11.26.04
This Wednesday, December 1st, I'll be participating in "Overture" at The Whisky Bar, 303 W. 5th St. here in Austin. It is a group art showing with six artists, music provided by both DJs and bands, some visual projections, fashion, door prizes and a free wine tasting. Should be interesting, the festivities start at 9pm, call 512-481-8599 for more info or directions.
8.27.04
This Saturday I'll be participating in a group showing at the Eastside Artists Co-op, located at the corner of E. 3rd and Chicon. "Art Ambush - Artist Free-For-All" is the title of the show, and it starts at 8pm. Admission is free (although donations would be appreciated, not by me, but by the co-op folks), there is a promise of drinks and music, and hey, the art might not be half-bad! Here is a map, see you there.
8.20.04
It has been quite a while since the last update, hopefully people haven't given up on me or thought that I'd dropped off of the face of the earth. Things have been really busy in my world, so let me summarize. My dayjob is only a part-time gig, so the first order of business has been to survive....for a period of time I tried to get another job, any job, and that didn't work, so odd jobs and pharmaceutical research studies were the order of the day. September 1st will be the one year anniversary of working only part-time, so woohoo!, looks like I'm doing ok. There was a really serious gig that would have been rewarding - I auditioned to be an animator on a full-length animation project based on the Philip Dick novel "A Scanner Darkly," but unfortunately was turned down. Seems they were looking for more of a comic-book/graphic novel style of animation. I haven't been painting much, partly because almost every commission got put on hold or disappeared but mostly because my homework has consumed a great deal of my free time. For those who don't know, I'm in the middle of an apprenticeship to be a tattoo artist. Since about February I've been working on things at home as a learning exercise, and for the last couple of months I've been helping out at the shop where eventually I'll be working. Soon living skin will be needed for practice tattoos, hint hint....
BUT - the painting will soon commence in earnest. My homework is done, as far as I know, and the next tasks are painting related. Plus, there are four group shows coming up that I'm trying to be a part of. Two are for sure and two aren't, but I'm confident that I can get in. More details as they emerge.
Now to get down to business...two new paintings for your perusal, plus a leather project. Just so you folks know I haven't been slacking off.
4.28.04
One minor addition - recently Doug Curtis tattooed a version of one of my paintings, "One Specific Fetish" (galley 2) onto someone's ribs, so I put the photo he took in "Misc/Photos." It turned out great, and I hear that she hated every minute of getting her ribs tattooed, ouch.
4.23.04
A few new things today. First is the sign I painted for Diablo Rojo, then a macskin for my friend John. Macskinz are plastic covers made to fit on the outside of an Ibook, sometimes they have designs screened onto them, but they are also available in clear. Even though it's not visible in the photo, you can see the apple logo through the image, as it lights up on the laptop. Last but not least is a cutout for my friend Josh, who's quite fond of catfish.
The updates are getting further and further apart, and this trend is likely to continue for quite a while. I've got a lot of homework to complete as preparation for my latest endeavor, and since the commissions are fizzling out, it may be time to get another job. Please be patient, more creations are on the way, slowly.
2.9.04
One new painting for the gallery. Well, since it is a dyptich, it's technically two new paintings that combine to form one image. Also another leather project has been added to its respective gallery. The painting(s) are intended to be the imagery for an album cover, but there are still a couple of details to finalize.....hopefully all will go as planned.
1.20.04
One new painting for the gallery, the first in a series of 13 or 14 small paintings about walruses. Yep, walruses.
This is very much a last-minute announcement, but I've got an impromptu solo show from now until the 28th of January at the Escapist Bookstore. This just came together today, which is why I'm only now making mention of it. There won't be an opening party for me exactly, but there will be a shindig to attend if you so choose. Friday January 23rd, at 8pm, Gynomite present NON-STOP EROTIC CABARET 2004, which will be feminist porno-erotic readings by various women and also some burlesque and contortions. So....this is less a show for me than an emergency art exhibit to coincide with porno-lit from outspoken, sexual women. Which is good, I'm all for a chance to get some exposure, and also for pornography/eroticism in all formats, and the combination of the two could be, well, I don't know what it will be, but it will be something...it's $5 to attend, interested individuals in Austin should contact me in case I can bring some guests for free. Or just show up whenever to check out the work, like Saturday.
