I bought new acid free art materials this week which I'm kinda digging. They are water-based stamp pads called Distress Inks by Tim Holtz that can be applied to paper, wood, and even photographs. Typically you would use a paper tortillian to accent certain areas of photos to age and weather them, but I used the stamp pad raw and punched and dragged the square pads throughout the paper directly. It created a great abstract effect that I know I could use in future projects.

I had work an hour earlier than normal on Thursday but it was the wrong Thursday. Although I live only five minutes away, I decided to just draw instead and came up with this pretty cool abstract. No harm, no foul.. Just art.

This series came together in lieu of the bi-annual "Penny Sale" at my job. I started with President Lincoln who's face was plastered all over everything. I was staring at him at work all day for a whole month so what's a few more hours right? It blew up into a full blown series containing all presidents and important figures in our country's history that are immortalized on US currency. I finished it with Obama as a snake which I titled Red Across America to make fun of his proposed health care system. He's such a snake and he looks good in his true form. I'm just sour because I honestly thought this time was going to be different. Everything he said he would do during the last election sounded so good.. I wish it all.. well most of it.. were true.

The slogan of his campaign was "CHANGE," and not the literal form that most Americans contain in their pockets, but the promise of a new direction for the country. The most obvious "change" was racial and at this point it seems that that is all it was. The bail outs, the war for oil.. It all persists.

This series is to help people "change" for real. To aid change in minds stuck in their ways as my figurative finger points at all these suits smiling and waving on on TVs as they collapse their fingers back and forth at night to accompany their sinister laughs.

The times have changed my friends. We don't duel in the street in response to being "Yella!" We don't dip our feathers in ink and mail shit on horses.. Let's get with the program here and demand this change.

We all have a voice.. Scratch that! We all have many voices now. Social networking has become the new water coolers for our society and people need to start drinking. Bill may still be raving about Gloria Notimportant on American Idol somewhere but there are 15,000 others Bills talking about shit that actually matters. Let's stand back and send back the free bullshit our government propagandizes as "Top Headlines" and tap the keg on true political and environmental change.. Do you think our old ass system is working?

Anyway, there is a lot to say about each piece individually but now I'm pissed off and totally over this..

Pangea fo life!

This acrylic painting was commissioned by a coworker for her grandmother. Her grandmother always loved this particular painting and she tried for many years to have someone hand paint this image. Unfortunately for her she could not find anyone to tackle the task. Fortunately for me, I'm a artist. A struggling artist willing to 'portrait' some pooh if the money's right.

My coworker told me about this project in October and she brought me a postcard of the image for a reference that she took from
Her grandmother. I snapped a shot of it with my iPhone which became the only image I had or could find since I did not know the artist's name.

I started the reproduction that night and spent a couple hours painting the larger areas in the background and never touched it again until a week prior to Christmas. I procrastinated this piece for some time.

On a side note, I procrastinate everything actually but in a good way. I seem to like the pressure of deadlines and push the envelope of those deadlines to the last possible opportunity. When i was in college, I noticed my best works were the ones where I was up all the entire night/morning before class or when i was forced into production.

This was a similar situation. I literally finished this painting twenty minutes before I gave it to my friend. It was so fresh I couldn't even varnish it..

To end this story, the gift was a huge success. My friend loved the final product and it sounded like her grandma did too. She later told me that her grams loved the painting so much that it made her cry. I'm not in the business of making anyone cry, but hearing that made me feel good and I was happy to to be involved.

I'm glad she liked it Steph and you're welcome Steph's grandma ;)

I love sales. C'mon! Who doesn't? You hear things like 40% off and see beautifully designed signs urging you to spree like there will never be a sale again. You go overboard and purchase things you may never need or even want.. use? You get home. You sort of regret it but you're still happy because you saved a couple bucks.

That's me right now. I spent a grip but I saved more than I spent. I recently went insane and bought a couple hundred dollars worth of supplies just because. They were my Christmas gifts to myself. Canvas, markers, pens, frames, clay.. You name it, I got it. Here is the fruit of those spoils..

