after the sky fell

back in the day

2012-01-26T18:56:00.000-08:00

i remember the days when i was a young kid growing up, looking in the mirror, dreaming about blowin' up.... but seriously folks...

like any problem one should start at the beginning. the whys of the world. why does hugo draw? well.. because it just makes sense to. its just the way its always

been. until recently its always been my source of peace and sense of fulfillment. need to recapture the magic.

was going through some Juxtapoz books i have. good times. always cool to

read how others got started, how they fell into their craft, how they caught their big break.

oh but how frustrating it is! trying to find the love again... talking about this... heh performance issue with a friend the other day she came to the conclusion that i have changed as a person, and as such it does not make sense for me to continue to make the same work and expect the same satisfaction when i myself am different. this makes sense.

here is a shot of a much larger piece i have been throwing lines at for the past couple of days. its ok i guess, thinking of moving away from so much black, moving towards more and more lines and details and less abstract mess. dont know how i feel about this one. boo-urns.

brought some watercolour paper to work... dont have a desk to actually paint or anything but coffee is always on hand. so then these came out. fun enough.

in the process of packing still. a bit on the early side but its fun for some reason... packed away some of my smaller sketchbooks. so crazy looking through them. these go back as far as 04! with all the crap i have these are the books that matter the most. comics, artbooks, action figures, DVDs, junk and junk... it can all be replaced. THESE books a

re one of a kind. part journal, part image development, so many stories are told.

ctrl + A + delete

2012-01-11T13:51:00.000-08:00

if all goes well i will be elsewhere in 4 months. a different view from my window, a different route from here to there. though i mean this in the literal sense that involves picking up address change forms at the PostOffice i also mean this in the metaphorical sense in regard to my brains.

for some time now i have had this urge to put everything away. out of sight, out of mind. neatly sorted in cardboard boxes in the recesses of my mind. is that the easy way out? to force things out of sight in order to better focus on what matters? to wear blinders instead of just willing my eyes to look forward....

i have been trying to keep busy. just going at it, whether the results are to my liking or not its good to just get moving in the right direction. forwards, upwards, just keep swimming. anyways heres what came out since last posting in the few minutes i find time to just ink away.

its difficult to get into the draw draw drawing rhythm again. also i am trying to stop falling back to the same routine of things. i'm not trying to be someone completely different but want to change up some. know what i am meaning? am also working on a larger piece, these little doodles may have warmed me up a tad, hopefully something good will come out of this.

i hope that like Stella i can, in time, get my GROOVE back. how are you people of the internet feeling these posts? watching me pick myself up off the floor and prop myself back at the drawing board... only time will tell.

"And why do we fall Bruce?"

mild nights

2012-01-05T20:30:00.000-08:00

well so far things are not necessarily going in the direction i want. i am constantly think and rethinking what to do with myself but have yet to take any serious action. felling very stuck. feeling caught between a rock and a hard place, as the expression goes. though really it makes little sense, unless we live in a 2-dimensional world.... otherwise one would have to assume that somehow rock + hard place = complete 360 degrees of enclosure, which is probably not the case; in conclusion i am over thinking things.

is this kind of transparent ranting about my inner workings a bad thing to type up in my blog? does a writer at all benefit from admitting to the public that a serious case of writer's block has set in? maybe it is best for me to illustrate an illusion wherein all is peachy keen and i am artist of the year, proficient as the proverbial ant stocking up for the winter! instead of the shitty reality of saying "hey guys, yea i haven't been very productive.. i dunno why... work and shit i guess"?

tonight was incredibly mild for early January. took the dog on a nice walk sans phone or ipod. alone with the dog and my thoughts... and poop bags. i think this is good. thoughts are good. i then came home and worked out. also good. body and mind are kind of a 2-for-1 deal in my books.

currently i am wearing a latex glove on my right hand because its covered in pink spray paint and i can't seem to get it off and don't want to pink everything up. i was spraypainting a frame, nothing overly exciting but it is nice to see my hands in technicoulor once more! well there are a few more hours before i call it a night and surrender to the pillow. much can still happen.

hibernation

2011-12-22T22:27:00.000-08:00

some days you wake up on your own, at a frighteningly early hour, go about your morning routine, have breakfast, so on and so forth. you then leave your home, venture out, maybe you will get in your car or take public transit to wherever it is you have to be at this Godless time between day and night... and somewhere along the way you realize that a generous amount of minutes have passed since you have rubbed the sleep from your eyes, and in that time you have yet to say a single word. you have yet to form any audible thoughts from your lips, you have not overtly communicated an idea or a thought other than the yawns or groans of morning labour... and in that moment you can't help but fear your voice. you find you are afraid to break the silence, to seek an echo in the seemingly empty world you find yourself in. things had gone alright up to this point, without your voice chiming in... maybe its better this way. but no, its not.

you have a voice. it must be heard.

this is kind of how i feel. i feel as i have been hibernating, as if i am in a tightly wrapped cocoon waiting for the right time to free myself and become one with the sky. but then i cannot help but wonder... do all crawling creatures that surround themselves in darkness while waiting for the arrival of wings survive the journey? surely there are a few that do not. surely there are a few that lay stillborn, enclosed in sheets of their own creation; dreams, goals, and hopes not met.

the year is coming to an end, and i have been silent. there has been so much change, so much to share, so much to shout about and i have remained mute.

i am growing uncomfortable in my stale cave, uneasy in this unwavering stillness. i think its time for something to happen, something to change, something to be said.

i wish you all the best this holiday season, and great things for the new year. i highly doubt 2012 will mark the end of the world. but there is no doubt that it will mark the end of something, and the beginning of something else, because what is time if not change.

see you all on the other side,

hugo

still breathing

2011-09-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

i am still alive.

if you have heard otherwise... than thats just crazy talk.

as per usual i have been caught it up with life, or in a way, lives; and have lost touch with a few things along the way. in this case i am referring to this blog. so much has happened in my time away. i have been busy working the day-job, have been scheming and dreaming countless projects, hopefully some of them will see the light of day. the "Beyond our Roots" show came and went, here is a video that sums it up pretty well.

what else? i had a birthday. i am now 26. i have been slowly working on new stuff, while piling away numerous sketches and small drawings. all the while i have been dreaming, planning, hoping for more to come and willing magic to happen... one project at a time.

i attended the Abstract/ Expressionists art exhibit at the AGO on

loan from the MOMA. some exciting stuff from favorites such as Rothko and Pollack, Gorsky and the like. i would have to say that although it was a real treat to view the work in person opposed to heavy text books in the end it is the concept and heart behind the work... gets a guy thinking. asking myself questions about identity and legacy; there is so much i would like to accomplish yet somedays its difficult just to drag my ass out of bed at a "normal" hour.

i finally got a smartphone. crazy stuff. don't think it has actually made me more productive or anything of the sort but at least i can.. buy more stuff on eBay? google random facts? oh yea... what a smart phone it is.

at this point allow me to scan and post a bunch of sketches. wow i think i went through a whole sketchbook while i have been gone. one of the upsides to the 9-5... good sketching time!

the sketches are on these little imitation moleskin books i picked up at the dollar store for $2. i love them. i love the idea of a pile of old sketchbooks... obviously in this scenario i have passed on and its either a loved one that knew me or a descendant that had come to inherit the dusty old pages. its sad in that i would be dead. an idea that actually terrifies me. but its exciting in that these sheets pen-scribbled papers will outlive me and become so much more after i have left this world. as much as i enjoy the digital world.... it can never hold the same value or create the same connection as torn pages with fingerprints and smudges.

its getting late so i will get myself to bed. slowly i am becoming less the night owl i once was. ah the dreary day job... it pays the bills but is it really worth it? only time will tell i suppose. i envision myself dividing my person into 3 different beings. hugo1 would be driven by responsibilities and common sense, he would go to bed early, wake early, pursue his fitness goals, go to work and pay his bills. hugo2 will burn the midnight oil painting and drawing, writing and reading, slowly building a creative empire and name for himself. while hugo3 will enjoy overpriced coffees and long evening with his beloved, movie nights with family, chill out with his friends and spend money on his nerdy hobbies. unfortunately the only way i can be everything at once is... well, maybe if i was able to rid myself of the need to sleep... but that probably won't be happening any time soon. but who knows, things change.

thinking spandex

2011-06-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

hola,

so apparently its June now. thats some pretty crazy news.

i mean sure we all saw it coming, but so soon? madness i tell you! i have a theory that seconds are getting shorter - and as such minutes - hours - days and yea you get the idea. at this rate it will be 2012 in a blink and a half and then the world will end... or Cthulhu comes down and eats us or... something.

but until then, i have a new show on the way!!

Beyond Our Roots

June 23 - July 3

Reception: June 23, 6-9pm

Gallery 1313 - 1313 Queen St. West

Brought to you by the Latin Canadian Culture Association

www.LCCATORONTO.com

it will feature a bunch of great LatinAmerican artists and myself... exploring our hybridization of our native Latin American cultures with the Canadian. some pretty heavy stuff.

personally i am pretty excited about this exhibit as it is very different from the other shows i have taken part in. a whole new world so to speak.

if you are in the city i really hope you can make it. it should be a goooood one. :D

alright. serious business aside here is some random stuff i have been up to for kicks. which in my case usually means super-hero based scribbles. also lots of teeth. gotta love them teeth!

i keep drawing these characters in this way but haven't really DONE anything with them.. i am thinking maybe i should. short comic? short story? huge drawing what with colour and all? hrmmm something. need more productive outlets for my obsession with capes and spandex'd heroes. somethings gotta give!

been watching much Avengers EMH. pretty great. check

it out yo.

hope everyone is doing good. hugs and happy birthdays wherever they apply!

hopefully it does not rain on Monday

2011-05-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

hey,

so, today i woke at my usual bright and early 11am, rolled out of bed and stumbled over to the old computer to see what had transpired the night before. to my surprise a date had been set for the RAPTURE without me knowing. not that i feel im so special that i should have been notified about JUDGMENT DAY or anything of the sort but i did feel that it was something i too should have clued in on... as i was one of the few people on facebook with this knowledge.

if you are reading this the whole RAPTURE thing fell through and plans were changed and we are still kicking around on this dirt planet, or perhaps you were left behind or something, i am not sure how it works.

all jokes aside, this, in combination with the fact that my girlfriend's sister is leaving for an undisclosed amount of time to another Province got me thinking about goodbyes.

we close doors, we turn our backs and walk away, we hang up phones... there are so many moments in a day when we bid farewell to another, and allow them to exit stage left till the next scene. we have all come to understand the world in such a way that we know the other person exists even though we are not in contact with them. we know this as a fact. although it is not something we question so much anymore in this day and time perhaps we should. this is where the RAPTURE comes in to my thoughts.

what if? ( very powerful words )

what if that which has been foretold did happen? by no means is this leading to a religious debate, but i mean what if that something which you never expected to actually happen happened? it doesn't have to be something insanely huge as the end of days... everyday we walk away from loved ones knowing we will see them again, taking for granted their companionship, their very existence. but the truth is we don't know when the next time will be. as mundane as the world may seem there are always an insane number of choices made with a practically infinite number of possible outcomes! if everything can happen how can we live life so calmly being so sure of things? now, lets not be morbid; i am not saying that we should be cautious because people die left and right and you never know. death is only one of the doors in the long hallway that is life. we change our minds everyday, and as such change our futures. life is change. tomorrow is completely unknown! and thats not a scary thing... i mean it is but.... its exciting too!

