Tuesday, April 30, 2013

LiTTLE DEATHS opens THIS Week!

My artwork will be featured in a three-man exhibit opening THIS Thursday Night during Clarksville's Downtown Art Walk!  LiTTLE DEATHS will also feature the work of Wolfman Bennett and Jeff Bertrand with a body of art celebrating portraiture and the lives of those both famous and infamous.  The artists will also be on hand during the Artists' Reception on Saturday May 18th at No Egrets Tattoo Studio located on College Street here in Clarksville!


Monday, April 29, 2013

ZOMBIFYING the STOCK GIRL

At our Housewarming Party last month, we were fortunate enough to be blessed with the company of a whole slew of colorful folks we call friends.  With their presence also came presents!  Just one of the awesome gifts we received was a picture frame to hold a few memories for our new home (Thanks Scottie and Randi!)  The best part of new picture frames are the stock photos included inside!  More often than not, these are happy white-and-privileged looking children in staged poses just asking to be defaced by the magic of the ink pen.  In my typical spontaneous fashion, I took to one of these particular pictures and spent a few minutes zombifying my cute little subject with a small liner.... Enjoy!



Aurora and I replaced zombie girl and her family with some pictures from our vacation to St George Island last year!  These shots are from the Wildlife Reserve on the Island and Under the Oaks Park on the mainland not far  from our destination.


Sunday, April 28, 2013

MONSTERS in my GARDEN

Wild storms passed overnight here in Tennessee flooding my hometown of Erin and soaking Clarksville thoroughly.  I awoke this morning to wild stories from the local area of damage and disaster brought about by the still-receding waters of the local rivers and streams.  The radar said we were clear here in the mid-state for the day despite heavy cloud cover, so The Wolfman and I took to the breaking sun for an impromptu painting session.  Our friends Joe and Amy were visiting from Memphis and Joe put his green thumbs to work under Wolfie's whip while we painted.  Working side-by-side we brought to life a hideous concoction of creatures on this new acrylic panel you see here!  I've also included a couple of shots of Joe's handiwork bringing life to some pepper and tomato plants in the Bennetts' back yard!  Stay tuned later this week for a new time-lapse video of the entire painting process which will also include some footage of the fastest dang 'mater plantin' you ever saw!

Monday, April 22, 2013

In Memoriam: Elizabeth Clemens

Last week the world lost a brightly burning star in my Aunt Liz.  She was a foundation of joy for my own childhood as well as each and every child she came in contact with throughout her life.  Along with her husband Harry, she lived a life of compassion for the needy and lent her charity to the world around her.

Portrait of Elizabeth Clemens (Inks on Bristol / 2013) 

   Liz suffered a fatal stroke two weeks ago in Michigan.  Due to medical procedures conducted in an attempt to save her life, the family opted to have a closed-casket funeral.  A few days before her service, I took up the task of creating a portrait to show the brilliant love my Aunt radiated.  I wanted everyone to remember her unforgettable smile and perhaps get a faithful glimpse into the wonderful woman we'd all lost.  The portrait was displayed by her casket the entire weekend as family and friends reminisced on all the laughter and love Liz shared with us all.  Her favorite thing in the entire world was hearts which she emblazoned any and everywhere... can you count how many I snuck into the portrait?

Where there is love there is life."  -Mahatma Gandhi

Thursday, April 18, 2013

My Wife Owns THIS Town!

My wife and I are both products of counter-culture parents and along with that territory comes our unique names.  Aurora knows she'll never find a souvenir with her name emblazoned on it in a gift shop anywhere in the world.  Of course, being a Brandt, I found it to be the same for myself throughout my childhood.  In mapping our route through Land Between the Lakes for our day trip this past weekend, I noticed a small town across Kentucky Lake from LBL named Aurora, KY.  As kind of a gag, I drove my wife there for a photo op and the joke really was on us as we found her name printed on most everything in this rural southern town.  Here's how one picture turned into an hour off driving around shooting and laughing....

The Fabulous Western Gateway to LBL!

Monday, April 15, 2013

Blazing Trails at Land Between the Lakes

Sunday, Aurora and I set out early in the morning for what was her first trip to Land Between the Lakes.  I grew up around LBL and gave her some of the history of the area as we crisscrossed its roads and trails all day.  The strip of land which is a National Recreational Area sits between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley and serves as the source for both the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers.  About 50 years ago it also became a sanctuary for the endangered American Bison (Buffalo) and Elk which had both been hunted to the verge of extinction by the turn of the 20th century.  Here are some beautiful pictures we both got throughout the day...

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

EXQUISITE CORPSES

This past weekend, I had Wolfman Bennett and The American Printmaker over for an illustration session around the kitchen table.  We summoned up the spirit of the school of Surrealism (circa 1920's) and partook in a game of Exquisite Corpses.  If you aren't familiar, this is an old parlor game played by artists where each person takes turns drawing on a collaborative work.  By folding and covering a portion of what is drawn on each turn, the next artist is left to interpret what comes next.  Here's a video in time lapse fashion featuring one of three rounds we went through Saturday night.  Keep scrolling for pictures from all three!