Portrait Illustration Maker

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Days Long Past, No. I

One of my sketchbooks is devoted to interpretations of the many old photos I have collected. I have a box full of family photos that my mom was going to get rid of many years ago because they could not be identified (some of which I have since recognized as my grandmother). The rest I have been buying for years at antique stores and such. Here is a recent entry.

Full Stop

This past winter in Houston the Diverse Works Gallery displayed Tom Burckhardt's "Full Stop", an artists studio made entirely of cardboard and black paint. Only 10 ft high x 18 ft wide x 18 ft deep, the installation is filled with art historical references such as Jackson Pollock's shoes, Jasper Johns's Savarin can and Edward Hopper's potbellied stove. The idea is that despite having all the right materials: tools, art supplies, art books and postcards of past masters work at hand, the artist is having a block--staring at a blank canvass. The attention to detail and that it's made entirely of cardboard is amazing. And the fact that you could walk in it was a real plus. Here are a few photos of the work, and one with myself just for scale. The only date still listed on the tour is the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield, CT from March 26 through July, 2006.

Mullet Man

This guy was created for a project for the Aurora Picture Show here in Houston. The project changed direction and this fellow was never used, so I thought I would give him immortality on the web instead. I found the reference photo when I Googled "mullett" and up came this mugshot (you know I never did get a model's release).

sKETCH kLUBB Show at Domy

I mentioned the Domy show in a previous thread, well here are a few shots of the opening and the piece that I hung that night. Pitt Brush Pen on cardboard, of my grandparents on my fathers side. They were in their 40's when they had my dad, so my grandfather was a WWI drill sergeant, and my grandmother was a flapper (hair in bob and a string of pearls). They were only in their 20's in the photos I used as reference, wow!

It was a smashing success!

A Scanner Darkly

As you may or may not know, I spent most of 2005 in Austin Texas working on Richard Linklaters "A Scanner Darkly", based on the novel of the same name by Phillip K. Dick. The funny thing is my wife, Miss Anne, posted on her blog how the new trailer was out and the guys over at the Winona Ryder News Channel must have Googled it. Anyway, the resulting connection produced a short Q & A that can be read here. The above self portrait was for the Scanner Darkly Artist web site that will launch on April 10. I'll post the link at the right when it's up.

Baseman QEE

There's a great new store here in Houston called Domy. The only place in town that sells "urban vinyl" toys, zines, alternative press comics, limited edition artist multiples, crazy DVD's that Netflix will not have, limited edition t-shirts, and all sorts of awesome art books. This last Saturday was the grand opening and in the gallery area were works by Houston artists that participate in sKETCH kLUBB (of which I'm a member) plus others. I'll post some photos of the opening later. I'll also picked up a Baseman Qee that I didn't have, and my wife picked up a Jordan Crane comic. The web site is still under development, but if you are in Houston you have to go check out the store.

www.domystore.com

Dirty Robot Disco

A friend of mine is a local DJ and one of the clubs he plays at every Friday has the Dirty Robot Disco. Here is a pencil sketch that I worked up for him to promote it. I'll post the inked later.

Check out his DJ site here
www.jefferymac.com