we should stop treating each other so shitty. somehow that is the conclusion to my rant.

anyways since most peeps don't wander onto my blog to read my crazy rants, here are some pictures.

first off here are some drawings in lil book. fun times.

here we have full images of new work i had been teasing about earlier. unfortunately i took a super long time to upload them. few of them have already sold. check out Galerie D'Este to see what they still have available if you is interested ;)

let's see... what else can i ramble on about?

overall things are swell. trying not to gain too much weight from the lovely girlfriend's lovely baking. watching some Avenger's Earth Mightiest Heroes. good cartoon action.

saw Thor the other day it was good.

peace out. xo

april showers

2011-04-23T22:32:00.000-07:00

greetings all,

i have been very busy as of late, apparently too busy to sit with a drink and share a few words with the good people of the internet. a steady combination of art work, freelance work, work work, and working out has kept me crazy occupied- which unfortunately does not translate to productivity in this case.

the papier11 fair in Montreal went well, kind words and a few bucks in my pocket. can't complain. once i get some images of the event i wills share.

so often this month i have found myself lost in thought, weighing new experiences and stories; turning simple actions and brief conversations into arm long essays and finger snapping prose... words and sentences which are nowhere to be found at this moment. right now i am tired and should be sleeping. maybe next time i will have some rants for ya.

but for now i will share a few images of stuffs i have been up to.

here are some little drawings on coloured paper. i still have way too much of this paper. helps the hours pass at work.

so here is another teaser! i know i haven't put up the finished pieces of past previews i have posted on here... but i totally will! and soon too! so this one i am just about finished. i am very happy with it. its a little bit different than past pieces but you can't really tell from this bit. in this piece there are many many little people. i haven't counted them all but theres maybe like 30 of them. maybe i will do one next with 100s.

brought some pencil crayons to work the other day. didn't go so hot. maybe another time and place... and more direction. here is Superman me hanging out with GreenLantern me. i don't know why there are so many skulls. guess i just like drawing skulls. who knew?

here is some random guy. i... got nothing.

the other day i was watching some Batman Brave and the Bold. good stuff. this one episode was pretty crazy though. Batman had a rainbow suit and was fighting a rainbow bear. you just had to be there!

last but not least here is a scan of one of my favorite pages from Superman Emperor Joker. art by Ed McGuiness. i just love this guy. i like this scene because it captures a bit of how crazy Jeph Loeb writes Bizarro talk. its so crazy!

also! if you haven't already you should LIKE me on facebook. why? its a nice thing to do.

anyways... til next time peeps. hope everyone had a good easter and such. xo

vitamin water

2011-03-26T21:16:00.000-07:00

hola,

i been pretty busy, but this entry is important and so here we go.

ok maybe not important important...

alright so tomorrow my beloved and i are venturing off to Montreal to Galerie D'este to drop off a huge (by my standards) piece! this is pretty exciting as i have never taken such a long trip, especially as driver. this is very cool because i will get to visit the gallery that has been carrying and selling some of my works for about a year now... and of course i get to quickly take in the sights of Montreal.

who knows how this trip will play out. i mean, awesome of course but a new experience.

finally a mini-roadtrip after all my let down roadtrip plans. so yea, i'm psyched.

work has been ok. but i have been siiiick. sick like most people i know. its just going around here. weather was getting nice, spring was looking good and then it went to shit and its cold again.

i am now getting over all the sniffles and sneezing, the coughing and croaking, the shivers and shakes... ready to do stuff and not stop to blow my nose.

good good.

alright so here are a few teaser shots of the larger piece. 3 x 4 feet to be exact.

i will post the image in its entirety when i can, as well as the smaller ones i have thrown clips of on last posts.

also here is a mash of some scribbles from work. not very exciting mashup as the grid paper makes it a bit more difficult.

well i suppose i go off to bed now. well... off to organize whatever junk i need to take with me. maybe i will take the ol' video cam and make a little video blog of our 6hr drive. or not... as its really not that much of a trip. but with the right gangster-rap on the playlist.. who knows.

lumbar support

2011-03-05T20:40:00.000-08:00

hello there,

hows you been?

i have been ok. slaving away at this and that, trying to find a little me time here and there.

have been having some crazy dreams man, which always seems to be the case! in one dream i as losing my mind a la A Beautiful Mind... in another dream i was having an odd dream involving Ice Cube... we were discussing his shitty movies and the bad choices he has made leading up to them. t'was weird.

i will now go into a rant reading from a terribly scratchy scribbled dream written out in the middle of the night. nonsense begin!:

i think it begins with you. we're just lying in bed. however you are someone else. you are telling me this... a connection between a lake drying up and a thought about the end of the world. more people.... word i cant read... dancers. explain truths? -change- im being tested by my aunt. taking multiplechoice questions... simple but nothing makes sense.. i start to make connections between number and things. people. dancing. random thingd in room leading them all to think i am crazy though i know i am not. -change- there are children. idiot savants. again numbers. connections. writing on glass, remembering the dreams. head in the dreams. trying to explain the dream where people all think im crazy - all the while i start to make connections and begin to write numbers. at one point im writing a series of numbers and as i do i see the larger.. matrix of the numbers in my head. as i weite they change and you and i get goosebumps and begin to laugh... crazy. again you. not you... i am explaining everything to you and you are concerned. you are being played by Katie Holmes.. Dustin Hoffman plays my doctor. he says sometimes i get angry and have moments of delusion and nonsense... -change-.. waiting in elevator. kid drops bus transfer no.69. numbers are missing from elevators.. it starts over again. your hair is black. blonde. wig? you are tired of hearing about my dream, of my memories. its all a mess... and it goes on like this for 2 more pages.

fun right? yea i know.

here are some scribbles scribbled out while not busy at work.

also. Superman All Star was released as an animated movie based on the graphic novel. it was pretty awesome. awesome in that it was actually very nicely tied to the book. as such it was not so much enjoyed by the peeps i watched it with as they don't fall Superman at all and could not really follow what was going on and why.... well, i liked it.

lately i have been watching Batman the Brave and the Bold while i paint and such. its pretty cool. the style is different from the usual Bruce Timm. still very enjoyable. storylines are "cuter" than usual.. eh well... for da kids!

also!! a blog i follow entitled Action Figure Blues which reviews and discusses action figure... action picked me as their super random lucky monthly comment winner and i won a Robin figure! hurray for me! this is awesome because i didn't have one. and yes i needed one. now you know. again thanks to Andy of AFB and Mike's Comics n' Stuff for the lovely prize

here is another random doodle. i dunno.

but yea. my back hurts. boo-urns.

have a nice day

2011-02-22T21:17:00.000-08:00

thank you for visiting my blog.

how can i help you?

i have been having many conversations in the past. many short and to the point, however some did and do step off the beaten path... and how interesting those chats are.

one thing led to another and we were left pondering the end of the world. we agreed that although 2012 probably won't be the end of life as we know it.. change is indeed on the way. things are changing, leading towards something. headlines and whispers in the media can easily be shrugged off as fear-mongering... but in reality, fear is bad for business. as such maybe there is some truth to it. the people are growing restless, the beasts are growing hungry, and sadly, the planet is growing ill.

the conversation then tuned to a religious tone. i was given a few passages to look up, and was quoted a few words. all in all it was concluded that the wicked are the ones who will "burn"... however it would appear that after some translating from the origin the wicked are those that take joy in harming others. those that bring pain with a smile on their faces... and after a long conversation, which was really not as crazy as it sounds it was concluded on that "long as you're not the kind of person that likes to hurt others... you have nothing to worry about."

which i think is fair.

which i think is something we can all agree on. all religion and heavy books aside... be good people, be good to each other. and you'll have nothing to fear.

talk aside, i got a few lines out....

this one looks kinda.. Gaga:

i asked a friend to give me a word... she went with Chakra... i know little on the subject.this is what happened:

something...

this started out as some weird head... which then became a flower which led to Mario and yea... not finished.

teaser of a new small piece finished. still working on some biggger ones. ugh need to give up sleep and social life.

thats all for now. hope everyone is doing good. went to see that move I Am Number Four the other day... it was ok. a bit too... "cute" for my liking. oh well, can't win them all.

heart-shaped boxes and phonecalls

2011-02-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

hi,

here we are mid-February... or just after. i hope your Valentine's day was good. if you love, keep loving. if you're waiting for love... be patient. i for one spent the day with my dear Jessica. nothing too extraordinary. food and drinks. flowers and chocolates. in the end its never about the money spent but about the effort and time that went into every detail. it would appear that my beloved has Celiac Disease... which is sucks. but at the sa

me time gave me an opportunity to shine by making sure everything was awesome yet glutten-free. anyways... good times.

i have been bad at updating this thing. been busy. i'm working part-time now. doing customer service for a Long Distance company. its ok. being bilingual comes in handy. and when its slow i have time to draw.which is gooood.

been working on some new stuff. some big some small. busy bu

sy. dont want to gather TOO much moss.

here are two doodles that came from slow work days. the second one is not finished. not that i know where its even going. just dropping lines til i get bored of it...

here is a mash-up of 4 new pieces i have! don't want to give it all away at once!

these 2 images are images you will never see again.. they are t

he back layers of 2 of the images i posted up there ^^

just thought i would share what goes on behind the scenes... only so much of it shows through once its all put together. which is lame because much time does go into it but... its part of the fun i think. a secret sacrifice i make that no one can truly appreciate. its like the inner workings of the piece. think you can tell which is behind which??

i will totally post more soon. i've been having some crazy dreams. seriously.

peace out.

twenty eleven and counting.

2011-01-14T23:53:00.000-08:00

hello peeps!

i hope you all had a good new year celebration party time filled with noise and kazoos and glitter and all that good stuff that push us into a new calendar. mine was alright, lots of sneezing and coughing... well, from everyone but me. i am either immune or a carrier. like the monkey from that movie im not sure i saw or not.

anyways anyways... been keeping busy. trying to be healthy and such... which is a funny thing to say i just scarfed down some nachos my brother gave me for giving him a ride from the bar. it pays to be kind. :) now i am filled with nachos... and sad faces.

here are some new watercolour things i have done this year:

i decided to include a progress shot of the Beauty and the Beast illustration. why? because its fun. also because i hardly ever like my pieces until i line them up nice. and this is how that is...

also! big news!

i have opened a store on etsy though i initially wanted to avoid it and set up a shop via my site, i decided to bite the bullet and go the easy route... for now. click this banner to ch-ch-check it out!

also! i have a 20% off coupon you can use on my facebook fan page. if you is not a fan... click it. like it. kick back and enjoy the honey warm feeling you will get from it.

this is all for now. much more to come! as i have been quite busy.

now i go back to my Justice League cartoon. this one has Darkseid. gooood times!

december dreaming

2010-12-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

hey

i have a blog?

yes apparently i do. the girlfriend reminds me every now and then.

alright so lets do this! *cracks knuckles*

how is everyone doing? it is cold here in Toronto. snowing and whatnot.

