The Light is Fading

My iPod is Born Again

2011-06-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

I actually found this ipod years ago, but the battery has always been no good (it only worked when it was plugged in) and the body was just scratched to holy hell.

So I went to the internets and bought some new parts (totalling $20 much to my amusement), tore that sucker apart and rebuilt her from the ground up: new front panel, new metal back, new click wheel and center button, and a new battery.

The whole operation took me about 2 hours. Well worth my time I think. Now she looks and works like new.

And I know what you are thinking Amber. You can see an ipod, an iphone and a macbook pro in these photos. But it's not an obsession, it's just a personal preference ;-)

More Stuff I've Made

2011-06-27T22:51:00.000-07:00

Suuuuuhweet 3-D Paintings by Xia Xiaowan

2011-04-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

http://dontpaniconline.com/magazine/arts/xia-xiaowan

Charly's Font

2011-02-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

Stuff I've Made Recently

2010-08-11T18:35:00.001-07:00

This Will Be a Well Spent Seven Minutes...Trust Me

2010-08-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

Holy Crapping CRAP this is COOL!!

2010-02-23T19:15:00.000-08:00

I don't think anyone actually reads this blog anymore. Except maybe Amber...and maybe Matt. If you are reading this right now tap your foot twice and tug your left ear lobe...

Nope, no one is there.

Anyway, if anyone does find this blog, check this shit out!! Some beautiful work by an artist named Haroshi.

http://slamxhype.com/art-design/harvest-by-haroshi-exhibition-skate-destroy-recap/">

Parkour!!

2010-02-06T11:08:00.001-08:00

parkour motion reel from saggyarmpit on Vimeo.

What's this? Banksy made a movie?!

2010-02-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

Color me intrigued...

Dave Adey - Craft Punch Art

2009-10-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

...pretty damn sweet. Check it out.

Sometimes Stratching in the Dirt with a Stick Yields Amazing Results.

2009-08-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

Andrew van der Merwe

Check out this guys work.

Celebrities Who Might Be Fun to Hang Out With

2009-07-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything in quite a while, probably because I haven't done much of anything in quite a while. I did however make this list of people who I think would make interesting friends:

Ellen Page**
Dave Grohl
John Goodman
Foghorn Leghorn***
Willy Nelson
Olivia Wilde**
Kurt Vonnegut*
Heath Ledger*
George Clooney
Benjamin Franklin*
Tyler Durden***
Santa
Lance Armstrong
Bill Murray
Paul Newman*
Garfield***
Bill Clinton circa 1992
Optimus Prime***

* ...If they were still alive
** Maybe more than just "friends"?
*** I know he/she is a fictional character, but I like to pretend that he/she is real.

Super Sweet 3-D Tattoos

2009-06-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

These are by a guy named Lionel @ Out of Step Tattoo in France http://el.fahy.free.fr/

I really want a tattoo. Maybe I should get a 3-D one to start off with. A little gimmicky, but still super rad.

Martin Wilson

2009-06-22T01:35:00.001-07:00

Martin Wilson remarkably creates images of words and symbols using every frame in a roll of film sequentially. He explains his process:

My pictures are painstakingly created frame by frame on 35mm film. I get the whole film developed, scan it, then piece the final image together on the computer, making a large contact sheet. It’s only when the completed film strips are laid out side by side in the contact sheets that the final image appear.

Each work usually takes months to complete, as each frame is obsessively taken in sequence. No pasting together after the event, no cheating in Photoshop!
If I make a mistake or take a frame out of place I start the film again from the beginning.

Greatest...Thing...Ever...

2009-06-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

I'm International!

2009-06-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

An art lover observing a poster of one of my bears at an exhibition called "Design and Life"
Jinan, Shandong, China.

The 2nd Coming...

2009-06-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

So I had this orange tree.

It was a big, beautiful, potted tree that provided me with delicious oranges and it filled the house with the most amazing smell whenever it bloomed. I loved my tree.

Then I moved away and I had to temporarily leave a friend in charge of the tree. When I returned to retrieve my beloved I realized that I never left care instructions. The friend had left the tree outside, in the middle of winter, for several months. My once majestic bearer of fruit had withered to a leafless, dried up hulk of its former self. For all intense and purposes my friend had passed on to the big arboretum in the sky. I kept him around for several months, next to the biggest window in the house, close to a heat source, and gave him plenty of water, hoping for a miracle rebirth, but it never came.

