Dumbkat's Folly

Fear Me, 2012!

2011-12-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

I'm horrible! I'm rotten! I NEVER UPDATE! What kind of a person am I?

I very busy person working on their thesis show, which happens to go down in May.

Still, I should be more diligent! It's the end of the year, and that always means (aside from copious amounts of alcohol and drunken groping in the closet) New Years Resolutions. Now, I'm always hesitant about making resolutions because I know most of them are B.S. Turn on the TV and you're already bombarded with ads for weight-loss plans, smoking help, all sorts of quackery. It's a racket, I tell you!

But I'm prepared to share with you a few things I'd like to accomplish in 2012, before the sky rips open and Quetzalcoatl comes down from the heavens to smite us all in a flurry of feathers and rainbow horror. God, I can't wait for it.

Shit I'd Like to Accomplish in 2012

-Go to Mass on Sundays. This one will probably come a shock to some of you. Why do I want to go to Mass when I've been known to run around bars screaming "GOD IS A GIANT, COSMIC FELINE!" as well as refer to lawn Nativity scenes as "plastic idolatry". Well to be honest I enjoy the ritual and history of the Mass, the beauty and Mystery of the Communion and the overall experience of taking part in something that has been going on for almost 2000 years. I'm a sucker for good theater, and we all know theater has its roots in religious rituals. The incense, the music, chanting, stained-glass...There's something about it that appeals to me. Besides, what can it hurt to have some crackers and wine once a week?

-Put Together a Bad-Ass Thesis Show. I think this one is self-explanatory.

-Lift More Weights. I love weight lifting. I love it. Unfortunately this past semester I didn't have the time to go to the gym due to my schedule. Luckily this coming semester, while busy, isn't as blocked out like the last one so I can go to the gym at 10 AM before getting to class. That way I can get in before it gets to busy with all the other people trying to stick to their resolutions. Fact: The time from January 1st to Valentine's Day is the most hectic and busy time in any gym.

-Lose 5 lbs. a Month. 5 fucking pounds a month. Is that too much to ask?!

-Find a Job Teaching. Adjunct, full time: I don't fucking care. I need a job.

-Volunteer at Tails. This is going to have to happen after I graduate, but I'm gonna give back to society and help out those who need it. Puto has decided to help out at the local homeless shelter, Hope Haven. Both of these places are great facilities that do some good, so if you feel generous please donate!

-Start a 401k. You can never start too soon, but if you're gonna do this make sure it's with a credit union. Local credit unions = local investments.

-Update this Blog More. Seriously. I have to update this more.

I think these are reasonable goals. The main thing is to not get discouraged if some of these things don't come to pass. Ultimately, I just want 2012 to be a good year not only for myself but for everyone. Make good prints, have good times, and see new things. So from DumbKat Press to you and yours have a Happy New Year!

Sake, Fatties, and Jell-O

2011-07-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

I am horrible, rotten printmaker! I know, I haven't updated since April and blah blah blah. Yours Truly has been running all over the place: interning at Evil Prints, two weeks of insanity at Frogman's, and then next week I'm going BACK to EP to help with the Boot Camp! I think The Postmarks said it best in their song "Summers Never Seem to Last"....

So: less talky and more prints! YES I STILL MAKE PRINTS!

The Calling of St. Fatty 2 x 4

multiple block, color reduction

18 x 24

2011

Our Lady of the Fatties

Inkjet on aluminum flashing

7 x 10

2011

Perfection Salad

Inkjet on archival paper

6 x 6

2011

Social Problems/Family Problems

Inkjet on aluminum flashing

11 x 11

2011

Printmaker's Ball

Inkjet on archival paper

18 x 24

2011

Hens and Chicks

Inkjet on Archival Paper

6 x 6

2011

Untitled

inkjet on archival paper

6 x 6

2011

Fat Girls' Diets

Inkjet on Archival Paper

7 x 10

2011

A Charming Chubbie

Inkjet on Archival Paper

11 x 11

2011

So I guess it's pretty obvious that while at Froggie's I took the forbidden jump into "digitial printmaking": something that I always said I'd never do. Well....I did it and apparently everyone really dug the imagery. I'm not going to lie: it was really fun to mess around on the computer and make these in Photoshop. I'll probably continue making digital images and incorporate traditional techniques on top.

