The Augblog

Black Dynamite

2012-01-12T16:47:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest. It's for G1988's Adult Swim group show this Friday. Artists were asked to pick a show from the Adult Swim catalog. This is based on the Black Dynamite cartoon that's coming out this year, which is a cartoon based on the movie. (Just in case you didn't know) Anyway, check into G1988's blog in a few days for updates and images from the show.

Title: Black Dynamite
Size: 18" x 18"
Medium: Acrylics and mixed media on wood

(Home) -Retro Game Night / (Away) -Adult Swim Group Show

2012-01-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

Feliz Ano Nuevo muchachos! 2011 is over. Dump, reboot, and download that 2012 app. Time to start anew! Hope everyone had a great holiday vacation. Now that we've gotten over those hangovers, and broken those New Year's resolutions, let's get on with it already.

Some cool group shows coming up this year. I'll post the info for those as soon as I am allowed to. What I can talk about are these current January shows I'm trying to wrap up paintings for right now. Next week, G1988 on Melrose will host an Adult Swim group show. Also, the following day here in Seattle, there will be a retro video game group show at the Piranha Shop. Same gallery that hosted the Muppet Rawk show, in case you were wondering.

Anyway, I will post some art images for those shows as soon as I can. Hope to see some of you at the retro game night show. Until then, I'll leave you with this profound Joseph Campbell excerpt. I'm not one to usually post stuff like this, but I'd like to do more writing this year. If I don't put it out there, I won't hold myself to it. Joseph Campbell is a pretty good place to start, and I think these words ring true today more than ever. That being said, go out, be your own hero, and do something creative while you're at it. ‎

"The hero is somebody whom you can lean on and who is going to rescue you; he is also an ideal. To live the heroic life is to live the individual adventure, really. One of the problems today is that with the enormous transformations in the forms of our lives, the models for life don't exist for us. In a traditional society - the agriculturally based city - there were relatively few life roles, and the models were there; there was a hero for each life role. But look at the past twenty years and what has come along in the way of new life possibilities and requirements. The hero-as-model is one thing we lack, so each one has to be his own hero and follow the path that’s no-path. It's a very interesting situation."
- Joseph Campbell (in conversation with Michael Toms), An Open Life, p. 109

After Hours at the Cantina

2011-12-09T12:50:00.001-08:00

Here's the latest piece that was for last night's Star Wars show at Ltd Art Gallery. Right click in a new window to check out a bigger version.

Title: "After Hours at the Cantina"
Medium: Acrylics on Canvas
Size: 12" x 36"

Lots of great pieces in the show. One surprise at the show were some original Ralph McQuarrie concept sketches (Scroll to the bottom to check those out). Great to see those in person. Anyway, the show will be up for the month. Check it out if you're in the neighborhood. By the way , thanks for the old school Fett Memo. You are the f 'kin man. "Hey now!"

Star Wars Group Show!

2011-12-07T09:25:00.001-08:00

I'll have a new piece in this Star Wars themed group show this Thursday in Seattle's newest venue for art, Ltd. Art Gallery. Last month's grand opening for this new gallery was off the hook (Do the kids still say that?) There were tons of great artists in that show and it was a blast to have a piece in Ltd's first opening. That being said, I can't wait to see what all the artists kick out for this show. As a wise muppet once said, "Do, or do not. Etc., etc.."

I'll post some pics from my piece as soon as I can.

Hope to see you all there!

Rock the Terminal Group Show

2011-11-30T16:05:00.001-08:00

Hanging some art in the Rock the Terminal group show this Saturday at the Art Not Terminal gallery. Over 45 artists in the group show. If you're in the neighborhood, stop on by. If you miss it, you can always check it out during the art walk on Dec. 15th. Get the deets here.

Pam in the Raw

2011-11-14T10:33:00.001-08:00

Here are a few in progress shots of the Pam Grier paintings from this month's Lowbrow Candy Store show at Flatcolor. The two man show with Dave MacDowell will be up until the 27th of this month.

Tried to take a more straight forward approach with the Pam Grier likenesses. I usually sketch things out ahead of time before transferring a drawing to the canvas. I was messing around with the above Pam sketch after finding some good reference, and just started drawing right on the canvas. Felt pretty good about the likeness so I just kept going. You can see both of the finished pieces in this post.

Anyway, those are most of the process shots I have that were decent enough to show. Will dig around and see if I have some more. In the meantime stay tuned for more updates on some local upcoming group shows for next month. One very cool group show takes place in a galaxy far far away......

*Just a side note about blogger that's frustrating. Maybe it's just me. If you want to see these pics in their original size, you can right click and open in a new tab. For whatever reason that option keeps disappearing in the new lightbox viewer. I won't complain too much about it because this is all free, but the inconsistency is pretty annoying, among other things. Anywhoooo, enjoy!

Random Desk Shot/Bill Murray WIP

2011-11-11T10:15:00.001-08:00

While looking for some Pam Grier process shots, I came across these pics. The last few months was pretty nutty with a quite a few shows overlapping. The shot below is an early in progress shot for a painting that was done for the Bill Murray Tribute show at G1988 which is currently up right now.

Here's the art table breakdown from the shot above:

1. Muppet Rawk Show

2. Bill Murray Tribute Show G1988

3. Black SPY Mech from this month's Flatcolor show.

4. Garbage Pail Kids group show, G1988.

5. Beetle Queen from last year's Flatcolor show.

6. Visions of Adventure: N.C. Wyeth and the Brandywine Artists

7. Sly & the Family Stone

Anyway, still mentally down shifting from last week's show. Will post more when I get into the lower gears.

Anatomy of a Six Foot Animal Painting

2011-11-09T12:53:00.000-08:00

Until I can find a place that does big scans, these camera shots of the final 3'x 6' "Animal Unleashed" painting will have to do. You can read up on the original idea for this Riggs/Muppet mash-up on this earlier post from the Flatcolor show that's up this month.

I don't normally like to post these working sketches because they're not sexy completed looking drawings. The above sketch is just an example of the raw drawing I did in photoshop and transferred to the canvas.

When there's time, I like to do value and color studies before going to the canvas. The lighting in this one is pretty straight forward, nothing fancy, and we already know Animal's palette, so I just kind of figure it out on the canvas as I go, for better or worse.

Had to take this canvas outside to slap on the bigger areas of color. After that, back into the studio to finish it up.

Only posted this above pic because I like dorking out on pictures of other artists and what was going on in their palette at the time. The "road map" as some artists like to say.

Anyway, those were the only good pics, as it's even harder to get good ones with a big canvas and bad lighting. I did find a few decent process shots of the Pam Grier paintings. Will post those later this week. Until then, going to go catch up on all the art books I missed out on in the last few months.
See you in a few...........

Machete Secrets Revealed!

2011-11-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

So, here's what the original Machete piece looked like before I decided to put it in this month's Flatcolor show (up until Nov. 27th). I had bought a new pad of illustration board and started sketching random people in it. After drawing the Locke and Trejo heads, I started messing around with some acrylic ink washes. Before I knew it, I was focusing more on the Trejo head and just kept going. For the Lowbrow Candy Store show, I decided to finish it up, paint over the Locke head, and get it framed. Sorry Locke sketch. You will be missed.

