Day 364

Here's yet another example of a medium that I probably should have worked in much sooner, but simply did not. Sure, there have been a couple instances where I made some type of collage, but certainly nothing like this.

One thing that I have always been drawn to is the red sky. I absolutely love the ominous feel and the surreal quality that it gives, and that's another thing that I'm surprised I haven't used more. On the other hand, this self-portrait gathers several elements that have been staples throughout this project: the blackbirds, the face-making (to an extent), the juxtposition of images, and the overall surreal feeling of the picture.

I should add for clarity's sake that this artwork was not made with the aid of a computer, other than to slightly alter the colors or sharpness of the original photos, and I only used the most basic program for that task. (Yes, I will admit publicly that I am very inept at using photo manipulation programs!) Nope, this collage was made with nothing more than a good old-fashioned X-Acto knife, a glue stick, and lots of patience!

#364 October 19, 2011,  Collage
Sounds: Truth & Salvage Company, Truth & Salvage Co.

Day 70

Today's self-portrait is one of the silliest ones that I've done for this project. I've always been a fan of the completely off-the-wall song Fish Heads, which I've loved since I was in middle school. At some point earlier today, I had the idea to use a photo of myself and couple of my oldest buddies, Eric and Pat...and to go with the Fish Heads theme. This is one of those cases where I will simply say: don't ask, because I sure as hell don't know!

Fish heads, fish heads
Roly-poly fish heads.
Fish heads, fish heads,
Eat them up, yum!

#70 December 29, 2010,  Collage

Sounds: Dane Cook, Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garden


Day 43

A couple days ago, I had a good time reworking an idea from a painting of mine - so much that I decided to do it with another one!

A few years ago, I did a painting called "An Unwinnable Situation," in which a person is precariously balanced on a tightrope with a seemingly endless drop below. The end of the rope was on fire and the walker was being attacked by blackbirds. Obviously the idea was altered slightly in this image - which is much more whimsical - but the idea behind it is the same.

I think that in a lot of cases people really want someone else to fail at whatever endeavor they are working towards, and sometimes all of the negative aspects make a person feel like they can't "win" at all. Perhaps it's a job, or a relationship, or a project that's maybe a little outside the norm. Who knows, it could be that this perceived expectation of failure is nothing more than a person's fear of trying something new or different for themself. What I do know is that is sure is fun proving people like this wrong...

#43 December 2, 2010, Spray paint collage
Sounds: Son Volt, Retrospective: 1995-2000

Day 8

Other than my art and the people closest to me, the one thing that has consumed much of my time in the past several months has been running. In fact, in this calendar year alone, I have ran more miles than I have at any time in the past. I thought it was fitting to document that passion in at least one of my self-portraits.

This portrait also marks a huge departure from the previous works in this project. It's obviously the first one in color, and it is the first in which I intentionally went abstract. For inspiration I looked to one of my favorite sources: the illustrations in childrens books. In this case, I specifically looked at the work of someone I consider to be one of the best: Jon Scieszka. While my finished product is really nothing like his illustrations, sometimes it's nice to look at other artists' work, just to have a place to start.

#8 October 28, 2010,  Mixed media (spray paint, acrylic, collaged items) on bristol board
Sounds: The Dead Milkmen, Death Rides a Pale Cow: Greatest Hits