Tuesday, December 31, 2013

TOP 10 Comments of 2013 on DREGstudios.com!

Of the nearly 2000 comments left here on my website, I decided a few years back to begin a Top 10 list at the end of each year to dignify some takeaways from those brave enough comment on my work.  I always welcome the conversation and enjoy hearing the points of view of my visitors.  There are certainly advantages and disadvantages alike to allowing Anonymous commenting but I always say, "bring on the crazy!" Bedlam on the comment forum just adds to the atmosphere right?  Here's my own Top 10 favorite comments from 2013...

Friday, December 27, 2013

SOLUBLE HEROES Opens In One Week!

My very first exhibit of 2014 will kick off right after New Years!  The Coup will be hosting a collection of my paintings during Clarksville's First Thursday Downtown Art Walk on January 2nd from 5-8PM.  The exhibit will be up for the month of January and on display for Tour of Wurdz on January 11th where I'll be painting live!  Drop by either event to see me in person and get a gander at some pop surrealism on canvas and wood!



Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Happy Christmas from DREGstudios!

Many returns to each and every one of you- my family, friends, collectors and audience.  Your eyes are the gift which keeps on giving and I'm grateful for it year-round.  Happy Holidays!

For this year's custom Christmas Card sent out to my extended family all over the world, I borrowed a message from John Lennon and Yoko Ono.  In 1971, they released the song Happy Xmas (War is Over) along with a billboard campaign in New York City declaring

WAR IS OVER! 
IF YOU WANT IT.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

TOP 10 Christmas Movies of ALL TIME

Tis the season for cinema as Christmas Day is a huge movie day.  Some families gather 'round the TV for reruns of their all-time favorites which air seasonally on network television.  Television has been a vessel which has integrated film into the tradition of the holidays.  Likewise, the theaters have adopted Christmas as an official release date for a handful of films each year (all of which are usually surrounded by Oscar hype.)  Some of the films which make my own Top 10 list are classics which cannot be exempt from notoriety while others may be found a bit unconventional...

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Southern Pop Surrealism INTERACTIVE is OPEN until 2014!

If you missed the Opening Reception for Southern Pop Surrealism INTERACTIVE a couple of  weeks back, make sure to drop by No Egrets Tattoo & Gallery to see one of the most unique exhibits ever displayed!  For the next two weeks, you can still bring your smart phone to scan the QR codes on the title of each painting which give you access to videos and process pictures of how the art was created.   Each work of art is a collaboration fusing the art of myself, Wolfman Bennett and Jesse Shaw.  There's nothing like seeing a painting with your own eyes and these will be up to drop your jaw until the end of the year!  No Egrets is located at 1128 College Street here in Clarksville, TN.  Stop by before the end of December to see it all in person including the live painting we created at the opening on December 5th- "Three Sharks."

The Leaf-Chronicle showcased one of our paintings as the banner art for their article on Giving the Gift of Art last week!

Monday, December 16, 2013

Thursday, December 12, 2013

TIS the SEASON

I just finished up ordering the 2013 DREGstudios Custom Christmas Cards!  Each year I create a new card featuring my artwork to mail out to collectors, friends, family and other likable social misfits.  If you're a frequent reader here at DREGstudios.com then you are included in that crowd so send your mailing address to dregstudios@gmail.com to get on my list!  If you've already been getting the cards then the new one will be out in a week or so unless you've moved since last year- then you better email me also to update your address!



Tuesday, December 10, 2013

In Memoriam: Nelson Mandela

"Portrait of Nelson Mandela" (inks on bristol / 2013)
Late last week, a shutter of the most inspiring human energy was released with the passing of Nelson Mandela.  South Africa's first black president was the epitome of the human spirit and lived by example of his strength and will.  It is rare a man leaves such a legacy as he has.  The long and fruitful 95 year life of this revolutionary will be celebrated for centuries to come as we honor and hopefully experience the ideals he fought so hard for.  Today I share with you my tribute to Mandela in pen and marker...

"If I had my time over I would do the same again. So would any man who dares call himself a man."  -Nelson Mandela

Monday, December 9, 2013

TOUR of WURDZ RETURNS!!!

Go ahead and mark your calendars because 2014 is gonna bring the local arts and music scene full circle.  TOUR of WURDZ returns on January 11th hosted by The Coup (118 University Ave / Clarksville, TN.)  It's been a minute since the MOST OPEN Open-Mic on the Planet (and in the Universe) opened her ears to us locally.  There's more info to come in the following weeks as we hustle-bustle through the holidaze including info on my first exhibit of 2014 which coincides with TOUR of WURDZ!!! For now, here's the galactic poster I designed...



