"Trusting the Mark"

A Curious Wall Mural

2011-12-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

I was asked by my brother and sister in-law who are expecting a baby boy literally any day now to paint a mural in his room. The theme for the room is Curious George so that is what I painted. This was the first time I've ever done a mural so it was quite the learning experience. Painting on a textured wall was a little tricky and time consuming put I eventually figured out how to do it efficiently. I've received several positive comments about the mural so far which was nice and my hope is that I'll get more opportunities in the future to do more murals as I enjoyed doing this one quite a bit.

"Would you like some french-CRIES with that WHAA-mburger sir?"

2011-03-31T11:42:00.000-07:00

I carry a stubborn refusal to join groups like Tumblr ~~and even Facebook~~ UPDATE: I have since succumbed to peer pressure and created an account on Facebook. I like to pretend that in doing so I'm somehow protecting myself from the ever expanding internet privacy violations you hear about from such groups. I figure if I don't use these sites that maybe it will balance out the 'sins' of past (emphasis on 'past') usage of torrents. Letters from my ISP seem to indicate it's not working. Toilet paper care of Mr. Ishikawa. I would not want your job sir. Let's shift topics.

The more things pile up in one place (here), the more counterproductive it becomes to sharing it. This is, of course, due to my own neglectfulness. Perhaps one of the most harmful actions one can take with their blog is to take no action. Why should whatever small group of people that do happen to look at it continue to visit when things look abandoned? Now all I get in terms of traffic are Google image queries. At least I still have a following of web spiders reading.

But I insist that the glass is half full. Hopefully some occasional posting will save this place from total obscurity. I'm working on some projects of my own and they are in the process of being a composed for a post but its not quite ready to leave the oven. So for now I'll wrap things up with some stuff that I would otherwise be sharing on the Tumblr and Facebook pages ~~I don't~~ (do have) have.

Justin Mortimer, Mischlinge 2011 55 x 65 cm

I've been listening to a lot of this post-metal band Kylesa.
Rhythmically delicious dual drumming.

Artist: Kylesa
Track: To Walk Alone
Album: Static Tensions
Tags: crust punk, psychedelic rock, sludge metal

Cool Stuff Bro

2011-03-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Not a follower of these guys' work, I just really liked to watch them push each other around on paper. According to the video description they are: Ashely Wood, Jeremy(?), Kenny Wong, Mak Siu Fung, Colan Ho.

A New Practice in Patience: Steps in Space, Leaps in Time

2011-02-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

A Fan Boy's Collection/Problem

2011-01-21T21:51:00.001-08:00

Even though the band ISIS officialy spit this last fall, I've been a fan for around six years now. Upon hearing the new that they were splitting and that the tour they were on at the moment would be their last, I kind of went into a frenzy and made some sort of oath with myself to make up for all the shows I neglected to go to by going to one of only a handful of last shows of the tour that was luckily close enough in Eugene. I knew I would end up buying merch but I went a little overboard when I discovered that they still had copies of a limited print of their entire collections on vinyl (100 for band members to give away as they please, 250 for the U.S. and 250 for Europe and Asia) from 1997 to 2007, a 10 year celebrations if you would.

From the picture below you can see that there is a lot of vinyl and the price kind of reflects this but I get to have my cake and eat it too because these generally sell for twice the price of eBay but at the same time this is a collection that I LOVE and do not intend to sell anyway. Especially since I got the chance to meet the 5 members of the band and get their John Hancock on the cover. I'm pretty sure that I came off as an eBay merch seller who was just being an opportunist. The lead vocalist and guitarist Aaron Turner, the one who signed his name in morse code(?), asked me "Did you buy this", I said "yes" and he responded "Man, you must be dedicated" in a mono-tonal voice but than again he just played an entire show (sometimes pulling off low screaming vocal verses) and looked pretty worn out. A venue bouncer asked if I wanted an escort to my vehicle with all the merch that I was carrying since I was there late watching the three different bands that played that night break down their equipment themselves (keeping it real with only maybe one roadie that I could see) and there were lurkers around the venue grounds. Honestly I felt embarrassed at this point and must have looked like a total fan boy to many concert goers. Oh, well.

