Video by the extremely talented and somewhat dark Laura Marling.
Her videos, her music speak to me in ways that are dangerous, beckoning me to be that beautifully, tragically human entity I was once addicted to being... a voice in the back of my head telling me how wonderful it might be to be depressed, to feel strongly about something or nothing... to exist.
Anger and frustration, silliness and humor, half-hearted at best, are time-efficient jaunts through temporary, fleeting states of being and self-awareness - defenses against the depression of my environment, all of those who seek to bring me down with them... towards time spent, time lost, on whimsical sentience or into the calling comfort of futility.
Remaining driven, powered, maintained through a necessary aversion to distractions of living - this moment of contemplation, all I have, all I am, perhaps all I will ever have been, as the clock ticks on in increments of dollars, deadlines, and fleeting opportunity - marked by an aging shell and the changing world.
Do I push myself so, to someday have time for being alive, or as a measure against it?
I am as repelled by this video, as I am drawn to its beauty.
... back to work.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Michael Parkes
I have always thought of Michael Parkes as nothing short of amazing. He and Brom are at the top of my list as living artists are concerned.
Watching this video, I am seeing that I can take my works a bit further, shoot a bit higher; Well, I guess I always have that in mind, but currently I am thinking in specific new directions and contemplating new areas of focus.
I plan to get back into doing oils as soon as possible. I have that children's book I need to work on now - but I think some new oils are what I'll be working at in my "down-time".
Watching this video, I am seeing that I can take my works a bit further, shoot a bit higher; Well, I guess I always have that in mind, but currently I am thinking in specific new directions and contemplating new areas of focus.
I plan to get back into doing oils as soon as possible. I have that children's book I need to work on now - but I think some new oils are what I'll be working at in my "down-time".
Behold the Machine
Recently done for Vernian Process - the original painting is 48x24 inches in acrylic on birch panel.
The details are tiny, with a lot of single-hair brush work done.
There are polar bears the size of dimes, swirls and twirls the size of pin-heads, needle-thin ropes and lines, and a ton of details and hidden images hidden within hidden images - made so that its owner can find many, many new things throughout the years.
Artwork is never finished, only abandoned - though the prints are available now, the painting may see some additional work before I finally let go of it.
20x10 Metallic prints, and PRESALES on 12 from each of the giclees on canvas, giclees on Rag Paper, and Large Metallic Prints are available in the store. Though I hand-sign all limited edition prints, and hand-embellish my signature on all canvas giclees, only #s I, II and 1-10 of these limited editions will be hand-embellished.
The details are tiny, with a lot of single-hair brush work done.
There are polar bears the size of dimes, swirls and twirls the size of pin-heads, needle-thin ropes and lines, and a ton of details and hidden images hidden within hidden images - made so that its owner can find many, many new things throughout the years.
Artwork is never finished, only abandoned - though the prints are available now, the painting may see some additional work before I finally let go of it.
20x10 Metallic prints, and PRESALES on 12 from each of the giclees on canvas, giclees on Rag Paper, and Large Metallic Prints are available in the store. Though I hand-sign all limited edition prints, and hand-embellish my signature on all canvas giclees, only #s I, II and 1-10 of these limited editions will be hand-embellished.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
A moment of your time please...
The Pickled Brothers includes my good friend Travis - sideshow freak extraordinaire.
Travis has been on Jay Leno in recent weeks for his world record-breaking bug-related feats, and has performed his acts at shows and conventions all over the country. Erik, the other Pickled brother, broke the world record for upside-down juggling last year. Both are fantastic people worthy of winning this years reward.
I might also mention that Travis is the type of friend who would drive 45 minutes or more to lend a circular saw.
Please, if you would, vote for him through the link below (No guarantees on him lending you his saw).
You can scroll past all other categories if cramped for time (you needn't fill them all out).
Scroll down to: OUT AND ABOUT: Best comedy troupe
http://www.bestofcincinnati.com
One vote per Ip, they are logging IP addresses.
Travis has been on Jay Leno in recent weeks for his world record-breaking bug-related feats, and has performed his acts at shows and conventions all over the country. Erik, the other Pickled brother, broke the world record for upside-down juggling last year. Both are fantastic people worthy of winning this years reward.
I might also mention that Travis is the type of friend who would drive 45 minutes or more to lend a circular saw.
Please, if you would, vote for him through the link below (No guarantees on him lending you his saw).
You can scroll past all other categories if cramped for time (you needn't fill them all out).
Scroll down to: OUT AND ABOUT: Best comedy troupe
http://www.bestofcincinnati.com
One vote per Ip, they are logging IP addresses.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
New art! ...by Bethalynne Bajema!