Then one day, months after I had given up all hope, as I was getting ready to throw the corpse of my tree into the recycling bin, my mom spotted the tiniest little sprout of green coming from the under side of one of the branches. Elated I cleared away all the dead leaves and cobwebs, and trimmed the tree down to almost nothing. Since then he has grown like a weed.

So yeah...longest blog post about a house plant ever. Sorry. It's only been a few days and I'm bored already. And I seem to be putting off the last few things that I need to do to finish my last college class. Probably because I don't want college to be over.

I think I'm going to name him Jesus. Either that or Mickey Rourke.

This is it

2009-06-03T01:27:00.000-07:00

Two days left of college...
Then a blank canvas...
Sadly I don't have any paint...

Or money to buy paint...

So Awesome

2009-05-26T00:31:00.000-07:00

Jan Vormann: Lego Dispatch Work - Berlin

Wounds on buildings, in Berlin, caused by Soviet bullets, repaired with Legos. This makes me so, so happy. I wish I would have thought of it first.

Really? .....really??

2009-05-21T23:21:00.000-07:00

This is the cover of the latest REI catalog.

And this is a close up of the bush behind this lovely family's tent. Does anyone else see anything wrong with this bush? Hey REI, I need a job, and I bet I can cut out bushes better than your current bush-cutter-outer guy.

Yes!

2009-05-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

How's this for the coolest color combination ever?

New Stuff

2009-05-09T19:18:00.001-07:00

The last one looks eerily like Christ on the cross huh? That was not my intention but now that's all I can see. I was planning on cutting the ends of those dowels off so that they are flush with the heads, but maybe I won't.

Officially Licensed War Hysteria

2009-04-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

Mickey Mouse themed gas masks for the rug rats. Hilarious? Creepy? Shameless corporate exploitation of America's understandable fear of chemical attacks in 1942?

Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation Used to Make My Business Cards!!

2009-04-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

Snip snap!

cards...

2009-04-22T23:02:00.000-07:00

I need some new business cards. What do you guys think of these?

Boosh!

2009-04-20T05:46:00.000-07:00

snip snap!

2009-04-19T21:47:00.001-07:00

Bearzilla

2009-04-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

Please forgive crappy photo - light was inadequate, but you get the idea. Fifteen foot tall teddy bear!

Make-a-thing-a-day #36

2009-04-09T23:57:00.000-07:00

File this one under "missed opportunity."

I saw this girl on the bus today and fell in love instantly. She was a tall, slender, freckled, pierced, strawberry blonde with a purple streak in her hair and an over-sized paper mache tooth in her hands. Basically the beautiful nerd of my dreams. It only occurred to me later that her profile had eerie similarities to a couple of my drawings: tall, slender, very large smile, carrying a giant tooth (see make-a-thing-a-day #1 & #26).

Very Weird. I should have broken out my sketch book and shown her. That would have been a good ice breaker. But hindsight is always 20/20.

Make-a-thing-a-day #35

2009-04-06T23:58:00.000-07:00

Koa the Conqueror

Make-a-thing-a-day #34

2009-04-05T23:56:00.000-07:00

Make-a-thing-a-day #33

2009-04-04T19:36:00.001-07:00

A thing I made. No rhyme or reason.

Wares

2009-04-04T04:13:00.001-07:00

Fourth row down, on the left. I made that one! Yay for being "featured." http://skreened.com/beeplusdesign

Make-a-thing-a-day #32

2009-04-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

Turns out this piece isn't new at all. In fact its quite old. But apparently it needs to come down off of the studio wall by this time next week. So, so long big blue vinyl head guy. I liked you, and I will miss you.

(Also, I'm a little drunk and didn't make anything new, so there's that)

Make-a-thing-a-day #31

2009-03-31T23:37:00.001-07:00

Today's thing: stir-fry

That's right, I'm counting food I cook in this thing.

Make-a-thing-a-day #30

2009-03-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

Terrible. Terrrrible.

This one is kind of embarrassing but the idea with this project is to post whatever I come up with, no matter how horrible it turns out....even if it looks like fan art made by a 12 year old.

But what ever! Usagi Yojimbo kicks ass (the Ninja Turtle's radical samurai rabbit friend for those who are unaware).

Hopefully I'll come up with some thing more useful and contemporary tomorrow.

P.S. I was going to title this one whatever Lindsay's rabbit's name is, but I'm not sure what it is. Shout out to Lindsay's rabbit! (or rabbits?)

Make-a-thing-a-day #29

2009-03-29T23:39:00.000-07:00

Make-a-thing-a-day #28

2009-03-28T23:58:00.001-07:00

I wanted to try my hand at coloring in Photoshop. Not too bad for a first try I think? It's still pretty sloppy but I'm getting the hang of it.

