Dead in the Water

ok, i know, another zombie...
...though rest assured, the next entry is going to be from the world of the living...

...about a year ago i happened across a stripped-down twin engine Cessna in the shallow waters off a deserted beach near Eleuthera, Bahamas - in all likelihood the scavenged remains of a failed drug rum to the Florida coast. while concocting stories revolving around the pilots' fates, my zombie obsession took the upper hand...

though the ghoul is donning the traditional Caribbean tourist garbs, why is he in a kelp forest, you may ask yourself...well, simple, i do the occasional scuba diving near my home in the Pacific Northwest, and ended up sampling some of the local scenery for the image...

...and i really like PBR (the beer cans, for my non American readers)...

Zombie Butcher - updated

i decided to update my kitchen art...now this concept is not new; i created the image in 2009, yet it was flat and "lifeless"...

i kept the red and white butcher poster for the backdrop - i always found the stark contrast and simple composition of those iconic vintage meat advertisements and buyer's guides very affective.

i completely redrew the zombie character (colored in Photoshop) - i'm rather happy with the its comic-book finish...

A new home for Twiggy

i know, i know...i reserve this blog for all things art and design...but then again the 1964 Ford Thunderbird was an original piece of art in itself...so, there (in the guise of a blatant sales pitch, this message doubles as a sign-of-life...i am still actively creating new pieces of awe, i promise)...

well, here she is, Twiggy, a nigh 2 ton behemoth from the peak-of-the-Cold-War masterpiece of pre-sexual revolution America - and she's for sale!
I have had her for the better part of almost 20 years (garaged) and spent over $15,000 rebuilding or replacing all mechanical elements through-out...so, here's the pitch: i'm asking $12,000, or best reasonable offer for this 3rd owner, 175k original mile icon of early '60s Americana.

The Exterior: the chrome shines and the glass shows no cracks. Please remember that this is not a museum piece, and she is almost 50, so some wear and tear is expected. There are some areas of minor rust at the base of the doors and the paint has sustained door-dings and a few chips over the decades.

The Interior: the door panels, carpet and front seats where redone by the previous owner, everything else is original and in great condition, including the original AM mono radio (I do have a brand new ivory replacement headliner –just haven’t had the time to install it). All instruments and switches (except for the clock) are accounted for and in working order. The driver’s seat vinyl has a large tear in it, and should be replaced along with the padding.

The Drive train: runs great and shifts smoothly on a completely rebuilt 390cci (6.4L) engine, brand new Holly 4bbl carburetor, rebuilt exhaust system (double 3.5 foot glass packs), rebuilt Cruise-O-Matic 3spd automatic transmission, cleaned fuel system, rebuilt steering column, power-assist pump and gearbox, replaced cooling system and radiator, rebuilt/replaced and cleaned the entire braking system (still has 11inch drum brakes all around), new transmission and motor mounts, replaced power-train electrical system, newer tires and shocks.

oh, the engine compartment paint scheme was my doing...see, still a bit of my art after-all.

Pacific Blue Mussel Sconces

after almost 20 years in the Pacific Northwest, i think i'm finally getting a hang of this theme - local, organic, sustainable...

presenting the Blue Mussel Sconce set; a shape inspired by the functional works of the lighting obsessed architect Poul Henningsen, adorned with the abundant fruit of the northern Pacific Ocean.

everything on this sconce (and its clone - yes, there is a second one) is recycled...well almost; the bulb is new, as is the sterling silver coating on each shell back (about an ounce or so in total).

the project began with a 2 pound dinner of moules frites (if you are not familiar with this dish, i highly encourage you to become acquainted)...along with the dirty dishes about 50 pairs of shells needed a severe scrubbing. the shells were cleaned, boiled and bathed in blue food coloring (this enhances the vibrancy of the bivalve's inside lining) for a few days.  while still soft from the soaking, 2 holes needed to be drilled into each shell to enable interlinking with silver wire rings (hand made)...

now for the non-recycled part. the black outer side of the shells didn't have the appeal i was looking for, coating them in reflective sterling silver achieved the industrial look i intended.

the fixtures themselves hailed from some derelict 1960s roadside motel - stripped down to the bare metal and updated with a set of reclaimed brass rings (hand shaped) - finished with a matte silver powder-coat.

...oh, and the 2 bottles of rose that accompanied the a fore mentioned dinner, had their top and bottom cut off to create a set of hurricane candle cylinders to shield the bulb...

 ...i also drew up a nice looking blueprint :)

Screen Series: #5 Norman Reedus

After a considerable break, I am kicking off my next batch of caricatures with Norman Reedus; in character as Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead TV series on AMC, along with his signature crossbow.  the "zombie squirrel" on his shoulder is homage to its many brethren that ended up in the cooking pot around the camp fires in season one...

reshuffle the camera bag...

by no means do i consider myself a professional photographer; i do use it as a tool to further my creative ventures and have, at time, accepted payment for my work (for the analytical types in need of categorizing; i'm an illustrator by trade).

a little time back, while in default mode, i found myself cruising verydemotivational.com, as i do, and came across a split image featuring  Neil Armstrong in full NASA garb and some random girl in a bathroom with her smart-phone (the caption reading: "went to the moon, took 5 photos | when to the bathroom, took 37 photos - here's a link to that image: http://memerial.net/5723-went-to-the-moon-took-5-photos) - now, i'm not going to go into excruciating detail explaining this image or the meaning behind it (i'll leave that up to you); however it motivated me enough to dust off my 35mm film SLR!

i held on to film well into 2006, until my Canon EOS Rebel XT digital SLR wedding gift - a great camera, an i take it (and a range of lenses) with me everywhere i go. in the beginning i treated the memory card just like i was shooting on film - make every shot count...

...though with every convenience comes complacency (what i like to call sweat-pants and flip-flops in public)... 

...i soon let myself accept that each card would hold over 400 shots, only having to sift through countless JPEGs after every shoot; saving some deleting others and then printing and trimming the keepers - well, needless to say, i find myself simply storing batches on DVDs or hard-drives, some without even looking at them.

merely knowing that there is a certain dollar amount involved in the development of the final composition will make anyone contemplate its value (artistically and personally, alike) prior to hitting the shutter release...

...and who can forget the child-like anticipation awaiting that stocked envelop of  4-by-6s fresh off the developers press?

well, i'll be making some space for my Canon Eos Rebel XS (35mm film) body and a handful of 36 exposure rolls next to my digital equipment in the camera bag. 

 

Seattle Santa 2012

12/22/12, its saturday and we're still here (well my friends down-under could have told me that yesterday!)...so, without any further ado, i would like to wish everyone out there (especially those who take the time to read my banter) a safe and joyous holiday season and a very happy (and predicted) new year!

for all of you unfamiliar with our bi-seasonal (2 months of summer/10 months of fall) great pacific northwest, the image on the left is a pretty accurate depiction of santa claus dropping in on the 25th (i was going to make some kind of sarcastic "50 shades of..." reference, here, but decided to spare you all in the good spirit of christmas)...

anyhow...

happy holidays and a prosperous new year

Thomas