In the middle (really)
1
Hot hot hot springs
The golden age of bathing. That’s what it actually says on one of the signs that talks about the heyday of Hot Springs, Arkansas (I guess now we are in the golden age of stank).
Hot Springs is an old spa town famous for its slightly radioactive waters once thought to have healing properties. The main street is lined with large, old spa buildings each built in their own style. Behind them sits steaming, moss covered rocks that look like they are somehow growing over the buildings and the two exposed springs. There were layered staircases, twisting sculptures and little paths that curved off into the mist. I saw plenty of things that I could use to inspire a painting or a themed environment later on. Unfortunately, that picture at the top is the only one I got.
It is an ok shot, all steamy and everything, but a single image snapped with a cellphone is not going to help me create something new any time soon. I am always slowly collecting images found online for textures, perspective references or just for a little inspiration, but nothing can replace personal shots attached to memory.
How does a place feel? How does it smell? I have no idea when I grab a google photo, but with my own shot I can remember the hot mist on my face, the smell of the approaching storm, and the feeling of mystery just around each steamy corner.
Better get to collecting. Hope my hard drive is ready.
Hot hot hot springs
The golden age of bathing. That’s what it actually says on one of the signs that talks about the heyday of Hot Springs, Arkansas (I guess now we are in the golden age of stank).
Hot Springs is an old spa town famous for its slightly radioactive waters once thought to have healing properties. The main street is lined with large, old spa buildings each built in their own style. Behind them sits steaming, moss covered rocks that look like they are somehow growing over the buildings and the two exposed springs. There were layered staircases, twisting sculptures and little paths that curved off into the mist. I saw plenty of things that I could use to inspire a painting or a themed environment later on. Unfortunately, that picture at the top is the only one I got.
It is an ok shot, all steamy and everything, but a single image snapped with a cellphone is not going to help me create something new any time soon. I am always slowly collecting images found online for textures, perspective references or just for a little inspiration, but nothing can replace personal shots attached to memory.
How does a place feel? How does it smell? I have no idea when I grab a google photo, but with my own shot I can remember the hot mist on my face, the smell of the approaching storm, and the feeling of mystery just around each steamy corner.
Better get to collecting. Hope my hard drive is ready.
The Great Southern Road Trip
My wife Cristi and I are taking a three-week long road trip across the Southern U.S. On our last major trip, a month in New Zealand, we did so much driving that time in the car became a major part of our memories just as much as hiking the Milford Track, hiking on Fox Glacier or Caving in Waitomo. This time around, it’s all about driving…oh and hiking and biking and canoeing and climbing and caving (although probably minus the stripey pants this time).
If you would like to keep up with us, we’ll be blogging at Kiwi Tiki Tour
See you in three weeks!
Sometimes I go to far
This might only be amusing to me. While I was pulling out old pieces for my school portfolio, I found something I had totally forgotten about. Apparently I did a quick watercolor study for my GenPad tradeshow booth. That’s right, I used that most gentle of mediums—best suited for flowers and tranquil seascapes—to paint a slab of concrete sitting on a pile of bricks.
I might be the only one who finds this painting funny, but I’m beginning to get severe eye strain from rolling my eyes every time I look at it. =)
Seven Hours
‘Seven Hours’ by Give My Love To Milo (the music player above may not appear on some mobile devices)
Here’s a nice song of mine that I wrote and recorded with warm weather in mind. If it’s not warm outside where you are, maybe it can warm your brains.
………………………………………………………………
Give My Love To Milo is on SoundCloud. Listen. Download. Share.
Think Tank: The Hurdles to Innovation
Still pulling together my school portfolio. I pinned several pieces to my wall at work to try and gauge outside opinion and this little fish, like the Carman Man, got a surprising amount of attention. Think Tank: The Hurdles to Innovation was a personal book project of mine. Using illustrations of the little guy above—a fish made out of an idea bubble—the coffee table book would address all the various ways innovation can be blocked in the business world, as well as solutions to get around those hurdles. Purchase would include an iPad app with customizable scenes for presentation purposes.
I wrote several blog posts to play around with some ideas, but the project never got past the, “meh” stage. These drawings were created in Adobe Illustrator and may not apply to my specific course of study. Still, people gravitated towards the illustrations on my wall, and I’m not one to argue with gravity.
Treelight: nice little places to sit and read
Just for fun.
The Carman Man can
Graphics for an email campaign to recruit participants for clinical research trials. These could possibly work in the portfolio I am putting together for some art classes. The designs are colorful and feel like a complete set (mint in the box—never been opened!), plus they quickly communicate a mood or idea, which is a key element of the courses I plan to take. When trying to pull together a portfolio I pinned various pieces to my wall at work to try and gauge the opinions of others. These graphics drew a surprising amount attention.
This client wanted lots of collateral, and we put this poor little guy (known as the Carman Man because of the client name Carman Research) through hell. We advertised on posters and bags and billboards and busses. We also produced several TV commercials, like these which aired during Cartoon Network’s late night comedy block Adult Swim (I have to admit, the animation is pretty sketchy):
The commercials were quite fun to make, plus they gave me a chance to use some of my music (recording under the name Give My Love To Milo). I hadn’t really planned on using any of this stuff for my portfolio, but seeing the way people’s eyes drifted towards it, I just might be playing the right tune.
The happy people of Happyburgh
Here’s a character set for a story called Happpyburgh: The happiest place on earth.
The inhabitants of Happyburgh are kinda grimy people, so they are made with fairly grimy stuff.
You can find all sorts of weird little textures in these people, like a cracked dirt field, sharp honeycombed metal and burlap. There are other characters in town, like the Mayor, Mayor Maynott, a friendly dog named Gene P. Yes, and of course, Lamp. For now, though, we’ll stick to our four happy happy friends. There’s also a tall, skinny guy with a strange name who is thinking about moving in…
Happyburgh or bust.