This Geoffrey the Giraffe (if he were to play with all the lead infested Chinese toys that his store sells). Apparently he's also a direct rip off of my last drawing. Guess I'm on a gross teeth and giant eyes kick.

Make-a-thing-a-day #27

2009-03-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

This is my salute to Smokey from "The PJ's." Remember that show? Its probably the last decent thing that had Eddie Murphy's named attached to it.

Make-a-thing-a-day #26

2009-03-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

Finally starting to put stuff together for the Pushdot show. This is a preliminary sketch for one of the images I want to show. I think it will end up being a set of 3. The second one below is kind of a mock up of the composite drawing/photograph set up that I was thinking about.

Make-a-thing-a-day #25

2009-03-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Back at it again, and what better way to start than with something that actually took me several days to make - a light table! With a little help from John down in the shop, and Zach's wiring know how, I was able to slap this bad boy together.

Zach diagram explaining how to wire it up.The final product installed under my glass top desk. I cut a piece of plywood to hold it in place, that also doubles as a shelf. Hopefully I will get some use out of this guy, but if not at least it was fun to make.

Scary Robotic Pack Mule via the U.S. Army

2009-03-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

Creepy. Awesome. Useful?

As my roommate pointed out, why not just use a real mule?

IKEA sucks

2009-03-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

I had never been, so yesterday I went.

That places is evil. The whole time I kept looking at things and thinking to myself, "f*** me that's cool.....how do I not already own one of those? And what's this? It's only $9.99?! I would be a fool to not buy it!" Then I would carry that object around the store for a while until I realized that I really DON'T need a stainless steel wall-mounted wine rack. I mean when have I ever let a bottle of wine sit around long enough that storage was even a consideration? But then again, maybe if I had a sweet stainless steel rack to put it in I would be more inclined to have more than one bottle in the house at a time? God damn though, that thing was classy as f***.
I ended up leaving it in the check out line.

There were several other things that thought I needed but eventually came to my senses on (like a 11 quart stock pot...might still get that one, again only $9.99). But I did fail on several items. I ended up leaving the store with a new work lamp for my desk (which was what I was originally there for) and a sweet molded plastic, lime green office chair (only $19.99!). I'm such a terribly compulsive shopper.

I'm thinking about going back tomorrow and getting that stock pot and some meatballs. Fucking IKEA. Here I am broke as hell, living mostly off of Top Ramen and instant hot chocolate, and you have to come in and convince me that my home furnishings aren't nearly Swedish enough.

Winter BFA Review

2009-03-17T01:21:00.000-07:00

I've had mixed feeling about both of the end of term reviews thus far. This time I ended up spending the last 5 days before the review working a lot and getting about 4 hours of sleep a night. So when it actually came time for the review I wasn't mentally present, and I was having a very difficult time absorbing what was being said. If nothing else I learned that I need to stop working at least a day or two before a big review, and allow myself time to sleep and think about my work. That will be key for the end of year review.

I felt like the consensus in my review was that I need to take things to a more impressive level. A 3 foot multi-colored teddy bear is still cute, but a 9 foot teddy bear standing in the middle of the street would definitely turn some heads.

And I think I'm going to stop the bear illustrations, at least for now. No one seems very impressed with them, not even me. I'm still going to try to draw a lot, but not bears. With the positive feedback that I've gotten from the sculptural pieces I've decided to focus my energies more in that direction. I have some ideas for these 3-D pieces that I think could be pretty strong if done right.

Its Over...For Now.

2009-03-14T00:33:00.000-07:00

Reviews are finally over. It's been a hell of a long week. Time for sleep, lots of sleep.

Attack of the Three Foot Teddy Bear

2009-03-10T05:24:00.000-07:00

Its 5:30am and I'm still here at school, sitting at my desk. Time to go home for an hour or so, then come back for more. Maybe I will sleep some on the bus.

Hiatus on "Make-a-thing-a-day" Project

2009-03-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

I realize that I haven't posted any new drawings since Wednesday, mostly because I've been so busy with other things. So I think I'm just going to put a hiatus on the project until review week is over, maybe even until after spring break. I'm not stopping the project, I'm just pushing pause.

Dun Dun DUN Dun Dun

2009-03-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

EPIIIIIIC!!

I wouldn't normally post something like this, but this is one of the coolest trailers I've seen in a long time; and not just because my favorite NIN song of all time is playing over the top.

