Author: mightylark

Seems like every time I end up blogging lately, it begins with “so it’s been a while” . This I can’t dispute this time either but nevertheless I’ve been busy and having a good time with everything.

There is some new stuff waiting in the wings, and everything will be coming to fruition within the next couple months. Perhaps there is a move in my near future and perhaps a new job, perhaps one of my business ventures is starting to fly. We’ll see what happens and once it seems more concrete I will let anyone who comes here to this blogspot know.

In the meantime……

Here is one of my first sketches for the Blue Bottle show next april. It’s kind of an ode to a paining I saw at http://www.rrobots.com/. This guys paintings are pretty rad. I thought his robot arms reaching would be better served looking after a bird though…..

This is a sketch for one of the first pieces in my “big show” I mentioned last blog posting. I’m going to be cutting out a bunch of these mini trees….I’m thinking they might represent seasonal changes as well, so there may be some with leaves and leaves changing color and buds as well……all in good time.

My parents are coming tomorrow….we’ll see when next I post….probably another well it’s been a while but……

So It’s been a pretty crazy two month period. TinCan Web Works has been taking off a little bit and that has cut into my time to paint a little bit, but I’ve finally started my first piece for the show at BlueBottle next April. Actually it is almost done so I will probably get that up in the next couple of days……no really, I’m for real this time.

I’ve also been applying to jobs in Canada lately. According to the points system that goes towards immigration all I need is a job offer from a company to score a 75. You need a 67 to get in. So that would be cool.

In the meantime I have been writing up a proposal for a huge show that I’m going to try to get a month residency to make. I think it’s time I bypass grad school and just perform some awesome DIY principles……

so here’s the first sketch for that show….

So I don’t have any paintings to put up today, or sketches for that matter, but I have a lot of stuff waiting to go up. I need to be able to put CS3 back on my computer though, so I’m waiting on the RAM that is coming in the mail… Wouldn’t it be cool if ram for a computer looked like a big mountain goat…….

Started to do a lot of tree drawings and started to carve some of those out of plywood. I don’t know where all of it is leading but I will keep everyone updated. On another note, my legs are sooooore. Started at the farmhouse and I think I may die there…..

see you soon with some images.

Mike

So I think this is going to be the first piece that I work up for the Blue Bottle, but I think I have to put another swooping bird in the foreground to balance out the one in the back, that and if I add another character it will be enough about the characters that the environment can be pretty much atmospheric which is highly preferable in these pieces. Nobody wants highly defined background in a painting that I do of a robot and a bird……

I most certainly thought this robot up after reading some more Asimov……..This research thing could really make the difference. Maybe Joe Glisson wasn’t full of crap after all……

I love this guy. You probably can’t see it but his name tag says Duncan…….Silly but come on, like the runner on the side of a Dunkin Donuts cup isn’t cheesy. I mean what runner in their right mind has a cup of coffee before they leave the house. All that would mean is that three miles in you would be double over some mesquite or something……

Yea this totally has a double meaning…..first off, I screw up enough in my sketchbook that I feel like I should have an oops monster. Just a little guy to say “hey, ya bonehead, this drawing really sucks all sorts of words that I can’t say cuz I’m a well behaved oops monster”. Secondly, you guessed it, I really, really, really t’d my lovely lady off tonight………oops shorry!

So I have a show at the Blue Bottle coming up, which is awesome, but I’m supposed to do robots and birds, and well I haven’t drawn any robots in months, so I’m trying to get back into it. I’ve been reading “I, Robot” and checking out some sci fi drawings and what not. I’m really trying to do a little more research on things. It seems to have helped me with the character of my birds so why not with the robots as well?

Here is one of my newer sketches of bird robot combo though. I’m leaning more towards large bubble looking robots….and am also pretty excited about the old robots on Mars in the second story in “I, Robot” with the saddles on their backs…kind of a cool concept….makes you wonder why they call him the master of science fiction….not really!

I’m not really into these guys eyes. I’m kind of thinking a C3P0 kind of thing…….but I sort of like the small circles too……….

For birds I’ve been really leaning towards Gold finches and Cuckoo birds. I love the crown on the Cuckoo bird and I can’t help thinking of the Cuckoo Pigeon sisters of “Odd Couple” fame when I’m drawing them.

Lastly today…here’s a little emo blast. Thinking about the show that I saw at the ICA in Boston. Can’t get the speaker images out of my head. Never could, but seeing this show just intensified that feeling.

Have to go. Beth just put Weird Al on. Something must be done……..

So I had to quit my job, because my boss was a complete tyrant and I was the only cook left

But on a better not, I sold a couple paintings at the Hive Gallery in LA, and I took a few more to concord to the Speakeasy Boutique and I have the details of my Blue Bottle Show ironed out a little bit.

