Kirk's Doodles, Musings, and More.

A New Adventure

2010-05-05T07:37:00.005-04:00

With the help of a very kind and generous site building novice I've started a new site for my creative outlet. So, if you have time to kill stop over at my new location at kirkolmstead.com we are open seven days a week, forty-eight hours a day. Have a nice day and thanks for stopping by.

Whisper of the Pup

2010-04-15T17:57:00.003-04:00

Here is my latest short film. Being an uncle is great. I get to have so much fun making these little movies with my wonderful nieces and nephews who never cease to amaze me at their timing, their innocence and their ability to pretend and have fun.

We did this at my parents' house last week on a whim. No script or practice, we just went along with a basic premise. Nothing complicated.

For the record, Emily ad-libbed about half of her lines. I also want to mention how well my father did in this. I don't think I gave him a single line. He knew where I was going with this little tale and went for it. Good work dad!
Enjoy.

To See or Not to See

2010-03-27T10:26:00.003-04:00

Movie ticket stubs from my past. Yes, I saved these.

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that movie theaters are RAISING their ticket prices for several different reasons during our economic calamity.

Ever since I was a child I've loved going to the movie theater. I can remember my father taking me to see Return of the Jedi when I was four years old and how upset he kept getting when I'd tell him I had to go to the bathroom every twenty minutes. I remember going to see Walt Disney's Peter Pan with my mother and sister during the re-release in 1982. I think we missed the beginning and the attendant at Movie World let us attend the second showing for free. I enjoyed it so much that I intended to see the third showing until my mom threatened to leave me there if I didn't come with her. As a scared three year old with limited survival skills and abandonment issues I reluctantly went with her.

Cinema Paradiso is a beautiful movie and example of how films can capture our hearts and imaginations, how they sweeten our memories and link us as humans in ways unseen in other art forms. Yet, greed and short sightedness could eventually destroy this. Where else, besides a religious ceremony will you see that many strangers sit quietly together for nearly two hours?

Record companies didn't plan for the digital age and file sharing, Ipods and mp3s. The movie industry has been trying for years to crack down on pirated material, how long do you think they have before they find themselves in the same predicament as the record business?

For a low to middle income family to enjoy a professional sporting event or a movie experience they must forfeit an obscene amount of money to do so. It is why my mother and I only go to one Cleveland Indians game a year, why my father and I will only go to one to two movies a year together, or why my wife and I only go to Drive-ins during the summer months. I'm tired of these greedy mongrels who take advantage of the fans and hard working people who just want to escape for a few hours and to share experiences with loved ones they will cherish for a lifetime.

Sold! To the Woman in Black.

2010-03-14T06:30:00.003-04:00

My piece was purchased last night by a woman who was very familiar with Stephen Crane's poem The Heart, and really enjoyed my interpretation. She enjoyed it so much that when introduced she had me give her my information so she could commission me should her name not be chosen from the raffle. I received many compliments but it didn't appear as though I had that many bids. I find it weird how this stuff works. I guess it reaffirms what I've been telling myself lately, don't worry about what I think other people might like but concentrate on doing what I like and if does not sell then I have something that I've made and enjoy.

30-30-30

2010-03-09T23:11:00.004-05:00

I'll be entering a piece for this show. As of now I'm working on a sculpture to enter. Let us hope it turns out. The show is in Highland Square in Akron at Revival and Square Records from 7-9. If you are in the area you should stop by and say hello. I'm sure there will be plenty of interesting items for sale. You can buy clothes, you can buy some music and you can buy some art all in the same night! Where else can you do this so cheaply in Ohio while you support local business and hungry artists?

Polar Bears Fight Cancer! Despite the Weather

2010-02-21T21:13:00.009-05:00

I'm officially a polar bear thanks to the generous support of friends and family who helped me raise over $385.00 for the American Cancer Society this weekend. I was truly amazed at how much my peeps came through for me on such sort notice. I lost my friend, Lindsy, who was 29 years old to cancer in the fall and a grandmother who had beat breast cancer once only to lose the rematch to a different form of the disease over a decade later.
Meghan listed the names of my donors on the left side of my back and the last names of those who lost the fight, who we love and miss dearly on the right.
Lindsy loved butterflies so Meghan drew a butterfly on my back for her.

I can't say that jumping into a frozen lake in February feels good. In fact, it actually hurt. I experienced an extreme case of brain freeze unlike anything I had ever known before. As soon as you hit the water you immediately want out like a cat getting a bath in acid. I've been scuba diving in a wetsuit with a 42 degree water temperature, I dove into a friend's pool that still had ice on it, mimicking a scene from Cliffhanger, on a five dollar bet in high school, I've fallen through the ice on the river up to my waste as a child, but none of those events compared to the cold I experienced on Saturday.My sister asked me if I'd do it again. You bet your tangerines I would, if it was for a cause like fighting cancer.

Thank you again to all those who helped me raise money for this worthy event. This was for the loving memory of; Lindsy Jarvis, grandma Tollefson, Mark Price, Gloria Sheville, Dean Beretich, and Richard Alberini.

Advice

2010-02-04T06:23:00.006-05:00

Recently, I've been visiting a website called Rad how to written by a fella who works for Dreamworks Animation. His website is brilliant for giving novices such as myself advice on learning the art form. Sometimes I send emails to artist I like or want to know their process. Sometimes I get snubbed or lost in spam, and sometimes I get a response. Well, yesterday I decided to contact Rad and ask him for some advice.

He responded, twice! And, not with vague "just draw and have fun" advice but with honesty and detail on what I need to do to get where I want to go with my work. I cannot tell you enough how jazzercised I get when professionals respond to my queries. I once emailed someone who worked on The Corpse Bride and an artist wrote me back with a list of resources to explore. I find it so encouraging and inspiring when these people take the time to write blogs and respond to the novices who come looking for help.

When people do this it reminds me of how much we really do want others to succeed. As if we profit from their success. This demonstrates that it is not always about "me" but that it comes down to "us" to mankind's culture and progress. Through posting pieces on Illustration Friday I have had visitors to my site from nearly every country on the planet. I've had people I've never met from places I've never been give me compliments or offer me advice. This makes me marvel at how kind and connected people can be from all over the world and we have the internet to thank.

Sorry for the rant, I don't normally do this. I was just so charged this morning that I felt a need to compose this diatribe. So, Rad's advice to me, copy. Copy those I wish to draw like. Spend at least two years working on developing good structure and the fundamental skills necessary to make my work proficient. Aye aye Captain Rad. I gave up on art for over ten years and if I want to do anything with this in the future I'm going to have to put in twice the work to make up for that time. Once again, it comes down to time and the sickening feeling that there is never enough of it.

After getting his advice I reached over and picked up a book called, How to Draw Wizards, Warriors, Orcs and Elves by Steve Beaumont. I turned to a random how to draw _____ page and started to follow the directions on how to draw an orc. The finished piece would like this:

I started much smaller and chose a different color to paint my orc, but the overall form was close.
My porportions are off and my shading/color could use some work but overall not bad. Maybe I'll draw an ogre next.

Astron and the Land of Sadness

2010-02-03T07:17:00.002-05:00

Before I went to an open life drawing studio last night I worked on this watercolor image. I had no idea where I was going with it. I think a watercolor course will be necessary. In the meantime I'll continue to practice with different mediums.

Thank the G its Friday

2010-01-28T21:37:00.006-05:00

Here is a comic strip for you to start your weekend. Thanks to Dolli for working her Photoshop magic in making this fit. Click on the image to enlarge.

Miranda Bird

2010-01-24T15:02:00.004-05:00

I drew this doodle several years ago. I've been trying to find a medium to use that is suitable for my level of skill. I decided to try painting this using some acrylics that were given to me by my sister in-law.
Hardly original I'm sure but I don't care, I like birds.

Down the Drain

2009-12-31T15:56:00.003-05:00

I think most of humanity took a hit on the chin this past year so I say we flush this stinking turd of a year down the toilet. 2010 will be here tomorrow and I welcome a new decade with open arms. This last decade was a bit like every other decade with wars being waged, people going hungry, disease, poverty, homelessness and natural disasters. These last ten years were just done with faster forms of communication to cover it. I cannot get over how far phones have come in the last ten years and my reception still sucks, but the picture quality is excellent!

The optimist in me hopes something colossal and wonderful happens to all mankind in this next year or decade, but the pessimist in me says- fat chance, man is not capable of allowing that to happen.
So, I guess I'll keep my expectations low and wish all of you two people a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve and I wish you both a fantastic new year. So long 2009 hello 2010!

The Dinner Party

2009-12-25T13:09:00.005-05:00

Here is a colored version of an old drawing based on a technique similar to that employed by illustrator Will Hillenbrand. I used tracing paper instead of the paper he suggests. I used pencil, pen, watercolor, and gouache. So much to learn.

Foiled Again!

2009-12-13T21:39:00.002-05:00

I entered my first fencing tournament this weekend in Cleveland.
Three of my seven bouts were victories. I placed 18 out of 25. Not bad for my first time. I look forward to doing it again.

Illustration Friday: Crunchy

2009-12-10T06:09:00.004-05:00

Dr. Frederick Flatbottom beat
Bedbugs in Borneo
Malaria in Madagascar
Influenza in Indonesia
The Gout in Guam
Dysentery in Denmark
Whooping Cough in Washington
and Tetanus in Thailand
But it was an Anaconda in the Amazon
That finally took his life.