Although, past experience has proven that sometimes uber-feminist individuals do not like or get my depictions of women in the paintings. Some have even taken serious offence at them. This could prove to be interesting.
1.5.04
Happy New Year everyone. Four new paintings, all X-mas presents for others, have been added to the gallery. Oh, and anyone that is in line for a commission, and may have forgotten about it or been otherwise distracted, now is a great time for me to work on it. Basically, the entire waiting list has been put on hold, by the clients and for legitimate reasons, in effect freeing up my time away from the day job, and while it is nice to be able to work on whatever I want, I need the money. Pronto. And hounding people for money is not something I enjoy. Think of this notice as an opportunity, to jump to the front of the line and to get your painting or leather product almost immediately.
10.10.03
Three paintings are now in an informal exhibition at Diablo Rojo tattoo studio. You can also see two older paintings on display that are the shop's, or more precisely, Doug's, the owner. Stop by, give them a gander, get tattooed or pierced, you'll love it.
9.29.03
One more painting for the gallery today. This was done as a birthday gift for my girlfriend's daughter, and it is of their dog, Phinn.
9.20.03
Updated the list of exhibitions. Back to work.
9.18.03
Three new paintings for you today. Oh, and the previously mentioned painting did indeed make it into the Erotica show, along with another, older work, but neither of them sold.
It is a new chapter in the half-ass art career that I've tried to establish for myself, as my painting is now a full-time gig. Up until a couple of weeks ago 40 hours of my time was used for day jobs, and the painting would happen in the evenings and weekends. But now I only work part-time, leaving my days with much more time to dedicate to the creation of paintings and, well, other stuff. SO.......if you have been considering purchasing a painting, leatherwork, or maybe you've got an idea that combines the two, let's talk. Seriously, I need to eat.
7.8.03
One new painting made its way into the gallery, and hopefully it will make its way into another gallery as well. This is a painting that was frantically painted within a week to beat a deadline for a "call for entry," once again at Gallery Lombardi. They are having another Erotica show, and I would like to make it into that particular group showing once again. If that piece and/or the other two paintings I entered made it, I will find out on the tenth, wish me luck.
Our semi-private art showing at Wombatsucker Gallery, AKA my old apartment, was a success. Eric sold five or six of his ceramic pieces and I sold a painting, woohoo! Also, Eric came up with a title for the show, "NOARTTALK!" Which I think is highly appropriate.
And finally, all of the paintings that were on display in Minneapolis, at Axis Body Modification, have SOLD!!!! Two were sold quite a while ago, leaving five on display indefinitely, which I recently wanted to have shipped back to Austin to try and display around town. Instead, Alex, the proprietor of Axis, decided to purchase the remaining paintings for himself and for the shop. Thank you very much, your patronage is greatly appreciated.
6.15.03
Three new paintings have been added to the gallery, which is somewhat pitiful, considering how long its been since I added something new to this site. However, I've been moving, so stop the whining about how this site never gets updated. It does, it just takes me a while. These paintings have been complete for a while, but it took until now to get to a point where I could sit down for a couple of hours to update this site. Plus, I now have a dedicated studio instead of a portion of the kitchen, so as soon as that is wired for music, and air conditioning, there will be plenty of HOT, WET painting action.
The new paintings are a change of pace for me. "Dildo Panther" is a remix of a previous airbrush painting from years ago that, when pulled from the closet where it lurked, didn't strike me as anything more than adequate. So it was ripped from the stretcher, rebuilt into a 3D shape, and improved upon. "Overactive and Insecure" is basically what most of the backgrounds look like before a sketch is applied to the canvas, but left at that so as to better repay a huge favor that someone bestowed upon me. And "Exorcism" is my experimenting with a different way to make odd-shaped canvases.