A month after the concert and I was still really heated up by the band whom I've come to respect immensely and feel has made an impact in my life (cliche, I know). Anyway, I discovered some prints that they had sold during only certain legs of their final tour. Of course I had to have them. These are the three pics below. The green version was sold online making it not to difficult to locate in the U.S. while the blue version was only sold at the show in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. This version was tricky to get a hold of because not very many U.S. collectors would sell theirs so after searching http://www.expressobeans.com/ an excellent site for any type of band show silk-screen prints like this. I got it from a collector in Australia who got it from a collector in Tokyo. These prints and all the other ones below were all done by Aaron Horkey.

Screen Print
12″ x 34″

Print 36 / 180

Screen Print
12″ x 34″

Print 19/180

This is on the back of the prints above.
These ones below are from an different tour but still done by Arron Horkey

Screen Print
22" x 30"
both 43 / 244 of their respective color editions

On the back of the white and red prints above.

Frank Busy

2011-01-08T15:26:00.000-08:00

These are seven prints I made this December..
Each is unique. Though they share the same woodblock print overlay, the abstract ink compositions behind them were done in a 'stream of consciousness' effort with a Japanese Sumi-e approach in mind. Switching rapidly between pieces, each is a continuation of the last in a random order, placing a few marks and/or washes then moving on to the next. I did this several times for each piece.

The edition number ending up as seven prints was largely coincidence and wasn't brought to my immediate attention until after the set was already complete by a friend that received the seventh print. Only seven of the prints created met my expectations so from a numerology observers stand point this held a special significance to me and I feel fits quite well into the project's overall disposition.

Print 1 of 7,
9" x 12"
December 2010

Print 2 of 7,
9" x 12"
December 2010

Print 3 of 7,
9" x 12"
December 2010

Print 4 of 7,
9" x 12"
December 2010

Print 5 of 7,
9" x 12"
December 2010

Print 6 of 7,
9" x 12"
December 2010

Print 7 of 7,
9" x 12"
December 2010

2010-01-29T14:04:00.001-08:00

Kevin Ragsdale, An Ape with Responsibilites, 36" x 30"
Oil on hardboard
2010

Acceptance

2010-01-10T17:57:00.001-08:00

Kevin Ragsdale "KR-IGER" 10"x13"
Airbrushed Acrylic on Charcoal on Illustration Board
2010

The thing since the holidays I've been trying is making gifts instead of simply buying them for people. Its been an interesting approach. I did this little painting above for a friend of mine for his birthday (I need take a better picture as reflections from the glass it mounted behind are visible). He and his fiance seem to like airbrushed stuff and since I wanted to make something that they might actually hang somewhere in their home I decided to charge up the air compressor and blow an image. I went into this mini project with a few ideas about what I wanted the outcome to be but on the other hand I also tried not to pre-empt too much of it. I decided I would do something very Giger-esque which is within a comfort zone for me but I wanted to do it without over thinking it to death before it could hit the cardboard. In hindsight I think that allowed for something that was closer to a "Giger" than anything I've tried before. I approached the surface with charcoal first so that I could work with a lot of speed, trying (emphasis on trying) not to get hung up on any one part of the composition. Before I could get too comfortable working with the charcoal, I moved on to the airbrush. Even though switching back and forth strictly between black and white doesn't make for the most lively color palate it forced me to make careful decisions in order to avoid the image turning into complete mud. Most of the charcoal was covered up which I regret a little but layer transparency was not high on my agenda so that was just part of the sacrifice.

Deciding when to finish wasn't too difficult since I had a pretty good idea how far I would take it not long after starting in with the airbrush.

If your thinking that the level of sampling I used in this piece was a chicken shit move I wouldn't argue with you but I have little regret. If time would have been more on my side and my personal life in a stabler place, I think I would have approached it differently. Perhaps I would have made something that was more 'Kevin' then 'Giger'.

Better Late Than Never

2010-01-08T23:56:00.001-08:00

Kevin Ragsdale "Lurch II" 16"x16"
Oil on Acrylic on Canvas
Spring 2008

Automobile of the Beast

2010-01-07T20:51:00.001-08:00

I jumped in my car today and found this on my trip odometer.
Apparently The Beast has a soft spot for 96' Honda Accords and, as I've seen before, specific treadmill settings.

Thumbnail Preview

2009-12-31T21:24:00.001-08:00

This is a little something I'm working on. What you see here is only a quarter of the entire surface and it's still pretty rough. The panel is about 3 by 2 1/2 feet. All I'll say now is, holy shit! Its scary going big! I didn't plan this thing out at all on a smaller scale or even with sketches. Its all being worked out on the wood. Let's see where it goes.