Frogman's is always wonderful to go to. I always feel so refreshed and renewed when I come back...artistically anyhow. Those two weeks of printing and....social hours...can wear a girl down, not to mention Yours Truly happened to come down with strep throat while there. Gah...

But it was fun and I met more friends and saw some bad-ass work and had a great time.

Oh, and back in May Puto and I adopted a shelter cat:

This is Sake. He's 10 years old and don't put up with no shit. Oh, and he only likes Puto.

*sigh*

Wanna See Some.....Etchings?

2011-04-03T13:42:00.000-07:00

So I'm taking a small break from the hydra and instead I'm working on some...etchings.

Yes, you heard me right: etchings. Intaglio is something I don't really do, and yes I have been known to run around print conferences while screaming "INTAGLIO IS FOR LOSERS".

BUT this semester I am assisting the glorious Anna Kenar in teaching Intro to Printmaking and right now we're working on plates. Anna, a wonderful intaglio printmaker and familiar with my attitude toward the medium, shoved three small plates under my nose and stated:

"You're going to make some plates with the students, demo them, and learn to love intaglio." (Okay, so it didn't go exactly like that but whatever.) Anyhow, it's been great practice for me to get back into working with copper plates and the etching medium. I've been told that I have made nice etchings in the past, so I guess that maybe I've just let a few bad experiences kill the medium for me. This time around, though, I really diggin' it. Hmm...I wonder why.

Makin' a triptych called "The Pussy Liquors"

First state of the middle plate. Needs more work.

Second state of the left plate. Lookin' good!

I may take to this after all!

Artist-in-the-Window at Uncle Fun

2011-03-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had one of the best experiences in my life. No, not that kind of experience gutter-brains! I got to be this month's "Artist in the Window" at the magical world of wonder known as Uncle Fun in Chicago's north side. Now, if you're not familiar with this joint and happen to be in the WindBag City then I highly suggest you hightail a cab to 1338 W. Belmont Ave. to experience one of the best, non-chain toy stores in the country.
This is just the front counter! Look at all that....wonder! Vintage Mario stickers, googly-eyed lizards, Doremon toys, random postcards of mattresses, glittery shutter shades, New Kids on the Block birthday supplies...You never know what they'll have at any given time!
One major thing about Uncle Fun is that they have this cubbie hole shelves as well as those old, wooden card-catalog selves just full of...random objects. A whole drawer full of white Barbie shoes, Adams Family stickers, plastic babies, Minne Mouses...

Uncle Fun is also staffed by two wonderful, awesome people:

Alicia and Frank! Please forgive the blurry quality of the photo, I must have been shaking from all the excitement. They were quite accommodating when I came to do my stint as the featured artist and made the whole experience quite entertaining and fun.

So what exactly does being the "Artist in the Window" entail? Well they clear out one of the front windows of the store and that gets to be the work space. You get to sit in their front window and make awesome work while people pass by. Hang your work in the window, make an installation, wear a bear suit: as long as it's art! I made small relief prints and spoon-printed them on mulberry paper. I even sold one!
This was my awesome work surface: an old school...school desk. It was the perfect size and fit for Yours Truly. As you can see I was in the process of cutting a block.
I had already cut four small blocks the night before and printed them when I got there, just so I could have some work to display off the bat. Check out the random jogger out the window!
"Pill Head". He actually turned out pretty nice!

Yes, there I am with Alicia in the window! Frank was cool enough to snap the photo for me!

The 5 hours I was there went by too fast. I was actually quite sad to leave but happy to have had the experience. I gave Frank and Alicia a print on my way out; it was the least I could for two wonder folks!

So, like I said: if you ever have the chance to check out one of the best kept secrets of Chicago then by all means....GO TO UNCLE FUN!

SGC-O-RAMA HELL WEEK: St. Louis on FIRE.

2011-03-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

Another year, another SGC....NOT!

This SGC was by far one of the most...intense experiences I've ever survived! You had SGC hosted by WashU and running parallel to it was Tom Huck's HELL WEEK. A proverbial clash of the titans, you could say (in more ways than ONE!).

There were times I felt like I was living in a F. Scott Fitzgerald novel (I'm reading The Beautiful and Damned right now), the whirl of galleries and bars and events and friends sometimes overwhelming me. Other times, I felt down-right too old when surrounded by 19-year-old scene kids and hipsters. Mainly, however, I was having a damn fine time.

Fun-time textile and fiber art.