I have to say that I just don't get watercolors. Me thinks an intro to watercolors course is in my immediate future.

The Heart

2009-10-30T19:11:00.002-04:00

In the desert I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground, Held his heart in his hand
And ate of it. I said, "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter-bitter," he answered; "But I like it
Because it is bitter, And because it is my heart."

-Stephen Crane The Heart

Happy Hallow's Eve

Illustration Friday: Flying

2009-10-14T16:05:00.000-04:00

Challenge

2009-10-09T00:50:00.005-04:00

I'm better at pencil than paint when it comes to illustration. But, I have to keep trying and look at each failure as a success or I'll never grow and I hope you do the same. Duke Nuke'm suggested I borrow from the New Yorker a contest where viewers can provide a caption for my illustrations. In response to that, anyone that submits a caption for this illo is automatically enrolled in a contest where I, as the official,will pick the best comment. The winner will receive from me: with my next submission to IF a link to their site, a redux of this post with their caption attached and a beer koozie from Toni and Chris's wedding 2006 that fits most American and European beer bottles (postage paid by winner, have you seen the price of postage lately?), and maybe a little doodle from me. How sweet is that? So, step up to the plate and give me a taste of how clever you can be. All submissions must be entered by Oct. 13, 2009 to be considered. This post can be found on digg.com courtesy of a suggestion from Margie. Enjoy.

Illustration Friday: Germs

2009-10-07T23:19:00.003-04:00

One of the infected.

Illustration Friday: Pattern

2009-09-29T23:58:00.005-04:00

This is my second attempt at writing a comic strip. I have much to learn I know. It is a lot harder than it seems.

The Daily Doodle

2009-09-24T23:23:00.003-04:00

Tengo una problema con dos gatos negros. I've got a problem with two black cats. If this problem isn't resolved magically overnight the two of them are going to spend some time in the slammer with the V-E-T. Luckily, only one of them knows how to spell, guess which one. These two trouble makers are in for it. I knew something was up when the big one starting getting a little too friendly. We'll see how long that lasts after our trip tomorrow. I've separated the two to see which one will talk first. The littlest one is alone in the restroom and he is singing like a canary which makes me think the fat one is the culprit. Either way I hope the Doc can offer me a solution on how to deal with these two tomorrow, because I'm at my wits end.

Illustration Friday: Infinite

2009-09-23T23:59:00.003-04:00

An INFINITE supply of entertainment.

I don't know why these come out so gray.

The Daily Doodle

2009-09-22T21:58:00.003-04:00

Today is the first day of Fall. It is typically my favorite season. Typically.

A Train, Dickens, and Crawdads

2009-09-17T22:42:00.004-04:00

What do these three things have in common? Nothing really, but they do have to do with my evening in Cleveland. After work I met my mother, my sister Amanda and her two children Zack and Emily in the parking lot near the Cleveland Browns Stadium. There we boarded a train that hosted a traveling exhibit. Disney has been touring the United States promoting their new movie A Christmas Carol and the train made a stop in Cleveland for two days. Guests could walk through the train and view Charles Dickens' quill pen, personal papers, manuscripts, and collections of his works while high definition televisions played a loop of behind the scene images and interviews from the film. One car had a replica of the kind of suits actors wore during filming and cameras perched on aluminum bars at various angles to capture their movements. There were interactive touch screens where patrons could have their picture taken and their faces morphed with the faces of the characters from the film. One car smelled of pipe tobacco another, gingerbread. The artwork on display was beautiful. I was amazed at all the detail and talent that went into these pieces of concept art, not like they would have a kindergarten art class do the set design or anything but you'd have to see it to appreciate it.

At the end of the tour we were welcomed to a private viewing of unreleased scenes from the movie. I really enjoyed watching the previews in 3d. It has been nearly 20 years since I saw a film in 3d and I have to say I still think it is pretty darn cool. I couldn't tell if the kids were impressed though. I think the movie will be fun and entertaining as a very expensive cartoon. I really appreciate this type of promotion for a film. It was interactive and free!

After the previews we bid our farewells and I went to get something to eat. I stopped at Fat Fish Blue for some crayfish. I decided on their sampler, a cup of jambalaya, a cup of gumbo, a cup of red beans and rice and some crayfish (you suck da heads). I wasn't keen on the jambalaya. It was too oily and sweet from the tomatoes. The red beans and rice were a surprise, but not one I liked, although I hear from the barkeep the current members of Three Dog Night found the dish very pleasing. The initial bite was sweet and then a wallop of spice came in with a sucker punch. I did, however, enjoy their gumbo and I hear Paul Mooney loves the collard greens. I thought about ordering them as a side but after the sampler I was too full.

Not bad for a Thursday evening in September.

The Daily Doodle

2009-09-16T18:50:00.001-04:00

Illustration Friday: Welcome

2009-09-16T00:52:00.005-04:00

I hope you can enlarge this if you click on it (you can). I took some liberties with this week's topic and this comic strip. It is my first strip, I believe, ever. The edges were cut off by my printer, but it doesn't take away from this highly entertaining storyline. I call it, Inspired by True Events. Enjoy. Oh, and if there are any professional cartoonists or people who love comic strips I'd love to hear your opinion on my first try at this genre.

It Seams to Me

2009-09-14T16:31:00.005-04:00

Saturday was the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators Regional Conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Cleveland. The night before the conference I slept three hours. In the morning I; woke up, took a shower, grabbed coffee, ironed the clothes I had picked out at one in the morning the night before and headed out the door. I had decided to wear my favorite black pants, a pair of Dockers made with a material that doesn't require ironing but breathes with an elastic waistband that has been with me through thick and thin. I've had these pants since I was a bartender/server at a restaurant in Little Italy, in Cleveland, Ohio five years ago. I typically get a sudden surge of creativity or a mad desire to oil paint whenever I wear these pants, so it only seemed fitting that they would be the pants I'd wear to a conference pertaining to writing and illustration.

When I arrived at the conference I immediately marked my territory on the illustrators' table to display my easel and illustrations. I felt more confident than I did the year before thanks to a stronger portfolio and by having postcards to present that my mother in-law, Dolli, had made for me. Then, I sat down at a table in front of the stage where the speakers would give their presentations. I drank coffee and ate a light breakfast while I chit-chatted with an elderly woman to my left and a male illustrator to my right. We made light conversation and I excused myself frequently to check on my work and to get a feel for the crowd's reaction to my work. I sat back down at my table and waited patiently for the conference to begin.

As the first presenter began his speech I looked down at my crotch and noticed, to my absolute horror, that my underwear was showing through the giant split in my pants. Panic flooded my brain and I immediately began to rummage through the back logs of Mentos commercials stored somewhere deep in the library of pop culture commercials lodged in my cerebral cortex. Somehow, ripping my pants into short shorts didn't seem to be an acceptable option for me. Then, I remembered I had an overnight bag in the trunk of my car in case my wife and I ever stayed over somewhere and needed hygiene products or pajamas.

I quietly grabbed my jacket and held it in front of my nether regions nonchalantly exiting the room. I walked to my car trying to come up with options. What would my wife, who is an ex-wedding coordinator do? I have no time to buy a needle and thread, I don't have access to a stapler and I have no duct tape. Maybe I could buy a pair of pants off of a guest at the hotel I thought. Excuse me sir, can I buy or borrow a pair of your pants? You see, I'm here for this conference and if you'll just take a look at my crotch you can see that I've managed to split my pants... I couldn't see this as being my first option, but one that I wasn't afraid to try. When I opened the bag in my trunk all I saw was a pair of pajama bottoms. This won't work even if they are artists. This is unacceptable. As I looked some more I found a pair of nylon cargo pants. This would have to do. I changed in the mensroom away from the conference.

When I walked back into the conference room nobody seemed to have noticed my wardrobe change and I wasn't willing or ready to announce my dilemma to the crowd. I'll let them think I sharted and had to change my clothes, what choice do I have? I scanned the room hoping to find someone giving me a satisfying nod of approval for my coolness. I had become a freshmaker.

Reaction

2009-09-05T01:43:00.001-04:00

11-4-08

Illustration Friday: Caution

2009-08-25T00:16:00.005-04:00

I was tired of Reuben's eccentric ways. He went to great expense, or his staff did, to offer me a word. I replied the only way I know how... with my gun.

Books will tell ya to use water color paper when using water colors or your art will look sloppy. I just laugh at em, all the way to the bank. Sloppy you say? Life isn't nice and pretty pork chop, so why should my art be? I'm just a two-bit go-to-guy with an abnormally large head and enough street smarts to make a copy of some person's GED and put my name on it. How's that for credentials?

Illustration Friday: Wrapped

2009-08-19T21:47:00.004-04:00

Mr. Campbell was a volunteer who was once a boxer. I met him while I was learning how to box at Good Shepard's Gym in Akron. He was lean and balding with tired yellowish eyes. Mr. Campbell would show me how to jab and work the heavy bag. He would get in the ring and take punches with the pads as we worked on our jab, saying that's right, mhm-hmm. He always looked tired and sometimes he'd even fall asleep in the chairs while we hit the heavy bags or shadowboxed. Mr. Campbell would wrap my hands for me whenever I looked like I needed help, which was often. He would tell me to spread my fingers wide and then he would proceed to wrap my hands in such a way that I thought they would resemble bound feet by the time I'd get done boxing. I'd look at his hands while he wrapped mine. They were like darkly tanned leather, worn but with a shine to them, frail.
Today, after seven years, I returned to the gym at its new location. Mr. Campbell was nowhere to be seen. He had passed away.