Thresholds and Echos

2009-12-29T16:27:00.003-08:00

"My studies of alchemy may seem obscure and baffle many people, but taken symbolically - the symbolic gold of great worth, or the transforming philosopher's stone 'lapis philosophorum' hunted for centuries by the alchemists - is to be found in man." -C.G. Jung

Steven LaRose "Glittering Generalities and Blazing Ubiquities"

A follower of Steve's blog and artist, Matthew Landkammer, made this profound statement about this piece by Steve.

"...But this painting was different for me — and I could immediately recognize that he had stepped over some threshold."

Crossing human thresholds.
Steve is working on another painting that echo's (in my mind) the one above splendidly. Even though I'm unaware of its current status, as Steve has intentionally taken good care not to divulge too much, what I have seen of it from his blog makes me excited, giddy, and a little scared even. But not knowing what will become of things does that for me and but I think it comes natural for Steven and I admire him for that courage.

Better Never Then Late

2009-07-06T20:50:00.001-07:00

"Lurch" 12"x18" Block and Mono Print
Kevin Ragsdale 2008

Not Dead Yet

2008-06-11T12:41:00.001-07:00

This poor ol' blog has been neglected lately but I think (emphasis on 'think') I'll be able to do some more posting here in the near future. There's been a lot going on but I'm not sure weather its been worth blogging about or not. Probably two of the biggest things that have been keeping me busy are school and the back surgery I just recently had done for my herniated disk. Turns out these two things don't really mix well so things have been a little hectic. I'm not entirely satisfied with my school work this term; I don't think I was able to work at my full potential but thats how it goes. I've got some work to show but not whole lot and as you can tell my writing skills are a bit awkward at the moment.

Anyway, here are some visuals for ya. I'm gonna try to get more up soon.

Letting the small surgery incision breathe a little before covering it back up. Innocent enough though this pic reminds me that I've been avoiding the gym a little much latley.

Kevin Ragsdale "Budd Rubs One out" oil on masonite 48x36"
Intermadiate Oil Painting

The assignment here was to frame a news event using a photo, keeping the color palate to a minimum.

The Exercise of the Beast

2008-05-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

Put in these treadmill settings at the gym this morning and got this read out. Coincidence or prophecy?

Weight: 225 lbs. + Incline: 5 degrees + Speed: 3.6 mph = 666 calories per hour

"Hobo Showdown" by Allison

2008-05-04T00:25:00.000-07:00

Here's some shots Allison took Friday as I played a hobo and she a hobo turned deadly seductress via the 1920's for her photography class narrative assignment. I've never really done anything quite like this before (usually pretty camera shy) but it was so much fun getting into character (or maybe true self?) and acting goofy as Allison set up the scenes and either shot the photos herself or set the timer and jumped into frame. Check out the rest of the set at her blog.

The Campaign Sticker That Came Late

2008-04-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Some relevance to the last post.

Kevin Ragsdale "Psuedo Campaign Logo"
Intro to Adobe Illustrator 2007

Fresh Oil

2008-04-17T19:55:00.001-07:00

Kevin Ragsdale Still Life 16x12" oil on acrylic on Masonite
Intermediate Oil Painting 2008

Plug

2008-04-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

I was really excited when I learned that friend Allison made a blog of her own so I had to plug it here. Can't wait to see what she does with it.

Wisdom in Youth

2008-04-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when your down and out, life kicks bellow the belt and you'll need health insurance (even if its from dumb founded dipshits like BlueCross BlueShield).

But have no fear my friends. We can find the courage, make the first strike, and turn the tables on our demons.

.

Prized Possessions

2008-03-21T09:55:00.001-07:00

At the end of every school term, I always try to look for an opprotunity to trade something I've done in a class with someone else. Getting to enjoy the work of my peers is fantastic --it beats the hell out of looking at reproductions or, god-forbid, my own stuff. The following are some different prints I obtained from two of my intro printmaking classmates.

Allison Doke "Old Frank Lloyd Wright Einstein Sailor Man" 3x3"
Dry point, hard ground, and soft ground print
Intro to Printmaking 2008
This figure seems to be a repeating theme in some of
Allison's other work. Very cool.
*Update: I only recently realized the relation of the geometrical design
on the right side and the reference to Frank Lloyd Wright in the title.
I confirmed this with Allison and earned my title as a steadfast slow-poke.

