Liquid Light Show 1

I started doing liquid light show experiments a few months ago, and last night performed my first show. Here are some photos:

It was unfortunate that the walls of the venue were black. The projected colors did not show up all that well unless the color blobs fell over the band members, or on the random light colored things behind them. What is pictured here is my clock-face mixture over the projector, not the actual projected image.

This was a real traditional 60's light show with the basic ingredients: water, oil, alcohol, and dye. I have been hearing complaints online that mineral oil is sometimes hard to find. At first I couldn't find it either, but I eventually found it at a food co-op.

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.

TSA 3000

In the distant future, it's up to the Transportation Security Administration to exterminate any alien monster-beasts that sneak onboard aircrafts! As always, passenger safety is top priority.

This scene was directly inspired from a dream of mine several years ago, right around the time when the TSA started installing the full-body scanners in airports. I would've begun drawing this picture immediately after I had the dream, but did not feel quite ready to tackle such a technically difficult and absorbing project until just a few months ago. Note the honest try at near 4-point linear perspective, cast shadows, and absurd attention to detail.

(Click image for a larger view.)

I am waffling between using this image as a t-shirt design or a large art print, or maybe it will be both.   

Art Contests, 2013-2014

Part of the fun of an art contest is the thought of winning. Another part is being inspired to make something that I normally would not think to create. Below are entries from the two art contests I've entered in the past year:

Print Radio Contest w/Capital Public Radio:

This one surprised me by actually winning! There were over 100 entries for the Capital Public Radio print/radio contest in Sacramento, and mine landed one of the top three prizes. The drawing was inspired by the word information.

 

 

 Atlas Tone-Lord Showdown:

Above is a picture of the titan Atlas holding up sound equipment instead of the earth or heavens. The artwork is meant to communicate the idea of sound worship, as well as say something about the brand that hosted the artistic competition (Atlas Cabinets). This nice drawing made it as a finalist, but was not chosen as the winner. The good news is that my husband 'Archradish' won!

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.

Yes Bones About It!

Still Life With Bones Workshop

Coming soon to Bows and Arrows in Sacramento
Thursday, October 24th 6-10pm: 5$

This event is a workshop focusing solely on sketching/studying various animal and human bones, as well as a life-sized model of a human skeleton. The primary focus of this event will be to bring art enthusiasts a one-night resource for studying the anatomy of human and animal skeletons — all within a wonderful spooky near-Halloween atmosphere. The bones will be set in interesting arrangements, possibly with themes such as serious memento mori or perhaps something slightly more lighthearted. Everyone is welcome to join!

I will be working with a fantastic local artist named Grey Cat on this. Grey Cat will be vending his bone jewelry during the event, which will give those interested a great opportunity to own their own bones.



Don't forget to bring your drawing materials!

Tren Fantasma: The Exciting Conclusion

After much thought, I decided to turn this drawing into a shirt design... and then maybe take a little break from designing t-shirts until my sales* catch up.

*Following the links for DuderManor.com or ThoughtLion.com will now lead you to the same place: our awesome store. We have a few designs that have not yet been listed (including this one), but hopefully we will find some time to photograph our merchandise soon. Please stand by...