Tuesday, July 30, 2013

I THINK this dOOdle's GONNA HURL

It starts with a pang of nausea and ends with tears and gasping.  We've all experienced it.  I myself have only yacked a handful of times in my life from food or alcohol poisoning.  I'm here to tell you, when this stomach of steel turns upside down, I cry like a baby and truly think it's the end of the world.  This doodle is drawing flies so you better get on your way before you catch a whiff and wind up in a chain reaction... 

Blue Ink Pen on Scrap Chipboard / 2013

Friday, July 26, 2013

Pop Art Shopping Cart

This Saturday, you can check out some of my art and donate to a great cause at the SAME TIME!  Pop Art Shopping Cart will be hosted by the Boheme Collectif in East Nashville.  Drop by and see them with a canned good donation in hand!  You'll be able to bid on an original oil painting I donated to the cause and see a slew of art, music and performances by local creatives.  The show is a benefit for a local charitable organizations in Nashville.  Check out their snazzy poster here for all the details...



Here's a peek at the original painting you can score at the show Saturday...


Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Some of that FiRE

"Some of that Fire" Red Felt Pen on Scrap Paper



Celebrities set fires
to great acclaim;

governments set fires 
to cover their aim.
  
The village sets fire 
to gather for the feast; 

the army sets fire
 to feed the war beast.  

I set fires to release my mind; 

I set fires to leave it all behind. 







Click HERE for more RHYME & REASON

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Miranda Herrick Illustration Demo

If you've been around DREGstudios, you know I love making time-lapse videos of illustrations, paintings and collaborative projects with other artists.  I was recently asked by one of my own favorite local illustrators, Miranda Herrick to produce a video of her illustration process.  The following was filmed at the opening reception of her solo exhibit, REFLECTIVE here in Clarksville last month...



Thursday, July 18, 2013

Come YART with us SUNDAY!

THIS SUNDAY, Sir Chad Spann will be hosting the 2nd Annual YART $ALE for a handful of local artists here in Clarksville!  I'll be on hand along with Chad, Wolfman Bennett, Miranda Herrick and Joe Melanson slinging my wares at liquidation prices.  I have books, prints and original art which need good homes.  This will also serve as a fundraiser of sorts for me as I'm currently raising funds for two projects: my solo show, SOLUBLE FISH in October AND my Zombie Walk of Fame book which I hope to release this Fall!  We'll be having a ton of fun- just look for the party just off Fort Campbell Blvd and W Bel Air (across from Boost Mobile near the Dodge's Store off 41A!)

(Poster design by Yours Truly)

Drop by for the Beer, BBQ, Live Art, Banjos and More!  Leave with some NEW art for your home!


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

QUARTER for your THOUGHTS

When is DOWN UP? When is Wrong Right? When is Night Day? When your mind shifts away to Topsy-Turvy...

Blue Pen on Repurposed Cardboard Packaging / 2013 / 2.5in x 2.5in

My TOPSY-TURVY series can be flipped like a coin and spun like a record! 

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Nashville Zoo at Grassmere

Caribbean Flamingo
Graced with perfect Tennessee weather, Aurora and I spent our Sunday morning at the Nashville Zoo where we got some wonderful colorful shots of the creatures who call Grassmere home.  If you've never been, the staff are a treat and very informative during the entire visit.  The majority of the walkways are shaded well with bamboo and foliage as you jaunt across bridges and streams through the habitats they've created for the wildlife.  The scenery across the entire park is as beautiful and interesting as the animals at times.  Today was especially nice in that it was a free trip courtesy of my employer, Environmental Water Systems.  My boss Eric took my staff out as a reward for reaching our quarterly sales goal. The entire team truly enjoyed the experience- a terrific perk to helping folks get clean water for a living!

