Keith Richards?

 Well, almost...

16x20

acrylic on illustration board

mixed with flood water

This morning, I was out in the garage doing some loose scribbling in charcoal on the easel. I have a small stack of paintings sitting nearby that were damaged during a basement flooding some years ago. It's denial, like they will somehow magically not be water damaged. I look at them from time to time and cringe. Some were ok, some just started, like this one of Keith Richards. I think something finally relented in me, because I'm now starting to think about restarting this one. I've resisted, angry that I should even have to start over again, dammit! I had even given in to scrapping this all together, but now...

Maybe this is why I relegated these pieces to the garage only to be seen every once in a while. The chance that I will see some kind of promise, like I once did and start again. Maybe.

I think that I had a decent enough idea with this one. I planned on having all of these abstract looking smoke whirls filling up the entirety of the background, all coming from a cigarette attached to the end of his guitar. The smoke would be thick and all encompassing, suffocating, but somehow pickling the man, keeping him alive. The music, as well, yeah, yeah...

Yeh, I think that I may begin again with this one.

My Left Foot

 

From Nothing Came Something, 1990

acrylic on canvas board

12x16

Recently, I rewatched the film My Left Foot with Daniel Day-Lewis. I hadn't seen it it in some time, probably the early 90's, or so. I was very inspired by the story of Christy Brown and did this painting not long after my first viewing of the movie. I dug it up and looked it over some. It's a simple piece, but I still like it. I don't know why I chose to do the foot as a silhouette, but I think it works. 

Ten Years and 100 Posts

Not to overshadow the post about my Uncle, but today marks exactly ten years ago that I started this blog. Ten years. Yikes! So much has happened and so much has not happened, ha, ha...

This post also marks my 100 post for this year, so I had to put something up. 

This is the very first image that I posted on December 31, 2006. It's called The Keystone and is still one of my favorite pieces that I've done.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

The Bride Of Frankenstein.......Or, The Bride Electrified?

10x15

acrylic on illustration board

I started this painting some time ago and recently decided to finish it. So, here it is with some digital enhancements. Next up, The Creature From The Black Lagoon.

The Greater Michigan Dementia Creative Arts Exhibition

Last week I was able to view a exhibition that was curated by a guy that I have known for decades. The 1st Annual Greater Michigan Dementia Creative Arts Exhibition put together by sculptor John Wood and is being held in conjunction with a similar show in South Yorkshire, England. The theme of the show is 'The Senses' and how they relate to our memories. 

A very interesting show by a variety of artists, young and old and bringing a better understanding to  those suffering with dementia of all kinds. 

The show is being held at the Services For Older Citizens center in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI and will run all summer and I would encourage all to go and view this fine collection of artwork. The pieces are on view throughout the center in various rooms that covers two floors. 

Here are just a few of the selected works in the show:

by Anne Garavaglia

by Anne Garavaglia

by John Wood

by John Wood

by Ronald T. Konopka

by Ronald T. Konopka

by John Wood

by John Wood

by Ronald T. Konopka

Below are a links to John and Anne's works:

John Wood

Anne Garavaglia

KISS Detroit City gallery Show, Part Two

                                                                        Inhumans
                                                                         18.5x26
                                                                  acrylic on canvas

Contemplating Ace

8x12

india ink on bristol

Tonight is the opening reception for the KISS themed show at the Start Gallery in Detroit. Festivities start at 7, so c'mon down and see the show. Above are the two pieces that I will have in the show. I didn't get a proper scan of the top one, sorry for the photo, but I was happy with how that one turned out.

Frankenstein's Monster

Frankenstein's Monster
10x15
acrylic and colored pencil on illustration board


So, this is the finished painting from the black and white colored pencil drawing that I posted a few months ago. A print of this will be ready for Detroit Fanfare this October, so be ready to get your classic monster fix!

General Ursus

General Ursus
colored pencil on tinted paper

General Ursus
acrylic and gold leaf on canvas


This week is the last chance that you will have to see the In A Gallery Far Far Away show at the River's Edge Gallery in Wyandotte. So, get on down river to see all that is sci-fi and pop culture, including the Byzantine-esque General Ursus. The top image is the prelim drawing that I did before the actual painting. That one is not featured at the show.

In A Gallery Far Far Away

                                        
                                     General Ursus
                       acrylic and gold leaf on canvas

No Canaries Here

acrylic on canvas

Although, the show actually started last week, tomorrow is the opening for the gallery show entitle In A Gallery Far Far Away. The show is sci-fi/fantasy/pop culture based and features some of Detroit's best illustrators and fine artists, including Alex Buechel, Matt Busch, Anne Garavaggio, Jeremy Hansen, Bill Morrison, Kelly Nemzek, Bill Pulkovski, Jay Shimko and myself. The speed painter Dave Santia will be doing his thing at about seven in front of the gallery. All proceeds from his auctioned paintings will go towards Benefits For Backpacks (I think). 

Here are the details:

A Gallery Far Far Away

The River's Edge Gallery

3024 Biddle Ave.

Wyandotte, MI 48192

www.artattheedge.com

The Star Wars costuming group, the 501st will also be on hand to make the evening even more festive. So, come on down river tomorrow evening, view some cool artwork, socialize with the animals, I mean the artists, and maybe hit one of the local eateries for dinner or a late snack. See ya there!