Make-a-thing-a-day #24

2009-03-04T23:57:00.001-08:00

Villainous Cyclebot 2000T

Make-a-thing-a-day #23

2009-03-04T00:47:00.001-08:00

My first photographic entry. I heart light fixtures.

Make-a-thing-a-day #22...Parts A, B, and C

2009-03-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

I find myself losing interest in this bear project again. But I want to maintain interest...I NEED to maintain interest. These three are just loose experiments - basically me trying to make these images fit into a fine art context of some kind. Do I really need to have that "fine art" label attached to what I do though? I'm in a fine art program so I kind of feel obligated to make things that transcend just clever cartoon characters. But the word "fine" never really fits into what I'm doing though. I'm more of a crude art kind of guy. Art by someone who has no idea what he's doing.

That should be on my business card.

...and yes, the last one IS mostly a combination of Photoshop filters. Sue me.

Make-a-thing-a-day #21

2009-03-01T22:53:00.000-08:00

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?"

You Will Be Missed Mr. Harvey

2009-02-28T22:15:00.000-08:00

I didn't make anything today. Its 10 pm now and I'm deep into a bottle of Merlot. So instead of drawing something I would like to pay tribute to Paul Harvey. Mr. Harvey passed away today at the age of 90. The man was in radio news for more than 70 years. Few people devote themselves to their craft like Harvey did.

Paul, If there is a newsman heaven, give Peter Jennings a fist bump for me.

...now who is going to give us "the rest of the story?"

Make-a-thing-a-day #20

2009-02-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

I liked my last robot and I didn't want him to be lonely, so I built him a special lady friend. Like him she is also quite damaged.

FEMBOT 8200

Sometimes Drawings = Money (Not My Drawings Though)

2009-02-27T14:41:00.000-08:00

My friend Amber sent me this and it made me laugh. Not entirely sure where it originated from, but someone out there is a genius.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.19pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account

Dear David,
Our records indicate that your account is overdue by the amount of $233.95. If you have already made this payment please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.37pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane,
I do not have any money so am sending you this drawing I did of a spider instead.
I value the drawing at $233.95 so trust that this settles the matter.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.07am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account

Dear David,
Thankyou for contacting us. Unfortunately we are unable to accept drawings as payment and your account remains in arrears of $233.95. Please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.32am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane,
Can I have my drawing of a spider back then please.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.42am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Overdue account

Dear David,
You emailed the drawing to me. Do you want me to email it back to you?

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.56am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane,

Yes please.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 12.14pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account

Attached

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 09.22am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Whose spider is that?

Dear Jane,
Are you sure this drawing of a spider is the one I sent you? This spider only has seven legs and I do not feel I would have made such an elementary mistake when I drew it.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.03am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Whose spider is that?

Dear David,
Yes it is the same drawing. I copied and pasted it from the email you sent me on the 8th.
David your account is still overdue by the amount of $233.95.
Please make this payment as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.05am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Automated Out of Office Response

Thankyou for contacting me.
I am currently away on leave, traveling through time and will be returning last week.

Regards, David.

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.08am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Hello, I am back and have read through your emails and accept that despite missing a leg, that drawing of a spider may indeed be the one I sent you. I realise with hindsight that it is possible you rejected the drawing of a spider due to this obvious limb ommission but did not point it out in an effort to avoid hurting my feelings. As such, I am sending you a revised drawing with the correct number of legs as full payment for any amount outstanding. I trust this will bring the matter to a conclusion.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 2.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Dear David,
As I have stated, we do not accept drawings in lei of money for accounts outstanding.
We accept cheque, bank cheque, money order or cash. Please make a payment this week to avoid incurring any additional fees.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 3.17pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

I understand and will definitely make a payment this week if I remember. As you have not accepted my second drawing as payment, please return the drawing to me as soon as possible. It was silly of me to assume I could provide you with something of completely no value whatsoever, waste your time and then attach such a large amount to it.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Tuesday 14 Oct 2008 11.18am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Attached

Make-a-thing-a-day #19

2009-02-26T00:33:00.001-08:00

I feel like the last few entries have been kinda weak, so I spent more time on this guy to compensate.

ICCRM 6700

Make-a-thing-a-day #18

2009-02-24T23:58:00.000-08:00

Make-a-thing-a-day #17

2009-02-23T20:32:00.001-08:00

Make-a-thing-a-day #16

2009-02-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

I think its probably about time to get back to the bear project.

