Inked Up

Phew. I've been working on this piece for about five days straight. It should've been an easy task but I kept spraying over and re-working the "tattoos" until I was happy with them all.

Stormhobo, 60 x 90 cm
Enamel and marker on particleboard
Painted July 2009

Simple premise, really. The props and pose are derived from a photo of a homeless Vietnam veteran while the quotes and adornments are taken from the helmets of American G.I.'s.

Here are some detail shots:






I was toying with the idea of a graffiti-on-graffiti deal and the stormtrooper provided a clean drawing template. I guess its also a commentary on the sad state of this day and age -- we are more likely to recognise a pop culture reference than to identify significant events in our own immediate history.

I can't say I'm above this either -- when I was a kid all I wanted was a lightsaber and Marty McFly's hoverboard from "Back to the Future II".

VROOM vs GRRRR

An old doodle. I would like Macs more if they had Microsoft Paint.


Sorry about the delay in posting. I'm working on a larger piece that should come together in a day or two.

To Buzz, Neil, and the Other Guy

An image from Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey". Also a coincidentally timed tribute to the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. I always wanted to be an astronaut.

I Can't Let You Do That, Dave, 39 x 30 cm
Enamel and marker on particle board
Painted 21.07.09

Due to the absence of proper materials (i.e. tape) I had trouble masking the top/bottom. Hence the slight overflow of white spray paint. Shame. I like how it turned out otherwise. Marker on enamel is always fun.

Sway

A deleted scene from Spike Lee's "25th Hour", the story of convicted drug dealer Monty Brogan's last day before lockup. One of my favourite movies.



"Because he drives a battered Buick and you drive a vintage muscle car and he cannot touch you."

El Gato

A 10 minute watercolour study. The cat was even kind enough to stay still.

Bright Moments Always Come Back Vivid

A small oil painting to keep the juices flowing. Pretty quick, but I'm mostly happy with it. I only started to really paint last year, and while I'm still not where I want to be, I feel like I'm getting a better handle on it -- at least with oils.

Mos, 16.5 x 19 cm
Oil paint on oil sketch paper
Painted 13.07.09

On a different note, I bought Mos Def's The Ecstatic a couple of days ago. Worth shelling out some hard earned dollarinos for. Recommended listening: History feat. Talib Kweli ... because nothing sounds better than a Blackstar reunion.

Art History

My early artistic education. Just for clarification, I think "in out in" refers to sewing and not some sort of statutory crime.

Lumberjill

I recently got to fulfill one of my life goals: to chop wood with an axe. Would it be too serial killer-ish to describe it as oddly therapeutic? Here's an ink drawing of my partner in crime.

More Than Meets The Eye

During our first year introductory studies, I took a Time-Based Art course. We had a whacked out tutor and some whacked out students and I never got my assignment back. It's still not really my thing, but every now and then I'll come across something like this and have to say "Wow ..." Probably the coolest video I've seen since MUTO.

APPARATI EFFIMERI Tetragram for Enlargment from Apparati Effimeri on Vimeo.

Crookwell

Sorry about the break. I spent the last three days on a farm out in the country. Here's a postcard.

1973

My 21st year is just about to end. I always wondered what it would be like to meet my dad at the same age. Since he was born in December, technically, I'd be the older one.

Two birds with one stone: I'm trying to break my monochromatic tendencies and get a better feel for digital colouring. Here are the original inks.

Elementary Gulag

From my kindergarten journal. I wonder what prompted such a bleak caption. Note the one-eyed people, strictly 2D plane, and neo-cubist mullets -- all trademarks of my 5 year old penmanship.