Sunday, December 8, 2013

skeeeeeeeeeeew dOOdle!

I picture this guy playing a mean banjo at a hog roast...

Skeetdidle yer ass upta ya merma's herse and grab dadday's gitfiddle. Drop em ontha stumps cuz thisun gonna get hot!  Pass datdere bottla shine round git down and sit down ta listena pappay play... 


Friday, December 6, 2013

Southern Pop Surrealism Interactive OPENING RECEPTION


Thanks to all the folks who braved the impending doom of the threat of inclement weather to give us a great audience Thursday night for Southern Pop Surrealism at No Egrets Art Gallery here in Clarksville!  We were delighted to see all the reactions to these collaborative paintings from the past two years.  Nothing compares to the thrill of viewing them on gallery walls with folks showing a full range of emotion from laughter to terror from the imagery!  If you missed the opening reception, you can still drop by No Egrets Tattoo on College St during normal business hours the entire month of December to see the paintings and also watch the videos of us creating them LIVE (on average, each is about 3 minutes time lapsing over 4 hours of painting!)  Here's some candid moments from our opening and live painting session...

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

SOUTHERN POP SURREALISM opens THURSDAY NIGHT!!!

Here's a dose of quintessential Dirty South Surrealism which the Wolfman and Jesse threw down over the weekend at Austin Peay to advertise our show opening this week...

I'm truly excited for this Thursday evening's Downtown Art Crawl here in Clarksville.  Along with Wolfman Bennett and Jesse Shaw, I've been looking forward to putting on this interactive exhibit for a very long time.  I had the idea last year to incorporate the time lapse videos we've been making the past couple of years into a gallery setting through QR codes.  These codes displayed on each work's title block will give the audience the chance to watch how we created each painting live on their phone or mobile device while in the gallery!

Thursday, November 28, 2013

TOP 10 THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR

For Thanksgiving today, I'm gonna try a bit more practicing in contrast to my preaching of recent years.  I think drawing the Thanksgiving Turkey scalping jolly Ol' Santa last year got most of my grievances with capitalism's distortion of our Holidays out of my system.  My wife and I have a lot to be thankful for this year.  For starters, we purchased our first house and have made it a home.  We've had the highest sales volume of my six years on at my day job as a Marketing Manger at RainSoft and now experience water the way it was meant to be in our own house.  In the midst of everything and working six days a week, we've managed to have wonderful times with friends and familY.  What a year making memories to last a lifetime!  As far as my art career goes, the chapters are still being written.  October saw my first solo exhibit in a couple of years with Soluble Fish at Space Gallery in Nashville.  However, today we're just one week away from my final exhibit of the year with our groundbreaking Multimedia Southern Pop Surrealism show (click HERE for MORE!)


With so much in my life to be gracious over, here I've narrowed down the 
TOP 10 THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR...

Friday, November 22, 2013

IN THE DARK: 50 Years After JFK's Assassination

3.5in x 5.5in Miniature Portrait / Inks on Bristol / 2013
John F. Kennedy was a dangerous man.  Many of his ideas are still dangerous today.  After 50 years, it is near-certain we'll never know the details of the conspiracy to end his life and rob the United States of its new-found optimism.  Eisenhower warned a nervous nation in his farewell speech of the "military industrial complex" and the very real threat of profiting from war.  Kennedy took heed of these words and sought to draw out of Vietnam while trying to heal a segregated country with his compassion toward the need for Civil Rights.  Kennedy in turn warned the country of the danger of "secret societies," a term encompassing but maybe not even limited to the Federal Reserve, CIA, FBI and today the NSA (an organization to whose reach we are all subjected.)  I feel Kennedy sought transparency- the same transparency we still seek today after cold wars, after wars waged for profit, after wars waged for natural resources, after spying becoming an excepted reality and after we've awoken in the pitch dark to a new American nightmare.  The man who reaches for the curtain is a dangerous man to those who benefit from the shroud of secrecy.  The man who lets light through to our waiting eyes is a hero.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

DUALITY dOOdle



"It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both; and from an early date . . . I had learned to dwell with pleasure, as a beloved daydream, on the thought of the separation of these elements."





