Pencil sketches

sketch post: wagner time

Another batch of sketches from old and current sketchbooks, this time pen and ink. Sammy, the cat, is likely to appear in most of these sketch posts as he is always around to pose and I see him so much that I can draw him from memory fairly easily.

King of Infinite Spaces

This image ultimately stemmed from the reflections of the sky on the water of the small pond in front of this father and son. The feeling of a vast elongation of the world through the mirroring of water and sky laid out before the two of them made me think of one of the defining books of my childhood, Sophie's World, one of the messages of which that a child (and, ideally philosophers) have an endless capacity for wonder and discovery. For that little boy, there was no break between the solid world in front of him and the untouchable mystery of the blue sky, only an infinite world of possibility.

Some sketches and....

the niftiest music video I've ever seen. I'm sad that Google doesn't have enough photos of my childhood home, but the rest of you might be luckier. My brother recently played the new Arcade Fire album for me, specifically the song "Rococo", which he correctly assumed I'd like. It reminds me uncannily of my high school Art History class.

I've been culling drawings from some of my more recent sketchbooks so as to have some filler for in between posts of finished pieces. I've been dividing them up by media, and black and white verses color, but the years are all mixed in, although unless I grab my older sketchbooks from my parents' house, none of these will be from earlier than 2008.

Dangerous Trails

Here's a new piece, the first illustration in a new method of working for me. I've always wanted to work on top of photos, but for whatever reasons had never gotten around to actually doing it. This, and another illustration that I will be posting soon, are my test runs of the actual process, although they are purely digital painting and photography, later on I'll be working in traditional media as well.

The photo was taken on a little day hike in my hometown, Middleton, MA. This particular hike had several children in the group and they proved to be great fodder for my impulsive picture taking. The idea for this image actually came from the teenagers that came along for the hike, however. Several of them wandered off mid-hike (they had come on the hike for a school assignment and, naturally, when they felt they had fulfilled their academic obligation they left.) Even in Middleton it's not the best idea to go off on your own in the woods when you aren't familiar with the area. I thought that, rather than just becoming lost, wouldn't it be fantastic if something really unexpected happened to those wily teens? So, when I looked through my photos and saw this boy stepping aimlessly off camera, I knew he had to be stepping somewhere dangerous.

Salem Arts Festival

Hey, if you're here because you saw my work up at the Salem Arts Festival, and are interested in buying a piece, just email me your number and I'll call you as soon as possible.

Untitled & Unwritten

The show is coming up fairly soon. I'm going to start posting my images here, for now here's a line up of all nine chapters.

Go over and check out the show's official blog at: http://untitledunwritten.blogspot.com/

Both Marika and I have all our images up there, and we're encouraging people to add to the show by helping to fill in the story that these images represent.

I think I'm funny...

I really do!

My former roommate and good friend Sarah sent me this:

which I apparently drew for her at some point. I have a lame sense of humor, and I think it's hilarious. Each time I look at it I laugh. The simple pleasures in life.

It's coming!

this is the image for the postcard for the show, it was fun to do some ink work.

so much

I'm fairly busy trying to pump out work for the show, here's a little preview:

my work for this show is full to the gills with 50's style clothing, different lighting effects, and much more elaborate backgrounds than I usually do. Crazy.

Where the "magic" happens

This is what my studio looks like. Pretty swanky, I know. It is happily covered with posters, art, and the postcards/business cards of fabulously talented people (although they keep falling down and are mostly covered in the pictures...) You can see the painting I'm finishing up right now, and the final drawing for the nest one I'm working on.

A preview of things to come...

.....a detail from a painting I'm currently working on, for my show with Marika. I do love painting fabric, and I'm trying to relish it because the next painting has a lot of straight lines!