Brain Children Recess

Jingle bells

2009-12-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

Needing to brush up on my prisma color skills, I employed a jingle bell to
aid me in drawing a self portrait. I'm the cute one on the jingle bell!
... i'm the only one on the jingle bell. Either way, enjoy, and slow
down this Christmas to revel in the season of Advent.
Medium: prisma colors

Door

2009-12-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

I decided to draw whatever popped into my mind - always a good start for something whimsical and fun.
I found a pillow head fellow, all gussied up and about to open a door. I really truly want to know what is behind that door! Any why he has a pillow- what's that about? An other picture is in order, methinks, even for my own curiosity's sake.
medium: graphite

cheer

2009-12-14T18:09:00.001-08:00

this came to mind...
medium: ink n photoshop

Cloudy with a chance of birthday

2009-11-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

I woke up with this in my head. I'm not sure why. I'm turning a small milestone birthday this Sunday, so perhaps that has something to do with it. All the same, I thought it was rather funny, if in a slightly melancholic and poignant way...
medium: ink and photoshop red

Winter is coming

2009-11-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

Sort of. I live in San Diego. I was chilly last night and thought it was somewhere
in the forties. I come inside and look and it's 60 degrees. I'm either a wuss when it comes to the cold(highly likely), or the shorter days have a profound psychological effect on the body and it's heat regulation...
Either way, the occasion calls for cartoonage. Enjoy.
Medium: ink and photoshop

Arizona

2009-11-17T07:15:00.001-08:00

I visited Arizona last weekend. It was fun. I had a couple of cartoons in my head
afterward. For all of you Americans who did not watch a staggering amount of Monty
Python in your formative years, "peckish" also means "hungry."
medium: graphite

Hand it to you

2009-11-05T14:22:00.000-08:00

I read recently that it's good to draw hands (and redraw and draw some more). I have a hard time just putzing about with random hands, so here's a start at drawing hands. I learned that I am seriously lacking in hand-drawing skills. This is not my first attempt at drawing this...
BTW Ben is my smart, funny, and dashingly handsome husband. I dedicate my second attempt of drawing this to you. (i hope that's really how you sign 'love')
medium: ink

Ads ads and more ads

2009-11-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking about using this ad as well. I think i need to brush it up.
I'm realizing that I used to have tons of time to make seriously thoughtful
and introspective paintings. Now I have a little bit of time but still have
all these fun ideas in my head about things to draw and jokes to make.
I'm thinking my bagpipe band is not too keen on my jokes these days
and so i'd better just hold them in and draw them out.
That's, like... art therapy, right? Art therapy for those of us
who have really awful jokes. *sigh* Perhaps I can find
a group of people to stand up and also admit to having absolute
horrendous jokes. Admitting it really is the first step...

Buttons

2009-11-04T15:36:00.000-08:00

I have this thing with buttons. Not sure why. There's a whole mess of jokes
to be made with/about/for buttons. Let's tackle a few, shall we?
Medium: ink and photoshop

WinterElves...

2009-11-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

I'm arting for a Christmas card line i've done. Check out my ad. Advertisements are ART. Or can be.
medium: ink and photoshop coloring

yard work part deux

2009-06-09T14:22:00.001-07:00

A couple more...
(medium: ink and colored pencil)

fall, winter, spring, and yard-work

2009-06-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine recently needed some pictures for his yard service business. Who am I to say no? I did a series of these kids with various lawn/ninja ecoutrements.
medium: ink and colored pencil

Knitted

2009-01-17T07:19:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I read my Bible and I think to myself - this stuff is fantastic, I wish it could be somehow woven into my life. The right way of living, thinking, the peace that these people seem to have - how to get it into me.

After I had this thought, I drew this picture. The Bible, going in through my heart, weaving the very fiber of me. A picture, or a prayer, or both?

medium: graphite

Val-hal-lelujah

2008-12-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

My friend and i are watching Christmas movies in the midst of being snowed in, and also drawing. I did this little viking dude who is eating a drumstick and celebrating the Christmas season (at the same time, yes).

Medium: graphite

warming the bits

2008-12-18T14:58:00.001-08:00

As I come home to Wisconsin I am greeted by 0 degree weather. I welcome it, truly.
The pale blue beauty of snow covered farmland is enough to keep my heart warm.

I do, however, require leg-warmers. This is not a 'want' but a 'need' in the life of Steph.
Medium: ink

Merry Christm...

2008-12-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

It's a slow day at the IT department. Happy Christmas cartoons ensue...

