argh Paul Benedict

Dang. Now Paul Benedict who brought us both the Mad Painter from Sesame Street and Bentley from The Jeffersons has died. Grrrrrr. Damn cold, stupid universe.

Been a bit

And a good summer. Building a shack in the back yard, riding bikes with Sam, all-night Battlestar Galactica and Spore jags, working on an animation with Casey and Jennifer, on-going mid-life crisis--sorting through death and personal-cultural responses to it. Good times. School looms, but bring it on. Also, I haven't checked blog or email for about a month. My apologies. This is a background in progress from the in-progress animation. Silky. Me want draw more landscape outside, but me too afraid to tremblingly confront me inadequacy before pulsating expansive nature.

Wednesday, eh?

Doing fine today (thanks for asking), save for a subtly increasing wave of existential dread engulfing my entire physical and emotional consciousness. How do you say it. . . ah yes, "It's all good." Hrmph. Indeed.

Let's see, trying to get in on the streaming video bandwagon so I can get Legends From Camp up on the web. Also got back to the website and am now realizing what a pain in the @@s it is. Oh well, at least I can harangue my students. "@#$*, kids, you just have to work at this &*$# until you get it right! Sob. Cry. Excuse me. . . I just get so emotional because I care so much about art and beauty and such . . . oh. . . hmmm, guess no one's actually here. . . uh, guess I'll go get a slurpee. . ."

And, yes, a bandwagon isn't really something you "get in on," is it?
Yeah, got to "get in on" this bandwagon thing while it's still hot.
Hrmph. Indeed.

And yes, as I'm sure you've already figured out, the above "graphic" isn't one of my daily drawings. It's the design of a tattoo I did for a fellow Pelican Bay inmate. Charles Schulz ain't got nothing on me.

Farewell, Dungeon Masters. . .

Argh. Early adolescence took two to the chest this year with the recent deaths of Steve Gerber and Gary Gygax. Gerber created Howard the Duck (the comic book, not that @#$ing worthless piece of @!#$@ movie), and Gygax, as every WoW player should have emblazoned on his elite mount, was one of the founding fathers of Dungeons and Dragons. Hommage 21st century! Hommage!

@#$%, just found out that Dave Sutherland died in 2005. His D&D Basic Set cover, not to mention his Monster Manual, Player's Handbook, and Dungeon Master's Guide work launched so many thousands of ships.

#$%^ing mortality. . . Goddamnit, don't take Tom Wham too!

The 70's and 80's were not kind. These guys did it for love--Peace be with you, spiritual fathers.

p.s. Transmutation and uplift! Just came across a really cool-looking site called WE'RE ROLLIN' THEY'RE HATIN'. Kind of gives me hope for the future. . . In their own words:

We're Rollin',They're Hatin', is a large-scale contemporary art show that examines the role of Dungeons and Dragons, Escapism and Fantasy in contemporary art and culture. The exhibition is an art show and interactive platform to explore how artists are influenced by fantasy and roll playing
games.

What am I thrilling to?

Not sure. So much "stuff" to deal with, so not so much deep reflection and splendid studio "process" this week. Yet, life seems pretty good. I'm feeling some hum of creative energy despite feeling kind of trashed, put-upon, and haggard.

Ol' Thucydides is firing up my imagination. Good stuff for a 41-year old man to be taking in. William Blake, however, had no time for the "silly Greek and Latin slaves of the sword." Romanticism, anti-romanticism. Fire it up. Let's see who wins.

Oh yeah, nobody wins, actually, just suffering and death. Damnit!!! I always forget that part. !@#$

And. . . so much for getting the site up last week. Hardy har har.

"aksjf;lasd," the other white meat

Here's a portrait of Evan I did for an in-class demo on collage. @#$% you, Francis Bacon. Grandma turns 96 today. And yes, she's starting to slow down a bit. Life's annoyingly short. Lots of women are pretty. Children grow up fast. etc. etc.

Gray again. Gray.

It's 3:15 p.m. a bleak time in anyone's life. Slept in til 10:00 today. Thanks, baby. Still groggy, though, of course. Sorting through Legends From Camp material today. Hmmm, should have done this oh, about 4 years ago. Too bad, so sad. Okay, so I didn't get my act together until today, but I didn't have a total nervous breakdown 4 years ago either. I came very close, I bet. The Moral? Growing up is a gradual never-ending process. And then you die.
Here's a concept drawing I did for Legends From Camp, back 'round 1998 (!). Since starting this web project, my mind has shifted back and forth between, "Oh my God, look at all the stuff I've done!" to "Oh my God this is all the stuff I've done?" Go figure.