Make-a-thing-a-day #15

2009-02-21T22:51:00.000-08:00

Make-a-thing-a-day #14

2009-02-20T00:22:00.001-08:00

Make-a-thing-a-day #13

2009-02-18T22:17:00.000-08:00

This one is kind of a reprint; a vectorized version of earlier drawing.

Make-a-thing-a-day #12

2009-02-16T19:12:00.000-08:00

"The community is infinitely more brutalised by the habitual employment of punishment than it is by the occasional occurrence of crime." - Oscar Wilde

Make-a-thing-a-day #11

2009-02-15T01:41:00.000-08:00

"Either war is obsolete or men are." -Buckminster Fuller

Make-a-thing-a-day #10

2009-02-14T00:33:00.001-08:00

There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.

Make-a-thing-a-day #9

2009-02-12T23:59:00.001-08:00

This one is a TOTAL cop out...but its midnight and I want to go to bed. So technically I did make something today, even if it is completely stupid.. I call this piece "Clown Vomits on Elderly Hamster Who is Very Upset About the Power Outage."

More bears tomorrow...

Make-a-thing-a-day #8

2009-02-11T23:24:00.000-08:00

Teddy Hates his Soul-Numbing Drugs.

Make-a-thing-a-day #7

2009-02-10T01:12:00.000-08:00

The World's Most Fearsome Fighting Team

I Just Met God on the Bus

2009-02-09T22:23:00.000-08:00

I just had one of the most bizarre bus riding experiences of my life.

I get on at my usual downtown stop, and at the next stop these two cats get on and sit down at the back of the bus, by me. The second their butts hit the seats one of them starts talking to me with such a thick Irish accent that I can barely understand what he's saying. And being the consummate American gentleman that I am I smile and listen politely. But the conversation quickly goes from "how's your night going?" and "good night for a Guiness" to "28 days in a lunar cycle, which is roughly equivalent to a woman's menstrual cycle, so the Catholic church is hiding the fact that woman are the original beings of the universe, etc, etc....etc."

The entire 45 minute bus ride these very excitable characters talked nonstop about numerology and photons, and epochs, and original beings, and spiritual quadrants of the universe and so on. And normally I would just chalk an experience like this up to schizophrenia, or drug abuse, or general weakmindedness, but these two guys were incredibly intelligent. I mean really, really smart - I don't even know the definitions of half the words that were crashing out of their mouths at 90 mph. So basically I was sitting next to two drunk, schizophrenic mathemeticians who were super excited about being alive. At one point the older guy basically claimed to be some kind of god, or maybe even THE God, I was a little unclear about that. They almost had me convinced that they might be some sort supreme beings too, but then it occurred to me that their Irish accents had completely evaporated. And why would gods lie about being Irish?

Crazy fuckers almost had me sold on their numbers cult. Almost.

I really wish I would have had a tape recorder with me.

Make-a-thing-a-day #6

2009-02-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

I'm not feeling very creative today, so this is all you get: pissed off semi-autobiographical turnip.

Make-a-thing-a-day #5

2009-02-08T22:32:00.000-08:00

I don't like this one much. I feel like I need to invest in some paints or something. Maybe I will do that tomorrow.

Make-a-thing-a-day #4

2009-02-07T19:59:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to play with my power tools lately, so today I went out into the garage, chopped up an old TV tray, and build this. Hooray for jigsaws!

My current cards are supposed to be a joke though. I really need to have some professional ones made.

Make-a-thing-a-day #3

2009-02-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

Undisputed Badminton Champion of the world*

Make-a-thing-a-day #2

2009-02-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

More Bear Sketches

2009-02-04T22:34:00.000-08:00

Make-a-thing-a-day #1

2009-02-04T22:08:00.000-08:00

I'm seeing all these bloggers who post a photo everyday, or an illustration everyday, etc. I think the idea is that if you force yourself to create something everyday a few of them are bound to be interesting. So I thought I would give it a try. I'm not going to narrow my options to just illustrations or photographs though, my goal will be to just "make" something everyday. And no matter how uninteresting or crappy it turns out I will force myself to post it for all the world to see. We'll see how long that lasts...

My first entry:

Oh Your God! This is awesomely awesome!

2009-01-30T12:42:00.000-08:00

These might be the coolest bunch of videos I've ever seen...EVER.

Animated, gibberish speaking monsters + unsuspecting real world Belgians =
http://www.demonsters.be/2009/01/

My Portfolio Website

2009-01-25T01:31:00.000-08:00

Bee Plus .net

I guess this would be version 2.1 of my portfolio website. I'm pretty proud of it considering my super limited knowledge of code. But somehow I've managed to piece it together by reappropriating chunks of code from here or there. It's mostly just html tables, which I hear are pretty out of vogue, but building tables is about all I know how to do. So...stick with whatcha know right?