I took the Trejo in along with a Jimi piece to get framed. The super nice and helpful ladies at the frame shop knew who Jimi Hendrix was, but they weren't familiar with Danny Trejo's body of work. I threw out some names of the flicks he's been in, but they still couldn't place him. I later noticed on my frame invoice that they decided to just call him Angry Man. Brilliant.

Anyway, that's the story of the Machete painting. You can also purchase a digitally enhanced "Grindhouse" print of the painting (seen above) through Flatcolor (8.5" x 11" with white border).

Next up, some Animal process shots. Stay tuned.........

MacDowell and Pagan's Lowbrow Candy Store (TM)

2011-11-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

Natural Mystics

Acrylic on Board

16" x 20"

So I finally got around to putting together all the scans/images/photos I have from the Flatcolor opening last Thursday. Much thanks to everyone that came out. Nice to finally put some faces to names. If I seemed incoherent it was from lack of sleep, not paint fumes.

Anyway, it was a total honor hanging with Dave MacDowell. If you look at his stuff in the pics at the bottom of the post, you'll know why, or, just go to his website. You can also see all the pieces from the show on the Flatcolor preview page.

"Zod Crew"

Acrylic on Board

12" x 16"

"Rudy's Pussycat Den"

Acrylic on wood

23" x 20"

Couple of people were asking about the date on the Rudy piece. That painting was originally done for a Saturday Morning cartoon group show back in 2007, but it was the only one I didn't finish. It was about 65% done, so I decided to pull it out for this show and finish it up. The original idea was that it was an old Hanna Barbara lunchbox concept that never made it to the final stage of production. Hence, the curved borders. (I said hence.)

"Pam With a Sawed Off Shotgun"

12" x 30"

Acrylic on Canvas

"Pam"

12" x 30"

Acrylic on Canvas

"Matilda"

30" x 20"

Acrylic on Canvas

"Black Spy Mech"

"White Spy Mech"

10.5" x 13.5" w/ frame

Acrylic on Canvas

"Jimi"
Acrylic on Illustration Board
22.5" x 19.5" (w/ frame)

"Machete"

Acrylics on Illustration Board

14" x 17"

There's a little something hiding underneath this painting, but I'll save that for another post. Check back soon.......!

"Jake & Elwood"
Acrylic on Canvas
25" x 19"

"Animal Unleashed"

Acrylic on Canvas

3' x 6'

First off, apologies to Derek Riggs. Here's yet another "homage" to him, and to Animal/Muppets. Riggs did some door posters of Eddie back when Iron Maiden was blowing up. I couldn't resist doing another version of Animal, but bigger. I will also blame my buddy from high school, J. Trujillo, because he had the original door poster and asked me to draw it on his shin cast (Llamame baboso!). I guess that memory felt like it needed to come out somehow. I'll put some close-ups in the next post.

Well, the show is up until the 27th. If you're down near Pioneer Square, get over to Flatcolor and check it out. Also, if you notice the Electric Mayhem piece in the pic above that looks like the one that was in the Muppet Rawk show last month, that's a canvas wrapped print. Just got 'em. If you want one, contact Flatcolor. They came out great and look just like the painting.

Anyway, check back soon. I'll start digging up some process shots of the paintings and post those when I get a chance.

Until then, I'll leave you with my new favorite quote: "My work is a continuum. What makes a "body" of work is that it is grouped together and defined by and exhibition date." -Kent Williams

Dave & Aug's Lowbrow Candy Store!

2011-10-30T13:21:00.001-07:00

Gearing up for a show with Dave MacDowell this week at Flatcolor in Seattle. If you're downtown for first Thursday, come on by and check out our Lowbrow Candy Store. I'll post the pieces for the show sometime this week. Get the deets in the above flyer. Hope to see you there!

Zombie Carl

2011-10-30T13:13:00.001-07:00

I guess this is the closest I'll have for a Halloween piece this month. If your in LA next month, go check out the Bill Murray tribute show at G1988 on Melrose. I know Bill Murray wasn't a zombie in Caddyshack, but he was in Zombieland. Close enough. Gunga galunga.

Title: Zombie Carl

Medium: Acrylics on Wood

Size: 9" x 12"

Ltd. Art Gallery Grand Opening Group Show

2011-10-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

This Friday night I'll have a piece hanging in Ltd. Art Gallery's grand opening group show. Come on out and support Seattle's newest pop culture/low brow gallery. Lots of great stuff on the horizon with this new art space, so come check it out!

Muppet Rawk3 Opening Night

2011-10-16T10:46:00.001-07:00

Last night's Muppet Rawk was a huge success. Tons of great Muppet/Album inspired art to be seen. Big shout out to Law and Dev for putting on a great show and thanks to the Piranha Shop for hosting a great night. (Also, big ups to Momma Law for kicking down with the awesome tray of pancit for all to grub on. Mmmmm......paaaancit.)

If you don't recognize the Chemical Brother's album cover I did for the show, you can see it here. Below, you can check out a bunch of shots from the show. Enjoy!

Muppet Rawk WIP part 03

2011-10-14T08:28:00.001-07:00

Moving right along, here are a couple more progress shots and a b/w tease of the almost finished piece. Come out tomorrow night to see the finished piece as well as a bunch of other cool Muppet pieces. I dropped of my piece at the gallery last night and saw most of the show already. Holy frijole. Amazing show. Some cool takes on Snoop, Beatles, Beasties, Maiden, Gorillaz, Kraftwerk, Priest, TLC, and lots more. This show is going to be pretty epic. I'll post a full update the day after the show. Hope to see you guys Saturday night. Stay tuned.

Muppet Rawk WIP part 02

2011-10-13T10:44:00.001-07:00

Here's another sneak peek at the Muppet Rawk piece. I've recently seen some other pieces for this Saturday's show, and they're looking awesome. This is going to be the best show yet. I'll be picking up my prints and dropping off my piece today, so maybe I'll have some more info on the show for you tomorrow. In the meantime, you can read a Q and A I did recently with photographer and pop culture connoisseur, Megan Belcher. Enjoy muchachos.

Muppet Rawk WIP part 01

2011-10-12T13:18:00.001-07:00

Here are the "pencils" (sketched in photoshop) for my Muppet Rawk piece. The show is this Saturday. Get the deets in the last post. More tomorrow.

Muppet Rawk 3

2011-10-08T14:22:00.001-07:00

Los Muppets del Rawk, numero tres, esta aqui! Listo? That's right kids. One week from today will be the third Muppet Rawk show. From what I've seen so far, the show is looking to be the best yet. If you've never been before, here are some links to the past two and some of the pieces I had in those shows. This one will be in the same space as the last two, just under a different name. The Piranha Shop.

Anyway, hope to see you all there. As usual there will be artist prints from all, from current and past shows, so come prepared. I'll be posting my piece next week when I get some free time away from the table, so stay tuned. Until then, enjoy this.

Bjork's "I Miss You"

2011-09-30T11:30:00.001-07:00

Here's the latest painting for the "I Want My Music Video Art Show" that goes down at Meltdown comics in LA next Friday. Click here to see some sneak peak art from the other artists in the show.

If you've never seen the Bjork video that the painting is based on, you can check that out here. The video was directed by the amazing John Kricfalusi, of Wren and Stimpy fame.

I wish I had some process shots, but my camera got sucked into a dark recess of the studio and won't come out, much like light in a black hole. I'm sure it's hiding under an art book somewhere. Hopefully it will turn up soon since there are more paintings to be done over the next month. Stay tuned.

