This is the first larger-scale oil painting I've completed in a while, thanks to things like working and being a semi-responsible semi-adult. But here it is, 34 X 40 inches, oil on canvas. Its name is Bloodgood. Why? I was watching an extremely stupid game show and the contestant's last name was Bloodgood (she was not smarter than a fifth grader, FYI), and I thought it was a good name--far better in fact, than this particular woman deserved--and this was the image that sprang to mind when I thought about it. Strange how things work out.
It's far more graphic than I usually work, which comes with its own set of difficulties, like keeping lines and color areas clean and clear and sharp, and using rulers to make sure lines are straight and match up properly. Creating the large background areas was also a challenge, as the color had to remain consistent. The pattern shapes were made using a stencil.
I'm happy with the result, and especially with the lollipop trees to the left, there. Usually, I have the image of the completed painting in my mind from the outset, and I work until I reach that image. Bloodgood was one of those paintings that worked out very easily, coming to its conclusion without much stress.
Let me tell you about my camera. It's a good camera, and can do a lot of cool things, including taking large, hi-res pictures that are freaking awesome. My mom bought me the camera, and I'm eternally grateful.
But my camera is also a total bitch, and its screen likes to freak out for periods of time, allowing me to see nothing but a flat gray* space with a lighter gray vertical bar running through it. While this is happening, however, the camera still captures images. I just can't see them.
This was happening when I took this picture of this image, which I sent to the ever-fabulous Lolita Agogo, who was kind enough to send me some of her business cards. Now that she's received it, I can post it to teh Interwebz without ruining any surprises.
So here's a charming skullhead!
*To me, "gray" and "grey" are two different colors. Gray-with-an-a is a cooler gray, with blue or purple undertones, like the grays seen in this image. Grey-with-an-e, on the other hand, is a warmer color, with yellow or brown undertones. Why? I couldn't tell you.
Everyone loves the Internet. It's full of totally useless information and .gifs that are hilarious at four in the morning when you're drunk, but at no other time.
I've been a member of deviantART for a while now, and while it requires sifting through a considerable amount of questionable images (anime characters in compromising positions, naked camwhores, etc.), there is actually a wealth of amazing artists to be found there. Here are some of my favorites. There are plenty of others who I love, but these are the ones who stand out to me.
From the top:
First up is Amanda Breeding, known as PaWn861, who creates delightfully creepy, beautifully colored images with markers. This image, called Skull, is actually one that I own, as Amanda and I did an art trade a little while ago. Her images are graphic and delicate at the same time, and there are always little details that keep you looking.
Next is LolitaAgogo, who besides being an extremely talented painter is a total darling. Sometimes dA censors her pieces, like this one, called Deepest Darkest, because OMFGWTFBBQ a penis, so you can see her unedited work on her website. Her work is darkly enchanting, delicate and dreamlike, each one a gem. Did I mention she also loves cats?
Then we have Basil Arnould Price, known as tiamatrouge in the dA-verse. Still only in high school, Basil is an extremely intelligent and perceptive person, he enjoys Twin Peaks and creates striking compositions digitally, incorporating intricate patterns and beautiful human forms. This is a poster he created for his school's production of Macbeth, in which he is playing the part of Banquo. Check out his Tumblr as well.
Up next is inkylinkyboooo, whose art is so good it makes up for having to remember how many o's she uses in her screenname. Inky is from Denmark, and holds the rare prestige of being able to create Naruto-themed art that doesn't make the flesh crawl. This one's called Hudda, who is I think Team Fortress 2-themed.
Next is Owlform by ursulav, also known as Ursula Vernon, who is a writer and illustrator with a great sense of humor that shines through her whimsical and often slightly snarky work.
Next is Viv-Leoni, who is now mainly active on Flickr. His name is Lorenzo and he's a charming Italian photographer who uses only pre-1980s photographic equipment and travels around taking sensitive pictures that capture the soul of his subjects. This is a shot of the Cloud Gate in Chicago, which is all weird and donut-y. There's another shot of it here.
Then we have another Italian artist, Eva di Martino, known as PureBlackLove both on her website and dA account. and who is an exceptionally talented makeup artist, transforming herself into a whole cast of fantastical characters. Here we see her as Adam, her male counterpart (Adam and Eva, get it?). She also has the best nose that a person could possibly have. It's seriously an excellent nose.
Last but not least is Lindsay Campbell of Canada, who made these sweet little piggies. Her work deals with animals a lot, and while their faces are unmistakeably adorable, they often belie darker, heavier themes, but all while remaining innocent and delicate. She also has a website full of buyable pieces, and she makes hand-painted clothing, too!
So here's another Trash item that was supposed to have a mate that I never got around to finishing. It's full of Martha Stewart glitter and religious imagery and general debauchery. If I don't upload it now it'll never get uploaded, so here you go.