Ohio- The Strange Fantastic

2009-08-16T11:50:00.006-04:00

When summer finally presents itself to those of us living in Ohio we seize every opportunity to make the most of the very few days of warmth and sunshine before the dismal clouds roll in accompanied by temperatures that would make a Yeti shiver. My wife and I are pretty good at keeping ourselves entertained with various activities, visits, travel or hobbies throughout the year, but when summer hits it's as though we are social darlings who have way too many social events to attend. I'm very grateful to have so much to do with so many wonderful people.

For those not familiar with Ohio, it may take them a few years to learn or accept all that we Ohioans have to offer. You'd be amazed at the many different ways we find to our entertain ourselves in this otherwise unbearable state. For example, three years ago my friend Josh and I decided to take a drive up Rt. 45 in Warren to Geneva-on-the-Lake. Along the way we came across a sign announcing a festival one mile ahead. We followed the signs til we came to a parking lot full of people dressed in Medieval costumes. It was a Medieval fair! We did not stay longer than a few minutes since we were not interested in paying an entrance fee to hear people talk of mead, dragons and sorcery. We continued on our drive and went to Lake Erie, but the beach conditions were not welcoming so we drove on and made a stop at a local winery. We ordered wine and ate lunch while a Jazz band played to a diverse crowd of people in the hot summer sun. On our return home we came across a tractor pull competition. In a public park people brought their supped-up John Deere riding lawn mowers to a drag race. Men and women of all ages raced each other on a dirt track in these home improved muscle mowers. Josh and I videotaped the excitement of the event and even interviewed someone about this peculiar sight. What a wonderful Saturday that was!

Yesterday, Meghan and I were invited to a pot-luck music party. We made caprese salad and I brought my guitar to sit in on the jam session. Neighbors, friends and new acquaintances brought, food, drink, and their children to the soiree. Here I am playing guitar and a bongo with my brother in-law KC, on vocals and guitar, and Jason (the host) playing percussion. From there we went to Lockview restaurant in downtown Akron.

When we stepped out of the car we were greated by the most spectacular live latin music I have ever heard. It was Tito Puente Jr. and his band at Lock3. I was transported back to Sarasota, FL. where I would hang out while my friend and roomate, Josh, worked during Latin dance night in his restaurant, Michael's in the Quay. The music was nearly strong enough to divert us from attending the other engagement we had planned, a night of Yacht Rock on the rooftop of Lockview.
If you are not familiar with Yacht Rock a good introduction to the music and lifestyle would be to watch these webisodes (not suitable for children) created by J.D. Ryznar and Hunter D. Stair. Last night was an exceptionally good time spent conversing with friends and fellow Yacht Rockers as we enjoyed the smooth sounds of this unique musical style.
Yes, there is something for everyone during the summer months in Ohio. If you don't agree you're not looking. Sail on sailor.

Illustration Friday: Impatience

2009-08-12T23:43:00.004-04:00

Do you think the elderly are as impatient as the young? Do they wait with baited breath for the sound of a doorbell or the ringing of a telephone? Do they wait eagerly for the ghosts of loved ones or the harbinger of death? I had so many ideas for this topic but I ended up here.

Lakeside

2009-08-04T16:12:00.009-04:00

Just got back from spending an extended weekend with my family at Lakeside on Lake Erie, Ohio. We celebrated my mother's birthday (happy birthday mom, I love you!) with a wonderful meal made by my wife followed by cupcakes made by the grandchildren. I had a fantastic time fishing, riding bikes, eating ice cream, and playing the deadliest of all games involving sticks and pucks, shuffleboard.
Dad with his catch. He spent fifteen hours fighting to land that monster.
Zach and yours truly, I'm trying to restrain him from his unbridled rage of excitement during the magic show. I could not contain him and I'll be a monkey's uncle if they ever find the rest of that rabbit.

This was the game where Zach had to have a talk with me about my attitude on the court. Mason, being the consummate sportsman, pretended to ignore the verbal bashing I took over my "hissy fits" and "drama queen theatrics" as Zach called them.Aboard a 1967 Lyman wooden boat.

Good stuff.

Illustration Friday: Tango

2009-07-22T07:39:00.002-04:00

Take it easy on her #3, she is not the only one to blame. It takes two you know.

Outer Limits

2009-07-21T19:03:00.007-04:00

Just returned from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Here are my favorite parts of the trip in no specific order:

1. Sightseeing in D.C. with Meghan hitting the Capital Building, the White House, and the Lincoln Memorial on a three hour tour, a three hour tour,
(That is me pretending to be a Bill on Capital Hill)

2. Hearing my sister in-law threaten my mother in-law in a Ukrainian accent, "If you don't shut up mother I sell you for two girls.",

3. Three days of body-surfing some really nice waves,

4. Watching the moon rise over the Atlantic and seeing portions of the Milky Way. Oh, how I despise light pollution,

5. Going for a beer and a burger with my step ladder and brother in-law,

6. Eating two fantastic family meals at home, tacos a la Gayle and Seafood De-light with a little help from everyone,
7. Sailing on a Hobie Catamaran for two hours on the sound side with only my pregnant wife by my side, nearly jumping the shark, as Fonzie would have, bringing it in on the landing,

8. Soaring with the eagles (really hawks and I was standing) at the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. I saw a hawk with a fish in its talons as it flew by us 200 feet in the air,

9. Getting to have dinner with my wonderful friends from back home whom we met in Nags Head, Chuck and Lindsy,
10. Star gazing with my wife on the beach our last night there.

Illustration Friday: Worn

2009-07-01T07:25:00.003-04:00

Have you ever worn an article of clothing for a long enough period of time that it feels like it is growing on you?
I realize that I don't know how to use shadows or shade objects, any recommendations of resources?

In the Beginning

2009-06-29T20:36:00.002-04:00

In the Beginning God said, "Let there be Harvey." And it was good. I'm working on a sculpture for a concept I have for my father in- step ladder's song, "Allegheny Lode." I'll spare you the details of both the sculpture and the concept but I dig this son g and I think it would be neat-o to see it portrayed in a quasi stop-motion music video. I'm having much difficulty getting detail, hair, hands and other things completed. This is just a sneak peek of what will hopefully be completed for art's sake, whoever that is, or before I give up.

Illustration Friday: Adapt

2009-06-02T18:44:00.002-04:00

When the first creatures first set fin or foot on land do you think there was this moment of, "oh crap, what did I do?"

Does anyone know if there are any materials artists use to spray on pastel drawings so the chalk does not rub off?

Illustration Friday: Cracked

2009-05-27T23:21:00.003-04:00

When I hear the word cracked I immediately think of; eggs, mirrors, sidewalks, David Bowie's Cracked Actor, and Cracked magazine.

Illustration Friday: Contagious

2009-05-21T22:18:00.001-04:00

How easily the words roll off the tongue, the contagious pattern of gossip as it infects one individual with its juicy details, so delicious it is too much for one person to swallow that it has to be shared with others.

Ilustration Friday: Parade

2009-05-13T17:38:00.003-04:00

Sam was so sick of the way Bill would boast and parade his family around every chance he had to do so.

Illustration Friday: Theater

2009-04-29T23:38:00.003-04:00

The reviews praised the production but loathed Wilmer's portrayal of Orlando Bloom's character, Will Turner, in his rendition of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Musical.

Illustration Friday: Fleeting

2009-04-12T16:30:00.004-04:00

Her figure had been ravaged, her life's ambitions were being snuffed out and her looks were fleeting but she soldiered on with her responsibilities and went about her day with a surrendered look on her face.

Illustration Friday: Poise

2009-03-30T23:23:00.002-04:00

While I was going to college I worked part-time in a deli. It was a challenge to keep one's head poised a certain way as you tried to mask your contempt for your job and the terrible attitudes of the customers you had to serve.

Illustration Friday: Subtract

2009-03-25T20:36:00.003-04:00

Here I sit subtracting from one side and adding to another...bottom line is time is being subtracted from my life and there is nothing I can add to stop it.

Illustration Friday: Legendary

2009-03-18T17:25:00.004-04:00

"Legend has it the Bartleby kid rode his bike down this hill on a dare. He lost control of his bike, crashed into the creek and broke his neck. The neighborhood kids knew he was hurt and went for help but it turned out he broke his neck and drowned in six inches of water. That's why we call this Neck Breaker Hill. Some people say the creek is haunted and that the Bartleby boy won't let anyone go down the hill unscathed. I dare you to ride down it."

Illustration Friday: Intricate

2009-03-08T23:33:00.002-04:00

A man in a dark overcoat, with his muffler pulled up round his face, and his hat pulled down over his eyes, came along Culver Street and went up the steps of number 74. He put his finger on the bell and heard it shrilling in the basement below.
Wheezing a little, Mrs. Casey toiled up the basement stairs and opened the door.
The man asked in a whisper, "Mrs. Lyon?"
"Second floor, said Mrs. Casey. "Go on up and knock."
When the man got round the bend of the staircase he began to whistle softly. The tune he whistled was "Three Blind Mice"...
~ Agatha Christie Three Blind Mice

Three blind mice
Three blind mice
See how they run
See how they run
They all ran after the farmer's wife
She cut off their tails with a carving knife
Did you ever see such a sight in your life
As three blind mice

I thought an illustration done in a manner similar to illustrator Harry Clarke would be appropriate for this week's topic. I've been watching a lot of Agatha Christie's Poirot and reading her short stories and decided to do a quick illustration for the topic this week.

