New Non-Skeletons (NSFW)

Yet another haul from the nethers of the household basement, let's have another viewing of crappy old artwork, yes? I just keep finding more and more strange stuff, if you've been observing my last few blog posts you already know what this is all about. If you have no idea what's going on, please click here: This is looking like it's going to be an ongoing project, but basically I'm salvaging old artwork I did many years ago and some of it comes from some very "interesting" periods of my life. 

So let's get on with the freak-show, yes? 

While it doesn't look terribly special, I'm actually rather glad this thing survived.

In my last post I found 4 samples of a series of which most didn't survive due to mold and moisture, now that number is up to 5 thanks to this little bastard: It may not look remarkable on my screen, but I think the strongest thing this painting has going for it is the subtle contrasts. Red melting into gray, fields of black with thin white highlighting, it may look half-assed to an untrained eye but for something that took less than an hour I'm kind of impressed with it. 

Moving right along...

When I was a teen, the one thing I read more fervently than the Bible was CIRCUS Magazine.

I have no idea if CIRCUS is even still in circulation, I do hope it is (if for nothing other than late 90's nostalgia) but I used to stuff my lunch-money in my purse and save it for buying the latest issue, then eat a big meal as soon as I got home from school. My church-mates weren't really happy with me about it back then, they thought that harder music brought about the "dark feelings" that, according to their beliefs, increased one's vulnerability to demonic possession: Which, also according to their beliefs, wasn't supposed to be able to happen if you were "Truly Saved" so I thought of myself as being immune.

Seriously, it's just fucking music. 

After leaving Christianity and running face-first into New-Age ideas, I developed this odd little mish-mash of Buddhism and Wicca, leaning pretty heavy toward the Wiccan side of things.

According to most Wiccan beliefs (it's a VERY BROAD BRUSH indeed because there's no institutional figure-head, Wicca is the epitome of "making it up as you go along") there are Light and Dark sides of everything, they want to avoid the dark side like the plague but most Wiccans would generally agree that the "Light" is the right way to go. Many will tell you that "Real Wiccans don't walk on the Dark Side" but I don't need to point out the No True Scotsman Fallacy and it's intricacies to you lot.

The figure in the sketch above is Kwannon, the Japanese version of the rather popular Quan Yin: According to myth, she (and sometimes a he) is the ideal embodiment of compassion and mercy. With this drawing, which I had intended to render into a full-sized painting, I was toying with the idea of what Kwannon's "Dark Side" might look like. How would she carry herself? Would she have a weapon (I went with a Samurai Sword, you can see she's about to whip it out) and what kind of mood would she have?

I've seen Circles and Covens tear themselves to bits arguing about concepts like these, but as far as artwork is concerned I just thought it'd be a little harmless fun as well as a potentially kick-ass art project. Funny thing about being an atheist and looking at religious artwork is just trying to appreciate how much effort the artist put into trying to create something genuinely special, this is doubly strange when YOU are the artist re-discovering an old piece of unfinished work.

And speaking of which...

I'm not a fan of Bible Stories, most of them creep me the fuck out. But the tale of Judith and Holofernes is a favorite of mine, at least as far as works of art are concerned.

What you see here are two snapshots for an intended master-work, my own rendering of the ageless classic: Judith. The first version of this theme that I ever saw was the first one painted by Gustav Klimt, I fell head over heels for his work from there on out. After my cousin showed me a massive book full of his paintings, I knew right then and there that I had a fire in my mind that there was no stopping as long as I had a brush in my hands. 

And yes, you'll notice that I modeled the sword after the energy swords from HALO. Unfortunately, by the time I actually got around to starting the painting itself I was in the middle of a pretty nasty break-up and had to set the project on the back-burner indefinitely. I found the panel, it's mostly intact, but so far I think I prefer the sketch to the as-of-yet unfinished painting...

I fucked it up SOMEWHERE, but moving right along...

Ah, here we go!

I think I made this one with the specific purpose of offending people for no real reason other than that I could, is it working?

I experimented with all manner of fetish art for a brief period of time, here we have a hooker squatting and lactating all over a Bible on the floor. But for some reason I'm more impressed with the image of the octopus int he upper-left, I swear the fucker is getting off on this bizarre little shindig. 

Fucking perverted octopus!

Ah, I did this picture in between High School semesters. I think this was not long after the first time I ever had sex (with a dude, that is.)

What? Not everyone gives up their virginity to the opposite sex, what's it to you? The chick I slept with turned out to be a bit vapid, I guess I wasn't happy with the idea of just being Ms Wednesday: I was very misled about sex and relationships as a youth, I mistook possessiveness for faithfulness and that wound up scaring away A LOT of potential partners. I blame THAT MESS on semi-dysfunctional Catholic upbringing being hijacked by dogmatic Evangelical brain-fuckery. 

Surely there must be at least a few semi-tasteful pieces, right?

Ah yes, meet my ex: Daniel. I needed (shit, STILL need) as much practice as possible drawing the male figure and he was all too happy to help.

Finding male art models on the internet isn't as easy as you'd think, especially if you're a female artist. The few models I HAVE worked with were usually people close to me, which saved me money and most of my friends actually found fun. As soon as I can get situated again I should really re-open a workable studio.

That's all I've got this time, I'll keep digging for more "treasures" and post them.