A friend of mine recently "liked" some of my artwork on facebook.  This friend is from Liberia, and after another Liberian friend saw that this person had liked my work, they were asking them about liking "art done by white people." 

In light of that, I just want to say that I don't discriminate based on race.  I don't really discriminate against anyone, unless they are an asshole, and even then I will let as much slide with them as I possibly can in order to keep the relationship at 100%.  This is about art though. 

Art has a value intrinsic to it, an importance that lies completely outside the ethnicity of the artist.

I'm sure that my being white and growing up in small town white America has contributed to the content of my work in some fashion.  Still, I'm able to find so much beauty in observing, learning about, and interacting with people of other cultures, that defining my art work as "art done by white people" is just a reflection of that individuals shallow understanding of a number of issues. 

In other news, I'm excited to get started on another commissioned drawing.  It is another love themed drawing, and this time will be including two Cenzontle, a.k.a. Mexican Mockingbirds. This is the rough sketch I did to map out the composition. 

I can't wait to get started

Weak ape throw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrmgiPO_260


This is amazing.

prints

Raven, Atticus, Bishop

I should have more of these by now.  Too many distractions.

Lovebirds

2400 project views on my behance page, 115 project appreciations.  How to get to epidemic status?  Until I find a way, I'm going to work out these projects.  Progress shot:

Love birds theme.  They are based on buntings, a painted bunting on the left, an indigo bunting on the right.  The painted bunting is looking endearingly at the indigo bunting, who is serenading the painted bunting with a song.  The branches come together and wrap around each other, as a heart shape.

Update:  11/16

Update:  12/3

Update: 12/12

Update: 12/14

Final

Sitting on three commissions.  Accepted a show at a gallery in St. Paul for January.  Preparing for two art events through Hennpin County Medical Center.  This is just great.

Finished one commission, two more to go.  It's crunch time.

yep

I met this psychologist the other day, at a cafe.  He said he's thinking about getting back into art, and if I'm willing to drive 2 1/2 hours away to his town with a thriving art community, he'd love to introduce me to several people.

Sounds kinda cool, I hope it's not a weird sex thing.

In any case, I'm still making hot drawings.

Raven  11x14" (pencil, pen)

this is hot.  queen of my dreams.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCaf0ZEckUs


 I'm posting this too, Souls of Mischief.  Cool group name, cool song, cool story, just cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPGCP5kwA4c

rappin for Jesus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Kppx4bzfAaE#t=92


What just happened?

a cardinal

This is just about finished.  I like it, but I still want to do another one.  More to come, as always.

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build, 

     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance, 

     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 

     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,

     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak, 

     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

 
 What do workers gain from their toil?  I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.  I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVl3Zx6FsFA


neo-jazz turntablism.  and awesome album art.

I recently saw three people on bikes, welded together with a giant bat sculpture hoisted above them going down the street.  There was a guy standing up in the bed of a pickup driving slowly in the bike lane behind them, filming them with a cell phone.  I love it here.

In the past week, my artwork has inspired two poems by two different people.  It's great to be around other artists, and to see how different forms of art can enrich each other. 

It's about time I finished this winter wren drawing.  Also, a glimpse of the digital part of my process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siUOFWj-5YQ

scan of original

completed image

Two weeks to prepare for a three month show in the Bankcorp building, downtown Minneapolis.  Bishop will be there.  See you all at the meet and greet.

Bishop

It's a Jagwar Ma kind of afternoon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMRZZp5dMc8

Loungin'

Getting ready to make some moves, and trying to take on two solo shows at the same time.  All with tranquility. 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1ILBqN8FXM

I got an e-mail today from an individual who said the nicest things about my art work.  They claimed to have a physical reaction to it, and urged me to continue making.  It was such a great feeling, and didn't even matter that they weren't able to purchase at that time.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYO6iBpi960

Grosbeak

Moving from chaos, towards order.  Grosbeak progress shot.

Here it is, on Behance:  http://www.behance.net/wip/236733

MAC

 

This happened with my art a while ago.  I'm reflecting on it, fondly, as I sip a cup of french press coffee, Damschen House Blend, and munch on some dark chocolate and raw almonds.  Time to start another project.  Progress shots will be posted as they happen.

This is the beginning of a vulture drawing, a vulture statement.


http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lriaismIO51qb972po1_500.gif

With much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. 