IF: Celebrate

2009-02-18T17:03:00.004-05:00

I had a difficult time deciding what to do for this topic so I just started drawing. Carnival, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, whatever you want to call it- Celebrate.

Illustration Friday: Time

2009-02-10T21:59:00.003-05:00

Back in July I posted my original doodle for this character on a post-it-note. I hope that we all take a moment to appreciate the time we have been given, to value each day we are alive and understand that tomorrow is never guaranteed.

Food Poison

2009-02-08T16:49:00.004-05:00

According to a recent National Geographic article, the Cavendish banana has recently contracted the Panama Fungus. Little did you know that if you like bananas as much as myself, you eat these bananas everyday. The Panama Fungus wiped out the "Big Mike" a few decades ago, what we were left with is the smaller Chinese version, and if this fungus has its way the world will be robbed of this wonderful fruit since there is no known cure for this disease. With our spinach coming down with E. Coli, our peanut butter spreading salmonella and our bananas dying what else do we have that is safe to consume?
Our fish are not only over-fished to exhausting levels, but they are laden with mercury and have been found to be void of functioning sex organs due to hormones found in run-off from dairy farms, leaving us with fish that cannot reproduce. We have a punch of "Its Just Pat" fish who are crazy and unable to make more crazed little fishes.
Then we have cows who are so shot up with hormones they cry all the time and are constantly asking us if they look fat.
Maybe we should genetically engineer all our food since we are doing such a smashing good job with our natural foods. What do you think?

Nothing Left

2009-02-02T23:05:00.002-05:00

After yesterday's incident the boy had very little left to lose.

My Girlfriend: An Elegy

2009-01-27T19:12:00.002-05:00

My girlfriend is in the graveyard
She is buried six feet deep
She is emotionally unavailable
She is really fast asleep

My grief for her is like a drug
It causes me great pain
It never ceases or goes away
It is red washed down the drain

My soul was saddened when she passed
I moped around for weeks
I visit her gravestone everyday
How bad her body reeks

My jealousy was too much to bear
It made an ugly me
It forced my hand to do bad things
It cost me my sanity
~ KEO

Happy Birthday Uncle Edgar

2009-01-19T09:57:00.006-05:00

Today is the 200th birthday of one of my favorite authors and poets, Edgar Allan Poe. While I was in high school I had a friend named Jake who was constantly exposing me to new music. I never knew how people did this, I could only find musicians that were played on the radio and I was always impressed with people who knew of cool music before anyone else did, well that was Jake. We both shared an interest in the macabre, the depressing and the dark. I wasn't goth by today's standards but I was definitely the brooding type, my unicorn obsessed brother in-law came close when he guessed me as the kind of guy in high school who " dressed up as the Crow, brooded in the downtown gazebo reading poetry,". He was close in this description, I dressed as the Crow twice for Halloween, I proposed to my wife in the downtown gazebo and I brooded in high school as I read poetry in the library. When Jake introduced me to Edgar Allan Poe I found someone who was tormented with grief and sorrow, who suffered as I felt I suffered and was depressed as I felt I was depressed. I didn't find that many authors who interested me during this period of my life so when I was introduced to the works of Poe I devoured just about everything he ever wrote. His contributions to American Literature are being celebrated by the U.S. Postal Service with his own set of stamps, which I purchased on Saturday. I'd like to leave you today with one of my favorite poems by Edgar Allan Poe from the book I carried with me in school.

A Dream Within a Dream 1827

Take this Kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
Oh God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

Happy birthday Uncle Edgar!

Cardinals Rule!

2009-01-11T21:12:00.005-05:00

The kind Dollimoma gave my wife and I this tsatske last month and I just love it. The birds are maniacal and malicious as they appear to be in the midst of some ancient and diabolical ritual of nature. I adore creepy and these birds are creepy. This piece gave me a new found respect for cardinals. I've always enjoyed our state bird and apparently six other states do too according to Wikipedia. Yes, Ohio is one of seven states to share the cardinal as it's state bird. Regardless of association or claims to this bird by these states or various sporting clubs, I have been tinkering with the idea of claiming this bird for myself; as Edgar Allan Poe had the Raven, I shall have the cardinal... maybe.
Yesterday during the unrelenting snowfall I began creating my version of this colorful bird.
This is what I came up with thus far. Northeast Ohio only receives about 165 days of sunshine a year. During the winter when everything is cold, gray, and depressing these red devils are sometimes the most colorful things found in nature at the time. I really do appreciate them, their plumage is striking and bold in our eternally dreary Ohio winters.

A Talk with the Dead

2009-01-09T18:46:00.004-05:00

A Talk with the Dead

A talk with a dead man is really quite pointless

Believe me I know I can contest

I’ve had one before

It was an absolute bore

He talked and he talked

Oh the mile we had walked!

No knowledge was gleaned of the afterlife

From this apparition filled with such tireless strife

All he talked of were people who I do not know

And anecdotes told in a pace oh so slow

I tried to escape him I tried to leave

But he was so very lonely and he would pull on my sleeve

So heed my warning should you ever encounter

A ghost with a top hat and a penchant for dull chatter!

~ KEO

Scary Stories

2008-12-31T16:41:00.003-05:00

Do you remember Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark? I do. I loved the illustrations more than the stories. The artist who illustrated those books is an artist by the name of Stephen Gammell. He is a very normal looking guy who likes to draw, good for him I say. Like any other person on this planet, I've been pretty busy, both at home and at work. Even though I'm blessed with work, family and friends I haven't been able to do much doodling this past month so I have nothing much to show, except for this little sketch I fiddled with while I was working. It reminds me of Stephen's work. I'm not pretending to be like him, it just reminded me of one of his illustrations.
I hope to get cracka-lacken in the New Year developing some skills. Have a safe and enjoyable New Year!

Santa's Got a Brand New Bag

2008-12-14T15:09:00.004-05:00

I've been using this blog as a journal of the different things I'm trying to do to increase my skills as an artist/illustrator. Last week I did a couple drawings of Santa and this morning I spent four hours painting one of those pictures using a medium I'm not very familiar with at all, gouache. I really don't have much training with painting so I've been trying to learn on my own.

A Brief History of an American Santa

2008-12-09T23:23:00.006-05:00

Some of you may remember Washington Irving as the American author who gave us Legend of Sleepy Hollow, he also wrote about Santa Claus based on the Dutch immigrants and their traditions in New York. Thomas Nast, a famous illustrator of the 19th century, gave us a look at Santa Claus as an elvish looking creature who could fit down a chimney. I've been doing some drawings of this pagan based character and I like the idea of a mischievous little elf dropping off gifts in the night in return for some milk and cookies.

The Santa we know and see represented in American culture is due to the Coca-Cola Co. who portrayed Santa Claus as a more robust human character. So I've been playing with different
versions of the man in red and I prefer the elvish looking monstrosity, what are your thoughts? I'd like to add some color to some of these when I get my act together.

Ridiculous

2008-11-28T17:13:00.002-05:00

I despise the way Christmas is celebrated in America. I loved getting gifts as a child but as an adult I've come to resent this holiday due to the insane nature of this consumerist holiday masquerading as a religious celebration and the unnecessary pressure to buy gifts for family members as an alleged demonstration of our appreciation for them the way Jesus would have. A Wal-Mart employee was killed today by shoppers who refused to let him get up as he was trampled on and killed so they could get a deal on electronic devices and other goods manufactured in foreign countries by people who aren't even allowed to celebrate this season.

Expanding Horizons

2008-11-26T17:20:00.006-05:00

While I was at work I was approached about helping someone at the church with making a poster for a play she wrote. I talked to the playwright and asked what she had in mind. I was told it would be a barnyard scene where farm animals put on a pageant that has something to do with Jesus. I knew what animals she wanted to focus on and that it was supposed to be realistic, not too cartoon like. She also wanted it done in a relatively short period of time. I said I'd do it as a favor for her and the church at no cost than I did a sketch that night. She ended up being pleased with the sketch with some minor changes here and there like the ears up instead of down, a rooster and hen instead of a duck kind of thing. I made some copies of it at an office supply store and then tried my luck at painting the pastoral scene. It turned out descent enough that she wanted to use it so they added the dates, time, etc. and placed them around the building. I asked if she could list me as the artist somewhere and they put my name in huge letters next to the lamb. I don't know if it was to be nice or to make it seem like I'm an egoist, which I am to a certain unashamed degree. Here it is in it's final form. Maybe if you're a Christian, living in Akron, who likes free plays about Christ involving barnyard animals with a cookie reception following, you'll come to see it.

Flight of Fright

2008-11-24T21:26:00.003-05:00

This was originally done as a pencil drawing for the Spooky and Fresh exhibit at the Summit Art Space back in October. It was located along a wall with the other lackluster pieces like a parent's refrigerator covered with their child's artwork. At least is was by the winner's submission. I colored it this evening in an attempt to liven it up.

