We Kill Everything We Love 4

This is the fourth piece in the series... for some strange reason, this truck was one of the most excruciating things I've had to draw in a long time. I'm not sure if it was a psychological (ha!) or technical issue, but either way, here it is.

We Kill Everything We Love 3

Third piece in the "Kalle Lasn" series (I suppose I should just call it "We Kill Everything We Love" from now on, right?), and companion piece to the first piece in the series. I know everyone is not keen on cats, but if nothing else, we love our dogs. Right?




P.S. Don't worry: lighthearted work returning soon.

Manufactured Landscapes

I just finished watching a documentary on Edward Burtynsky's work called 'Manufactured Landscapes.' I couldn't figure out why his work appeared so familiar when I initially read about the documentary on Netflix until I remembered seeing some of his photos at the Williamson Gallery back when I was Art Center. They were fairly large in scale, and very beautiful yet ugly at the same time.

The documentary is excellent, and I can't think of anything better to have come across while working on the new pieces for the SDSU show in October. (Read more about it here on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufactured_Landscapes.)

We Kill Everything We Love 2

Second piece in the "Kalle Lasn" series. I find it ironic and distasteful that people fantasize about owning such a fancy "toy" (not just the Fisher-Price version, but a real Hummer vehicle itself) that is manufactured to be used in wars. I also find it a little disturbing that something like this is sold off to parents who want to give their children something "cute" or "cool" to drive. I know that most kids this age might not fully understand the concepts of environmentalism or consumerism (other than "gimme, gimme"), but something like this is really enough to make me sick.

It is strange that children die horrible deaths every day in wars, and yet parents still find the idea of their child driving a mini Hummer to be cute.

We Kill Everything We Love

First piece in a series based on a quote from Kalle Lasn (as previously posted). If you don't feel like scrolling down, here it is once more:

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.

Graphite and colored pencil on paper and vellum. Approx. 11.5" x 15.5".

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".