I am just finishing up that new work for Vernian Process. It has taken many many wonderful years off my life doing so in 24-hour shifts with single-hair brushes and many, many multiple molecule-thin ghostly layers placed carefully in high-detail atop a 48 inch by 24 inch birch wood panel.
Prints will be available - as soon as I scrape together the many hundreds it takes me for photographing, and color matching/proofing.
... which may take a little while longer as we are still gathering funds for paper and marker with which to write "Providence Rhode Island or Bust!" on, so we can spend less time standing by the highway and more time being abducted by cannibalistic hillbillies.
So, since I have nothing new of my own to share just this second:
Beth makes all manner of interesting things in her strange, unique, and wonderful ways.
Her unique combination of pencil, pen, and digital multimedia works come in hundreds of flavors, many of which taste like Cthulhu.
You can see more of her work, on her blog, which I designed much better than my blog... My blog gets replaced as soon as I can get rid of the google ads, which will happen as soon as I make up all the time they have uglied up my site count for something, in the form of a check hopefully.
Beth's Site:http://www.bethalynnebajema.com/scriptorium
Outdated Teaser Photo of coming V/P painting:
Friday, January 16, 2009
Originals on Sale Tonight
Beth and I need to stock up on prints, merchandise, and travelling expenses for Templecon in Providence, RI, where she and I will be guests of honor.
To celebrate a rather rough week, All originals are drastically reduced in price!
I suppose I need not mention this is a first-come, first serve deal, as there is only one of each.
The most drastically reduced are these three recent engravings on Ampersand Archival clayboard:
The view all originals on sale, click here
To celebrate a rather rough week, All originals are drastically reduced in price!
I suppose I need not mention this is a first-come, first serve deal, as there is only one of each.
The most drastically reduced are these three recent engravings on Ampersand Archival clayboard:
The view all originals on sale, click here
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Mono Goggle from Taggert's Workshop
This photo is just a bit of a teaser, there are many more interesting pictures on his site, Taggert's Workshop including a picture of this splendid eyepiece all lit up.
Though his Blogspot blog is almost brand new, I would highly, highly recommend subscribing to it.
Keep a good eye on this one, I am sure there are many amazing things to come.
Direct link to the monogoggle
A Fantastic Compilation CD
I have spent this past week hooked on the compilation CD that came with Issue 10 of TWF magazine, a magazine I bought erroneously for its featuring of Christian Death...
This, because I am terrible at recognizing faces, and he girl at the front really threw me off - especially since I do not follow the 'Valor' band, whatever they are called, I forget.
The magazine however, regardless is a fantastic magazine.
Its layout and design work are a bit rough, and very reminiscent of an old-school zine, though much bigger than the standard self-published rags (and of course it also has color). But good music mags, such as this are about the music, as they well should be.
Where the magazine really shines is in its content and coverage, wherein the music does not take a back seat to fashion and nifty trinkets; It is a fantastic mag for gothic music enthusiasts, even better with this amazingly well-conceived CD, which is my favorite part of the magazine and well-worth the purchase in its own.
This CD is quite possibly the best single-CD gothic compilation I have heard, period.
Featured in this CD are: Uninvited Guest, STandArt, ASP, Life's Decay, that band with Valor in it, Place4Tears, Niceville, 1000 Voices, Zombie Girl, Jesus on Extasy, Volkmar, Christine Zuffery, All Living Fear, We.Got.This.Far., History of Guns, and Die Form.
Though there is plenty to love for EBM and synth-pop enthusiasts, my favorite tracks are of course those that best fit my traditional gothic, deathrock, dark cabaret, and neo-victorian tendencies - several of which I was introduced to through this CD (which I am incredibly beyond grateful for):
Uninvited Guest - You are your kingdom, ASP - How Far Would You Go?, Life's Decay - Decense**, NiceVille - Endless Cigarette**, Jesus on Exstasy - Beloved Enemy, Christine Zuffery - Mon Chant de Sirene**, All Living Fear - Jessica, History of Guns - Drag On**, and Die Form - BWV 147-5, and *sigh* admittedly... That band with Valor in it - as much as I love the original Christian Death, it really is actually very good track, and they are actually a great band when not doing the Rozz Williams era stuff - which I still feel should be left to CD 1334.
(** denotes my four absolute favorite tracks)
I look forward to future releases from TWF Magazine, if only for their musical selection prowess.
Magazine cover copyright TWF Magazine, Image copyright Christian Death
This, because I am terrible at recognizing faces, and he girl at the front really threw me off - especially since I do not follow the 'Valor' band, whatever they are called, I forget.
