CURRENT - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002

12.07.05

I'm on the move... but sadly, I don't mean creatively. I'm preparing to move at the end of December... and we all know what that does to a creative schedule. The move itself is a good thing, though. Probably won't post much, if anything until January. Hopefully I can come back strong w/ a lot of new artwork after I get settled in.

We'll see.

11.06.2005

The Reading Room - So I've been spending the past 2 months (in tiny bits of spare time... I'm not that slow) reading THE ILLUMINATUS TRILOGY by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. I've picked up the book countless times. I used to work in a bookstore in high school and that was one of those books I was always tempted to buy, but each time I started reading a little bit, it seemed so random and non-linear... It kinda threw me.

Anyway, I was reading an interview w/ Grant Morrison and he mentioned how much the trilogy had influenced his work and having just finished his book THE FILTH (a brilliant masterpiece), I decided what the hell... And it was well worth it. The book is somewhat challenging in the fact that it leaps from character to character, various viewpoints, and across hundreds of years all in the space of a paragraph. It does this frequently through the book, and there are no chapter breaks (although it's divided into 5 parts).

The best way I can describe it is "The DaVinci Code on LSD". It's a mind-bending look at conspiracy theory. Fun, violent, sexy... it's got all the things I like to see in a novel. It takes a sprawling cast spread out over centuries and slowly weaves them together to reveal their roles and which side of the war they're really on in the battle for the destiny of mankind that began w/ an ancient struggle.

Much of it doubles back on itself, re-telling different versions of origins of the struggle depending on which group you're aligned w/. It's pretty fascinating in the sense that it reenforces how much of history is viewed through the distorted lens of those in power who tell you what they need to to get you to do what you want. The book peels back layer after layer of lies and shrouded secrets.
All and all a good read. Now that I'm done, I can start catching up on the stack of novels (graphic and otherwise) that are lying next to my bed.

10.09.2005

So I've gotten around to updating the rest of the pages on the site. No major changes... just simpler, hopefully a little cleaner looking. Did a little gutting to the art pages. I hope to fill what I removed w/ better, more current stuff as I finish it.

Messed around online I stumbled across a few cool design sites.
http://www.deaddreamer.com/
http://www.damnengine.com

Also, went to see A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE this weekend. I like David Cronenberg films because they tend to push the viewer into a realm of emotional discomfort. Not as outright disturbing as some of his other films (i.e. Naked Lunch or Crash), but an excellent dramatic piece w/ great performances by all the actors. I wouldn't call it a "must see" or "groundbreaking", but I enjoyed it throughly and I think it stands up well next to the rest of his films.

I've also been spending a lot of time reading. I'm currently plowing through THE ILLUNINATUS TRILOGY by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. It started out as a rather challenging piece of fiction. It's written in a convoluted manor that jumps from character viewpoint to viewpoint and through several time periods without warning. As the threads of the various plot-lines pull together, the haphazard style becomes less disorienting and seems quite fitting for the complex chaos it's trying to capture. Over time what becomes challenging is not how it's written, but what it's written about. It's steeped in paranoia and conspiracy theory and after a while of living i the minds of characters rich in paranoia, it can't help but rub off and start inspiring bizarre thoughts of ones own. I'm enjoying it so far, though... only a third of the way.

A side note... I was on IMDB and I just noticed that the actor playing Superman in the upcoming Bryan Singer movie is 26 years old. I'm older than Superman... this is the first time in my life that I've ever truely felt old.

9.24.2005

I finally finished another painting. I think I really need to become a hermit if I want to continue creating work in a timely fashion. I'm also tossing around the idea of hanging a webcam above my drawing board so folks can "look over my shoulder" while I draw/paint. I should really get to the point where I'm at the drawing table 3-4 nights a week first. I'm going to try and get my drawing hours up a little more, then see.

Webcomics... there are 2 I've been looking at recently.

http://alienlovespredator.com and http://chugworth.com/

Both are very entertaining. Alien loves Predator is probably one of the funniest things I've read in years. I'm frightend by how similar I am to Abe. Chugworth is not only funny, but I was drawn to how beautiful the coloring is. It has a simplified version of the Capcom/Udon/Street Fighter look. It's stunning, yet simple.

8.22.05

So I'm due to start year three of my little web notes. I can hardly call it a blog, since I usually only post something once a month. Speaking of blogs, my friend Karl has a really good blog that's mostly about art, creativity, and comics (although he'll riff on anything and anything that happens to be spinning his wheels. I realized I spend more time replying to his blog, than adding new stuff to my own site. Check it out...

http://www.comiculture.com/creators/karlaltstaetter/index.html

7.31.2005

Site's been stale for a while. I've been overwhelmed by a few things over the past several weeks. I'm getting back on track and should start posting new stuff in a week or two.