Also, get your wallets ready for some exercise, as you've got a new art showing to attend. My friend Eric Satrum and myself are putting on an exclusive, one-night-only exhibition at what may tentatively be called Wombatsucker Gallery, but what is in reality my old apartment. It is on Friday, June 20th, from 7-9pm, at 3450-C Willowrun Dr. In Austin. Here is a map. Also, you can call 512-689-6952 if you get lost. There will be some refreshments (snacks and cheap beer), but if you are picky or can consume a party-ball by yourself, you may consider bringing something. What will NOT be provided are lectures, art-speak, or bullshit in general. This is strictly art, ceramic sculptures and acrylic paintings specifically. We don't have the time or patience for snooty, pointless discussions concerning the meaning of each specific brush stroke or the period of art history evoked by the use of a certain glaze - those conversations are crap. We just create, we have no choice.
3.4.03
There are two new paintings to see in gallery 10, that haven't wandered off just yet, so grab your tax return and shuffle on over. Also, some friends of mine just put out an album, finally, that features the artwork of yours truly on the front and back covers. The band is called Hekill3, they rock, and if you're into straight-up, no-frills metal, show your support and purchase their album. You won't be disappointed. Well, you could be, but the band won't.
12.6.02
Added two paintings to the gallery section. That is all.
12.4.02
There is much slack occurring around these parts, so instead of photos of paintings I have photos of concerts to add to the site. That, and also some pics from an art opening that included a couple of my paintings. Soon, very soon, I should have some photos of at least two new paintings.
10.20.02
One large update today, but no new paintings. Instead, I added a bunch of photos of two concerts that I had the pleasure of attending earlier this week, Skeleton Key and Gogol Bordello. I won't go into how great these two bands are, especially Gogol Bordello's live show, because that would take up a lot of space that I should use for art-related news, you'll just have to trust me. So check out the photos and go buy the music.
Also, I've got an informal show going on at a new, local vintage store. It's just two paintings, and older ones at that, but one of them has never been exhibited before, so it's a chance to get rid of it. The shop is called Counter Culture Vintage Store, and it's located at 2532 Guadalupe, Austin TX, 78705. The paintings will be on display October 20 through November 20, so stop by and support my coffee habit by purchasing one or both of the artworks. Right now.
10.14.02
A few things to report. First of all, there are two new paintings in the gallery now, both of which are available for you, the hungry consumer, to purchase. Aren't you glad? Also, something a bit different for me has been added to the leather section. Well over a year ago, this bookbinder that I work with, Don Sanders, commissioned me to design the cover for something that was commissioned to him. Someone had brought to him a nineteenth-century copy of the Kama Sutra, translated from the original Sanskrit by hand, for him to bind in a new, leather cover. They, or he, i'm not too sure, wanted a large passion flower in the center of the cover, surrounded by four couples in various sexual positions. Of course, this was to be tasteful, not pornographic. And so I designed the cover, and Don loved it.....but the client, well, that was a different story. They thought it was just a little too graphic (it wasn't), and a little disturbing (they thought the people looked too much like aliens. Go figure.) So Don ended up just translating the passion flower into the leather cover, and he did a fantastic job, as evidenced by the photo. I wish I could bind leather covers with the skill that he has, but I can't, so this will just have to serve as an example of some of my design work. Oh, and he designed the rest of the cover, such as the marbled paper and other shapes in the leather, I just did the flower. And someone else took the photo.
Now I have an internet connection at home, so updating this site will be SO much easier now, seeing as I don't have to lug files up to work and utilize state property for my own personal use anymore. On work time, usually. Does this mean that the site will get updated any more frequently? Probably not, as it doesn't mean I'll paint any more often, or faster. Matter of fact, now that I have the distraction of the internet, I'll probably paint even less! Just kidding.