Size: 30" x 30"

Medium: acrylics on canvas

I Want My Music Video Art Show (and other art show ramblings)

2011-09-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

End of the year is upon us, as are the holidays. People are reflecting, and transition is in the air. Smell it? Mmmmm. Tasty (sometimes). The only transition going on here in the studio are the next few art shows. Aside from a new Muppet Rawk show coming up next month (deets coming soon), the next big group show is "I Want My Music Video". This one is currated by Cris Marrs Piliero and Dave MacDowell at Gallery Meltdown in LA . I'll try and document this painting a little better. Since I can't get Bjork to pose for me in my studio, it might take a little longer to finish. Check back soon for more on that.

Also coming up in a few months, a show at Flatcolor, some other stuff I'm probably forgetting, as well as another Art Jam towards the end of the year that's in the works (fingers crossed). You reading this Corrie? Let's do this! Who an I kidding. No one reads this. (Insert Charlie Brown sigh here.)

Anyway, time to get back to it, so I'll leave you with the quote of the week: "When opportunity knocks, people never recognize it because it's dressed up as hard work."
-Some guy

"OLD SCHOOL VIDEO GAME SHOW"

2011-09-16T02:50:00.001-07:00

Title: Joust Warrior

Size: 10" x 20"

Medium: Acrylics on Masonite Board

"OLD SCHOOL VIDEO GAME SHOW"

Opening Reception: Fri, September 16th, 7-10PM

September 16 - October 8, 2011

It's a MAD MAD MAD MAD Show

2011-09-11T12:19:00.001-07:00

Title: White SPY Mech

Size: 9" x 12"

Medium: Acrylics on canvas

Xavier Lopez Jr. and Ryan Henry Ward curated this month's Urban Light Studios group show. If you're up in Greenwood, call the gallery for their hours and check out the show (206-708-7281) Lots of cool Mad Magazine inspired art to be seen.

When I was growing up, there were two "dirty" books that could still be purchased at grocery stores. Playboy, and Mad magazine. Us kids weren't allowed to buy the former, but we definitely consumed the latter. Mad Magazine was an eye opener not only for exposing us to some amazing artists, but for being a humor magazine that made fun of everyone, and everything. They never pulled any punches, and the level of art always supported, and elevated the humor. Without rambling on for another few paragraphs about the amazing artists in the mag, here's a list of some of the art talent I remember from back in the early MAD Magazine days that had a big influence on my young art brain . I know I'm forgetting a bunch, but these are some of the artists that I kept going back to when I was reading the mag.

Anyway, there you go. Before there was an internet to go onto and look at funny twisted humor sites and images, there was Mad Magazine. Oh, almost forgot, stay tuned for more info on some cool group shows coming up. G1988/Venice is having an arcade themed show this month, and also, get ready for it....(drum roll)......MUPPET RAWK 3! Stay tuned.

Artoleptic @619

2011-09-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, I joined local artists 179 and EGO and jammed on this piece at Artoleptic. There were tons of artists in the 619 parking lot making art and throwing up murals. After whining about having no summer this year, this had to be the hottest day yet. Got fried in the sun, along with all my paint. Check out a bunch of cool pics from the event on the Seattle Weekly blog.

New Art @The Hive Gallery/LA

2011-09-01T23:41:00.000-07:00

Title: Deep Sea Rider

Medium: Acrylics on Canvas

Size: 30" x 20"

Here are some new pieces for the show at The Hive, in Los Angeles, this Saturday. Check out the flyer at the end of the post for the show info and a list of the other artists exhibiting this month.

Growing up in Gilroy, near Monterey and Santa Cruz, allowed for many a trip to the beaches, tide pool adventures in Monterey, the wharf, and of course, The Monterey Bay Aquarium. Such a great Aquarium. I guess I tapped back into some of those memories for these pieces and injected them with current and past junk I'm into. Had a great conversation about aquariums recently, which kind of started the train of thought. Thanks for the inspirato KD.

Title: Doc Oc

Medium: Acrylics on Canvas

Size: 16" x 20"

Title: Neptune's Skull

Medium: Acrylics on Canvas

Size: 12" x 16"

Title: The Warden

Medium: Acrylics on Canvas

Size: 16" x 20"

Title: Lagoon Mistress

Medium: Acrylics on Wood

Size: 11" x 14"

Title: Lagoon Partol

Medium: Acrylics on Wood

Size: 12" x 24"

The sea and all the craziness that lives there allows for so much imagery. Had a blast doing this batch of paintings, and will have to revisit the unused sketches in the future. Get the deets for the show below.

Garbage Pail Kids Art Show

2011-09-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of updates lately, and that usually means lots of paintings are getting produced. Here's the first show coming up. Gallery 1988's Garbage Pail Kids group show. The opening starts tomorrow night. Check out the G1988 blog for some sneak peeks and any updates on the show.

Title: Fryin' Brian
Acrylics on Canvas

Size: 16" x 20"

All the artists got to pick their own cards. The image of Frank Miller's Marv character came to mind when I saw the Fryin' Brian card. Apologies to Mr. Miller, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to try and riff on that iconic image of Marv on the chair. I kept imagining a Miho arrow coming through my window to take me out while I was painting, but luckily that didn't happen.

Found some cool stuff while doing research. Here's a really cool toy of Fryin' Brian. If you dig around the interwebs, you can find these great comps of the Garbage Pail Kids cards.

Of course, not until after the fact, did I realize I should have called the card "Charred Marv". Oh well. Come back to the blog soon. More painting to come. Got some new paintings to post for The Hive's show this weekend. Stay tuned.......

Peripheral Visions-Encore Reception

2011-08-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

Deja Vu? Nope. We're having an encore reception at the Firm this month. If you're down in Georgetown for the second Saturday art walk on the 13th, stop on by. The Firm will be open from 6-9pm, or until we run out of booze. I'll also have prints available as well. There's plenty to check out in Georgetown, so come on down and make a night of it. All City Coffee will be throwing their 10 year anniversary party just blocks away, so make sure you don't miss out on that too. Hope to see you all there!

Opening Reception Saturday, August 13th , 2011
as part of Georgetown's Art Attack
6pm to 9pm

The Firm 5813 Airport Way S. Georgetown, Seattle
thefirmgeorgetown.com

Crazy 4 Cult 5 / "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."

2011-07-07T04:13:00.000-07:00

"An army of the worst dregs ever to soil the face of the west." -Hedley LaMarr

"I want rustlers, cutthroats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperadoes, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, half-wits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswagglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass kickers, shit kickers - and Methodists."

This latest piece for Gallery 1988's, 5th annual Crazy 4 Cult was inspired by the bad guy line up, in Blazing Saddles. You can check out the scene here if you like. Lots of cool coverage for the show up on their blog too. If you're in L.A. this Friday, check out the opening. Looks like it'll be another big blow out!

Title: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."
Medium: Acrylics on masonite panel
Size: 30" x 10"

Post Weirdsville stuff

2011-06-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

I didn't take too many step-by-step shots of the paintings in this month's Weirdsville show, but I found these pics, (Actually, I finally found my camera.) You can see the final one a couple of posts back, or click here for the finished piece.

