New Toy

I spoke to a woman today in marketing and soaked up some good advice. Felt inspired and active so I fixed up my website a bit with some of her critques in mind.

It's always been difficult to show people my numberism work through my website, because you just couldn't get the feel and reality of all the tiny little numbers on images and screens that small. I've also had customers come to me, saying that they were trying to describe the technique to their friends but that the idea just wasn't coming across. All that is in the past now that I have Zoomify (real name, I'm not making that up, though it is nifty to say). I've taken my high resolution scans and dumped them into this program so that you can now zoom into even the smallest areas (given I had a good scan before selling the piece).

It's officially my new toy, and I keep playing with it, looking at numbers there's no way I could have seen with the naked eye.... which makes me wonder how I drew them that small to begin with...

Anyway, it's up now, so you can go to my website's Portfolio , in the Numberism section (and only numberism), when you click a thumbnail, you get to see the full glory and madness of numberism.

Seattle Fremont Market

After successfully finding a new vehicle, Tab and I decided we will take a trip up to Seattle for the Fremont Market. We're heading up this weekend for Sundays' show.

So if you're in Seattle, stop on by and say hello.

Also at our booth with be Seattle artist, Christen Shaw, whom I mentioned earlier.

Progress in Oil Paint

I haven't painted in a long time. Not since I started Numberism. A friend of mine posed for me a while back and my friend, Ian, took the lovely photographs. Just last month my mother sent me oil paints from my late grandfather, and all the pieces fell together. Opportunity to pick up that brush again.

I'd say my greatest weakness as a painter is a lack of patience. I was always too eager to see the final product, always seeking instant gratification. I suppose Numberism helped me with that. With each row of numbers, more light, more shadows and more dimension came through. At any point, if I were to become too eager, too rushed, the piece would have been ruined. I had to keep my excitement at bay and slowly let the image appear.




Sitting in front of my easel, I feel calmer. I can take my time. There's never been a rush afterall. I have all the time in the world to finish this painting.

I draw a page of the comic book, take a break and put down another layer. It was a painting, after all, that got me the gig drawing the comic.





It's not finished. A lot of this is under painting, but it's getting there. Time to pull out the linsead oil and smooth out the light on her chest.

Numberism Wedding

For Christmas, I was commissioned to draw a numberism portrait of this couple's wedding day. The husband ordered the drawing for his wife for a Christmas present. I am told she loved it. :)

I was given this photograph to draw from, which captured a beautiful moment of the couple on the bridge were they took their vows.



It was less than 2 weeks before Christmas, and we were all getting ready for the Festival of The Last Minute, not to mention that I was still working on the Comic Book. I wondered if I could draw it in time. My partners picked up the slack for all the printing and stretching responsibilities and let me draw. Tab, unfortunately got very sick for the entire week, and so while I was busy drawing, the rest of our group was pouring blood sweat and tears into the coming week to compensate for the missing players.

The drawing flowed from me. I haven't worked on a numberism drawing since "Transitional" (the fall tree and leaves), and I had finished that over a month ago. I missed it. The calm, the precision, the almost meditative effects of drawing numberism. It was no trouble at all to finish it in time. It was a pleasure. I decided to draw the bouquet of roses in full color and have the pedals fly off into the next moment, signifying that while time progresses, they are still together; solid despite the passage of each moment.

I wasn't able to scan it in time, so I don't have as good of close ups as I could have, but my friend managed to take pretty good photos of the final piece so I could share it with you.

This drawing is 16" x 24". Micron pens on Vellum paper.

Approaching 2010

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This holiday season has been a good for Tab and I and our little group here in Portland. I had a few last minute projects to work on (a beautiful wedding scene I turned into a numberism portrait) and a few I'm still working on now, and hope to continue working on into the coming year (including the Zombie Comic and a numberism scene that I'm dying to draw for a friend of mine).

I came back from Seattle inspired. We stayed up there with some of Tab's family and I had the opportunity to get a closer look at some of Christen Shaw's work (who is my brother-in-law's fiance - nice ring, by the way). The online images just didn't do the detail and lighting justice. I unfortunately can't show you my favorite piece, but she'll hopefully have pictures of it online soon. I can, however show you the beautiful piece she gave Tab and I. I don't think anyone has ever given me a painting before.