6.5.2005

I just got back from Japan a few days ago... Damn, that place is Huge, Clean, and chock full of Art, Manga, and Porn. Very inspiring. Hopefully, I can put some of the creative energy the trip poured into me, into some new art.

4.25.2005

I will be showing some recent works along w/ a few favorites at CAFE BALCONY in Santa Monica.
May 1, 2005 to May 32, 2005. I will be showing both orignial pieces and prints. Please come by an check it out.

Thanks

4.16.05

I felt like the site was due for a facelift. I got tired of opening Flash every time I wanted to do a quick update. Unfortunately, I only have time to do the home page right now. The rest of the site still has the old look and navigation. I know it's a little disorienting, but taking the 1st step in changing the site will get me off my ass and hurry up w/ the rest of it. Bear w/ me for the next couple of months... That's probably how long it will take me to update the entire site.

...Unless I get insanely nerotic about the site not being finished and I force myself to work on it non-stop (which is not just a possiblity, but almost an inevitability).

I felt like the old look was pretty stripped down, but I'm looking to go even simpler, if the homepage is an indicator of what I mean. I'm favoiring simplicity in design work these days.

3.9.2005

Finished a painting based on one of my favorite songs. SIREN SONG by the Devics. I think I want to do a few more images of this ebony black-winged angel. There's something seductive about her that slithers around the dark corners of my brain.

I'm feeling like I want to say less these days, because I just want to focus more on creating images. I'm taking another life drawing class, and if time permits, I will continue to do so as often as possible for the rest of my life. The more I learn, the more flaws I see. It doesn't bother me (too much). It's just more things that need to be refined, but I'm trying to get back to simply enjoying the creative process, regardless of my proficiency.
I'm also going out less and less. I just have so much artwork to do these days, I know it doesn't seem like it, considering how little of it I'm putting online, but I continue to toil away. My social life is becoming less appealing when I look at how many things I want to accomplish artistically that I'm not putting enough time towards. I just need to make sure I don't go off the deep end and turn into a hermit... again.

2.13.05

I'm surprised I didn't draw anything with a special valentine's theme this year. I guess I've been focused on layout sketches for Eyes of God. I'm probably not going to mention the project again for a while because I decided I wanted to finish the entire thing before I start posting it again. It's silly to go on and on about a project that no one's going to see for a year. I'm going to try to continue a steady stream of new art pieces while I'm grinding away at the graphic novel.

A good friend of mine reminded me of an important lesson that I had forgotten recently. My friend is a talented artist, but he never used to do any finished works. Tons of sketches and studies, but hardly any completed paintings, drawings, sculptures, what have you. Many people have passed on to me the bit of wisdom "If you wait until you're as good as you aspire to be to begin a piece of art, you'll never start anything." Eventually, he began doing completed pieces and I think they've helped his growth as an artist.
Fast forward...

I've been taking a lot of drawing classes lately. I had realized over the past year that I had been using technique to cover up bad drawing structure and I decided to put my mind toward improving my basic command of anatomy, perspective, light and shade. In that time, the more I learn, the more my existing flaws are exposed. It feels like the process of becoming a better artist is making me a worse one. Long story short, I lost sight of moving forward creatively in spite of my technical flaws. Now, I'm trying to find the balance between improving technique and pressing onward.

1.19.05

It's funny how we forget things. A ton of the stuff I did when I first started OpticHouse was all 9"x12". Why? ... 'Cause that was the largest image I could fit on my scanner, and I wanted to be able to update my site easily. Now, I've had this kick to do larger and larger pieces over the past couple of months, and I'm not able to take high quality pics of them to
update the site w/. I bought a new 6mpx camera that should take print quality (300dpi 8x10) images, but I want to read this book on photographing artwork that I bought off of Amazon recently. I want the images to be good enough for publishing later if I want to do books or posters featuring images I sell. I know the best thing is to take it to an art photographer and get slides made, but I've always tended towards DIY and I'd also have to get a slide scanner/transparency bed. The price of a slide scanner that can get the resolution I want is almost as much as the camera, so I said "fuck it". If the book is any good, I'll post the book info, so others can get at it. The best I can do it take some indoor digitals for now.

I'm getting pulled in exact opposite directions lately. I've produced a lot art that I'm extremely proud of in the past couple of months (mostly drawings from a life drawing class, or cool sketchs), but it only frustrates me more that I don't seem to be able to do it at will. It still takes a lot of focus, patience, and attention to detail. If I just try to shit something out, it's still shit. I know the secret of the truly skilled is to make something very difficult look effortless. I'm barely at the point
where I can do something moderately difficult and not look like a complete ass. The scary thing is that that's a tremendous growth. I'm going to try and really get serious about talking to galleries. I need to get off my ass and move the stuff I've finished and move on to new art.

CURRENT - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002