Check out my interview with Jeremy Mangan

I've been doing some arts blogging for Redefine Magazine for a while now, and I've just started conducting interviews, too. I just had the opportunity to talk to the amazingly talented artist Jeremy Mangan, take a peek here!

Expect very little of me for the next few weeks...

I have started a truly epic costume project. Cryptic, yes? Muhahahaha!

I have finished my leaping kitty exodus!

I finnnallllyyyyy finished this painting and am really please with how it turned out. I changed my mind a number of times on this one, I think I completely repainted the sky at least 3 very different colors. I also am full of the warm fuzzy feeling of being a well behaved, dedicated working artist because I was inside painting in my studio on this gorgeous sunny day. This piece is exponentially larger than anything I've done lately (probably something like 16"x26", which is still pretty small when it comes right down to it), and I very much enjoyed having so much paper to wander on. But dear god this painting took forever. I really, really need to get a decent camera for documenting some of these larger pieces-- the detail images show up fine, but I can't for the life of me get an acceptable photograph of the whole thing. If anyone out there has a nice camera and wants to barter some photography for prints or delicious baked goods.... Anyways, without further ado, here is The Leaping Kitty Exodus.

Something a little different

I just finished up this project for a friend's wedding. She has 21 (terrifying, right?) children coming to her wedding, so this is a coloring book to entertain them with.

Frustrating work in progress

I've been toying around with this painting for a while now and it's been giving me all sorts of trouble. I think it's almost done, but am not quite sure what else I need to do to it for it to feel finished.

Puppets!

As promised, here are some pictures of the puppets I've been working on. This is my kitty, he's also a little bit like a sea monster. Base coat is on, still needs a lot of detail work. I also ended up having to add in a few extra leg joints, so he's still very much a work in progress. I'm really excited that quinacridone magenta is starting to creep its way back into my color palette. I got myself pretty burned out on it a few years ago (it's an intense color and tends to dominate any and every other paint it's mixed with), but I love how crazy saturated it looks and have been trying to find a way to reintroduce it in my work.

This is how the puppet is put together on the back. Bill figured out most of the logistics in terms of where to put the joints, and he had the brilliant idea to use rubber bands as springs so the limbs spring back into position. The joints are made with 2mm machine screws, and the strings are routed through really tiny eyelets. Detail of joints. Here's another puppet in progress. Not sure how I'm going to paint this one, still undecided as to whether Mr. Chicken will be wearing a dapper vest/costume, or just have feathers. I also have no idea what I'm making these for, I figure once we have enough put together, a puppet show will more or less write itself.
Also, here's a work in progress shot of a big piece I'm working on. I'm really excited about these sea monster kitty creatures that seems to be making their way into my work!

Come to our Backyard Spectacular!

I've been working on all sorts of things of late, I have just been neglecting to take any pictures of my projects. I promise I will post pictures soon, I've been making puppets! I have a mostly completed sea monster kitty, a gessoed and ready to paint chicken, and a rhinoceros in progress. I am having some trouble with the rhino because every time I try to draw his face he ends up looking like a triceratops. Which, I guess, is actually pretty damn close to a rhino. Anyways, I'm sure I'll work it out somehow.
But today I am posting to show you the flier I made last night. If you live in the Seattle area, do come on over for our Backyard Spectacular. My friend Teddy wrote an awesome play, and we'll be performing it at dusk for your viewing pleasure. I was going for an Edward Gorey theme in this poster, but I think that's pretty self evident. A special thanks to this guy who made the awesome Gorey font! I've always admired Gorey's handwriting.