Kochalka Quality Blog http://www.americanelf.com/blog Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:12:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 en hourly 1 Oliver the Hero http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KochalkaQualityBlog/~3/oZKuPeVHwgc/ http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=312#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:12:49 +0000 James Kochalka http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=312 Click to see it big!

olivermasked

]]> http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=312 http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=312 Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KochalkaQualityBlog/~3/tFyQr3i8RjM/ http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=309#comments Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:06:53 +0000 James Kochalka http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=309 Michael Jackson was an incredible dancer.  Most of his later work is dazzlingly precise and mechanical though, so it’s nice to take a look back at his earlier looser style.  This video to Don’t Stop ‘Til you Get Enough, is pretty incredible… its restrained and simply bursting with energy at the same time.  You can feel it all… his joys and hopes and all his youthful energy just on the cusp about to break loose, but also his fears.  Yeah, there’s a real tension in this performance, and it’s exhilerating.

]]> http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=309 http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=309 Show Respect to Michael Jackson http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KochalkaQualityBlog/~3/0tHCNQR04xU/ http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=304#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:27:43 +0000 James Kochalka http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=304 Michael Jackson died today, way too young.  But, on the other hand, I can’t even imagine an elderly Michael Jackson.  I read once that his music was the only outside music that had penetrated even to primitive tribes in the amazon rain forest.  Which I guess would only be possible if outsiders specifically brought recordings of Michael Jackson into the rain forest to play for these primitive tribes.  Which is amazing.  Like, some crazy jungle explorer dude was like, THIS MUSIC IS SO GOOD, I’VE GOT TO PLAY IT FOR THE RAIN FOREST PEOPLE!

Anyhow, way back when, I wrote a song that is the perfect expression of our wonderment and joy over Michael’s accomplishments, while at the same time not forgeting what a crazy, sick life he led:  Show Respect to Michael Jackson.  In fact, I’d say that probably only a deeply troubled personality could muster the strength of his performances.  So, we got to take both the freak show with the brilliance.  Together they make the man.  Show Respect to Michael Jackson.

]]> http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=304 http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=304 Tokyo Zokei University http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KochalkaQualityBlog/~3/cuCbNAX3VeM/ http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=302#comments Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:21:15 +0000 James Kochalka http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=302 Check out the webpage for Tokyo Zokei University.  Doesn’t it make you want to go to school there?

The english version of the website is nowhere near as cool.(But the building layout of the actual place is still kinda awesome.)

]]> http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=302 http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=302 Celandine Poppy Dragon http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KochalkaQualityBlog/~3/wch9GpN_3PY/ http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=295#comments Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:52:00 +0000 James Kochalka http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=295 There’s a plant that grows in the back yard that has a bright orange/yellow sap.  I had Eli draw a monster in his sketchbook, and then come outside and use the sap of the plant to color his drawing.  You’ll see that the sap dries a sort of brownish yellow color.  Then we called my Mom to ask her what the plant was called.  She said it’s called a Celandine Poppy.  Here’s a photo I took of one of the plants:

celandine poppy

]]> http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=295 http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=295 AbbyAbby http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KochalkaQualityBlog/~3/p7HVa2ooFO0/ http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=291#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:30:15 +0000 James Kochalka http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=291 My friend Abby is an awesome artist.  And now… she has her own fabric company called AbbyAbby.  She just barely opened for business… you can follow the whole story on her blog.  If you live in Burlington, Vt you can also see her art painted all over the walls in the bathroom of Penny Cluse.

My idea of a great thing to do with the fabric would be to stretch some over a canvas frame, like those pre-printed paintings that were so popular in the 70’s.  Oh!  And a great idea for Abby herself to try would be to strectch some over a canvas frame and then paint her own pictures on top of them.

]]> http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=291 http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=291 The french American Idol http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KochalkaQualityBlog/~3/22mXKDilq1A/ http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=287#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:01:18 +0000 James Kochalka http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=287 On Nouvelle Star, which is the french version of American Idol, one contestant sang a Moldy Peaches song! Check it out, it’s pretty weird:

Anyone Else But You

]]> http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=287 http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=287 The Sea Gark sighted on Lake Champlain http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KochalkaQualityBlog/~3/yJ8dcEz_A6c/ http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=282#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:28:55 +0000 James Kochalka http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=282 It turns out that my bandmate, Eric Olsen, captured our lake’s monster in a cellphone video.

But, despite all the excitement, this is clearly NOT Champ.  Obviously, it’s the Sea Gark.  Definitely the Sea Gark.

]]> http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=282 http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=282 Monster Attack Diary http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KochalkaQualityBlog/~3/oSXFTXpKCZo/ http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=280#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:14:37 +0000 James Kochalka http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=280 I’ve been encouraging Eli to try a few autobiographical drawings in addition to the purely fantasy stuff that usually happens in his comic Monster Attack.  This strip commemorates the last day of Tee Ball (and is pretty much straight up realism) and this strip commemorates the last day of school (and rather wildly combines reality and fantasy, just like my early Magic Boy graphic novels.)

]]> http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=280 http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=280 Oliver’s Big Draw http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KochalkaQualityBlog/~3/zDbwcjARNA0/ http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=271#comments Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:11:48 +0000 James Kochalka http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=271 Oliver (age one and a half) spent 3 days working on this drawing:
06-10-092

    ]]>     http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=271 http://www.americanelf.com/blog/?p=271