i draw. and sometimes i post music too. but i make you dig through the pile first to get to the good stuff. oh, and welcome.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

wrap-up.


though past the technical deadline for the upcoming illustration group show at the basement gallery in january, i am still trying to crank out some last-minute art. it's a struggle since i told myself i would be done by this point, but it seems that with my regular-joe-job, i didn't have the free time i had hoped for this month to work on pursuits of the artistic variety, and the two ambitious painting projects (photos included with this post) i started took more than a week each to complete. so while i'm still rolling off the pressure and work schedule of last week, i'm going to make a final pull for new art this weekend.

the website that allowed me to post mixtapes is kaput, sadly, so now i will have to use my ftp site in order to share music with yous. among some of the music i've been listening tonight to work to:
empire of the sun
foals
mystery jets
what else?
for the holiday, i spent it with my pop's side of the family. we made the drive out to middleton, braving icy roads. my sister and i played with my nieces and their barbies after a christmas meal that wouldn't be complete without tamales. beth says i talk to my nieces like they're 20-- though 7 and 5, giving their barbies names like stacy (anastasia. a kleptomaniac, swedish exchange student and member of the illustrious ski team) and britney (best friend, then rapidly ex-best friend of stacy). i fixed 5 year old brooklyn's bottle feeding-peeing plastic dog which entertained the both of us for nearly an hour. then we chased my aunt's boston terrier, cowboy, around the room with a horse head on a broomstick that played william tell's overture. cowboy never really recovered, much to my aunt's annoyance, no doubt.
i'm a bad influence on the childrens.
i hope everyone's holiday was full of something worthwhile and good.

Monday, December 1, 2008

basement gallery work.



i've scanned in some of my recent arts for the upcoming basement gallery group show in january. i've decided to do a collection of holy men, akin to my collection of nuns in that were in the august show this summer at the VaC. so far i've completed five, but they all differ from one another-- as opposed to the nuns which were all done similarly. i don't know if i should continue to change them all up as i've done so far, or to start making them all in the same manner. thoughts? any comments would be appreciated.





Friday, November 21, 2008

birdhouse

f--- ABC.

sad news. Pushing Daisies has been cancelled due to an all-time viewer low last night of 4.86 million.
i like my shows with a bit of intelligence, witty dialogue, and unique storylines, but people aren't terribly shocked, saying no one was watching the show-- which as a side note, is just baffling to me. how are over 4 million people "no one"?!
i feel that it wasn't given a fair chance. they move shows around to different dates and times, or not run a show for two weeks and expect viewers to be able to follow the network's madness? where do you expect viewership to be if you don't run pushing daisies for weeks and suddenly show episodes again?
doesn't make sense to me. it'll just be added to my list of tv network shaftings alongside "my so-called life."

Thursday, November 20, 2008

seriously.

read this article about each the CEO's of, as we've tagged it now, The Big Three flying to D.C. to beg for bailout money in.. drumroll.. their private jets!
i don't want to give any money to these asshats who promise to streamline their companies and cut-back jobs of hardworking individuals while these nerds waste money on travel that could have been done a hell of a lot cheaper. the "20,000" it costs to fly a jet to washington and back could be someone's salary for a year.
what's even more insulting is their diversion tactics in claiming taking those jets was a matter of "safety."
the article states, "Like many other major corporations, all three have policies requiring their CEOs to travel in private jets for safety reasons."
(i'm picturing the CEO of ford riding economy on a commercial flight here, casual conversation with other passengers turning to occupation.
"you work for who? you're who?? i work for mitsubishi, bitch and i'm gonna shank your ass!"
can the level of danger really be that high?)
here's an idea. instead of streamlining the company and cutting the jobs of the workers, streamline those wasteful company policies and you just saved three people's jobs for a year.

Monday, November 10, 2008

dichotomy.

i haven't spoken much about my feelings toward election night. the joy and hope i felt that my vote went for a man who actually won this time! the hope i felt for this country during his speech. the hope that the election of the first black president stood for a grand advancement in history... only to have that hope shattered with the disappointing results of individual state's ballot measures to ban gay marriage and adoption like prop 8 (prop hate, anyone?). never before has there been a voting on taking away rights from loyal citizens of the united states when they were previously granted them. and really, how ludicrous.. when i think back on the presidential election, it is hard for me to grasp back the hope i felt that night when it seems so overshadowed by the disappointment i feel in light of those results.
talk show host keith olbermann explains this waay better than i can. see this clip here.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

deestrackshun.