Our hotel, the Chase Plaza, had its own movie theater. Swanky shit.

Found this hilarious. Oh, and the gallery reeked of weed.

LOVE IT!

Once again, Dumbo Press tore it up at Huck's EVIL PRINTS with their newest device of torture: THE SEE-SAW LITHO PRESS.

The beautiful Julia Curran and the infamous John Hancock with the WHEEL OF MISFORTUNE.

Tom Huck reads his biographical zine created by Kevin McCloskey.

This is, of course, only a SMALL smattering of what really went down (hooka bars, tattoo parlors, lost cellphones, printmaking weddings...). Now it's back home and back to work. DKP has some new ideas and new energy to make some PURE CHAOS.

SGC Pre-Game Thunderdome Tiger Blood

2011-03-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

With only a day or so to spare before SGC 2011, yours truly is trying to get their shit together.

LOOK AT MY APARTMENT!

Why do I feel so damn screwed?

Butterflies are Always Free

2011-03-04T14:27:00.001-08:00

My best friend of 6 years, Alisha Springs ( on the right) passed away in her sleep early this morning. In some ways I'm comforted to know she went in her sleep, but I have lost one the best and closest friends I've ever had. This is the first time someone's death has really affected me so much in a long time.

Alisha and I met in 2004 when I started my first job ever, a job I would hold for many years (off and on, anyhow): the Shop-n-Save Bakery. I got the job that Summer because I needed cash to fund a (then) huge-ass sculpture project and my parents refused to foot the bill. Besides, I was 19 and it was time I entered the All-American Workforce.

Lish was a cake-decorator; a goddamn cake-decorating goddess to be honest. She was also, at the time, quite intimidating. She hating dealing with: old people, white trash, idiots, screaming children, and bitches. People that didn't know the donuts were self-serve, or had no clue how to order a birthday cake (pronounced "burfday" in West Virginia), or the countless dozens who always bitched about how they want pepperoni rolls 'right out of the oven'. In other words: she couldn't stand most of the customers. She had her favorites, don't get me wrong, but after years of working in the food service industry you just get bitter.

I was scared of Lish when I first started working; I was clumsy and nervous and overwhelmed, a blithering idiot who always screwed up cake orders (orders she had to deal with when the customer was PISSED because I spelled little Jr. SOB's name wrong on the order form). Maybe Lish was a little impatient with me at first, but over the weeks I saw that she was really a sensitive, caring, and soulful person. She took pride in her work: no sloppy cakes or smashed pastries on her watch! She had a real art for it.

That first Summer, Lish and I became friends. Good friends. We could always talk to each other about anything. In fact, all of us girls at the bakery felt that way; we were a tight group!

Over the years, I was always on and off from my employment at SnS: I was always having to take a semester or so off due to school but Lish would always take me back when the funds got low...and I would always bust my ass because she was a great friend and a great boss. We would go out together some nights, usually end up back at her trailer drunk and nomming on some Jalapeno Poppers ( they ended up EVERYWHERE). Or that other night we went out and...well, nevermind. I probably shouldn't share that story....

Lish's dream was to own her own pastry shop. After high school, she had been accepted to a culinary school in Pittsburgh...but never went. She always said she couldn't afford the tuition but one day she was going to open her own joint. She would be the female Cake Boss and wear a tiara. And the store would be pink, all pink, because that was her favorite color. All pink, and all butterflies. It always saddened me to know that on her bedroom wall she kept her acceptance letter to culinary school framed. I always got on her to follow her dream, to make it happen.

"Life's too short, Lish!" I would say, and she would agree.

When I got accepted into NIU, she was both proud and saddened. Proud because I was making something of myself and 'wouldn't be stuck in Shop-n-Save' but sad because I would be leaving her. We had grown very close by then and I knew that going out to Illinois I wouldn't have her to always talk to and rely on. It was really sad leaving but I always figured I'd see her every time I came home for a visit, which I did. I would walk into SnS and she would just start grinning her sunny, warm grin.

A few months ago, Lish was diagnosed with COPD. After collapsing at work, they put her on oxygen and she went back to work. Then earlier this week she was diagnosed with pneumonia but refused to be admitted to the hospital because Lish was just stubborn like that.