Tuesday, November 19, 2013

...and 500

Almost four years ago, I made a very smart creative decision.  I dropped my domain and web hosting to turn the blog I had just begun into a fully functional website.  It's addictive.  It's a compulsion.  It's something I don't know if I'll be able to stop so bear with me and enjoy the ride.  In December 2009, I had about 30 views a month here- mainly friends and relatives.  On average this year, over 18,000 views a month is a nice improvement I'd say! Even more importantly to me, several thousand of those views come from foreign countries.  No gallery walls could gather so many sets of eyes to breathe life into art.  Without audience, art is a simple and mundane action- a tree falling in the forest with nobody around.  However with eyes, it lays bare the questions hidden by the answers and creates conversation which is viral (and vital.)  Thank you all for coming here and sending your folk here.  It reaffirms what I do- keep infecting more!  

The featured dOOdle on this post is my half-millennial homage to DREGstudios.com.  "D" is the Roman Numeral for 500 and the inspiration behind this face I summoned to tell this part of my story.  Come back soon with one love.  -B

Sunday, November 17, 2013

POUT at Boheme Collectif

While Untitled Nashville was hosting it's very last exhibit, East Nashville also gave audience to an emerging venue which is gathering local steam at The Boheme Collectif.  POUT featured a group of very talented photographers including my brother-from-another-mother Chad Spann.  Chad and I made the drive down from Clarksville in the DREGstudios! Wagon and party-bused it back and forth from the two exhibits Saturday night.  In addition to the photography display, POUT also showcased the work of bodypaint extraordinaire, Michelle Thornhill and a group of very unique performers whose medium is FIRE!

Untitled Nashville's Swan Song, Undone


On the edge of East Nashville this evening, Untitled Nashville went out with a shoulder-to-shoulder bang as its finale brought together dozens of artists and performers in front of a massive audience.  The entire evening was filled with the meeting of many wonderfully gifted and creative minds looking to the future as well as reflecting on the past.  I was delighted to run into so many fellow artists (many whom I met through Untitled.)  At the end of the evening, a NOLA-style funeral procession was held weaving in and out of the walls of art following the eulogy for Untitled Nashville read aloud on stage.  This artists' collective evolved in many forms over the past 22 years and after tonight is laid to rest for the foreseeable future.  Here are some pics from tonight's exhibit...

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Untitled Nashville comes UNDONE this Saturday...

It was nearly 10 years ago when I was first introduced to the Untitled Nashville group and participated in their Heat exhibit.  For over 20 years, the anonymous and ever-evolving artist-run coalition has set up quarterly art exhibits throughout Music City.  During that time, they've stayed true to providing "Uncensored Art for Unlimited Audiences," always proud of their take-all-comers approach.  At Heat, there were over 120 artists- by far the largest event I had been involved in at the time.  This Saturday, they've again pulled together over 100 creatives from the region for one final extravaganza entitled Undone.  I'll be on hand myself and decided to take this last opportunity to show art which can't be censored by lending my crowd-pleasing "Vagina Beard Chart" which was displayed at the 2012 Dirty Show in Detroit!  The festivities are from 6-10PM at the 506 Events Gallery within the 508 Lofts in East Nashville followed by a New Orleans style funeral procession closing the event at 10PM...


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Stay Thoughtful... (and Thankful)

THOUGHT (and dOOdle) FOR THE DAY:  I try to remind myself how lucky I am (and that we all are.)  Of all the critters crawling over all the stardust in the Universe, we're living in the future- the space age of global communication.  Today folks from China to the Ukraine to India to Pakistan viewed my artwork here at the tip of their fingers and in any language they speak.  This is true power- harness it yourself  by standing and delivering what you believe in and what you are passionate about.  Keep your mind open and the internet free.

This hotel dOOdle is from Ocean City, MD where I spend the first day of my vacation this year with family... Thankful (and thoughful) for it still today!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

ALIEN dOOdle





"I wonder if, in fact, we have been observed by aliens and upon close examination of human conduct and human behavior they have concluded that there is no sign of intelligent life on Earth... You don't walk by the worm on the street and say, 'Gee, I wonder what he's thinking.' No, you step on the worm."

-Neil deGrasse Tyson 

Saturday, November 9, 2013

SOUTHERN POP SURREALISM is going INTERACTIVE in DECEMBER!