Christmas crap in every corner, shoppers shopping and

being filled with "holiday spirit" as they honk their horns and shove shopping carts... haha festive! i think i'm too Charlie Brown for the season. oh brother.

so a few things have been going on... here, let me tell you.

the other day while watching Scrooged on tv i decided i should do a nice Christmas drawing or something to make an e-card or whatever out of it... because lets face it its too late for ME to figure out printing and mailing before the date. this is what i came up with:

yea a bit darker than i had expected. hence i will have to make another.

for those of you that have extra money and time kicking around, here is my Wish List for this year. :) on the top of the list is a crossbow.. or a recurve bow. unfortunately there was an incident in the city not too long ago about a murder involving a crossbow, putting a damper on my crossbow excitement. in reality if an individual wishes to harm another individual he/she will do so with whatever instruments are available to them.

eg. Ms.Scarlet with the Lead Pipe in the Billiard room. anyways.... list:

here is a commission piece i did for a talented photographer in California. who just happens to be my cousin. it was a wedding gift for a friend of his.

here is what is going on at Galerie D'Este in Montreal. go check it out.

here is what is going on at SleepingGiant Gallery in Toronto. go check it out. very fun stuff.

also i will be part of the AdventShow again at Fine&Dandy Gallery in Toronto. be sure to check that out as well!

lets see... that sums stuff up yea? i will hopefully snap out of whatever daze i am in soon and get posting... also updating that website of mine... also that facebook page i made.

til then... hope everyone is doing well and having good holiday happy family friends fun time.

peace.

sleepless rabble 001

2010-10-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

once more i find myself facing an ageing clock while hours and subconscious dramas slip past me like poisons through cigarette filters. if not for the fact that i am tired i would be practicing productivity and fulfilling punctual promises. i have been away and i have been busy. i have been absently occupied with another's trivial responsibilities. spending my hours achieving another's dreams for the sake of a few slices of silver. to complain and bicker would be wasteful, for a beggar cannot choose from whose plate his next meal will be scraped from.

its funny to say that i find myself, because quite frankly i feel as lost as usual. the bed calls to my aching body and flustered mind only to be met with a corpse that will not stop thinking. cogs that will not stop turning. constantly constructing partially defrosted concepts without the resources to ever be... and in this moment of make believe and party favors the mind cannot help but turn to the mortality of its master, to the irreversible and inevitable end, and then, and then eyes refuse to close, for fear of a sleep without credits.

to sleep perchance to dream... of matadors and weaponry, of libraries and academic failure. unless of course the sun doth shine inside this depth of mine and i am gifted with thoughts of you. you as you are and you as you have never been. masquerading as another, in transparent foliage... but it is you. i recognize, i know you well, like the back of my hand. oh but how to pronounce layers of skin, meat and bone to convey memories of warm embraces?

without pausing and allowing passage to green lights of criticism one is left flooded in the reality of being awake. unfortunate, and inconvenient are these lines as they will not bring the desired result but rather the opposite. like extinguishing a flame with gasoline and broken fingers i am left burnt and inspired. left in the darkness with a senile clock i have come to call friend.

floating in space and water

2010-09-16T22:07:00.001-07:00

hey,

i have been away. not literally or physically. but... away nonetheless.

some time has been spent doing nothing of importance, some was spent job-hunting yet again. however, i have also been productive. or semi-productive.

i have been lining away at my crew of unfortunate astronauts and going insane in the membrane trying to figure out exactly what to do with them. as i did not want to simply do drawings. been working on collage-y elements and... yea we'll see.

here is a teaser for what i'm up to:

also i have been reading The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman. i love this guy. he is seriously one of my top 5 comic writers of all time. he also writes INVINCIBLE which i also recommend.

so when i'm not thinking about how to prepare for the zombie apocalypse and whatnot i have decided to do some watercolours again. yes itsthat time again. it started with a kid in costume. which then led to odd couples. and then i decided i wanted to maybe try at a story. a children's story but not really. i have no set story or anything of the sort yet. but here is what has been coming out:

this one here scanned with odd colours. but you get the idea. i think i actually like how the next two turned out. will probably do 3 or so more in this direction. i guess the kid is dreaming and shit happens in his dreams. bad things. yea... i have been having odd dreams lately. not that these are based on my dreams at all.

thats it for now folks. i have a bunch more things on the go to blog about. blogging is so exhausting sometimes. by exhausting i mean i want some mini wheats. and i'm off.

these days

2010-08-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

hey,

been pretty blah these days. various reasons.

been workin on ma astronauts... still need to figure out how to make everything come together in the end. bg and scale and whatnot. also i have been playing with/obsessing over action figures more than usual lately. quite possibly will result in some kind of stop-motion action figure magic. seriously. been making little couches and carpets and hardwood floors... madness.

here are some random shots i made.

also a random sketch from being all blah. whilst drinking my afternoon coffee.

space cadet

2010-08-14T23:42:00.000-07:00

hey,

i am currently sniffling and sneezing like only i can. i am drinking lots of liquids... mostly juice. which is making my teeth hurt. i just can't win. but enough pity partying for today!

not sure if i have already mentioned this... but the space themed show entitled "Get Your Ass to Mars" will soon be upon us. which is pretty great. when people say space i usually don't think of planets and aliens... but astronauts, cosmonauts if you will. maybe its because it was my child-hood dream to fly off into the blackness of space and eat weird paste food. nonetheless thats what came to mind and thats the route i'm-a-gonna take.

trying something different this time.

not to give too much away but this piece here was kind of the jumping point.

so yea... something kinda like this will be what i will bring to the party. except no digital-ness.

good? maybe.

dreaming of and with

2010-08-03T09:58:00.001-07:00

dear Jessica,

i crawled into bed beside you at around 7am. you were not impressed but not upset. drunk and sore i quickly fell asleep. your alarm woke us two hours later, you had to get ready for school. we exchanged a few words while i was half asleep, i remember being half conscious the entire time. but at the same time i was dreaming... as i often do.

i was dreaming that i was in bed... while you were getting ready. and in that dream i dreamt i was in bed, while you were getting ready, and we were chatting and having good times... conversations and words which then trickled out of this dream and had me talking in my sleep... or at least while half-sleep in my dream.

these dreams went on for what felt like hours.

i was going through your binders and was impressed with how organized you were. you showed me a plasticine Superman you made me. it felt like i had been lying in bed, shielding my eyes from the bedroom light for hours and hours, when in reality only one hour had passed. you shook me at around 10, asking if i could join you for breakfast, i was surprisingly awake and alert. rested. it really felt as if i was in bed longer than i was.

but what i find funniest is that with all the possible realities and scenarios that i was capable of dreaming up, i found myself right where i was. with you in my room, making small talk and laughing before you went off to school.

-----

anwyays, that is what happened this morning and i decided to blog about it in a letter form to my lovely lady. the dream was pretty crazy. but also really convenient because i have had these drawings kicking around for a few days and this is a great way to bring them up on the blog!

not entirely sure what to do with them... an animation of sorts seems like a good idea. i'm sure the concept/characters will pop up again in one of my many projects. what do you think?

fyi they are matryoshka dolls... of sorts.

speaking of dreams... i have yet to see INCEPTION. everyone else has and says good things. i will eventually. but much like the blue faced AVATAR movie, i will probably avoid it just because there is so much hype. nonsense i know.

inter-view

2010-07-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

hey,

so the other day i received an email which led to a visit from the lovely Erin Hogue to my home studio. Erin came with camera in hand, followed by a bunch of questions, thus producing an entry of yours truly in her cool artist and such blog at PUSH.ca

you can see what i'm talking about right here: Erin Houge interview

quarter century and counting

2010-07-24T14:07:00.001-07:00

hey,

so, my birthday past a few days ago. the birthday celebrations were pretty alright. good times were had. whenever my birthday rolls around i can't help but be in a bad mood. not because i am getting older, but because i always try to set some sort of plans/events in motion and they always fall short. 'round my birthday "week" i'm usually quite the diva, i don't mean to be but it just happens... and then i can't shake it off. but whatever. thats over and done with. had fun with friends at Centreville, followed by an unexpected get-together at the gallery, dinner with the family, good times.

unfortunately looking back at what i have accomplished thus far at 25 i can't help but noticed its been mostly eating/spilling on myself, video games, sleeping, and really doing nothing of merit. all in all i have been a slug of a man and need to snap out of it. between this post and the last there are many things i have wanted to say/share but for whatever reason didn't get around to it... so whatever they were, they are now in the yesterdays.

enough of that. here are some drawings i recently coloured. :D

here is the office-y tree character and skull guy again. in this case i decided that i'm the skull headed guy, the girl is my girlfriend. awww... i don't know who that makes the other characters.

not sure where i am going with this one... colour-wise. may just scrap it as colour altogether.

i like how this one turned out. i've never stuck to such a limited palette before. i think its good. like my phony Japanese writing? its just numbers mashed together. haha maybe i should have just researched some kanji. like "strength" or something.

also here is music video for a song i'm looping lately.

more blogging to come. random stuff.

had a heart

2010-07-07T18:41:00.001-07:00

hey,

so some time ago, when i was off wandering around San Fransisco, a great show took place at Dat Salon called Have a Heart the show featured some great Toronto illustrators that had the heart to donate a piece to the show wherein all sales and such would go towards Sick Kids. it was awesome and i missed it. looking back.... it looks like i failed to even mention it on this blog' of mine! how awful!

luckily a super vide-o-matic recording machine was there to bear witness on behalf of all that missed the show. and yea... here is this awesome video. check it out. just makes me more excited about the Meant to Bee show tomorrow evening!

awesome. hope to sees you guys out tomorrow. peace!

thursday and friday

2010-07-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

hey,

i have nothing huge to report just yet. as such i will let you know what is going on this week. short notice yes, but still.

first up is IT'S MEANT TO BEE

a cool group show going on at Dat Salon featuring some lovely Toronto illustrators, including yours truly. the.... rules of the show are that the artists are to use only black+yellow medium + the colour of the "canvas"... so this should be interesting.

411 is as follows:

Start Time:	Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 8:00pm
End Time:	Friday, July 9, 2010 at 12:00am
Location:	Dat Salon
Street:	442e Duffrin st
City/Town:	Toronto, ON or click HERE for facebook page.

next up is a show at SHOW & TELL gallery.

'The Beauty of Failure' a solo show by Anthony Lister.

this guy is pretty awesome. he produces some super great comic-book inspired paintings; raw lines and colours. its stuff i personally find very inspirational... even though i am obviously a failure at describing it.