This morning, all of us who knew her and worked with her suffered a great loss. She was a second sister to me, and a sister to many of the others at work. I will always miss the fun we had at work, all the jokes and pranks we pulled, the bitching and moaning about work and life in general, the support we gave each other. She always played country music in the bakery, knowing full and well I fucking hated country. She was gaga for that crap and I always gave her shit for it. I would put the college radio station on and she would come into the bakery shouting "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SHIT!? IT'S SO DAMN DEPRESSING!" and then we'd get into a fight over the radio which would end with both of us wearing icing. The customers found this amusing.

Other times she would creep up behind me and spook the shit out of me, causing me to scream "JESUS CHRIST!" so loud every department heard it. She loved doing that, of course it was just as easy to spook her too. Oh and she was ticklish as hell, so when ever she'd get pissed I tickle her and then shit went down.

We always made each other laugh. We always comforted each other.

I don't have that anymore.

Alisha loved butterflies, so maybe this Summer I'll see her again after all.

Goodnight, Butterfly.

Obligatory Oscar Post

2011-02-28T10:34:00.000-08:00

I've watched the Oscars since I can remember.

I blame my mom.

Anyhow, the 83rd Academy Awards had a lot of fail, a lot of win too (Natalie Portman, Trent Reznor), but over-all: it flopped. Why? I think this had a hand in it:

...Seriously, what?

Oh, and Randy Newman. It's all his fault. Gwen Paltrow and Celine Dion: stop singing. All three of you infact: STFU.

I feel better now.

VG Influences: Magical Starsign

2011-02-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

For a good while there, I wasn't into RPGs for some reason. I was more into puzzle/logic/thinking games: the Ace Attorney series, Professor Layton, and the less popular (but quite cute) Touch Detective (I mostly play DS anymore). However, for the past month or so I've finally re-kindled my old romance with the genre. I think it was when I got Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger DS remakes that I got back into them.

So, last week I picked up Magical Starsign; a really fun, super cute RPG that is reminiscent of the PSP's PoPoLoCrois.

Starsign has got some BEAUTIFUL animation and artwork; the game's palette is very rich and vibrant in color, and the stylized shapes and background landscape are just awesome! The battle animations are pretty glorious too! I really recommend this game all around: cute story like, fun gameplay, wonderful graphics, and that nice Old-School RPG feel!

SCREENSHOT TIME!

I got Princess Debut and Rhapsody: a Musical Adventure lined up after this game. I like cute, girlie RPGs...My, how the mighty have fallen...

Hydra Update!

2011-02-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

UHG! What a fucking MONTH! I'm just gonna cut right to the chase and post some GODDAMN PICTURES.

We still have a long way to go....

Super Bowl Eats: Pepperoni Rolls

2011-02-06T12:43:00.000-08:00

Once again, the US comes together to celebrate the modernization of tribal warfare known as "The Super Bowl". Traditions, rituals, and lucky mojos will all be in play as well copious amounts of booze and eats. Curses will be thrown, and prayers to various gods will be uttered. War paint, pageantry, and GoDaddy commercials...Truly this is what our Founding Fathers dreamed for us.

Yep. This is what Thomas Paine was REALLY getting at.

Anyhow, DumbKat Press (meaning myself and the old man) are members of the Steeler's Nation and since we live in an area 40 minutes south of the Wisconsin border...things are interesting. Just a few days ago, someone chucked eggs at the man's car as he drove down the main street (he's got this giant, Steelers logo magnet on the side of the car), while other people honk and give the thumbs up (Bears fans are apparently rooting for the Steelers).

For the super bowl, I'm cooking something that is native to North-central West Virginia: the Pepperoni Roll. Nothing fancy, in fact it was created by the immigrant Italian coal miners as a way of being able to have meat, bread, and cheese rolled into one roll and easy to eat in one hand while being in damn-near pitch black lighting. A sandwich just couldn't cut it.

Ham on rye? AGAIN?!

So without further to-do, I'm going to share with y'all my pepperoni roll recipe. It's a big hit with the printmaking crowd and also makes great drunk eats. I personally think they're disgusting...

WHAT YOU NEED:

Two packs of sliced pepperoni
Two packs of provolone cheese
One bag of frozen bread dough, usually 4 to 5 loaves are in a bag
Parchment paper

Okay so buy all this the night before you're gonna bake this stuff. The break dough is going to be frozen solid, so put that bad-boy in the fridge over-night and then hit the hay.

So now you're ready to make these! Each loaf should be thawed and squishy, yet still cold enough that the yeast isn't fully working. Stretch out each loaf till it's about 2 feet long and now you're ready to cut them up.