Please join us at NO EGRETS TATTOO & GALLERY on December 5th from 7-10PM for the Opening Reception of Southern Pop Surrealism.  This exhibit will feature collaborative artworks created between myself, Wolfman Bennett and Jesse Shaw.  In addition to the paintings, the exhibit will being uniquely interactive.  Each work will have on display with it a QR code which will allow you to watch time lapse videos of us painting!  It's all FREE and OPEN to the PUBLIC during Clarksville's Downtown Art Crawl the First Thursday in December!

Thursday, November 7, 2013

dOOdle vOOdOO



This dOOdle has the rattle of its teeth and the creep of its smile to make your skin crawl today.  He got horns and the bling of his crown and dead eyes to bring you down.  Spittin' and hummin' and scratching right off the cardboard like random acts of art can and do roll off my mind.



Tuesday, November 5, 2013

A Dozen Exquisite Corpses

This past weekend, Aurora and I entertained some of our creative friends for a few rounds of drinks and Exquisite Corpses.  If you aren't familiar, the game involves creating collaborative art by each person drawing and then folding the paper to cover most of what they've sketched.  The paper is then passed to the next player who doesn't know exactly what's been drawn already, only what is left revealed by the previous artist.  Wolfman Bennett, Miranda Herrick and Nathan Parker joined me for three rounds of drawings giving us a dozen collaborations to share with you here!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

NASHVILLE UNDER SIEGE

Music City went under attack for 16 hours a couple of weeks ago as I composed this new work of art for Blackbird Tattoo and Gallery's Haunted Nashville exhibit.  The city is burning and completely overtaken by a squad of oddities including King Kong, Godzilla, a Giant Octopus, Vampire Flies, The Flying Spaghetti Monster,  a Sharknado, Giant Centipedes, a Pterodactyl, UFOs, Flying Eyeballs and even Satan Himself.  I wanted to challenge myself and went a bit larger for this very complex illustration at 14in x 18in.  The preliminary drawing took about four hours and then I filmed the line work and coloring processes to time lapse for a brand new Speed Drawing! The video takes 12 hours of drawing and compresses it into just 4 minutes with some spit by Chali 2na to keep your head bobbing along. (Of course, pictures nor video do any art true justice so to see "Nashville Under Siege" in person, visit Blackbird this month in Nashville!)

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

The DEVIL Comes Out at Night


Today marks the wickedest holiday of the year- Devil's Night!  As the personification of Evil on Earth, the Devil has a heckuva reputation to live up to so it's only fitting he have a night all to himself to wreck havoc with his otherworldly influence.  Fret not though dear viewer, the Devil is really just the yang to the yin of the human condition.  Evil must exist along with Good for without either, there is neither.  (The comic Angel and Devil on your shoulders should come to mind.)  At any rate, party hearty this Halloween while being mindful of how you affect others with your tricks, treats, pranks and poisons.


Tuesday, October 29, 2013

dOOdle from The Frist (Stay On Fire)

I simply can't help myself sometimes.  My hands want to move and dance and make make make.  During our trip to The Frist Center in Nashville for 30 Americans over the weekend, Aurora and I also visited the Martin ArtQuest Gallery upstairs.  This interactive experience allows kids of all ages to create works of art!  From watercoloring to bracelet making to posing a gigantic larger-than-life mannequin, there is a medium for everyone.  We stopped for a moment to do some quick pastel drawings with texture plates which were laying out for folks to experiment with different patterns...

Oil Pastel on Paper / 2013

Sunday, October 27, 2013

30 AMERICANS at The Frist Center

The Frist Center for the Visuals Arts in Nashville is hosting a very unique exhibit right now which explores the boundaries of racial vision through the visual arts in our country.  I highly recommend my Tennessee folk see this inspiring and insightful body of work while it's on display through January 12th.  If you've never been to The Frist, now is the time to experience the level of achievement it brings to our region and state with exhibits like 30 Americans.
Kehinde Wiley - "Equestrian Portrait of the Count-Duke Olivare"

Friday, October 25, 2013

SOUTHERN POP SURREALISM on SPEED

Here's the video from my most recent live painting session with Wolfman Bennett and Jesse Shaw last weekend!  These new paintings will be on display in December at No Egrets here in Clarksville for a very unique interactive exhibit where the audience will be able to watch the videos of their creation as well!  Here's nearly five hours of painting in four minutes...

