Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Place of Ancient Heroes

Another triptych of ink drawings, drawn side by side & at the same time, then joined together in Photoshop:

Place of Ancient Heroes, 2011, brush & ink on paper, each drawing 11" x 8.5".

Sunday, August 28, 2011

A page from Shadow Bay

Here is a screen grab from a PDF of the Shadow Bay ("a noir visual novel") layout (page 119) showing how the text & images work together. This is one of many page layout options from the book -- some of the images take up a full page, in a few cases there are up to 5 or 6 small images on a page with the text. Kudos to Georgia for a great layout job...with around 380 images there was a lot to work with there...

Click the image for a more legible version. Note: the upper drawing is the new replacement image posted a couple of days ago (below).

Friday, August 26, 2011

Hands and Gun

Another image related to Shadow Bay...this may be on the back cover...

Hands and Gun, 2011, acrylic on board, 10" x 8".

Study of Three Heads

This was a kind of experiment where I drew the 3 heads at the same time, moving from one to the other, then scanned them & combined them in Photoshop. I think it worked out quite well...I could have taken one long piece of paper to draw the 3 heads on, I suppose, but this way there is a little interruption in between each image that adds some kind of element, I think...

Study of Three Heads, 2011, brush & ink on paper, each image is 11" x 8.5", for a virtual combined total of 11" x 25.5".

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

A stray image from Shadow Bay

The following image is a little hint that something might be happening with the Shadow Bay noir crime novel collaboration with Donald J. Rothschild. This is a new image I did today that is a possible replacement for one of the original images. More anon.

Head in Gray

Another head, "painted" in ink...

Head in Gray, 2011, brush & ink on paper, 11" x 8.5".

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Sun Arise

This may be the final drawing for the reconstituted In Humanity series, one of the orginal drawings from 1991.

Sun Arise, 1991, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75".

Human Weapon

Another drawing from the archives for the newly reconstituted In Humanity series.

Human Weapon, circa 1992, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75".

If an Empire were a Monster

...it might look like this. Rejected (probably) drawing for the In Humanity series from 1992.

If an Empire were a Monster, circa 1992, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75".

When Worlds Collide

Another image orginally intended for the In Humanity series (as was the one in the previous posting).

When Worlds Collide, 1992, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75".

The Man with the Synthetic Head

This was a drawing from 1992, originally associated with the "In Humanity" series.

The Man with the Synthetic Head, 1992, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75".

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Welcome to the City of the Future

This apocalyptic acrylic painting was done in 2004 and seems as relevant today as when I did it around 7 years ago.

Welcome to the City of the Future, 2004, acrylic on board, 14" x 11".

Yggdrasil version 2

A further development of the Yggdrasil (Tree of the World) image...I really need to move up in scale on this.

Yggdrasil version 2, 2011, brush & ink on paper, 12" x 9".

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Yggdrasil

This is an ink sketch for my version of Yggdrasil, the World Tree from Norse mythology. It's an early version & I will probably do more.

Yggdrasil, 2011, brush & ink on paper, 12" x 9".

Friday, August 19, 2011

The Wandering Man

This is possibly an unfinished piece, or a study for a larger work.

The Wandering Man, 2011, brush & ink on cardboard, 12" x 9".

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

A Man and His World

A figure drawing on cardboard...from the backing of a pad of drawing paper.

A Man and His World, 2011, ink & acrylic on cardboard, 12" x 9".

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Nocturnal Orpheus

Ink & acrylic drawing on blue-gray paper. Occasional Orpheus series.

Nocturnal Orpheus, 2011, ink (brush & brush pen) & acrylic on toned paper, 12" x 9".

Monday, August 15, 2011

Sculptural

Just a drawing that turned out quite well.

Sculptural, 2011, brush & ink on tinted paper, 12" x 9".

Owen M and the Souls of Arcadia

The latest entry in the Book of Souls, a collaboration with Tim Lowly. I create the original artwork (in the handmade sense) & he does the photography, layout & digital magick parts...