I like to use to little plastic, wheelie-like cutters, but a knife is just as fine. Cut each stretched loaf into seven pieces as seen. This should give you 28 to 35 rolls (depending on how many loafs you got.

Now take one of your dough..balls and flatten it out with your hand.

Then place your provolone (I like to cut the provolone in half before putting it on the dough) and about 6 or 7 pieces of pepperoni.

Now you gotta roll it. Just start from the end and roll it up like Liebowski's stolen carpet, all nice and tight. This takes technique, and after working in a grocery store Bakery for 5 or so years it's one of the few things I'm actually good at doing.
It should look something like this. No penis jokes, please.

Anyhow, keep rolling all your little bastards and soon you should have a crap-ton of them:
Now we're ready to bake.

Take your baking pan and line it with parchment. Yes, I know that's aluminum foil, which CAN be used in a pinch but you have to spray it with cooking spray and be mindful that the bottoms of your rolls don't burn. Seriously: USE PARCHMENT PAPER!

Line them up 6 x 4 on the tray and then let them rise. If you have a gas oven like me, you can just pop them in without turning the oven on and let the heat from the pilot light help them rise. When they're ready: turn that oven to 325 and let them bake. 25 minutes should be enough, but keep an eye of them and when they look golden brown like so...

Then take those bastards out and let them cool. There, now you're ready to eat what I believe to be one of the biggest, culinary abominations ever. Everyone else loves them though; they say it's my concept and hatred for the food that makes it tasty....

Sketch-a-Day Update

2011-02-05T22:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have been sketching daily, believe it or not. However, my current camera is well...on it's last tripod leg and the quality of photos I'm getting is not the best.

Pic related: it's not my actual camera but it's just as effective...

Anyhow, hopefully soon, those glorious socialist Student Loan checks will be in the mail box (Illinois is ALWAYS late on this shit) and then I can finally upgrade to something better and then start taking some damn photographs!

Oh, and for those of you screaming "WHY THE HELL DON'T YOU JUST USE THE DAMN SCANNER!", well...I need to buy one of those too.

Shit...I need a lot of things...

HYDRA HEAD #2

2011-02-04T14:34:00.001-08:00

Hydra Head #2 is complete. Printed five of these and I'm pretty excited to see how they work with the water heads...

Vidya Games: Sonic the Hedgehog...stuff.

2011-02-04T06:19:00.000-08:00

So, as some of you know: I'm really drawing a lot of my inspiration from video games; namely, the games that I played as a pre-teen fat-ass. As a bastard of the 90s, it is no surprise that I am a veteran of the great Console Wars. In the beginning there was the 8-bit (I know, it was originally PONG but whatever), and then the 8-bit evolved into the 16-bit. Suddenly, two warriors appeared and thus the great War began.

Maybe I shouldn't be hung-over when I write.

Anyhow, what I'm trying to say is: in the 90s, for the most part, it was Genesis vs. SNES. I owned a Sega and so I played me a SHIT-TON of Sonic and Shining Force. LIKE. ALL. THE. TIME. I owned that series, damnit, until Sonic 3-D came out and then....yeah. I hear Chaotix was really good, though. It was supposed to be Sonic 4 or something...

ANYHOW

The one thing that I always loved about both consoles was that the games had beautiful background sprites. The colors were so vibrant and rich and the use of shape and form and pattern...I just love the motifs used in most of the Sonic games. So I'm gonna share some with you.

This is "Ice Cap Zone" from Sonic 3. You know, with the scene of Sonic snowboarding and the music that has spawned a shit ton of remixes?
I also like how each "act" had a different background and variation of theme music...
Hydrocity Zone. Absolutely HATE water levels...
Really, just beautiful color palettes here.

Chemical Plant Zone, from Sonic 2, had a great theme song. Other than that, I HATED PLAYING THIS ZONE. Again, it's that whole "drowning" issue...
Hill Top Zone had a great background! Certain mornings back in West Virginia reminded me of this scene...the hills rising in the morning fog...Sigh, now I'm homesick again. Fuck.
Spring Yard Zone, from the first Sonic. Diggin' those mountains again...

Labyrinth Zone, from Sonic 1. Another damn water-level. Notice the similar block-motifs in this level and the Hydrocity Zone in #3.

Lava Reef Zone from #3. I always loved the music...