Sad Fork

2008-10-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

Thom York says 'Be constructive with your blues.' And so I shall.
I've been writing my boy over seas and drawing him 'I miss you' pictures.
Life takes funny turns sometimes, does it not? I know that many artists press
on an create despite what they feel. This artist shall pause and let herself
react to her circumstance and create from that. I hope you don't mind.

This picture! Ben and I always share dessert. I found myself eating apple crumb cake all by myself the other day. He needs to come home so I can be around him and also so I don't gain excessive weight.

The
Medium: ink

Good Excuse

2008-10-03T17:49:00.001-07:00

Dear Blog-readers,
Thanks for your patience. My blog hasn't been up to snuff lately. A while, in fact. I haven't been drawing. I've been making a greeting card company, which should initiate drawing, but I'm not doing a very good job of fun whimsically things to put up here.
My husband left to defend our country and all its interests and I'm left to ... keep busy? Wish time to go by? I dunno. I know that I've found a rarity in life- someone whose absence unhinges me. Part of the reason I've loved drawing is because it gives me a space and time to think. I find that as I await his return, I find myself not wanting to think about things a great deal. Lately when I pick up a pencil I put it down, as I don't want the mental space that a drawing would allot me.
Give me a week or two, please come back and check in!

Medium: working on that one

Bad/Awesome Jokes

2008-09-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

I am helping a friend of mine piece together a website. I tried coming up with a 'contact us'
page, and this is the image I came up with.
So I ask you, the public, is it understandable?
Medium: ink and photoshop magic

Family Fun

2008-09-22T17:05:00.001-07:00

I've been in a state of transition- or two states of transition, considering I've moved

to Illinois. I've been drawing- this is something I've made for a flyer for m'church

back home.

I hope to be able to sit down and spend some good time drawing in the near future,

and thanks for still checking in!

medium: ink and prisma color

Mother Ship

2008-08-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

This is a piece from the past. This little boy imagines
he is connecting with the mother ship in speaking to
his belly button, the communicating mechanism.
Odd, yes. Fun, you bet.
Medium: ink

Buns Of Steel

2008-08-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

After a week and a half of a virus with an unfun bout of hivey rashiness on my arms and legs, I am recovering. I smell like oatmeal (compliments of Aveeno oatmeal bath) and GoldBond cream. I'm thinking of selling the aroma to Vera Wang for a new perfume line. I think she'd like it.
I go for a short run today, which is torturous after lots of couch time. This is one of the cards I may put into production here soon- I can use it myself.
medium: sweat, tears, colored pencil, ink

Really?

2008-08-07T15:18:00.001-07:00

Unemployment + cold + hives = no fun for Steph

hives? hives?!!

While an oatmeal bath sounds like the epitome of luxurious living, it is not. Anti-itch cream, while a good good thing, has a hearty ben-gay smell attached.

Happy thought: my online-store, in which i will sell cards and calendars, etc, is soon to be up.
Stay
tuned.

Good aim = bad idea

2008-07-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

I drew this picture when I worked in an office. I took the idea
and painted it. I like the results. It seems as though
many of my paintings are about something going very
right or very wrong. This, although comical, is potential
doom for the little girl and her faithful small woodland
creature side kick. I wonder what happened to them...
medium:oil

- on a side note, i've begun painting on old pieces of
a torn up house and am very excited on seeing how it
turns out.. I may be teaching cartooning here in
my little town, and I may be a bidness proprieter
soon. So many 'may be's' - we'll see what pans out, eh?
There is nothing like doing what you love and having
people actually give you money for it...

Foxy Painting

2008-07-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

I made this picture this past week while listening to good old Ira Glass on NPR. (BTW, if you go to www.thisamericanlife.org you can give them some money to keep them streaming podcasts to the lot of us American folks. Good cause and all...)
I've sat back and thought about this particular diptych. The Bible discusses 'foxes in the vineyard' in Song of Solomon. What the author was speaking of, were the things that steal our joy. I've had a number of things here in California trying to rob me of my sense of purpose and happiness here. Yet as one of the foxes shines his electric torch on his fellow foxes- I think we can begin to see the crummy things in life as just that; an attempt to steal our joy. I think this is the point at which I can choose to see the foxes for what they are and decide that my joy comes from a place much deeper than the circumstances of life.
Medium: oil