Two of my paintings made it into a group show here in town. It's called "Hallowed Ground," and it's at Gallery Lombardi, 910 West Third St., Austin, Texas. The opening reception is on Halloween, 6-12pm, and the show runs through November 30th. Plus, there will be a First Saturday Art Talk on November 2nd, starting at noon, where you can meet the jurors and probably quite a few of the artists and critique the show. This is supposed to be informal and fun, but more than likely will be full of pretentious art-speak that is long-winded but really doesn't mean a damn thing. Keep in mind that the theme of the show has to do with spirituality, religion, the occult, and/or satanism, and also keep in mind that I am none of the above, so this little art talk might provide me with some amusement.
Oh, and I added a truckload of links.
9.8.02
A small update to the gallery today, as two new paintings have found their way home to their proper location in the website. One is called "No More Princess Moments," and features the delightful hand-modeling skills of my good friend Laura (you better be happy with this shameless plug, dammit.) The other is called "A Cat Wrangler for Eric," which is an unintentional homage to a disturbing vision of cats and hangovers that my friend Eric Satrum has. The painting has nothing to do with his Cat Wrangler, but the title does.
This site now resides in a new home. Tom recently switched servers, again, and took me with him, as it will be a better situation for all involved. Not that I'm unappreciative of Hyoo's good work, quite to the contrary, but he apparently leads a pretty busy life and we always felt like we were bugging him with technical questions, requests, etc. So....there may be some other changes around here, maybe soon and maybe much, MUCH later. For example, i can now have a subdomain, so there could be a place here for my old site, wombatsucker. Who knows?
7.28.02
Sorry for the lack of updates lately, I've just moved into my own place a couple of weeks ago and things have been hectic for a number of weeks, what with looking for a place, the actual move, getting settled in the new place, and all the various upsets that accompany any relocation. But, there is another painting added, another leather project, 13 new pages from the sketchbook (which is nearly filled), and photos from three more concerts in the misc. section. Also, this update may be screwed up for a day or two, there isn't an internet connection at home, so all the work is getting done at home but the files will be transferred at work, and if they're screwy, i'll have to fix them at home and re-update the next day. So please, bear with me.
6.9.02
Due to the fact that one of my part-time appointments at UT has been really slow, I've been able to get a lot of sketching and doodling done while at work. This is why there are ten more pages added to the 'sketches' section. Also, a new painting, just completed on monday, has been added to the gallery, and its one that I'm especially proud of. It's probably rude to the other paintings to show favoritism, but in time they'll learn to accept this.
There was one more section where I'd forgotten to fix the images, that being the sketches. But never fear, it's taken care of, and now all the images in this site are consistent and should continue to be.
6.6.02
The gallery images are now fixed also. Enjoy.
6.5.02
After much sheer drudgery, all of the pics in the leather section have been fixed. Now that they are all resized, the popup window doesn't cut off the edges of the photo anymore. this has been a problem for a while, and i have been dreading fixing it, but it's finally taken care of.
6.1.02
It took a while longer than I thought to get around to this update, against many dangerous and annoying odds, but here it is. There are now eight more sketches in the misc. section, two blank leather bound books, a leather coupon holder that bears a striking resemblance to a biker wallet and two, count 'em, two portraits. One is of a remarkable bookbinder that I work with at the university, and the other is of my friend Doug's daughter Trinity. That particular portrait was based on tattoo imagery. Many people nowadays are sporting tattoos of moths or butterflies that have different imagery inside of the wings, and the body is usually replaced by a head or something other than the insect's body. So that is what I did with this commission, it's on Masonite/MDF and is cut out in the shape of the moth. Wires are attached to the back, as it's meant to be hung from the ceiling at a slight angle.
The portrait of the bookbinder, Don Sanders, was a little odd to do. He wanted the painting based on a photograph of him at a younger age, so while it resembles the photo it looks nothing like the way he does now. This kept throwing me off, but I think it came out OK in the end.