411 is as follows:

Start Time:	Friday, July 9, 2010 at 7:00pm
End Time:	Sunday, August 8, 2010 at 7:00pm
Location:	Show & Tell Gallery
Street:	1161 Dundas St. W
City/Town:	Toronto, ON or click here for facebook event page

so.. yea. this is what i am up to later this week. that and the usual.

i will try and post some new work soon. also some exciting news about other projects i am working on. yes yes.

summer stuff

2010-06-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

hey,

so it is officially summer. this is good. also bad. it means the year is soon coming to an end. it means that super heat waves of death will begin to wreak havoc over the city. it means that cold Coronas will be served and beaches will be visited.

when i was younger my family would always go camping. at least once a year, usually leaving on my birthday (july19). so many memories of cold lakes, mosquito bites, camp fires, froggies... overall good times. unfortunately the years have not been kind to such family activities. our family, once huge and connected is now old and dispersed. family outings of the sort involving cousins and uncles are a thing of yesteryears.

my younger brother (15) is growing up on summers wasted away video-gaming and tv watching into the wee hours of the... morning. that just ain't right. how is he supposed to break bones or get lost in the woods if he doesn't leave his room?

kids belong outside. thats where life happens.

B&W in SF

2010-06-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

hey,

ok so here is what i did art-wise when i was gone for a month.

first of all... i made these little art boxes before i left. with images and bio and some of my new buttons... basically my website in a box. the plan was to drop them off at coolio places that i would gel with.

the following images are some drawings i did while in SF. mostly while watching NickToons! American commercials were most funs. also i saw around 25 movies in the month i was there. which is, in my opinion, a lot.

this is a mash-up. they remain to be finished. some with lines, some with colour.

back. off track.

2010-06-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

hi all.

i am back. i was away in San Francisco for a month. visiting family. playing tourist. meeting some family for the first time. it was all goods times. saw many of "the sites", but i'm really a bad tourist and can only be so excited by a bridge or tower for so long.

i bought plenty of tshirts, a few toys n comics. haha. nothing OVERLY hyper amazing. it wasn't what i would consider a vacation. it was a trip. the difference? a vacation suggests escape. whereas this seemed like the same routine except in a different place with different peoples. but yea, glad to be back in the city that i call mine own. it was a good experience, but now its time to get back on track. back to the drawing board. not to say i didn't draw over there... it just can't be helped.

we were out everyday. i ate plenty. not junk food though. which is a shame as it makes up about 30% of my American knowledge. none offense.

here is me and the bridge.

here i am at ShootingGallery. beside some HUSH on the wall.

this is a wicked art supplies store they have. flax. flax tortilla chips are delish as well.

this is my Sonic Popsicle in front of... some Art Palace or something.

here i am in front of the... postcard houses

here i am with some SKINNER on mural. around Lower Haters.

i miss the palm trees most.

Alcatraz.

Alcatraz

new first cousins from both sides! and my brother. oh man those sunglasses did not come off. my face was red from the sun after a while too. its much hotter back here in Toronto. maybe i will catch a tan. get nice and brown. or stay in the AC'd basement. oh yes.

wow. i am a terrible photographer.

also i started a TWITTER account! yes i was bored. http://www.twitter.com/aftertheskyfell

yes this blog post is annoying. but its somewhat relevant. more to come!

on-board

2010-05-18T06:02:00.000-07:00

here is whats going on.

i am leaving to California. mostly to chill in San Francisco, with a sprinkle of LA. should be good times. if not for the terrible missing of my beloved girlfriend. she means everything to me (mush mush) and i will be away for a month! holy potato chips this will be sucks!!

the challenge will be to enjoy myself... at least a little bit.

also here is the skateboard i did for the FREEDOMFIGHTERS board auction.

also i am making/getting new buttons! this will be pretty swell if i say so myself.

also. have any of you been watching Smallville still? season finale eh... whats up with that? if you're reading this Rob.... we'll have to do some Superman chatting over a cold one when i get back. na mean?

this is all for now. expect fun and exciting news from... wherever i is.

Californiaaaaaaaaaa here i cooommeeeeeeeee!

threadless

2010-05-07T23:49:00.000-07:00

i have been thinking more and more about making some t-shirts.... well... printing some. i have been told by many people that i am foolish for not having done so thus far as it will be awesome and there will be money and hey... t-shirts are just cool.

i am still in the process of thinking. as i want to approach this from a very serious clothing line perspective and design a name and logo and what-have-you.

i did however upload a drawing onto a shirt on threadless.com

apparently i need ppls to vote on it. good votes. and then it can be a for real shirt and the world can be a slightly better place.

please go here to vote: http://www.threadless.com/sharedesign/271597/shame

this is an older drawing. i think i posted it on here when i did it. either way. vote!

i will hopefully see some of you at the skateboard thing tommorow...err.. later today.

i need to sleep.

aftermath

2010-05-03T22:25:00.000-07:00

hey,

the solo show came and went. it was pretty fantastic i would say. of course i am not the kind of person to ever be completely satisfied with...well... pretty much anything. nonetheless, the least i can say is that it was pretty fantastic.

new friends, new fans, new insights and wonderful conversations, on top of all that i made a few bucks. so really who can complain. it was the first. but very far from the last.

a heart-felt thanks to all those that came out and made it a day to remember.

here are some shots of the installation.... and the back wall i painstakingly painted.

this is me in front of my window. this is my summer hat.

wall.

walls

some people

amazing cake my girlfriend made for the event.

myself, Mr.Elia Morrison and my brother Roberto.

back wall.

fortunately the silence after the show didn't last too long.
i am one of the many talented artists out there to take part in
Another Disposable Art Show
taking place at 52 McCaul
on Saturday May 8th.

here is what it is:
Freedom Fighter Skateboards has teamed up with Well and Good to have this year's Disposable Art show titled "Another Disposable Art show" at 52 McCaul.

This year we wanted to focus on homegrown talent. We are featuring 35 artists from across Canada with over 40 decks being done. This is a silent auction fundraiser to help raise money for Free Skates to help build skateboards for youth here and abroad that would normally not have the means to do so themselves.

awesome? indeed it is.
more info here: http://freedomfighterskateboards.wordpress.com/
facebook it here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112917608739848&ref=ts

alright. i am out for now. keep in touch though, i like you guys.
which is why i added a messaging thing on the site. its in the about section!

see you.

the end is nigh

2010-04-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

hi,

this is not a post about 2012 or any kind of end of the world dealy. its about the solo show of mine that i have been busting my ass on for the past couple o months and then some. its a jump, skip, and a hop away. please come. it'll be sweet.

also i did an interview. check it out here: a la mode

you can learn about me as well as peek into the show! wowzers!

the show

2010-04-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

this is the solo show. i have been working mighty hard and highly recommend you come visit me.
if you live in Toronto you will probably run into one of these. they will be everywhere.
details for the opening are as follows.
click here for facebook event

Start Time:	Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 6:00pm
End Time:	Friday, April 23, 2010 at 12:00pm
Location:	sleeping giant gallery
Street:	789 dundas st w
City/Town:	Toronto, ON

dance-ing for monies

2010-03-28T15:34:00.000-07:00

hola,

here is some stuff that is up.
i have been crazy busy as of late working on more and more for that gosh-darn solo show (apr22). but as always there is other stuff running around the streets of Toronto.

oddly enough they both have same reception date. what a rip.

first of all there 1000 for $10 at hotshot gallery in Kensington market.
it will feature a bajillion pieces of amazing art for 10 bucks a pop. i found out about this event last year. bought a small drawing by Filip Anton, hes pretty great. i will have 40 small drawings and junk. haha good junk! click here to go to the facebook event page.

another thing i am up to is a show entitled inspired by dance at the Pia Bouman ballet school. don't know anything about the artists involved. my good friend Elia works at the school, i myself have wandered around their studios doing miscellaneous handy work. click here to go to the facebook event for this event.

this is the piece i submitted for the inspired by dance show. my source image was a hip-hop guy doing a slide of sorts. somehow it evolved into this ancient ritual looking thing. i think its pretty awesome. whether its befitting a ballet school... that remains to be seen.
i have many more updates coming soon. still haven't made a nice invite and whatnot for the solo show. also some other shows coming up. busy busy busy. also i am currently watching some awesome amazing animated Spiderman from the 90s. very good times. Spidey is a pain in the ass though. he talks and talks and talks!

which reminds me! remember that you know what love is show i was a part of in February? here are some images. missing one though. blaaaaah i hate misplacing stuff and things!!

i am just realizing that this may be the first time you have seen me do work like this. working like i have with mylar has made me really appreciate the fun of transparencies. this work is almost the exact same save for the lack of ink clouds and colours. same trick. different pony.

poke poke poke

2010-03-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

hey.
this is me being better with the blogging. though the more i blog means the more i have less interesting things to say. you win some you lose some.

alright... so my kid brother bought the new POKEMON game. remember them? yea well for whatever reason they're still going and keep making money. my first encounter with these things was back in 1996 when i was introduced to the cards. which were cool for some reason. i remember buying them for 50cents and up from a girl in my elementary school... later i found out it was better to buy a pack... haha back in my day 50cents was a lot of money. long story short those lil buggers took many hours of my young life. i have kicked the habit but my brother Chris hasn't.

anyways... the new versions of this game come with a poke-pedometer of sort. which is amazing. basically someone said "these kids are getting wicked fat sitting all day playing video games, how can we get them off their asses and get the parents off ours?...." and lo this idea came up.
the idea is that you shove one of your pokemon into the pedometer which you then carry in your pocket when you walk around and every step you take helps your pokemon gain points and levels and whatever. basically you can take your poket monster out for a stroll. so today when i went out for a walk with the dog i took his little egg monster thing TOGEPI out for a walk as well. amazing.

here is a drawing of pokemens that i used to have. in the game... i vaguely remember what they looked like. if im wrong im sure its for the best. you know whats better than a drawing you spend hours on? a drawing you spend minutes on!

here is what i had for dinner today. needed more hot sauce but overall very good. hence the need to document.

yes this is my blog entry for today. amazing i know.

march breaking

2010-03-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

hey. how's it going?

much has gone on these past weeks. been doing my thing. working hard on the upcoming solo show, while simultaneously tinkering with redoing the website. as such it has not been updated in like... forever.

last week was the Broken Arts Fair in Oshawa. it was good times. the zine came out nice and i made a whole bunch this time. its loaded with a b&w drawings. initially had many poems but i decided to scrap them... overall i am pleased with the outcome. i think vol.2 will be very different though. the more i read the "zines" of others the more i want to add/change about mines. so.... want one? $5. in case you were wondering... the tablecloth under the zines in photo is just some tablecloth i was doodling on during the fair.

i also had over 60 small drawings for sale. here is a large image of the smaller 36. makes a super wallpaper! these were and will continue to go for $10. want one? how small exactly you ask?... approximately 3"x4.25" original good stuff.

i won't bore you with too many personal stories of things going right and things going nuts. haha maybe next time. lately i have spent my art time watching 2 seasons of Gargoyles, one season of The Maxx, MTV's Downtown, and currently on the second season of The Tick. fun all around.

short month

2010-01-31T23:14:00.000-08:00

hellos.

it is the first day of February! the month know for its shortness, paper hearts, and sad faces. not to mention the fact that i seem to spell it wrong most every time.
i hope you have all been well. i have been pretty okay. i am failing on my NewYrs Resolution with great eagerness. on the bright side i have been slaying away on work for the solo show. i will upload some teasers next time we meet. now here is some news and such.

well i am currently splitting my waking hours between solo show art, other illustration stuff, and renovating my basement!! i have made much too many trips to the hardware store these days. seriously. hours upon hours lost picking out the right toilet, vanity, potlights, dragging laminate flooring and sheets of drywall around... oh death. here is a photo of me taking a picture of a vanity i liked for the sake of deciding. thought i would share because i think its funny. also i dont seem to post pics of myself. however will you know its me when we by chance meet?

