The Death of Me

That's what I am calling this latest surreal piece! It was created with watercolor, gouache, and also irridescent medium. I'll spare ya the details on this one, but it's basically about how you can lose yourself in relationships, or potential relationships. As humans we sometimes get so wrapped up in others, and trying to please others, that we forget about our own needs, and part of us dies. Interesting how that happens...reproduction prints are available in my Etsy shop!

Dirty Chickens!!!!!

Rumor has it not only did she carry a watermelon, she is also a fowl dancer... ;) Here is the latest chicken painting! This one was done in gouache and measures 5 by 7 inches. I've always been very fond of "Dirty Dancing," so making a chicken painting of a scene from the movie seemed appropriate. In fact, I may do more than one...we will see!

Mona Lisa Chicken!

Here is the latest ACEO in my chicken series! :) (For anyone out there who doesn't know what an ACEO is, it's a baseball card size piece of art)...I've veered a bit from my normal path lately with the chickens. In the past I would do an ACEO, number it and write a story, turn it into a print, and make an occasional larger version in oil. Now sometimes I do the painting without the story, or a larger version initially, or with no ACEO sized work at all...I've decided to break outside of that box a bit, as the protocol was slowing me down. (Mainly the story-- I need to be in the right mood to write :) ...the story shall continue though, never fear! I've had numerous people tell me the chicken series would make a great children's book, so I am thinking about doing different versions of the story. The current one has more of an adult tone...then there is the "B" series-- 'cause he meets a hot chick :) And uh, the "C" series, which is a bit, uh...naughty....Perhaps the "D" series can be for children...I want to do a coloring book as well! All the possibilities...What can I say, the chicken is inspired by DaVinci....

Mr. Chicken Gets a Day Job...#15A

After the cancellation of his highly acclaimed PBS series, Mr. Chicken is distraught to the extent of wanting to hack off his ear. Instead of resorting to such drastic measures, he puts down the palette and opts to get a day job in a quaint little Pennsylvania town. Here he becomes a top salesman of paper goods, all the while donning the most dashing of trends in office wear...Naturally, as a result he becomes quite the lady killer-- the spectacles say it all of course...just don't ask what else is in the beet pie....

(It's another freaky little painting in my Mr. Chicken series! :) http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32599861

Back to Surrealism!

(And watercolors)...It's been a while since I've worked in watercolors, and as a result of the recent sales of two of my surrealistic watercolor pieces, I thought it would be a good choice to do something of the same genre....

I'm calling this piece Fragility-- and as usual, take from it what you will :)...Her skin is meant to look like broken glass, and she is holding an egg...This photo was taken about a week ago, so it already looks a little different, as I've introduced more browns in the piece...(I'm still not sure if that is the right call!) :O ...we'll see-- I have a feeling this piece will evolve over time.

Mr. Chicken is a Tree Huggin Hippie...#13A

After his recent aquisition of a bonzai tree, Mr. Chicken feels inspired to commune with nature. As a result, he decides to head to the nearest rainbow gathering, where he consumes mass quantities of granola, digs holes in which to deficate, and also does not bathe for over a week. In addition, he forms a special bond with a tree he now refers to as "Momma."

Painting Update...

The Painting gets greener!...nice and creepy... :D

I've Started Oil Painting Again!!!!!

Yeah!!! To tell you the truth, it's been years since I have completed an oil painting, so this is a bit of an experiment, if you will...

For some reason, watercolor seems to click with me. I wanted to get back into oils though, as the color is so intense and saturated in comparison. They take so long to dry though! GRRR!!!!!!! The colors get all blendy and mushy and ....stuff...

Here is the start of my painting anyway. It will probably look much different when it is completed. It is a big one too-- 30 by 40 inches!

So Long Decrepit Muse! :)

I recently sold this original painting out of my studio--yeah!!!! Just in time to fix my car too-- excellent timing :) I think I will miss this painting. I'm definitely glad I sold it though. It's funny how we can get attached to our creations. I suppose now I will have to create one I like even more.