...of course, Hidden Palace had a great theme too! Lovin' those damn crystals.

Well that's just a small amount of the glory that is the early Sonic series. From what I hear, the newer stuff sucks. Oh well, nostalgia is simply a form a depression.

BEAR WRESTLIN'!

2011-01-25T14:40:00.000-08:00

Octopus and Black Bear Wrestling With a Dragonfly Officiating
Utegawa Kuniyoshi, 1839
woodcut

It's official: this has to be hands-down the most bad-ass print ever made. Period.

Black and White Swans

2011-01-22T13:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, so last night a friend and I finally got around to seeing Black Swan. It's been a film I've been dying to see since I heard about it back in September where it caused a splash at the Venice International Film Festival; a film dealing with doppelgangers, paranoia, hallucinations, and disorder all against the back drop of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. I'm a sucker for films dealing with mind-fuckery and I likes my ballet.

Needless to say, I got exactly what I asked for.

I'm still sort of reeling from this movie. I need some time to compose myself. I saw Tron: Legacy when it opened and I was blown away. Black Swan has done the same, but this time in a whole different context.

Black Swan is a beautifully filmed tale of horror and pure darkness. When I say 'horror', I'm not referring to the typical 'horror' genre; this isn't "My Bloody Black Swan in 3D" (though...that maybe have potential...?). By horror, I'm referring to the feeling of sheer horror and terror Natalie Portman's character Nina feels when the physical reality around her begins to slip. Also, there's a lot of visceral body damage that just...Like, when Nina see's her finger is bleeding from a torn cuticle, so she keeps pulling...and pulling...and then she rips the skin off her finger. It kind of reminded me of this:

Nice, cringe-worthy, body scenes. I bet your fingers fucking hurt now, right?

Well there's SHIT-TONS of scenes like this one, which has shown me one thing I didn't know: ballet dancers have some jacked-up feet and toes. Seriously FUBAR.

Of course, one of the big things about Black Swan is the fact that it features a lesbian scene between Mila Kunis and Portman (or is was really just Portman masturbating all along? MINDFUCK!) which has gotten a lot of public attention. Honestly I could have taken or left the sex scene (I'm not really big on sex scenes, I think The Room was the final nail in the coffin), but I understand the role it played in the storyline and how it was Nina's 'sexual awakening' of sorts, the seductive nature of the Black Swan coming out (no pun intended).

Speaking of Natalie Portman's vagina: was it just me, or did everyone and their mother have their hand shoved up it at one time during this film?

In all seriousness, though: I loved this movie. The notion of everyone having an inner darkness, sometimes even destructive, has always been something that appealed to me. When Portman transforms into the Black Swan (wings an all) during the ballet, I was floored.

Terrifying and beautiful.

In a way, I could understand Nina: she was a girl who just wanted to be perfect at her art, who was afraid of her own darkness, who was neurotic as fuck, and who finally embraced both her black and white swan and became perfect (at a cost, but doesn't these days?).

Sometimes through the destruction of ourselves, and the deterioration of the world we've constructed for ourselves, we can achieve perfection. We cannot be all of one or all of the other; we must be both the Black Swan and the White Swan.

I'm going to close with a song. A fitting song.

THE HYDRA COMETH

2011-01-19T19:42:00.000-08:00

HYDRA HEAD #1: COMPLETED! FIRST PRINT OF THE NEW YEAR. GWWWAAAAAAA!!!!!

Granted, it needs more. Maybe a silkscreen flat. Maybe oil pastels. MAYBE SOME EMBROIDERY! WHO THE HELL KNOWS?!
MORE PICTURES:

ATTACK, BITCHES!!!

It's a glorious start. Also, this litho:

St. Fatty 2x4.

My god, this is going to be wonderful.

Sketch-A-Day: "Tentacle Mouse....thing"

2011-01-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

Re-trying that "Sketch-A-Day" project. Drew this during art history (sorry Dr. Nagata). Ballpoint pen. Sorry for the crummy photo: took it with my digi cam in crap lighting...Cry me a river, bitch.

Fatty 2 x 4

2011-01-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

Fatty 2 x 4: her age is both 12 and 60. She was born an old woman and will die a little girl.

Who is Fatty? She is me and yet she is not. She is brave enough to face her tormentors and strong enough to fight them. She is both hideous and beautiful, wise and foolish, completely lost and yet a trail blazer.

Fatty is everything I wish I was, and everything that I hate about myself...

