Damn, I never updated this thing, dude! Twenty-Seven, you remember when you were unbelievable? You should go find Thirteen and ask him where he thought he would be at this point, I bet it wasn’t here. Either way, lets talk. I’ve got some suggestions for you, you should listen to me, I’m experienced.

• Shoot photos; I know you think you’re better at photos, how about you actually shoot a few this year.
• Create more and produce “Final Products”
• Get rid of everything; your house is full of useless stuff and it’s just too much. Objects you own end up owning you, get rid of them. If you haven’t touched it since you moved chunk it or donate it.
• This procrastination shit has got to stop.
• Make a few million dollars
• Don’t die man, Twenty-Eight will be waiting

Yours for life,
Twenty-Six

A quick pen sketch. Usually I find myself drawn to cheap pens with company names on them. I’ve bought myself a few cheap pens and drew this.

This piece is inspired by Marco Mazzoni who was featured in the latest issue of Hi Fructose. I remember this water color I did as a kid in school. It was read a monochromatic piece loosely based on found wood. The left side of this reminds me of that piece, it’s very organic. The right side is based on a picture in some magazine photo. I think of it as a sketch because I would like to do more to create that feeling of suppression and otherworldliness. I’m working on another similar piece that’s more finished and not based off a probably copy written photo.

I’ve been to six art museums since I moved, I’ve felt more inspired, but have produced less work than usual. I’ve made repeated visits to the Hirshhorn trying to understand Mark Rathko’s abstract expressionism. I’ll tell you right now, single colored geometric shapes do not do it for me. Even if I dislike the work I find myself looking at his work for answers.

I remember walking through the Uffizi thinking I don’t know anything about art. I spent hours and hours walking up and down the long corridor staring at the sculptures. I long to look at the pieces again. I don’t take picture in touristy spots because you can just Google it. I don’t think Google can encompass the ideas or elements I want to focus on. I will take photos from now on. I want those details to remind myself what I feel like I don’t know and don’t understand.

My continued search for inspiration has led me some new places. These little museums you might have heard of the Smithsonian? I’ve scoured through three of them so far in hopes of understanding myself and art better, but instead I end up staring and blue squares going, What The Fuck. Hirshhorn.

Second, life has found me in the air and on the road. I now reside in not only a new city, but a new country. Hello America, and the special part between two states. While some might be fueled by the road, I am not and my sketchbook remains empty. Now that the traveling is mostly over I do feel recharged and inspired. If I hadn’t been the issue of Hi Fructose sitting next to me would do the trick. I’m telling you, I’m getting a subscription to this, just as soon as I find a house.

I did finish another digital piece that makes me think of Evelyn Evelyn and I’m working on another one that leans more towards the occult, but pretty occult. Think pink.

For good measure here is an Evelyn Evelyn video:

I went through a minor dry spell for a week or four. I was getting tattooed by Vincent (Beautiful Freak Tattoo, Belgium) and he asked about the website. I told him I never update because I hate everything I do. Vincent suggested I just post things that I do lik take photos or travele and then suggested I work in a different media, maybe collage. Later on I realized that I create digital collages all the time, I just create them and then delete them because I don’t consider them art. I’ve probably did about 20 of these types of collages every year since I’ve been in Belgium. Sometimes I base drawings on the pieces, but often they’re thrown into my digital trash bin. I saved this piece, maybe I’ll start saving a few more .

I like this one, it’s based on quote about coffee I read once, “Mothers are those wonderful people who can get up in the morning before the smell of coffee.” The number six(six, six) stems from my recent need to write 666 on everything!

I know I don’t have any followers, because I never update…but if you choose to comment, let me know if you like this type of digital sketch/collage.

Skull parts. I draw a lot of skulls, I think it helps me understand facial structure when drawing people. A friend asked what I was working on lately and I told her I was drawing a skull and she said, “cool, you’re good at those.” Good at those!? I wondered to myself ‘do I draw that many skulls?’ A quick view through my portfolio shows me that I do, in fact, draw skulls all the fucking time and almost all of them float in space. Damn.

“Keep your hopes up high and your head down low.” –A Day to Remember
Then again I remember things that encourage me to keep digging. I look towards others for inspiration, often it’s tattoos. I have a memory from when I was a kid, this old, roughed up Vietnam vet sitting at the doctors. He had long hair and a unkempt beard, I think overalls, but it was this tattoo that makes me remember him. He had this eagle and a banner. I was fascinated with this tattoo and decided right then that I wanted to be a person that makes tattoos. Now it’s a number of years later, I’ve got a career that seems to be going in an interesting, non-tattoo related direction and I still feel the need to create.

“You have to, at least from a distance, look as if you know what you’re doing, and I can manage that” –Morrissey
So I look to others for inspiration it varies greatly from an awesome shot in a movie, to music, music videos, photos or other artists. Of course I run straight to tattoo artists for my burst of inspiration.

I continue to be enthralled by the tattoos, art and photography of Jun Cha who has jumped pretty high on my list of People I Want To Be Tattooed By If I Live in California.

The tattoo and art work of Dusty Neal make me reconsider living above the Mason-Dixon

Don’t forget my tattooer, Vincent

Of course I’m inspired by more “traditional” artists like the collective bloggers at Muddy Colors or Sam Weber

And MUSIC!

Essentially, I just have to keep pushing forward. The only way to progress is to work and I have to keep working.

Stuff floating in space! Yay!
These started as simple little sketchs during dinner, then I got carried away with the skull and over worked it. Kinda reminds me of every other skull I’ve ever drawn, crappy. Some one close said I draw skulls all the time… I might, but I don’t want to. While I’m not going to say “no more skulls,” I am going to say that I will try to stay away from skulls… for a while… if I can.

The face, well, it’s neat, reminds me of a Jason Voorhees type face. Oh, to even out the evilness of Jason I included a Mickey Mouse in the form the Hindu goddess Kali. Hey! Don’t sue me Disney!

Speaking of kittens, I’ve been playing with animals heads for a super TOP SECRET piece that seems to be getting no where. I’m trying to move away from works like this, images just floating in space. Under that is a nice little sketch based on a Tiger Army lyric, “Death is pure life is not, so ask yourself what do you want.”

I made a sketchbook! A poor, sad attempt, but I spent a couple days drawing and painting the cover, a skull jaw and roses floating in space… just like I hate them. I chose acrylic for the painting to develop myself in this area, painting.

Collage! I don’t know what happened, one day I decided I wanted to collage so I ripped up a bunch of magazines and created this. I ran it through photoshop a bit, I’m sure you can tell. Lastly, a piece added to the portfolio page. There is a shift away from things floating in space… well… except for that key… but that’s the point.

It seems like more and more time separates my posts. Of course I have my reasons. Italy. France. It’s a hard life I know. But! I have been creating! Magnetic beer bottle tops, homemade sketchbooks and painting.

Twenty eleven here I come! It’s gonna be full of art stuff…trust me I’m already working on it!