Holding Fire

2008-07-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

I have been painting fiendishly lately. This is one of my recent paintings. It started with a mask. It ended being this- what is this? Ah yes, I asked that myself.
Everyone is wearing a mask- and no matter what expression the mask takes on, the faces underneath are all the same. Except one- there is one who is crying as he holds his pot of fire. I have heard before a warning about playing with fire(who hasn't heard that?)- these fellows think they are doing fine holding their pots yet they are in a very dangerous situation.
Medium: oil and graphite

Waves of success... or paddling pool

2008-07-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

This is a very timely card for myself at this time. As I'm working and praying and waiting and drawing and hoping for a card company to evolve, I can't help but think that the 'waves of success' may be slow in coming. I don't think any experience to be completely for naught, however, and will continue on with eyes wide open and pencils sharpened.
Medium: ink and prisma colors
p.s. if anyone feels the need for me to post them a card (post card, yes) here on the site, please let me know whatcha need and I'd be happy to.

X marks the spot

2008-06-30T19:17:00.001-07:00

And so it still stands that a certain fella is certainly still away. The artings of the artist formerly known as Steph Larson can't help but reflect that...
It also is an image I may be using for a line of greeting cards. I am excited at the prospect of being able to color for a living (finally!) and am going to do my best to see it through.
While unfun circumstances may meet you (missing someone, boredom, kidney stone), they do offer up new inspiration to art. Van Gogh would agree.
Medium: prisma and ink

Good job

2008-06-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

Some days are hard, and it makes me want to make a card for myself.
It's odd, but maintaining normalcy takes a great deal some days. That may sound
odd, but I think it actually just makes you human.
Here is my pat on the back, to myself. If you need a pat on the back, print it out and give it to yourself.
medium: ink and prisma colors

NavyWifeLife

2008-06-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

So I am home whilst Ben travels the world this week. I am not twiddling my thumbs, however. I have been working on a line of cards(yes, cards! like, Happy Birthday and all) and funny enough, about half of them ended up being "i miss you" cards. Ben better have a birthday soon, that's all I have to say.
Medium: prisma colors and ink

Don't Bite

2008-06-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

I made a drawing of this a little while ago, with a public service announcement on the side:
"Don't Bite."
Medium: Oil

Up, up, and away

2008-06-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

I finished this piece a few weeks back and finally got it on the computer. It is a little girl, not seen, being lifted by a bunch of stitched balloons. Why?-you and I also ask. After the work is done do I reflect. The balloons are of the girl's own making - I think sometimes we try 'lifting' ourselves, but usually it is in a way that is patched up and imperfect. It is a good effort, but in the end I'm not sure how far she will make it.
medium: oil

Beach Day

2008-06-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

It always comes back to unicorns in life, doesn't it? Actually, I consider that to be a byproduct of growing up in the 80s. It's true- unicorns were everywhere back then.
My blank page told me it was high time I drew another unicorn picture. I agreed.
Medium: colored pencils and ink and unicorn magic

Also Also wik

2008-05-22T09:15:00.001-07:00

and our friend, Quantum Physics...

ImpendingIllustrations

2008-05-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

Hey and hello! I'm painting quite a bit these days- to be posted soon. In the meantime I am illustrating for a Californian magazine. The articles are 'Humorous essays 'bout the best pizza,' Interview with Quantum Physics,' and 'the human tendency to personify plants, animals, and things.'
Mind you, I'm submitting it to be considered, so it's not a sure thing- yet it's a great exercise. It'll be very handy when I begin my master plan to take over the world using brochures with cute small woodland creatures on them.

Medium:colored pencils & ink

Swine and Dine

2008-04-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

Here is the final painting I made for the chocolaterie. A trio of pigs whistling amidst a gooey messy cavern- no idea of any meanings hidden within the cavern yet... just had fun making it.
I'm working on pieces that fall into my brain while reading articles in the Economist. It's a news magazine- and I'm rather proud of them for having great illustrations in their magazine. I will post those later on (when done and dry).
Pigs- medium: oil

Covering eachother's back

2008-04-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

I had my first art show here in San Diego
this past week. It went well and I hope I can
sell some paintings and make some friends.
This piece is another brown and pink piece
for the chocolate shop. In viewing them afterward,
the animals look a little devious in their
doings. This one is of two squirrels
knitting eachother's sweater. Friends do their
best to help eachother out and 'get eachother's back'-
but in the end what we as humans do
is imperfect. Perfect help comes from God,
hence the hole-y and imperfect sweaters.
medium: oil

Hanging Up

2008-04-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

I went to a chocolaterie a months or so ago and saw a fellow putting his paintings up in there. I asked the owner if they hang paintings made by local artists- and sure 'nuff, they did. I decided to go and create some brown and pink paintings (the color of the store) and come back with them to show him. The following pieces are made with the site specific intention of going into this establishment- it was a good challenge and they are hanging there today.
medium: oil on panel

Awww...