Blue Intent

Blue Intent
6x20
acrylic and colored pencil on illustration board



While not in Detroit's Dirty Show this month, I do have something dirty for all of you perverts. Well, not really dirty dirty at all, but you know what I mean. I chose the thin working space to experiment with just a slice of the picture.

Homage!

I will have three pieces in the Homage show that starts tonight at the River's Edge Gallery in Wyandotte, MI. The Homage show will be about just that, homage to the artist's that have influenced their art in some way. The above illustration will be a bit different from a lot of what will be seen, but since cartooning is a big part of what I do, I just had to do something that showed that. I used my character Muck Man to demonstrate just what goes into his world, as well as pretty much anything that I do. So, the influences from this piece are Salvador Dali, Barry Windsor-Smith, Auguste Rodin, Berke Breathed, Vaughn Bode and Thomas Hart Benton. An odd collection of inspirations, but they are there nonetheless.

My other two pieces pay tribute to Kurt Vonnegut and Henri Charierre, J.D. Salinger, Cervantes and Ray Bradbury.

The River's Edge Gallery is located at 3024 Biddle, Wyandotte, MI and the show runs through March.

Detroit Fanfare!

Detroit Fanfare is finally amongst us! This Saturday and Sunday at Cobo hall in Detroit will be the place to be for all of your comic and pop culture needs and this event is turning very fast into being the Detroit area's premiere con scene. The founders of Fanfare, Dennis Barger, Gary Reed and Tony Miello have pulled out all the stops in making this a fun and exciting weekend. Besides there being over 200 artists, there will be a few media guests there, as well. Peter Weller of Robocop and Buckaroo Banzai fame, Bruce Campbell of Evil Dead and Burn Notice, Steven Yeun of The Walking Dead and Kelly Hu from X-Men 2 just to name a few.

Motor City Sketch will have a presence there, as well. We will have our artists at the MCS booth throughout the weekend doing sketches for charity and some of will be doing a panel on Sunday at 2:30 talking about sketch cards, including Jay Shimko, Bill Pulkovski, Jake Minor, Matt Minor, Kevin Minor, Jason Westlake and Jeremy Treece.

I was honored to be asked to do an exclusive official Fanfare print and what you see above is just that, minus the Fanfare logo. The print is of guest Steven Yeun. You can get that print at the main table when you come through the door or at my table, as well. Although, mine won't have the Fanfare logo. I will be at table 224 in Artists Alley.

So, come on down and say hello. I will also have other prints exclusive to Fanfare and it's content, sketch cards, books and original art.

Saturday 10am to 7pm

Sunday 12pm to 6pm

You can get all the details at the Detroit Fanfare site by clicking here.

The Hellboy Fist

The Hellboy Fist or The Detroit Hellboy Memorial
15x20
acrylic on illustration board

My wife came up with this idea of taking the Joe Louis Memorial sculpture by Robert Graham that is located in downtown Detroit and replacing the JL fist with that of Hellboy's fist. Awesome idea and one that garnered a lot of attention at last week's Motor City Comic Con where I had the original painting on display. My wife has her moments and this was definitely one of them. I'm still kicking myself for not coming up with it!

Bumblebee

Here is a pin up style painting that I finished up a few months ago. It has two subjects of interest for me; women and bumblebees. What does this mean? I don't know. Does this really need a meaning? You tell me.

Bumblebee
15x8
acrylic on illustration board

Scary Monsters and Super Creeps

Back in the fall I was asked to do a painting for the promotional material of a horror film festival that was supposed to take place this month on the west side of the state, but the last that I heard it had been cancelled. I would have shown it by now, anyways, so here it is. The group wanted a St. Valentines Day Massacre type setting with the police busting in on some of the more popular icons in cinematic horror history. There's a few real life dudes in there, as well.

Voltron: United and Drawn

I just received my comp copies for the Voltron: United and Drawn book put out by 5Finity and Moonstone Books. I did the above painting (page 74) for the book last April, so it's nice to finally have the finished product in hand and it is a nice looking book. Kudos go to Steven Frank for putting together a great package and I'm always appreciative for being asked to be a part of something like this.

For those who know me, they know that I am not much of a fan of Voltron (hey, he's no Shogun Warrior!), but I think that I did a good job with the character and making him my own. I chose to do a pin-up style approach, as well.

Anyways, the book retails at $29.99 at all your fave book outlets and I have two copies that I can part with, so if your interested, shoot me an e-mail and we can haggle. I'll throw in a sketch to boot!

Abe Sapien

Here is a painting just recently finished of everyone's favorite amphibian humanoid. He has some great colors, so naturally I had a blast experimenting with this one. I was going to do something different with the background, maybe put in some bubbles or some swirling currents or something like that, but as I came closer to finishing I liked the way he seems to pop out of the darkness. It would be as if he took one step back the darkness would swallow Abe up completely.

Abe Sapien

10x15

acrylic and colored pencil on illustration board

Batgirl

Batgirl

10x15

acrylic and colored pencil on illustration board

Cylon Centurion - Old School

Old School

15x20

acrylic and colored pencil on illustration board

Red Arch

Here is a landscape that I did back in the fall. This was one of those paintings that started out all wrong and just couldn't get it to where it needed going. But, I stuck with it and I think it came out alright in the end. I don't use this technique all that often, so when I do, it's a struggle to get out of the starting gates. It was tricky for me to get the atmospheric perspective right and the kind of colors that are needed when doing something like this, but I really like how the arch itself came out with its reds and browns.

Red Arch

15x20

acrylic on illustration board