Storytime with Francois

2008-11-20T20:26:00.003-05:00

First Impressions

2008-11-14T17:08:00.010-05:00

Back in August I was going through a local thrift store when I came across a very large painting for ten dollars. The painting was done in an abstract fashion with globs of paint strewn about in passive and bland colors, art I would consider suitable for a dentist's office or a bank. I didn't purchase the painting for the painting itself but for the canvas. I'm not a strong painter. I haven't had much instruction in this particular area and I typically work on small canvases, so I thought I'd step out of my comfort zone and paint over this hideous painting. When I placed it in my workshop I began painting strange representations of three women in 1930's fashion doing different things like drinking wine and spreading gossip, one had a face expressing ecstasy, and the other wasn't figured out yet. Then, while working on the third woman, something else started to form and a new painting began emerging.Immediately as the third woman began to take form I knew where I was going with the painting, as if the painting already existed and I was just uncovering it from years of accumulated dust.

The canvas had a peculiar way of absorbing the paint and not letting it adhere. The globs of paint were difficult to avoid or address but it adds texture to the painting, which appeases me.

I was influenced by Impressionist artists like Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Manet, Munch and Picasso's blue period. While we were in Paris and the Musee d'Orsay I was overwhelmed by how close I could get to my heroes work. I wanted to pay homage to that style and so I added some symbolism to this piece and I'm curious to see how people interpret the piece.
I'd like to do many more in this style and have another exhibit in Akron somewhere. You're all invited if this happens.This is how it looks now propped up on a bookshelf in my office. I can't say that it is finished but I can say that I'm done with it.
I wish I would have started the recording process earlier, if I do something this large again I'll have to.

What is Left is Right

2008-11-13T18:26:00.012-05:00

Growing up I had uncontrollable bouts of rage. My brother referred to it as "Hulking". It was terrible. I would vent my frustration by punching things in an idiotic fashion. Once, while in art class a friend flicked water on me while I was working on a drawing for my portfolio to submit to a prospective college. Water droplets fell on my drawing and I began "hulking" but instead of getting into a fist fight over the goof I punched a steel door. Basic physics taught me that the density of the door was more than that of my fist, my flesh and bone couldn't penetrate metal and for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction (thank you Newton) which resulted in me having extreme pain in my hand. Hoping that it was a broken or stoved finger I began pulling on my pinky finger trying to set it. This resulted in a burning, throbbing sharp pain in my hand. I told my art teacher, "I need to go to the doctor, I just broke my hand." Looking at my swollen and pulsating hand my teacher obliged and sent me to the principal's office. Needless to say I had a broken hand or what is commonly referred to as a boxer's fracture. I broke the fifth metacarpal and had to have my hand put in a cast. I never said I was smart, especially at that age.
At this time I had three periods of art class in a row where I mostly socialized and did an occasional drawing here or there to keep my grades up. It was then that I drew a picture of my right hand in a cast with my left hand. Twelve years ago I learned how much I enjoy occasionally drawing with my left hand. I also learned not to punch things when I'm angry and to vent my frustrations in a more productive way, like line-dancing.

The drawings tend to be a bit crude and rough with a stronger line. It is a fun exercise but not something I can do for long periods of time. Naturally I want to use my right hand to fix something or to accent the drawing and it is at that time I have to quit the exercise.

Sometimes I pick up a pencil and let my left hand do some scribbling, which feels weird because it doesn't seem as though I'm controlling my hand.

Here is my left hand's version of the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland.

Tuesday my left hand started drawing and what turned out was a drawing of the Mad Hatter.

I've done some right handed drawings of Lewis Carol's characters and painted them using water colors. The only thing I like about this one of the Hatter is his pupil.

Another was done of the Hare. I like his look of panic.

Tim Burton is attached to direct a remake of Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp as the Hatter. I'm sure it will be great, but is anyone else getting tired of these two working together? Do people do this out of laziness? Burton isn't the only one guilty of this crime and Depp is a great facial expression character actor but for real? Again? I'm not jealous or anything.

I don't know how I got to this point but the doodle I did with my left hand of the Hatter made me think of this. I hope everyone is doing good and staying warm.

Chess King

2008-11-09T00:49:00.004-05:00

I never really learned to play chess. I've played, but never took the time to study strategy which is essential to the game. With the months getting colder and darker chess seems to be an appropriate game to pick up. Now if only I could find someone to play me.

I have difficulty being consistent with characters and duplicating them in different poses. This was an exercise in trying to recreate a character with different facial expressions.

Loss of Sorrow

2008-11-04T20:48:00.009-05:00

Baby was a still-born
Mama named it Sorrow
I never saw its face
But I cried all the same
Yesterday was the last time
Last time my mama smiled
Now she sits alone, sits alone and weeps
Sits alone and weeps alone for her loss of Sorrow

I've decided to post file 11-04/08.
11-05/09 Over a year ago I wrote this poem after I drew this doodle at work. Meghan never liked it because her sister was pregnant at the time it was written and she thought it was bad mojo. It was written as if it was a child talking about losing a sibling in the Victorian Age. Last year I entered it in the Akron Museum of Art poetry contest along with some other poems I had written. I did not win or place, but I entered, because I love poetry and I've always fancied myself as a story teller of sorts and wanted to give it a go. I never would have thought that this would happen to us in real life, to feel the loss of something so precious it cannot have a value, but we have.

Halloween is here!

2008-10-31T07:34:00.002-04:00

Yeah! Today is Halloween, I love it. I won't be able to think of anything else today. I drew this on our train ride to Nimes.

Jem Apple - Kirk

2008-10-28T21:08:00.006-04:00

A picture of our apartment at the vineyard of Chateau d'Or de St. Geules

We arrived in Akron this morning from a long and exhausting trip home from Paris as all of you two people are well aware. Meghan and I had a magnificent time sight seeing and experiencing French culture. We were able to achieve some much needed "us" time (like we are the confused parents of Siamese quadruplets or something). I didn't spend much time drawing or sketching since we basically didn't stop moving for ten days straight. I got some quick sketches in here and there.

This is the horse that wandered about in the enclosure in front of our place at the vineyard. He was white and pathetic looking with flies all over him. Meghan called him Ben, but then again she called every animal Ben.

The next picture is of Meghan walking toward me in front of the Roman Colosseum in Nimes.

Frazzled

2008-10-09T17:13:00.007-04:00

Fall has found its way into Northeast Ohio hitting me like a bag of wet leaves in the soloplexis. Normally Meghan and I would be watching Nightmare Before Christmas repeatedly, decorating our home in horrific ways, and prepping ourselves for our favorite holiday. Except this year is different, we are going to France and we have spent weeks learning about French culture and deciding what we want to do with our eleven days in Paris. We've been busy and I haven't spent much time doing any art. This painting is something I did the day of my art exhibit in July at Sq. Records. I called it Boo Radley from To Kill a Mockingbird, one of my favorite stories.

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed and I can only imagine how Meghan is feeling, she has planned this entire trip and I have to admit, I haven't helped much.

This picture of my niece, Emily, sums it all up.

Self- Portrait Work

2008-10-01T17:16:00.005-04:00

I caught my reflection in the window across from me in my office. The shadows on my hand inspired me to draw a quick sketch while I was writing a donor letter, my reflection made me realize how unhappy I must look all the time sitting in my office, either that or I must always appear completely miserable even outside of work. Something must be done.

Regret

2008-09-29T17:50:00.003-04:00

Harold knew that he would be punished for what he said earlier making this the worst Halloween ever.

Hello Horror

2008-09-24T22:22:00.004-04:00

I've been a busy beaver with an adobe illustrator course, trying out water polo, being married, trying to book a vacation to France, volunteering for coastal clean-up, Toastmasters, painting, and work.

Yesterday I left work early taking a mental health day to come home and try to produce a piece of art in six hours with no idea of what I wanted to do. I ended up drawing a picture of a witch performing a spell on her broom before taking off in the air for a night of terror while I ate lunch and watched Days of Our Lives. Stefano is back and John Black/Roman Brady 2/Demara- whoever is having a personality disorder and could die for the twentieth time since 1987! It was wonderful.

I didn't have time to scan the illustration before the deadline. I took a painting of Twiggy in the Moon and my illustration and headed out the door. Three neighborhood tweens were hanging out next door so I asked them which one I should submit, all three said the witch but if I wanted to I could give them the painting. I laughed and appreciated the compliment. I arrived at the art space with half an hour to make a decision of which piece to enter. There weren't many drawings there and I thought of Macbeth and the three witches and the three girls next door and went with the drawing. I find out tomorrow if they accept the piece. I entered for exposure so there isn't much to gain or lose.

Today I did a quick sketch of a comic character the Scarecrow to post on comics2film. Here you go, some more of my comic nerd stuff.

And another copy in color....

Let's Hear it for the fanBoys!

2008-09-08T19:20:00.002-04:00

I'm a frequent visitor to a website called comics2film.com they cover all the latest gossip on superhero or comic book movies and it keeps me up to date on all the latest news. This site also allows fans to display their art of various characters they'd like to see play superheros or villains. Many of them put large breasted models in photoshoped outfits, but some of them are extremely talented creative artists. I decided to include a drawing I did last week when I was scrambling for art to display at the Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators Regional Conference in Cleveland. I didn't think the drawing was suitable for the event so I sent it to comics2film. A week later they posted it and it has garnered some positive remarks.

It has been really strange getting back to doing art on a semi-daily basis. I've done a sketch here or there, maybe a painting or two, but now I'm motivated and I can tell I'm still spread out too thin, but I'm excited about doing it again and getting some of it out there.