2008-04-11T15:16:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I make art out of the depths of me. Sometimes I just want to make something fun to look at. This piece I did for an artist promo and durned if it's not just cute.
Medium: colored pencil and ink

Roses are red, violets are blue

2008-04-03T13:02:00.001-07:00

I had the phrase 'roses are red, violets are blue' in my head when I began this piece. Everything was normal and pleasing to the eye and then I bound them up with rope.. it was almost a normal diptych(that is, two paneled piece)
Instead it's more like.. hmmm...
Roses are tied,
Violets are bound,
Now I've met you,
I consider myself found.
Ah well, i'm a painter and not a poet.
Medium: oil

Magical Creatures sans magical wings

2008-04-02T16:43:00.001-07:00

I finished a couple of paintings today, for which I am very happy. I painted this as a re-do from a couple of years ago (a painting that I liked very much), but I changed it up a bit. The unicorn is suspended, along with a mess o' boxes, from rather fluffy clouds.
A magical creature that cannot fly, hung up with rather ordinary mundane objects. Can it be that the mysterious is caught up with the banal? In life, I mean- can it possibly mean that the bits of our life that are full of wonderment and magic are dangling around us amidst the average everyday things? I'd like to think so, and I think that's what Senor Painting doth speak to us today.
Medium: Oil

Pretend

2008-03-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

I finished this one today after drawing it some time ago. Playing pretend is so much more fun when you're a kid because you're doing it for fun and not because you actually wish your circumstances were different.
For me this week I'm rather missing a certain 6'2" someone, and I find that pretending he's around just isn't a 'fun' thing to do. Perhaps I should pretend I'm in England or something, just for the fun of it... *sigh*
At least fun art comes of it, y'know?
medium: colored pencils and ink

Thoughts from the Couch

2008-03-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

Today I've been well enough to sit up and hold a pencil- which is saying a lot. The creepin' crud attacked me this week and I've been out of commission, feeling like a bump on the log of existence.
I was sent flowers today by a fella- which inspired this drawing called 'Marriage'.
Marriage has a lot of things involved that people who are married don't bother to tell you about- not that they're heartless, but they know that you really oughtta experience it for yourself to really understand. My fella's much better at putting things into words, but this is how I explain marriage.
Medium: Graphite

The Easter Funny

2008-03-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

Easter is a very special holiday to me, as I'm a Christian.
Easter is very funny to me, too, as I look at the consumerism madness surrounding a holiday having nothing to do with bunnies, eggs, baskets, candy, etc. Toons are a must in such a case.

Unicorn Madness

2008-03-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

I had interest expressed in a painting which sold a long time again. I decided to paint it again and thought I might as well make two. As I make the same painting as I did several years ago, it strikes me that there is improvement in my painting and composition.
It may seem like a big 'duh' in life, but it's rather an epiphany- I wasn't excited to repeat something I've already done; yet in the repetition I find a satisfaction that I am progressing as an artist. I hope this leaks into other areas of life, because sometimes the Lord finds it fit to have us repeat lessons we thought we learned long ago. Perhaps he wants us to be clued in on the fact that we have grown as people. Perhaps...

Uniform

2008-03-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

I drew this picture on the El in Chicago one hot summah day. I like it- odd and quirky.
medium: graphite

Have you seen?

2008-03-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

I was waiting for someone in a cafe, sitting in close proximity to the pastry case, when this cartoon popped in my head. Scary and yet i think there's some kind of deep life truth here...
medium: graphite and colored pencil

Cutlery through and through

2008-03-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

I painted this when I first moved here. One of the many that leave me a little verklempt.
medium: oil

No Soft Soap

2008-03-06T07:08:00.000-08:00

This painting I started only with the thought that I like the way soap gets bubbles on the outside. This turned out being a pretty involving and heavy piece about salvation. I don't take great pains to wear my Christianity on my sleeve but my thoughts are saturated with my faith and it's bound to leak out somewhere. I will let this painting finish anything else I might have said about it...