(the halloween project for my birthday guests this year, as seen above, was a collection of severed toes complete with toe tags. each guest was asked to pick out a toe, which then matched to a bag of "personal effects" of the deceased (really just a bag of goodies). i recommend attempting this project for anyone wanting to plan something cool for a halloween-themed party. you can find standard toetag templates online, but if you have Photoshop, watercolors, pens and ink, you can make each toe tag look very authentic and unique. the toes are a bit trickier, though, and require more skill. i made two casts of my toe with sculpey firm, then modeled each toe with either sculpey or sculpey firm, baked them, and painted them with acrylics. they turned out looking very realistic, almost to a disturbing point, but were met with disgusted delight. thanks to shavawn for the crime scene photography.)

in other news, it's been months since i returned from the desert and yet i feel part of me was left out there(so much for Leave No Trace)-- the part that was able to concentrate and work on, basically, everything.
the pile grows of things i need to finish up and i can't manage to find the time to work on them. the websites need updated, there's a gigantic italian mirror i've been restoring for work (a project that has taken months), friends to phone, emails and letters to write, art to make.. when you compile a list of to-do's that only seems to be growing, it can be hard to get inspired to even attempt tackling one. today is my first day off, it feels, in a while so i'm going to try to accomplish some of those goals today.
wish me luck.
also, look for an upcoming group show i'll be participating in at the basement gallery opening in january, along with local favorite bill carman, erin cunningham, and ben wilson- i believe. should be promising. i will try to post sneak peek photos of my art for the show as it progresses.

Monday, August 11, 2008

art schmart.



the good news is the art show with Paste Eater is up and running. if you haven't had a chance to make it down to the Visual Arts Collective, you've got until the end of september to go see it. it's worthwhile, too. Paste Eater has some pretty amazing stuff there, and most of the art is moderately priced. if you're on a budget, much like myself, but still can't resist collecting some nice art for your space, i'd recommend getting down there soon. Paste Eater will have a bunch of drawings available, and i've a collection of smaller works too for those teeny spaces..
now i'm busy preparing for the show at the flying m next month, so i haven't had a chance to get those Josh Ritter/Andrew Bird posters up on the website yet. i don't foresee that i'll be able to get to that until i return from vacation in the desert at the beginning of September. after that, it'll be my goal and first priority.
also, if you've ordered any shirts from milquetoast press in the past two weeks, i apologize that it's taken extra days to get those out to you, given my busy schedule. but i always try and make it worthwhile and slip a little piece of free art into your package. i take your patronage very seriously and want all my customers to be satisfied with the product they receive. we don't aim to be a giant shirt factory and i still hand print every shirt that leaves here, making your shirt unique to you.
i'll try to post some new images from the flying m show in the coming week and a half, but for now, a few of the "art from the toilet" show pieces are up at my flickr page. (see link to the left.)

Saturday, July 26, 2008

art from the toilet?




Local artist Paste Eater and myself have a show coming up next month at the Visual Arts Collective. that there is the double-sided postcard for it. (crossing fingers.. the show is sort of last minute, in that we have had about a month's notice to prepare beforehand.) do come and check it out! i'll have a bunch of new stuff, some small works too, and hopefully milquetoast t-shirts for sale too.
the flying m in downtown boise also has a dog-themed group show coming up from august 7-28 that i've got a piece in. it's a silent auction for all pieces with half the sales going to the humane society. i'm not sure who all is participating in it yet.
and! i've got thirteen posters left from the josh ritter/andrew bird concert last monday (see below). i will be putting them up for sale on the milquetoast website in the next week or so. after those thirteen are gone, i can't promise there will be more. we'll see.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

argentinians and the ever-ticking clock.