Peripheral Visions

2011-06-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

Going to be showing a collection of past work at the Firm, down in Georgetown next Saturday. If you're coming down to the neighborhood for the Art Attack, stop on by, have a drink, and dork out on some art.

I'll also have some prints on hand as well. I'm not fully stocked, but I'll bring what I have. If there's a print you saw at a con, or on the blog, give me a heads up. If I get enough requests for a certain image, even if it hasn't been a print yet, I'll do my best to get those made up before the show. Just hit me up here augiejp@gmail.com with the subject line: PRINTS!

On a personal note, showing my work in Georgetown means a lot to me. I was between places when I showed up in Georgetown in 2000, when nothing was down there. Over the next few years, artists that were kicked out from Pioneer Square, post dot com implosion, and artists from as far back as the east coast, were showing up, and planting roots. At that time, I was ready to move to another city, but over the next few years, I was exposed to tons of art,(not just drawing and painting) and tons of new friends.

More importantly, there was a big D.I.Y. vibe, going on in the neighborhood that got my creative energy flowing. That same vibe not only kicked me in the ass, but it is also a big foundation for the businesses and the people that are there now. I started getting serious about my painting and my art back in 2006, when I did the Oz show at All City coffee's old Pioneer Square joint. A lot of the art in this show was created in the old Gem studio, when All City coffee, and the 9lb Hammer were still being built. After that, I made more art in the Corson building, and yet even more art in another studio above Art Core, on Airport way.

I was reading the old post from that Oz show, and there's a long rant (like this one) where I go on about Seattle's not so thriving art scene (at the time), compared to other cities, and why more people don't put on more art events. Maybe that was my own naive point of view at the time, but that's what it felt like. Well, five years later, I can honestly say, that this is not the case anymore. Not only are there more art walks to shake a stick at these days, in multiple neighborhoods, but everyone around me, myself included, have taken the initiative, and put on some great art events. You know that to be true if you've been to any of the Art Jams we put on in Georgetown, for example. Anyway, if someone says there isn't an art scene in Seattle, there not looking in the right places. If you still think there isn't a scene, make your own.

D.I.Y.

I just decided not to dig up an old bio for this show, or write a new one. I just wrote it.

Hope to see you there!

p.s. come back to this blog in 5 years for another long rant! Stay thirsty my friends.

Opening Reception Saturday, July 9 , 2011
as part of Georgetown's Art Attack
6pm to 9pm

The Firm 5813 Airport Way S. Georgetown, Seattle
thefirmgeorgetown.com

Girl With the Ghidorah Tattoo

2011-06-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

New piece for Cade Gallery's Monster Kaiju group show.

If you live in the area, go check it out!

Title: "Girl With the Ghidorah Tattoo"
Size: 9"x12"
Medium: Acrylics on Wood

Last of the Weirdsville Art

2011-06-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

-Title: "El Grito Loco"

-Size: "20"x 20"

-Medium: Acrylics on canvas

Here are the last three pieces that were done for the Weirdsville show at Tasty. The show is up until July 5th, so stop on by if you're in the 'hood. You can also purchase prints of the Rancor Speeder painting (18" x 24", with a 2" border) through Tasty. Thanks again for everyone that came out to the show. Always fun catching up with everyone. Lastly, check back for some updates for a couple of group shows coming up next month, including Gallery 1988's annual, Crazy 4 Cult show!

-Title: "Lucha Lowrider"

-Size: 20" x 20"
-Medium: Acrylics on canvas

-Title: "Finkabilly Joe"

-Size: 10"x 10"
-Medium: Acrylics on wood

More Weirdsville Art

2011-06-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

-Title: "Cloud Ornament"

-Size: 12"x 30"
-Medium: Acrylics on Canvas

Here are a few more pieces from the Weirdsville show. Since these latest pieces deal with car culture, I wanted to do some interpretations of my own style of hood ornaments. Would love to do more of these when time permits.

-Title: "Pixy Hood Ornament"

-Size: 12"x 12"

-Medium: Acrylics on Canvas

-Title: "Jet Head"

-Size: 12"x 12"

-Medium: Acrylics on Wood

Three more pieces to post from the show. Stay tuned........

Revenge of Creepy Coupe

2011-06-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peek at what to expect at Tasty's Weirdsville show this Friday night. If you don't recognize the characters "The Guesome Twosome", they're from an old Saturday morning cartoon called Wacky Races. The car designs were out there, and as much a character as the drivers. Here's the original cartoon intro, and here's an example of life imitating art. If you come out Friday, you can see six more new pieces, as well as prints of this piece. Stay tuned....

-Title: Revenge of Creepy Coupe
-Size 16" x 16"
-Acrylics on wood

Wet Hot American Summer

2011-06-05T09:17:00.001-07:00

Recently did this skate deck for G1988's, upcoming Wet Hot American Summer group show. If you're in LA next Friday, definitely check it out. Also, check out Funny or Die for some previews from the show.

Speaking of upcoming art shows, I'll have some new pieces to show at local art boutique, Tasty, for Greenwood's 2nd Friday art walk, on the 10th of this month. Check back into the blog this week for some sneak peeks on the new pieces. While everyone is finally enjoying the Seattle sunshine, I'll be indoors painting.

Whaaaa! Art can be a cruel mistress, but at least I can paint in my drawers.

Bleacher Creature/Weirdsville

2011-05-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Recently did this t-shirt design for a Mariners contest they're running over at KZOK. The clients wanted a Big Daddy Roth type of monster for this design, which, coincidentally, comes on the heels of a recent show I'll be doing at Tasty, up in Greenwood that is semi related (in the car culture sense, that is).

Rob Schwartz and myself will be showing some new work that will be drawing from car culture, and everything related to said culture. Get more info here and check out some of the names of the other artists that will be showing in a coinciding group show. Greenwood will also be hosting a car show next month, so if you're in the neighborhood for that, don't forget to stop by Tasty and check out the art show.

By the way, if you have 20 minutes to kill, and want to see the early stages of the Hellboy painting from a few posts ago, you can see me and my buddy Jimmy Berta painting and talking about art with our old high school art teacher (who is also Jimmy's mom) Carol Peters. Carol is retired, but is still active in the community bringing art to everyone through a local public access channel, back home in Gilroy, California. You can check that out here, and stay tuned for some sneak peeks at the new work from the upcoming show.

Study of Tony Montana

2011-05-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

"I always tell the truth. Even when I lie."

BBQ-Bebop

2011-04-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

This was done for Rain City Brew's Beer as Art event. Artists did their take on beer titles. Mine was "Smokey BBQ-Bebop." That just seemed to easily translate into a Yogi Bear/Cowboy Bebop mash-up.

The Spanish Castle

2011-04-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

Currently on exhibit at The Scenic Drive on Capitol Hill is the "i miss you" show. From the website- "Local artists reflect on the buildings in Seattle they miss through visual, oral, and written histories. Come share your story."

There are way too many great buildings in Seattle that have come and gone. The Spanish Castle was a famous dance hall/club built in the 1930's that had tons of great acts come through there up until the late 60's. Among those acts was a young Jimi Hendrix, who later wrote a song about it called Spanish Castle Magic. The Sonics, and the Wailers were among the many local bands that also came through there . You can read a history of the building and the acts that came through there here.