Sweet thoughts

2008-03-06T07:06:00.000-08:00

I drew this picture in a Starbucks in Hawaii, began painting it in Chicago, and finished it in San Diego. I think kids have such sweet and innocent thoughts sometimes, and wanted to create something showing just that.
medium: oil

And class let out, once again

2008-03-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

Hi there!
I have been extremely busy putting together a wedding and moving and arting. Good news is that I am back to the site with lots of art and will soon have a regular web site(aiming to go for www.brainchildrenrecess.com...).
Take care, and enjoy.
medium: oil, mixed media
- this piece was done when i was struggling with unemployment and it seemed like everyone was settled in life and job and having a fine time...

Public service announcement

2008-02-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the lateness of the latest post. I have been moving and very busy. Here is a fun little piece I did several nights ago. I had this funny picture in my head and, well, just needed to get it out.
Medium: colored pencils, ink

Orange You Glad

2008-01-29T08:38:00.000-08:00

Wow, you know it's orange season in California when you can buy SIX pounds of the stuff for a dollar. A DOLLAR. Man, what do they think, that oranges grow on TREES?
Medium: ink and colored pencil

A case of the Mondays

2008-01-24T07:49:00.000-08:00

I've never known what it is to like someone so much that their absence makes me feel like ...
like I packed up my right arm and sent it off with them (and I write with that hand). I had a good
grasp of this feeling last night(grasping with the left, of course...) when I drew this.
And the broken vessels?
Could be an old Christian reference to how we are all 'cracked vessels'. I'm not sure.
Medium: colored pencils and ink

Emerging Artist

2008-01-21T22:46:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it's good to call the baby ugly. Sometimes it's good to call the baby beautiful in the hopes that perhaps you are saying something wonderfully prophetic over them. I drew this picture in light of the latter.
medium: ink and colored pencils

Californians; first impressions

2008-01-19T23:03:00.001-08:00

Any time you go somewhere you are told what people are like and carry preconceived notions like a bad habit. Ever notice that? In moving to California (especially southern) I had big misconceptions about what the folks are like here. Granted, there are some people who fit the Cali mold, but there are many who are warm and friendly and nice.
I have a cartoon of the former...
medium: ink and prisma colors

Monk-y-ing around

2008-01-13T22:01:00.001-08:00

This picture is in honor of the soup my fella made
for me lastweek. It was from
a cookbook of soups made by monks.
That's right- fantastic monastic soups.
It tasted great, but reacted interestingly with...er..
the g.i.system...

It's a kicker

2008-01-10T15:18:00.000-08:00

I found employment here in San Diego at a cafe. Trying to make the best of it,
but happy thoughts aren't coming too fast right now. A cartoon is in demand during such times...
Medium: ink and prisma color

Randomness

2008-01-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

While speaking to my niece on the phone last night, I asked her to tell me what I am to draw. After a brief bout of randomness, a Pearbear is looking and pointing to the sky, where it is raining cats and dogs.
medium: prisma and ink

NewYearsNuttiness

2008-01-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

I was allowed the great privilage of watching a scad of preteens play hours and hours of video games this past Christmas. While it was enrapturing in the extreme, I utilized the time to make some New Years drawrings. Enjoy!
Medium: colored pencil

Elf Help Group

2007-12-30T13:01:00.000-08:00

I've been playing a game called 'doodle' here with the kids. One person takes a piece of paper and draws random stuff all over it and then passes it on to the other person to 'make sense' of all the random doodles. I was given a bunch of circles and lines and this is what I did...
(hey, try it!)
Medium: ink and colored pencil

KrisKringle Kringle

2007-12-26T07:46:00.000-08:00

My mom has a recipe that makes a lovely pastry-type treatsie called the Swedish Kringle. I made a couple for the fella's family. They loved it. I'm contemplating keeping the recipe a mystery so they invite me back for future holiday gatherings.
And then again, maybe in the spirit of giving, I can give this recipe to all. If you love yourself, or want others to love you, you will make this.
2 parts
the bottom:
1 cup flour with 1 stick butter/margarine. Mix till crumbley crumbley, add 1Tablespoon cold water and mix
-divide dough into two
- roll out into two strips 3"x 12"
- set aside
Top part:
Melt in pan 1 stick butter, 1 cup water until boiling
- remove from heat and add 1 cup flour and three eggs, one at a time
- add 1/2 tsp almond extract
- mix thoroughly and spread onto two strips set aside
Bake on cookie sheet at 350 for 50 minutes,
add frosting or glaze upon taking out of oven
Add sprinklies or other fun holiday - like decorations
Best when eaten fresh and warm. Oh my goodness, yes.
Medium: ink, colored pencil, flour, eggs, water, almond extract, butter, pan, oven, holiday sprinklies

One More...