Owen M and the Souls of Arcadia

Owen M is a neighbor of mine here in Rhinebeck, NY.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

The Captive Mind

This is another of a series of heads containing figures. The title comes from a book by Czesław Miłosz.

The Captive Mind, 2011, brush & ink on tinted paper, 12" x 9".

Tendrilhead

An ink drawing of a head on blue-gray tinted paper. Related to the Tree Man series of pieces.

Tendrilhead, 2011, brush & ink on tinted paper, 12" x 9".

The Escape

Another new ink drawing on tinted paper.

The Escape, 2011, brush & ink on tinted paper, 12" x 9".

Saturday, August 13, 2011

She grew weary of weaving worlds

New brush & ink drawing on tinted paper.

She grew weary of weaving worlds, 2011, ink on paper, 12" x 9".

Figures Reflected in an Eye

This was a drawing I did back in 1993 as possibly part of the In Humanity series. I've never photographed it until now. While it doesn't really fit in the series, I think it's a strong piece.

Figures Reflected in an Eye, 1993, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75" approx.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Broken Egg

Another painting from around 2004, of a giant broken egg among mountains.

Broken Egg, circa 2004, acrylic on board, 12" x 9".

Blue Ruin

This was a painting from around 2004 that I've never photographed before.

Blue Ruin, circa 2004, acrylic on plywood, 12" x 12".

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Forbidden Landscape

New small landscape drawing for the Journey to Somewhere collaboration with Barry Farmer over on Flickr.

Forbidden Landscape, 2011, brush & ink (with traces of acrylic) on paper, 11" x 8.5".

Cathedral

This is a small acrylic painting from 2004, in a much larger version than I've uploaded before.

Cathedral, 2004, acrylic on board, 8" x 6".

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Ruined City Inside a Giant, Broken Egg

New drawing for the Journey to Somewhere collaboration:

Ruined City Inside a Giant, Broken Egg, 2011, brush & ink on paper, 11" x 8.5".

Land of Wonders

Here is a little fantastic landscape drawn on a piece of artificially aged paper:

Land of Wonders, 2011, ink on stained paper, 11" x 8.5".

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Another art scam email

From time to time I get things like this (in this case from a "Pamela Gascoyne" via Gmail):

"Hope this message finds you well. I saw these creatives works on your web site and I will like you to get back with more details if they are still available for purchase.

Orpheus | Angel
2011, 16.5" x 14"
china marker & ink on paper

Faith Healer
2011, 23.5" x 18"
ink on paper

I will appreciate an urgent reply."


At first glance, this might look like a genuine inquiry about buying art. However, there are a couple of red flags that pop up straightaway. The odd grammar for a start, suggests that this is at least not a native English speaker (which in itself is not a problem, of course). I think the real giveaway here is the lack of detail or curiosity...a person actually interested in buying a piece of art would probably be a bit more forthcoming about why they liked the art & wanted to buy it. They would also probably ask for more details about the piece...I myself might be a bit cautious about buying a work of art based on a low-resolution photo on a web site...I might ask for more photos & details.

Luckily, the idiosyncratic grammar made it easy to discover that this was a scam...I merely pasted the words into Google (inside quotation marks so as to find an exact match) & a number of web sites popped up indicating that this was indeed a scam. Here is one:

http://stopartscams.blogspot.com/2011/04/scam-email-janet-miller.html

How could someone wanting to buy some art be a scam? you might ask...well, the way it usually works is that the buyer wants to send you a check for more than the value of the art, as they have a "client in your country" to whom they owe a couple of thousand dollars. They send you a banker's check, you put it in your account. A couple of days later it seems that the money is there, so you cut a check for the "client" & send the money on. You also send the art to the buyer. A couple of weeks later, you find the check you received was a fake & that you are out a couple of thousand dollars & have also lost a piece of art (plus shipping & packing costs), which may be on the scammer's wall, or in a dumpster somewhere.