Karate Chicken...#12A

Today Chicken-san travels back to 1984-- a special time in our nations history, featuring feathered bangs and spectacular bands like Bananarama...Here Chicken-san prepares to dethrone the testosterone driven Cobra Kai-- a quaint little group of martial artists with a fondness for pimple cream and showing no mercy. However, Chicken-san will not be squished like grape. Chicken-san is best around. BONZAI!!!!! (Paint fence Chicken-san...sand floor)....

Yuppers :) This is another artist's trading card, created using gouache on watercolor paper. Can ya tell I'm a child of the 80's? Go Ralph Macchio! :D

Vitruvian Chicken...#8A

After taking a wee sample of his magical time traveling elixir, Mr. Chicken finds himself in the the High Renaissance...Here he meets a curious fellow who insists on his close friends calling him "Leo," and can't help but notice Mr. Chicken's "ideal" proportions. After much cajoling and a few bottles of elderberry wine, Leo convinces Mr. Chicken to pose for his next drawing, which has now gone down in history as......Vitruvian Chicken....

Heheheheh!!! I hope you enjoy the video! :)

I'm Throwing Caution to the Wind...I've decided to list Originals..

Yes it's true! I've decided to start listing some of my larger originals on Etsy. I was reluctant to do so for the longest time, as I was not sure if people would want to shell out that much money on the internet. I've come to the conclusion though, what do I have to loose, other than the listing fee?...So here I am listing larger originals :)-- and when I say larger originals, I mean anything over 4 by 6 inches :)

I listed this one tonight. It is called "In Separation of Continents" and was created on 140 lb. watercolor paper using watercolor and gouache. I was going for a beautiful yet melancholy feeling with this one :)....perhaps with a tad bit of nostalgia...

Well That's Cool! :D

Life is funny. I think a lot of us artists have felt rather bummed out lately, with the economy affecting sales and all...but then when you least expect it-- something really cool happens! :)

So I checked my email this morning, mainly to see if my Dad was sending out one of his "Vero Beach Updates," (a humorous update on his adventures in Florida)...and I found something completely unexpected that made me feel a lot better about my artistic situation :)

I've been featured on the Art Channel of Talent Database! Yeah!!! :)

http://www.talentdatabase.com/channels/1-Art

It's not as if I have won the Pulitzer Prize or anything, but still, this really made my day! :) I guess this means that even if your art doesn't fit in at most artistic venues, it might be appreciated elsewhere :) This gives me hope. Here's to the freaky artists everywhere! :)

I Present to You..."Pickle Head"....

Yeah!!! I actually finished it :)...and it only took me a month!

For the record, finishing a surreal piece, for me, usually takes MUCH longer. I have been known to work on surreal pieces for months, even years. Often because I get frustrated and set the piece aside (for months, or even years)...and I"m very much a perfectionst! I worked on this one for about a month straight though (minus a few days when I made paper)...and here it is! :)

Makes me wonder if I should rethink my artistic strategies...I often work on multiple pieces at once, and set aside works of art for extended periods of time. I don't know if I will change my strategy really, but I do wonder if I would be more productive if I just worked on one at a time...just thoughts I'm having currently :)....Knowing myself I probably won't change a $#@!!@# thing! :)... :O ...(we'll see though ;)

I'm a Horrible Procrastinator... :O ...

You know that sketch I blogged about a couple of posts back? Yeah, I haven't started that one yet... :) The main reason being is that I'm going to do it in oils, and I haven't worked in oils in years...I'm kind of a perfectionist, so I'm, uh...putting it off for a little while...(soon though, I swear)! :) ...

The painting shown here I am finally starting. I began this sketch a few years ago...(It's basically about losing your mind-- something many artists can relate to right?-- here's to you Van Gogh! :)...I think I'm going to call it "Pickle Head"... Get it? The head looks like a pickle, kinda...and also it's a refererence to your brain getting pickled :)...Yes, screwey but true :) It may look quite different by the time I finish it...I will most likely put a wallpaper background in it, like some of my other surreal paintings. I'm attempting to creat a "cohesive" body of work, or so they call it... :O (we'll see how it goes-- I have a bit of artistic ADD or something)...