This is another drawing of my girlfriend Natalie. After seeing the wacky doodle above that accidentally resembles her, she wanted me to actually draw her and more importantly, to "Do it crazy!". I gladly accepted the task.

I came up with this idea using Microns and prismacolor markers. I was inspired by some very linear African artwork that I recently framed at my job. I could not determine the artist's name but he/she produced these beautiful images of African women and children all rendered with crosshatching and muted blocks of color. The color palette was extremely simple which emphasized the beautifully constructed and painstakingly clean crosshatching.

I have experimented with a similar process to this about ten years ago when I was graduating high school. I remembering learning about crosshatching and pointillism to which both techniques became my favorite over the next couple years. Come to think about it, it was around the same time my mother bought me the 48 set of Prismacolor Markers which is a little ironic. I would draw intricate shapes, crosshatch them, and fill in each box with a color. It originated from my love of chess. I emulated the game board in a lot of my drawings back then and I still use this repetition today.

I stepped my game up this time and recently purchase the 72 set of markers which I am "crazy" excited about and which is why I am pumping out art daily. New materials bring forth new ideas.. New ideas bring forth new opportunities.. New opportunities bring forth.. Ahh.. you get it.

This piece was inspired by the Flemish mannerist style and the work of NJ artist Jay Adler. Mannerism encompasses a lot if different styles from the 15th century ranging from true realism to foreshadowed figures that look quite odd in certain positions. The flems contorted figures in an extreme way which broke away from the traditional realism of the times. They were innovators during a time when people were set in their ways especially in the arts. This is the type of of art I enjoy. Thought provoking wildness that breaks rules..

(Why am I not a graffiti artist?)

The artwork of Jay Adler is a great example of this. He is known in the art world as a surf artist. He paints images of surfers, beautiful waves, and scenery. This subject matter rarely diverts from this ideal, but a recent painting tells a different story. He continued to corrupt the Vitruvian Man's attributes by stylizing body parts like a funny caricature while entertaining the idea if love. His painting is of two figures; a man and a women. They are holding each other as their limbs stretch further and further around each other as if to get the strongest and tightest hold possible.. A bond.. Physical and chemical.

My creation is drawn in a very similar style but my subject is very different. I drew a basic outline and pushed the limits of each attribute to form an interesting fluid shape for each body part. I made the mistake of outlining my sketch with microns before I was completely satisfied with an idea which came back to bit me in the you know what. Near her nipples, you can see a harsh outline of a layer of hair I wanted to omit from the drawing but instead, I accidentally outlined. Unfortunately, color pencils could not hide this and I knew this before attempting to. I was positive that I didn't want this area accented and I just decided to leave it as is. I'm hoping to apply paint, oil markers, or an opaque medium to conceal these lines later but for now, and before I ruin it any further, I will leave it be.
A couple days later...
So I tried using a razor blade to shave off the areas with the unwanted marker and it lessened the blow a bit. I also used Sharpie poster paint markers to conceal the lines even more but the glossy texture created by the colored pencils negated much of this attempt. For what it is, I think it's hidden pretty well and it's not so much of an eye sore now, although it still bothers me.. A lot. Overall, it was a fun little project that distracted me from some mandate portion of my life so thanks Art.

After winning the nationwide munny contest for AB I received an email from the marketing department asking me if it would be okay to obtain usage rights on my design to be published on "how to demonstrations" and ads regarding these sculptures. I was ecstatic and agreed. The gentleman also asked if I would be interested in designing a 20" Munny which AB would pay me to do and of course I agreed to this also. He went on to say that there are two other "world renown artists" creating 20" munnies which will be given away as prizes near the end of November to which mine will accompany and be "raffled" as well.  That sounds awesome!

I stared at this sculpture for a long while before I could actually cut, paint, design, or even touch him for that matter.  He seemed extremely monumental compared to the small 7" munny which scared and excited me simultaneously.  I decided to start at his base by cutting away areas of his stomach.  My original 2-D design, located near the bottom of this post, called for a blunt opening with a painted surface much like wood paneling or veneer mouldings.  As I started transferring my 2-D design to this 3-D sculpture, things began to change.  I decided to make the positive space resemble a picked white fence to contradict the visual and emotional feel of an urban area.  As I cut away areas, with an utility knife, I noticed that the upper portion of the chest took the form of a human rib cage which birthed my idea to make it all about the birds.