2007-12-24T12:35:00.001-08:00

This may be a pg-rated one, beware beware.
Have a merry Christmas eve day, whomever views this. If you feel lonely- know that you are never alone, as God is present always. That's not a band-aid statement; it's truth.

Ye Olde Christmas Cards

2007-12-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

I'm coloring like a fiend here at the fella's fam's house- a scanner is yet to be procured. There is something wonderful about being around kids. They don't look at you funny when you want to color all the time; in fact, they join right in. Bless 'em, every one.
Medium: ink and colored pencils

Christmas Cards

2007-12-18T08:56:00.001-08:00

Still from last years stockpile, a new to you Christmas card to enjoy- or groan over...

Re-Pete

2007-12-14T16:14:00.001-08:00

I sent this one out last year and liked it. I even became a member of Pete Yorn's myspace page so that i could post it. The dude never wrote me back. For his benefit I can say that he has nice hair and a fun name...

medium: ink, colored pencil, staples, and a downloaded picture of PETE YORN

Mice Cream

2007-12-06T14:15:00.000-08:00

I am making packets to send to publishers in an effort to color for a living. That's right, color for a living. I and my 6 year old niece have the same ambitions in life. I have been making art that will hopefully please the folks at various publishing companies- including this here endearing mouse. Aww...
medium: ink and prisma colors

light and dark and thems in-between

2007-12-05T19:31:00.000-08:00

I decided that I need to brush up on my realism. As I painted the white backdrop (still in progress, btw) I thought about what makes a good painting. The juxtoposition of very light and very dark makes the painting pop. While shades of gray are necessary- it is the highlights and deepest of shadows that cause the painting to come alive. In meditating this- the same may go for my life as a Christian. They say that life is not black and white- it is true- life has many gray areas. Yet it is in the great darkness of the world that I can be a light. It may not make me a masterpiece, but it will put a lot of life in the canvas that is me.
medium: oil

BeachBall

2007-12-04T19:33:00.001-08:00

I did this painting a bit ago now, back in Chicago.
They are looking at me, and now you.
Medium: oil

One Drop'll Do

2007-12-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

I've been expecting God to provide big time for me here in my new location. I expected to have friends and a job and a bit of a social scene going on here by now. It hasn't happened in huge leaps and bounds- but little by little- almost like being served tea or coffee one drop at a time.

Sometimes God seems to answer prayers a little bit at a time- and maybe that's good, as it keeps me in the rightful place of a continual stare at Him for all my needs.
Medium: ink and prisma colors

Holly-daze

2007-12-02T06:30:00.000-08:00

I made this picture a year or more ago when I was working at Caribou coffee. It was a sad point in the history of Steph- yet God uses lots of things to make us better people. I was holla-d at for making pictures. That was sad, whew, sad.

I break my reverie on this sad(but good) time to bring you these woodland creatures.

Medium: ink and colored pencil and angst driven holiday spirit

Nicky Whilte Beard

2007-11-30T14:59:00.000-08:00

What if Santa was a pirate on the side?

He did that thing, that thing that guys do

2007-11-29T13:52:00.000-08:00

You know, when a fellow likes a chick and hangs out with her quite a bit... he might ask her the ultimate 'do you like me, circle one' thing.

And so my fella did. And so I circled yes and he will forever more be my prom date.

I'm being very vague; here is a picture...

Medium: ink and prisma colors

Ever Green

2007-11-26T16:13:00.001-08:00

And so I live in California- one of the very few spots on earth
I said I would never live. One thing very nice about California is that
it is ecologically friendly. They are doing all sorts of things to encourage
the population to reduce, reuse, recycle, and go buy a $30, 000
hybrid car. While I can't shell out for the car I like the first three afore-
mentioned actions.
I have drawn a picture of a bunny, conserving water
by showerin' down, soapin' up, and rinsin' off.
While I thought I
was being very clever about my water-friendly idea, my fella looked
at it and went 'oh yeah, the military way to shower'. I guess Uncle
Arnold can take a lesson from Uncle Sam...
Medium: ink and colored pencil (and a third of the water it
would normally take to draw such a picture)

Invader Zim on a whim

2007-11-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

So I'm in San Diego and I know a couple of people here. One of those people is E.P., my fella's roommate. He likes Invader Zim and Guitar hero. I am sure he likes a lot of other things, but these two stand out to me, so early in our acquaintance. Here's a picture of E. I hope 'e likes it.
Medium: ink and colored pencils