my favorite Argentinian family has just updated their site with the family's photos for year 2008. i've been watching them age for three years now, and every june 17th, i anxiously await the new photos to see how they've changed. wrinkles discerning, glasses appearing, hair disheveled.. i've also developed a school-girl crush on nicolás. happily, this year he appears to have married and the beginnings of a spin-off annual photo series has begun.
the assignment is intriguing in a way that is very un-american. the regarding, and essentially a resignation, of the passing of time and what it does to not just a single human body, but one family as a unit. i imagine this ritual as a jovial grabbing-time-by-the-throat and saying: hey, we can make this fun.
in other news, art-related, local musician jeremiah james just released a new cd that i was fortunate enough to do the artwork for. there's also a poster i designed for his cd release party floating around somewhere.... ah! there it is. (i hear he's selling these as well, so if you like it, you should track him down and get one.)
i also designed a poster for the knitting factory's josh ritter and andrew bird show coming up in july (see above). the poster idea is a city mouse/country mouse theme. i should be doing another run of posters for this show in the coming weeks and will probably by selling them off the store website very soon.

Friday, June 6, 2008

work. and michael douglas.


http://view.break.com/513310 - Watch more free videos

ever have one of these days? here we see an example of work-related stress. watch it, mouth agape, realizing that perhaps you and that crazy, loose cannon might not be that different. who hasn't wanted to smack some dolt upside the head at some point? most of us, however, possess a certain social barrier that rarely gets crossed.
what is baffling to me about this situation, and really any sort of unusual "situation," is the phenomenon of the instinctual relay from reality to media. people pull out their camera phones to witness this horrific display of one man gone mad max on the office. instead of fleeing from flying computer monitors and a tornado of tossed papers, they choose to watch the event from a falsely-perceived forcefield of media. instead of helping stop the insanity, they watch in curiosity.
disturbing.
(and here! with sound! in color!)
does this remind anyone of michael douglas in that movie "falling down"?

Saturday, May 17, 2008

built to spill.

this is the poster i designed for the built to spill show at the visual arts collective. it's going to be a 21 and over show, unfortunately, so if you're of age, come out and support a great local gallery/venue/space.
a lot of local businesses/galleries/venues are being forced to become 21 and over due to puritanical and ancient liquor laws that restrict youth from being in the presence of adults who are consuming alcohol in public settings, or some lame-ass crap worded similarily. politicians seem to think that a business like the visual arts collective, or the big easy/knitting factory shouldn't have to rely on alcohol sales to establish itself. true.. in an ideal world. but that just seems unrealistic to me. it's not the reality of the situation and to ignore the reality is plain illogical and retarded. (it's just like saying that we shouldn't teach the youth about sex because then they might go out and get it on like a bunch of rabbits. gasp! but... haven't youth been doing it since, i don't know, the beginning of time? regardless of whether they are taught the facts about sex or not? so. don't you think it would be better to be educated about it?)
anyway... go to the show. tickets are available online, just follow the link to the VaC's myspace.

Monday, May 5, 2008

cuanto me allegro.


