Work In progress

Updated- working on background- common problem of mine. Character first- environment second- but, I'm getting better all the time!



I am having fun working on these. I have tried to loosen up A LOT - and I think it's paid off. Working with a critique or a conference or a meeting looming ahead can really bog one down. So- free to play- has paid off.

This is the 3rd in the "Legends of Love gone wrong" series. This is King Arthur.

(I decided to skip tristan and Isolde as the love triangle involved an old Uncle- yuck)

So King Arthur and the Tales of his glorious rise and glorious reign and equally glorious fall - He fell for Guinevere -laid his kingdom at her feet- offered her his heart to do with as she would. And she did- she stomped all over it and fell in love with Arthur's best friend- Lancelot. Poor Arthur so blind to it- right in front of his face. And the whole time Merlin knew. He could see the future and said nothing. He let poor Arthur's heart get broken. A spectacularly sad story - of the messiness of love.

(Merlin intentionally looks like a young Andy Rooney- wouldn't he be a good voice for an animated character?)

I will finish and post- needs some trees and flowers- romantic like stuff.

"Hark! What Brat in Yonder window breaks?"

So - a few years before their fateful meeting- Romeo strolls under a certain window and gazes up at an annoying - stupid - girl. If these two were like 13 in the real story- just three years earlier- they would have been seriously yucky to each other. As far as Romeo was concerned, Juliet had cooties .

I heard from no less than 5 people about how annoying these two literary characters are and how they'd just like to slap them. So- I drew them as the brats they were. They were pretty stupid. Ain't love grand?

If - Legendary

Heathcliff and Cathy- grew up to together on the Scottish moor. She enjoyed the chase a little too much- He lost his heart. Neither one could see the dark sky looming ahead.

I'm a dweeb for tragic romances. If there's a girl who loves a guy- but he never notices her- or- a guy who just can't get the girl to choose him over Mr. Wrong- I luv it. CS Lewis said the purist form of love is unrequited. -sigh.

Sad thing is Cathy dies - haunts poor Heathcliff with her "undying" love and drives the poor dude to kill himself. Then their spirits roam the moor for all eternity. It's 5 hanky stuff people! - Doesn't get better than that. I may take on Romeo and Juliet and Tristan and Isolde as kids too.

Happy St. Pat's

I may be as Irish as an O'Douls beer- but it's the 1 outta 5 ethnicities that showed up on my face. I've got the 60,000,000,000 freckles to prove it. Here's another dancer in time to celebrate the day we're all Irish. And let's all raise a glass that 2009 may be the year I finally get to Ireland! - the tartan - it's the one that belongs to my family from Tipperary.

Now where's my bottle of Jamesons' to toast the lot of ya that read this blog!?


'Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!'

Draw-ing on my childhood

There was a girl who liked to Roller Disco.
She'd roll around to beats that made her feet go.
Quite the rolla'; could Air chair -n- backwards skate;
Only Mom could get her to brake.
From dawn to dusk she'd shimmy down;
All the streets of Funky Town.

D'Uh-Oh! Ceasar's Salad!

We draped the model today- so I had fun with it.

IF- Intricate

I have not been doing as much with IF and my blog- so I just doodled this - maybe a series of dancers?

The topic is "Intricate"- so I thought of lace work- which made me think of Spanish lace -which made me look at mantillas which made think flamenco. It works for the movements of the dance as well.

Be it barenaked or not - it will be.

I've finally got a clear day to type out my thoughts on the cruise and the decision by Steven Page to leave BNL. With a week and a half passing- and my life's abundance of interesting events to deal with lately- I've mellowed into a place of calm anticipation of what may be- what may not.

I was not like this when I heard - I was pissed. I was not shocked- I was more -
" Dammit! I knew it!"

The Cruise:

First- I had a great time. I hung out with great friends and made some new ones. I enjoyed the new music and came away wanting to hear more from Sloan- the Weakerthans- Luke Doucet - Melissa McClellan - and maybe some Mountain Goats.

But I boarded that boat after almost canceling the cruise because of the loss of Guster and Steve's cocaine arrest. I felt my enthusiasm slide - but in the end- held on and got onboard.

After registration Leigh and I got on the escalator up to board.... the slow mechanical rise revealed a white suited - stingy brimmed - really slim -Steven Page. He was so white and with that mega watt smile- he was like a hipster Mr. Rourke "smiles everyone , Smiles!" He shook Leigh's hand and said 'Hey great to see you again " - and checked out the tee shirt I did for Leigh to wear. I stood about 10 feet away - and said nothing. - I get weirded out. I don't want to say something dumb - so I just don't say anything- I should have - oh well. - But I was struck at how different he looked. He's got a great face- really - no swooning here- I just like the way it's designed. I've always liked the straight against curves- it's a cartoonist thing... and now he was so straight. His nose - his eyes - his lips - were really standing out without the pudge. Good for him - just let me believe it's weight watchers - that's all I want to know about how he did it.

