long distance iz done.

the "Long Distance" show opens tomorrow at Lisk Gallery for First Thursday. i dropped off my work today with a mix of relief and worry-- worry, as usual, that it won't be a strong body of work and relief that i can move onto the next project. i'll be downtown for the show sometime between 5-9, so if you're out and about, do come say hello.
now, i have about 15 days to round up some art for the Basement Gallery's illustration show opening in january. so far, i've only heard of ben wilson and myself being on board for this one, though i'm sure there are some other players. i'll keep you posted when i find out the illustration roster.

wrapping up.

wrapping up my work for the "Long Distance" show tonight. i've got a lot of ideas for works for this show that i'm just not going to have time to get to before the opening thursday.
i imagine a lot of these ideas will spill over into the Basement Show.. last two peeks:

(the line "why haven't you called?" comes from loch lomond's "scabs on this year" posted in the last entry. being an illustrator, you can't help but be swayed by words often times more than the image it conjures.)

literal.

more work for the Long Distance show. i decided to try my hand at some more literal, less melancholic interpretations this weekend. this is what i came up with:



my framing influence is present in this one with the border work. i enjoy the embellishments.
back to work.

should be..

i should most definitely be working on some more art.. but then i get trapped on the internets like some little kid with ADD and a sugar-high. i was just trying to make a playlist on the ipod, i swear. four hours later..
it's getting colder, the pup's winter wardrobe has been pulled out, and i'm searching for my winter playlist.. something i can draw to.. so far, this is what i've found and am digging:
edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros. this gigantic band has a rockin' seventies influence, sounds a bit like a harder America to me.. mostly, i love the cute exchange between the two singers in the middle of the song "Home." maybe it's the way she says, all drawn-out, "alexaandeer.." or how he says "nearly broke your ass.." that makes me giggle to myself. i can't say for sure. also check out the more psychedelic "Desert Song." really more of a late summer/fall feel to them, though.
tv on the radio. the band that refuses to be pegged under any certain style or genre. i like "Love Dog" best. the pulsating, driven, laid-back shuffle of it gets me each time. this is definitely on my winter playlist.
i was a big fan of The Microphones, but haven't listened to them much since the name change to Mount Eerie. Mount Eerie just released an album in ode to the wind, if i remember correctly. it's a sweeping, dark album, reminiscent of the earlier album released under The Microphones "The Glow Pt. 2." these songs should be on someone's winter album, might as well be mine. check "Between Two Mysteries".
i discovered greg laswell when i heard his cover of kate bush's "this woman's work." his cover is worth checking out, as is his cover of kristin hersh's "Your Ghost." i can't think of many lyrical lines that leave more of an impression on me than "i think last night, you were driving circles around me."
(disclaimer: i'll leave these songs up for a week or so, then take them down. if you represent any of the artists mentioned, or are one of the artists mentioned and wish to have your music taken down, don't hesitate to email me and i will honor your request in a timely fashion.)
ETA: music links removed to make room for new, word.

long distance.

now busy working for next two shows. this is the first sneak peek at the batch for the show at Lisk Gallery for december. the theme is "Long Distance." it will feature mostly small works dealing with long distance (both literal and relationship-wise), homesickness, travelers, loneliness and general melancholy. perfect for the winter blues, yeah? the astronaut is a primary figure in a lot of my work. the idea exemplifies everything about long distance. i think we can all relate to his emotional plight.
after that, i'll have work for january at the Basement Gallery for its annual Illustration show.
back to work.

geekcore.

the art i've got up at the Lisk Gallery downtown has been extended for another month, so if you missed the chance to see any of it, rest easy. it'll be up until the end of may. i've got [high] hopes to finish up some new stuff and drop it off, but it's gonna be a busy month so we'll just play it by ear.
(i've since picked up the remnants of art i had hanging up at the Basement Gallery back in January&February. some of the pieces sold, but if you're interested in purchasing any of the art i've got left from that show for cheaper(buy it directly from me, the gallery commission isn't necessary)have a look on my flickr page and drop me a note inquiring about any pieces you may be interested in.)
as for future news, i've got another show at the Visual Arts Collective tentatively in the works for what's looking to be August & September. i've plans to work on some larger scale paintings for this one, but as sketches and themes are still being worked out, we'll see what happens and evolves. i'll attach photos of progress as we get closer to this date.
for now, it's monday and i can't think of anything better than working from home, energy drinks, and good music.

codependency & other human weaknesses.

'bout time for another update, right?
i'm currently on break from a spat of art in preparation for my next showing at Lisk Gallery in downtown Boise. it'll open First Thursday next month (that's April 2nd, kids).
the loose theme for this show at Lisk is "codependency and other human weaknesses" with a focus on mug shots of various no-name criminals from the early to mid 1900s. the new pieces have allowed me to work in a new media that i'm growing quite taken with. the mugs are time-consuming, but i feel these forgotten people deserve a resurrection. i'm fascinated by their forgotten lives. each mug is painstakingly rendered with a small exacto blade onto a masonite board. i've worked scratchboard before, but it's never been something i put into any of my shows. i like that i can get minute detail out of the blade. i can never get that small with a pencil. i've thrown in some hand-rendered typography to boot.
there will also be smaller works of various things i've been working on in the past month. so do come check it out.