Feb.12 . 8pm . You Know What Love IS . Sleeping Giant Gallery

this will be a very awesome show. a very sexxxy show i am thinking. featuring most of the amazing skills that brought you the Villain Show!! also the show is sponsored by MadLove. meaning there will surely be some love-inspired freebies. you would be a not-cool person to miss it. here is the facebook event page! people still use facebook right??

Mar.19 . 3-9pm . Broken Arts Fair . McLaughlin Library . Oshawa

do you like zines? love them maybe? love arts and crafts and baked goods and junk?! well... if you live in Oshawa or if you like drives/GO trains/whatever... you want to go to this! there will be many tables chalk-full of amazing stuff and things to buy and enjoy! not only will i have my SECOND zine available for purchase (copies of the first one "it was the blurst of times" will still be kicking!).... i have been making small drawings on different coloured papers and will have them for peoples at DIRT CHEAP prices!! heres a shot of a bunch of them so far:

i don't have much more to tell i don't think. if anything else comes up be sure you wills be one of the firsts to know. much love.

lemons

2010-01-18T14:14:00.001-08:00

the LemonLife article i last did an illustration for just went up.
check it out why don't ya?

i gots 99 problems

2010-01-15T16:19:00.001-08:00

for once i have decided to open a blog entry with an image opposed to... words. it looks nice when other ppl and well, maybe it'll look good on me. how y'all been? i'm okay. been trying to keep busy doing my thang. been slacking more than i care to admit. new yr resolutions already going down the crapper. need to redo the website. thinking of using the twins up there as a jumping point. dunno.

this is an illustration i did for LemonLife. i'll let you look at their site and hopefully the article will be up when you do and you can judge for yourself whether its a fair illustration for said article. i decided to throw the initial sketch in there too. sketches are funs!

random sketchbook stuff.
6-page sketches of an... origin story of some character i came up with named Dr.Think... may have mentioned him some months back... may need to change the character's name as i don't think the origin story works with name... or maybe i will make many origins for same character and it'll be a fun gimmick of sorts... ( i realize its hard to follow, decided to post just to show those that might care how scribbly my sketches are at times.)

need to get about a million things done these days. haha maybe thats what i mean by 99 problems... also i was playing the Jay-Z track and couldn't resist. if only i didn't have to sleep... oh but how i love to sleep! to dream!

2010

2010-01-03T13:42:00.000-08:00

twenty-ten.

how about that! i don't have to say "thousand" anymore! which is... good? who knows. looking back at past blog entries i am noticing they are more chit-chat rants than anything else. so i will spare you this time. i will sum up my year so far by saying that i am sick and my dog is sick and its cold and boo its sucks.

here is my chester at christmas! poor guy got assulted by the "hey lets make the dog look like an idiot" jerks.

ok so i bought a pound of paper at Wal-Mart the other day and then decided to toss them on drawings. i dont know how i feel about the outcome. most likely i am done. i will end up using the lovely coloured papers for something else... but what?! a diorama you say?!

more playing with wood chips while waiting for train.

ok so i did these two little watercolurs entitled "childhood friend 1" and "childhood friend 2" respectively, because for an xmas get together gift exchange the idea was to make something. so i made these and then framed and wrapped the top one. after being stolen a few times it ended up at the happy hands of Dianne. i am thinking i will make many more little watercolours like this. though they will not all be blogged about as that will defeat the purpose of updating and redoing the ol' website. www.blamethesky.com

ok. now that i got that blogging bug out of my system for the day i need to get on my "serious" art. 2010 huh... already a thorn in my spine... or however the expression goes.

another dollar

2009-12-30T22:56:00.000-08:00

hey,

unless something very important and unexpected occurs within the next few hours, this will be the last entry for the mighty year 2009. i guess i am glad to see the year go, for no reason other than the fact that one should always be ready to let go of the past and dive head first into the future.

people tend to make resolutions, promises, pacts with themselves when a year comes to close. i'm no different. its funny how the "noble" ideas and desires i have to improve myself grow in volume when i am riding the bus home on my own, accompanied by the background music and distant voices from my ipod. its funny how the mental list begins with the usual "get in shape" and "eat better", then slowly turns into "be a more understanding brother, be a better friend, speak less/listen more", only to then dip down into "spend less money, make more money, travel, buy this, buy that, achieve fame and fortune". by no means am i suggesting that one shouldn't take the material into account when trying to identify what changes to attempt to make for the sake of the budding new year. we are only "human" after all... which really is another way of saying that we are flawed. we spend so much time thinking about what we want that we forget about what we need. yes i would very much like to do some travelling and buy myself a car and get a six-pack, but what i need is to become more independant, to better prioritze my goals and to be more driven to achieve them. the thing is, some resolutions are better off written in sand then on paper. we are clumsy, fickle creatures that are only capable of self-less thought when we are alone with our own thoughts. the moment a person becomes people everything changes. suddenly goals become focused not on being better for the sake of being a better individual but to be better than the other. i don't know... in time the voices of reasoning and whatnot die down and i'm left thinking about what there is in the fridge to eat.

so what are my resolutions this year?
maybe by making them public i will be that much more determined to see them through? maybe not. haha oh well i'm definitely not the first or last one to do so. ok so... hmmm lets see. in no particular order, without too many details:

- get in shape. being consistent with both cardio and weight training, eating better etc.
- read more books. "smarter" books, readings outside of graphic novels and the usual fare.
- be a better friend. better friend to those i call friends and more of a friend to those i know as acquaintances.
- more art. the more art i make the better art i make. need to be more driven and dedicated in order to succeed at all. also redo website oh snap!
- give in to the 9-5. i need to get a for real job as much as i don't want to. i need the constant money flow, and all that comes with it.
- travel. this means that roadtrip happening. getting my damn passport and visiting family in Cali.

hmmm that about covers it i think. the important ones maybe.... hopefully. either way i can always add more. overall the idea is in with the good and out with the bad. only heaven knows.

come clean

2009-12-29T11:10:00.000-08:00

hi,

today my beloved girlfriend and i will be celebrating 5 magical years together. 5. that is an awful lot... in my opinion it is. we're not doing anything overly fancy, much as i would like to, because well, we don't have the extra cash to go all Gatsby on the occasion.

usually when i stay over at the gf's place i choose to use her dad's man shampoo and a bar of soap. for whatever reason i ended up using her "stuff". for reasons unknown to me women enjoy products that leave them smelling like they were just dragged through a field of flowers, followed by an apple orchard, follow by a bakery. stepping out of the shower earlier today i felt like i had just washed myself with a fruit salad. i honestly felt less clean than when i went in. i just don't care for kiwi strawberry blossom hair. nor do i care for leaving a towel smelling like a fruit roll-up. i enjoy "manly" products. products that are named after natural disasters and BMX moves. the bottled scent of a glacier earthquake explosion is really the only way to go. of course i am referring to my preference in regards to my own aroma. i have nothing against my lovely smelling like a grapefruit dipped in honey and... oats.

today i am wearing my Captain America t-shirt. which caused the girlfriend to frown. until i pointed out that Cap's star has 5 points... to represent the 5 wonderful mickey mouse years we have shared. she then smiled and walked away.

yesterday i picked up these 3 movies. hopefully we will watch one of them. but i doubt it.

merry hairy xmas

2009-12-25T19:14:00.000-08:00

hello friends,

first of all i would like to wish you all the best of the best that these holidays have to offer! if good happenings could be measured in rice i would wish you all... a lot of rice! tons even! sacks and sacks of delicious rice, brown, wild and brown!

well, my family and i usually do the whole christmas getup on the 24th, making the 25th a more chillaxing day or relaxing adventures. as such i am in my lair writing this blog-o entry. i've been enjoying the last days of the year very much so. nice gifts i have received! i'll tell you about that some other time...

ok so TODAY was odd... it was like no 25th before. i woke up pretty late, after about 3 "breakfasts" i sat down to some tele. which led to sitting while watching MONSTER TRUCKS (no clue whose idea that was), a show on PRIMATES and others on the DISCOVERY network, paired with some wine drinking and empanada eating. here are pictures illustrating such:

here are 2images composed of some sketchbook scanning! sketchbooks are so fun, im so glad i have finally learned the importance of keeping a "book" opposed to scraps of paper that get lost and wrecked.

as i type this i am watching Mike Mignola's THE AMAZING SCREW-ON HEAD. a definite for any Mignola fan! the art is great and although it is very short it is packed with so much of what makes Mignola stuff super amazing fantastic i love it.

much love to all. more rice and best wishes for the new year and the days remaining in this one! xoxo.

woodn't you like to know?

2009-12-17T23:03:00.000-08:00

ah-choo!

i mean... hi. today's blog entry is based on wood! how random i know. there is so much to say on the subject! but i am somewhat tired and don't really care enough to go too much into details. so here are some facts or somethings....
i enjoy the smell of freshly cut wood, but i am apparently very allergic to it! for that same reason i have never been able to give carpentry a try, outside of the necessary cuts of wood ie. 2x4 studs for renos etc...
since i can remember i do in fact knock on wood for superstitious reasons. which is really odd considering my persistence in insisting that there is no such thing as "luck" when arguing with friends etc... much as i would like to drop the wood-knocking habit i can't seem to, it is heavily hard-wired into my system.

when the duct installing guys came over to the house they had to (obviously) cut holes in the hardwood for he vents, hardwood pieces which we kept to repair some other junk... hardwood pieces that i painted on. it was fun, mostly because they are so small haha if that makes any sense... it remind me of a segment from Mr.Dressup where he would use cups or something and they would have drawings on them that would do.. stuff and live and such.

the other day i was at an arts and crafts store and i picked up these 2 wooden puzzles. one pops out the pieces and then follows the "directions" and then you end up with 3d wooden puzzle things. i bought two so i could share with my brothers (aww). this is the one i ended up doing... after what felt like many many hours i finished with this. which is more or less what its supposed to look like... only i have a few left over pieces... and not everything actually stays where its supposed to. all in all it was fun but no i probably won't be buying any more. these puzzles are for ages 6+, which i found amazing. not because i don't think kids are capable, but because i don't personally know any kids with the patience to follow it through to the end. *shrug*

artificial growth

2009-12-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

sleighs and slays!

thanks to the insane determination of my father i was able to make the space for the beloved plastic Christmas tree! after a few ticks i managed to lug out the tree bits, attach them and "fluff" the branches to the desired fullness. no decorations just yet but the damn tree is up! haha at this rate the lights will go up on the 20th, the decorations on the 23rd and the whole shabang will probably come down sometime in February.

putting the tree up one can't help but be drawn back into days of yesteryear. i remember being about 10 years old or younger, making a trip downstairs where my younger cousins lived, paper and pencil crayons in hand, brother right behind me. i remember how excited and grown-up i was in instructing and assisting the slightly younger ones in making their Christmas wish lists. shuffling through the pages of the Sears WishBook that had arrived at our doorsteps earlier that week, scribbling down the names of the PowerRangers and Barbies of the year on sheets of paper embellished with prismacoloured trees and hollys. haha oh man its nuts how much fun we would have and how much i enjoyed playing the Teacher or whatever....

sadly this tradition, much like all traditions eventually do, came to an end. not really due to not having enough time etc etc but because i became more materialistic. my "wish lists" began to include prices and store locations, eventually including images and specific instructions/details. the innocence of those days lost in holiday greedyness and ugly consumerism.

hey remember the Dragonzord?! so cool. though i was always more of a RedRanger kinda guy.

anyways... that was then and this is now. currently i am sitting at my desks watching season1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer! oh man was she hot. what is she doing nowadays? last movie i saw with her also featured Brendan Fraser... called Breathe i think... not overly exciting.

i am also drinking from my massice Mug of Coffee and enjoying some toast with Nutella while working on a watercolour piece for a gift exchange of sorts, i will post it when i'm done.

you got squared!

