Lingering Thoughts!

"Enter the Time Machine"

Well, welcome to my first ever blog! I've never created one before nor have been taught how to develop one and was scared to even try one. I guess I've been way too busy at school and the grind of being a parent, with a very curious 3 year old might I add! I also have to admit I have had a phobia of computers for a while, ironic for one who works in the arts. As with my art, I also feel that my work is equaly natural without depending too much on technology to "enhance" my work. Call me old school or out of touch with the times, but maybe its because I'm so facenated with a bunch of retro art form yesteryear, the golden age of hollywood posters, sci-fy fantasy, vintage french circus posters, comics from the silver & bronze age, vintage halloween postcards, ect. I'm really attracted to the raw, sometimes "craft-like" approach to images that are not tainted with academic rules or theories. Most of the reto-art we see are individuals who learned their craft while on the job, exploring, experimenting, investigating new approaches to designing and illustrating dynamic artwork for the public to witness in wonderment. I'm really happy and excited that pop-surrealism is on the rise for many non-traditional artists who have a different outlook of what art is or what art can be. As far as I know, Juxtapose magazine is currently the highest purchased publication for all artists young or old. I even order them for my seniors at out school, being that I encourage them to look up current artists who are making a mark in the art world today. It also helps them develop some confidence that not all high school art has to look ultra realistic, as seems to be the misguided expectation of many art teachers in our region. Overall, they get a chance to glance at the works of such notable and famous artists as Mark Ryden, Alex Pardee, Eric Joyner, Ryan Heshka, Ron English, and countless others. These are just a few of my personal favorites whom I've also feed off from in the past few years. So why retro art? After much contemplation and reflection to my art making, I honestly think of my childhood when I look at this type of art and the best word to describe my overall appreciation of it all would have to be "Nostalgia"; The purpose of looking back at a certain time in ones life where everything just felt right and exciting. Personally, its always nice to jump into your own little time machine in your head and re-experience the things in your life that made you feel alive and good...Now, I don't promote to always visit the past for long periods of time as you may lose focus of your future, its just a way for me to look at images like primitive robots, underwater divers, old machinery, that have facenated me to draw and be creative...hence bring the excitement and youth back to the fold. On a side note, I've always had this theory that active artists live such a long life not because they stayed healthy, but their excitement of creating what they feel. Who wants to die if there's too much fun things to do or make? Just look at old rockers like the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, The Who. I'm sure they took a physical and mental beating with lots of drugs, but what kept them alive and going? The seer love of making and creating music...and that's the truth.

Well without further talk, I wanted to share the progression of some artwork that I have developed (and sweated!) over this past summer and fall and I will give a brief overview of each and what I had in mind.