The magazine however, regardless is a fantastic magazine.
Its layout and design work are a bit rough, and very reminiscent of an old-school zine, though much bigger than the standard self-published rags (and of course it also has color). But good music mags, such as this are about the music, as they well should be.
Where the magazine really shines is in its content and coverage, wherein the music does not take a back seat to fashion and nifty trinkets; It is a fantastic mag for gothic music enthusiasts, even better with this amazingly well-conceived CD, which is my favorite part of the magazine and well-worth the purchase in its own.
This CD is quite possibly the best single-CD gothic compilation I have heard, period.
Featured in this CD are: Uninvited Guest, STandArt, ASP, Life's Decay, that band with Valor in it, Place4Tears, Niceville, 1000 Voices, Zombie Girl, Jesus on Extasy, Volkmar, Christine Zuffery, All Living Fear, We.Got.This.Far., History of Guns, and Die Form.
Though there is plenty to love for EBM and synth-pop enthusiasts, my favorite tracks are of course those that best fit my traditional gothic, deathrock, dark cabaret, and neo-victorian tendencies - several of which I was introduced to through this CD (which I am incredibly beyond grateful for):
Uninvited Guest - You are your kingdom, ASP - How Far Would You Go?, Life's Decay - Decense**, NiceVille - Endless Cigarette**, Jesus on Exstasy - Beloved Enemy, Christine Zuffery - Mon Chant de Sirene**, All Living Fear - Jessica, History of Guns - Drag On**, and Die Form - BWV 147-5, and *sigh* admittedly... That band with Valor in it - as much as I love the original Christian Death, it really is actually very good track, and they are actually a great band when not doing the Rozz Williams era stuff - which I still feel should be left to CD 1334.
(** denotes my four absolute favorite tracks)
I look forward to future releases from TWF Magazine, if only for their musical selection prowess.
Magazine cover copyright TWF Magazine, Image copyright Christian Death
Occupod
... for lack of a better name, I don't think it would actually crawl on its eyeball.
The unfinished product. Finished pics at my Flickr account.
This is my second clay sculpture ever. The third is light years beyond this one, and in the works.
What I am loving about sculpture is that I do not have to think too much on lighting, reflection, and shading - most of it is done of course by it being a 3-d object already, and I am finding that I can do this stuff well enough that making sculptures is much quicker than making sketches and designs to work from.
I had forgotten how much I liked sculpting.
When I was a kid, I must have split my thumb open about fifty times making a huge wooden dragon with 8 legs, 3 heads, 4 wings, feathered bodies and feathered wings and highly detailed features down to the pointy teeth and claws. I was actually always better at sculpting than I was drawing - and from the way the piece after this one is coming along, I think I can easily and quickly get there again... and this ceramic clay is much easier than wood.
This might soon become a part of my process for making paintings.
The unfinished product. Finished pics at my Flickr account.
This is my second clay sculpture ever. The third is light years beyond this one, and in the works.
What I am loving about sculpture is that I do not have to think too much on lighting, reflection, and shading - most of it is done of course by it being a 3-d object already, and I am finding that I can do this stuff well enough that making sculptures is much quicker than making sketches and designs to work from.
I had forgotten how much I liked sculpting.
When I was a kid, I must have split my thumb open about fifty times making a huge wooden dragon with 8 legs, 3 heads, 4 wings, feathered bodies and feathered wings and highly detailed features down to the pointy teeth and claws. I was actually always better at sculpting than I was drawing - and from the way the piece after this one is coming along, I think I can easily and quickly get there again... and this ceramic clay is much easier than wood.
This might soon become a part of my process for making paintings.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Young Mad Scientist's Building Blocks
Okay, I sort of wish I had kids by which to justify buying these.
But would I share?
"At Xylocopa, we know that the key to a successful education is to begin learning at a young age. Like many of you, we are concerned about the state of science education in the public school system, especially in the lower grades. Specifically, we have noticed that there is absolutely no training in the K-6 grades that prepares students to become mad scientists. In this competitive 21st-century world, the need for mad scientists will only increase, but the lack of basic education in primary school leaves us concerned that there will be no future students capable of leading in this illustrious field.
Fortunately, we have a solution - a first step, if you will, along the path to mad science proficiency. " [read more at Xylocopa...]
[via Ectomo via Porphyre]
But would I share?
"At Xylocopa, we know that the key to a successful education is to begin learning at a young age. Like many of you, we are concerned about the state of science education in the public school system, especially in the lower grades. Specifically, we have noticed that there is absolutely no training in the K-6 grades that prepares students to become mad scientists. In this competitive 21st-century world, the need for mad scientists will only increase, but the lack of basic education in primary school leaves us concerned that there will be no future students capable of leading in this illustrious field.