the pups celebrate their first birthday today. they both got a plate of lamb cuts and vegetables in a gravy sauce over their dry food in celebration. Andie has begun celebrating in other ways, however.. such as by humping Jackson's head to prove her dominance though she is half his size.
my old roomie lost her dog the other week. cuddles was older and battling kidney problems, and unfortunately did not make it. i can remember back on those nights in college, staying up late to finish projects, and cuddles would saunter into my room. she'd crawl right onto my sad camping mattress on the floor and situate herself under the covers before letting out a very content sigh. i know my roomie misses her pup, and my heart goes out to her.
queen cuddles, give my best to francis when you see her.
we traipsed all over camelsback park friday night after nichole's birthday bbq. it was dark, and we ran into three teenage girls on the hill who asked us if we were rapists.. we inquired as to their activity, and they said they were planning to ski down the side of the hill. now, this hill was quite steep. enough so to warrant some worry and morbid curiosity. they were young enough to not know any better and their parents of course had no idea what their precious princesses were up to. they'd had experience in skiing, but not on sand. brandon quite matter-of-factly says, "you know you're gonna get sand in your bindings, right?"
we were the reluctant parent league. and them our rebellious daughters. we tried humorously to make sure their decision to skate the mountain was a sound one.
are you drunk? no. do you have cellphones? yes. do your parents know what you're up to? ...of course not.
i hope you're aware of the fact that you could get quite a lot of sand in your buttcrack. (amused laughter.)
okay then! as you were!
the first run was a success, a test try, but kind of tame. we all concurred that she needed a higher starting point. the next height chosen on this steep sandy hillside was also a success. she flew past us, kicking up sandy dust and shortly after disappeared into the dark, screaming with equal parts joy and fear.. all we could see of her were the sparks flying from her skiis into the night air. one of her cholos ran down the hill to make sure she was okay, and five minutes later called the the cellphone of the girl still on the hill with us.
"what was ___ wearing? i don't see her."
we all laughed. it was near midnight and the only people in this park were either us, misbehaving or the methhead chick under the soggy pine tree who asked us if we were her friends.
"keep looking!" we scream, "she might be embedded in the crowd!"
the girl down the mountainside had no luck tracking down her friend for at least another two minutes, we started to gather a mild concern. suddenly, there's a shout from above. shockingly, lady fifteenyearold daredevil had climbed the stairs-- there were stairs?!-- to the top. her pal scampered to the top, and for some time they plotted out her start with cellphone light to illuminate the rocky path. it's fucking moguls up there. jokes are made in reference to the l word episode with bette and helena on the mountain.
"can you ski moguls??"
"no i cannot ski fucking moguls!"
katie b keeps pacing as we line the fence awaiting this sure disaster, repeating, "this is sooo not a good idea."
half the group decides to move to the other side of the path, worrying that as this girl rolls down this baby mountain hill, she will undoubtedly plow into us in a rally of pain. we are so into this moving of sides, that we barely take notice of the lady daredevil as she flies past us, nearly taking out the half of the posse that moved, at the speed of sand and light, her skiis setting a spark storm and screaming the entire way down.
"that was fucking awesome."

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

hey that's my bike.


i'm back from sleeping under my best pal's ceiling in the biggest little city.
i've been home a day and a half from my weekend excursion and i've had a hard time concentrating. as much as i love my job, it felt wrong getting up and going to work this morning. i feel i have become distracted from what it is i set out to do in the first place, especially in the last few months. my trip to reno/sanfrancisco seems to have jolted me into remembering what i wanted of myself and discovering that i have lost sight of what's important to me. i'm still working on things in my head- as the whole of my generation seems to be doing now. i'm not alone in being lost, but i feel i'm closer to seeing for the first time exactly what i want.
landing a few jobs in the last few days that are more along the lines of what i want to do be doing has given me some confidence. and being in a state of missing my best friend has also given me some perspective on what i can do to help fix that. where do i want to be? what do i want to do? more importantly, how can i make that a reality once i figure that out?
i took an online quiz for kicks, a 'which reality bites character are you?' and discovered, little shock to me, that i am troy dyer. well, mostly. except without the guitar and greasy hair. but that closed-off romantic, unrealized potential is wrapped up in here somewhere. if you discover my lelaina on some random rooftop smoking cigarettes, send her my way.

Monday, April 7, 2008

fatty fat fat.


in my unruly youth years ago, i remember sitting in the back of the bus on the way to some band competition with the tubas and the drum corps. we were harassing head drum major leah for some reason i can't recall, most likely in response to some insult or comment she made about the drum corps or any one of its members. and to boot, she was on the other bus in the lane next to us, so it was not as though she could hear our insults anyway. i'm sure she deserved at least ten percent of the abuse, but all i remember is chris georgeson spelling out "fatty fat fat" in christmas sticker-decals on the window of the bus for her to read as we cruised past. dallis shrieked out soon after that she wouldn't be able to read it because it would appear backwards to the other bus. the rest of the drum corps scrambled to correct it in time for leah to see. whether or not leah saw it-- though she was not "fatty fat fat" in technical terms-- i can't say for certain. she glared at us anyway.
but the sound of my pals voices crying out "fatty fat fat" still rings very clear in my older ears. it was all in adolescent fun anyway.
i'm posting some photos of the bathroom i haven't before, including a detail of the fatty fat fat rat in honor of my chubby little, frozen rat i finally buried today. and thank you to my dad who dug the hole.


