Up Next...

I'm currently working on my pieces for the upcoming "Gizmos & Gadgets" show at The Bottleneck Gallery.

Merry Christmas

No matter what you celebrate, a happy and safe holiday to you and your family.

Last Chance Before Christmas

Today is the last day you can purchase one of my cut paper collage portraits of various cartoon characters such as Ookla the Mok (above) or the Candy Cane Guy (below) and have it delivered in time for Christmas. The cut off time will be 2:30 PM EST.

You can, of course, buy any of these collages anytime after 2:30 PM, but I can't guarantee they'll get to you before Christmas.

You can view the complete selection of characters available as well as ordering information here.

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen

When Brian Cronin asked me to contribute a list to his book Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent?, I had a tough time choosing between two topics so I sent him both. My list of the best characters from Grant Morrison's run of Doom Patrol appears in the book. My other list, which was cut due to space limitations, appears complete at CBR.

This is my list of my favorite covers from Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen with my commentary on why I think they're so great. If you're wondering why the list contains a description of the artwork shown, which probably seems redundant, it's because at the time I submitted the list I did not know if Brain would be able to reprint the actual covers to the comics in his book.

Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? makes great reading as does Brian's previous book, Was Superman a Spy?


For more Jimmy Olsen covers go here.

Holiday Gift Guide

Hanukkah is already upon us and Christmas isn't too far off. If you need some last minute gift suggestions, look no further. Best of all, these support the artists directly an not an anonymous big box store.

 

On the shameless self promotional front, I have numerous books and dvds sure to please the comic book fans on your list, whether they are adults or kids. You can see what's available here, or check with your local comic book store or online bookseller.

 

For the animation fan on your list I have a large number of cut paper collage portraits of popular classic characters from the Flintstones to Bugs Bunny as well as bargain priced cut paper collage portraits of characters from the popular Cartoon Network tv series, Adventure Time. All of these can be found in my art store. 

For the lover of classic horror, the astounding artist, Belle Dee has a bunch of inexpensive prints featuring a number of characters from a variety of horror films of the past. You can order them here. She also offers some beautiful Halloween prints which can be found here and a pair of Christmas cards which can be purchased from ZaPow!

Tom Taggart has some amazing 3-D sculpted one of a kind clocks (such as the one seen above) and a whole line of great ornaments (sure to add a touch of eye pleasing oddness to your tree) and batches of paintings for sale in his etsy store. 

Horror scribe Steve Niles has a ton of books and comics for sale in his store and some nice incentives for purchasing from him directly, the best being that proceeds go directly to the creator, as do all of the purchases in this post. 

Judd Apatow Art Now Online

For those of you who could not attend the opening of "A Tribute to Judd Apatow" (hosted by Mr. Apatow and also attended by Seth Rogen and Martin Starr) at Gallery 1988 last night, don't despair. The show runs through December 30, so you still have the rest of the month to stop in and check out all of the great art.

For those of you who can't attend in person, you're in luck also. Gallery 1988 has put all of the artwork up on its website. It looks like the show was an immediate success and that a lot of art was sold during the opening, but there's still plenty of stuff available if you're looking to take something home with you.

Steve Weintraub also posted 80 photos of the show itself which you can see at Collider.com.

You can see the pieces I did for the show here.

Judd Apatow Tribute Show Tonight

"A Tribute to Judd Apatow" opens tonight at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles. An RSVP to the gallery is required for attendance. I don't know if RSVPs are still being accepted, but contact the gallery if you are interested.

Judd Apatow will be in attendance as well as lots of great artwork. I have two cut paper collage pieces in the show, which can be seen above. "Freaks" and its companion piece "Geeks."

The show runs through December 30th, so even if you can't make the opening you still have a month's worth of opportunity to stop buy and take in the artwork.

Ask Me Anything #25

After a two month hiatus, "Ask Me Anything" is back. On the first Monday of every month, excepy October, I'll field any questions and try and answer them throughout the month during which they were asked.

