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.
---
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!)

Day 28 and 29 - back to visuals and rant on sensationalism

Finally I was able to get my art on.

I think when I'm mid-way though some commissions, I avoid working on them because I'm stuck, but I avoid workin on my own art because I'd feel guilty for not working on the commissions, and then I'm stuck doing pointless things like playing minesweeper and clicking aimlessly through the internet.

Day 29 - I finished the main image for a tarot card commission, did a little aceo and filled some sketch pages. I'll wait to post the tarot image until I've heard back from my patron (and I need to make a border and label for it too)
In the meantime, enjoy these!


2.5" x 3.5" aceo, ink and acrylic - available for $9
somewhat inspired by Dave McKean's style in the "Arkham Asylum" comic book.




sketchbook. Includes a dream about large carpet beetle larvae.

Small rant about public taste, instant gratification and Sensationalism!
- I also saw part of a new show, where people have 30 seconds to impress an audience with their awesome talent. Kinda like 'America's got Talent' only, without the constructive criticism. This is pure instant gratification sensationalism. Lets cut out the art, lets cut to the chase and immediately share the punch line, show the grand finale, and get to the peak of the story. Where is the fun in that? No wonder public taste is horrible - no one knows how to appreciate the process, the building up to, and the gentle art of just being creative. Instead we have people that are immediately judgemental on first appearances and demand constant entertainment from those around them. I'm somewhat horrified, but hey, on a shallow day it could be amusing.
Miscellaneous and Inspirations
--- Quote of the day from work "the more influences you have, the more original your work is"
--- Watching my favorite show on tv - "Fringe" - how can this not be inspiring! fave quote: "after all, we do share 50% of our DNA with a banana." - Walter
--- Watched the movie "UP" - I am reminded of how much the concept of 'nostalgia' makes me cry. a LOT.
--- Watched the first half of "The Fountain" on Netflix - very surreal movie - I remember reading the graphic novel illustrated by one of my favorite artists, Kent Williams. I am interested to see how the story progresses in live action. So far its done very well! very wondrous visuals!
-I was directed to the interesting giant wood weaving work of Patrick Dougherty - Link.
- I was also directed to the performance art of Marina Abramović - some very bawlsy and dangerous work, creepy at times, such as laying out 70 objects for anyone to use on her how they wish while she remained passive for 6 hours- some that could be pleasurable, some that could be painful, including a gun with one bullet. Interesting but batshit crazy way to study the human mind. I Read about it at the Wikipedia link.
Learn more about Marina Abramović on the artsy.net page about her: >>Click here <<
 
I find it wonderful to look in all sorts of places for inspiration. There are even more things I mentally ingested in these 2 days, but I can't share them all!!

Day 25, 26, 27 - lots of rambling

The past 3 days have been full of art but not a lot of visuals to share until I get the ok from finished commissions.
Commissions and Projects
I worked on a portrait and a logo commission
I also worked on a narrative project and spent hours ranting on the difficulty finding the correct references to match my visions. Along with this struggle, I also had the revelation (again) that I need to do more studies... of everything! I sometimes curse my fine art training for not teaching us specifically how to draw cloths, technology, buildings, cars, etc. Granted, they did teach me how to paint from life and how to mix colors like a pro. Technically, if I know how to paint and draw from life, I should be able to draw anything right? Well, sorta. I feel like I am beginning my training from scratch and on my own when it comes to illustrative works.

bat ears
On one of those days, I went home to bury Leo. Dad, Dave and I gave him a proper funeral and I did a little drawing to bury with him. I drew a picture of him with large ears and a pic of me (with long hair) and him eating my hair. I wrote "You always did have bat ears. Love, Always." Leo was a cat that never went in for sappy stuff, so that was appropriate. While dad covered the grave with dirt, I read from the 'good book' (the sketchbook that was in my hand anyway) - I found a random passage about Horace Walpole coining the term 'Serendipity' and creating the quote "The world is a comedy to those that think, and a tragedy to those that feel"

Inspirations
I looked at a cocophony of things to help inspired me...
2 books by Patrick Woodroffe, "Arkham Asylum" comic illustrated by Dave McKean (awesome!), The Etsy site of Sandra Arteaga, a host of people I watch at deviant art (but no specifics this time), PES animations (western spaghetti is my fave, and 'the deep' is pretty awesome too.), Concept art from "The Time Machine" (more recent version movie)

business
worked out my art MILEAGE for my taxes! woohoo!! roughly 4633.2 miles were traveled in the name of art last year. (and only 50 of that is misc stuff I didn't really have a record for)

UNDERWEAR
Who designs this stuff? I will just repost what I said on facebook yesterday:
"Dear Hanes and Fruit of the Loom art department: I find the graphics on walmart napkins more appealing than the horrid designs you put on your women's underwear. Just because they are the cheap packs of underwear does not mean you have to make us feel embarrased to even look at them."
How does one go about designing underwear? I'd like to see some of MY designs on underwear!