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Showing posts from January, 2008

tales & legends

It's been awhile since I've contributed to Illustration Friday – both the size of the mob (over 420 for this week's topic) and its mentality (all things cuddly and computer-generated) being somewhat off-putting – but this weekend's trip to Montreal got me some face time with an old friend, a Cheshire Cat I painted for my sister Rachel a long time ago (the dust on top is practically embedded). * * * * * "But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked ... Stella was in prime form this weekend, a joker-acrobat pouring forth her unique blend of complaints, demands and ha-ha deceptions. Fortunately I had a big bag of presents to bribe/threaten her with, although most of it was clothes. Notice my feline friend in the background. * * * * * Almost every visit there's a point where we end up in some kind of diner. Why? Because four year-olds are easily bought off with grapefruit juice and fries. Oh best friend, why does your price-tag alway

and then gently release

horsey (enter left) ; mixed media on canvas, 10x10 inches, the string series continues ... * * * * * The full-page ad we're running in KEDCO’s Fine Craft & Artist Directory . You'll notice we're much fuller this time, with two new artists in the group. * * * * * I have a story (really, it's more of a personal essay, maybe even this crazy creative non-fiction everyone's talking about) coming out in the next issue of filling station , called Roman Soldiers . * * * * * On to other stories ... last night I read the last chapter of TNV to the writing group ... strange coming to the end of it, watching N walk off into the ether ... still, there's some edits (and additions) to make, and then some packaging (I'm thinking wee book), and then shopping the manuscript around to a publisher, so really it's more TTN than fare thee well . * * * * * And then another ending: Heath Ledger died. When C told me, I replied, "He what ?" I did l

papa fumer

papa fumer ; mixed media on canvas, 8x8 inches, the string series continues ...

ok, ok (I won't go out too far)

ok, ok (I won't go out too far) ; mixed media on canvas, 10x10 inches. Finished this guy on the weekend, but it still might need some bleeding black ink.

cool, cool love

Cool, cool love ; mixed media on canvas, 8x8 inches. Destined for a charity show, here's my artist's statement: Striding perfectly gorgeous down the length of life's stage, lit up like all the hope in the world ... what could be cooler than love? Don't be afraid: the strings bring you in but they're also attached.

breathing fire

Detail from a new (strange, mythical) painting I finished this weekend. Still working within the theme of naive imagination and the dreamscape of children. Like late October here today – mud and snow beneath wool-sweater skies.

c's tiger

Tiger for C ; mixed media on canvas, 5x7 inches. A last-minute addition to C's Christmas gift ( Oh you like that? Do you want it? ). The theme for Illo Friday this week is "100%" ... which should bring up all sorts of overreaching sports drawings. My tiger is certainly 100% tiger. And a pile of stones would be, similarly, 100% a pile of stones. Aimlessness is easy! The last theme ("soar") got over 450 entries. And that's over the holidays . The entire exercise has become the artistic equivalent of urban sprawl. Illustration Friday Night is undergoing its own identity crisis lately, having become burdened with (a) popularity and (b) some very bad art. Adobe Photoshop has plenty of blood on its hands there as well.

~ a new year ~

So ... me and C were married on New Year's Eve, in a lovely wee ceremony with Catherine and Nick (and Evi and Mei Mei, when they weren't hiding their eyes) as witnesses. There was a photographer, taking real pictures, but in the meantime this one (which I took in our room, just before we came down) will have to do.