So - the ship was lovely - nicer than Carnival - lots of wood- which should be on every boat. I was now officially psyching up for this experience and needed it after the conference experience.

During the sail away show- I started to bounce- my version of concert dancing - and when Steve sang Duran Duran's Rio - I was in full Tigger mode. Really, I was 14 again. These are the moments that make me show up for BNL shows - when life disappears - and joy takes over - just joy - just music - just the moment exists - and song by song- moment by moment - I feel invigorated by their talents.

I'm gonna blow past some stuff- the food was fine - Sixthman did a good job this year - I only interacted with one BNL member -over pineapple- Kevin.

I went to all 3 BNL shows. Show 1 - was fun - I was bouncing- woo hoo-ing - as usual until-

it all went wrong.

In every BNL show there is a point when they sing "Pinch me"- - "I just made you say underwear.." - and panties fly- bras parachute down on the guys. Of-course the history of underwear being thrown at rock stars is well documented - but with BNL - it was so frickin funny. These guys are the cute geek boys next store- and the underwear being thrown by their geek next door fans- are size triple e cup bras and flamingo penis pants that wind up getting hung on a guitar end or worn over their clothes.

Tonight a single white panty floated from the 3rd row -from the one he loves, was picked up - sniffed - and declared "not fresh out of the package", by Steve. Silliness of wearing it under the glasses did nothing to undo it. You lost me at the panty sniffing.

How crazy right??? But in that panty moment I knew it would never be the same. For the band. For me as a fan. The rest of the cruise I was oogy and anxious about BNL. I lost that feeling in the other acts and the fun with friends- but was brought back to that undefinable feeling of - things have changed these past 3 years - and they're not gonna change back.

Show 2 - highlight was Fight the Power- haven't heard them do that in a decade. On fire- they were.
Boothby - funny british man.
Sean Cullen - my harmless crush - I crush him= and now crush his wife cause she can sing! - and to see him watch with such pride as his wife sang Led Zeppelin - I want them to adopt me.
The best musical moment on the cruise for me - Tyler singing "keep on rockin in the free world" - I could have hugged him.

Cozumel - was eh. We rented Jaime the death bug and drove around. I'm kinda sick of the Caribbean. I know- I'm jaded and spoiled - but it all looks the same.

Key West was cold!- but quaint and lovely- I want to go back.

Show 3 - was good. By this show- I was sad to watch them. I heard the music but didn't feel it. Call and Answer made so many cry- dedicated to the message-board fan who tragically died in a fire right before the cruise. I was unaware this would be the last song of BNL as I have known it. But it was a kind gesture for them to dedicate it and I hope it helped the friends of Skates.

I did not see the Vanity Projects show. I saw it on you tube after the fact.

I got off the boat and life hit me between the eyes- and being a Mom takes precedence over message-boards and muck raking. When I would poke in to post - and read- I didn't feel comfortable with some of the nastiness - but I did get the feeling many people noticed the weirdness.

Sitting under a palm tree 20 days later trying to get internet access I read the news that BNL mutually decided to part ways with Steven Page. Like I said- I was mad. Now I know -it was at the loss of my coping mechanism. Those moments of song - joy - are gone. I know, I know - the whole 4 guys will go on - Steve will make music - there just a band after all.. but string together those 20 years of moments and it's something to miss. and so I will miss it.

I'm no one to criticize a person's pursuit of artist fulfillment. I'm all for it. Who am I to judge love? Love can build great things - love can destroy. Love can cloud your judgment or make you see clearer than ever before. Love is the reason to be. So be.

I hope Steve finds what it is he's looking for. I hope when you do it was worth it all - the complete deconstructing of your world. I'm trying to hold on as a fan - the voice is still there- and the glasses- don't get lasik- PLEASE! - no more panty sniffing on stage - it would be my luck to decide to come see a show and that would happen.

I hope Ed. Jim, Kevin and Tyler go on to great things - they have the talent and the heart to do so.

I decided to draw them - "All went wrong" - I think is the title of the song- they sang a duet. It's like a twisted white panty valentine.

done for the show - will revisit

The show hangs tomorrow. It's at a gallery in Freeport- N.Y.. The opening is Friday Night.

I will do more of these in the future- the regency period- the 40-'s and 50's - maybe up thru the 60's .

one more to go... before framing

The show hangs tuesday - gotta print and frame tomorrow- but still have 1930 to go. I wanted a jazz baby/Josephine baker-ish lovely.

These are so silly- but I'm having fun doing them. I'm gonna put them up on Imagekind soon.

I plan on getting to the elephant in the room soon - the one that was on the cruise and left the band... after the art's hung - I'll hang with that crazy mishagosh.