Fortunately, we have a solution - a first step, if you will, along the path to mad science proficiency. " [read more at Xylocopa...]
[via Ectomo via Porphyre]
Monday, January 5, 2009
Holiday Delays
This is just a quick note to let people who have ordered between December 24th and January 1st, that shipments coming in and shipments going out, have been slowed by the holidays, making for a combined delay of about 3 to 4 days more than the average shipping time (different from product to product).
Apologies for any inconveniences this might cause, Giclees ordered between the 26th and the 1st will ship on the 8th of January, anything else is shipping today.
Otherwise, we are now back on regular schedule and back to business as usual.
Apologies for any inconveniences this might cause, Giclees ordered between the 26th and the 1st will ship on the 8th of January, anything else is shipping today.
Otherwise, we are now back on regular schedule and back to business as usual.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
West
I am home, and finally able to sit down and listen to my copy of Ego-Likeness' "West".
West is a limited edition CD, the second of their Compass set, signed and numbered, and absolutely well-beyond-worth the $10 spent.
Though most of the tracks on this CD are remixes from other CDs, or entirely unique alternate versions by the band, "Sirens and Satellites" is completely new, and well-worth the purchase in its own. It is a moving and energetic masterpiece with perfect dynamic separation, making for a moving and energizing torrent of perfectly placed highs and lows washing over and incredibly contagious and rhythmic musical dreamscape.
"I Live on What's Left" is a haunting anthem, pensive, gloomy, beautiful, relaxing and atmospheric - reminiscent of Liz Frazier or perhaps Jane Sisberry in style and feel - moving and downbeat, the perfect prelude to the tracks to come:
The Hypofixx Remix of "Burn Witch Burn" is a pulse-pounding and melodic dance track, and addictive beyond description. I do hope to see it once again top request lists at US clubs this year, and maybe ten years later in Ohio.
"The Egg of the Mother", originally Recorded in 2002, is as promised drastically different from the original version ("Save your Serpent"), and utterly fantastic. I could not say which of the two I love more, but I can say that hearing this version made me more than pleased to have the EP. "The Egg of the Mother" is a hypnotic, dreamy, building musical wave, its ebb and flow leading perfectly into "Severine", a wonderfully depressive and powerful remix by Hopeful Machines - a side project of Ego Likeness' brilliant and artistic composer and co-author, Steven Archer.
Signed and Numbered, at only $10+$2 S&H, with only 300 available - I would certainly recommend putting the purchase of this CD at the top of your list for this week, if not this very minute.
Watch the video for Sirens and Satellites (performed at DragonCon 2008):
(Or see it at full size and format here)
West is a limited edition CD, the second of their Compass set, signed and numbered, and absolutely well-beyond-worth the $10 spent.
Though most of the tracks on this CD are remixes from other CDs, or entirely unique alternate versions by the band, "Sirens and Satellites" is completely new, and well-worth the purchase in its own. It is a moving and energetic masterpiece with perfect dynamic separation, making for a moving and energizing torrent of perfectly placed highs and lows washing over and incredibly contagious and rhythmic musical dreamscape.
"I Live on What's Left" is a haunting anthem, pensive, gloomy, beautiful, relaxing and atmospheric - reminiscent of Liz Frazier or perhaps Jane Sisberry in style and feel - moving and downbeat, the perfect prelude to the tracks to come:
The Hypofixx Remix of "Burn Witch Burn" is a pulse-pounding and melodic dance track, and addictive beyond description. I do hope to see it once again top request lists at US clubs this year, and maybe ten years later in Ohio.
"The Egg of the Mother", originally Recorded in 2002, is as promised drastically different from the original version ("Save your Serpent"), and utterly fantastic. I could not say which of the two I love more, but I can say that hearing this version made me more than pleased to have the EP. "The Egg of the Mother" is a hypnotic, dreamy, building musical wave, its ebb and flow leading perfectly into "Severine", a wonderfully depressive and powerful remix by Hopeful Machines - a side project of Ego Likeness' brilliant and artistic composer and co-author, Steven Archer.
Signed and Numbered, at only $10+$2 S&H, with only 300 available - I would certainly recommend putting the purchase of this CD at the top of your list for this week, if not this very minute.
Watch the video for Sirens and Satellites (performed at DragonCon 2008):
(Or see it at full size and format here)
New short story
I forgot to mention it before, but I put up a brief strange-fiction insane-fiction story here at The Miskatonic Archive.
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