---

Allison Doke "Purple Rain" 3x3"
Drypoint Print
Intro to Printmaking 2008
This assignment asked that we make a drawing while listening
to music then print an edition from that drawing.
---

Allison Doke "The Eye" 8x12"
Woodblock Print
Intro to Printmaking 2008
I love this one. Fantastic colors.
---

Mallory Francis "What' Yours?" 16x12"
Linoleum Print
Intro to Printmaking 2008
ohh la la!
---

"Big Fun at the Gallows"(Post #23)

2008-03-18T18:08:00.001-07:00

After finishing up with an anthropology final today, I headed over to the art building to clear out some of the stuff I had stowed away there before in got thrown away (minus one point for that lame rhyme). After sorting through some figure drawings, I was on my way out when I was met by some of the students from an intermediate painting class spreading out their work from the term on the floor of one of the galleries/hallways. As a final of sorts they were asked to hang their pieces up in a cohesive matter like a professional gallery might; something that is a little more tricky then it sounds. This process is immensely important when showing work yet I have little to no experience doing it myself so I decided to linger and watch as they discussed the overwhelmingly different arrangements to choose from. So many things to consider when placing work together. Aspects such as size, color, direction, content, space, and many other characteristics had to be considered all while ensuring that there is a balance between making the works harmonious with one another yet stand on their own.

Pondering over a beginning lay out.

After some fine tuning of the lay out and coming to a mutual consensus, they busted out the levels and started hanging the panels. This actually went a lot quicker then I thought it would. Apparently they have good eyes for spacing; its takes me a good half hour and a head ache just to hang one picture but they worked pretty efficiently. I'm impressed with how well they worked together and communicated with each other; something I need to work on. The push-pull of co-op work is still a little awkward for me. Brings to mind the old saying "There is no 'I' in team" but, as a someone recently told me, "There are two 'I's in winning").

Time for a hanging

With a job well done, the painting students were able to sit back and absorb their collective labor from the winter term presented in a gallery setting. For me the highly involving process of pulling this off was massive but after watching others deal with it, I have the urge to do it myself and learn how a professional gallery tackles this. Next term I'll be taking the same course that these students had just finished so hopefully I get a chance to do it with my own work and that of others'

Done.

More School Work

2008-03-14T23:38:00.001-07:00

Kevin Ragsdale, "Giger-esque ( Kinsey's 19th Percent?)" 12x16 in.
woodblock print
Intro to Printmaking 2008

Kevin Ragsdale, forgery of Phil Hale's "Treatment for Motherfucker" 5x7 in.
oil on acrylic on illustration board
Intro to Oil Painting 2008

Skeletons

2008-03-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

A neat (but raw) blog i ran into. Enjoy.

Rule 34 on The Count

2008-03-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

Clever. Apparently this video has started an internet epidemic of Sesame Street parodies of the same vein. Ouch, my childhood.

Favorite line: "When I'm alone I...."

Renewed Interest

2008-03-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

Ever since highschool I've always had a fascination with anatomy imaging and illustration. I have a fascination with all sorts of images that describe human structures and systems ranging from your typical text book dissections you see at the doctor's office from different forms of imaging like x-ray and CT scans.

I can nearly pin-point the first image(s) I saw that inspired my interest in anatomy and their applications for art. I had just picked up Tool's album Lateralus and peeled away the cellophane wrap so I could have a look at the album art work. If you've never had the opportunity to see this album's packaging I highly recommend you pick up a copy--even if you don't like the music, the art work is worth the ten or so dollars alone. Inside, you find a booklet made of clear acetate-like material with each page containing a small reproduction of a painting by Alex Grey. Each page consists of a layer of the painting so when all are combined it reveals a flayed figure in an esoteric pose framed and intertwined with psychedelic patterns. As you flip through each page, you see different layers of the figure's anatomy ranging from the muscles to the nervous system.
Many people including myself can feel a little uncomfortable at first when looking at the inside of a person but with more exposure, one can truly learn to appreciate the complexity and elegance of what lies beneath our skin. Without sounding to cheesy, I've come to understand what is meant when the body is referred to as a "Holy Temple"; I think this is something that Alex Grey attempts to explain in much of his artwork.