Unicornival

2007-11-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

I had the picture of this in my brain the other day. It strikes me as very neighborly- if unicorns had cotton candy on their horns, they would pretty much need to share with a friend wouldn't they? They can't reach it themselves and do not have opposable thumbs to get the cotton candy off. What affable, magical creatures... unicorns.
medium: ink, prisma colors

Growth and stuff

2007-11-19T15:26:00.001-08:00

I was waiting for a couple of friends at a restaurant the other week when this picture came to mind to draw. Or rather, I picked up my pen and put it on the paper and this came about.
I find that the presence of good friends can help you grow. With really great friendships, I think all parties involved help each-other grow. Observation of life?Speculation? Weird cartoon drawn with no explanation? I am willing to entertain any of the above as a perfectly logical explanation for today's musings.
Medium: ink

It's a dirty job

2007-11-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

But someone has to have their kitchen wrecked. Let me know if you are in San Diego and don't have friends and don't mind hanging out with a dead bird, some military types, a jello salad, and myself.
medium: Photoshop madness, internet resources

Put up your dukes.

2007-11-17T17:07:00.000-08:00

Speaking of, I think the job market here in San Diego is just dookie. I've decided that, for a time, I will succumb to the art beast inside and work on getting published. Getting published looks like a small obstacle course filled with lots of tall brick walls just perfect for banging my head against. I will, however, press on. I did learn to play the bagpipes- my forehead is already toughened on those brick walls.

No Thanks

2007-11-16T16:22:00.001-08:00

I am going to spend one of my first Thanksgivings apart from fam. The last one was in Japan and involved a lot of sushi and salad sprinkled with tiny fish with big eyes. I'm not sure what to expect from this one. I will make Thanksgiving dinner with my fella. I've become privy to his mad*-cooking skills. He's become privy to the fact that I am very mischevious with food that is easily flickable or smearable. I can't help it- it's like edible paint-and his face, my unwilling canvas.
medium: ink, prisma colors, bits of carrots and peas, mashed potatoes, a drumstick, and a piece of mushy pun-kin pie
*mad, in the parlance of our times, means 'very good'.

Don't break my art, my achey breaky art

2007-11-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

I am away from a scanner, sadly enough. In the meantime, please enjoy this painting. I loved this painting but alas the demands on my pocketbook were greater than my love for yet another piece of steph art sticking around her apartment.

There are a few pieces that I still am unsure of their meaning- this is one of them. Enjoy the enigma with me and please make a 'comment' if you'd like a gander at what this painting could mean.

medium: oil

You catch more flies with honey ...

2007-11-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

There has been a rebuttal to the request for 'Bible College Kid' in the form of "Post Bible College Cynical Kid." I gladly draw this. Keep in mind that I was not one of these but have had a number of these types in my acquaintance. An endearing group, still on the lookout for truth and not swayed by great cafeterias or years of lengthy sermons or ... kissing dating goodbye... and stuff like that.
Medium: ink and Prisma colors

Shadow Boxer

2007-11-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

I finally got to see Spiderman 3 the other day. As cool as I think it would be to actually have superpowers and be the distributor of truth, justice, and free tacos for all... In the end I could wear a mask, but would probably end up getting side-tracked by .. I dunno, a sock and a spotlight or something.
Ice cream treats would distract me also. Poor kitty'd be stuck in the tree ALL DAY, with no tacos whatsoever. Goodbye kitty.
Medium: Ink and colored pencil (the dynamic duo)

Moody, not just an adjective

2007-11-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

The gauntlet has been thrown down. Draw a typical Bible college kid. I answer you with this:

Medium: ink and colored pencil
(artist's side note: I never did go to a Bible college myself.
I visited Wheaton quite a lot in my college days, and even more importantly, Wheaton's #1 in the country cafeteria, where I had the chance to.. ah.. view the typical Bible college kid)

Challenge me

2007-11-04T22:01:00.000-08:00

One more thing... It occurred to me that I love interactive art. So- interact with me. I will check the comments on this posting- tell me what you want me to draw and I will gladly do so. (rated pg-13 or below, yo)

The micest time of year

2007-11-04T21:51:00.001-08:00

The over cast skies, the chilly air, the barometric pressure decreasing- all indicative of Fall. Innit nice? I used to love the bonfires my friends would have, and autumnal weather always brings back good memories of them.
(And just between you and me, I will admit that I've been to fall-time hoe-downs and hayrides. No, I am not over the age of 65.)
Choc-o-block with fall affection, I have a picture of three mice off to a bonfire themselves. They are equipped with the usual bonfire ecoutrement.
Medium: ink, crayola colored pencil, and warm feelings