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Public Shaming in Houston County

I grew up a very rural corner of Houston County here in Tennessee.  Nothing greases the wheels of every-day life in a small town more than gossip.  Such whispering voices provided me with a less-than-stellar reputation as a teenager.  Having a sense of sympathy for anyone caught doing anything wrong in such a small community, I was taken aback by the Houston County Sheriff Department's new website today.  One of my oldest friends shared this new gem of cheap entertainment via social networking.  The big stir about this new site is the posting of mug shots from local arrests (in a downloadable PDF format at that!)  In recent years, we have seen the inception of print publications devoted to mug shots in larger cities and mug shots being posted online by local newspapers in Every Town, America.  This public shaming is something which has bothered me for a while and prompted me to take advantage of the Contact Us page of the HCSD's new website to voice my concern.  Here is what I said...

I grew up in Houston County and this new website leaves a terrible taste in my mouth.  In recent years, news publications have taken shameless advantage of mug shots.  These public records which serve as valuable information to law enforcement are otherwise exploited for website traffic and paper sales.  Public shaming should never be executed in such a manner as this.  The posting of these images is a true reflection of not only the depths the department has sunk to for attention but also the small-mindedness of a community which embraces such information being turned into cheap entertainment.  In most walks of life whether it be the business world or a child being disciplined at home, reprimand should be conducted in private.  Posting images of folks to the internet who have violated the law (no matter how trivial the offense) is comparable to dragging them into the town square to have rotten produce slung at them.  While the Houston County Sheriff's Department is not alone in their handling of this information, they should represent the morals held by the community and strive to be better than this.  Many residents would believe small-town values are what hold our country together.  Shining a spotlight on the petty crimes of the County only blemishes the reputation of the entirety of its population.   Persons committing crimes need help during their troubled times and a hand to guide them in leading a better life.  Plastering their picture for literally the entire world to see only feeds the disease of crime and is in no way a means of fighting it.  The department should spend its time and money improving the quality of life of its citizens as opposed to exploiting the weaknesses of those who experience troubled times.  

I fully realize that some folks would love nothing more than to cast stones at each and every criminal which passes through their local justice system.  This same sect of humanity also takes delight in the misfortune of others and beams with glee at fresh faces assigned booking numbers and reasons for arrests.  While some may rejoice by arrests, I am saddened.  I'm saddened by Police Departments existing and growing by turning a profit on crime.  I'm saddened by the urge to punish rather than rehabilitate.  In a world where our digital timeline is public record, we make it nearly impossible for people to change and escape their past by giving audience to this new culture of public shaming. 



Tuesday, July 9, 2013

PURPLE REIGN (NEW LiVE PAiNTiNG!)

Detail from "PURPLE REIGN"
After some trivial computer setbacks this past week, I've FiNALLY finished encoding the most recent Southern Pop Surrealism painting session from last week.  We had planned an exhibit for these paintings in a multimedia show, which has currently been put on hold from the venue we had lined up.  Keep your eyes and ears open though for as soon as we find a fitting space, the new show will be a reality.  Our master plan is to display the paintings with QR codes printed out next to them.  Upon scanning these codes with their mobile devices, the gallery guests will be able to watch our videos right there in front of the paintings!  If you've been to an art gallery, you know that nothing compares to seeing the artwork in real life and this will be an opportunity to combine the online experience with the gallery experience!




"PURPLE REIGN" Acrylics and Spray Paint on Wood Panels / 2013
Wolfman Bennett, Brandt Hardin and Jesse Shaw

Friday, July 5, 2013

Rednecks Playing with Fireworks

Last night, Aurora and I had the distinct privilege of hosting a small group of our rowdy friends to throw down for the 4th of July as well as host our friend Alex's Birthday Party.  It's always good to see old friends and share drinks, laughs and fellowship.  Living in a military town, it was like World War III in our neighborhood as we couldn't count to five between explosions which began in the afternoon and ran far into the night.  We had quite a display of our own to hoot and holler at.  All the colorful disaster in the skies must have amped us up seeing as things didn't shut down until past 2AM!

Here are some colorful pictures Aurora and I got of the festivities.  For the fireworks shots, she put the camera on a long exposure to capture the apocalyptic burn of it all!