Guest Artist

I have not been creating my own artwork as of late, but I have been working with some very talented youth.

This work is from seven year old Chloe.

Never Say Never

Earlier this year Matthew came home from preschool singing "Baby" by Justin Bieber.  I was shocked, flabbergasted, appalled, and mortified!  I had sworn never to expose my son to this genre of music!  How did this happen?  A girl; I knew a girl was involved! 

The girl is Avery and she and Matthew are great friends.  

Avery had a birthday party today and I created a piece of Justin Bieber artwork as a gift.

Happy Birthday Avery!

The Talk

When a man and woman . . .

. . . is the beginning to many birds and bees talk.  Neither of my children are ready for this talk, but I am preparing for the day. 

This drawing symbolizes not only the birds and bees talk, but every discussion Amy and I will have with Matthew and Emma about the joys and struggles of life.  Our talks currently concern sharing, hitting, pouting, and eating everything on the plate.  Couple more years the subjects will shift towards homework, studying, friendship, after school activities, etc.  Then the big talks arrive - dating, college, marriage.  I am not worried (maybe a little).

Amy and I still turn to our parents occasionally for advice, but I more often use my dad as a sound board rather than my mom.  Something about one guy talking to another guy is easier.  I figure the same is true for ladies.  

How did "the talk" go in your house? Do you still ask your parents for advice? 

Mom in her Wedding Dress

This post comes from one of my favorite young artists, Matthew, who is four years old.

This is a picture of his mom on her wedding day (7/2/05) drawn on a paper towel using a marker.   After viewing pictures and commenting how beautiful she looked, this is his sweet rendition.

Art Crimes

A good artist borrows, a great artist steals. 

- Pablo Picasso

I stole an image from the web, changed the color format, and added the lines for texture.  I do not believe I am a great artist, but Picasso's statement makes me feel better about my crime.  

Broccoli Tree

Sometimes when looking at Grant Wood's landscapes I see vegetables rather than trees.  Being a fan of both Grant Wood and vegetables I created my own variation.  This image turned out looking more like a leaf than broccoli.   

Fabric of Life

Six years ago I visited the Paducah Quilt Museum with the expectation of seeing old, dusty quilts, but I was shocked and amazed to see quilts that looked more like paintings.    Then about a year ago I came across some paintings with very soft, flowing lines and shapes which reminded me of the quilts from the museum.   Below is a drawing from my "Room for Squares" sketchbook with the soft, flowing lines I saw in the quilts.  The tree represents a large walnut that once stood in my backyard.  For many years it did not produce leaves, but appeared healthy and robust.  The cityscape in the background represents the urbanization that possibly killed the tree.  

Cover Page

I have an obsession with sketchbooks and have built an extensive collection of partially filled books which one may find lying on tables, stacked on shelves, stored in cabinets, and tucked into my backpack.  Each book has a theme and purpose, but no image has ever seen the last page.  Several years ago my parents cleaned out some boxes and found similar sketchbooks.  So this obsession has been around for sometime.

A current sketchbook nestled in my backpack contains work inspired by graffiti.  By no means do I believe I possess the talent of a street artist, but I do like viewing their work and utilizing some of their ideas in my art.  

This is the cover page of my black "Tag Book".

Ironically the bark is tagged with "tree" because people are more likely to be upset about a name painted on a brick wall then a name carved into a tree.  The city in the background is fictional and is there only to represent the possible wall a tagger would use.  

The bird on the wire represents me.  I like people watching, hanging out with friends, and occasionally I am a freeloader.  

A desert landscape is visible in "earth" because Four Corners, United States is my favorite place on earth to escape the hustle and bustle of life.  The cityscape represents my urban home (even though I live in a rural community).   

The cityscape in the bottom, left hand corner continues to show my infatuation with big city life (which I know nothing about).

The number one is for this being my first book inspired by graffiti.