Again, this picture doesn't do it justice, but that's just reflective of my ability with a camera... which is way below par.

Below is something else of hers.



A month ago, my mother sent me oil paints from my late grandfather and I've been meaning to put them to use. After seeing all her work (and my favorite with the luminescent ocean scene- hint hint- put it up), I've come back wanting to paint. While taking a break from the comic book, I started my first piece. I will put up pictures when it's finished.

I have a few ideas for incorporating more vivid color with my numberism work as well. We shall see.

I love being inspired. It's something I revel in.

The Saturday Market is closed for 2 months. We'll be back in March, and until then, we artist people need to keep our hands busy. More than anything, I'm working on finishing the Comic Book "Teenagers Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse". We might also jump around the coast a bit to do some artwalks in Seattle and Northern California. Not to mention, Villain, which we plan on shooting either January or February.

Ah, I should note, that the gallery will be open again, come January 1st.

On that note, The Portland Examiner interviewed me about Saturday market's last days in their "Festival of the Last Minute" article. Which you can see Here and Here. (I am in Part 2).

More than anything, this break gives me some time to play. We've all worked pretty hard this past year, and I'm looking forward to seeing where some free time and creativity will bring me.

Happy New year to all of you, and thank you again for your continued support.

Last Minute Shopping at Saturday Market

Saturday Market will be open for this entire week up until Christmas Eve for all of us notorious last minute shoppers. We will be at our regular booth on the Skidmore side (at Ankeny and 2nd)- right off the MAX stop) with a few special large prints that we rarely print. We also have new work from Tabulanis!

The usual sales apply at the booth, and buying the Tree set is 15 % off when you buy the whole set at once. If you're trying to load up on gifts, we'll give you 15% off when you buy 4 or more. :)


We are pretty well stocked, but if you're coming into town to pick something up, send me an email and I'll make sure to print it and have it with us at the market to make sure your trip is successful.

Also, there are tons of great booths all around us at the market to fill the rest of your shopping needs with purses, jewelry, art, prints, T Shirts, a few electronics, great hats, Portland Paraphernalia and the like. I'm personally going to grab one of those cool Owl Purses I keep eying that are up the aisle from me.

So while we're at market, our gallery in NW Portland will be closed and will not be open until after the Holidays, so if you're trying to find us, look at the market. We'll be there! Also, after this week, Saturday and Sunday Market will be closed until MARCH! So come down while you still can!

Happy Holidays!



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Notes That Warm The Heart

I've received a few wonderful thank you notes lately, and wanted to share them with you. These are a few that really touched me.

As an artist, there's really two parts to my work. The first half, is expressing the world around me as a way to understand and deal with our life. The other half is the hope that it will connect with someone else in the world, and that through my art, we can communicate and relate.

I live for this, and it makes my day.

"My wife & I just bought a print of your sketch "The Butterfly Effect" at the Saturday Market today. I guess I just wanted to let you know that we can't quit staring at it (already up on the wall and, come to find out, easily visible from passers-by on Hawthorne). Thanks for capturing our attention and helping us Portland newcomers dream again."

"I just wanted to send my appreciation for your message given on the back of the piece that we purchased. It amazes me...the profound significance that message has to my life's path. It validates an underlying question I've had in believing in this journey. THANK YOU and the perfection of the the universe."

These are two poems someone we met at Saturday Market wrote about Tabulanis' work and my own. How touching that he was compelled to write a poem about it!

" The Woman Who Draws With Time

the favorite pastime
of humankind
is trying to grasp time
to seize the moment
failure is inevitable
unless
you use time to
de-line-ate
the fleetingness
of a first kiss
the caress
of breeze on leaves
a child's wonder
at the alien magical beauty
of a butterfly
or the joyous synthesis
of harmonic co-operation
illustrating
the eternalness
of now."


The Grottoes Of My Mind
then there's an artist
who paints the grottoes
of my mind.
complete with the skeletons
of love I've killed
and impenetrable shadows
hiding horrors
which I'll never admit
into sunlight.
but the tranquil beauty of nature
the calm azure
of a peaceful pool
and the flowing lines
of ochre stone
ameliorate the nightmare
of the prison of ego."