Other buildings in the exhibit are:
THE BELMONT-KINGDOME-TWIN TEEPEES-619 BUILDING- RAINIER COLD STORAGE-1502 BUILDING

Title: Spanish Castle Magic
Size: 18"x 24" framed
Medium: Acrylics on masonite

Bots vs Beasts/Good Omens

2011-03-12T17:35:00.001-08:00

Since these two pieces are both for March group shows I'll just do a two-for one post.

The above piece is for Urban Light studio's Beasts vs Bots show. When you can't decide on one beast, doing an amalgamation of different ones is one solution.

Title: Beast of Burden

Size: 11"x14"

Medium: Acrylics on wood

This piece is for Bherd's Good Omen's group show. Artists in the show were asked to do interpretations from the book of the same name. The four horsemen in the book all ride motorcycles, even Death. When I get some free time, I might have to do the other three.

Title: Death

Size: 11"x14"

Medium: Acrylics on wood

Please contact the galleries to see what hours they're open this month. Not sure how long the Beasts and Bots show is up for. You can get the info from the links in this post.

Hellboy

2011-03-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in the previous post, I brought this Hellboy painting out to the Emerald Con last weekend. This piece will be hanging in Tasty's Heroes, Vixens, and Villians art exhibit this Friday in Greenwood. I originally started this piece for my High School art teacher, Mrs. Peters. She has a local tv show back in Gilroy that showcases artists doing their craft, where she talks to the artists about the process. With such a crazy schedule the last few months, and getting ready for the con, I figured I would use the finished piece in the Tasty show.

There wasn't time to finish the painting for the show, so I shipped the painting back to Seattle to finish it in the studio and get it ready for the show.

The show was shot in Carol's art studio. I also got to paint with an old friend from high school, Jimmy Berta, who is also Carol's son. Had a blast catching up and painting with him. Just like old high school days.

You can see the color comp I was working from in the above pic (colored in photoshop), as well as the tight pencil sketch I was using for reference below.

As soon as I get word that the show is done, I'll send around the link for the online version. I'll be attending the tasty art show this Friday night, so, hope to see some of you there.

ECCC 2011 Update

2011-03-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the end of a three day comic con in Seattle, Emerald City Con. Still recovering, but just want to say, thanks to everyone that came out and took the time to stop the table and say hi. Always fun catching up with everyone. I think the only thing I don't like about the show, is that I don't have time to get out and see much of it anymore. Still, had a blast and from what I did see, can't wait for the next one.

I brought out my Hellboy painting that will be in this Friday's art show at Tasty. Since Hellboy creator himself, Mike Mignola was at the show, The Hellboy fans were in full effect . Even the Hellgirl fans came out for the show.

This Hellboy fan came by the table and showed me the coolest limited edition Hellboy shoes I ever saw. The tread on the bottom has the Hellboy fist, and they even come with three different interchangeable soles that have Mignola art on them. Glad she got to get Mignola to sign them. Pretty rad.

I wish I had more time to get out and take more costume pics, but here's a few I managed to pop off.

This Chewbacca came by the table too. He just wouldn't leave me alone. Damn Wookies.

Anyway, another con down, and now, time to get ready for the next one. Once again, thanks to everyone that stopped by. Can't wait to do it again next year!

Odd Job part 02

2011-03-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

Here's how the final Odd Job painting came out for this month's Sidekicks and Henchmen show at Flatcolor. The show is up for the rest of the month, so go down and check it out if you're in the neighborhood.

Odd Job ( W.I.P.(part 01))

2011-03-03T18:01:00.001-08:00

Here are some, in progress, sneak peek, pics of the piece I have in the Sidekicks & Henchmen show tonight. Thumbnails-> tighter pencil sketch -> and finally the transfered and inked drawing onto the board, in the top pic. Want to see the final piece? Then head out to Flatcolor tonight, and if you miss that, there's also an after Comic Con reception on Saturday.

In case you're not familiar with the character in the painting, Odd Job is Goldfinger's henchmen in the James Bond movie of the same name, and one of the most memorable, in the Bond franchise, in my opinion. After "hooking up" with yet another Bond girl, Sean Connery finds Shirley Eaton's character completely covered in gold paint, the next day. Apparently she falls victim to asphyxiation, from being painted in gold, head to toe. I think I was fascinated by, who would have painted her? Goldfinger wouldn't have done it, he would have sent Odd Job, right? I don't know how you inconspicuously send a big, stocky dude, dressed to the nines, with a top hat and painting supplies to a hotel to paint/kill some unsuspecting lady, but I figure he would have been involved in some capacity. Anyway, that's the thought behind the image.

I'll post the final piece soon. Probably after I recover from Emerald con. Until then check out this old commercial I found, with Odd Job, pimping Vix 44. Crazy!

New Sci-Fi Print for ECCC

2011-03-03T14:29:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update. Picked up these prints yesterday. This is the "Robots on the Horizon" piece from last year's Sci-Fi show at Tasty. They're printed at actual size on archival, smooth, enhanced, matte paper. Only going to print a run of 300 of these, so, get 'em while you can. I'll be at Emerald Con starting tomorrow at table H-16 in artists alley. Hope to see you there.

Good Omens, Book Club (More March Madness!)

2011-03-02T16:32:00.000-08:00

There's so much going on this month I forgot to mention another group show I'll have a piece in. This one will have artists doing visual interpretations from the book, "Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. This show is the same night as the Beasts and Bots show, which is also in the Greenwood Art Collective. So, after checking out the Omens show at Bherd studios, you can also check out Bots & Beasts, just mere feet away! There are also other studios that will be showing art, that night, so come on out. Friday, Friday, Fridaaay! Be theeeeereeeeee!!!!

Sidekicks & Henchmen 2

2011-03-01T02:11:00.000-08:00

If you're out in Pioneer Square this Thursday for the Art Walk, stop by Flatcolor and check out Mike Wagner's solo show. Also, in the upstairs loft, I'll have a piece in the 2nd Sidekicks & Henchmen show. That should get you ready for this Emerald City Comic Con that kicks off the next day. I'll post some process shots of my piece in the next few days. In the meantime, gotta get ready for the con. Stay tuned........

March Madness

2011-02-18T10:25:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update on what's coming up in the next few weeks. Bunch of group shows next month, as well as the Emerald City Comic Con.

March 2nd will be the 2nd Sidekicks and Henchmen group show at Flatcolor Gallery.

March 4-6th will be Emerald Con, and that's not a typo. This year will be a three day show, so get those costumes ready, you know who you are. I'll be in artist alley selling prints and doing sketches. (table H-16) As it gets closer, I'll post more info, and hopefully, will know what new prints I'll be selling.

On March 11th, there will be two group shows up in Greenwood. Bots vs Beasts at Urban light Studios, and Heroes, Vixens, and Villains at Tasty. Both of these shows are in the same hood, so come out and make a night of it.

Anyway, there's your heads up. More deets below, and keep an eye out for more updates and art for these shows in the following weeks.

John Hughes Tribute show

2011-01-31T11:23:00.000-08:00

This latest piece is for G1988's latest group show, "The Road to Shermer: A Tribute to John Hughes". Just a heads up (if you didn't know already), this piece is for G1988's newly acquired space in Santa Monica. You can get all the location deets here.

Anyway, been awhile since I posted some process shots. Enjoy!

