These two paintings were for for a group show at Fabric8 Gallery called "Hot Fudge". The 2011 exhibition featured works created on the loose theme of sweetness. In addition to "Chocolate" and "Vanilla", there was a "Strawberry" but that little sweetie is long gone. You can find these pieces for sale in the Originals section of my Store, or just add them to your cart from below!
Here's another original work from the archives. This one was for MaxToyCo's Toy Karma show at Rotofugi Gallery. It went unsold there, sadly, but now's your chance to hang it in your home. Eyezon, attack!
Take of piece of The Daily Slimer home with you with this one-of-a-kind gouache painting. It's got a bright magenta background and is already framed. Slime your wall with a sinister spectre! $200!
I just picked up my "Dungeon Master" piece from Mission Comics & Art. It was part of a Dungeons & Dragons themed art show. It went unsold at the event, but it's now available here. The one-of-a-kind work is 8x10 inches and ready to hang. Check out more of my original works here.
I used to be notoriously bad at keeping track of my sales/expenses at comics conventions. In the past, it's been clumsy lists or even just hatch marks on paper. During a slow day at a recent Portland show, I decided to put my iPhone and Google Drive to use. I'm not a speadsheet expert, but I mangled together something that I think works a lot better than hash marks on a post-it.
Using multiple tabs inside a Google Sheet, I can keep running tallies on my expenses and my sales. The first tab, labelled "Report" keeps track of the totals of the other two, automatically subtracting "Expenses" from "Sales". If all goes well, the "Profit" cell amount is a positive number.
One of the advantages of working in Google Drive is that I can immediately open the file in my desktop's browser and see the data. Even though it is really handy to input data on my phone, it's a bit easier to edit formulas and format the spreadsheet on a computer with a keyboard.
I'm sure that this could be improved with tabs for Mailing List registrants, tax calculations, mail-orders, etc. If you'd like to take a stab at modifying my template, here's a link to my Convention Ledger Google Sheet. Here's a link to an XLS version of the sheet.
"Chase No Face" glow-in-the-dark buttons are here! They feature my portrait of Chase, a unique cat that beat the odds and lives a happy life despite her startling appearance. These buttons ship free with any purchase at my online store (no need to add them to your cart) or $3 each while supplies last.
Burger King of Pentacles, 2013
Acrylic and gouache on panel, 11x14"
A 78 person art show spanning every card in a standard Rider-Waite Tarot deck, reimagined by top contemporary artists from around the United States. Curated by Warholian’s Michael Cuffe and hosted by Bradley Platz and Kim Larson of San Francisco’s Modern Eden Gallery.
Participating artists include...
Major Arcana
Ryan de la Hoz, Vahge, Peter Adamyan, Steve Javiel, Catherine Moore, Adam Caldwell, Helen Bayly, John Wentz, Sherry DeLorme, Heart Twain, Brenton Bostwick, Brett Flanigan, Alex Huxley, Lisa Alonzo, Charmaine Olivia, Craig Larotonda, Chor Boogie, Lyrica Glory, Bradley Platz, Michael Cuffe
Cups
Chris Blackstock, Sandy Yagi, Sergio Lopez, Casey Gray, Trevor Young, Michael Ryan, Rachel Moseley, Jena Rockwood, Eve Skylar, Christopher Charles Curtis, Ben Walker, Carly Ivan Garcia, Melissa Morgan, Leilani Bustamante
Pentacles
Josh Ellingson, Lee Harvey Roswell, Mia Christopher, Lauren Napolitano, Cory Benhatzel, Joshua Coffy, Evan Venegas, Kim Larson, Mab Graves, Sidharth Chaturvedi, Brian Greif, Gregory Siff, Aaron Bo Heimlich, Robert Harris
Swords
Nick Flatt, Ivan Grianti, Brianna Angelakis, Daniel J. Valadez, Daisy Church, Ahren Hertel, Olivia Chen, Shawn Kawa, Chelsea Brown, Aleksandra Zee, Brandi Lee, Meryl Pataky, Marcos LaFarga, Jake Kobrin
Wands
Peat Wollaeger, Leon Loucheur, Jane Kenoyer, Xiau-Fong Wee, Aoi Yamaguchi, Calvin Wong, Gwen Rosewater, Renee Castro, Peter Gronquist, John Felix Arnold, Anne Herrero, Kim Frohsin, GILF, Akira Beard
Thank you to everyone that made it out to Wizard World Portland and Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle. It was a nice visit to the Pacific Northwest punctuated by fun times with old and new friends. If you missed out on any of the art at my table, you can pick it up here at the Store section of my website.
The comics convention train keeps a-runnin' with Wondercon in Anaheim, California. Forget Disneyland, all of the best characters will be at the Anaheim Convention Center for this three-day popular culture onslaught. I'll be tabling at the gates of Artist Alley (table for the duration. Come find me and let's get weird.
Friday: 12:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
800 W. Katella Ave.,
Anaheim, CA 92802
click for map
The Golem, 1915
Faker He-Man, 1982
I was just going through some old project files and I remembered a piece that I had done that was inspired by the 1915 silent film "The Golem". In 2009, I'd been asked to participate in a Masters of the Universe themed art show in Los Angeles and I was playing around with ideas for a Faker He-Man piece. One of the things that I loved about the old He-Man cartoon was the underlying sense of mysticism. There seemed to be some dark past and cosmic power that was only hinted at in the goofy stories but sometimes it came out in the character and set designs. Wasn't Castle Grayskull actually a giant skeleton? What the hell was that about?
So, when I started thinking about Faker, the artificial robot replicant of He-Man, I started thinking about mysticism and other artificial creatures. I remembered the Golem from Jewish folklore and did some research online. One of the first things that popped up was the creature from the 1915 film "The Golem" and wouldn't you know it, he and Faker share a bowl-cut hairstyle. I knew I was on the right path.
I had also been reading "The Cosmic Serpent", anthropologist Jeremy Narby's clandestine account of learning the secrets of nature through hallucinogenic plants in the Amazon jungle. These secrets were delivered to him by twin neon snakes, cosmic serpents that appear again and again in different cultures. Well, this worked really well in the He-Man mythos. Snakes are everywhere and integral to the story of the main villain Skeletor. So, I decided that the piece would imply that Faker predated Skeletor and was somehow connected to the Cosmic Serpents. In the final painting, Faker and baby Skeletor are flanked by two Beastmen and the snakes intertwine them.
Here are some process shots and the final piece.
Tentacle Cluster, 12x18" Archival Print
Today I'm releasing a brand new print! "Tentacle Cluster" includes two of my favorite things, cephalopods and booze. It will make a perfect accent to any home bar or liquor cabinet. This frame-friendly print is 12x18" and comes signed and rolled in a tube for the out-the-door price of $25 (+$5 shipping US domestic, $10 int'l 1st class).
"Tentacle Cluster", 12x18" Archival Print - $25
While you're there, please take a look at my other prints for sale. Cheers!