Monday, October 21, 2013

SOUTHERN POP SURREALISM: The Harbinger of Death and The Pimento Patriot's Parade


Detail of Cyclops (acrylic and spray paint on wood / 2013)
Rain gave way to a flawless sheet of blue covering our Tennessee skies yesterday.  Having planned on doing some live painting this weekend, I was ecstatic to soak up the sunshine as the weather seems to be turning quickly this year.  In December, No Egrets Art Gallery here in Clarksville will be hosting a much overdue unique exhibit featuring collaborative paintings created by myself, Wolfman Bennett and Jesse Shaw.  The show is called Southern Pop Surrealism, the banner under which we've been branding the live painting style we've developed over the past couple of years.  Yesterday yielded what was a very productive session with two new finished panels to show for it!  

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

TOP 10 Songs about the Southern States

One is submerged in a deep and rich history which tells many tales in the Southern United States.   So much culture derives from the region including the birth of many forms of music which influence the entire world today.  Music has captured both the glory and (at times) sordid history we live with below the Mason-Dixon line. Southerners live with both the scenic beauty and comic absurdity of the world's impression of us. Music is a form of storytelling and down here there are many a story to tell.  Here are ten songs- each named and inspired by one of the southern United States.  Each weaves a different tale for its audience in encompassing the scenery, the people, the flavor and the trials and tribulations of The South.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

dOOdles for a CURE during BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this year I've decided to help bring attention to the need for a cure in my own artistic way.  Today YOU also have the chance to help by purchasing one of the first five dOOdles I'm drawing on PiNK paper this month!  Each will be traded for a donation to Cancer Research!



HOW IT WORKS

Visit my WEB STORE by CLICKING HERE to purchase any of these one-of-a-kind miniature illustrations.  Each measures 4.25in x 5.5in (blue ink on pink paper) and is free-style drawn with no preliminary sketching- straight from the brain and into the pink!  Each is available for just a $20 donation to help fund Cancer Research.

TRANSPARENCY

In order to remain true in my constant plights with capitalism, here's the skinny:

From each sale, 100% of the purchase price ($20) will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation from DREGstudios!  (A shipping and handling fee of $2.95 will be added on to ensure the safe delivery of your new art.)  In the age of "Pink Washing" it's important to both you and I that the money we raise goes to work. This organization gets top marks from sources like Charity Watch and Charity Navigator because over 91% of donations go directly to actual research.

These bad boys are SO PiNK, they come out a weird lavender when they're scanned so here's some real pictures...

Thursday, October 10, 2013

MAKE it RAIN

This greedy little doodle has been laying around on my desk for a couple of weeks.  Tonight I finally got my DREGstudios! Store back up and running with the fancy new wheels you see turning here on my site!  Click away and see what wares you can take home!  Stay tuned this month for some original works of art I'll be posting for sale as well.



Sunday, October 6, 2013

SOLUBLE FISH at Nashville's Downtown Art Crawl



I'm loving you tonight Nashville!  Consider this a humble thanks to the hundreds of sets of eyes which turned out this evening to make my SOLUBLE FISH Exhibit a HUGE success!  The feedback both to me personally and through the countless gasps, gawks and looks of awe over my work truly inspire me to stay the course with what I do.  I had a blast hanging out with old friends, fellow artists and artisans and new acquaintances alike.  I'll carry the inspiration on my shoulders proudly this coming week!  A Special Thanks to Seth and space GALLERY for giving my work the showcase this month!

Saturday, October 5, 2013

VERY Limited Edition Prints for SOLUBLE FISH TONIGHT!

My solo exhibit SOLUBLE FISH has finally arrived!!!  At tonight's show hosted by SPACE Gallery in Nashville, I'll have on hand some very limited edition Artist Reproductions of four of my new paintings.  These editions of 10 will be available on a first come first serve basis for a whopping $15 each!  Come by during Nashville's First Saturday Art Crawl between 6PM-9PM to see my very first exhibit consisting of just paintings- NO MARKERS ALLOWED!

Space Gallery is located in the Historic Arcade Building in Downtown Nashville.  There are entrances on both 4th and 5th Avenues between Church St and Union St- just follow the Art Crawl!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

SOLUBLE FISH Teaser

Detail from "Imperial Octopus"
My new solo exhibit, SOLUBLE FISH is THIS Saturday Evening during Nashville's Downtown Art Crawl!  You'll be able to find me at SPACE Gallery in the Arcade Building from 6-9PM with NEW Paintings and Limited Edition Prints of a select few of them!  I've kept a pretty tight lid on this new series of work but you know it's just been eating me up to show them off.  Here's some process pictures and teasers of my fresh paintings.  Each was created with basically the same process of spray-painted backgrounds and acrylics painted on top.  See you Saturday in the Big Nasty!




Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Don't Get it Twisted (HAPPY ObamaCare DAY!)

In a World of misinformation, it's important to investigate for yourself beyond the madness of assumption.  While your social media feed melts down before lunch time, people are screaming to the skies, "Damn you Obaamaaa!" shaking their fists over the current Government Shutdown.

 Did you know there have been 17 government shutdowns since 1976?  Today's in particular is an orchestrated act of Political Theater to make you hate.  The Tea Party sect of the Republican Party in particular feeds and thrives off of your anger, which in turn gets them votes.  The past week was spent basing their entire production around attempting once again defund the Affordable Care Act rather than pass a budget to keep our Government running.  You see, ObamaCare (as it's been donned) is much less profitable for the Big Corporations who spend millions funding and lobbying these politicians.  While some of these vultures in DC don't really care about keeping National Parks Open and feeding poor children via WIC, they do care about who bankrolls their next campaign for re-election.  Also, don't lose sight of the fact they won't miss a single day's pay over this.  The Republicans behind this rouse knew last week just as they know today the shutdown wouldn't make these new healthcare mandates go away.  What they also knew is the blame game riles the general public up with misinformation.  The result?  An eruption of anger today instead of jubilation.

Today is already being remembered as the day the Government shut down.  Much more importantly, today also marks Open Enrollment beginning for ObamaCare which on January 1st of next year will cover the millions of uninsured Americans who can't afford to get sick today.  With all this distraction and frustration, less and less people who are eligible will enroll today and far too many won't even realize the doors have opened.  Educate yourself, educate your neighbors and friends and convince them to enroll today if they are in a situation where their families have been denied healthcare.  Don't let the greedy in Washington pull the wool over your eyes.



Thursday, September 26, 2013

Artist's Statement for SOLUBLE FISH

My new solo exhibit, SOLUBLE FISH is NEXT weekend at SPACE GALLERY during Nashville's First Saturday Downtown Art Crawl!  You'll be able to find me at 61 Arcade Building as you take in all the exhibit openings for the month of October.  I'll be in person at the Gallery from 6-9PM along with my art and some other goodies to hand out.  For now, I wanted to share with you my Artist's Statement for this new body of paintings I've created over the past couple of months.  I usually like to write something about each series of art I create to help guide the audience through my thought process.  SOLUBLE FISH is as much an homage to the school of Surrealism as it is a commentary on Man's world view juxtaposed with that of Marine Life's.  This will be posted at the exhibit to accompany my fresh dose of surrealism...

SOLUBLE FISH
From the Artist…

The term “Soluble Fish” comes from the written work of the same name by André Breton who penned the Surrealist Manifesto in 1924 outlining the methodology and madness of both the literary and artistic sects of Surrealism- a movement which would storm the world of traditional arts.  Today, some 90 years later Surrealism still thrives in various forms throughout the world.  
  
Surrealism captures a dream which captivates audiences.  It exploits the fluidity of the unreal while emphasizing the impermanence of life, its actions and creations.  Within its realm, everything is both a fleeting glimpse and infinite at the same time.  It is soluble and melts before one’s eyes yet lingers and takes on new meanings scurrying from corner to dark corner of the viewer’s mind.   With this achievement, the veil is lifted, the mind is exercised and freedom is experienced.

“The mind of the man who dreams is fully satisfied by what happens to him. The agonizing question of possibility is no longer pertinent.  Kill, fly faster, love to your heart’s content. And if you should die, are you not certain of reawaking among the dead? Let yourself be carried along, events will not tolerate your interference. You are nameless. The ease of everything is priceless.” 
- André Breton, Surrealist Manifesto


With this new series of paintings, I sought in part to explore the literal- with various fish and aquatic life as my muses.  Taking these subjects out of their normal mode and environment, I’ve placed them in positions of authority and acts of liberation.   Do they reflect humanity’s strife?  Do they cry a primal and desperate scream for help?  Do they hold a convex mirror to our own preconceived notions about mortality?  The answers reside in your mind dear viewer- your fleeting glimpse (or infinite translation) of these works allows the surreal part to exist.  Only within your eyes does art serve its purpose.  Now cast your net…

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

My BIRTHDAY CARD from ALEX GREY!!!

