Sunday, January 24, 2010

A Story You Tell Yourself

Kitchen Study.
My Fat Head.


New copper drypoints from the experimental printmaking class I'm taking this semester. They're not too experimental, actually, but I like them. Just straight, strong armed etching into a metal plate- feels more like keying a car than drawing.


Friday, January 8, 2010

St. Pee Wee




Here's a fun little acrylic (!) on paper piece I did yesterday. As you can see, I've cast our friend Pee Wee Herman in the role of St. Sebastian. The image of the martyred Sebastian has to rank along with Judith and Holofernes, Madonna and Child and the Crucifixion of Christ among the most common images depicted in western art. Welcome news of Mr. Herman's return to the spotlight after so many years away gave me pause recently to recognize the man as a martyr of our own time. The tree takes after Pee Wee's Playhouse pals as an inanimate object brought to life via a cartoon face.
To amuse myself even further, I based my image on the below painting by Peter Paul Rubens- a lame joke any true Pee Wee fan will understand. Dig it.


Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Work Selected for Society of Illustrators West 48!


Exciting news. Some time forever ago, I entered work in the annual SILA competition and eventually forgot all about it. Cue a pleasant surprise yesterday when a message in my inbox informs me that my print Edward Gorey Eating a Sandwich has been selected! It wasn't my favorite of the series, but it was the most radically improved; I actually just reworked it on top of the original transparency. Guess the lesson here is don't give up on your ugly babies, because with just a little spitshine you can turn that ugly duckling into a prize-winning hog- as the saying goes.