The bird cage lead me to believe that I would eventually put bars inside the opening and fill it with candy that people cannot get in honor of Halloween.  At this point, I was going to title my work, " No Treats for Tricks!"  Unfortunately this did not happen.  I could not figure out a way to fabricate the bars strong enough to survive a UPS man's hands all the way to Texas, and I did not want to buy a bird cage just for the small elevating door.. boo.  Oh well..  moving on.

The first pictures below were taken after my first session with the munny.  I spent about seven hours completely dedicated and involved with thinking, cutting, and painting that I never documented each process.  I adapted the bricks idea from my smaller munny mentioned above and I decided to make him an entire building in honor of the ten year anniversary of 911. RIP  The bricks were painted using a one-point perspective to convey depth and the idea of a possible explosion or erosion.  This hole would eventually be the perfect place for my bird's nest's candy dish!?            




The Shrinky Dinks have arrived!!  I obtained $40 worth of crystal clear so hopefully you will see more of this product in other pieces I do in the future. First, I cut 5" x 7" rectangles.  I used a utility knife to create scratches and breaks in the plastic to resemble broken glass.  I used alcohol inks to transparently weather both sides of the windows by direct application prior to or post shrinking.  I actually recorded a video of this so I will add that soon.  They really do shrink somewhere around three times its original size.  I layered two pieces together to create two window panes, allowing me to illustrate different broken layers shown in the photo on the right.  Here is where the alcohol inks came in handy by transparently dying the 'glass' yellow to look dirty, old, and gross.  I really like the effect they achieved.

Tags. Munny took the shape of a plain and boring building uninterrupted by the rattles of skilled craftsmen.  I am no graffiti artist but I really do appreciate the art form.  It is amazing what some people can do with a spray can and a set of caps.  I never tagged illegally but I did have a very large window in my backyard that my buddy Steve and I used to hit up.  I enjoy spray painting but it's just so messy.  This was a relatively clean water-based expression.  I develpoed small tags and characters to enhance my idea of an urban building. I wrote things like, "Adult Human" to poke fun on kidrobot .  Other words: R.Senal, Sick, Tweet, Graphiti, Memo, etc.  I started running out of ideas and transplanted older drawings and art I have completed in the past such as my self portrait pumpkin carving, stick figure guy, etc. It was a cool paint down memory lane.  That's a lie.  It was a cool
'drawing' down memory lane.
I used a product that I was unfamiliar with which is always fun, frustrating, and most of all "out of the box.".  The tags and graf art were all created by chalk inks.  They are non-toxic, food safe, and most importantly acid-free felt tip marker that produce super vibrant colors to attract the eyes.  The pigment seems to jump off of any surface you put them.. and they go on anything!  This is why places like Starbucks or Trader Joe's use these markers for their signage.  They are very similar to poster markers since they are water-based and can be used on a variety of non-porous surfaces such as glass, plastic, or metal.  In the back of  my mind, I was very weary of what would happen to this medium during the varnishing process but I chugged along and pretended to forget about it.



After using the white chalk ink marker to touch up the mourter between the bricks, I varnished the entire project in matte acrylic spray; minus the bird n hay. I also taped off the body and head to gloss the blue area (cracked egg/cracked sky/cracked glass.. "lightning"<--fighting word)


Munny Goes Electric?
I totally forgot that I had incorporated a light in my original design.  Anyway, I checked Home Depot during my last trip for a motion activated, battery powered light that I could fit inside munny for the candy dish idea.  As people tried to corral the candy through the jail cell style bars, which were never added) a LED light work turn on to startle them.  I gave up until the last minute. After I finished him, took pictures, and put him in the box to ship I noticed a ceramic turtle on my girlfriend's sister's headboard that seconds as a night light.  It has been under my nose the whole time.  This version was a 7W bulb that did get hot to the touch.  I was worried about the foam in munny's head starting a fire so I went to Home Depot again to ask some questions.  I found the same wire set up but replaced the 7W bulb with a 0.25W LED that stays cool no matter how long you run it.  I tested the bulb when I got home for an hour to make sure.