Moving in a different but highly related direction, I recently had MRIs done on my back and hips to pin point some pain I've been having. The process is quite interesting. If you haven't seen or had an MRI yourself, basically in short you are placed in a large tubular machine which, using magnates, takes images of your internals using different resonance frequencies. The images appear as though the body has been sliced revealing different layers (on a side note, this is why my MRI technician Keith said he became a vegetarian; he explained that looking at these pictures all day and then seeing a steak at the market was just too similar of an experience.)

After the procedure was done, Keith showed me the different images he took and was even able to show me what the result of my pain was. It's a pinched nerve in my lower back as the result of a bulging disk. After he explained the images, we got to talking about medical imaging in general. He gave me some insight about the career of radiological imaging and the training it takes to get into it. We are fortunate enough here in Southern Oregon to have one of the few schools (OIT) in the nation that offers a degree in this. He encouraged me to look into it if I was interested. Its something I'm going to keep in mind for the future but for now I'm going to stick with my art studies at SOU (pfft... job security? Whatever man...)

I asked Keith if it was possible for me to get the images he took of me for my own use and surprisingly he took out a blank CD and burned them all for me to take home. Its sort of weird to look at yourself in this way--to see the spine, hips, femurs, and muscles around them but never-the-less it has enticed me to continue drawing inspiration from the science of human anatomy.

One of many MRI's that were taken of my spine. This one is from a series that were taken as though moving through me from head to toe. It shows where a nerve (the white area) is being pinched by a bulging disc (the oval black area) causing me some back and hip pain.

What's that?! (Stop laughing assholes, it was cold in there.)

2008-03-07T20:39:00.001-08:00

"Play-Doh & Tinfoil Still Life" Oil on paper
Intro to Oil Painting 2008

2008-03-06T20:11:00.000-08:00

This is a charcoal drawing I'm going to attempt to translate into a woodcut print. The assignment is to create an image using at least a two cut process of an abstract subject (hmmm...). My plan is to use a three cut process, removing first the material that consists of the the highlights, make the first pressing, remove mid tones areas, do another pressing, and finally remove all but the blackest areas and do the last pressing. Though not harmonious with tradition, I've found that using a Dremel tool speeds up the process quite nicely and allows for some adequate gradations. Don't know if the end result will hold much resemblance to this drawing but imma' give it hell.

"Giger-esque (The Nineteenth Percentile)" charcoal on paper
reference drawing for Intro to Printmaking
2008

More RC

2008-03-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

My last post on RC cars may not have given the best visuals of racing aspect of it. As far as racing is concerned, there are many forms ranging from on-road carpet racing (like we saw in the first post) to outdoor off road motocross style racing. Here are some pics (my own) and a video (not my own) highlighting a race from 2o06 down in SoCal, what many consider RC capitol of the world. These particular trucks are known as 'truggys', one of the more popular classes to race right now, its certainly my favorite. Powered by nitro fuel driven engines, its an intensely exciting class to race and watch. The drivers in the video are almost all factory sponsored meaning that they have made a career doing this-- it also means they are under a lot of pressure to do well. These guys are on the top of the echelon of driving and tuning abilities; most hobbyist will never come close to being as skilled as these racers. What you see is a result of literally hundreds of hours testing and practice by organized race teams (are you giggling yet?).

My Truggy at the Local Off-Road Track

Same Truck Without the Body Shell, Revealing the Engine Exhaust Pipe
and Other Components

This video only captures six minutes of a one hour main. Running for one hour straight means the trucks actually make pit stops for refueling which takes less than 2 seconds- anything more is considered slow. Fuel conservation strategies are used. The less pit stops the driver has to take, the better. Races can be won and lost this way. Keeping the truck in one peice is also a concern (we see this in the video when the leader looses a wheel and the win). If something on the truck breaks or the engine stalls, your chances of making one of the top three positions is next to nothing.

Two Still Lifes

2008-03-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

Two recent paintings from my intro to oil painting class...no gagging.

"All Aboard the Failroad!"

2008-02-28T20:00:00.000-08:00

I present to you my entire folder of fail:

"Glory is relative to the one who lives in defeat." ~A. Turner

P.S.
If your a PETA member, please ignore the above post. Thank you.

One

2008-02-26T21:51:00.000-08:00

The following is an excerpt from a conversation I had with one of my peers in my painting class over at Steve's blog. It stems from Steve's post about his issues teaching second grade students about drawing:

Dawn said...
what an interesting constellation of opinions, on what one perceives as transpiring between student "a" and student "b".
I'll add my opinion, sparingly:

My perception (the comparison of the two students profiled) is that 1) student "a" shows their skill at mimicking a version of drawings that they visually see. It appears to me, that student "a" has been socialized into performing according to the standard at which they were instructed in.