It's true.

total depravity

The more we examine human nature and our own hearts, the more abominations we shall discover -

Matthew Henry

Hip Hop

I'm an Earth Traveler:  figuring stuff out as I go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrIS13kmiRA


This one too.  If you can't give it up, you can't take it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-1GfHOO_8c 

feeling classy

Freedom through artistic expression.
http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html

Amelia

Sold two more Amelia's, and have another interested buyer.  This is my most popular drawing by quite a large margin.

substance & survival

I've been thinking a lot about how people are made, how they are put together, how they work.  These two charts are interesting to me, especially the bottom one.  The world preaches materialism, things that only appeal to the flesh, or the mind.  Those things are not enough to satisfy me, and the more I wake up to this truth, the more I find I am drawn towards like minded individuals.  

figuring stuff out

If you seek good, you'll find good.  If you seek bad, you'll find bad.  If you think you're seeking good, but still finding bad, that means you're not actually seeking, pouring out, striving for, applying effort in pursuit of good, and it is time to reevaluate the decision making processes of your life, reevaluate the motives of your heart.  If you're not seeking good, you're seeking bad.  There is no middle ground to stand on, all your efforts fall into one category or the other.  You may put out good that is met with bad, but this has no power over, does not cheapen in any way, your choice to pour out goodness.  All this means is that you have to work for goodness, where bad is effortless.  

This is another project I'm working on.

healthy heart, healthy you

What is the human heart?  What is its role in our lives?  How do we take care of it?  

These, and many more, are questions I'm seeking answers to.  I love this exposition by Charles Spurgeon. 


Psalms 62:8. Ye people, pour out your heart before him:-

That is the way to get rid of all your troubles; take your heart, and turn it upside down, and pour out all that is in it. Do not save a drop or a drag: try not to hide one secret sorrow from your God, nor one slight grief that nestles in a corner of your spirit. “Pour out your heart before him.” It will not be wise for you to pour it out before your fellows, for they will misunderstand you and misrepresent you; but “pour out your heart before him:”

 

I found this on google images, not my artwork.

Peter Bjorn & John - Up against the wall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UwB1y6Pocg

learning out loud

I've been letting other name my birds, now I'm thinking about offering black and white versions for other people to color.   It could be a cool thing for people, a little more challenging and involving than what the average coloring book has to offer.  I'm going to sit on that idea for a while, and see where it goes in time. 

Also, I have multiple projects going at once.  I love when I'm able to get to that point.  You can keep tabs on them here:  http://www.behance.net/ebaf/wip









Illa J - DFTF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5839cJa3Inw

Wiz Khalifa - Sometimes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFN5t3OfQ4k

Intuition - Feeling the Emptiness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwNLa4StKOU

Blue Sky Black Death & Hell Razah - Poor Righteous Dreams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnUzOyVhtvk

some dreams stay dreams, some dreams come true

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ET0nnCR7Y8

honey bee progress shots.

philosophy

It's all about knowing ultimate reality, the universal truth. 

progress shots

Winter wren progression.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yMhWFXEhbI 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3stjv9Jov4A

an intelligent way

This is about right.

STRFKR - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky20-i_DOR8

business card

first draft of business card

Plain, simple, detailed.  No extra, no flash, effective, kind of dark.  I like it. 

Toody

Old toody

Cutie Patoody

I updated Toody for an opening.  My work is being displayed at a coffee shop, Fireroast Cafe.  It felt a little more natural this time, preparing my work to be displayed, that is.  It is still new a new part of my process of making and selling art, but one that I can find joy in, and will continue to improve upon.  Things like this, updating previously completed work in this way, is very tangible evidence, in my opinion, that I'm getting better, and seeing more ways in which I can be a more successful artist.

Unfortunately, many times I don't see how something can improve until I've taken the time/money/energy to print and frame it.  My reject print pile is getting pretty thick and expensive, but the improvements I'm seeing make it worthwhile.

team work makes a dream work

This is not a rabbit.

  A lot of people are unsure of what this animal is, many of them thinking it's rabbit.  My favorite area of it is the tail.  Overall, I would just say that I think it works, and I'm excited to build on what I did well in this drawing.  I got a lot of positive feedback on this before it was done, and that helped me a great deal in finishing it, so in a way this was a team effort. 