This is Caligula Rape Face. At least, that's been its working title for a while now. It's not terribly politically correct of me, is it? I'll often come up with shitty names for paintings while I'm working on them, usually out of sheer annoyance, and they either will or won't stick after the painting process is complete. This one stuck, perhaps unfortunately. I don't know what to tell you.
Anyway, this is a stand-oil painting made with like an entire tube of alizarin crimson and Martha Stewart glitter in Tourmaline (which is a mineral and actually comes in a variety of colors, but Martha is referencing the dark pink kind, I guess). Collaged into the top corners are Jesus, left, from the Godescalc Lectionary, and Shiva.
You'll notice that the figure, which was derived from a photograph, is wearing pearls. This painting taught me something: painting pearls is annoying. The bird skull, however, was a lot of fun. On the whole, the painting, part of the underrepresented Trash body, is about holy debauchery and general sacrilege.
I don't know how much I like this painting really, and there's an off chance that I may return to work on it, making improvements here and there, refining it a bit, but I felt for honesty's sake that its current form should be shown. Maybe one day I'll even get around to finishing its partner painting. Stranger things could happen.
I sent these three mini-works off to Washington state for the lovely Amanda B., who was kind enough to send me some of her beautiful work months and months and months ago. I finally got around to reciprocating, and sent her these.
They're little, watercolor, gouache, ink and pencil, the usual combination, and I like them. You can even see my little signature at the bottom.
There's another art trade out there for SOMEONE, but I'm not posting it because I don't want to ruin anyone's surprise.
I was planning on uploading these images only after the series was complete, but it's looking less and less likely that that will ever happen, 
so here they are.
These 6X12 inch paintings were originally intended to be a trashy, pinup take on the four horsemen of the apocalypse (I was thinking of calling the series The Four Bitches of the Apocalypse), but I never finished War; she's currently languishing under the couch in my basement/studio next to a bag of staples. Here, however, are Famine, Pestilence and Death, revamped and looking hot.
I was heavily influenced by Tara McPherson and the lowbrow artists at the time, and so we have a lot of bright, bubblegum colors and retro, cartoony themes going on, as well as a heavy helping of the macabre.
In addition, we have some of my recurring themes. Pestilence is an Exterminator, breathing out noxious fumes, exterminating people instead of bugs. This image has actually become a larger piece that looks very similar, only with ladybugs, and is currently in progress. Death is a Skullhead, which is only appropriate, and I've updated her apparatus by replacing the traditional scythe with a .44 Magnum--the Dirty Harry gun. It was my first time painting a gun and it was actually pretty fun. She also kind of looks like me. Famine is really the only all-original character here, and she's sort of a perky college girl gone bad. I used the concept of bulimia and eating disorders to represent famine, a sort of modern look at the way famine manifests in societies like ours.
These paintings also have the unique feature of having the sides of the canvas painted--the part of the fabric that folds around the stretcher bars--though you can't see it here. Some artists do this all the time, but I typically don't. On the practical side, it makes handling and storing the wet paintings very difficult, and I also feel it's a waste of time. Some argue that it eliminates the need for a frame, covering unsightly raw edges, but I don't see the point. Besides, I feel that the sum of the painting should be what is happening on the main surface, and that painting the side creates a distraction at best, and reduces the painting to merely a decorative object at the worst.
But these are merely decorative objects to me, and I think that's what inspired the painted sides. Obviously paintings are decorative objects, and I'm not trying to elevate them far beyond what they are. But to me the side-painting practice seems kind of dumb and cheap-looking. Of course, these paintings are meant to be dumb and cheap-looking, so there you go.
In case you're wondering, War is a cheerleader. If I ever get around to finishing her, I'll post her.
This is my new Slenderman T-shirt, which I made using Tulip brand fabric paints (in white and brown, Slendy's skin was made by mixing the two) and a T-shirt I altered to fit me.
Why? Because Slenderman is my new best friend.
I started watching the Slenderman ARGs on YouTube (Marble Hornets, EverymanHYBRID and TribeTwelve), and though in all three, Slendy is a menacing figure, I think he's adorable. I mean, look at that face. Er...
Anyway, the series are all really fun and spooky and I recommend them to anyone who likes a good creepy mystery. They've also inspired me to work with video, which I'm not very good at, but I'm liking the mysterious and cryptic shorts that plague the main characters in each series. I've been shooting some footage and maybe I'll piece one together at some point. (And no, no wild Slendies yet.)
And, of course, since Slendy is my new best friend, I decided to make a T-shirt of him. He lives on the left side (the wearer's left side) of the shirt, and that means he gets to hang out on my boob. Lucky Slendy. I painted him with sort of mitten hands, because I like to think that he's not so much wearing a suit as he is a suit.
Please excuse the paint blotches. This is an in-progress picture and so is not completely cleaned up. The colorful bit near the collar is not part of the shirt; it's a magazine separating the layers to prevent bleed-through.
