les deux napoleons
2011.9″x12″.
Pen on newsprint.
Napoleon Bonaparte is one of my favorite historical figures. He accomplished so much in his life, regardless of whether or not people thought he could do it. Yes, he’s not exactly known for his pleasantries, but when you don’t meet the height requirement to enter a theme-park, pleasantries go out the window.
the rushing of the dashed road lines,
the percussive rhythm of rushing cars and rushing trees,
we head into the night not knowing where we’re going, but knowing when we’re there.
a café turned night club.
dj’s and dancers,
lights and more precision.
later, it’s 1am, beach and blankets, huddled together, friends and beer.
the stars have never been brighter, ever.
and it’s never been colder.
the ocean waves crash and we laugh…too much beer.
a seal barks and we doze off in the freezing sand.
we rise before the sun does, we rush off again, more percussive sounds trailing behind us…and we’re gone.
creator of billy pilgrim
Pen on paper. 2010.
5.5″x8.5″
I was thumbing through some notebooks and found a stencil I did last year of Kurt Vonnegut. Slaughterhouse-Five has had one of the longest lasting effects on me than any other book (save Franny and Zooey, 9 Stories and The Dharma Bums). The character of Billy Pilgrim makes me incredibly sad. I think sometimes we all feel like Billy Pilgrim, shifting in and out of realities, and that’s why Mr. Pilgrim is such an easily relatable character. If you have never read Slaughterhouse-Five or any of Kurt Vonnegut’s work, you must run out and do it today. Or we will cease being friends. Right now.
coats
2010. Sharpie and colored pencil on paper.
5.5″x8.5″.
I did this little one after looking threw some on Evelynn’s Frida Kahlo books. Her painting “my dress hangs there” was kind of the jumping biff point. I saw the coat rack and thought, “my coats hang there”. But it wasn’t as lame as it sounds.
Enjoy!
My recent inactivity is partly due to another move. We packed up and headed to lovely Oakland, CA. No sarcasm. We got familiar with the city while we lived in Berkeley, and are looking forward to really getting to know it.
I’m beginning to dabble in printmaking and watercolor. Hopefully, these projects will be presentable and I’ll post them when they are ready.
I’ll get post up with some content within the week.
the saddest elephant in the room
2011. Oil and charcoal on canvas.
16″x20″.
I’ve loved elephants for a long time. I think they may have been my first favorite animal…at least that i can remember. I think it’s because their eyes are so expressive. Also, I’ve always believed they could play their trunks like trumpets! Last summer in Tucson, Evelynn and I wrote a play together and the characters talked about a dream one had (based on a real dream i had) where all the elephants in the world disappeared. How sad, huh?
looking west (self portrait 2010-2011)
.2010-2011. Oil on panel.
16″x20″.
This took me a lot longer than anticipated, like a year longer. It saw many different versions and I was finally satisfied with this one. I don’t know how well it shows up but I took a lot of time texturing the beard.
I wonder what I’m looking at.
These are the two pieces I got into the Milvia Street Art and Literary Journal 2010. While i dont think “early morming or late at noght” lends itself to black and white photography very well, I’m still really stoked about it. Hopefully this journal is just one of many in the future!
To me art is about expressing yourself. That’s not some ground breaking definition, but it’s extremely true. When I create a piece of art, I do it exactly the way I want to do it–not the way anyone else wants it.
But in constantly expressing yourself, you’re constantly up for judgment. That’s where I think it gets complicated, because people can wrongly judge you. It happens all the time–not just in art, but in life. I think it’s just one of those things where I, personally, feel misunderstood. It happens though. It goes hand and hand with putting yourself out there. But I’m okay with it even if I am not always understood. I just have to keep doing it–being me.
There’s a great J.D. Salinger quote that i think is applicable. “An artists only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else’s.”
I’ve been doing some reading lately. Since the move I’ve plowed through a pretty good assortment. “crime and punishment”, “atlas shrugged”, “you shall know our velocity!”, norweigan wood” and “the Martian chronicles”.
All of them have been great! I’d give the edge to “Atlas Shrugged” and “Crime and Punishment”. 5 stars! Come on, they’re classics!! Everything seems to be there for a reason. No f-ing around. Where as “You Shall Know Our Velocity!” seemed all f-ing around. I’ve read Eggers before and I’ve always been entertained…but this seemed to go nowhere. The idea was there but wasn’t executed. 2 stars! “Norwegian Wood” was almost the same, but kept me interested. There’s not a ton of story but it’s told in such an interesting voice (i love his voice and just the words he decides to use) that it made up for it. 4 stars!
And for not being a huge sci-fi reader (or is it sy-fy) “The Martian Chronicles” blew me away!! It has a way of making you think about so much in very little words. The themes Bradbury tackles run so much deeper than he suggests and you’re left thinking about it for days. He also did an amazing job at not dating himself, as a lot of other sci-fi I’ve read. And soooo creative. I wish I could pass the book off as my own and nobody would know.
I have a Goodreads.com account and try to update as I read, so if you’re interested follow me here
I’ll keep you posted here with reviews every couple of books here.
justin brown. 