The best and most inspiring things do come to those who wait.  When I took a trip up to Maryland to stay with my Sister during my birthday week earlier this month, things started out a bit rocky with our plans at the last minute.  I was scheduled to attend an Art Church event where I would have met my own favorite artist, Alex Grey.  Due to a scheduling conflict, the event was cancelled at the last minute leaving me a wee bit heartbroken.  We decided to spend that day instead at Assateague Island and Ocean City for a different mode of inspiration via some wild horses and scenic beach time.  After a whirlwind trip and seeing literally thousands of works of art at the National Gallery in Washington DC, The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Baltimore Museum of Art, I'd all but forgotten about any missed ventures.  Little did I know my sneaky sister, Becca had written Alex Grey and asked if he'd sign a birthday card she sent since I didn't get to meet him.  Alex in his down-to-Earth manner, did her one better by sending back one of his own custom cards which is not only signed but DRAWN IN!  I'm stunned, inspired and shown further how the Universe has surprises in store for all of us.  Thanks Sis!  Thanks Alex!


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

SOLUBLE FISH opens October 5th!

It has been a couple of years since I had a solo exhibit so I'm awfully darn excited for SOLUBLE FISH coming up on October 5th.  I've kept a pretty good lid on this brand spanking new series of paintings which will be on display at SPACE GALLERY inside the Arcade Building in Downtown Nashville.  This show poster I created yesterday also serves as the very first preview I've released of the series!  The show will be a unique treat for those of you who have followed my work.  My bread and butter has always been my illustration so this will be the first exhibit to only involved paintings- no markers allowed!  I wanted to challenge myself with my personal art as most of the painting I've been doing has been with the Southern Pop Surrealism gang in collaborative form.  Mark your calendars for the evening of October 5th and I'll see you at Nashville's monthly Art Crawl!


SOLUBLE FISH is ONE NIGHT ONLY
Saturday, October 5, 2013
SPACE Gallery 
61 Arcade Bldg / Nashville, TN


Saturday, September 21, 2013

The INNER Peace (Find a Moment Today on THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE)

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
These bones I've been branding for the past few years mean a couple of different things to me now.  At first my feeling was they meant Peace was Dead.  I mean the big D- never coming back (and maybe never really existed in the first place.)  As I get older, I'm understanding the only true attainable Peace is that of Inner Peace.  Every day we struggle to find such Peace inside, deep down, embedded and stable, holding us to the ground in our bones.

Even if modern globalization were to fall, it's within our human nature to strife even at the most basic levels- within the town, within the village, within the family.  Greed has driven war since the first spear was crafted and since the first stone was cast.  Today is no different as sadly enough Profit drives the manufacturing of most War.  It drives the greatest kindest minds mad to wrap our heads around it.  Murder in the name of  ?  Territory?  Food?  Women?  Oil?  Religion?  Man finds reason to conflict with other men which is the way of the World.  Peace is dead... find your Inner Peace.

Photo by Rebecca Hardin

Find your Inner Peace and Be the Change you want to See in the World.  Don't forget there is such a thing as Community and they're supposed to come together when in need.  Today is the United Nations International Day of Peace where a global call asks for solidarity in finding a moment of World Peace.  I hope you find the moment today and I hope it's a moment of Love and a moment of Compassion because we're all in this together.  Find yourself and find your happiness so you can show those around you the same.  Positivism is contagious!

Friday, September 20, 2013

On the OTHER Hand...

Multitasking is the key.  I'm often asked just how in the world I get so much accomplished.  I blame a blend of coffee, ganja, deep-seeded compulsion and planning.

During the mornings this week, I've been working on the details of a KickStarter campaign for my ZOMBIE WALK of FAME book (which hopefully YOU will be helping me crowd-fund into reality next month!) It's been a whirlwind of a week catching up at my day job after my vacation last week.  After hours, I've been converging with Old Angel Midnight on a series of brand-spanking new paintings for my first ever marker-free solo exhibit SOLUBLE FISH opening in two short weeks at SPACE Gallery in Nashville's Arcade Building!  Of course these bad boys are under lock and key as I haven't even leaked so much as a process picture of any of these new works just yet!  Stay tuned though, as I don't think I can hold out much longer.  I don't lead a double life, but often-times a seemingly quadruple one. Just like this Topsy-Turvy doodle, there's more than one side to each story.