I Love Art

http://badpaintingsofbarackobama.com/

The Human Adventure is Just Beginning

I have a wacky interview up at Tor.com.

This month has been crazy and weird and scary. I went to New York and saw some of my more favorite people whom I hadn't seen in a while:


(Doyle signs alongside legendary comics legend Rob Liefeld)


(Alexa, confused man, me)


(Here's a link to Nick's drawings)


I also upgraded from my dank Valley apartment and to a superenormous loft headquarters:





I'm still unpacking and getting things in order. Here's my pal Brad sticking some daylight-balanced fluorescents to the ceiling:



2008 caught me off gaurd, in that my best laid plans actually worked out and I ended up making a very respectable and grownup amount of money. I realized, "Wait, maybe this art thing is not a hobby, or a sideline, or something that's going to just dry up. Maybe I should actually invest in having the light and space to get things done."

Having said that, and done that, I am now of course terrified at having raised my rent and expenses so dramatically. I'm not really sure what the correct response is right now (for the world or myself), but I'm pretty sure doing nothing and slowly crenating is the wrong choice. Getting to work and making new stuff seems like the way to go.

New York City's War on Crime

To Dana in the comments who asked for some Noth, here's a sketch from long ago of Logan and his pixie-partner:


I totally forgot that I was going to the New York comic-con this Friday and Saturday. I won't be signing or anything, but if you hunt me down, I will give you a Valentine. Hint: I look like the guy in that box over there.

SVU and I are going steady

I realized there was one Valentine I hadn't released as a folding card (Capt. Cragen), so I drew up four new images, and now there's a new set of five SVU cards, available here. There's a slight discount if you buy all three sets, and all Valentine orders will be sent Priority mail in the US (2-3 day delivery).


Sometimes I think maybe I'm running this "Law & Order" thing into the ground, but you know what? Fuck that, I love "Law & Order" so darn much. And Bob Saget probably needed to find his way into my ouvre somehow.

I've also added prints of this old GI Joe/Guernica bit of silliness:


I don't really know how I feel about this one. It was a commission, and I don't really like directly referencing famous art (too easy of a joke). But other people seem to like it, so here it is.

The poster/shirt megasale is still going on, and I've knocked a few dollars off mini-prints, too. And here's a link to Valentine art prints, since I'd semi-vertantly let that disappear for a while.

Bigfoot Sightings

Several years ago I visited my sister when she and her husband still lived in the Ballard section of Seattle. She took me to a little breakfast-y diner place (Aunt Hattie's? Something like that).

Dana: Once Andy and I saw some famous actor here. I wish I could remember what his name was.

Later:

Dana: Hey Andy, what was the name of that actor we saw? Dinglebert Pimplypuss?

Andy: Ray Liotta.

*****

Here is a list of all the vaguely famous people I've seen in the wild this past year:

1) Veronica Mars (almost smashed into her at the post office)

2) John Landis (three separate sightings in three separate cities)

3) Darius McCrary (buying cases of water at Ralphs at 1:00 am)

4) Ray Park (with his family at the Burbank Toys R Us, immediately after I put down a Darth Maul figure thinking, "God, what a horrible likeness!")

5) Lewis Black (screaming into cell phone)

6) Warren Beatty and Annette Bening and their many children (sat behind us at a sushi place).

7) Seth Green (twice because some pals work on his show, once at an art show, once at a crazy Halloween party. Each time I get the stink eye).

8) John Francis Daley (again, this is a cheat because I was visiting my friend who works on "Bones")

9) Seth Rogen (leaving comic store)

10) Deidrich Bader (entering comic store)

11) Harry Hamlin (came into the AM/PM, browsed snacks, left with a look of extreme disappointment)

In conclusion, it is fun when you see people you recognize from the TV.

New Year's Steals

To clear some space and gear up for moving, I'm putting all my posters and t-shirts on sale through the 15th. I've got a restock on Devitomon and Crimefighters shirts coming in about a week, in case you don't see your size right now.

I'm also putting certain prints of all last year's new paintings (Sir Ian, Nat, Mr. Noodle, Pax, Spidey, Hoffman) on sale. 2008 was three or four times more productive for me than 2007, and my goal for '09 is to push it over the top, rip it up, take it to the x-treme, and so forth.

What T-mas Means to Me

Everyone knows T-mas as a strong-selling greeting card, but did you know it is also a semi-real holiday? It was invented by my sister Dana in 2004, and appreciates a dedicated following. Here are some tips and suggestions, from my family to yours, on how to have that perfect T-mas:

1) T-mas can be celebrated on any day of the year, but a few rules apply. No one can speak ill of one's mother, and if any mother is disrespected, T-mas must be cancelled and held on another date (remember, when you put down one mother, you're putting down mothers all over the world).

2) The construction of wooden 'fools' dates back to the Middle Ages, but that practice, of building a large fool in the town square and lighting it ablaze at twilight, can be brought into the home using craft or popsicle sticks and any variety of classroom art supplies.

3) Perhaps the most important activity of T-mas is the Pity List. Make a list of all the individuals from the past year whom you have reason to pity. Don't share your list with anyone. Instead, cast it into the fireplace, and if the ashes are carried up through the flume and caught by a north-blowing wind, then perhaps a certain someone will hear your wishes, and take it upon himself to pity those fools...

How is T-mas celebrated in your house? Perhaps next year we can add to these traditions, together.