The SCBWI Conference was overwhelming, educational and fun. I put together a portfolio of some of the pieces I've displayed here and I learned that; I need to make some of it cleaner and more presentable and that postcards with my contact info and samples of my work are better than business cards for potential employers.

High Adventure on an Inland Sea!

2008-08-27T23:24:00.007-04:00

As some of you may already know, I'm a member of Toastmasters. Since I've joined I've become more aware of the things I say and I work hard at trying to say things so that my point is concise and that it is easily understood. This doesn't always work but I'm getting better. Someone asked to read a speech I wrote so I'm including it in this blog. The purpose of this speech was to be animated and so I acted out some of my experiences.
Here is... High Adventure on an Inland Sea, not really.

As children many of us dream of different things we want to be as adults. Some of us wanted to be doctors, magicians, ballerinas, veterinarians and astronauts. With a show of hands, how many of you can say you are doing the job you dreamed about as a child? If you are congratulations, if you are not congratulations, our interests change as we get older and we sometimes learn that the job we thought we always wanted turns out to be the job we never wanted. In my case, as a child, I wanted to be a scuba diver who discovered lost shipwrecks full of treasure. When I was kid I would memorize the colorful pictures of tropical waters in the Caribbean with sharks and scuba divers, shipwrecks and buried treasure that were printed in the high gloss pages of National Geographic. I would leaf through them with amazement and wonder at all the fantastic and exotic places in the world and underwater. When Mel Fisher discovered the Atocha in 1985 its treasures were plastered throughout National Geographic and my young mind was convinced this was something I would do some day in the future.

Flash forward to 2006, I’m married working at a job I detest doing nothing with my archaeology degree thinking to myself where did I go wrong? As I pondered Graduate school I thought about going to school for Nautical Archaeology which remained an interest of mine from childhood but was something I never followed through with, but there was a fundamental flaw in this idea… I wasn’t a certified scuba diver; I’ve never even been scuba diving. My first step would be to become certified. No problem. I love being in the water, so it seems only natural that I’d also love scuba diving right?

My certification process for becoming a PADI Open Water Diver was filled with many moments of discouragement that put my pursuit of becoming a scuba diver in jeopardy. Keep in mind that I’ve been waiting nearly twenty years to do this. While completing my final dives for certification I suffered the worst panic attack of my life. My eyes popped out of my skull, I began sucking in major gasps of air from my regulator and I got tunnel vision, and this is all happening under forty feet of water. I managed to take control of my fear and I pushed through the exercises without giving up. Back on land, after I had successfully gained my certificate I wasn’t elated but relieved and I had no intention to get back in the water anytime soon.

Even after my unfortunate experience my interest in underwater archaeology didn’t subside and I discovered a group called M.A.S.T. which stands for the Maritime Archaeological Surveying Team, a non-profit organization who uses volunteer scuba divers to help conduct surveys of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes for documentation and preservation. I thought to myself (go humph) this might be a great opportunity, I’ll get to do underwater archaeology without going back to school and borrowing thousands of dollars to find out if I even like underwater archaeology. I missed the training program for 2007 so I waited a year and took the course in the spring of 2008. In June I went on my first underwater dive for an archaeological survey.

We set out from the Black River in Lorain County aboard the Holiday captained by a man who sounded like a cross between; Mr. Magoo, W.C. Fields, Christopher Walken and who looked like Patrick Stewart from Star Trek with a white chin beard and a white captain’s hat. My favorite quote of his was- “On this voyage of surf and sun, we do not flush for #1, but should you go #2 do us a favor and flush it through.”

Now, Lake Erie is known for its rough seas and even though a friend of mine warned me about this, I neglected to heed his advice and take Dramamine. I mean, why would I? I’m a man. (Take a wide superhero stance) I’m of Norwegian descent, sailing is in my blood. I’ve never been sea-sick before. Guess what happened? As soon as I set foot on the Holiday rocking to and fro from the waves on the river, I became sick. I cursed myself for my stupidity. Here I am sick on a fishing vessel with not much room for the twenty people on board let alone twenty scuba divers and all their gear, the majority of them are over weight middle aged men with disposable income exemplified in the immense amount of gear they have with them. Needless to say space was limited. After an hour of fighting off the dizziness and complete lack of proper motor function, it was time for me to suit up and go scuba diving. Picture yourself five miles away from shore on a boat rocking wildly back and forth, being sea sick and trying to put on a rubber suit without your body’s cooperation and you get a good picture of what I must have looked like that day.

I wasn’t sick to my stomach, I just felt extremely dizzy as if I had just got off a really violent roller coaster. It reminded me of that joke by Dean Martin when he says- “You’re not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on.” When I finally had all my gear on I had to waddle my way from the bow of the boat to the stern down a narrow passage while I was over heating, nearly losing consciousness and swaying from left to right as I’m hunched over with nearly fifty pounds of weight strapped to my back. (Do the scuba diver shuffle) As the crew is rushing me to get in the water I’m trying not to black out and I’m telling them I’m not going to make it. They convince my body to get in the water and somehow it obliges. As soon as I hit the turquoise water my suit is filled with its refreshing coolness. I’m right as rain and ready to submerge.

As we descend my heart is beating (pause- beat chest) and my eyes are wide and focused. The visibility was poor but I didn’t care I was diving on a schooner that sank nearly 150 years ago! I had done it. I lived out a childhood fantasy. Although I was still too sea sick to accomplish the next dive I did come back the following day and completed my two other dives. I did enjoy the three dives that I completed that weekend but I can’t say that I enjoyed them so much that I’m in a rush to do it again.

My experiences have shown me that; maybe I’m just not that into scuba diving, a graduate program in underwater archaeology might not be the best fit for me, and that what I wanted to do so badly as a child isn’t necessarily something I have to want to do as an adult, especially now that I’ve actually done it and that’s o.k., I can accept that. I still love free diving and I do get some enjoyment from scuba diving, so who knows, one day I just might be diving somewhere in the Caribbean only to discover some sunken treasure and if I don’t that’s o.k. too.

Tea for Two and Two for Tea

2008-08-24T13:56:00.009-04:00

Saturday my wife held a fantastic tea party for our nieces, mothers and grandmothers on each side. My grandma Olmstead was not in attendance due to her living in a barely habitable part of Texas. Meghan had it decorated beautifully with considerate and thoughtful little nuances throughout, you can see pics here. She asked me if I would tell the girls a story with my puppet Francois to fill some time as she printed out pictures of the event to give as gifts to the mothers. I didn't really know what to do so Meghan suggested telling a story revolving around the three girls. I didn't want to make it three fairies or three princesses so I switched it up a bit. Elliot is really into playing princess, especially her take on the Sleeping Beauty story. Malia likes princesses as well but she has recently really taken to water, I mean for four years old she is much more adept at swimming than I was at her age. She must have inherited the fish gene from the Olmstead side because that girl is like Esther Williams doing underwater flips and so-on, so I made her a mermaid. Emily is really goofy and curious, she is easy going and happy go-lucky so I made her the fairy.
The story was a basic plot of a goblin named Wortemer Wormbread,or Wort for short. He is a dirty, lazy goblin who never cleans so he kidnaps the princess, the mermaid and the fairy to clean his house. The worried parents of the missing girls ask Francois to save them, he reluctantly agrees. He sets out to find the girls and...
I guess you should watch the clip to see how the story ends.

A New Addiction

2008-08-18T17:27:00.003-04:00

Meghan has made claim that I am addicted to post-it notes. I suppose this is due to the massive amount of random sticky notes she finds strewn about the house. She doesn't seem to understand that I need the sticky note, the small scrap piece of paper or the post-it note to keep my mind from all the creative clutter or that I need a mental break, to wander around aimlessly in the meadow of my mind at work so I can escape for a brief moment before going back to the hum-drum doldrums of my less than exciting job of donor form letters, copying and filing. I've been a doodler since the day I learned to draw a car on some old bank deposit slips over at my grandmother's house. I draw a circle than it takes on a life of its own. I come up with my characters that way, like the dragon, Iggy and Francois and I need to keep those little pieces of paper so that when it is time for me to put them into some sort of context I can copy them from the original concept. Last week she became tiresome of the random drawing and placed a small collection of them in an envelope near the printer. I applaud her for her smart thinking in having some type of system for storage.

Here is one of the latest post-its taken from a brief break at work...

Hallow Gallow Poll

2008-08-06T18:48:00.012-04:00

As many of you are surely aware Halloween is soon approaching. Maynan and I enjoy Halloween more than any other holiday in the whole world. We are planning on hosting another eerie event to celebrate the occasion with the time and date to be determined. The theme has not been decided upon but I'm leaning toward a certain something but I can't say too much. Here is a CLUE...

M is for Meghan who was murdered with a mace.

K is for Kirk who was stabbed with a knife by the kindliest killer who vanished without a trace.

I could see Meghan painted up like a Gustav Klimt painting. I would require one of my mustaches to pull off the Victorian look or I'd have to go sans facial hair.

What thoughts or ideas for a most horrifying Halloween can you offer? If they're good enough maybe we'll kil...I mean, er... invite you.
Happy Haunting!

*UPDATE*

Estivator sent Meghan and I the most delicious postcard in the mail. I think she might get a gold star for the week. So yes, I was thinking of decorating the house and grounds in an Edward Gorey motif. I thought topiaries, mournful lovers, suicidal figures and ghastly visitors could deck the walls and fly about. I cannot divulge too much or there will be nothing to surprise you with.