Friday, April 4, 2008

finish. repent.


i managed to pull out a finish on the mural work at the VaC around three this morning. i don't have progress shots for the mice above the mirrors because i painted them in one night. there's nothing like the pressure of knowing they open tomorrow and i have no more time to debate on the finer details. on the plus side, i spent the last three years observing my rat, so research was not necessary-- and i draw a pretty mean mouse when pressed. i have wanted to get back to my rodent roots and i had a funny little idea of a chubby mouse and the word "repent" scrawled into my tiny sketchbook that i wanted to turn into something.

the candies look delightful. i'm more than pleased that this is finally done. i also regretted that i didn't have a DeathStall for Pancho Villa, so i snuck him in behind the door.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

urinals.



i've still been plugging away on the VaC's boys bathroom. a few more nights to finish, i've gaged the amount of work pretty well. The VaC opens Friday night and i look forward to my work finally getting its audience. the girl's bathroom won't be finished in time for the opening, but it's really coming together as well. The artist working on it is among my favorites, and i anticipate its finish; it will be the bathroom walls i have to look at more often.
i've done some work in the stalls (death stalls) as well, and i want to credit my pal zach for providing me with help on the research and details. my original intention was to have the five stalls in the girl's bathroom, each with a famous historical odd death. after finding out i had the boys bathroom instead, i was limited to two stalls. damn urinals. i selected my favorite two odd deaths and put them up anyway. here's a taste:

Rasputin: He was reportedly poisoned, beaten, and shot before he finally drowned. classic. the idea behind the DeathStalls is to make you slightly uncomfortable while using the facilities. that, and you should learn something too. multi-tasking while on the pot, emerging that much smarter from the bathroom. you can wow the ladies with your new-found knowledge.

hope to see you at the opening.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

mural progress.



the Visual Arts Collective finally set their open date for April 4th. which means i'm working pretty diligently to finish my mural work in the bathroom. this is the most recent progress. i'm pretty pleased with the work so far, and a bit surprised i've made the transition from almost exclusively small works to giant wall work (needing ladders and step stools) this easily..

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Monday, March 10, 2008

life and times.


the last few weeks have been.. emotional. end of february came and i saw the passing of my friend and coworker amy jones from cancer. she was a phenomenal lady and a great artist. and not in the way you say "she's an artist" and people look at you skeptically because they're picturing scrapbooks and cuts of quilt fabric like i first did when i met her.
(the term "artist" can carry such negative connotations i often refrain from using it to describe myself. it's just something that i've been doing since i knew how to pick up a pencil. it's wrapped up in my personality and my being and giving it a name seems to take away from the entire picture. plus, people judge you for it.)
amy was first class. a dry sense of humor that matched my own, despite the difference between us in years. when we'd dance at work to some cheesy 80's tune or Young MC's "bust a move," she would laugh and look at us like we were crazy. we never got her to dance, though. but i will remember fondly that summer with my three coworkers, dance moves and music on the radio as a golden time (not to sound overly "Outsiders" and PonyBoy).
She left me her kiln, of which i have absolutely no idea how to use.. but i feel i could do great things with it once i find out, and each piece will remind me of her.
watching her struggle with the same cancer that took my grandmother ten years ago surfaced emotions for me i haven't felt since then. before amy had even been diagnosed, she reminded me of grams. and watching her go in the same way was hard. i felt the same hopelessness. i wanted to feel like just once someone got cancer and beat it. that there was hope.
my pet rat has also fallen ill after her surgery for tumor removal. i'm watching her like a hawk and babying her. people will scoff at you for dropping money on something like a rat. but it's a living creature completely dependent on you for its care and well-being and if i have the means, why would i not want to make her short life as great as possible?
in art news, i'm still working on the bathroom mural at the Visual Arts Collective's new space on my free days. it's a lot of work, but it's looking pretty good. i'm getting to realize a childhood dream of coloring all over the walls, basically. Another local artist, PasteEater, is working on the girls bathroom and i have to tell you, it's looking pretty sweet. I'll post photos of my progress as it comes along.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

goodbye polaroids..