12 HEADED-HYDRA OF FUN

2011-01-16T18:14:00.000-08:00

That's right, bitches: I'M PRINTING A 12-HEADED HYDRA...of sorts.

So there's going to be four blocks (about 3ft. x 4ft), suicide woodcut, four colors each. Here's three of the four blocks. Let's take a closer look!

The FIRE head of the hydra!

LIGHTING! ZAP!

ICE! I'm currently printing this one and it should be complete tomorrow.

EARTH HYDRA!

Now I know you're saying: "Goddamnit, you said a 12-headed hydra but I only see 4 heads!" Well, I print three of each head = 12 heads. Plus, after printing I swap the heads of some of the hydras via cut/paste and voila! MUTHATRUCKIN' 12-HEADED HYDRA!

The body is going to be a combination of silkscreen/ monoprint forms creating a cloud-like/nightmare structure. Various child limbs will also be added. This is going to be so awesome.

ALSO:

Gene Marsh and I organized a portfolio based on the film Flash Gordon. My print? PRINT VULTAN, DAMNIT!

Who Wants to Live Forever?

Suicide woodcut
18 x 24
2010

I've been doing a lot of woodcut lately...Never really thought I would to be honest.

More Treasures from the Fairmont Goodwill!

2010-11-21T20:10:00.001-08:00

Back in WV, and I must say: Hell to the yeah! There's no place, and I mean no place, like home! Of course, I've still got work planned for me while I'm here: namely, taking over my dad's woodshop and making some 3-D bad-assery.

However, a stay here in WV would not be complete without making the rounds to the local junk and thrift shops. Yesterday I hit up the Goodwill and it was a proverbial goldmine of literary delights! What treasures did I uncover, you ask? Well...

THESE BOOKS, BITCHES!

I must say, for being located in Fairmont WV they've got some good stuff!

This was an untouched math workbook from '73. The visuals inside are pretty nifty too.
Wow, Ivory soap was pretty damn cheap in '73...Damn you, Reagan!

Okay, this was a great find : A 'Ducktales' comic...in German! I can still read a little bit of it ( I haven't forgotten ALL that German yet...) Not sure what I can do with this, but hey...check out the comics:
I didn't know "ZACK" constituted as onomatopoeia...even in the Fatherland!

Okay, this was for the art historian in me. I LOVE stuff like this, like, big time. It's a pretty nifty little book, okay maybe not so little, plus the illustrations are quite nice:
It's all full of imagery like this: cool symbols and scenes from early Christianity. Maybe if I ever have a lil' DumbKat, I'll pass this book onto them.

Continuing the religious/workbook theme, I found this Hebrew school book as well. Don't think I can learn a thing from it, but I'm only interested in one thing: visuals!

More languages! This was printed in 1948: at the beginning of the Cold War, comrades! Now, I may be a Socialist, but the Cyrillic language is something that just flies over my head. A different set of grammar rules for either gender...nyet, thanks. Still...got some cool pictures.
Orthodox iconography FTW.
Origami! Hooray!! I want an origami fiesta hat!
I'm going to have an origami wedding bouquet...you know, if I ever decided to make it official.
...and would you believe it?! A DAMN BOOK ON PRINTMAKING! Granted, the binding is shot and honestly: it doesn't teach me anything new but still: PRINTMAKING, DAMNIT!
Not too shabby...

It's Truly What's Best in Life!

2010-11-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

California State University is putting together a portfolio based on the film Conan the Barbarian. What is this portfolio called? "The Riddle of Steel". Anyhow, Yours Truly got invited to be part of this wonderful thing.

In order to make a print for this, there were two rules: A) The print must be relief and B) it could only be a maximum of two runs.

Kinda tight rules, but I made it work. Presenting, my print:

It's Truly What's Best in Life!
Reduction wood-cut
15 x 20
2010

Not my best, but not my worst! In fact, due to the high amount of anxiety I've been dealing with these past few weeks I think it's a dandy of a print. Either way: it's going into the portfolio...

Also, due to the recession: Dumbkat Press is now taking commissions! Right now, I'm only accepting drawings but once the Summer hits I'll have time for prints. In fact, I've already had one client! Behold my first commissioned piece:

One Night: A Hundred Bad Decisions
Prismacolor and Sharpie on Bristol board
2010

You too can own a DKP original drawing! You know you want one! You do!!

