Orientation

Jess and I have been watching some old LOST episodes lately. We are back on Season 2, and I felt compelled to sketch up some loose scenes from the episode "Orientation", when we first hear of the now ubiquitous Dharma Initiative. This is of a study in composition, light and technique more than an accurate depiction of characters or figure, though it's good to get practice in those areas as well.

The Station Fire

This collage came together today in a little collage workshop that a friend hosted. We had an informative and enjoyable session for a few hours, learning some good techniques.

The piece didn't start out as but somehow evolved into a response to the out-of-control fires that are currently plaguing Southern California and in particular the LA area. The largest of the fires in the state is fairly close to us just north of Glendale. It was dubbed the "Station Fire" though I am not sure why it was given that name. This fire seems to keep spreading and causing more and more damage by the day. We can only hope they take care of it before it rips apart too much more of the area.

Shankill Sketches

I've been on another Decemberists kick lately and whenever I listen to their music the artistic wheels get a spinnin'. So I am starting to make good on my longtime desire to do some artwork based on their songs. [sidebar: if you haven't heard any of their music or have no idea who I am talking about, you should check out their site via the link above. Great stuff that's part folk, part sea shanty, and part rock opera. Their songs and albums are all very story driven with rich lyrics and visuals]

I started out a few days ago doing some panels for a larger "Hazards of Love" spread (I'll get to posting those when they are more complete), and this week started working on content and composition of older songs. Today I was particularly fixated on the song "Shankill Butchers", which is all about a father telling his young daughter to be good and treat her mother well or the titular butchers would come to take her away and chop her up with cleavers and knives. Rather chilling song, actually. Tried a couple different depictions of that scene from a couple different perspectives. Leaning towards the first one if I were to choose one to develop further.

Studies Again?

It has been a while since I have posted any collage studies. It was only after I drew an entire page of them that I remembered I wasn't going to do any more studies of collages, but just go straight into the actual collages themselves. Oh well, when it has been so long you forget these things...

Shards of the Subconcious

This collage was compiled last night out of a stack of doodles that I recently salvaged from old notebooks of mine that were getting thrown away. Sometimes the lines and scribbles that work their way out onto the margins of lined note paper can lead to grander ideas, but oft times they just get forgotten and filed away with whatever pertinent information was jotted down.

These shards of the subconscious have been assembled almost haphazardly into a field, but even still, patterns and connections emerge and unfold as a map or a window into a string of lost moments unified by a slight sense of boredom and busy fingers.

The Lunch Doodle Rant

I doodled this up at an in-house lunch presentation at work the other day. It was one of the longest winded steamiest piles of drivel I have ever heard, and I have heard many. It took most of the session before I understood what service and/or product they were trying to sell... and it was office furniture, or more specifically human-technological integration in the work environment. My opinion is this: Not only is the entire ergonomic furniture industry a complete waste of money, energy and attention, but you have entire companies dedicated to peddling jargon that feeds into this notion as a valid branch of Design.

Now, I will admit that most people who experienced this particular presentation expressed afterwards how insulted their intelligences were or how duped they felt, but there were some who lapped it up and many who merely tolerated it for the sake of the free food. While I do concede that the sandwich that day was damn good, I still hold strong to the fact that nothing in life is free and that most times, the lure of free cold cuts is just not worth it... unless there's pretzel bread involved.

LACMA Visit - Sketches

As promised, here is a small sample of the sketches that I drew up at my most recent visit to LACMA. Was trying out a fine point and thick pen on some Giacometti sculptures, with vastly different results.

LACMA Visit - Photos

Went to the LACMA a few weeks ago (Yes, I am just now getting to posting it!) for a day of sketching and checking out art. Even though the intent of the visit was to draw, sometimes I just can't resist taking a few photos of the spaces and architecture. The sketches that also came out of this day will be forthcoming.

Top of the Oviatt

I took this shot at the Oviatt Penthouse this past Saturday, when we were there for Daisy & Damon's wedding reception. The building, and the penthouse itself were fine examples of the forgotten Art Deco of downtown Los Angeles. At one point in the evening, we made our way out to a small balcony, overlooking Olive Street, and had quite the view from there. It never ceases to amaze me that once you get off the ground it almost seems like we have a legitimate "Downtown".

The lighting of the buildings and sky at this particular moment struck me as theatrical, as if the facades scattered in front of me were all made of plaster and plywood. Hell, knowing this town, they probably were...

Long Beach Jellyfish

At the end of June, we wend to the wedding of a couple friends, whom got married in Long Beach on the sand. After the ceremony the reception was held at the nearby Long Beach Aquarium, which was fun overall, but uniquely so because we had nearly free reign of the entire place for the evening. After finding my way around some ropes, I found myself upstairs, faced with several tanks filled with the slow undulations and luminous tendrils of a throng of jellyfish, glowing eerily in the darkness.

One can lose oneself in a place such as this, and I will admit that I did for a little while. Luckily I was fortunate to have a camera with me to attempt to capture the beauty of these amazing creatures...