Illustration Friday… Carry
Carry me, on the belly of a sloth- slow and slow and slow.
Move me,
through the never ending jungle- on and on and on.
Feed me,
with the fruit of joy- more and more and more.
The Age of the Vulture...
As I was peering out the window of the rickety old Taurus I inherited from my parents I saw a shadow circling in the air. With my poor vision it was hard to make out what exactly it was and came to the conclusion that it must be some sort of carrion eating scavenger. Its movement in the sky was nothing less than graceful. Wondering at the fowl creature's beauty several thoughts crossed my mind. Thoughts of ravaged carcasses, thoughts of rotting flesh being torn from the bone, thoughts of a rickety old bird with sunken red eyes and an 80 year old man's scalp huddled in shadow, reaping death's reward. What is it about vultures that invoke such thoughts as 'reaping death's reward?' I think back to Disney's Snow White, toward the end of the movie and the portrayal of vultures. There is nothing endearing about these birds. They are framed in greed and lust for death. As the Queen falls to her death we are comforted by the justice of fowl loathsome animals descending to devour a fowl and loathsome being. And even from the first shot of the vultures' piercing eyes, crooked necks and stormy sky debut we are begged to have an unease about them.
I like Disney's portrayal of vultures in the Jungle Book much better. Perhaps they are not quite endearing characters but they have an attractive appeal that is lost on such- dare I say- noble birds. And I will not go as far as to say that they will help you tie a burning branch to the tail of a lion, but they certainly represent something more honest about the ideal of a vulture.
As I drove on down the highway I wondered if there really was something dead nearby. I wondered how it might have died. I wondered if it was something that had to happen. I wondered where my exit was.
Trogdor, Robot Unicorn, Dolphin...
I was so so pleased to get this commission. It started out with just a man riding a dolphin. As it progressed it became so outrageous and so amazing that it has been one of the best experiences I have ever had. Before this commission I had actually never heard of trogdor. This creature was a fantastic creature of a brilliant mind. Robot Unicorn Go!! Again, this is something about which I knew nothing and now I'm in love.
Among the joy was a plethora of knowledge and new experiences. Now that you have read through my story of this painting enjoy the beautiful painting.
Kim Jong Il and Orca
After my recent show I received an email about a new commission piece. It mentioned something about a fascination with Kim Jong Il. When I read that tidbit of information I was taken aback. To what degree of fascination I'm not sure but nevertheless my intrigue was captured and my hands trembled with anticipation. The sketches were simple and straightforward and I moved right into the painting.
What came of it is shown below.
Mr. Miyagi...
So the Graveyard Tavern opening night was a hit! No it wasn't a firesale or anything of the sort, but by all means it was a success. We began setting up around 7 and were ready to go by 9- more or less. The support from friends was overwhelming but unfortunately there is no photographic evidence. The work will be up through the rest of the month so be sure to check it out. Buuut if you can't make it then pay attention to the blog in the coming weeks to see the works that debut the work of Sunflowerman on the Atlanta art scene.
Mr Miyagi (already sold =] ) was the headliner of the show. If you haven't made it out then here is a taste of what you missed.
At the End of the World
After all the nuclear radiation has half-lifed out, there is still life on earth...
The past and the present...
I'm back at it again. Here's a little twist... Instead of a person on an animal I put a robot on a dinosaur. Big deal.
Man, Animal Watercolors...
I decided to post these together because I don't believe that either of them really have the merit to stand alone. Each is smaller than their wood counterpart and carry with them less of an impact of details. With that said, I really like how they turned out. The first was the vulture which has in it a conceptual basis. The second is the surfer which was more or less a fun painting to get done before the show last Friday.
WiseMan, Octopus...
I have had quite a bit of feedback about this piece. To this point it is the most attention grabbing, and perhaps most well done of the series. The color scheme and composition for this painting very from the template I was using for the first several 'man, animal' paintings. WiseMan, Octopus was sold the day after it was finished, but if you would like prints of it just give me a holler.
Girl, Snake
The Found Wood 'man, animal' series has led up to this current related series. This painting is not on found wood, and it is not simply about the imagery.
Girl, Snake is the work of concept about identity. It is about how we see ourselves as human beings, and finding our identity in the whole of our reality.
The subsequent pieces will follow the same theme in that they will contain the familiar 'man, animal,' be conceptually driven, and will be painted on canvas.
Enjoy.
Girl, Pterodactyl
Girl, Pterodactyl is the second in the 'man, animal' series. She is a direct result of the previous work, 'boy, wolf.' This, and the previous work were accomplished in a time frame of a 3 to 4 hours.