Thanks for the postcard! Indeed, I think it was the hood ornament!

Puppets

2008-07-31T00:36:00.004-04:00

I took my art off the walls of Sq. Records. I was glad I put them up. Thank you for all the support. I even had someone tell me they would pray for me, to which God, religion and for what I don't know, but I hope its for something nice.

I'm getting geared up for Halloween and to try and make some more puppets. I attended a workshop during the Akron Storyteller Festival a few weeks ago. The workshop was led by Willy Claflin who demonstrated his use of puppets in his story telling. I really enjoyed it and it taught me one negative aspect of ventriloquism I never thought about, that most of the time people are watching the ventriloquist not the vent figure (dummy) to catch him moving his lips, which is true. So I'm really excited to get back to work on doing something with Francois, making some other puppets like an iguana named Iggy and this dragon... whom I'm not sure will work out or not. I don't plan on attending many Medieval fairs so a dragon might be unnecessary.

Here are some pictures of the yet to be created puppet Iggy. Which version should I go for - the white paper Iggy or the Iggy 7:16? Please remember this is just a concept and that Francois needs a nemesis, so he will have Loki and Iggy to play off of. Loki will come later.

A Little Taste

2008-07-23T07:05:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd share some illustrations I've been working on for my dummy book to use for the children's book I wrote. I've had to rush to get some work done before the class is over and I'm not sure as to how the final look will go, this is just a work in progress.

Time isn't on my side

2008-07-21T17:31:00.009-04:00

Recently I've been blogging about the past, something that is not always easy to forget and sometimes even harder to remember. This weekend Meghan and I were talking and we've been freaking out because the older we get the faster time seems to go. Originally scientists like Archimedes developed machines to tell time as a way to help business. Time and money have gone together for so long its recognized as common law marriage in most states - except for Texas. As far as measurement goes I'm only interested in two things, I want to know the fastest way to get somewhere and I want to know when I get to leave work. How we experience time is much more interesting to me than the measurement of it. I just value my time so much it is ridiculous how much time I spend thinking about it and how I imagine that I'm in a foot race against it only my feet have been unknowingly tied together by ignorance and circumstance. I think we value time so much because it is in such short supply and we never know when it is going to run out.

Father Time looks as though he is in no way going to give it up for free.

Quit taking all my time jerk!

The Joke's on you.

2008-07-19T16:16:00.004-04:00

After seeing the latest installment in the Batman movie franchise and being absolutely blown out of the water by the writing, the sets, the dialogue, the costumes, special effects, the acting and the perfect performance by Heath Ledger I was off to the market to fetch some carrots and noodles for a roast my mother was cooking when I happened to catch out of the corner of my eye a flier that stopped me dead in my tracks.

Now I've heard about tourists visiting foreign countries and accidentially "rescuing" or picking up cats or dogs believed to be stranger versions of the American counterparts only to discover later that the cat they thought was so cute was actually a rat, but this is Ohio and I don't know who in the hell could ever confuse a possum for cat!

I thought, this has to be a joke there is no way someone could not realize that when the cat they thought they rescued refused to use a litter box and smelled like garbage began snarling at the them that they might have something other than a cat on their hands. I had to call. So I dialed the number to speak with "Mike". I had to know if this was a joke or not, but the mystery stopped there for the number lead to a voicemail box where I left my message saying how funny I thought his flier was that he was confusing a wild possum with lost domesticated feline.

Batman Extravaganza

2008-07-18T17:55:00.008-04:00

In May of 1986 I was involved in a school program that tried to support children who demonstrated intellectual or creative potential. It was in this class that we did special art projects and it was in this class that I had the opportunity to put on a play. I wrote or gave significant input into the creation of a play based on the disappearance of a butterfly that required the assistance of Batman and Robin to help locate the missing insect. I of course made Batman while Brad Kittle, I believe, made and performed the puppet Robin. We made our crude puppets out of paper, plaster and paint as our art teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson, helped us with decorating them. We performed the show for the kindergarten class below us to rave reviews in a one day only performance that had as much historical relevancy as the Apollo 11 moon landing of 1969. I still have that puppet and one day it just may be on loan to the Smithsonian.

I wish I could find the pictures of me holding the puppet after the show so you could see me in my white jacket, gray pants and pink shirt- guess who I wanted to look like.

The pictures of me dressed up in my first Batman costume sweating profusely from the forehead are missing as well. The purpose of all this is to demonstrate my excitement over the latest installment to the Batman franchise.

I can remember watching television on the floor of my grandmother's house when I first heard the news that Micheal Keaton was to play Batman. I was peeved, that role was to be mine. I cursed Michael Keaton and this director Tim Burton for taking away my chance to play the role I was born to play. In 1989 my father took Keith and I to see that movie and during dinner at Red Lobster before the show my father taught my brother and I how to flirt by demonstrating this to us with the help of the young waitress waiting on our table. He seriously said, "I'm going to teach you how to flirt." I've never needed coaching since then. Score one for Jim on the parenting skills list please. I loved the first two Batman movies and the rest, like most people, I could go without. Then, in 2005 that mastermind Chris Nolan got a hold of the franchise and turned it around making it good again. My disappointment at the realization that I wouldn't play Bats came flashing back to me. I've dreamed of being an actor since I was young and I always had the hope that I'd be discovered like Christopher Reeve and given the role of a lifetime, so when my second favorite character was picked to be in the next movie I was again crushed knowing I'd never play the part of the Joker. At least the part went to a deserving and incredibly talented individual like Heath Ledger. When I heard that he had the part I knew he would smash it out of the park spanking Jack Nicholson on the buttocks while he rounds the bases. Tomorrow I go see the movie with my father and I'm as excited as I was at ten years old standing in line in front of Movie World waiting to see my favorite superhero come to life on the big screen.

Association

2008-07-17T20:48:00.005-04:00

Last night I was thinking of the heat and the summer and how I could make a piece of art that wraps up all of those things that come to mind when I think of summer - mischief, the river and the way the water flows slowly as if it is too hot and tired to move and the sun is setting over the tree-line just in front of Copperweld while the mayflies rise from the water, lightning bugs in a mason jar,the Skyway Drive-in and swinging on the swings on the playground before the movie starts, hide and go seek in my neighbor Lindsey's yard, swimming over at Tom and Joe's, bike rides, the county fair with its giant bunnies, display of bees, the freak show, the demolition derby and the familiar smell of manure, not to forget; poison ivy, jumbo jet stars and To Kill a Mockingbird. I have no idea how to interpret all of those things into a bizarre painting but those are the things I associate with summer. That and Porky.

Porky was a wild cat who was feral and quite possibly infected with rabies. Whenever Porky found his way into our area it was as if a ferocious beast from some fairytale had found its way into the village to feed on the livestock. We would run inside and close the doors trying not to wet our pants. The reason we feared this cat was due to his awful behavior, rude manners and his inability to die. My father, like Atticus Finch, had - on numerous occasions, attempted to kill Porky. I cannot tell you the methods employed by my father due to the likelihood he could be convicted of animal cruelty in some court presided by Chrissy Hynde as judge with Pamela Anderson acting as bailiff. So, until the statute of limitations is expired I will forgo such detail. Remember, this was the early 80's, Cujo had just come out on VHS and that's what people did back then. We also didn't have car seats, one of the car doors wouldn't shut properly and we never wore seat belts - welcome to Warren 1983. We don't know whatever happened to that cat, but I wouldn't doubt that it had indeed escaped from hell and that to this day it lurks in the bushes across the street and in the rusted fields of an abandoned steel mill.

Summer Specfizzle

2008-07-16T19:54:00.004-04:00

July has finally realized it is July and has quickly gotten its act together and turned up the heat. It has been an incredibly bizarre summer with temperatures and weather patterns behaving like unsupervised children on a high fructose corn syrup binge. I wish I had something new to post, something that represents summers to me, but alas I have nothing. I'll have to work on that one when I get a minute. Here is a doodle to fill that void.

The Jig is Up!

2008-07-14T21:11:00.007-04:00

In a failed attempt at an experiment in selling art without friends or family acknowledgment, I'd like to take a moment to tell you, my family, that I'm well into my second week of having my art on display and for sale at Square Records in Highland Sq. Akron, Ohio. Meghan put me up to it months ago so I've been feverishly trying to make items that would accommodate the eclectic tastes of the neighborhood and that match my artistic style (whatever that is). Hence, the partial purpose of this blog - I've posted several of the works here. Your comments have been my testing ground. I wanted to see if I could produce art that was aesthetically pleasing, easy to produce and priced just right. As of yet, I've sold three pieces. Two, I believe, to my sister in-law. I didn't want to tell family about the exhibit so that I could see if strangers were into my art and to be able to assign the pieces some type of value. I think I went awry somewhere and it may take many more clinical trials before I have any real evidence of financial success. I think my experiment in the absurd is even more appropriate since I'm trying to sell art in a bohemian, not really affluent, mostly young (poor) neighborhood during a recession. The beautiful part about this was the chance for exposure, a possible sale and to acclimate myself to the vulnerability of putting myself and my art out in the physical world for criticism. No one has signed my guest book, except for a drawing that was possibly done by my niece, which I loved.

