Hope your ready for all this

A few sketches for fantasy type characters, always fun a good time

Laugh Kookabura, Laugh; a painting that along with the two plaid frogs will be sold at the Plainwell flowers, flower shop after its Grand Reopening
Who says Milar isnt a good time

While i cant really show any of the drawings, cause that would be telling, i figured id put up this single cherry as a promo for the upcoming film Cherry, which ive been doing alot of work for over the past month or so.


One of the first studies i did to get back painting after my arm was well enough





The drawings that are on cardboard all all from a group of colored pencil drawings that i did when i still only had the one arm, my surgery and all that. Still i dont mind them to much.

Its been quite awhile so i should probably elaborate on what ive been doing, for those who are curious. After my BFA gallery show (from my previous post, of which there are still several pieces for sale) I had shoulder surgery on the following Tuesday, during the next week while somewhat conscious because of the pain pills my boss Ellie Smith of Jimmy Johns in allendale fired me, because i went to my get shoulder surgery instead of working the shift that she added to my schedule despite me telling her i couldnt work it, apparently she finally found that excuse to fire me, i knew you didnt like me, but geez lady (in a performance report she marked me down because i helped make a positive working environment). Over the next month or so i was basically confined to my parents basement because i was still quite loopy and couldnt really do much except be sedentary. It was a rather trying time since it seemed to be taking so long for me to be able to once again be able to draw which on top of having to deal with my mother, who i could tell was kind of feed up with having me around and not able to do anything, caused a great deal of anxiety. I kept questioning as to if I would be able to draw as well once i was recuperated. Eventually I was able to move up to the cottage after i bought a new spectacular bed, and didnt have to sleep in a ruddy arm chair. That was around the time that i was able to start working on the colored pencil drawings above, which was alot more fun than i remebered colored pencil being, i see what Tim enjoys about it.

Socially i started being able to see people again now that i was in my own residence, and it was really great to be able to see my friends, even if i couldnt really go anywhere. I did a month or more of Physical Therapy here in Middleville, which was nice, made some new friends and started being able to feel like myself again. Also started being able to drive again and do stuff, went down to Kalamazoo from time to time with the guys to a piano bar called The Union, which was an enjoying bar. Ive also gotten to attend quite a few weddings this summer, Cary Middlebush's wedding was wonderful (although im ashamed to say ive still been to shy to call a lovely girl that i met there) And then Kenny's wedding on the 15th, it was great to see all those familiar faces, and i kinda thought that if Kenny smiled any bigger he might have hurt his cheeks. Renee also got married which was an awesome wedding as well, it was also good to hang out with all the Wayland cross girls again, a few i dont think ive really seen since high school.

So i suppose thats the synopsis of my summer as to current, my movie collection has also increased greatly which i suppose is good for the sanity but not for the checkbook. Hopefully all of you out there have had great summers full of mystery, intrigue (sorry ive been watching alot of Dr. Who) and lets not forget Moosephants.

Also ive you would like to watch something spectacular, check out Torchwood, Children of Earth, the BBC miniseries, it really makes you think about how humanity can be if pushed far enough.

Also the band Psychotic Pineapple, superb

This Is Not That, april 16th 5-7

Just a taste of the stuff that will be at the show on Thursday the 16th(reception from 5-7) didnt want to give to much away so i figured id put up some small thumbnails. From the sounds of things there will be alot of people coming so it should be a good time. If youd like to come just find me at the show and we can give you a postcard so you can park for free while your here.

Inside Baba Yaga's house (Finist the Bright Falcon)
Raisa's Iron Shoes (Finist the Bright Falcon)
The most Beautiful Tsarevna (The Tsarevnas of the Underground Kingdom)
A Crab who is in fact a robot (The Tsarevnas of the Underground Kingdom)
The old man in the swamp who tells Ivan 

how to get home (The Tsarevnas of the Underground Kingdom)

These last weeks or so have been kinda trying getting all the stuff done for the show, the stress of going out into the world, along with realizations, plus the even more daunting weight of my inevitable surgery which doesnt really sound all to pleasant, and if it wasnt for all my friends wanting to come and hang out with me at my sweet cottage (the carpet is really nice) the thought of not being able to draw the way i want to for a few months would be rather depressing indeed. On the plus side ill be able to catch up on some movies and reading (just like the song says) and ill probably have to teach myself to draw better with my left hand, since i doubt that ill really be able to stay sane without drawing anything.

maybe gils right and i should throw it in the lake...

