Tag Archives: paintings
Five years ago today, celebrated American writer Hunter S. Thompson, best-known as the originator of Gonzo journalism and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” took his own life by way of self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head, under the strain of numerous painful medical conditions. Five years later, his legacy continues to thrive in film like “The Rum Diary,” television like “The Venture Brothers,” journalism like “Rolling Stone,” and modern art like (among others) my own tribute piece titled “Bat Country.”
I’ve been watching ABC’s LOST since day one, and while I’m not always a step ahead of the story, I do consider myself a big fan — Especially of Terry O’Quinn’s Emmy-Award-winning character, John Locke. The last season started on the 2nd, which reminded me after the long break how influential a character he was. Not just in the context of the story, but myself personally. I’ve always identified with his uniquely conflicting outer solemnity and inner turmoil.
While I built the canvas for this piece at the same time as the corresponding 24″x24″ I completed early in October, I only just finished painting the 36″x36″ today. I wanted to come at the color scheme a little differently this time to solidify a conceptual double-entendre. The piece is subtitled “A Hazy Shade of Winter,” which reflects the monochromatic blue tones I used, the time in which it was worked on, and a track by the same name from the 1968 “Bookends” album, from which I derived the source photo.
If you work in traditional or handmade media, and you’re the tech-savvy type, then you’ve probably already heard of Etsy. If not, think eBay for artists, their art, and art appreciators. I set up a shop and listed my first item, a pop art portrait of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.
In what was an otherwise-dismal day for design here, I finally got over my fear of watercolors and took a plunge into unknown territory. The result? I think I found a new favorite illustration method!