I'm busy putting together a dummy book for my children's illustration class, so be patient Jacob and Richard if there isn't a video of a hungry monster guarding treasure for awhile. Thanks for the kind comment Lauren.

The Hunt

2008-07-09T17:42:00.012-04:00

I'm not sure where this is going. I wanted to write a young adult novel about a girl who goes to live with her Aunt Dorothy who is a librarian and rather eccentric. While there the girl, Karen, befriends a boy named Tommy and the two spend their boring and uneventful evenings riding bikes about town. One breezy afternoon while she and her aunt are playing cards an unexpected visitor arrives. I tried to write a short story called the - Angry Apparition, but I never got around to it, I'm leaning toward something more complex. Excuse this prattle, I'm just trying to document as much as possible. Here are some sketches and doodles of some ideas.

The drawing in the corner is the original idea I came up with about a strange visitor who tries to swindle Aunt Dorothy, now I'm thinking of secret societies, demons, and human possession.

Here we have two different pictures with one of Karen behind Tommy and the demons on patrol.

Working out the look of Karen and Tommy.

Murdoch will be the evil demon lurking for decades in the body of man who acts as a vessel for the demon to be here on Earth - or not.

When I came up with the idea of Murdoch I pictured him depicted two ways; one way as how everyone else would see him - as a strange hermit type who always has stray cats outside his door, and the other as the children see him: as a skinny, sickly, sinister demon. He would eat stray cats and song birds. I have a few doodles of him here. The children first noticed him on a bike ride through the neighborhood.

Viva la Revolucion

2008-07-02T21:58:00.002-04:00

As we celebrate our independence this weekend by drinking massive amounts of alcohol, eating hormonal and anti-biotic induced overly processed meats, getting sun burned and secretly resenting forced social interactions with strangers while watching fireworks and getting a major confidence boost by witnessing firsthand the poor parenting skills of those seated right next to you who are completely oblivious to you quietly judging and laughing at them, let us not forget the already forgotten debt we owe to the French. The French influenced our democracy, they helped fight the British and they... well that's all I've got, way to go public school systems!

Happy birthday baby brother!

2008-07-01T17:34:00.023-04:00

This is a picture of the two of us together on an underwater adventure. It appears that Keith is about to get attacked by some weird fish creature.
"Keith - watch out!"

My baby brother turns 27 today and as I sit here thinking of the two of us aging I reminisce about our childhood together. I swear I can remember going to see him in the hospital when he was born and looking at a room full of babies and being sad over the cries of the newborns and thinking someone was hurting my new baby brother. I would have been two years old at the time and no one believes that I could remember that.

Who knew that when my parents brought Keith home they would be giving me my own personal sidekick? I immediately took advantage of him. I blamed numerous accidents and all my wrong doings on him. I used his toys, I drank his milk and I used him as a portable punching bag. He was always “it” when playing hide-n-seek. I was a wicked sibling. I regret my awful behavior and I’m amazed at how, through all my abuse, Keith managed to remain a kind, easy going, and likable individual.

I think he eventually threw up after running so hard to get that kite in the air.

Keith and I would pretend to be disc jockeys. We would tape ourselves impersonating disc jockeys, playing music and telling jokes. I still have a tape with Keith trying to coax me into playing disc jockeys with him and I’m at that age when I felt I was maybe too old to be playing with my little brother. I eventually go along with Keith and his plea for me to join him, but I sing a poorly improvised song about how much he annoys me.

Keith and I would perform skits, impersonating cast members from Saturday Night Live.

Keith is funnier than me and always has been in my opinion. He is goofy and wild. We are complete opposites in many ways but have similar interests in music, books and movies. Keith is brilliant and quick witted. He could have been a banker the way he would hoard his money like an old miser. On the rare occasion we would get an allowance Keith would save his money while I was busy paying him back for the money I borrowed off of him from two weeks prior. He was the same way with Halloween candy. He would stash it away like a squirrel preparing for winter. I would break into his stash and steal some of his candy from the pockets of our matching Transformer bed tents as my candy had long ago been eaten.

Stay away from my candy!

Once, while Keith sat watching cartoons on a channel that was barely visible through the static, a bat landed on his head. Another time Keith came home from school to an empty house only to find a squirrel eating something on our kitchen counter. The squirrel looked at him and Keith stared back at the squirrel. There was a moment of silence as the two stood there feeling each other out, then the squirrel leapt into action and charged for Keith. Keith managed to escape the wrath of that rodent by running outside.

Yes, my brother is a fantastic and interesting person and I’m glad to say that to this day, despite all that I’ve done to him, he still likes me.

I think my brother or I just farted in this photo and Jessica is too embarrassed to be next to us.

I have a wonderful family. I feel truly blessed to have them in my life and to be able to get along with them so well. Keith lives in Las Vegas and due to his job is limited in his ability to come home to see us. We miss you dearly Keith and we hope you had a fantastic birthday.

Love ya,
K

Dreary Dreeze

2008-06-30T20:21:00.011-04:00

As I sat at work looking out at the gray sky through the tiny slit of a window in my office, I began to pine for the chance to slip under the blanket my grandmother made for me on my fourth birthday, curl up with a mystery book and a bottle of Coca-cola and read until it was time for dinner. This, for some unknown reason, also made me think of a book of poetry I wrote in my youth titled - The Dreary Dreeze.

This must have been a class assignment since I don't recall being a poet as one of my many early childhood occupational fantasies.

The next page appears to be another demon. This time his severed head is followed by a trail of red guts made from red construction paper.

The poetry begins with a poem called - Jumping Off a Cliff
Another part of the text says - jumping sound poetry - then it continues into the lines.

People scream win they see some one jump.
But then they would cry.
You'll hear cracks from the person falling.
Then you'll hear gravel skipping.
Will you hear a splat?

All spelling errors are kept to maintain this poem's integrity.
The picture shows someone falling off a cliff and another person screaming "ah" in a conversation bubble.

Acrostic Poetry
K irk is a nice name
I like pizza and submarine sandwiches
R eading is fun
K irk likes art

If you click on the picture to enlarge it you will see a picture of what seems to be me at a table drawing.

Haiku
An old frog dies
And a cat had baby
And a frog crocked

Nature

Whats' a Grandma?

Whats' a Grandma?

Some one to give preasnets
to give candy
to take to the mall
some one who's nice to me
and is not mad at you
That's a Grandma

Diamante Poem
Dreary Dreeze
smelling, ugly
glowing, smelling, biting
freaking out, runing, crawling
stuped, ugly
Drokey Dumy

The End

Tea and Cake

2008-06-26T18:02:00.006-04:00

This is sketch I drew whilst at work in my dungeon of terrors and paperwork. I'd like to do an acrylic painting of this drawing and will hopefully get that done soon.

I was thinking of my wonderful and brilliant nieces and wondered what their favorite animals might be. I know Malia likes penguins and Elliot is into horses, I don't know about Emily and then I thought of Zach the Destroyer of Worlds and how much he loved elephants. I've put an elephant in three of my drawings now and I'd have to say that it is due to the Zachattack.

*Update* I made this painting this morning in one hour.

Blue Nymph

2008-06-24T07:23:00.003-04:00

This is a painting I did one evening. I wasn't sure where I was going and this is where I ended up.

Neither of them knew what to make of it

2008-06-23T19:44:00.001-04:00

These two creatures were drawn then watercolored. I wasn't sure what to do with them so I cut them out, scanned them and put them together here. I'm sure you'll see them again somewhere down the road.

The Fairy Maynan

2008-06-21T06:24:00.005-04:00

These two pictures are samples of illustrations for characters in my children's book series - The Norwegian Pirate. The first one was done in pencil then I tried to trace it without tracing paper and lost some detail. There are little differences in the two and it might be enjoyable for the viewer to see both copies here so you could look for the little things lurking and hiding in the scenes.

Scanner Lightly

2008-06-19T22:59:00.004-04:00

Thank you to the Gold Dolli and the scruffy chin- muff Harv for giving me their old scanner and to Maynan for installing it. Now I can document my material and show the progress of concepts without the pictures looking like you've been drinking floor cleaner.

Here are a few examples for your viewing pleasure...

Would you buy life insurance from this guy?

2008-06-19T22:57:00.000-04:00

Mr. Trick

The Dinner Party

2008-06-19T22:56:00.002-04:00

The Octopus' Garden

2008-06-19T22:52:00.003-04:00

Myrtle Beach Art

2008-06-11T00:15:00.003-04:00

I heard about using a solution of Elmer's Glue and water in a spray bottle to use on the sand when making sandcastles and other various objects so I tried it out. The results were not as I would have liked and my skin was burning badly so I quickly made something that proved to be not that easy and required instruments and help that I didn't have. Parents brought their children over to see what I was doing. The little kids loved it and called her the Little Mermaid. I ate it up and enjoyed seeing the look of wonder in the children's faces.

The Problem with Eggs

2008-06-10T21:34:00.007-04:00

The Problem with Eggs.

They're so Fragile.

Strange Bird

2008-05-11T20:52:00.003-04:00

No one had the guts to tell him his growth looked weird.

Experiment in the Absurd

2008-04-23T23:10:00.003-04:00

I'm making an attempt at producing art by experimenting with different mediums and themes. I'd like to share some of my pieces that I've produced lately and I will use this blog as a way to demonstrate my progress or failure. My latest piece comes from a sketch I drew and decided to make into a painting. This painting will be a part of the Absurd series. I call it The Circus Ridiculous.