This piece was proposed by my good friend Laura for a business she is building called "Handmade with Love." We talked about her idea and things tinkered in my skull..  It started out as a quick sketch for a business card but after I added some color with markers, pencils, and acrylics it really sparked my interest. She asked me to do this for her on September 1st and an hour or two later I sent her back this image. Although it was not something she expected, she was still blown away by the turn around and very interested in the idea. Before and after seeing the image I created she wanted to finish it with the words "With Love.". I figured this was unnecessary and just signed it "LOVE" instead. Kids, always follow directions!          
When you are creating anything a purpose or for someone else it can be difficult.  Our perceptions, no matter how clear and concise a discussion, will vary in some ways.  The things I see in my head are guaranteed to be different than what the other person is expecting.  Sometimes I get too involved with projects like this and forget about time.. and work and work and work until I have something, wether it be their vision or not. This was one of those times. She liked my idea a lot and now wants to to write "with Love" in the same manner.. Well, she wanted that from the beginning but now.. using art and craft supplies.

I think we should simplify this idea by writing out the word "Handmade" with a detail brush. It's clean and clear and under control..

While walking to my mailbox, this guy was just waking up under my sneaker.  I it start to chug along at the last possible second to save him.  We were good!  He was inches from the bottom of my shoe and I must say that we are both glad that did not happen.

So here is the story. My mailbox is approximitly 300 yards from where I saw him. I walked back and forth within the time it took him to create this one inch slim mark. Granted, i do walk pretty fast but being that slow really has to suck the big one.                                                    

Note to self.. 'If reincarnation does exist, opt out of snail'

A funky collaboration with Natalie. After a couple successful hand-offs of the sketchbook, this drawing started to resemble a gerbil.  Lemmi Wink's cousin was born.

I'm not sure if it is done or not. I have to ask Nat but either way I had fun and I'm glad Natalie was there to create this with me :)

I think this is the second time I have mentioned COD on my blog. I'm not a gamer anymore but something about Infinity Ward still tickles my fancy.  Most users create disturbing images of death or prejudice which is not cool.  Even less interesting individuals get a kick out of objectifing and degrading women, but some create detailed comic book characters. They turn into a repeating song after a month but kudos to the originator.  I try to create art with the assigned images.  Colorful landscapes and positivty, which is a complete contradiction to the game.  Some people message props or bluetooth (v) good words.  Thanks randoms.  This one on the other hand, is more somber and still in mourning..

Well I cannot rearrange photos on this mobile blogger app so For now I will just post and I'll worry about format another day. At least I can get some art out into the world and hopefully influence someone on the Internet machine.

This small 5" x 7" pen and ink drawing is a cubist representation of Pablo Picasso. Picasso and Georges Braque were the inventors and originators of the cubism movement. Picasso, more so than Braque, is the staple to cubism and has inspired me and millions of other artists over the past century. My favorite artist Marcel Duchamp, a cubo-futurist known for the fourth dimension of art and, in my opinion, the most important piece to art, the power of titles and the ability to explain art, is included.

Anyway, this drawing was completed in three sessions. The first two photos are micons in black only. I began adding sepia microns and a white and a black prismacolor pencil near the final phase if the drawing; adding an aged look to the portrait.. Or whatever you would call it. Although it is not cubist by definition, it is still abstract enough to be considered as such. And again, I will eventually revamp and reorganize these mobile posts to be congruent with past entries. As always, thanks for checking in.

Hello folks,
It's been a little while. I'm in the process of moving and I packed my computer almost a month too early. This is why I haven't posted anything. But good news! I just downloaded the blogger app for my iPhone so I can blog on the go. I haven't explored the app so I'm not sure about providing links to references, other images, etc. I basically just want to see how this goes before I get into all that. I hope I can move images around and use my typical blog set up to keep it uniform. Let's see..

This is a tiny portrait I did of my girlfriend. I fell in love with Natalie's FB profile picture and I wanted to paint it. I had an extra baby canvas from my AB Munny project so I went for it and was very happy with the result. I will post the original image when I get my computer up and running again. Thanks for reading!