2) student "b" shows their perception of what they visually saw (in that drawing sample) and what they gave you was an unfiltered attempt at mimicking the sample they viewed.

Neither one (student), to me, indicate any particular gift at being an artist -- as determined by the one who administered this sample drawing exercise.

What this profiled sample tells me, a mother of two incredibly differently gifted children, is that: they both have gifts of conceptually presented art --- one that typifies what construction looks like; and one that typifies what construction looks like that hasn't been "instructed" and/or conditioned to know the standard.

If anything, i feel that student "b" has a bigger potential to be an individualist, by self-directed and untainted construction, than the other.

that's the "star" i offer, from this constellation in paradise

Kevin said...
Dawn,

I think I understand what your saying but my take is that student 'a' has a better grasp at drawing what is literally seen versus student 'b' who drew what they thought they saw. I don't know if that makes any sense but for me this applies for when I draw the human figure, especially hands and faces. I'm much more successful when I exclude pre-notions of what I think these things look like and draw from a more abstract mind set instead. I think this ability can be distilled in children more easily than adults as they are more flexible when it comes to learning new things (for instance, its easier to learn foreign languages at a young age). It makes me wish I had been taught how to draw properly from an earlier age. Oh whoa is me blah blah blah...

Dawn said...

Well Kevin,

While i'm sure there are tons of scholarly documents out there supporting the idea that instructing children at a young age is preferable -- i'd like to think that no matter what age a person is -- that their contribution to the world would be more welcomed and not constrained by dictates (socially sanctioned constuction methods/applications) that would project a particular type of judgement -- which could make one want to eat non-organic, oil laden, materials that cause cancer (aka, early death). (my humor is off today, so forgive me, ja?) ;-)

At any rate, i hear you on your preferences about learning and being able to construct the beauty you see around you, in your world.

I'd like to think that student "b" would be welcomed as they are -- and praised for their ability to partipate; even if it doesn't match up with the ideologies embedded in the person, that they are interacting with.

I know you didn't ask for any advice, or comments from me; but i'd like to wish you wellness and contentment surrounding your desires to perform to standards expected of you in art.

Sometimes the most beautiful and exquiste art known by each one of us participating in it, or creating it, is truly in the mind of the beholder... no matter what age we are.

Personally for me, i work on not being too critical of myself -- and try to apply criticism to myself in ways that help me to grow in a positive fashion... and helps me to feel well -- which is central to my existence.

On the another side of that "coin" i make the effort to apply the same "teachings" i hold valuable and give the benefit of the doubt (to myself and them) because i may be at that moment in time, in possession of a moment in where i can learn something incredibly valuable about myself, and the other person: and i would hope that i would be loving and compassionate and be able to understand where the differences are, that lie between me and that other person --- so i can make life a little sweeter, less judgemental and provide a sweet relief to us both; so that we are both left with feeling valuable and offer something that imparts peaceful action.

I learn what i can; and what isn't useful to me, i toss out ... and make room in my life for other experiences to shape who i am.

YOu have a great day and be well and keep the faith that your artwork will certainly be all that it can be -- and provide you with fulfilling feelings of joy, and peaceful content.

In support, of all those who admire Frieda Kahlo and other artists of the universe,

Kevin said...

I apologize if I came off as being a little pessimistic Dawn.

Your very right, one does need to work at finding positivity in what they create no matter what it is; this is essential to progression. I'll admit that harsh self-criticism is something I struggle with a lot and its nearly made me give up my pursuit of an art degree. I can also see that its something that some of our peers fight with as well. I have a "bleeding heart" of sorts for these people as I can empathize with their situation. I wish there was something I could say that would relieve the pressures we put upon ourselves sometimes but there is no easy answer here. Learning to use self-criticism is a balancing act. It can be used as a tool to sharpen one's self but if not kept in check it can easily wear away at one's conscience.With the mass saturation of modern visual media, I think its my generation's tendency to get caught up on false ideals that are actually quite stifling when it comes to self-expression. Overcoming this stiff sense of reality for me can be hard but doing so allows me to observe life in a very deep and therapeutic way; the ultimate reward being when I get a glimpse at universal structures and truths allowing me to actually experience the concept that our universe is manifested from one single source or consciousness (some may call it god) in which we are all connected and a part of (sorry if that sounds cliche).

