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10-31-2010
Yesterday I saw Survival Research Labs put on a show in front of the Sonoma County Museum in Santa Rosa. There was a lot less fire than I think everyone was hoping, but was also mid-afternoon and giant robots crushing each other accompanied by deafening horns and sirens was more than worth standing around in the rain for. SRL claims to put on the most dangerous shows on Earth. Even the scaled-down show I saw had a machine that used a giant hammer on a 2x4 for locomotion break out of the arena and into the spectating area, so they may be right.
There are a number of short video clips on the internet, including their own site. They are satisfying, but the spectacle is so much more satisfying with the vibrations from the horns and machines running through your bones. If you ever get a chance to see them perform, take it.
Robots aside, here is a wee bit of a drawing for your enjoyment:
10-24-2010
I seem to have made a habit of being late on my updates. I will only say that I am sorry, and that weddings and conventions are not conducive to staying on schedule with this site. I wonder how much it would cost to set myself up with a mobile digital art studio and internet connection.
On the bright side, there are a large number of new images in the gallery(Scroll down to the bottom. You'll find them.) I hope you enjoy them.
Also on the bright side, I will be telling you about two artists I met at A.P.E. this year. The first is Michael Manomivibul. If you like mysterious aquatic imagery, you will like his work very much. I particularly like the aquanauts and the child with the octopus. There is a lot to like. Go check it out.
The second is Grim Wilkins, who has a lovely way with line and brush textures. Go look at his stuff too.
It is artists like these two who make going to conventions so expensive for me. And I'm going to run out wall space pretty quick.
It's nice to have such happy dilemmas.
10-18-2010
Monday is here. The Alternative Press Expo is gone.
A.P.E. was a lot of fun. It is, in fact, my favorite convention. The people are great, and the art and comics is so much more exciting than the work coming out of the big publishing houses. If you are going to be in San Francisco next October, you should check it out. I will be there with Megamoth Studio and, for the first time, prints and a portfolio of my own work. Imagine that!
Highlights from the convention include meeting Evan Dahm, the creator of some of the best comics I have had the pleasure of discovering in years. Dahm is a great storyteller, and a great artist, and (based on an admittedly brief interaction) a very nice person. It is possible to read his comics on the web, but the printed version is more than worth the purchase.
I also found Theo Ellsworth. I'm halfway through perusing his Imaginary Homework book, and I am utterly charmed. He combines a beautiful sensibility for line work with a quiet and contemplative sense of humor in a way that make me very happy, both head an heart. You should check his work out as well, by clicking here. Go now!
Or stay here a bit longer. I also have to mention a comic by Chris Sturgill called Egg. His web site is note much to look at, but the comic is a feast. His line work is beautiful and his story of near future dystopia scratches my science fiction itch in a very pleasing way.
There was a lot more, of course. I still haven't had a chance to properly review my haul from the convention floor. I haven't been this please with being a comics fan in a long time. I'll likely have more highlights next week.
But you're here for my art, aren't you? Well, probably at least a little bit for the art. Here is a drawing executed while at A.P.E. Enjoy!
10-15-2010
Art updates will be off their usual schedule this week. I know you're anxious for more, but I am going to be running the Megamoth Studio table at the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco this weekend. Look for more art here on Monday.
10-10-2010
I found Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke to be a delight. I am a sucker for wizards and fairy tales, so I suppose it's not really surprising I enjoyed the book. I also found the attention to period and historical detail to be satisfying. My historical training on early 19th century English history is nowhere near good enough for me to have any hope of spotting liberties taken by Clarke, aside from the use of magic in the war against Napoleon, of course. I found it rich and full of majesty.
It was a bit jarring to follow it up with the first book Michael A. Stackpole's X-Wing - Rogue Squadron series. I probably would not have made that literary jump but sometimes 10 hour airplane trips will make one do things one would otherwise avoid. Stackpole's book was fun as a Star Wars fan. Not as much fun as a fan of beautifully written prose.
I have since started on The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. I was given the first volume some time ago but I decided not to read it until the series was finished. I knew Jordan had died halfway through writing the final book and another writer had been brought in to finish up the series. I knew the thirteenth book had been published. I started reading The Eye of the World (book one). Now I am starting on book three and I find out the last book has been expanded and divided into three volumes, the second of which will be released next month. This means there will be at least a year before the series is actually finished. I really have to do more research on these things before I let myself start them.
On the other hand, I think a few breaks in the reading of a 10,000 page fantasy epic may be appropriate. More on The Wheel of Time in the future, I'm sure.
As for the present, I am still printing editions. Well, I helped Emily Martin print one yesterday. Editioning etchings just feels good. Aside from the fact it totally wears you out. I just like printing.
Because I like printing so much, here is a drawing:
Enjoy!
10-02-2010
It is October.
I am back.
Did you miss me?
Whether you missed me or not, it has been a challenging month. Largely pleasant challenges, I'll grant you, but challenging all the same.
I spent two weeks in Italy. One doesn't often associate vacations with challenge, but spending two weeks surrounded by some of the most fantastic painting and sculpture is, in fact, very challenging. The art is stunning and overwhelming. Even the pieces I had seen and studied until I was sick of them in school. I used to shrug it off whenever one of my instructors would ramble on about how important it is to see all the old paintings, sculptures and buildings in person. It turns out they were right. Work that is merely well executed or historically noteworthy becomes absolutely humbling in person.
I know it is silly to see the great achievements of artistic giants from centuries past as competition. Certainly I am not likely to compete with them for wall space in the Vatican Museum. Silly or not, I do come away from it feeling as if I have been personally challenged. I am not sure how I am going to answer the challenge, and I am not entirely certain just what I have been challenged to do, but something must be done. I have come back from abroad and I find the path has grown steeper yet.
I am more determined than ever to climb it.
For your viewing pleasure this week I have some details from prints that will be going out to print exchanges this month. First is a detail from this years "Littlest Print Exchange":
The second is a detail from Julia Taylor's 3rd annual print exchange:
I will post the full images once I get the exchange portfolios back. I don't want to completely spoil the surprise for other participants.
