Music

I pulled this one from the files for the Illustration Friday prompt "music". This was done for the first person story of a man whose first symptom of a brain tumor was hearing a combination of Procul Harem's "Whiter Shade of Pale" and a Bach Fugue. The art director told me that the writer liked the illustration, which was important to me. The musical notation is the opening bars of "Whiter Shade of Pale".

This is just too gorgeous not to share- Neil Ornstein's Papageno on Snorkblog

Subversive comfort

The stripling tree in the background is about seven or eight feet tall and is growing up between the sidewalk and the street. Just the thing to encourage thoughts of a return to Eden (see also under Sheri Tepper's wonderful book, The Family Tree). A slow green explosion...well, I can dream about the triumph of nature over civilization (especially when people are wandering around with those #%@**^ petroleum powered leaf blowers). What's your odd source of comfort?

Here's a peaceful dream on Ruhezone

For those who would like a more rowdy environment, TFE is throwing a book release party for Liz Gallagher's The Wrong Miracle on Totalfeckineejit. Sign in the comments there or on her blog for a chance to win this hot-off-the-presses book.

His Mama told him not to go...

But did Reginald listen? NOooooOoooo........

I drew these in San Francisco's Conservatory of Flowers and then cut them out. This is the most humid room, with the carnivorous plants, so these guys are kind of slouching.

When my nephews were little, we used to occasionally catch one of those old movies on television where the hero is going through the jungle with the kind of lame heroine and his faithful native servant. The heroine collapses, saying "I can't go on", and the hero has to carry her. Then the faithful native servant gets carried off and/or eaten. What's that about? I always explained to my nephews that it seemed inaccurate, because men have more upper body strength, but women have more endurance. Anyway, used to kind of irritate me.

Different Drummer

Photographed at the carousel in Golden Gate Park. This is the one I had with me, he seemed to match the background.

The Garden flew round with the angel,

And the angel flew round with the clouds,

And the clouds flew round and the clouds flew round

And the clouds flew round with the clouds.

– from "The Pleasures of Merely Circulating", Wallace Stevens

More directional challenges: Just returned from the grocery store, where black vinyl turkey footprints leading to the poultry section have been adhered to the floor. It created a brainstorm as they looked to me just like black arrowheads urging the shopper out of the store (try drawing it if this doesn't make sense).

Equilbrium Enhancer Flight Test

The Professor wondered if his love of embellishment had unbalanced his wonderful new machine.

It's been awhile since I did a t-shirt, so I just put this on redbubble, and the Illustration Friday prompt is unbalanced.

In other news, I realized I was late announcing the Icarus winner, he will be flying off to Megan at All I need is Everything

This new discovery seemed familiar as his heartbeat, yet infinitely strange

This was so much fun - I went on a sketching meetup with a great group of people, drew the characters and cut them out (except for one I brought with me) on location and then photographed them in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

On urbandon, you can see closely observed nature from a different part of the world.

I'm thinking there are echoes here and in other places on the web of Baudelaire's "Correspondances"

La Nature est un temple où de vivants piliers

Laissent parfois sortir de confuses paroles....

Nature is a temple whose living pillars

Sometimes give forth strange perfumes...

Lamplighter

I was having a discussion with an old friend about what motivates artists/creative types. The truth is, with all the not wanting to show up at the office, engage in normal small talk, and be a grownup in various ways, one still wants to be of use to others. One wants to contribute to society at the same time one is stubbornly refusing to participate, or alternatively being subversive. Yup I'm saying "one" instead of "I" in a rather ineffectual attempt to be discreet.

Concerning light, this is a very lovely post on Titus the Dog on related themes.

And a wonderful post on artistic community on Spirit Cloth

Let your little light shine -

Tom Waits

One from the files - A visual compilation of some of the themes and characters from various Tom Waits songs. I was just in North Beach yesterday, part of which is very neon-lit and honky-tonkish, possibly it provided the songwriter with inspiration at some point. I do find the line "What was the girl with the snakeskin's name?" to be quite amusing. Guys, I have to say, I have been at a couple of parties where women wearing leopard-print or snake scale leotards were described to me by male friends as "hot". Evidently, a subtle, mysterious quality...

Michael at CoffeeMessiah sent me a link to Waits' I don't wanna grow up. Thank you, Michael.

The False Knight on the Road

O where are you going, says the false knight on the road

I'm going to my school, says the wee boy and still he stood

What is on your back, says the false knight on the road

Me bundles and me books, says the wee boy and still he stood

–from The False Knight on the Road

Not to worry, the wee boy gets the best of his opponent.

Escape Velocity

Well, I became rather smitten with the Daylight Robber character. I tried to make a story but this is the further image I had...perhaps more later? You may have to right click to read the text.

There is another night scene on Alice's Drawing Board which is exquisite.

Intrepid Imperialist

...setting out with his determination, his uniform and his technology. Sometimes it's hard to see important stuff that's right in front of your nose, though.

Please see the link at fragments, treasures, memory about the current plight of Black Fellas Dreaming Place, an irreplaceable collection of Aboriginal Art about to lose its current home. There is a link to a petition there.