Wow, I got way off topic there. Anyway, thanks for your response. The view from the other side of the road is refreshing. Have a great day/evening.

On par with my thoughts on this, here is a music video by Tool for their song "Schism". My conversation with Dawn made me think about this delightfully eerie video in new and richer layers.

Godamnit! Can't We Be Serious for Once?

2008-02-25T20:51:00.000-08:00

A few months back I was given a hand carved sculpture of a figure named the 'Yogi of Infinite Compassion'. Someone I've come to know as a close friend gave it to me (hopefully they still visit here from time to time) while I was going through some rough times. The figure is about the size of a cantaloupe. He is to be held along the rounded edge of his back while the holder drains stress and negativity into the sorrowful Yogi therefor restoring truth and peace. I rarely receive gifts like this that express so much thought and concern. I would never think that a chunk of carved wood could offer so much therapeutic value and security. My friend was keen and concerned enough for me to recognize when time and space aligned just right so that I could have this great tool.

So, as much as I liked this gift, I though it would be perfect to draw it for my Intro. to Drawing class last Fall. One drawing used simulated texture while the other used invented texture (x's & o's).

More Poo...

2008-02-15T10:29:00.001-08:00

self-portrait using pointillism (sort of)
oil on board
Intro to Oil Painting, 2008

Child Care 101

2008-02-13T14:29:00.000-08:00

Found this on the great Internets. Don't know who made it but it has some useful yet subtle parenting techniques. I would save it if I were you.

Some Astral Projection Maybe?

2008-02-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

As one person commented, "this is fake".

Sharing 0001

2008-01-29T21:57:00.000-08:00

I've known of this site for a while but I always forget about it and then come back to it later only to wonder why I forgot about it in the first place.

Oculart.com

Pushing Flash animation (and your computer's graphics card) to the limits, this site by Geoff Lillemon offers some excellently dark and surreal sequences coupled with equally unsettling music and sound effects. Some animations may take some time to load, but the wait is worth it. Check it out.

A New Y2K for the Y2K8 (*UPDATE: Myth Busted!)

2008-01-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

So tomorrow (Jan. 29), an asteroid labeled TU24 is going to pass by Earth (I thinks its already been pretty much confirmed that it won't make impact) but its vicinity in passing close to our magnetosphere seems to have some people concerned.

I think I'll go stock the bunker with more canned sausages and drinking water just in case.

2008-01-24T21:01:00.001-08:00

More to come...

Kevin Ragsdale, Imago Demiurgus 2007
Intro to Adobe Illustrator course

Vanity

2008-01-23T19:55:00.000-08:00

Ol' Steve LaRose be teachin' me how to draw and paint shtuff, he even took a picture of me and put it in one of his posts (the first pic). Does my head look swollen too you?

School 0001

2008-01-21T14:54:00.000-08:00

One thing I want to do with my posts is share with you what I'm doing in school since that's what I'm dedicating most of my time to right now.

It's a god-awful photo but here's something I did in my painting class. We got an assignment to recreate colors and textures from a handout we received plus eight more that express our personal tastes (the last eight are my own.) We're working in oil paints which are still pretty new to me. A big emphasis thus far is to use thin glazes to build layers of paint in order to create the desired result. This technique of painting demands some planning and attention to color theory. In the beginning, the colors don't look that great but as each layer is applied, rich hues and textures can be developed. This approach offers infinite possibilities. In the picture above, I used between four to six layers of color for each square, applying each in different ways in order to create the final texture I wanted. Some squares are much more successful than others but the concepts that were gained are priceless despite it being a rather simple exercise.

Ease Into It

2008-01-15T21:13:00.000-08:00

Alright, here's what I've decided to do with this waste of bandwidth that is my blog. My goal is to soon enough make meaningful posts that offer what little traffic I'll ever get though here something to think about, but I'm too lazy right now and I want my emotional distance. Don't worry its not you, its me, but we can still be friends.

Anyway, here's something thats been floating around for awhile now but still makes me giggle every time I see it. Enjoy and stay tuned for more dɐɹɔ. ಠ_ಠ

Hear ye! Hear ye!

2008-01-10T23:32:00.000-08:00

This is all for now folks.