Monday, April 7, 2008

Roots

March was a scarce month for blogging with little action going on in the studio. I participated in the Pivot Gallery farewell show which was an honor. The Pivot Gallery has presented SubSurface the last two years for which I could not be more grateful. The farewell show was an exceptional privilege because I had the pleasure of hanging alongside my favorite local painter, Brian Myers and well known illustrator, Chris Sickles of Red Nose Studios. Both are people I have looked up to for some time. As I have said before on this blog; it's an honor to be invited to join such company.

Another very important thing I did last month was to document some of my favorite sketchbook drawings. It was so exciting! It's no revelation that I revel in the life of a sketch. It's where all the stuff really starts to happen. I learned long ago that everything beyond a sketch is labor; Labor I can live with, but nonetheless a finished piece is not the reason I draw. So, here again are some of my favorite sketches.


The above drawings are just plain silly for the most part. The top is the result of a 'humanoid' phase I experienced and is, obviously, a different perspective on pet ownership. The second appears to be a commentary on drug abuse although I had no particular reason to address the subject at the time.



This last one is one of my most faves because of its relative completeness. It really looks like a book cover waiting to happen. Maybe because I had been reading more fantasy at the time. Either way, there is a narrative here. He seems to be a spy-ish fellow seeking cover behind a poorly endowed tree (whose species is otherworldly) and ready to toss a futuristic explosive device. Balanced and rendered, it almost appears that I had a plan for this one...One day.