Outspoken Covering Hoobastank

A practice session with my band. I play guitar. :-)

Pass The Pastels

 3 new oil pastel pieces. Done on recycled cardboard.

Here's Ink In Your Eye

Here are some new ink/marker drawings I created yesterday. They are mostly a continuation of my exploration of shapes but I've also been paying closer attention to straight/semi-straight lines. It has been said that there are no straight lines in nature. Some artists agree with this statement; some disagree. I tend to agree and disagree.

Follow your heart! :-)

Experimentation

 Here are some ideas/concepts I've been experimenting with.

 Thanks for looking! :-)

Short Days

Are the days getting shorter or am I just in my own time warp? The days must be getting shorter because the last time I looked at a clock it was Friday and now it is Sunday. Hmmm. Just an observation. I spent most of Friday practicing with the band and hanging out with other local musicians. I spent Saturday recovering from Friday and finishing some errands. Today, I saw "The Green Hornet" movie. It's a pretty awesome movie. It was better than I had expected. I did take a break from my artwork this weekend but I will jump right back in the swing of things this upcoming week.

Here's a quick sketch I did today. I have titled it "Speak."

Keep on rockin'! :-)

Abstract Government

 I am hard at work creating a lot of new abstract pieces. Well, not too hard at work (I don't like taking anything too seriously). Here are two recent pieces which I created with acrylics, pencil shavings, fake money, play-doh, tape and triple thick gloss. I painted them on smooth Bristol board. The drying process was quite a while and they ended up sticking to the cardboard I placed them on to dry. I had to very carefully pull them off with a small pair of scissors. But I do like the end result. I titled the first one "No Amnesty" and the second "Illegal System." Yes, they are wrought with political overtones and that was part of my intention. I have been trying to think of different creative ways in which to bring more attention to the fallacies of government control. Everyday, more people are waking up to the questionable acts of the establishment and looking for answers. But the answers they/you/we seek will not come from politicians or any authority figure. We must find our own answers and do the best we can in order to bring the truth to light.

Disappearing Eyes, Disappearing Mind

 I spent a good 3-4 hours yesterday learning five new songs with my singer friend. We're both already getting tired of playing/learning other people's songs. He booked our first gig on February 12th. I don't why he did but he did. If we had a few more weeks to prepare then we wouldn't be feeling so pressured. Oh well. I'm doing my best not to pay too much attention to it. I find that when I don't think too much I tend to play better.

So, here are two eyes I drew up. A red eye and a green eye. I had some other idea in mind but I haven't quite worked it out yet. I've also included a pic of myself; taken after a long night.

We're All Made of Shapes

 Everyone and everything is essentially a basic shape. Squares, triangles, circles, rectangles can all be seen regularly during the course of a lifetime. Not many of us consciously notice these shapes but they are indeed a big factor of our existence. I drew up these four sketches of shapes while contemplating this very subject. I used nothing more than a blue sharpie, copier paper and my own imagination.

Going Bananas

 Twenty bananas all lined up in a row. Well, not an exact row but close enough. I drew them with permanent markers on smooth Bristol board.

ETSY SHOP

In Honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -Martin Luther King Jr.

I agree with you Dr. King! I whole-heartedly agree.

Practical Inspiration

 I had a rather long practice with my band last night. We auditioned a new drummer and the whole session went pretty well. There are a couple of art projects I've been engaged in as well. I will post pics of them later. For now, I thought I'd post a video featuring one of my favorite guitarists Tom Morello. If you are familiar with the band Rage Against The Machine then you are familiar with his playing and social ethics. He definitely has the same world perspective that I do. Please watch, share and enjoy. I've also included some pics of my very early artworks in this post. :-)

More Color Schemes

 I quickly drew/sketched out these four color schemes. I think I prefer to call them color sketches more than color schemes. Of course, they can also be thought of as abstract color sketches. Well, these color sketches are my way of exploring each color's dynamic. Sometimes I'll get an image in my mind of two or three different colors mixing/overlapping each other. And usually, if I allow myself to think about them long enough, I can feel what kind of energy/emotion those colors would invoke.

Here are the four color sketches. They don't have individual titles. I just titled them "Scheme, Scheme II, Scheme III, Scheme IV." I used pastels on copier paper.

Farming

 I drew this up last night. It is mostly based on a miniature sketch I did last summer. I sold the sketch to a friend but I still remember the basic idea behind it. This one is titled "Farm" because life tends to be cultivated as much as a farm is. It depicts one of my versions of a safe haven. The house sits on top of a lush green field/meadow and there is a hole that has been dug underneath it by the resident. The hole is kind of a representation of a home away from home.

"Those who attempt the absurd achieve the impossible." -M.C. Escher

Minimalist

 I've been busy learning a ton of songs in preparation for my band's busy spring schedule. It seems like a lot to take on all at once but the songs are relatively easy to play on guitar. Me and the singer got to practice yesterday with a drummer and bassist. The drummer was kind of lagging behind but there weren't too many mess-ups. Anyways, here are two minimalist drawings I did yesterday. The first is titled "Down-Trodden" and the second is "We Can." They consist of very simple shapes and colors but that is what makes minimalism so engaging. I didn't really have any kind of theme or concept in mind when I drew them but their titles came to me quite effortlessly. I believe it was due to a recent book I read in which the main character is having a hard time believing in his own existence. Well, that is my own analysis of it. The book is "The Invisible Man" by H.G. Wells. It is a really great story! Check it out at your local library if you are able to.

The Unity of Colors

 I am fascinated by colors! The way they can compliment and contrast each other at the same time is quite perplexing. Perplexing in a good way. I believe everyone should experiment with color schemes at some point in their life! The amount of color in your life does indeed affect your daily mood. There have been numerous studies done which prove how each color can drastically alter a person's mood. I could probably babble on and on about color analysis. Maybe I will save that for a future post. For now, here are two color experiments I roughly sketched out. I used oil pastels on Bristol board. The first is titled "Actually" and the second is "So Much." Both measure 9 inches by 12 inches.

Art is life and Life is art. :-)

Affable

 I drew some simple miniature drawings. There's a total of nine. They were done with permanent markers on smooth Bristol board. I pretty much just drew the first thing that flowed through me.

Live long and prosper! :-)