Great steps are being taken in the direction of self-promotion, as I just ordered 5000 postcards to hand out to complete strangers and to leave in galleries, shops, and anyplace people with money may frequent. If anyone is interested in distributing them in their town, or just wants some out of mere curiousity, email me and I'll send some to you.
5.19.02
It's been quite a while since the last post, but i've been working on multiple projects at once, so they are just now getting finished. I added eight more sketches to the site today, just to tide you junkies over till a real update. Which should be soon, there should be two portraits and a leather project to add in the next couple of days.
4.27.02 part 3
All fixed. Turns out that it was simply a case of human error, something incredibly simple that I completely missed.
4.27.02 part 2
Ok, I screwed up the new section, as I don't really know what I'm doing as far as php goes. This will have to wait till later, when I can either find the problem or find someone who knows how this works (Tom).
4.27.02
It's been awhile since the last update, but a lot has happened in the meantime. First off, the long-awaited server change finally occurred and should have happened without a hitch, except for some small problems with network solutions, misspelled words, and other minor annoyances. Luckily, Tom came through for me and was a big help in getting everything switched over, and so even though there was some downtime for the site, no one probably noticed. Then there was an issue with the mail server, but it only consisted of the password getting changed without my knowledge. That also was soon taken care of, but if anyone has sent me any mail at this site in the last 2 or 3 weeks and you haven't heard back from me, you should probably resend it.
I added two paintings to the gallery section today, "Porch Gambler," which is already gone, and "Quill Trap," which is still around and for sale. Buy it. Oh, and another suede satchel was added to the leather galleries. It's gone also, somewhere in the wild and woolly regions of Indiana.
After years of promising to do so, I finally added a list of my exhibitions, both solo and group shows. It took some research, for over the years I haven't kept the best documentation of the shows, but it's finally done. I don't think that anything has been left out, but you never know.
One more thing. There is a new 'sketches' section to this site, which is simply scans straight from my sketchpad. It can be found under the 'misc.' link, and although there isn't anything that looks even remotely finished (most of these were done at work), there are some odd things here and there. You should take a gander at it.
2.24.02
Another update for all my loyal fans. All four of you. "Grumbling Lobster Flirt," the latest painting to spring forth from my easel, has been added to the Gallery section. It's already sold, as it was a commission, but give it a glance anyway. Also, there are some more photos of two books that I made, one recently and one years ago. The photos of the recent one didn't turn out that great, but it is made from black and green leather, not black on black like it turned out. I've really got to work on my photography skills.....and it took me so long to photograph the wooden book because there are a TON of mistakes visible on it. But, it was the first one I'd ever made, and it was a learning exercise, plus I needed to use up some film this morning, so here it is.
2.21.02
One minor update to the leather section today. Four pictures were added of a classy black purse that I made for my girlfriend Amy earlier this month. Its made out of deer-tanned black cowhide, and as a result is addictive to the touch, it makes you want to keep fondling it, over and over again. It's that soft, I kid you not.
Now for an update on the BD4D skate deck design contest - the voting by the general public is officially over and the top forty designs have been selected, one of which is mine! At the very least I get a t-shirt, and if the judges select my entry, "Saxamophone" to be in the top five, then my own personal deck will be printed with the design and sent to me, to skate or use as a coffee table ornament.
2.20.02
Now that I'm learning how to update and navigate the guts of this new site, I can start making some changes. So I started with the leather gallery. The original pictures of my new backpack weren't that great, so I re-photographed it and posted some better versions, plus one extra photograph. Also, there are a couple of (sort of) new photos of a semi-rare book that i rebound for a friend. He's a big, BIG Nick Cave fan, and he is the proud owner of a paperback copy of his out-of-print novel, "and the Ass Saw the Angel." He was kind enough to let me borrow it last April, which made for some excellent reading material while recovering from some intrusive gut surgery, but unfortunately the book was in pretty sad shape. We talked about rebinding the book, and he was very keen on the idea of using kitten skin to cover the book as he seemed to remember the presence of kitten skins in the story. I never saw any mention of kitten skins, although I did find out that if it was really necessary I do have access to those kinds of skins.......no, I couldn't use something from a feline. So, as he gave me free reign to do whatever was necessary to make this rebinding spectacular, I decided on snake skins, one with the head somewhat intact, and x-rays. He loved it.