Title: "Claire's Breakfast in the East"
Size: 11'' x 14''
Medium: Acrylics on masonite

Anton Chigurh

2011-01-30T12:07:00.000-08:00

Digital Practice

2011-01-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

Just messing around with a Photoshop alternative called Paint Tool Sai.

"Is This Thing On?"

2011-01-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of paintings for tonight's group show at G1988. Artists in the show got to pick comedians for their pieces. There are over 100 artists in tonight's show, and they've been previewing some of the pieces on their blog, and also over on Funny or Die.

There was quite the frenzy when it came to picking comedians for the show. I was super excited to be able to do Chris Rock. The main concept of the painting is a reference to one of Rock's comedy albums, Bring the Pain. Classic album (Yes, I said album. Deal with it). Bring the Pain is one of those shows you can quote word for word. If you don't get the imagery with the money and the books, you need to do some homework and listen to Bring the Pain. You're missing out.

The shots of Rock in the background are from various points in his career. Nat X, from SNL and I'm Going to Get You Sucka. Also Lil' Penny, who Rock voiced, from the old Nike commercials.

Title: "Utilizing the Kryptonite"

Size: 16"x 16"

Medium: Acylics on masonite

This other piece is comedian Artie Lange, formerly(?) from the Howard Stern show. Howard's show has always been unfiltered when it comes to letting his audience peek into the lives of everyone on his show, whether they like it or not. Artie was a great addition to the show, and we got to watch the good, bad, and the ugly, when it came to following Artie's life, day in and day out. The above painting is Artie in a line up, holding a picture of himself as a baby. You can find that baby pic in his book, Too Fat to Fish. Hopefully, Artie will come back to the show in some capacity. Even if it was for a day, it would be welcomed. Come back Artie! We miss you "bro"! WAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!

Title: "Lamentations of a Jersey Prince"

Size: 11"x 14"

Medium: Acrylics on wood

Anyway, it's great to be part of this show. Especially for someone that grew up hiding behind closed doors listening to Pryor tapes, and Cheech and Chong records with friends and older cousins. If you're in Los Angeles tonight, make sure you check out the show. Time to cut this short, and start on the next painting. Why? Cuz the man would only give me four paragraphs. Stay strong bruthas and sistas!

Tarot Card group show @ The Hive

2011-01-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

This latest painting is for The Hive's Tarot card group show this Saturday, in Los Angeles. Artist's in the show were randomly matched up with different Tarot cards. I got the "Strength" card.

A traditional strength card basically has an image of a woman with a lion. Click here to see an example. I guess I watched too many Saturday morning cartoons, and just defaulted to the lion from Banana Splits and Penelope Pitstop.

I think the more important question is: Why does Bob Marley's Buffalo Soldier (1980) sound like the Banana Splits theme song (1968)? You decide.

Title: "Saturday Morning Exodus"

Size: 11"x 14"

Medium: Acrylics on chipboard

p.s. On a completely different topic, if you want to see some great pictures from last month's Art Jam, check out Jesse Lenihan's Flicker account.

Post Art Jam 5

2010-12-13T17:27:00.002-08:00

Last Saturday night at the 9lb Hammer, in Georgetown, was the 5th Art Jam where local artists came out to create live art. All the art was for sale that same night, and to keep things affordable, as always, nothing is ever over $50 bucks.

In no particular order, thanks to everyone that came out in the rain, to come see local artists do their thing. Secondly, thanks to the 9lb Hammer for letting us put this on, once again, and thanks to all the people that pitched in and gave up their time to help out. It takes more time than you think to put this together, and break it all down, and every little bit helps. Also, for the people that might not know, the sales of the art goes right back to the artists, and Art Jam takes a small piece so that we can replenish supplies and recoup advertising costs. Last, but not least, a special thanks to Corrie Greening, my partner in crime, in all this, who still comes all the way from Portland to help put this all together and make it run smoother and smoother every year, and more importantly, keeps me organized.

Here's the cleanest these easels will ever be until the artists are let loose on the boards.

Jam packed with people, and a whole lot of paint. We also had a surprise visit from Catherine Anstett from the Seattle Weekly. She took some really great pics that you can find here.

Local illustrator, and comic artist Shane White is always the first to show up, and the first to finish.

Shane kicked out this crazy close encounter for his second solo piece. Thanks for those pics Jess!

Finally got to bring out John Osgood to the event. I met him last year at the Seattle Hostel project. He's one of the residence of Bherd Studios in Greenwood. You should definitely check out the Greenwood art walks. Great scene going on up there.

Local Georgetown tattoo artist, Jobby Dorr from Art Core studios was back with a vengeance.

Recently back from showing her work at Miami's Art Basel, Maija Fiebig returned to Art Jam to paint these two beauties. She made some new art fans that night. Always great to introduce people to local artists they might not normally get to meet.

Local painter, comic artist, (and Samurai armor collector) Brian Snoddy was feeling the dark side that night. If you want to see some amazing looking, historically accurate, samurai gear, painted in gouche no less, check out his site.

Local Georgetown painter John Ohannesian was also back to get his painting on.

Memo Diaz was in attendance to bring the funk.

Here's my partner in crime, Corrie Greening and Dave Mazak, doing a collab piece. This was one of my favorites to watch because the finished piece looks nothing like how it began.

Georgetown artist, Ed Matlock was all in with a take on one of his signature playing cards. King high, Matlock?

We finally got a local Georgetown artist Dylan Pharaoh to come out and do some art. I think Dylan gets the prize for the youngest artist, to attend Art Jam.

Another tattoo artist from Art Core Studios was Chris Gay. Always great to see Chris create his collage type, paintings.

Steve Wright, another artist form Georgetown, didn't hesitate to get up on the boards and crank out these faces.

Chris Pfeifle, a.k.a. Bob Ross was also back in attendance.

The art team of Lawrence Ruelos and Emily Dohler Knox collabed on this piece. Very cool mix of styles. The young lady that walked away with this one got a steal! (Thanks for the pics guys!)

Mike, from Georgetown's Jem studios, kicked out this gator with a Seattle shout out.

This was the second Art Jam for Angelina Villalobos aka 179. Hard to not recognize her unique style.

Johnny O'Brady is another artist I meet at the Seattle Hostel project. It was great to see him come out and do his thing.

Johnny brought a stack of paintings to paint on of these gorgeous women that had a nice mono chromatic look to them. He kindly asked me to paint on one. I was pretty hesitant to add any paint because I love how they look already. Maybe I should have been a little bolder, but I just added a wash, tinted the eyes and lips, and called it done.

(Yes, I know the above pic is upside down. That's because Blogger is stupid.)

We finally got Mr. Dev Madan up on the stage. Dev's known for his video game work as well as his run on a few well known DC comics. Had blast collabing on this piece with him and Shane.

Anyway, that's the lowdown for Art Jam 5. I know I missed a lot, picture wise, as it's hard to coordinate, and get pics of all the different things going on (anyone have a good one of my owl? My pic sucks). There were roughly 20 or so artists and around 30 paintings that were created that night. Not bad. Probably our best event thus far. So good in fact, I had to use the word "thus". Thanks again everyone. Pat yourselves on the back. See you all at numero six!

Art Basel Week- Miami, FL.

2010-12-08T12:08:00.001-08:00

Recently got back from Miami's Art Basel festivities. Saw tons and tons of art, and still didn't see everything that there was to see. Here are some links of random art shows and graff walls that were going on throughout the four days.