I was also thinking of perhaps, with the help of my dad since ill only have one arm, planning on constructing a large zen garden in my backyard, probably with pebbles since it can get windy from time to time.

So I was told that i should do a post that has a process thing, but i don't want to give away to much of the stuff for my show, so heres a process thing with a cover illustration that I, despite my better judgement, took a break from my show for a week to do, but it should be ok once i get some sleep. This first one is the preliminary sketch that was the original idea
Sketch before i painted it. (had to scrap the hand in the foreground seemed kinda creepy)
And this is what it ended up being. So after a weekend of minimal sleep (even for me) its done and I can go back to working on my show and not sleeping for the rest of the 

week.... awesome.

Its been busy lately getting stuff ready for the show and my new summer residence, which will be amazing. The carpet in there is so nice i almost don't even want a bed. Its going to be nice to be in Middleville again, probably a little weird at the same time though. On the plus side i can have bonfires and there wont be strange security guys who think my houseplants must be weed, cause why would a college student have houseplants right.

Its been a rough month really, alot of ups and downs it seems, even more so then basically this entire year, but maybe things will turn out alright who know. The magical magic eight ball is quite optimistic about a great many things it seems, and it was was blessed by a gypsy so you have to trust it. 

I will be putting up another post with some thumbnails of stuff for the show so check it out, and maybe an image of our postcard.

The Wombats, Lets Dance to Joy Divison, fun song, relevent lyrics

so the colors look a little miffed in the picture, but this is pretty much done i think
Dunkleosteus, a prehistoric fish from the Devonian period, he is happy...
Hopefully ill be able to build the house that i want to, i might have to figure something out for the legs since i dont think ill be able to do bronze anymore.

Some bad stuff happened in the social life, of which im really sad about, and i doubt it will ever be better, but the consoling words of my friends are helpful. on the plus side my fortune cookie told me to think about it because ill feel better, "focus on the color yellow tomorrow for good luck"

I keep listening to "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning" by the Smashing Pumpkins, not the one from the batman and robin soundtrack, but the version from the B-sides album. well that song and  some MeWithoutYou, 

the first updates of my show, im kinda a bit behind, but now that i have some of my photos taken i can really kick it into gear
the very beautiful Golden princess, the love interest of one of the stories oh and thats right shes a robot (there will be more butterflies and a castle)
i decided i didnt want to draw horses cause thats lame, and lets face it i dont really like drawing horses, so instead of horsemen, its going to be a guy on a salamander and a guy on a white mouse, why because i do what i want. and perhaps someone besides Sigrid gets the hidden thing ill be adding to these two compostions when they are up at the show.

Other stuff has been ok, confusing and all, but hey life is isnt it. a goat died a while ago, a good goat to.... he will be missed.

The Thrills, check it out, theyre sweet

Not really finished drawing from my sketchbook, anyways things are getting along slowly, Im not where I want to be with my stuff for my show, but I think its mostly I need to spend less time not at calder, so in other words i need to get up earlier and stay here later, probably good desicions, maybe start buying groceries to have here to.

Also, apparently not that many people have heard about this yet, but im excited because well basically its a movie being produced by two amazing people Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (director of Nochnoy Dozor, and Wanted) and directed by Shane Acker, who is a fairly young guy not to far out of college who has done some stuff with Weta. Anyways I digress, check out  9

I think I will use some of my christmas money to buy more Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, cause that show never gets old.

A new Year

You maybe cant read that, but I was to make a sex Ed video I feel that this should be the MC

So its been a while since my last post, ill try to not let it be so long next time. Im planning on trying to have updated news on how my show is going throughout the semester.

Had a pretty amazing new years, a pretty great start to the year I'd say. the rest of the holidays were good got a shirt that is a map of Michigan which is pretty stellar. And we got the pizza boys back together in the same place which was also pretty great. so yeah things are going pretty well, now to just get a crack at the feeling of forboding from the show

Also i dislocated my shoulder on December 9, part of the reason there isnt more stuff up, but anyways i found out that i can probably wait until after the show for surgery, since it is about the sixth dislocation they said ill need it. So ill just be all drugged up for Graduation.

I have a new appreciation for The Shins, and She Wants Revenge