Art Show This Weekend

Been kinda Busy

  We start off with some new Hakos.  These are the Automatons of Professor Tinkerbot.  I'm calling them Tinkerbots in the tradition of mass media calling Doctor Frankenstein creature "Frankenstein".  Later on, we'll get a glimpse of Professor Tinkerbot's world.






Next up is "42 and the Suntriffids".  I could have called the walking sunflowers something else, but I'm not ashamed or afraid to acknowledge my inspirations and influences.  I remember watching the 'Day of the Triffids' on channel 40 (in Sacramento) way back in the Creature Features era, though I don't think it was actually on Bob's show.  It didn't scare me so much as got my head working out the idea that plants may be silent, but they're far from static creatures and could very well have a society of their own with history, language and even art.

 And now for something silly, "Alien Panda Attack"  was started as a layered piece.  Just an experiment in combining chalk pastel and paint.  Next thing I know, I start seeing this flying saucer shape, so I decide to add a Panda to it and a bunch of explosions.  The colors are not neon, they just kinda came out that way.  Pastels have such vibrant pigments.

 "Astronomy" also began as an experiment...honestly, I think all my work is an experiment.  I took two 8 x 10s, scraped the remains of my pallet; all the pools of paint, and slathered it on one of the canvases.  I then pressed the two together and gave it some time to bond a bit.  When I began to pull them apart, they kinda slid against each other. I saw the hill and what looked like an elephant sitting on it, so I painted it. 

A guy I know, Ben Poulsen, posts up these hilarious videos. One of them is an animated ad for a comic called Zblucops Turbo Justice, that's how come the Cinderbot has stars on his hands and while I haven't read the comic, I've got the feeling that the over the top feel of the story fits with "Awesome Robo - Cinderbot" and his exploits.  Eh, it's a start...

 It's called "My Own Way" mostly because the Duran Duran song was playing when I finished the piece.  You could also say it's all about my way of art.  Sure, I could go for photo realism, surrealist or 'fuzzy fun happy little glowing windows' but i like my style the way it is for now.  There's still some accuracy and even some sentimentality, but it's my way.





And then there's "Water Breather" titled thus because it's better than just calling it "Untitled". Maybe it's just a character development thing.  I sometimes make pieces that had no clear start but will eventually take root in a story and continue...so maybe there will be more of this squid-thing.

"Take the Wheel" comes from a dream I had about the pink trees I paint and classic cars.  In the dream, there were all these  ruined and rusting cars with shrubs and trees growing out of them. There was also this sense of weightlessness. 

"The Island of Professor Tinkerbot" exists in the Titania story.  Some would say I got influenced by Avatar...actually no.  I've been putting floating islands and mountains into my work since the 70's when I played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons.  The concept of floating islands has been around for centuries and even has a place in mythology.  I could burn a few pages listing all the stories, but I'll encourage you to do so instead.  In summary, Titania is populated mainly by machines.  There are some humans, but they're rare.  The current story moves around a fantasy-steam puck kind of world.  I've been working the story out for some time now, but mostly it's been source material for paintings and models.



And that's pretty much what I've been tinkering with these past few weeks.  The Tinkerbots seem to be taking the lead in my efforts and I feel I may have a publishable book soon.  Not sure if it will be an illustrated novel or a full on graphic novel.  I may just go ahead with an earlier concept of telling the story in verse and accompanying it with paintings and models.

More Pandas!!!

In this posting:

"You...Missssed"

"That Makes Me A Mad Panda"

"Pandathulu"

Check back to this post to see more as I finish them!

Zuhg Life Opened Today!

A New Theme in my Work

Pandas, for me, represent that steady calm that comes with fully understanding who you are, what you want and what you're all about.  I know most people are drawn to them because they're "cute and cuddly" and so there's that "popular opinion" that just begs to be questioned, challenged and maybe even openly attacked (as can be seen when I depict Pandas as a bit less than "cuddly").  Furthermore, pandas have become an international symbol, like the polar bear, of global climate issues and environmental awareness. Just as I don't go around pushing my religious beliefs as the "one true way" neither do I beat the brow of the environmentally unconscious, but I do feel there could be some real interest applied to the concerns and real time issues that have been developing.  So, are my Panda Paintings environmentally charged as well as "cute and cuddly"?  Perhaps so, but only in the sense that when all the Pandas are gone, who'll be here to miss them?

Día de los Muertos Catrinas and Calacas

Día de los Muertos Catrinas and Calacas at United Coffee House for a very limited time.

BETWEEN SHOW SALE!!!

THESE ARE ON SALE UNTIL I COME UP WITH SOMETHING TO PAINT OVER THEM....SO IT'S FOR A LIMITED TIME...LIKE...I DON'T KNOW...

BEST TO EMAIL ME FOR AVAILABILITY.

I've posted the paintings and their prices on Craig's List...just click the link/Subject

TIKIS AND ROCKETS


ROBOTS

STAR WARS PAINTINGS