Shepard Fairey

Jeff Soto

Sean Cheetham

Swoon

Parskid

Tatiana Suarez

EL Mac

Sean Cheetham

Glenn Barr

Robert Williams

Michael Vasquez

Walton Ford

Robert Williams

Ron English

Shepard Fairey

Art Jam 5

2010-11-30T17:11:00.000-08:00

Did you really think we'd end the year without an Art Jam? Shame on you!

On Saturday, December 11th, local Seattle artists will convene on the 9lb Hammer in Georgetown, and create live art, into the wee hours. All art will be for sale that night. Nothing over $50 bucks. All the dough goes back to the artists, and Art Jam takes a small amount to pay for supplies, and also, so that we can keep on putting these events on. Since it's December already (yikes!) you can pick up some great art for Xmas presents, just remember, CASH ONLY! So, double check your livers, dance shoes and eyeballs, because the drinks will be flowin', our DJ's will be cranking the jams, and the artists will make your corneas bleed.

If you want to check out some of the old Art Jams, here are some links to the ones in the past.

http://theaugblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/georgetown-art-jam-rundown.html

http://theaugblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/art-jam-3-update.html

http://theaugblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/art-jam-iv-aftermath.html

Also, here are some great photos supplied by Cecilia Singer on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58356148@N00/sets/72157594425794257/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58356148@N00/sets/72157617565783986/

Anyway, that's the skinny. Hope to see you all there.

Saturday December 11th

9lb Hammer

6009 Airport Way South, Seattle, WA

(206) 762-3373

8pm - last call

Bits of Randomness......

2010-11-16T01:59:00.000-08:00

Some random sketches done while on the phone that I ended up tightening up. Needed an excuse to mess around with some ink washes before using the old acrylics.

Bob Ross Tribute Show

2010-11-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

New piece for a Bob Ross tribute show up in Greenwood tomorrow night. Get the skinny in the below flyer.

"Happy Little Trees"

Acrylics on Wood

9"x 12"

Guardian of the Muses

2010-10-22T15:56:00.001-07:00

Did this piece for tonight's Feast or Famine group show at Upper Playground/Seattle.

Artsy fartsy symbolic explanation: The wise and patient elephant warrior (artist) protects the three muses, who inspire us all. At the center, is the rare Kadupul flower, native to Sri Lanka. This rare flower blooms at midnight and dies at dawn, much like the raw energy inside all artists that burn the midnight lamp, and work 'till sunrise. The elephant graveyard is the final resting place of all those artists that came before and died rich, or poor, doing what they love.

Man on the street explanation: Painting elephant armor, skulls and Muse decolletage is good times.

"Guardian of the Muses"

12" x 16"

Acrylics on board

Feast or Famine

2010-10-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

One more group show going on this month at Upper Playground, Seattle.

4730 University Way N.E.

Frankie Walks the Mog

2010-10-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

Just finished this piece for Tasty's Hallows Eve group show. The opening kicks off tomorrow night in Greenwood. Get all the show info below.

Title: "Frankie Walks the Mog"

Size: 6"x18"

Medium: Acrylics on masonite

Frankencash

2010-10-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

New piece for this month's group show at Flatcolor Gallery in downtown Seattle. Also, in the downstairs main gallery, don't forget the main course: New solo show from local artist EGO. Show kicks off this Thursday the 7th, 5pm-9pm.

Title: Frankencash

Size: 12"x16"

Medium: Acrylics on masonite

Flatcolor Gallery

528 First Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98104

(206) 390- 6537
Open WED-SUN 12-6pm, or by appointment, First Thursday: until 9pm.
info@flatcolor.com
http://www.flatcolor.com

Redemption Times Four

2010-09-28T00:43:00.000-07:00

Just recently finished this piece for The Hive's upcoming Heaven and Hell group show. It kicks off in LA, this Saturday night.

Sometimes when I get stuck on ideas for paintings, I tend to sift through childhood memories for inspirato, or read stories on urban legends, folklore, or myths. I think it just gives me something to think about while I'm sitting there hours on end, painting.

The concept of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is an interesting one to me. Aside from the biblical associations, the story of riders on horseback seeking redemption, spans a lot of cultures. Different parts of Europe have their own version of it, The Wild Hunt.

Let's not forget the cowboy version. Stan Jones wrote the song Ghost Riders in the Sky in 1948. Apparently an old cowboy friend told him the story when he was twelve. Let's face it though. Out of all the people that have covered that song, there's only one musician that did it the best. Ghost Riders in the Sky was also the first guitar riff my dad taught me when I was a kid. (Childhood memory. Full circle!)

Long live the Man in Black.

Title: "Redemption Times Four"

Size: 12"x16"

Medium: Acrylics on Wood

Flatcolor CREEPS SHOW

2010-09-28T00:24:00.000-07:00

Working on a piece for this local group show that's coming up next week. In conjunction with EGO's solo art show in the downstairs gallery of Flatcolor, I'll have a piece upstairs in the group show. Hope to see some of you there!

Machete Don't Text

2010-09-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

Been messing around with colored inks and acrylics (far left color sketch). Started noodling on this image of Danny Trejo's Machete character after watching the flick a few weeks ago. Just recently got around to finishing it. Couldn't resist messing around with some filters in photoshop to get that grindhouse look (center and far right image). For the far right version, I turned up the grindhouse filter to eleven.

Tuco Study

2010-09-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

Study of Eli Wallach as Tuco from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

"There are two kinds of people in the world, my friend: Those with a rope around the neck, and the people who have the job of doing the cutting."

-Tuco

Dissection of aTaco Time Commercial

2010-08-31T16:32:00.001-07:00

If you're not a Tivo addict, and you live in the Northwest, you might have seen this local commercial for Taco Time, this month. The franchise has three new drinks they're promoting. The concept was to get three local artists to do their interpretation of the drink, summer, the Northwest, etc., and jam out a painting in their style for the commercial.

I got to do the commercial with local artists, Jeff "Weirdo" Jacobson, and Angelina "179" Vilalobos. Check out their sites when you can. These two are always working something cool around town, and probably have some shows in the works, as I write this.

I did a few pages of rough thumbnails (below) before picking four to color up. The above color comp (scanned and cranked out in photoshop) is the one that was picked.

I was actually working on these comps while down in Cali, a day before heading to the San Diego Comic Con. My cousin Larry let me work on a spare wacom tablet while he worked on his comic pages. My bro popped off these shots on his phone while we were hanging in his studio (Thanks Dre!)

The commercial was scheduled the day after I got back from the Comic Con. It was a two day shoot, shot in a space in lovely Georgetown. There were a couple of time lapse cameras in the rafters, and some other floaters that were set up for other shots. It was all pretty spontaneous. After everything was set up, we came in, they rolled the cameras, and we went to town on the canvases.

It was a really fun shoot overall. Just kind of weird to have to stop your work flow in between set ups. Really gets you out of the zone for a few minutes, but then, back to it. With all the starting and stopping in between painting, I think we all got in 8-10 hours of actual painting. Kind of an aggressive schedule, but it just makes you think differently while you're executing the work.

Here are Jeff and Angelina chillin' with local artist Memo Diaz. Memo was in some shots as the "art critic", and you can catch a glimpse of him in the long version. There are no cameras that can capture the power of Memo's presence, which is why he'll eventually get his own movie as an artist/bounty hunter.

