New stuff around the corner

Just a quick announcement that new pieces will be coming to the blog very soon! I am honored to have been asked to be part of a four person show this fall at San Diego State University's Steppling Gallery (Imperial Valley Campus). So, along with the usual other stuff I have been working on, I am starting a new series based on the idea of consumerism, mostly springing from this quote from Kalle Lasn's amazing book Culture Jam:

The Earth can no longer support the lifestyle of the coolhunting American-style consumer. We have sought, bought, spewed and devoured too much, too fast, too brazenly, and now we're about to pay.

This book has been one of my favorites for years... I was recently re-reading it and figured what with all of the latest environmental reports and (extremely sad) news regarding the state of our world, I'd take the opportunity to address it in my own way. I am playing with transparency and b&w versus color for this series, and needless to say, I'm excited! I hope to have the first piece up within the next couple of days.

Nature always wins, 3.

A little bit of an L.A. tribute going on here, but also a small glimpse at nature adapting to what we build on, around, and below everything that existed long before cities ever did.


This piece is being sent over to Nine Gallery in New Jersey thanks to my good friend Ashley-Martin. If you're ever in the area, be sure to stop by and check it out– their site is still in progress but I'm 110% sure that the place will be great! http://ninegallery.blogspot.com

Nature always wins, 2.

I always thought of tree roots breaking/raising sidewalks as such a nuisance– which it kind of is, really... but people usually plant trees with potential root problems (or not deep enough in the earth) near sidewalks most likely without even thinking about it. With that in mind, I can't really blame the tree for doing this. I mostly wanted to depict that struggle between nature taking its course, and our attempts to tranquilize such a thing.

Nature always wins.

Not my usual style, but I just wanted to get away from the more representational stuff I've been working on lately. Fun fun fun!



(Had a hard time with the scan... )

Los Angeles 2

This is the second piece in the Los Angeles series, and yet another example of the collision between man and nature. I'm working on a larger scale piece that is rather similar but wanted to do this smaller, more intimate piece before embarking on the larger version. This will also be the first drawing that I put up for sale on Etsy (http://idiotkid.etsy.com).



Graphite and watercolor on paper, approx. 7" x 9 1/2".

Charles Chickenpants

Just a tiny drawing I made for my friend's birthday this week (Geminis unite!). This is her parakeet Charles, otherwise known as Charles Chickenpants; hence, the pants!

Stabilo Aquarelle pencil, ink, and graphite on Rives BFK.

Los Angeles

I'm starting a series of drawings based on Los Angeles. I'm mostly trying to find ways to show the city in as many different ways as possible (portraits, abstract interpretation, metaphors, etc). Eventually I hope to bring them all together somehow in the form of one large promo piece. We'll see how it goes! This is the first one in the series.

Neko Case

Here's a new portrait of Neko Case that I wanted to create to celebrate the release of her new album Middle Cyclone. I wanted to specifically find a literal image within a song from the album and use that for a drawing, so I based this piece on a song titled "I'm An Animal." (Lyrics here.) One of my friends has also been stuck on Marimekko fabric designs/patterns lately as well, and I think a little of that inspiration (nature in very graphic form) seeped through and made its way into the background.

finis

a drawing based on the idea of finding something beautiful each day.

Coyote (Canis latrans)

"Coyote (Canis latrans)" is a new piece for a show titled "Immigration, Education, & Militarization: the Dream Act in Context."
Steppling Gallery, San Diego State University (Imperial Valley campus)
720 Heber Ave., Calexico, CA 92231
April 24-May 1, 2009 (Gallery hours: 2-8pm)

I wanted to create a piece based on the idea of the "coyote," a smuggler of illegal immigrants from Mexico who is paid to guide said immigrants into the United States. I remember hearing about coyotes when I was around thirteen years old, and ever since then I've been fascinated with the anonymous aspect of the idea: who are these coyotes? What do they look like? This is my attempt to visually interpret what a coyote looks like: a belt-buckle-black-leather-boot-western-shirt-wearing-cigarette-smoker with no face.