2009-12-13T23:09:00.000-08:00

bonjour!

it has been an eventful month and a bit. seriously. oh man where to start? i will do a montage o sorts. here we go!
turns out the wicked headaches i've been getting were not due to my sudden infatuation with the magical world of McDonalds but was in fact the result of all the CO i had in my system.

turns out the boiler was broken, and needed to be replaced. KA-CHING!$$$%^%$

the house had old water radiators so the decision was made to upgrade to a furnace/forced air system... which meant lovely invasive renovating! goodbye basement ceiling! KA-CHING!$$$%^%$ KA-CHING!$$$%^%$

while renos at the house were still going on BAM! there goes the car! not a huge deal but its out of commission for a few days which is a horrible inconvenience. (note: this isn't my car, kinda looks like it tho so.. yea.) anyways... KA-CHING!$$$%^%$KA-CHING!$$$%^%$KA-CHING!$$$%^%$

i got these LIMITED EDITION prints made. edition of 7. they will be available at SLEEPINGGIANTGALLERY!! check them out! i doubt they will last too long.

my friend Elia's Mom hosted a squaredance/social event! it was very awesome. the girlfriend and i had mucho fun and wine and goodies. i highly recommend this fantastical dance to anyone and everyone! there should be a movie about squaredancing crews that battle each other! i would definitely see that. apparently squaredancing isn't a competetive sport though. and yes it is a sport!... least in my eyes.

i made a zine! entitled "after the sky fell". sound familiar? its the same name of my blog which you are currently carressing with your beady little eyes! i had a table at a music/art/crafts night hosted by BROKEN ARTS at Isabella's Cafe in Oshawa. i was very pleased with the experience and will definitely be pursuing this zine business further. i still have some of the original few i made! email me if you'd like one. only 500 Canadian pennies!

hmmm so... yea. that and the usual holiday fun adventures, art making, eating, sleeping... that basically sums up my month so far. not all good things but hey i can't complain too much. we're still here and have plenty to be grateful for. something one often forgets in times of crisis. like the saying goes; "everything will work out in the end, if everything is not okay, its not the end."... or something like that.

el seis de diciembre

2009-12-06T16:45:00.000-08:00

today is the 6th of december. today is the day my 8x8 piece goes up in the window of fine & dandy gallery. it is part of their advent show wherein every day of december a new piece goes up much like those advent calendars with the chocolates. equally as delicious! just... in a different way.
you should check it out.

here is a picture of my piece in case the gallery has yet to update their site.

time machine-o

2009-12-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

greetings!

soon to be seasons greetings i suppose, though really i do not know what that means. but anyways... the other day i was at SLEEPINGGIANTGALLERY at the reception for Different Strokes for Different Folks, i was talking with fellow artists Jacob Hughes and Mark Burnham. for obvious reasons the conversation turned to age, to the fact that Jacob was 17, Mark 32 and myself 24. three different generations in the same place at the same time. which got me thinking about what i was up to at 17, because sometimes to get a better idea of what the future holds one has to look into the past.
after taking a trip back in time in my amazing time machine i came to realize that although much has changed much has remained the same. many themes and subjects have stayed with me through the years. the more evident ones are as follow; figures, teeth, angel wings, outlines, white figures, superheroes, muscles, distortion of said figures, and darkness. haha looking at this short list i can't help but feel like i should have many more issues than i do (i got none baby!).

at the moment i don't care enough to dig up pre-highschool images so we wil make do with these:

these two images here are from gr.11. it was the first time having to create a "series" of work. for whatever reason my series was on phobias. above we have fear of public speaking and below we have fear of being alone. its pretty crazy looking back into old sketchbooks. i had "meanings" and "reasons" for every element in the paintings. haha and as much as they suggested i avoid outlining things.... i clearly couldn't help myself.

these two here are from a much longer series that came up from a strange dream and metaphors class i had in... first year at OCAD i believe. so i was... 19? i really liked these and stuck with them for a bit. the first one came before OCAD i think, while i was messing with some paint in trying to be a "rougher" painting... i think thats where the buildings came about. the one above here is actually the first piece i ever had in a showed outside of a classroom. it was for a square foot show. which was really open to anyone but it still made me feel very special. especially when i saw that little red dot on the wall beside it haha. good times.

ok so now we come to the present. which all began with much smaller ink on paper drawings in a 4th year class with Ed Pien. the idea was to challenge ourselves by working like one of the artists he showed us slideshows of. i think i actually went with Ed's approach to some of his works which was to begin with a random stroke of ink on the empty paper and draw from it and with it. my first reactions was to draw from inkblots but to draw superheroes. so i had a batman here, a superman there. Ed saw potential in it and told me to keep trying but to not use copyrighted images that the world recognize as such. which led to small random images which ithen decided would be fractions of stories, as they were based on random titles i pulled from books. eventually i tried out mylar as it would allow me to use layers much like i do in Photoshop. time passed... and here we are. the image above is actually one of the first mylar pieces that i regarded as a success. it remains one of my favorites and is the image on my business cards! the image below is much more recent and is currently in a juried show at StationGallery in Whitby.
the current series is doing pretty awesome for me. people seem to like it. which of course is all i can ask for haha. but as any good artist knows, i can keep doing the same thing for only so long. already its begun to evolve in leaps and bounds, at this point i can only guess where i will go. as much as i hate it... i think the plan is to go BIGGER!

mid-yawn

2009-11-30T21:16:00.000-08:00

hi.

i have nothing to say today either. i want to start posting random photos of things like most "bloggers" seem to do. unfortunately i simply hate lugging my camera around. so... who knows.
here are some random drawings of the week. the last 2 images here are kinda meant to be side by side... the words on the banner things... random nonsense... i have to get working on a small zine as well as an 8x8... but... but i don't wanna... haha not just yet at least.

man... i draw a lot of skulls. when did that happen??

between today and then some...

2009-11-29T23:05:00.000-08:00

hellos.

i keep running hundreds of different relatively relevant conversations and thoughts that i think would make for relatively interesting blog entries... but right now none of them seem at all relevant. also i am sleepy. but for whatever reason i have this terrible desire to put SOMETHING up today. and so here are 4 little drawings i did. amazing.

oh and then theres this thing. the image is of one of four drawings i did for a $20/piece gallery thing at a gallery which i believe is currently just called 52. anyways.... i made this little logo kinda thing to use as an avatar for this site i was invited to some months ago: http://www.moodberry.com/en_US
you should check it out.

its amazing how many coffees i can drink and still fall asleep no problem. delicious coffee...
expect relevant and exciting posts sometime this week... or something.

aftrermaths +

2009-11-22T11:53:00.000-08:00

afternoon all,

today i woke up later than usual, which is nice as i feel like i have been tired everyday for the past week. not an unhealthy tired, just an "i really need some coffee" tired. yes there is a difference. the Villain show reception came and went, it was a full house of happy smiling faces and that is always awesome. sadly i left early... what with being tired and all.

the Whodunit gala, and the public sale day came and went, also good times. you can always trust that if i get tickets to any kind of fancy swanky event i will eat and drink as much as i can... isn't that what being an artist is really all about?... the answer is yes.

much thanks and appreciation to all who came out to either event. as much as i hate to say it... christmas is coming up... time to start that shopping!! psst art is makes excellent gifts. books on proper grammar is also very good and more better haha.

here are 2 images summing up my contribution to both shows i have just mentioned. i believe all my whodunit pieces are gone, the villain ones may still remain if anyone is interested ;)

i saw that Inglorious Basterds movie last night. i enjoyed it. thats really all i have for today. peace out!

... man i love how my work looks so... bipolar!

quick and clean

2009-11-16T04:38:00.000-08:00

hey folks,

it has been much too long. i am back online and have been terribly busy... which means, or at least suggests that i will be updating the site and blogging this blog much more frequently.

its too early for me right now, also its very cold and i have no heat. long story short; old boiler=carbon monoxide=bad headaches=no heat for a bit. fun times i know. there is much to show and much to tell but for now i will stick to business. here it is. upcoming shows!!

WHODUNIT
online: nov18-21
onsite: nov18 &19 noon-8
public sale: nov21 10am-4pm
gala preview: nov18 6:30. tickets:150

this annual event features around 1400 5 1/2X7 1/2 pieces by emerging and established artists alike! all work sells for $75 and its all very amazing. this year all my good karma paid off and i was selected to take part in the silent auction. which is very fantastic. check it out: silent auction preview. i submitted a total of 4 pieces, meaning there are 3 pieces floating around, hidden among many others for a mere $75! get up early though, the line ups are insane!

THE VILLAIN SHOW
nov20-nov27
sleepinggiantgallery

amazing show paying homage and tribute to vile evil-doers of todays and yesterdays. featuring works by: Laura Harte. Hugo Arias. Andrew McNeil. Abraham Nelson. Gillian Blekkenhorst. Simen Leung. Mikellis .Trevor Henderson. Jeremy Kai. Jennifer Ilett. Vivian Rosas. Jamie Johnson. Micheal Fan. And possibly ... Afo G.

this will be a very solid show of amazing illustrative powers!
check out the facebook event page.

DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS
nov27-not sure...
sleepinggiantgallery

a mixed media show featuring some of SG's sweet artists and a few other delicious minds!

---

that is it for shows this month.... i think i am taking part in 2 more events in december.. i will get back to you on that haha.. also i have some images to post (not many as i am keeping mucho secret).
i have been busy working on this and that and work for the upcoming solo show, i am working on a zine of sorts because zines simply rock and even roll... aaaaaaannnddd yea. more soon. hope everyone is doing good.

peace out.

black and white and hurting wrists.