Food costs money, but silliness is free

2007-11-02T15:15:00.001-07:00

Ah yes, faithful viewers, the hunt for a job here in new, mostly forest fire-less, location is still on. In the meantime, the toons continue. Why should they not?
Medium: Ink and Colored Pencils

Bun-Kin

2007-10-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

In honor of the holiday I am posting a Jack-Rabbit-O-Lantern. Yes, the bunnies take other forms! Enjoy the day, eat a little too much candy, and have a good rest/bloodsugarlevel crash.
Medium: Pumpkin, little wooden skewers

Burst my bubble

2007-10-30T18:14:00.001-07:00

I think sometimes other people, intentionally or not so intentionally, shoot us down in our endeavors. No matter what, toot your horn and blow your Bubblicious. Who you are and what you bring- the world needs it, if they know it or now.

Hunters do a lot of waiting

2007-10-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

and job hunters are no different. I wish I could be more uplifting, but job hunting sucks butt.
medium: ink and crayola pencils

And he cooks

2007-10-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

I am amidst the forest fires of the year and having a cake baked for me. It's odd and there may be some irony in there somewhere, but it must be said that "he(fella) bakes." It is good. For me.
Medium: ink, crayola colored pencils, flour, sugar, eggs, milk, chocolate, whipped cream I think, a whole crunk-load of butter, vanilla, and a whole lotta TLC

Navy of One

2007-10-22T14:50:00.001-07:00

I've become privy to a lot of odd pieces of information about the armed forces. Not so much in the way of top secret knowledge (who looms over the big red button, etc), but more in the way of the odd, every day quirks of navy life. This sets my cartoon addled brain a stirring.
Medium: ink and crayola colored pencils

Door Of Opportunity

2007-10-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

As I look for employment in a new environment, I can't help but be a little sad that full time employment as an artist is not an option at this point. As I went for an interview the the other day I had to wait in the car - and I drew this as I waited. I could tell it was me painting something- but the fact that it was a door was a complete surprise to me. Funny, this whole 'art unraveling even as it is in process'. I like it.
Medium: pen

Put the Petal to the Metal

2007-10-19T08:42:00.001-07:00

I did this picture about a year ago. I was endeavoring to create a profile for children's book companies and this was my 'succession' pic. I still like it, even if the children's book companies did not. There's something starry eyed and magical when you find that someone loves you. I have only one test subject on the matter and it affirms that such data is true.
Medium: ink and prisma color

comics...

2007-10-13T18:18:00.001-07:00

Hey! On the road, but here's a fun comic of a bear and some cereal. Happy stuff.

holding crazy and sane in both hands

2007-10-05T19:48:00.001-07:00

Doesn't it feel, sometimes, that you hold a bit of insanity in one hand and a bit of normalcy in the other? I'm feeling like that quite a bit these days. Sometimes you just can't be cerebral about the actions you take, no matter what the world says. The term 'gut feeling' is a part of the English language fr very good reasons, no?
Medium: ink and colored pencils

And so it goes... or it's going to go... garn..

2007-10-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

So today is the end of something and the beginning of something else. This was on my mind as I made this picture yesterday.

It seems difficult, moving shifting, changing and growing - is difficult- but in some weird way, your struggles can bring life and encouragement in the lives of people around you. (that's the fish, swimming in what appears to be tears)

medium: bic pen, colored pencils

Quick, slow down

2007-10-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a sudden quickening of life's pace right now. Not terribly creative today, but rather to the point.

medium: Bic pen, crayola colored pencils

an oily mess

2007-09-30T15:33:00.001-07:00

I've posted a picture of this as a pencil sketch before, but here 'tis in oil painting.
This one has been parted from my collection as a friend now has it. It's always sad to see pieces of art leave- It's not just a collection of random pigment strewn about a panel- it was an idea at one point, which i spent hours upon hours staring at and rendering. *sigh* ah well.
The thoughts for this one are the same- who doesn't feel that life is going well enough sometimes, that the bubble will burst?
medium: oil

No Yarn

2007-09-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

I got a message from my fella this morning saying he was cold. Being that 1.I have the day off and 2. I like to color and 3.I have turned into a complete sap since having this fella in my life, I decided to draw him a picture.
Here you are, fella, a sweater.
Medium: prisma colors and swank pen