Pre-Thanksgiving Update

2010-11-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

Uhg! Semester is nearing the end and Yours Truly has just been up to her neck in work! Not the fun, printing kind but the art history paper/lesson planning/grading kind of work.

HOWEVER...

I just received my prints from Cannonball Press. A while ago I was chosen to do two cuts for them, which they would print and sell while I got more exposure. Anyhow, I just got them in the mail so I can sign and edition them ( and then mail them back to C-Ball) and I must say they look pretty dandy. Mike and Martin did a wonderful job printing them up and making them look snappy and I'm a little impressed at how my cuttin' skills have improved ever since I went to Wood-Cut Boot Camp.

At Least I Still Have My 9 Lives
woodcut
2010
Printed at Cannonball Press

Where the After Party At?
woodcut
2010
Printed by Cannonball Press

If you really like these and want one, Cannonball will posting them shortly on their site. They kind of make a diptych in a way...

Also:

MORE "DAUGHTERS OF ZION"!

I have no clue what I'm going to do with them...but it's going to be awesome!

More Influences: Artists and Such!

2010-10-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

In an on-going effort to educate the masses on just what makes me tick, I've decided to share with y'all a few artists and people that I really enjoy! So pay attention and you might learn something!

Renee French

I was a senior in high school when I first heard of Renee French. I think Salon.com had done an article on her and I fell in love with not only the soft, unsettling style in which she rendered her comics but also the dark, visceral, and haunting narratives in each of her pieces.

I bought a copy of her first book, Marbles in my Underpants (now out of print!), and automatically it became a hit between me and my friends. Everyone was both sickened and fascinated with her stories. I did a lot of studies from her work, mostly on her use of stippling value and soft shading. I remember I wrote her an email when I was 17 and she actually wrote me back! It was one of the most electric experiences of my life!

Anyhow: Renee, if you ever read this, I want to thank you for all the great work you've been producing and for being a major influence.

Polly Apfelbaum

I only just recently discovered Apfelbaum's work but I love her use of shape, fibers (usually synthetic velvet), and the whole rainbow of color. The above piece is one of her prints, but she usually works with fabric and dye. Also, these pieces make great installations which really transforms the space into an area of color and wonder. I hope I get to see her work in person someday...

FriendsWithYou

FriendsWithYou is quite possibly the happiest, magical art group I have ever encountered. Their work is full of child-like whimsy and every space they touch, they turn into a magical fairyland. I love their fun, playful imagery; it really brings out the inner kid in me (which isn't hard to do!). I own two of their little toy pieces and I want to buy their coloring book, damnit!

Liz Miller

I guess you're starting to see a trend: a lot of installation work. I love how Miller's work just rakes over the space and becomes almost invasive. I also love how she's using cut paper and color to make each space have a different emotion and environment. I'm really getting into cut paper forms so work like hers really influences me.

Yoshitomo Nara

I gave a presentation on Nara back in undergrad. I really became attached to his work, especially the reasons and stories behind his pictures. Nara's works explore the concept of childhood isolation and unease; being the outsider. He himself was a loner as a kid, so his works are very personal. He also uses a lot of dogs in his work, mainly because his closest companion growing up was a pet puppy.
I can really relate to him and his pieces. The only difference is that growing up my friends were mainly cats, but the core idea is there: it's easier to relate to animals than other human beings...

Well, this is just a small list of influences and such. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Dumbkat's Folly

Fear Me, 2012!

More Videogame Goodness: Kirby's Adventure

Sake, Fatties, and Jell-O

Wanna See Some.....Etchings?

Artist-in-the-Window at Uncle Fun

SGC-O-RAMA HELL WEEK: St. Louis on FIRE.

SGC Pre-Game Thunderdome Tiger Blood

Butterflies are Always Free

Obligatory Oscar Post

VG Influences: Magical Starsign

Hydra Update!

Super Bowl Eats: Pepperoni Rolls

Sketch-a-Day Update

HYDRA HEAD #2

Vidya Games: Sonic the Hedgehog...stuff.

BEAR WRESTLIN'!

Black and White Swans

THE HYDRA COMETH

Sketch-A-Day: "Tentacle Mouse....thing"

Fatty 2 x 4

12 HEADED-HYDRA OF FUN

More Treasures from the Fairmont Goodwill!

It's Truly What's Best in Life!

Pre-Thanksgiving Update

More Influences: Artists and Such!