Polaroid has announced it will no longer be making its fantastic instant film. This truly saddens me, though i have seen the signs for some time. i can't manage to find a pack of spectra film for my faithful polaroid se, whereas last year it was a different story. it'll be interesting to see how the photography world changes from this development. i hope some company has the sense to purchase the polarecipe..

Monday, February 11, 2008

east/west.


i've always been fascinated with street art. i get into many an argument with the older folks about whether street art is indeed "art" or just vandalism. (i've almost convinced my mother that street art is just as valid-- if not more so-- as the thomas kinkade print on her wall.)
i adore the idea of art being accessible to all people. adam neate, another street artist, creates stacks of paintings and leaves them strewn about on the streets alongside trash for anyone to pick up. he's the i ching of the street art example. it's all about making a statement, commenting on pop culture, or making someone's day. and best of all, it's free.
the above video is pretty sweet to watch, if you can get past the semi-annoying music chosen to accompany it. see shepard fairey, of the obey giant fame, and wk interact, a french street artist living in NY, face off for the east/west propaganda project. you can find out more about that project here.
once again, i love to see the process of artists-in-work. it dispels some of the mystery, especially if you've ever been perplexed as to how graffiti actually makes it to the wall. it's different than other arts since its still mostly taboo and illegal. there's the whole speed factor; it's difficult to replicate the immediacy in any other arena. and. graffiti has a whole set of unspoken rules to go along with it.
after watching the video, it might be harder for those to argue that street art is just vandalism.

Monday, February 4, 2008

jeremy geddes and process.

in yet another post other artist-related, jeremy geddes has some nice photos up on his blog of recent works featuring a series of scenes with cosmonauts in urban or dilapidated grain silo-like settings. it's dark and haunting, eerie in the most beautiful way. i have a fascination with the juxtaposition of two things that shouldn't ever come together being represented with incredible attention paid to and with painstaking detail applied.
jeremy's blog has also taught me a few things as far as oil painting goes, of which i was never fortunate to take an actual class. most of what i've learned is through personal research and mistake. the typical trial and error, but it's nice to have some tips from artists who know. still, the best advice i ever got regarding painting came from another painter friend and professor, michael brown, who told me just to "paint like you draw."
best advice ever.
i'm going to attempt jeremy's process of creating smaller mock-ups of paintings before setting out to do ones of grander scale. i have an idea i'm currently working on involving the ocean and particular hues. i've collected most of the research the past few weeks and now i feel like i can finally start. it's amazing sometimes, the amount of work that goes into a single piece..

Saturday, February 2, 2008

jim houser.

Visit ArtintheAge.com for more info

it may sound silly, but i feel this kinship with Jim Houser for various reasons since i read an interview of his in (i think) Juxtapoz.

"I kind of live in pajamas and slippers. I am a bit of a recluse. I
guess it started when my wife Becky was still alive. We met and got
serious kind of young. I immediately domesticated. That's just stayed
with me. When all my friends and peers were going out to parties and
meeting girls, I always felt like I didn't need to go out. I had
already found what people my age were out looking for. It makes me
much happier to do something productive than to sit drunk in a loud
bar."

and it's not just because on the days when i'm encapsulated in my work/studio i'm also wearing pajamas and slippers, but because of his hermitage and distaste for the bar scene. well. maybe more of the former. i do enjoy lounging in the pjs. anyway.
i really love seeing how other artists work, and those fancy time-elapsed vids are a good way to give you an idea of how they live and create. i like his cat, fascinated by outside city life, that makes an appearance a few times in the process. also go read that interview with him if you're intrigued and want to know more.. that guy interviews well for a so-called "social hermit."

Monday, January 28, 2008

vacation.

returned from the rainy city today. (my lovely little sis was an excellent host and indulged my every whim to see the sights despite the cold and wind.)
i did not do any work as planned. i did not rest as much as planned. i ate way more than planned and enjoyed every tasty morsel.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Who put the goat in there?

I can't recall how i stumbled upon this video.
Dude's got some indian George Michael thing going on. but the tune is catchy, even though, when it's stuck in my head i can only manage to hear the inaccurate english lyrics..