So here’s a couple of pieces that I took to the Speakeasy Boutique:

Another bird and birdhouse piece. This one is entitled Goldfinch Jazz. I’m moving on to different birds and away from hip hop references. Can I make a death metal bird and bird house? Hmmmm….

I really like this guy. I think Puddle of Mud or something, but way cooler….

Look ma no headphones!!

New Paintings and stuff

There is a ton of new stuff going on! First of I was asked by the Blue Bottle to have a dual show in 2009. That’s crazy, because I’ve been trying to get in there for five years now. Awesome. Also there is a painting available in the Art for Sale section of The Hive Gallery’s website. It’s only $200 if anyone is interested.

So I’ve been working on this new cool little series. I got 4 small frames at a church rummage sale and have been putting together a small bird family. So far it’s really cool.

I guess you could say that it looks like the beginning for a children’s book or something but it was really just a new way to start to think of these birds. They really have taken on a character as opposed to in the beginning when there wasn’t much to their structure to add character to.

I kind of like the bird with no headphones even better. I don’t know what is happening to me. Soon I’ll be making pastoral scenes and talking about my new painting of mallards and how maybe I’ll make the three cent stamp or some crud…..

This is the piece that I did for my mom for mother’s day. I started it four months ago, but finally got around to finishing it now. Go ahead, call me lazy. Tell me I’m one step away from pastoral scenes

Feeling normal again. Actually spending time painting, and not totally immersed in websites. I mean websites are cool and all but I love painting. It’s been weird not doing much of it…..I guess that is what happens when they turn you down from MCAD. Ha, don’t really know why I wanted to go anyway. I’d rather just go to Minneapolis and hang out with my friend kelly.

But anyway, not to disappoint, I finished my second painting for the boutique in New York finally. I think it’s pretty rad. The bird house series is starting to become more extensive, and that is allowing me to get more into the character of the birds. Good stuff. Also helps me to build more character into the bird houses themselves.

Anyway….

The blue bird rock continues. I don’t know what it is about blue birds but they sure rock…maybe it’s the state bird of new york thing, or maybe it’s that all of the school buses were blue bird buses. I don’t know, but blue birds rock at least as hard as the stones do. Or rather at least as hard as sixty something year old rolling stones…..

I was just invited to be in the May show at the Hive Gallery, and this is my first sketch for my piece. It’s my first attempt at one of the more exaggerated looking birds. It also goes right along with chinese poetry.

until then….

So I know I know, I haven’t put anything up here since February…..

Slacker!

It’s not that I haven’t been working though. Although, truth be told I’ve mainly been trying to teach myself how to be a web designer, which by the way I am not doing to badly at. I’ve been working on www.tincanwebworks.com, (TinCan Web Works is the name that Beth’s brother and I have been working under) So far so good, just need to update things so as not to be ripping people off.

Here’s a banner off a site that is never going to launch because the guy that was trying to put it up was absolutely crazy……

I really like the banner, but that is about all that I am absolutely sold on.

I’ve also been working on a few paintings. Mostly for the “After the Ice Caps” series, but I’ve also been working up a couple birds with birdhouses for a boutique in New York, and a couple paintings for the Hive Gallery in California.

This is one of the two paintings that I will be sending to the boutique in New York this week.
I am so in love with this series. This is supposed to be a male house finch. I’ve started only doing birds in this series that I see at my feeder this summer. Sounds like a plan to me. Did I mention that I am glad that it is finally spring…….

This is the painting that I did for the “Avatar” show at the Hive Gallery. My Avatar is the Mighty Sparrow. Half mighty mouse and half Run DMC. The idea of having an Avatar is kind of ridiculous and I love it…..

This is a self portrait that I drew out shortly after walking around the ICA in Boston. A guy was doing a bunch of pieces using speakers as different voices representing different cultures in urban areas. Interesting concept but I chose to take it a completely different direction…..

My computer is finally up to date and I’m painting more and sleeping less so I’ll probably have some more stuff up soon……

Mattie if you’re reading this I’ve been working on the *expletive* ark.

So two nights ago, beth and I were sitting on our couch talking about heavy stuff for a long time. The next morning I woke up and had to go work on something a little light-hearted. I’ve only got so much seriousness in my whole body.

I am super proud of this little guy. I’ve always had a complete obsession with Barry Mcgee’s work. He takes frames that he gets cheap at thrift stores and rummage sales and makes art to go in them. Basically a backwards process, since framing is generally the last step and not the first. I’ve bought many cheap frames in the past, but usually they sit around until we move and then I get rid of them. This time I actually finished my painting though, and I am quite pleased. I want to do more even. This one is called “Jam I am”

I also finished the first of a couple pieces with birds in trees. Simple stuff, but I like the “subtle” headphones. Anyway until next time, Hasta la pasta.

mike