They took a lot of footage with this Bolex, too. Unfortunately, I don't think much of that was used, except for a few frames in the long cut. You can see some of Tom Price's storyboards in the background. Tom's a local board artist that used to teach at the Art Institute of Seattle. I had the pleasure of taking his class back in the old AIS days.

Dave Leonard was the man at the helm on the shoot, and made the whole experience go pretty smooth. You can see him above working out a shot that was a cool idea, but didn't make the cut. You can see in the monitor how they lined up the drink with the painting.

Anyway, all in all, good times on the shoot. Here's the link to the actual commercial.

http://www.client.moderndigital.com/leonard/tacotime/cactus_coolers_web30.mov

Also, here's the long version with some more added footage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbJwrPHww2U

Hands On @ Twilight

2010-08-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

Next week, West Seattle's Twilight will be putting on a group show called "Hands On". All artists were asked to make some art without using brushes. Yup. No brushes, just hands. Really old school. Finger painting. Back to basics, full circle. Should be interesting.

Twilight Artist Collective

4306 SW Alaska St. Seattle, WA 98116 p 206.933.2444
Located across the street from Key Bank, between Edie's Shoes and Easy Street Records.

Fem-Probe-Droid

2010-08-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

Haven't done a digital piece in awhile. Thought I'd mess around with a sketch that was a left over idea from Tasty's sci-fi show.

While I was sketching this out and coloring it, I got to thinking about all those speed painting pieces I always see online, in various forums and bulletin boards, etc. I've seen tons of gorgeous speed paintings, but I've never heard anyone say what the official time is for a speed painting. Anyone care to chime in on what the over/under is for one? I'm just curious.

Just to clarify, I'm not trying to say that this piece should be called a speed painting. This one took two hours of messing around on the cintique, and most of that time was spent dorking around with some new brushes. I have to imagine that a speed painting should be wrapped up in 30 minutes maybe? I just think it's interesting that there's so much focus on speed painting techniques. There are even tutorials on it. I get that idea that you need to get your speed up in a studio/deadline situation, but where are the books on generating great concepts and ideas? Again, I'm not saying I'm an uber genius when it comes to ideas. For christ sake, I just painted a probe droid with boobs, so count me out. These are all just stupid thoughts that role around in my head while I'm working.

Mystic Sons of Morris Graves

2010-08-04T15:35:00.002-07:00

This Thursday is a tribute show for local artist Morris Graves. Dozens of artists contributed art that was inspired, or an homage to the local artist. You can read up on Morris Graves here, or read up on the Mystic Sons here.

There's more info on the show here.

The Morris Graves Centenary exhibition opens with a festive reception on First Thursday, August 5 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at 3 galleries in the Tashiro Kaplan compound: Rock?DeMent, the Corridor, and Angle galleries at 306 S. Washington St. Following the reception, the exhibition will remain open for public viewing on Saturdays from noon to 6:00 PM through August 28.

2010 Comic Con/Cali Trip

2010-07-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a week since the San Diego Comic Con, and it's taken a week to digest it all. Here's a "quick" rundown of the con, and what went down prior to that trip.

A week before San Diego, I was back home in Gilroy visiting family, friends, and getting ready for a family reunion.

I got to see some of my dad's choice vinyl pics as he had just recently pillaged through a HUGE vinyl collection someone was getting rid of. He only picked the ones with cool illustrations with the thought of framing and selling them. (Yet another get rich quick scheme.)

After a few days of back to back bar-b-que's, and hanging out with family and friends, I headed to my cousin Larry's as we both got ready to head to the con.

He kindly made room for me in his studio as we both needed to finish up projects before catching our plane in the morning. He was finishing up his page samples and I had one last freelance job to wrap up.
There was many a geek conversation had that night, but we got our work done in the wee hours of the morning, and then headed out to the airport to catch our plane.

The con itself has gotten so huge over the years, I don't even know where to begin. I usually come back with tons of books, but I was pretty conservative this year, and the three books that I keep coming back to and would highly recommend are these:

Marcos Mateu's book, Framed Ink, is a great book on drawing and composition. Mateu has an impressive resume in the movie industry and is a storyboard genius. The man can draw like no one's business and the things that he covers in his book are tried and true approaches that everyone should brush up on, since in a nutshell, we are all trying to tell stories with our art.

Speaking of guys that can draw like a mofo, do yourself a favor and pick up Eric Canete's new sketchbook, EGG. Canete's background in story boards and comics comes through in this book with tons of great art and sketches. You also have to love the latest book design. Something that Canete pays attention to with a different look for every sketchbook.

Lastly, for you painters, Robh Ruppel's book Aspect Ratio, is a great one to pick up. Robh's background is in matte paintings and character designs. There's no shortage of great background work in this latest book.

Anyway, as for the con, too much to say to wrap it up in one sentence. Below are some pics from a Steve Rude panel I checked out. It was actually the only panel I went to, and it was great to chill out from the madness on the floor and watch the man paint for two hours. Good stuff.

If I had the room and the money, and a Bruce Wayne Mansion, I would have this Iron Man suit and the Tron bike in my entryway.

This old school Battlestar helmet, or the Alien/Predator head might be more affordable, but not yet.

This new Vader helmet is pretty noteworthy only because they used the old Ralph McQuarrie designs when they made it.

If I had the extra cash, I would definitely buy this Frazetta or the Leyendecker painting without batting an eye. Even without the head, (THE HORROR!) still worth buying, just to study it every day.

The Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown San Diego has a great urban art exhibit as well. The exhibit had everyone from Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Banksy, Invader,and some other artists that are worth checking out. They all had pieces on walls around town and you can get a map at the museum that shows you where they are all at, like the Invader piece below. Arrested Motion has some great coverage of the show on their blog.

There was one artist at the show that I had not heard of, and I have to pass along his website so you can see how genius this is. Alexandre Farto does these amazing carved out faces on the sides of walls that you have to see in person. You can check out his technique in the below picture, but if you can't get to the show, defineitly check out his website.

During comic con week, it was hard to miss the news on the Darth Vader bank robbery. If that wasn't enough, comic con had it's first stabbing in hall H. I think those were just the cherry on top of a crazy week in San Diego.

The were two other geek sitings worth mentioning. I bumped into Rob Corddry at a restaurant and tried to offer him a drink. That was surreal since I had just seen Hot Tub Time Machine the previous weekend. There was also another night where I was sitting at a bar, and Olivia Munn walked by. Her waist at my eye level. (In Borat voice) Very nice!

Anyway, it was great to see everyone at the show, catch up, and even make some new friends. We'll see if I have the energy to do it again next year. Until next time, enjoy the links. Also, if you want to see more pics from the con, I dumped a bunch here.

Ammo Demons Invade Bherd Studios

2010-07-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night, in Seattle, Bherd Studios opened up their doors for their Character Development group show. This show gave me a chance to do more Ammo Demons like the one I did for the Demon Seeds show awhile back.

Anyway, there were a few different group shows going on that night, in and around Bherd studios. The Greenwood Collective has been putting on some great art shows. If you missed it, there will also be an encore reception on August 13th.

Title: Death Pilot

Size: 10"x 20"

Medium: Acrylics on wood panel

Title: Son of Death Pilot

Size: w 12"x h 8.5"x d 7"