Questions can be about anything at all; my work, my influences, my opinions, stuff I've watched, read, looked at, eaten, or listened to, or anything else you might want to know, and that I might have an answer for. Head down to the comment section and post your question. I'll either post my answer in the comment section as well, or answer it in a special post all its own sometime later in the month.

Please take the time to view the previous questions so that we don't wind up with a lot of repetition. I've been asked a lot of good, thought provoking questions in the past as well as some really banal ones, all of which I tried to answer. You can see the previous questions by visiting Ask Me Anything  #1, #2 ,  #3, #4, #5, #6 , #7 , #8, #9,  #10,  #11,  #12 , #13, #14,  #15 , #16, #17 , #18 , #19,  #20,  #21, #22,  #23 and #24.  Answers not found following the questions can be found in the archives section for each associated month under Ask Me Anything.

Now ask away. 

Next Tuesday...

I have two pieces in the upcoming Judd Apatow tribute show at Gallery 1988. The show opens Tuesday, December 4 from 7-10 pm with Judd Apatow in attendance. It's expected to be a hugely popular show. In order to attend you'll need to RSVP with the Gallery prior to the event.

For a list of all the participating artists look here.

Inexpensive Adventure Time Art Available

Marceline is just one of many cut paper collage portraits of Adventure Time characters that I now have for sale in my online store. They're inexpensive and would make a great one of a kind gift for the Adventure Time fan on your list, young, or just young at heart. See them all here.

Underneath the Juniper Tree

There are just five days left to contribute to the Underneath the Juniper Tree fundraising campaign on indiegogo. Underneath the Juniper Tree is an online children's literature and arts magazine full of dark and sinister tales and images for kids. Now, they would like to compile a print anthology of these creepy contents which are a perfect way to introduce horror to a young generation of readers.

You can read various issues of the magazine here. If you like what you see and would like to help introduce kids to one of the most fun and engaging genres of fiction, please contribute what you can to their fundraising campaign. Thank you!

Art by Tom Taggart

If you're looking for something cool and unusual to decorate your tree with, check out my friend, Tom Taggart's etsy store. He's got mermaids, martians, tiki heads, robots, devils, and even the Frankenstein monster. Each ornament is super detailed and about the size of a tennis ball, yet are light enough that  you don't need to hang them from the heaviest branches of your tree.

He also offers some amazing, one-of-a-kind 3-D sculpted clocks, paintings and other goodies.  Visit his store to see it all.  Tell him I sent you.

Adventure Time Art For Sale

What time is it? Adventure Time!

If you're a fan of the television series, Adventure Time, or know someone who is, now would be a good time to visit my store.

I've just added a large assortment of very inexpensive (most are between $10.00 and $25.00) cut paper collage portraits of a wide variety of Adventure Time characters.

These would make great gifts for the young, or young at heart, fan that you know.

If you don't see what you're looking for just ask. I'll also be posting more of these in the store beginning next week, so keep checking back.

If you like what you see, please spread the word. All of these collages and many, many more can be found here.

Tonight...

For those of you in the New York City area, Bottleneck Gallery in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn will be opening "The Gang's All Here" tonight from 7 PM - 10 PM. There are a buncj of great artists who will have their fantastic work exhibited in the show. I also have a piece in the show which can be seen by scrolling down to the previous post. Proceeds will benefit the Make A Wish foundation.

Return To Oz

The colors are not quite true to the original, but here's a look at the cut paper collage piece I made for "The Gang's All Here" show which opens tomorrow evening at Bottleneck Gallery in Brooklyn, NY.

The opening runs from 7pm - 10pm and the show itself runs through December 7th, 2012. There are a lot of fantastic pieces by a number of great artists in the show, so it's definitely worth checking out in person if you can, and via the gallery website if you can't. Proceeds from the sales will benefit the Make  a Wish foundation, which is a bonus.