Anyway, I think the new gallery is pretty sweet. Its basically just an embedded flickr set, so it will be super easy to update. The images I have up now are more or less just test images - more are on their way. I'm toying with the idea of adding a "blog" page, and either embedding my blogger page into the site with an iframe (a page within a page), or finding something to convert the rss feed to html and pasting that in. So far my experiments with both have had mixed results. For now I just have a link to the blog.

I'm also thinking that I should remove the "Design" from "Bee Plus Design." Seems a little pretensious, especially since I'm still a student and I've never had a paying design gig of any kind.

Any suggestions? General comments?

Guess What This Post is About? Not Bears, That's for Sure.

2009-01-21T22:51:00.000-08:00

How does this sound as a potential title for these illustrations?
Number One Threat to America:
(with nothing after the colon, at least on the cover, because I think that's clever)
Stephen Colbert has already taught us all what the number one threat to America is, but maybe he's wrong, maybe its zombies, or killer clowns, OR maybe even apathy. Apathy is probably a big one.

"Benny" The Anatomical Teddy®

2009-01-21T14:59:00.000-08:00

From American 3B Scientific

The teddy contains especially finely crafted removable organs some of which can be fastened with a Velcro strip. This gives the patient a better understanding of their own body.
Some of the organs in and on the teddy are provided with a Velcro strip: Ears with auditory canals, 2 tonsils, windpipe, heart, lung, liver, gall bladder, spleen, digestive system with oesophagus; stomach, bowels, appendix, anus, pancreas, urinary system; kidney, ureter, refillable bladder, urethra with an exit for catherisation or bladder x-ray.

The zipper on the stomach can be opened from the top or bottom and simulates an operation of the abdomen and chest
The bones of the legs and arms can be demonstrated by opening the zippers
Spine, chest and ribs are palpable
Artificial blood (in the form of fruit tea) can be put into 2 tubes in the arm and hand andwithdrawn with a cannula

Benny is washable and his fur is made of a flame retardant polyester fiber which gives him an extra soft and fluffy touch.
He is used mainly in doctors’ offices, hospitals, schools, kindergartens etc.

All this can be yours if the price is right. And the right price is a mere $229.

Teddy Rides the H-Train version 2.0, and a Vectorized Fat Ass Teddy

2009-01-19T20:19:00.000-08:00

Maybe I should stop posting every little thing I do? I like these guys though, so and I wanted to share. After working with the line weight on these two I've decided that Cyborg Teddy sucks - he's definitely going to need a lot of reworking.

Cybear. 2nd Draft. Because I'm Bored.

2009-01-18T23:23:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to figure out how to operate the gradient tool in Illustrator. I've never really had any reason to use it before.

It's a lot less intuitive than I would have thought.

Anyway, I'm liking how this one is coming together. I did away with the black stroke that I've been using and I'm trying to rely on color and shading (I realize that the lighting and shadows probably don't make sense in this image yet - it's a work in progress).

Cyborg, Alien Invasion, and Undead Teddy

2009-01-18T16:51:00.000-08:00

Here are a very more bear sketches for your amusement.

It seems like this whole idea is starting to leave the fine art realm (if it were ever there to begin with) and is drifting towards...I dunno.......doodles during high school biology class? These three are a definite departure from my original concept of teddy bears on the fringes of society. I guess these guys would fit better under "teddy bears in sci-fi 'B' movies."

Fuck it. I'm having fun. I'll figure out how to defend them against the wine-drinking, beret-wearin' types later.

Suppose now I should vectorize a few of these guys and see how that goes.

Sometimes Desperate Times Call For the Use of Overwhelming Force

2009-01-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

The title of this blog has nothing to do with the content; I just thought it had a nice ring to it. It should definitely be the title of something.

Another Weird Bear Poster by Moi

2009-01-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

I'm considering doing a whole series of these. Maybe I'll call it "Teddy Bears on the Fringes of Society." Or something to that affect. Just imagine teddy bears stabbing each other outside of night clubs, having sex with each other in public bathrooms, and cooking Crystal Meth in their trailers. Lately I've just been obsessed with subverting the image of the teddy bear. Its this amazing piece of Americana that no one really questions. To me its already a perverse icon; I mean think about it, we take an apex predator, an animal that's be known to eat humans alive, and we make plush versions of them for our children to play with. So I'm just taking it one step further. I'm just making the perversion a little more obvious.

