!
 
I consider this drawing to be one of my best ever, right after "Et In Arcadia Ego." The only failure in it is that I think it is a bit too similar to Caravaggio's Medusa. Both are very similar in their poses, and both are meant to be worn in some way -- mine was printed on a t-shirt, his was painted on a shield. The shirt can be purchased at our website thoughtlion.com.

Tren Fantasma: Train of Thought, 2013

I've been working on this drawing since mid-February. I could give a long-winded description of why I decided to draw every little weird thing in this picture, but it could most easily be described as a long solo game of exquisite corpse based around a central theme. 

I have been considering turning this design into a t-shirt for the Thought Lion/Duder Manor project, but am unable to come to a solid decision. I would certainly love to wear this design, but I'm not sure I could convince others to buy something so strange... as clothing. I have also been considering the idea of a colored art print.

The artwork is loosely based off the Tren Fantasma (Ghost Train) ride located in Montevideo, Uruguay. I regret to say that I was unable to go on the ride when I visited a few years back. 

Et In Arcadia Ego, 2009

This may be the best drawing I've ever made, so I am surprised at myself for forgetting to post it for so long. This artwork was inspired by the classical theme "Et In Arcadia Ego" (I too am in Arcadia). Works of this nature suggest that death can be found even in the most idyllic of places. 

This artwork was used for our t-shirt line at DuderManor.com. Check it out.

Skeleton's Playing Poker 2012

The "Skeleton's Playing Poker" design is finally completed after a full year in on-again /off-again production. The plan is to print this design on a dark "asphalt" colored American Apparel t-shirt. The caramel color I was considering earlier looked a little too goofy.

 

(Archradish and I are working on combining our labels, so this design will not print until our new logo is completed.)

December Calendar Show at Bows and Arrows

This year I am participating in the Bows and Arrows second annual calendar show. For this show, I was assigned the month of October -- which just happens to be my favorite month of the year!

My painting is a study of the amazing views, wildlife, and vegetation in the Yolo area during the month of October. The barn owl, thistles, and the amazing sunset are the key elements I knew I had to incorporate to portray this locally themed Octoberscape accurately. 

The opening reception will be at the Bows and Arrows main gallery on Dec. 7, 6 p.m.

Printed calendars featuring work from the show will be available for purchase.

Sea Lore II

Sea Lore is finally ready for production! Time for a celebratory beer! 

The plan is to print this design on a rustic looking tan/natural American Apparel shirt sometime within the next 3 months. I'll make a final post when the shirts are on the site and ready to go.

Chicken-Frog Sculpture (2005)

This sculpture was made with paper-mâché, chicken feathers, acrylic paint, hot glue, glass doll eyes, and painted plastic googly-eyes for the wart texture. I actually glued every feather onto this thing one at a time — I am still impressed with myself for that.

I would like to eventually post more pictures, but the sculpture is a bit dusty now, and my camera is malfunctioning. Above is a nice photo taken at the unveiling exhibition of the chicken-frog back in 2005.

This work was originally envisioned by a video artist friend of mine who gave me permission to use his idea. Sometimes collaboration is the secret ingredient for that delicious artistic treat.

Skeletons Playing Poker (2006)

The idea for this painting was not my own, but I received permission and went ahead with it. To have been completely true to the original idea, the skeletons would've had to be playing poker in an obvious underground setting. It could still happen one day — I would like to get it right.

A nice lady offered a fair price to buy this back in 2006, but I decided to hang onto it. I'm so glad I did!

Mad Scientist Shirt Now Available On Duder Manor

On March 3rd I posted the original uncut drawing for "Model Of Plan Of Man." That same drawing was made into t-shirts, which we now sell at www.DuderManor.com
 

Also, Dan/Archradish and I will be hawking our wares at Armadillo Music in a few weeks, so I will post the show info as soon as I am positive about the dates and times.

The detail of this drawing should be appearing in a press release in a few days. I am excited to be published in our beloved local newspaper!

Gift To The Man-Friend (2006)

After completing this oil painting I switched to acrylics for the sake of my health. (Oils are carcinogenic.) The painting was originally intended as a surprise gift for my x-boyfriend, and was based on an idea he had. The sides are painted with a wood texture to give the appearance that the painting is actually a small wall mounted cabinet.

Franz Liszt's Brain (2005)

Franz Liszt has always been a favorite subject of mine. Growing up, I loved his music and played as much of it as possible on the piano. The whole feeling of the Romantic period, the famous cliques, the outfits, the showmanship, and the general artistic passion, always grabbed my attention.

Some famous works by Liszt that are still commonly heard today:

Liebesträume No. 3

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

My own favorite:

Transcendental Etude 6 - Vision
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6bVgWnHOos

Memento Mori: Babes In Potato Land (2006)

This drawing was made in a very spontaneous way. I didn't make any preliminary sketches and I didn't have any expectations. In time, it evolved into the same sort of psychological-angst-ridden-mish-mash as usual. It is significant to me as the drawing I started in Santa Barbara and finished in Davis, and marks the end of this strange series.

Memento Mori: Piano Death (2006)

My favorite of the series. Basically, this drawing is about the futility of chasing dreams of grandeur. It would just be better to go outside and play catch at this point.

Memento Mori: Rope Thing (2004)

This one was very fun to draw. I didn't really have a plan — I just let it flow. In retrospect, it has a lot of personal meaning for a drawing that started out as a fun exercise. Lots of confused feelings back then...

Memento Mori Series (2004-2006)

This is the first drawing from a series of Memento Mori work I started in 2004 and finished in 2006. This particular piece was inspired by Harry Clarke's illustration for "The Premature Burial," written by Edgar Allan Poe. I'm very happy to say that it has finally found its way to the public as artwork for the band Alaric (limited edition album covers and T-shirts). 

http://www.myspace.com/alaricalaric