Scary Stories and Pictures For Children and Adults

Here is a really cool project. Underneath the Juniper Tree is an online children's literature and art magazine full of deliciously dark tales and illustrations aimed at kids. You can read issues of the magazine here. While I really love the idea of a magazine that releases the monsters back under the bed and mysteriously taps at the windowpane in the middle of the night, reading from a computer screen is no substitute for reading an actual bound paper volume under the covers with a flashlight.

It just so happens that Underneath the Juniper Tree wants to publish a beautiful, physical, paper anthology of spooky art and stories. To do so they are looking for some bold patrons of the arts and literature to help them out by contributing to their fundraising campaign on Indiegogo. They have a number of cool incentives and a video giving a glimpse of the beautiful object that the Underneath the Juniper Tree anthology can become if their goals are met. Take a look here, and, please, pledge if you can. Every dollar counts.

This Week...

I'll have a piece of art in the "The Gang's All Here" show at Bottleneck Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. The show opens this Friday, November 16 and runs through December 7.

I'll post my piece here before the show opens.

Carousel Menagerie

I'm back from my WDW vacation, but not back up to speed, yet. I'll have some new, and hopefully interesting, things to post later in the week. In the meantime, here is a look at some of the great old wooden carousel animals that are displayed around the perimeter of the working 1908 carousel at the Heritage Museum & Gardens in Sandwich, MA. I took these photos a few years back but never got around to posting them until now. An all too typical scenario I admit.

Notice:

I'm on vacation until the end of the week so Ask Me Anything, which normally runs here on the first Monday of each month will return in December. Feel free to peruse previous questions in the archives to the right.

Next stop...

Off to a much needed five day vacation.

Skullscapes

I just found out about these amazing skull sculptures by Frodo Mikkelsen via Boing Boing. There are a whole series of them with various buildings and landscapes growing up out of their crowns.

I'd love to have one depicting the giant floating skull citadel from Xombi as seen below on the cover from issue #4.

31 Days of Halloween - Movie 2

I managed to squeeze in one last movie for this year's Countdown.

In Egypt in 1900, a mummy is uncovered that comes with a curse than anyone involved with the opening of its tomb will die. There's also an amulet that can reanimate the dead which is used to bring the mummy back to life. The mummy then proceeds to carry out the curse before being lured to his ultimate purpose.

The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964) is perfectly watchable, but one of Hammer's more ho-hum movies. There's nothing particularly new or interesting brought to the living mummy subgenre and the bulk of the characters are equally stale and passive. The mummy itself is not particularly imposing or interesting to look at. It's fine to pass a rainy Sunday afternoon, but not really worth seeking out, or revisiting.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 31 - Movie

After a close encounter with a mass murderer, a television reporter (Dee Wallace) is sent to "The Colony" to recuperate from her ideal. Once there she discovers that everyone else at the colony is a werewolf.

When The Howling (1981) was new, I watched it every opportunity I could. I loved the movie with it's sense of humor, all of the products that had "wolf" somewhere in their name and all of the nods to classic werewolf movies. I especially loved the wild transformation effects by Rob Bottin. I've only seen it a few times since the 1980s, and overall the movie holds up rather well, though my wife compared the final werewolf shown to a labradoodle. 

My only complaint is that for some reason, whoever was responsible for transferring this movie to DVD decided to lighten the exposure on the transformation scenes. Now, what was incredible state of the art make-up effects designed to take advantage of low light levels and shadows looks crude and rubbery in the harsh lighting it was not meant to be seen in. This was an absolutely terrible decision that does nothing but hamper the film's effectiveness. I'm hoping that when The Howling gets released on DVD this will be reverted back to the way it was meant to be seen. 

If you've never seen it, you should. Just keep this in mind when you are watching it. 

31 Days of Halloween - Day 31 - Mask of the Day

The final print, cut-out and wear mask this year is a Jack O'Lantern.