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxTOsQ3LDE4

Sinclair

Sinclair.  This has been done for a while, just realizing that I haven't posted him yet.  Got an art deadline coming up on the 1st or 2nd of July, so I'm actually getting some things done/organized.  I'll be posting them soon.  Interesting times, to be certain.  A few songs that are helping on me along the way.


 MMOTHS - All These Things
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkrTL62CLCA

The Dears - Omega Dog
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw3ruwwewFo

Young Wonder - Tumbling Backwards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGh2-Oxd8tU

 Santigold - This Isn't Our Parade
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvVZi47gAqU

Seward

I just went for a run.  I run most days actually.  Today, I saw some very interesting folks, got to watch some sort of native drum dancing ceremony, which was awesome.  Had a nice view of the Mississippi pretty much the entire time, and to top it all off, a guy cruised past me on a unicycle during my cool down.  I love this neighborhood.

I may have shared this already, not quite sure.  Either way, I'm posting Ridiculoid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj9Vqrm5ytM

Cleo

I met this person a while ago. They burst into my life, out of nowhere, out of the blue, just showed up and started making me see things, realize things, started teaching me things not by trying to teach me things but simply by being themselves.  I've seen a depth of beauty, capability, grace, forgiveness, and charity in this person that I literally did not know was possible, an energy, an inner light that just permeates into and through everything around them.  Having the knowledge that there's a person like this living is so inspiring, so motivating.  This knowledge has been consistently allowing me to see more ways of improving my artwork.  It's like its increased the amount of beauty I can find in everything else, and, in the case of my birds,  if I see my work lacking beauty, this persons influence in my life gives me a vision of how to improve it.   The more people like this I have in my life, the better.

 Here is the evolution of Cleo:

 

 

 

 In preparation for the next showing of my birds, I'm considering a lot of my older work again, and with some I've been able to go back in and improve them.  Cleo's starting to pop out a little more, starting to look a little less washed out and a little more vibrant.  Also I realized this morning while walking to work that I have 18 of these birds now.  More to come, and a song to fit my mood:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fle-zebSXNc

Snake Logo Design

This is the evolution:

It's a great feeling to have arrived at the final product that I did.  I've got little logo design experience, so it's been very interesting to walk myself through a different creative process, one that I think will benefit, will grow my process for creating my own work.  The logo was so getting so complex, so detailed.  My personal work has been highly detailed lately, and I was using that in the logo.  I was trying too hard.  There was a feeling of being stuck, feeling disinclined to begin the task of deciding what was important and what wasn't in the design, but I ended up having fun with it.

This is an excellent song, and a very entertaining music video to go along with it.  The story is funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL9ypNz9-mM
  

Chicken

Work in progress

I think that it's time that I pause my current project and start a few new ones.  I've had this drawing as my main focus for several weeks now, and am finding my progress to be slowing down, and if my drawing is anything like the rest of my life, which is most certainly is, this is a clear indication that I need to put it down for a short time, focus on other things, then come back to it with a renewed desire to see it through to completion.

I think this is my best work, in terms of execution/craft, and in terms of embedded personal meaning.  There is still a nagging feeling that my work needs to communicate something more, and do so clearly.  That is something that cannot be awakened before its time.  As a friend told me not so long ago, "just be patient, the meaning will come."  We aren't obliged to know everything, and until this new focus becomes clear to me I will gladly keep making birds.  I'm thinking Sandhill Cranes are next.

snake logo

I'm loving the book Siddhartha.  I wouldn't say the book has changed me in any way so far, but it's a very inward focused, spiritually centered book, and for those reasons I am able to relate to it on a very personal level.

The peacefullness that comes out of the empty heart.  The fact that everyone takes and everyone gives, and that is how life is.  The fact that other people are not here for our amusement.  The drive to experience everything, primarily myself, deeply and passionately, and yet not be mastered by anything.



Logo

As I learn from everything, and contemplate, my art continues to develop.  This is the third draft of a logo I'm designing for a friend.  It's come a long way since the initial sketches, and is going to be a great success when finished. 

This is what I'm listening to right now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4jj7LtrGzc


Here's the final version of this third draft of the snake logo.  Got some last second feedback from a fellow artist recommending I add some red to the compass, which turned out to be a great suggestion.  I'm not totally sold on the green, or the scales for that matter.  I think if I did one more draft, it could pop even more than it does now. 

feedback is encouraged!