As far as the actual illustrations go, I'm still unsure. I think the two I've done so far are a little plain. It seems like they need to be more stylized - I want them to be really eye catching. Maybe colored pencil? Maybe watercolor? I don't know. I feel like I really need to challenge myself this year, and since drawing (both freehand and computer aided) has never been something that I've been particularly good at, thats what I want to focus on. I really want to be able to draw better.

And if these go as well as I want them to I want to make a book. Maybe 20-30 illustrations; part children's book, part coffee table book, a little humorous, a lot perverse. I'm thinking 8x10 hardback. I've been looking into it a little. It's not cheap to have books made.

Thoughts?

The Joys of Tilt-Shift Photography

2009-01-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

Tilt-shift photography is the process of taking images of real places and through a series of manipulations making them look like miniature models. Basically you take an image at a high angle, with a super shallow depth of field, and over-saturate the colors, which results in images like these...

Effing awesome right!? I really want to try this. You can find more examples here, along with some tutorials.

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T13:24:00.000-08:00

So long 2008. Here's to an optimistic 2009...

Felt Teddy Bear Skulls by UO Alum Stephanie Metz

2008-12-28T21:10:00.000-08:00

I came across Stephanie Metz's website earlier this month and found myself captivated by her work in felt. It's beautiful and hilarious and creepy all at the same time. I can't say enough good things about it. stephaniemetz.com

Merry Christmas! Also, Here is a Malfunctioning Dog.

2008-12-19T12:36:00.000-08:00

Dog Malfunction

More Headless Bears

2008-12-07T13:02:00.000-08:00

I watched "In Bruge" last night and it was pretty darn good. So good in fact that I decided to watch all the special features too (which I rarely do any more). Anyway, there was one particular deleted scene that I found especially interesting:

Colin Farrell is walking around Bruge, alone and drunk, when he sees a teddy bear sitting on a bench. He sits down next to the bear, smiles at it, and hands the bear his beer. When he does the bear's head falls off and plops into the canal behind them. Then Farrell just sits there looking confused and sad.

It was hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. Or maybe it was just really late at night and I thinking too deeply about it.

Working Artist Statement

2008-12-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

So I've been working on my artist statement, but I don't really know how specific to get because I don't really know where my work is going....or what all I'm going to show on Friday.

But any way, here is what I have so far...

Fragmentation of the Familiar

My recent work centers around a fascination with deconstructing familiar objects, analyzing their components, and then reassembling them in ways that seem more attractive to me. Our culture is filled with objects, ideas and processes that are accepted as normal with little to no scrutiny from the masses. My question is why? Why is it acceptable to eat a food that is made entirely of sugar, artificial flavors, and coloring? Why is it acceptable to humanize an apex predator in the form of a plush toy and give it to our children? With my current projects I’m asking these questions by recomposing artifacts of popular culture and contrasting them to their original counterparts. My hope is that these investigations into the “normal” will spark new and interesting avenues of discussion that would have otherwise been left veiled by the cumbersome shackles of the status quo.

Fragmentation:
2. the disintegration, collapse, or breakdown of norms of thought, behavior, or social relationship. (dictionary.com)

2008-11-30T22:02:00.000-08:00

I'm reminded of a warm summer day during my childhood when.....
OH MY GOD TRAVIS MADE A WEIRD POSTER!!

Candy Bar Autopsies

2008-11-29T13:06:00.000-08:00

Let me just start by saying that these still need a lot of work (color correction, more unified sizes, shadows, etc), but you can see what I'm going for. I wish I would have had better lights to work with, but you take what you can get.

Now, what are they about? An investigation into the empty, instant-gratification obsessed consumption habits of the American populous? A nostalgic analysis of childhood; back when a candy bar could make your day. A third possibility?

Thoughts?

Sometimes People Disgust me.

2008-11-27T21:10:00.000-08:00

So I'm in 7-Eleven tonight getting some milk to go with my Thanksgiving Cheerios and this beast of a woman walks in double fisting a Big Gulp cup. She has both of her giant mitts wrapped around this bucket of gluttony, tipped to her face, trying to coax out the ice that's stuck to the bottom. Completely oblivious to her surroundings she walks through the door, past the proprietor of the establishment, and straight back to the soft drink fountain for a refill. All the while I'm standing at the end of an aisle, milk in hand, in slacked-jawed amazement. This woman finally lowers the cup, notices me studying her feeding habits, and gives me this "what the f*** you looking at m***** f*****!!" look. Of course not wanting to antagonize the brute, I break eye contact and make a B-line to the counter. Back in my car I see the her walking up to the counter to make her purchase....which includes four DOUBLE GULPS! FOUR!!