Luckily for potential artist victims, the scammers aren't very creative with their solicitations. When you're sending out hundreds or thousands of these, they are mainly cut-and-paste jobs, so Googling for the exact language will often find other examples from the same person (or even someone else copying them). If in doubt, do a Google search, for example for: " saw these creatives works on your web site and I will like you"...

Seller beware! I hope this helps someone avoid an unpleasant & costly situation.

Monday, August 08, 2011

The End

The original final drawing from the In Humanity series, which I'm keeping in place, at least for the moment.

The End, 1992, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75".

The complete In Humanity series can be seen here.

The Family

A drawing from 1991 for the reconfigured In Humanity series:

The Family, 1991, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75".

The complete In Humanity series can be seen here.

Small ink drawing of a head

Probably from around 2002:

Small ink drawing of a head, circa 2002, pen & ink on paper, 5.5" x 4".

Little Bosch Monster

This is a small homage to Hieronymus Bosch that I did on a piece of paper my son aged & textured for me. I've always been fascinated by Bosch's humorous yet terrifying creations, so here is my version of one of them (a pastiche, not a copy):

Little Bosch Monster, 2011, brush & ink on prepared paper, 11" x 8.5".

Drought

This is a drawing from the "In Humanity" series from 1991. I'm currently editing & reassembling that series over on Flickr...

Drought, 1991, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75" approx.

Swimmer in a Vortex

This is a drawing I did on a piece of textured paper my son (age 9) prepared for me. He wet the paper & then laid it on a plastic tray that had an embossed design on it. Unfortunately, the texture doesn't come out as well in the scan as in real life.

Swimmer in a Vortex, 2011, brush & ink on textured paper, 11" x 8.5".

Head Starting to Collapse

This drawing was unsigned & undated...I think it's from around 2003...

Head Starting to Collapse, around 2003, brush & ink on paper, 12.5" x 9.25" approx.

Soul at Rest

Another drawing from my archives, this one from 2003:

Soul at Rest, 2003, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

Ascension

This was from a series called "In Humanity" that I did back in 1991. I just found this drawing an a closet & decided to take a new photo of it.

Ascension, 1991, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75" approx.

Sunday, August 07, 2011

Suspended Above The Abyss

Another one from around 1992 or 1993:

Suspended Above The Abyss, 1992/3, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75" approx.

By The Silent Pool

Another one from 1992:

By The Silent Pool, 1992, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75" approx.

At World's End

I've destroyed the world several times over the years...here's one from 2002...

At World's End, 2002, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

Dark Sun Shining

New photo of a previously unseen drawing from 2003:

Dark Sun Shining, 2003, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

Reaching Into The Earth

Figure drawing from 1992.

Reaching Into The Earth, 1992, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75" approx.

The Tower of Babel

Another old ink drawing of a favorite theme.


The Tower of Babel, circa 1993, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75" approx.

The Acrobats

I've been going through some old pieces this morning, as you can see, & taking new photos of them, in some cases these are the first photos that have been taken.

The Acrobats, 1993, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75".

Worlds Within Worlds

Another new photo of an ink drawing done back in 1993.

Worlds Within Worlds, 1993, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75" approx.

La Petite Mort, 1993

A new photo of an ink drawing done while I lived in Paris, which is one reason why the title is in French.

La Petite Mort, 1993, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 11.75" approx.

Saturday, August 06, 2011

Healer

This is a small drawing I did a couple of days ago for this week's collaboration with NC Mallory -- this is the 37th themed drawing we've done...

Healer, 2011, brush & ink on paper, 10" x 8".

You can see the combined drawings here and the portfolio of works so far here.

Friday, August 05, 2011

Standing Figure, Watching

I painted this simple figurative image over an ink drawing, which is mostly not visible in the finished piece, but it does add texture.

Standing Figure, Watching, 2011, acrylic & ink on tinted paper, 12" x 9".