2.18.02
This is version 2.0 of the site, and as i'm currently learning how to update this site, there will be some sections undergoing minor changes for a while. Keep checking back for new additions to the gallery and also to the leather section. Oh, and for all you kids on dial-up connections, the galleries have been broken up into smaller pages, so it should load faster for everyone. Thanks Tom.
1.28.02
A couple pieces of interesting info for anyone out there who cares. It turns out that one of my paintings is going to be in a group showing out in California in February, and I had not the slightest inkling until today.
See, a few months back this low-brow/no-brow/mono-brow magazine by the name of Juxtapoz ran a contest. The object was to create, as a sort of testament to the meat majesty of Mark Ryden, an 8.5 by 11 inch meat-inspired creation. For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, he's seems to be enamoured of meat. So I entered, in the hopes of winning his latest art book or at least getting some exposure in the magazine. Sadly, it was not meant to be, I didn't even make it into the honorable mention category, but my parents ended up getting me the book for xmas anyway, and the contest was forgotten.
Today, there was a letter in the mail for me from the California State University Fullerton's Grand Central Art Center, a place I'd never even heard of. The contents informed me that the gallery would be displaying every piece of artwork that was entered into the contest, all 222 pieces, as an extension of Mark Ryden's 'Bunnies and Bees' exhibition, which is currently in the main gallery. If anyone is interested in checking out the show, here's the info:
CSUF Grand Central Art Center
125 N. Broadway, Suite A
Santa Ana, CA 92701-5227
714-567-7234
Opening Reception February 2nd, 7-10 pm, show runs through February 24th.
In other contest news, Foundation Skateboards is putting on a competition to design a new deck for their company, and of course I've already made nine different designs. Designing skateboards seems like an ideal job to me, definitely an improvement over putting stamps and due date stickers in books, so even if I don't win some good exposure couldn't hurt. The winner gets the board put into production, and I assume will also win their own personal deck with their winning design on it, as the five runner-ups get. Keep your eyes here for the results; the deadline to submit is January 31st, so give the site a couple of weeks to post the results.
One last thing - my other site, wombatsucker, is going away. It was intended to be a journal site, as that is something I engage in on occasion, but I honestly don't ever think about writing anymore. When I do need to get something down on paper, it's usually done in a paper-and-board, honest to goodness book, and it's usually when I'm really pissed off and need to vent. The whole point of this act is to clear my head without filling anyone else's ears with my dirty laundry, and although I did try for quite a while to keep up with an online journal, it's just not me. I'd rather spend that time improving my drawing skills, and honestly, I don't know of a single site of that nature that is worth anything, well, at least to me. Maybe these journals are important and useful to others, just like my bitch-book is useful for me, but keeping an account of my daily life online is just turning out to be a useless distraction.
When my domain registration runs out, that's it, no more. However, I'll put up the archives from that site here, and in an attempt to keep more new content on this site i'll try something similiar here. It will be more along the lines of a daily sketch book, just online, which is something that needs to happen more in my daily life. Drawing.
1.20.02
Part of the last update was, well, a big fat lie. Not for the purpose of harming anyone, but because two of the paintings that were supposedly going to Minneapolis were in fact Xmas presents for others, and I didn't want to gamble on the intended recipients not looking at this site between that time and Xmas. Now that they've both received their paintings, and love them, it's ok to reveal that bit of information.
Three new pictures have been added to the leather section, all of my new backpack. The leather side of my business has been rather slow lately, but this was something that was needed for myself, and over the holidays there was time to work on it. And my back feels so much better for it!
This has been promised before, but there really is a facelift for this site in the works as we speak. I know I'm getting tired of looking at this version.....
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