2009-09-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

i have been drawing. which in my case is another way of saying that i have been thinking.

and oh how the wheels in my head have been turning! ( a dangerous pastime) i know! now i have gone and derailed my train of thoughts... so i will grow a new one.... i have been sleeping on the floor lately as i have turned my bed into another table to allow for producing more and larger work in regards and preparation for the upcoming (eventual) solo show. the solo show which initially was to showcase my series of ink/mylar pieces may become something else now... i have been thinking much about it and about my work in general and have decided that it would be wrong for me to have my other "side" sitting on the bench while the inks score amazing slam dunks for the team. as such the idea of having a..... dual show of sorts springs to mind. a show featuring me and myself. larger inks exploding with colour and abstract elements alongside smaller, tighter pen drawings of skulls with birds and madnesses.... know what i mean guvernah?

solo show aside... i have been reading more, which is another way of saying that i have been absorbing more. which has led to the reigniting of my desire to be publish in every way possible. i have been writing stories... well... novels... well... really they are chapters.. single chapters from books that i will never write. just a random chunk of something more. no ending or end. just a part of a story arch that will never see the light of day. i wish to publish a book of these. but then... why not add art to this book? poetry too! oh man!!!

i have begun a comic... again. the difference is that this one isn't being overthought. it doesn't have to be because it will be including much of other comic ideas that never left the foodcourt. it will be funny, random, superhero action, ironic, silly, amazing... really everything i want to do just mushed into one long story that currently has no real ending. it should be good. really.

i am losing focus as i type as i am unravelling everything i am mentioning in my thin-skulled head. i will leave you with some drawings. such are the drawings i wish to include in solo show. such is the style of art the amazing fantastic mystical comic will be in... because this is how i draw now. and it makes me happy.

on another note... my lil brother's birthday is coming up. no clue what to get him! what do you get someone that has money you dont... who is terribly impulsive and unpredictable at times... what do you get someone who in your mind deserves the best of everything this world has to offer?.... stupid kid.... i'll just get him a gift certificate haha... or something.

lethargic and nostalgic

2009-09-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

hey peeps,

once more i find myself at a cyber cafe. this sucks. but anyways....

after a massive sale at the local comicbook store my brother finds himself drawn to the old days when we would run into Toys'R'Us and find the action figure section to always be the most amazingest thing ever. lately it....it's just depressing. ah the old days of simple yet awesome 5inch fictional comicbook figures... i miss it too... not that i have money or space anyways... somehow this all ties into a purchase i recently made at a yardsale (oh the treasures)

what did i buy you wonder... well i bought a vending machine!! the kind that spit out trading cards and stickers and tattoos and the sort!! which i think is fanstastic and loaded with possibilities! i mean come on!! tiny art prints! "art cards"! stickers with mine drawings and such! oh man!!!!! so yea. thats what i'm mulling around in my mind these days. look out world!!

i have no fun pictures for you. have none on me.... bah!

evil is a 6 letter word

2009-08-27T20:21:00.001-07:00

dearest internet,

i have nothing exciting to say. as i always say... i have been busy drawing squids for a client. which is pretty awesome because i like drawing squids. i have been sketching and researching way too many SUPERVILLAINS for the upcoming SUPERVILLAIN show... in october i believe. i had started with a watercolour + pen approach and have decided to scrap that plan and go with simple black and white fancyness with flashes of solid deep red. everything should... hopefully... work out super. if i can come to decide on WHO to draw. i've decided to pull from MARVEL and DC comic characters. what can i say? i love comic books.

here is the VENOM i started with. i like it ok but not enough to continue in this direction. thought i'd share.

here is my dog. Chesterfield. he is the best dog ever. and by best i mean horibly annoying and people-like. and i wouldn't change a thing!.... haha oh i say that now...

long weekends and long walks

2009-08-04T14:56:00.001-07:00

hello again. and again. and again!

long weekend is over, which doesn't mean much when your days are mostly all the same anyways. biggest difference was that i had no time to draw. apparentlty a relaxing long weekend by the lake means just that. sitting with a beer... doing nothing. and then bbq-ing your food, eating, and then back to nothing. this time around i brough the chesterthedog. which was a nice change. aside from the fact that he didn't really seem to enjoy himself. he just seemed paranoid and alert. not used to the different noises and bugs and random ppl walking so close to his "territory". it was pretty ok overall. look i have art to share!! awesome!!

hope that those of you who had a long weekend... had a goood one. seriously.

oh. also i got up on this website here: http://sideroom.com/magazine/2009/08/hugo-arias/
is pretty cool.
and of course do not forget the contest!

"lets do lunch" -- i dont know what this one was about. it started with Cap and somehow he became a mermaid and this happened. i dont know...

"goodbye balloon" -- random small drawing. i really like it. hes at some kind of zoo i guess...

"Carl" this is a boston terrier. his name is Carl. he likes coffee.

treasures of time

2009-07-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

today i sit typing on one of the computers at my "alma mater"... as i continue to count my internet-less days. today, however, i am armed with a USB stick! meaning i am not completely naked in the web that is the internet.

i have no relevant information to share but i do have pictures...well... just 3 but still... i want to share.---

ok so this is an amazing little clay sculpture i found at a second hand store the other day. it has this weird little demon guy sitting on a horse or something. there was a second one with a purple similar demon eating icecream... but i decided to only buy one. didn't want to be greedy. anyways, i think it is most amazing. there is no writing or anything on the sculpture so i don't know where its from... if any of you out there know. please let me know.--

next we have these two super awesome autographed photos of AdamWest (Batman, duh) and Julie Newar (Catwoman) that my girlfriend's lovely parents got me for my birthday.
of course they went up on my wall pretty fast. which really just made me think how much better they would look had i a sweet loft with exposed brick walls and such to hang them on. really the only photos that would top these would be an autogrpahed (to me) photo of the late, great Christopher Reeve. but alas he was needed elsewhere. life is funny like that... or something.--
speaking of life and death and enjoying it while you can... in case you did not know... contest is happening. do it up.

this is all i have to say for now.i have an insane amount of work to upload to ye olde website once i get the chance. keep checking back. much love.

contested

2009-07-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

oh it feels like i have been gone for a very long time. mostly because i have. it's not all bad... sure i feel like i am living under a rock, and i am now the last one to find out about any and all exciting things regarding friends, family, and fancy art things happening around the city. on the bright side i am being very productive. meaning that once i get some good online time and have my usb stick with me there will be many many updates in all my art stuffs.

a few days ago i turned 24. almost quarter century. this is kind of a big deal. i feel terribly old. but it's not all bad... i have done much in my few years, and the future looks very bright. bright and awesome.

so due to a combination of things i am launching a contest for my beloved friends, fans, and fawns. you should probably check it out. you can win free art!!!
http://www.blamethesky.com/contest.html

i am working a "security" position with my friend Elia, waiting for our XL pizza to arrive. things are good. sadly i don't have any files on me or accessible to me etc etc. meaning i won't be able to show you what i have been up to. next time.

so yea.... contest!!
http://www.blamethesky.com/contest.html

...disconnecting

2009-06-25T22:21:00.000-07:00

well, its happening.
again.

my internet service is going to be gone in a day or two and i will be forced to reconnect with the real world until i can bring in constant income with which to pay the intranet giants and get back to wasting countless hours doing facebook quizzes. so hopefully in the meantime i will be able to use my time more wisely and hopefully, hopefully, theoretically... get more arts done. but really who knows.

oh man. today i feel like the constant routine and drag that is my life has hit home. the fantastically illustrated shit hit the fan. ok well maybe that didn't just happen today. its been feeling this way for a while now. eugh... i need more challenges in life. but thats another story.

hey so... Michael Jackson died today. that came as a crazy shock when it was sent to me via text message. death is always unexpected, but really there are some that are more unexpected than others. this was one i would say.
i wasn't a huge fan of MJ, i didn't really... understand him. but i did admire him and the influence he has had on so many musicans and people of all sorts. he will be missed but definitely not forgotten.

i did 3 small drawings today. here they are. alongside their initial sketches that i doodled while watching SpongeBob. its so cool to see what the lil scribbles amount to when more time and focus is invested.

and with that.... goodbye for a while fair interweb. you will be missed.
hopefully i will still find time to do whatever it is the internet is for.
upload. update. etc.

take it easy, breezy...

shh.

2009-06-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

it has been said that silence is golden. though i would argue that it isn't. due to the fact that it is actually much more difficult to find. i would argue that at one point in time silence would have been considered the norm... then again i would argue that sound is relative and a matter of perception in which case silence is not "real". but thats another story....

children are brought up to be quiet at certain times, they are raised in a way that makes them dependent on silence in order to fall asleep or to concentrate on a difficult task. this just doesn't make sense to me. noise is nature. where there is life there is chaos, there is disruption, there is action there is noise. in which case silence is the constructed of the two. we build homes and insulate windows to keep out noise "pollution" so that we can "relax". though i probably agree with that more than i would care to admit i think its stupid. stupid to think that because we cannot hear it it does not exist. much like changing the channel because the scenes of death and destruction are to real to take in, instead choosing to watch something else... escaping the reality of the world, washing one's hands clean of whatever riot or war may be taking place are codes away.

to shush someone, to hold up your finger and say shh is to say no. to say no what you are saying is not important, what you have to say doesn't matter. instead listen, instead witness and stand there quietly.

there are too many sounds, too many voices, too many words that will go without an audience. if a tree falls in the forest but no one is around to hear it... does anybody care?

i don't have a point. i'm just talking. just typing.

father's day recently passed. made me think of all the year, if not years, that i made my father a father's day card depicting the generic father figure with a white shirt and tie etc... my father has never worn a tie to work in his life. i'm sure he is not the only one. its weird. i wonder what used to go through his head. there i was... early elementary school years... looking up at him handing him a card with a tie cut out of wallpaper or something.... in the end i doubt he cared, he always seems proud and impressed by whatever artistic feats i accomplish, whether he he can relate or not. haha i have pounds upon pounds of bags and boxes loaded with virtually every scrap of paper i ever scribbled on.
thinking of my odd, great, weird, bizzare, amazing, better-than-your-dad dad i can't help but think of other sons and daughters. of other dads. of relationships that aren't as smooth as the one i have with my father. of dads that have passed, that are absent because their time with us has run out... and then my thinking stops. it stops because to keep meditating on the subject i have to imagine my own life without my father, and thats something i will never be able to do.
my heart goes out to everyone who has only memories and stories to which to hand a hallmark card to. it must suck. but thats life, life sucks. haha no thats not it. life is complicated. life is beyond our grasp. i will always believe that things happen for a reason, because if it wasn't true then nothing would make sense.... there are no accidents. not to say that we are ruled by fate. but to say that we cannot control everything. theres always another game in play. nothing ever ends. everything that exists will forever exist... in one way, in one form or another we're all still in this together.

this blog entry makes little sense.
i leave you with an x-ray of my pop's neck and a drawing.
peace out.

watermelon seeds

2009-05-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

it has been a few days, if not weeks, since i have decided to dedicate a few minutes of my very affordable time to sit down and type down a few thoughts... that is in the past now. much like my desire to see the new Wolverine movie.

anyways.
much has been going on. there was an art show, my mother aged another year, my first bike ride of the summer, a drawing here, a drawing there. i have been surprisingly busy. as busy as an unemployed person could be. i have come to embrace the possibility of "volunteer work" and "free" art eventually leading to much needed cash money. so far... so good? sure why not. i have been learning/trying/googling how to fix my bike. i'm not what you would call a "bike-guy". but i want to be, it seems like a good idea. heaven knows that running can only take a man so far.

time passes, and will pass, regardless of what one does with the time they have. often we find ourselves investing hour after hour into activities and projects that others deem pointless and wasteful. the important thing is to not surrender to the judgments of others. time is the only thing we have a lot of. your life will always be considered short by those you leave behind. what matters is that we don't forget that there is always something to gain, to learn from a new experience, no matter how futile... as such no time is wasted. it is all necessary in the long run.

as i type this i am eating a deliciously sweet watermelon. seedless. been a while since i have had one with seeds, the option really seems pointless.

i have family that love to sit outside in the summer and feast on a watermelon or two, always spitting the seeds in the same plot of dirt. one spring they noticed new life stirring in what was once an empty patch of earth. in time the seedling began to grow what resembled a small watermelon. it was an amazing discovery for us all. not so much because the environment was unsuitable for such fruit but because it was completely unintentional. no one could have foreseen that something would actually rise up through untreated dry dirt laced with cigarette butts. but it happened. similarly one simply lacks the foresight to know what every minuscule decision and minute spent will lead to. in the end, its all good.

i am a contributing illustrator to a new online magazine entitled THE LEMON LIFE.
please check it out!

i am also taking part in a group show at THE SLEEPING GIANT.
please come say hi!

random sketch, felt like sharing.

random sketch. i dunno.my dog is a jerk. really.