In honor of my procrationation, and the many ideas I have in my head, I bring you this fun and quirky video by The Foo Fighters! :) I love this song/video. This song, called "Big Me," was big in my late teen years. I've decided to do a Mr. Chicken based on this video...Mr. Chicken Eat His Mentos (perhaps?)...I think Mr. Chicken might have to sport some Dave Grohl braids :)...(Remember those fun and dorky Mentos videos?) Of course though, since I procrastinate and am working on 10 differnt things at once, it may be a while :)
..sorry I had to post the link insted of the video-- I couldn't embed it for some reason! :O

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhfWzCPRPtg

The Latest Round of Wierdness...

So lets just say I've had a creative block since 2001...I kid you not, I'm dead serious...This was the last time I planned a major composition...

I think when I finished college, and went out into "the real world" I lost a bit of my creative edge. I was no longer doing art 5-7 days per week, nor working in my sketchbook. In fact, I did little to no art at all for 4 years....I refer to those years (late 2001-late 2005) as my "lost years"....I was busy just trying to make ends meet, and often working up to 3 jobs at one time...It didn't occur to me that I could try to earn a living as an artist. (I think this is what happens when you don't think outside of the box (which I often don't) and when you have main stream parents who work in education)...

Anyway, when I say "major composition" I am referring to the surreal images in my Snitterdog shop. I started them in college, and finished them in the last 2-3 years. (they just didn't look done, so I went back to mess with them :)...Anyway, this is the type of art I am most interested in creating. This is the type of art that is also the most difficult to create -- it is very time consuming and intricate. I have not started a "new one" until recently. This is the sketch I plan to turn into a painting. (Supposedly)....we'll see what happens...

I'm trying to tell myself that I'm not any less creative than I used to be...I was just preoccupied for a few years, and my brain got lazy...(by the way, I tend to do the leaves and flowers because it' "easier"...I hope that doesn't sound horrible)...My goal is to get back into the wierd stuff-- I hope I can still pull it off! :)

Mr. Chicken Plays With His Beaker...#7A

Yes, it is true...I have been neglecting Mr. Chicken..:O...But no More!!! :)...Here is the latest in the adventures of Mr. Chicken :)....

After spending a day and a half in bed with the hangover from hell, Mr. Chicken is back in the game. To prevent such a God-awful plague in the future, he decides to get in touch with his inner Mr. Wizard, and concoct the perfect chemical cure for a hangover...Alas, he does not find it...He does however, come up with a magical elixir which allows him to travel back in time....

(I've had the next one #8A in my head for about 2 months-- I really need to get it down on paper soon :)...hint: he travels back to the 1500's...:)...(I think it's the 1500's anyway :)-- I'll have to check history to be sure!

And for the accomanying video-- it's in the science neighborhood :) I almost went with a Back to the Furture video-- but that's another Mr Chicken adventure! :) Ah, happy childhood memories-- another flick from the 80's I used to watch when I was a wee little thing! :)

I did a custom Alchemy Order! :)

Yeah! This is very exciting to me...I generally get...the "convobot regrets"...etc....YOU SUCK!!!! no!!! ....This time I got a yes :)...so exciting! :) This is what I created for someone :)...It's a Rowan leaf, for a little girl named Rowan :) I like how this one turned out...tomorrow I'm off to start another custom order...a 4 leaf clover! :)...In my "Greene Fairy" style...I hope it turns out well! :)....

Mr. Chicken Has His Beer....

After narrowly escaping death from a chicken hungry shark, it is time for Mr. Chicken to unwind...He therefore decides to head down to the fanciful red light district, to his favorite saloon. Here he indulges in a wee bit of tastey suds, which he will most likely follow with Jagermeister, Irish Whiskey, Campari, and then perhaps some Absinthe....If we are lucky, it may be karaoke night.... :D

This is number 5A in my Mr. Chicken series! :D...Nothing like some after work drunken debauchery :D...stay tuned for more adventures in the life of Mr. Chicken..... :P

Ooga Booga!

That's what comes to mind when I think of this most recent illustration...:) The assignment was to create a card to be given to an inmate, expressing that the person giving the card, forgives the inmate, for infact, being an inmate...Does that make sense? Sometimes I don't articulate myself very well . :P...Interesting stuff :D This is an assignment I did for Parkards...One could look at this picture and see peace and serenity, or forgiveness-- It kind of has that calm, blue water thing going for it....but at the same time...It kind of has that dead people with cold blue hands, kind of thing going for it too.....Not to be too morbid or anything :P