"My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go." - Last words of Oscar Wilde

I don't know if anyone else suffers from this, but every couple of months or so I completely lose the ability to draw. Well draw with satisfaction of the end product. It just surfaced again last night while attempting to sketch out a picture of Oscar Wilde for my next painting. Hopefully I'll overcome it soon enough, especially since I need four or five more paintings by this Friday so I can get a decent grade in directed study.



Also, thanks to the unleashing of free American Elf archives I kind of feel like thinking about starting a journal comic again. We'll see how long that idea sticks around. I plan to acquire a box of markers over Christmas break and begin sketching out that one dream/comic idea I had like two years ago during that Sigur Ros show. My aim is to work on it next semester during directed study and submit them to the Flight forums in hopes that the editors of Flight take a liking to it and consider putting it into an upcoming volume of Flight.

I love almost nothing more than this song. Sigh.

30 paintings, sort of.

This was a rather ambitious project I attempted to tackle last Wednesday at 10 PM before I went to sleep. That didn't happen so much, but I was able to do a large volume of paintings with in a few days time. I'm pleased with most all of them. I plan on doing the final 10 sometime this week, but I also have a large-ish research paper for an english class so it'll have to be balanced with all of that.

So, here we go. Also, as a side note of sorts. If you see these and like them and would like my services as an illustrator for most anything other than bringing about the end of world, I would love to hear from you. You can reach me email-wise at (toastman18@gmail.com)

One More Cup of Coffee

New stuff, oh yes. A children's book, written (to some extent) and illustrated (entirely), by me is very much so in the works. I'm excited.

Reboot ... was a pretty great show

I'm painting again and it is a most joyous occasion. I had a direction I was heading towards for my senior show and what not, but for this semester at least that has been skewed. Anyway, I like the current direction. One painting is done and will go on the flickr soon. Another is on the way.

Printmaking is my favourite class yet. It is everything I wanted it to be and more. The work is sometimes extra tedious, but it is still incredibly fun. I think I'll be printing next monday and those will, of course, be on here shortly after that.

This coming Sunday the first several Halloween Cards will be made. They will basically be more amazing than a dancing piece of slice bread at a ho-down.

Finally if anyone wants to buy me this shirt I will be very much so obliged. (I wear size Medium...)

Moleskine action!

I was pleased when I found out that Moleskine journals aren't made with the skin of moles. So pleased that I got my very own for Valentine's Day and have on and off again filled it with drawings and sometimes words. Here are some drawings. The scanner does not take kindly to my use of pencil thus some of the scans are not so good. All the same enjoy!

Cricket Press

I really need to work for/with these people. I'm 100% certain I'd fit right in, just look at some of their stuff.









Maybe after printmaking this fall I should contact them? I mean they are right in Lexington.

The all important Why

After sitting in this past monday night's art critique, I began to realize I'm missing the "why" factor of making art. Well, not missing it necessarily, but at least not being sure what it is. So I'm going to spend a good bit of time with my Creative Call book this summer as reading about other people's "why's." Even if I can't figure out the why this summer it should be a good growing experience all the same. Oh the joys of being a budding artist type person.

Here they are...finally

^Cardinal Cardinal


^Holy Roman Emperor Penguin


^Sir Knightingale

The Long Awaited (by me at least) Bird Series

The first three birds in the Bird Series are all kinds of done. I tried to say that several days ago, but I think I managed to delete the post as I published it. A rare feat to be sure. Any way, here is the link type business to the album of all the birds on flickr. Yay. Okay, well the internet still hates me so for now here is the url, woo: http://flickr.com/photos/laikadreams/sets/72157600128974188/

The actual images will come at a later date, guh.

"Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad." ~Dalí

Sorry for the complete lack of art type things or even not art type things. The past week or so has been one of crap drawings no matter what I did. I think this week shall be different, I hope. I'm not a fan of falling into drawing slumps and turning out crappy drawing after crappy drawing. But such is life and are eventually overcome usually with great results. Anyway I have a few things that should be up by the end of the week, once they get scanned:

• This absurd watercolour series of birds I've been doing. Everybody likes it thus far, so we'll see.
  
• Too many drawings of vampires. I just finished the Historian the other week and have been in vampire mode ever since.
• Photos from class last semester as well as new ones. These will probably show up randomly as I feel like it, maybe.

So stick with me dear friends and soon enough we'll have grand results. I hope...

Yesterday, Leslie and I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and were delighted with many great works of art. The whole reason we went was because of this, if you're going on the Asbury Art Department New York Trip you will find a severe lack of works by Monet and other impressionists at the MET. That's because they're all here. We spent most of the day in that exhibit but made it to one about ancient arms and armor, another about latin american art which was quite amazing, and then saw this strange digital art piece which seemed delightful and happy and at a random point had decapitated heads and the like. All in all it was a wonderful day. I got to see Claus Oldenburg sketches as well as one of his large sculptures, a big white soft fan or Ghost Fan. I also almost tripped on the guard rope than was mid-shin in height and knocked over several thousand year jar. Yikes.

Today, Leslie and I should be going to the Okay Mountain Gallery in downtown Austin. Sadly we weren't here Saturday or else we would've seen Peter & the Wolf there along with other quite fun musical acts. Ah well, it still looks pretty good.

[Edit]
We never made it to the Okay Mountain Gallery. We did however make it down to South Congress to see the Avenue Gallery, a darling little (really little) gallery in between two much larger stores. I got it mixed up with a near by store and almost passed it by. Thankfully Leslie didn't. We found some rather amazing things inside. I got a piece of original art by Sam Hunt. It was pretty awesome.

Art Blog Lemming

I couldn't help it. Maybe you could've stopped me, maybe not. Either way here is the art blog of a one Samuel P. Ellis. It seems like a friendlier enviroment than deviantart and anybody can comment. At any rate enjoy what is to follow. Granted there will be one update today and then nothing for a week or so. Yay for spring break. For now I just leave you with my ink monster series I did a while back and am continuing to do.

(Also, does anyone know how to make pictures clickable links? That'd be so many kinds of useful. Thanks.)