vampire portraits, sad triangles, and an upsidedown face

Through Darkness
Its been a while since I updated with some art - deaths in the family will do that to you.
I feel like I've been hit with a bad country music song. First my dear, dear mother passed, and now my wonderful aunt/dad's sister.
For the most part, this experience has been full of support and love from friends and family, however there is deep part of me that will be haunted by the more frightening aspects of this ordeal. Disaster and sadness do create a dark spot on one's soul. I do not want to shove that pain aside and ignore it. It can be kept within reach and transformed into a creative tool when needed. Just like anger, or other extreme emotions. But... for now... I will keep it locked in a box.

Sketches
Here are some sketches from my book since my last post.


beauty, followed by my version of 'Eli' after watching the movie 'Let the Right One In' (original)


Random things in Jars and faces.



Someone drawing on an easle, sadness, trees and lots of triangles. Also a little blurred spot.


Some faces drawn with my eyes closed. (fun exercise) and my version of "Radu" after watching "
the movie "Subspecies".


An umopisdn face.... upsidedown.

Conventions
2 Days after my mothers Death, I attended "Paranormal Scarefest" in NewCastle Indiana. A small event focused on Sammy Terry. I had 2 tables, and brought my mom's last finished sculpture as a little memorial. I was able to keep my public face on all day and found the whole thing to be extremely therapeutic. I definitely belong in this line of work. At this con, I was requested to do a Sammy Terry portrait, and will post it when I learn more about where its going and what permissions there are.

Also, I am now definitely confirmed for Horrorhound Indy March 25-27th! There had been a little mixup and I was worried, but its all sorted out now. I loved going last year as a fan because they had Clive Barker. This year they have Boondock Saints, and who knows who else by the time it happens! :)

Life on hold, rest in peace mother Catherine

Greetings.
My art blog has not been forgotten, and here is why.

I realized that I had not yet posted here about my mother, who passed last Thursday.
You will have read most of this if you're on my facebook, or deviantart or livejournal - I just posted at those last two. I felt the need to copy it here too - so I can cover all my bases.
I am curious if or how my art will change after this.

In loving memory:
Catherine Burris
June 24th 1949 - February 17th 2011
ages 61.
She was too young .

Since March of 2010, she had been ill with various problems relating to lungs and rheumatoid arthritis.

Mother was a grand artist.

She was surrounded by family on her last day, and in her last hours, at the Hospice center in Columbus Indiana.
I think I may donate a painting to them in her memory.

Our family is doing fine - we have had cries and laughs and cries and more laughs as
we prepared for her passing.
I am composing a list of her likes and dislikes, as a way to process this and remember her.

If you are local or knew her and would like to know the details of the services on Saturday the 26th, let me know.

I am keeping her website up, and I will edit it later to make it a memorial.
Check it out to see some of the art she was doing:
Catherine's Gallery

I will miss you greatly mom.

Lot 'o' sketches

I've decided to stop counting days as I've lost track, and my posts will probably be less frequent - depends on the amount of rambling and sharing of my latest creative brain explosions I wish to do.

I've done some fun stuff in my sketchbook this week. So first, the
ART
(btw, I sometimes put my fingers in the scanner for fun)


Growth, and reaching out...


Confusion "What the hell I'm so Lost"


Self Portrait - watercolor and sumi ink


Ideas


More ideas and testing body poses from imagination... and death to fase ladybugs.


Carebear Stare. "Ever now and then I realize just how potent the themes of carebears and rainbow bright were on my child mind - I find that I tend to attack problems with the same kind of voodoo love happiness power those carebears had."
I drew this because I am thinking of my mother who has been ill with pneumonia related issues since March 2010. Things have gone up and down and up and down again, and all I want to do is point magic healing powers at her to make things better again. Its been a tough week. All I can do is hope and show support and love right now. I haven't been extremely public about it, but its not a secret either.

Day 33, 34 - bah! and argh! and ooh!

After finishing a narrative page (yay!) I puttered around on a larger painting I've been working on. Its been in hiatus since most of my larger works are done in the basement, but its too cold down there for now. (maybe I need to get an oil radiator heater thing)
Anyway, I'm not done so I don't want to share yet but I did waste some time (hour+) experimenting in photoshop by gridding off the image and rearranging it. Interesting results.


---

Today I avoided art because I'm feeling very impatient with my drawings and sketches, and generally BLAH. but I still wanted to work on SOMETHING. So I dragged my clay from downstairs and set up an area on the living room floor so I could pound clay and watch The Mentalist with Dave.

I'm not sure WHAT I made, but it was therapeutic.
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I also took some fun photos of ice while trying to release my car- and caught a great mid-karate-chop image!

Day 30,31,32

So maybe the ~daily~ update of my daily self drive isn't needed. so long as I try to make things daily.

Here's another ACEO -


"I Sense Something Strange"
2.5" x 3.5" on watercolor paper
mixed media. Available for $9.

I did the program for the Indy Magic Monthly - postponed until next week due to the crazy weather. Here is the inside. To see the outside, check out the event! 2nd Tuesday, doors at 7! Theatre on the Square, Indianapolis.


My graphic design skills are definitely their own brand. I'm learning all this on my own.

Also, I've been given permission to post 2 of my recent commissions!
First is my version of The Magician from the Tarot.

5" x 7" plus the border. mixed media on book page. Read more about the symbolism in depth Here.

Next is more magic related work with a Magician Portrait - of Corbett Troyer, a local magician! Very excellent slight of hand he has.

9" x 12" on 300 lb hotpress paper.
Acrylic background and oil figure.

The best progress I made was on Feb. 1st, working on the ~comic thing~ that I'm not sharing much of. I drew most of one page and colored it, and scanned it in. Now I have to compose the images together with extra digital embellishes to finish one of the pages. This is so interesting because despite my best efforts, I'm having trouble sticking with one style for it - which may turn out to be very interesting. Ah well, we learn by doing!
Here's a snippit.



INSPIRATIONS
- I finished watching the Fountain. Earlier I had also watched most of a documentary on the "Chapel of Sacred Mirrors" with art by (mostly) Alex Grey. Very interesting visual correlations between the two things I watched. As I finished watching the fountain, I kept thinking of the art of Alex Grey - especially the more spiritual parts.
here's a quick example!

- After watching "Dark Floors" (The Lordi Movie) I'm almost tempted to do some Lordi fan art.
(check out LORDI!)