God,

2009-04-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

if you are out there.
... yo i need a job!

peace out.

part of a complete breakfast

2009-03-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

lately i have been drawing, photoshop-ing and painting almost daily. my breakfast meals (my food when i get up, regardless of actual time) has been composed of honeynut cheerios with strawberries and blackberries, followed by a healthy dose of sketchbook and coffee.

which is awesome. but it also means i have to get out more. which i have been doing! to walk the dog... which means cold, freezing, leash holding hands of death. damn unexpected ice wind!!

anywho... i have nothing exciting to say. have an art show starting... in a few hours i suppose. that is good.... hopefully that goes super-fantastic. we are getting it catered! which apparently means springrolls! oh delish. who needs wine and cheese when you have greasy stuffs!!?
now if only i had words of wisdom to impart on you dear readers... but i dont.
this is what i have been up to:

drew this some time ago. got to colouring it. not sure about the purple.

this thing was drawn same day as one above. coloured it the other day... tried some collage aspects. some elements work. enough of them to leave it be.

the birds with belly teeth are relatively new. somewhat the same design of a penguin i drew maybe 4yrs ago now... wow so long... and i still love shoving mouths into belly regions! mostly on birds... i make myself wonder sometimes... other times not so much. i'm not sure what is going on in this picture. it will probably be a long night for the penguin looking guy.
the tree/bird/henchman character is new. i love him. so much i will paint him!!

i did say i wanted to paint him. no clue how this will turn out. this is how it goes. this thing is pretty big... well for me anyways. 3x4 feet.

this came out this "morning" and was coloured shortly after. fresh!!
does anybody want to make this a tshirt for me?
ps. don't steal images!! -- bad karma!

i will close with this. drawn seconds before the hydra monster. debating whether to colour at all. debating whether to make it a series... a bible study of sorts.

pieces of string

2009-03-19T23:45:00.000-07:00

so i have been kind of busy lately. not too busy mind you, but just busy enough to get away with saying that i have been busy without feeling bad for lying. yea i don't like to lie.
i have been busy with art show, art making, drawing, hanging out with amigos, family, and Jessica the girlfriend. im sure at some point i had this blog all played out in my head with amazing deep phrases and metaphors alike.... but i am currently drawing a blank, and will instead post pictures! which is really the main reason i started this blog to begin with.

couple weeks ago i drew this thing. some days after i got around to colouring it. after many variations i went with this one. yep.

couple o' days ago i went to my nephew's 2nd birthday party. i wanted to bring a small sketchbook in case i feel the need to doodle, but couldn't find any. so i made this one out of an old invite i printed way too many of. its fantastic! i need to make more.

i've been sick for like two days now. got to some drawing. this is a drawing that i will eventually colour of me walking my dog Chester.

i drew this right after i drew the one above. it reminds me of the other day that i was at my friend Shivani's place and we got to doing quizes about what kind of animals we would be if we were animals. i think i ended up with horse, porcupine, snake, and mountain goat. crazy.

i have been very lucky to have my girlfriend at my side these past days. shes been doing a lot of running around back and forth with me. she's pretty... okay. i guess. haha. i don't really know whats going on here. the circles on her head are a halo... kinda. i dont know why i drew it in. maybe its because shes an angel!! haha... she will most likely not like the halo bit.
man, i miss having school lectures.
oh the drawings the boredome would inspire!

smiles and snares

2009-03-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

its amazing how i have gone from fighting the urge to blog blog blog to worrying that my blogger account thing will be shutdown due to inactivity. i suppose i have been busy. as of late much of my time has been taken up by art-making, art-showing, and being a full-time boyfriend. which has lead me to discover that without my art and without my loved ones.... i am nothing.

good or bad? only time will tell.

anywho. i was participating in a big art festival shindig. gaggles of art lovers and peeps alike. monies aside, its the reactions that i will always hold dear.
i was treated to people that would stop and take in the work, taking the time to come as close to the work as i would hope, smiling at me and walking away. some would stop to chat, ask questions, deliver kudos and words of approval. then there were the individuals that would glance over as one would their side mirror while driving. some would walk up to my wall and walk out without pausing. and of course, there were the ones that would make faces that i could only read as disapproval, often accompanied by words out of my reach amongst themselves. fortunately i have evolved to the point of being able to find satisfaction in such dissatisfying moments. more importantly there was a small blonde child that exclaimed to his mother "these are amazing!" after that, i was untouchable.

i have given much thought lately as to what kind of artist i am. who do i cater to? who's approval do i seek? who's opinion really matters? though i don't actually have answers to those questions i have come to realize that i can't be an artist who demands a particular environment for their work. i understand that serious work requires serious presentation... but after thinking about it i have concluded that in my heart art is for everyone. although not everyone can afford to own a piece (i do need to eat) the pictures need be accessible to everyone. and lets face it, not everyone is going to stroll into a pristine white-walled gallery.

art is for the people. i should do murals or something. yes that would be awesome.

here is a random drawing i coloured today. i am not much for backgrounds.

spare change

2009-02-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

by no stretch of the imagination am i an individual that understands the state of the economy. i've heard many words slung around, words that years of books and movies have taught me to understand as bad things. it would appear that the world... or at least the parts of it that seem to affect me.. is fast approaching a recession... thats if we are not already "there".
jobs are being lost left and right, thankfully it has yet to hit home. parents aren't feeling any backlash at work, and my brother has actually started working again. all is fine for them, and for my close friends etc... well, im not doing too hot.

economy aside i am horrible at the job of job-hunting. i seem to be qualified for nothing. that is unless "excessive imagination and short attention span" are sought after resume traits, oh and lets not forget my terrible sleeping pattern.

all in all i am fated the life of an artist, which is great... until i came to the conclusion that people probably don't want to buy art when they may lose their job in the days to come.
i did some googling to see if my "conclusion" was valid... and the results were surprising.

from the few sites i visited i learned that this recession is a good thing for art... sorta.
art, good art, is a good investment. simple. people realize this and are expected to act on it. the art that isn't so good on the other hand... will crumble away. so from what i have pieced together... the recession will strengthen the art world, cut away at the useless and help restore ART as something to be applauded, opposed to a saturday night hobby.

with 2 shows in March fast approaching and with bills piling up... i can't help but worry. will i survive this... cleansing? if all goes well i will sell fair amounts of work and still be able to order a few things off amazon. if things don't go so well... if the see-saw that is my wallet brings me nothing but frustration... well... mcdonalds is always hiring right?

investing in umbrellas

2009-02-18T23:35:00.000-08:00

i know i am not alone when i type in my blog, with obvious irony; that i hate computers.

today my newest technological investment decided to go belly-up... i swear it had a smile on its face. not 3 months old and it decided that it was going to screw me over just like its predecessor, and the one before that, and the one before that. its funny that i'm complaining about a computer by typing on the one that it supposedly replaced.

its been 3 times now (3 is a popular number), that i have had to sigh the sad sigh of losing hundreds of memories to the hard drive in the sky. i cant even tell you how many files named "words.doc" and "rants.doc" i have lost over the years. byte after byte of clever pairings of words and contradicting metaphors. after a while you learn to let go. though really what i should have learned is to keep a hard copy of everything. afterwards there is always a nagging voice telling you that you could have saved them! could have saved them all if you had but the slightest foresight to backup, to prepare.

oh its all so ridiculous.

but really, how many books and memoirs have been lost to hard drive crashes and office fires? in the end i suppose it just goes to show you that nothing is forever. not even the "non-physical" of data is safe from time and human error.

yesterday i installed a doorknob on my new bathroom door. that door was without a knob for a few months. come to think of it... that bathroom was without complete privacy for over 4 months now. its amazing what some people can do without when they are too lazy to care. its even more amazing to think that i still have a girlfriend after all those months.

the important thing is that i got off the couch, drove to my local Home Depot, bought a doorknob and then proceeded to work for over an hour installing it. i truly am amazing. now it is only a matter of time until before my house comes crashing down! door and all... and i lose my precious doorknob. victory can be so short-lived!

rewinding lines

2009-02-12T15:34:00.000-08:00

how does one begin a blog post without anything of consequence to report?
i am still sick. it sucks. though i am still able to hover over a desk and spill lines, so really it could be much worse. a day under a week ago i had some work on display at Mitzi's sister, a bar of sorts. although fun was had by all the event didn't quite turn out as planned... but that is not important. what is important is that it was the driving force behind 15 small drawings, some on mylar some on paper.
its funny, when i was much younger, in elementary school... i was so sure i was going to grow up to be a comic book artist. i wasn't much of a comic book buyer at the time, but as everyone knows its not about the material things. i had a handful of comics and cards that i would read over countless times. my dad had many years of education regarding medicine and human anatomy, as such he was my teacher when i was having a hard time drawing from books and action figures alone. he would start rambling off the proper terminology and names for the different muscles, when all i really wanted to know was how to draw a really powerful Hulk without making him look like he had just been stung by a swarm of bees.
i remember in grade6 i had a large sheet of paper where i had drawn over 20 characters of varying size and "powers"... they were all bug-people of some kind aka muscle-bound humans with bug heads and buggy feet. i had such ambition then. spending hours mapping out the panels for a page before i had any concrete idea of what the story was about.

somewhere along the way i became more of an observer than a player. books piling up on my bookshelf, but hardly any drawings to go alongside them. somewhere along the line a line was drawn between "real" art and comicbook art. i guess i convinced myself that i would never be as good as the pro guys and decided to do my own thing. my "own" thing is going pretty good, i can still draw a half-decent spiderman... but the energy is gone... or misplaced.
although the small stack of capes are very cartoony and playful, not at all what i had sought out to do many years pass... maybe i can still get back in the game. draw a few bug heroes or something.

sneezing profanities

2009-02-10T18:41:00.000-08:00

i am feeling like crap today and in my cold-induced daze i have decided to start a blog thing.
whether i will maintain and watch over it is a toss-up, but maybe just maybe i will grow to love and cherish it and it will grow... bloom.... into a wonderful orange tree from which i will squeeze delicious orange juice with extra pulp. do oranges come from trees?... or are they more like bushes?

this is a horrible first blog entry. ah well, i'm all about bad first impressions anyways.