I can only assume they are holiday treats for her ferial children.

Steve Schapiro Lecture

2008-11-24T18:17:00.000-08:00

Photo journalist Steve Schapiro held a lecture on the 3rd floor today and I went down at the last minute to check it out. And I'm really glad that I did it; it was amazing. This man knew and shot some of the most influential people of the 20th century: Muhammad Ali, Robert Kennedy, Andy Warhol, Martin Luther King Jr., Samuel Beckett, Ray Charles, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Barbra Streisand, James Baldwin, and Truman Capote. He also did the still photo work on some legendary movies: Taxi Driver, Midnight Cowboy, Chinatown, and the Godfather trilogy.

That's a pretty damn impressive resume. I really wanted to ask him some questions but I just didn't know what to say to the guy. I was really intimidated to be honest.

Fascinating lecture though. I'm amazed that there were only about 20 people in attendance.

I'm Published...ish!!

2008-11-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

The Register Guard in Eugene was putting together this book on local photographers, so I decided to submit a few images. Out of about 9,000 images submitted they picked a few hundred to put in the the book. Not only did I make it into the book, but I was also one of 24 people to receive an award! They gave out 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each of the eight chapters and I won 2nd in the "schools" chapter. Yay for 2nd place!

And I realize that this pic looks kinda stupid with the right side cut off, but the right side isn't important, the left side is. Of the photos I submitted it's not the one I thought they would have used, but it's still rad to see something I made in a hard bound book.

Achille Castiglioni's Arco Floor Lamp in Ironman!

2008-11-19T12:38:00.000-08:00

I just watched Iron Man again last night and I noticed that Tony Stark has Achille Castiglioni's Arco Floor Lamp in his living room. You know, the big arcing lamp with a bulbous stainless steel shade and marble brick base. Pretty badass lamp really. Apparently billionaire playboy Tony Stark has good taste in furniture.

For Those who Love Giraffes as Much as I Do.

2008-11-18T21:57:00.000-08:00

Check it. Effing badass giraffes.

...I should probably post more art related content. But I suppose one could argue that this is art; flashy, vulgar, hilarious art.

Stuff....and Things

2008-11-15T18:43:00.000-08:00

I've been working on this over the past few days. What is it, I don't know. I mean its teddy bears with their heads and one leg cut off, all sewn together; but what is it REALLY. I don't know. I like it though. Now I just need to figure out a way to defend it.

AND, as a cool byproducts I have these sweet decapitated teddy bear heads.

Its interesting that people cringed when they saw me cutting the bears' heads off. To be honest it felt like an immoral act while I was doing it, but it needed to be done.

Virtual Adultery = Sad, Yet Hilarious

2008-11-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

This is a REAL article that I just read on CNN. My opinion of CNN is slowly getting worse and worse.

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British couple who married in a lavish Second Life wedding ceremony are to divorce after one of them had an alleged "affair" in the online world.

Second Life users can interact and form relationships with other players' avatars.

Amy Taylor, 28, said she had caught husband David Pollard, 40, having sex with an animated woman. The couple, who met in an Internet chatroom in 2003, are now separated.

"I went mad -- I was so hurt. I just couldn't believe what he'd done," Taylor told the Western Morning News. "It may have started online, but it existed entirely in the real world and it hurts just as much now it is over."

Second Life allows users to create alter egos known as "avatars" and interact with other players, forming relationships, holding down jobs and trading products and services for a virtual currency convertible into real life dollars. iReport.com: Share your stories from Second Life

Taylor said she had caught Pollard's avatar having sex with a virtual prostitute: "I looked at the computer screen and could see his character having sex with a female character. It's cheating as far as I'm concerned."

Don't Miss

The couple's real-life wedding in 2005 was eclipsed by a fairy tale ceremony held within Second Life.

But Taylor told the Western Morning News she had subsequently hired an online private detective to track his activities: "He never did anything in real life, but I had my suspicions about what he was doing in Second Life." iReport.com: Anger in a virtual world

Pollard admitted having an online relationship with a "girl in America" but denied wrongdoing. "We weren't even having cyber sex or anything like that, we were just chatting and hanging out together," he told the Western Morning News.

Taylor is now in a new relationship with a man she met in the online roleplaying game World of Warcraft.