Currently viewing the category:
"Illustrations and Paintings"
I finished this painting a month or two ago, but I’ve been busy with a lot of other things that have prevented me from updating the blog.
A while back, Lauren was singing this nursury song :
In the leafy treetops, the birds sing “Good morning.”
They’re first to see the sun. They must tell everyone.
In the leafy treetops, the birds sing “Good morning.”
In my pretty garden, the flowers are nodding.
“How do you do?” they say. “How do you do today?”
In my pretty garden, the flowers are nodding.
But she was changing the words a bit. In her version, one of our cats named Max was saying “Good Morning.” I was amused by the idea of our bright eyed fluffy cat cheerfully greeting terrified birds in the morning.
There’s also a tiny tribute to Q*bert in this one.
When I was about 16 I was pondering centralized control of media, especially TV, and the fact that most people didn’t seem to mind the pablum they were fed. Possibly inspired by the Macintosh commercial of 1984, I drew this pen and ink drawing of a mohawk festooned punk rocker jabbing an oversized needle into the glassy eye of the idiot box.
I started a new painting late last year as a 20 year re-visitation of the theme. A lot has changed in the realm of media outlets, distribution and the offerings available to anyone anywhere. Between the Internet and Tivo, I’ve been able to jab my own sharp needle into the baleful eye of the thing I really hated about TV, the commercials.
So I thought it would be a good time to revisit the theme.
The painting is 24×30 on hard board, and was larger than anything I’ve attempted recently. So it took me forever to finish it. It has the recurring one eyed monsters and lizard men I’ve been painting and drawing reecently, but there are a few other noteworthy cameos.
Here is the punk from the original drawing, 20 years later. Now he’s married and is trying to figure out how to plug the TV in. The original tv is also there, on its side, obsolete and useless.
Here’s my mom and dad riding around in my dad’s a-model hot rod project car.
Here we can see David Rose, Tommy Long, and Doctor Who peeking out of the Tardis. He’s not sure he wants to get involved with this mess, because it’s a tangle that can’t be solved without guns, face punching and biting. Dave on the other hand, is in his element, gleefully chasing a monster with a broken beer bottle. Tommy is putting his hockey equipment to good use as well.
Matt Turner is wearing part of his Spartan costume while George uses his MTG cards to cast some sort of spell. Behind them is a LARPer, casting a level 1 Lightning Bolt.
Finally, there’s Lauren, reloading her Beretta, while my brother Jon lines up a shot. The Time Bandits are making a quick getaway. The item they were after has already been stolen . . .
Robert Frost once began a poem with these timeless lines :
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
Perhaps Mr. Frost was foreseeing the worldwide commotion portrayed in this epic illustration.
Behold the hordes of Lizard Men, bursting forth from their cthonic strongholds. Nixiebots and giant kin obey Saurian masters above and below to completely disrupt human society.
Here’s one of the Saurian masters. Mysterious electronic devices transmit lizard-mind impulses to robotic slaves.
What hope does the human race have? Surely they’re overwhelmed?
Not if Mr. T has anything to say about it.
And who are these mysterious diminutive anachronisms?
They seem to be studying a map of some sort. Are they here for the fight, or perhaps to loot a few treasures while everyone is occupied with more urgent matters?
Until these questions are answered, keep a wary eye open for anyone expressing sympathy for lizards and snakes. They might be fellow travelers with Saurian forces! You might also consider purchasing robot insurance.
While going through my DVDs of Buck Rogers in the 25th century, I rediscovered a fondness for Twiki, at least during the first season. But after seeing him dance with a gold colored ambuquad named “Tina” I knew the moment needed to be memorialized.
You can see Twiki’s smooth moves here on Hulu. Seek to about 28:56 to see the dancing.
Saucer Saurian - 2007 - 9x12" Acrylic on Hardboad
I painted this as a test for style and technique for a project. It was fun, and this size is much more manageable than some larger things I’ve done!
Operari et Parasiti - 2007 - Acrylic on Canvas
Finished this painting for my brother Friday. Acrylic, 24×48″. My work room looks kind of lonely now that this big canvas is gone. I’ve been working on this one off and on since I finished the Hay Gusy painting in May.
2007. After re-reading Alamo’s Guide for playing the Druid Class during the release of the Burning Crusade, I was so inspired by this hero to all druids I wanted to immortalize his wisdom.
16×20″, Acrylic on canvas.
