Mystery Project

I have been busy in recent months, working on a top-secret illustration project. 

It will be revealed soon, but here is a sneak peek!

Face of a Nation

Our nation has a mean-spirited face. Let’s vote for a makeover!

All Americans, On November 6th, please vote for sane candidates 

who will make our country a kinder and better place.

H.P. Lovecraft

Here’s a portrait of legendary horror author, H. P. Lovecraft, who hailed from Providence, Rhode Island.  Prints of this piece are available here!

Sinead O'Connor

Here's a portrait of Irish singer, Sinead O’Connor. While drawing this piece, I kept contemplating the tragic losses of public figures, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. Like many, I kept thinking, how can these people who seemingly have it all, choose to take their lives. There’s a saying, “You don’t know if the roof is leaking unless you’re inside the house”. It’s too bad we can’t see inside the internal landscape of anyone’s psyche. They might be stuck in a dark emotional valley, and don’t have a map for climbing out of it. It’s a good reminder to be kind to others, and stay tapped into our empathy. It might make a difference in their lives.

Prints of this portrait are available here.

India ink on a map of Ireland, 20" by 30"

Colombian Carving

 

Stephen King compares the process of writing to digging up a fossil.  You use your writing to dig around an idea, and eventually your story is revealed. I'm fascinated by stone carvings, so I decided to draw this ancient sculpture from San Agustin, Colombia. I had fun building up the textures with dry brush, which eventually brought out the details. It wasn't until I completed the drawing that I noticed the prominent phallic symbol on this guy! Drawing reveals some potent surprises.

A print of this piece is available here.

 

Servant and Master

"In order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant." - Charles de Gaulle

I posted a B & W version of this piece last month, and decided to experiment by adding some patriotic colors. I recently started playing with an off-register technique for constructing illustrations, so I tried to apply that here.  You can view my color illustration portfolio here.  Because he's such an iconic figure in American politics, I chose Ronald Reagan for illustrating this quote. In truth, you could put almost an politician in this picture. In politics, the servant and master are almost always one and the same.

To Infinity and Beyond

I was experimenting with brushes of various sizes when I painted this sumi ink portrait.  As Buzz Lightyear might say, this young lady's hair grows "from infinity to beyond"!

Thanks for visiting. You can view my color portfolio here.

Pick-Up Sticks

Did Hurricane Irene create havoc in your neck of the woods? My town was fortunate to be spared serious damage. In the aftermath, I was picking up debris on my property, and imagining what to make of the mess. I decided to branch out (so to speak), and integrate my new stick collection into some drawings.  I hope you get a stick, uh, I mean a kick, out of these pics! More important, If you were affected by the storm, I hope life is back to normal.

This was inspired by the fashion of a Highlands tribesman, Papua New Guinea

I revisited a trusty dry-brush technique (with Sumi ink) for these drawings.

The sticks helped unify seemingly disparate images.

I taught this drawing how to fetch!

Oh deer!

This primitive narrative was inspired by Indiana Jones films!

"A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease." ~  John Muir