Bus Shelter Murals, Painting Against Homelessness, and New Drawings

Seattle's redoubtable weekly The Stranger sponsors an auction each year, devoting an issue to offer reader's the chance to bid on goods and services, the proceeds of which go to a different non-profit social service. This year the Stranger's board chose DESC, with whom I am employed as a counselor, as the recipient; I felt like it only made sense to pitch in, since my employment is reliant on the strife of our clients --- the least I can do is give over a painting to the auction. Here it is:
















A flurry of activity: I finished up a cycle of murals for bus shelters over the summer and went into a creative slumber for the rest of the warm season --- sort of reverse hibernation. But things are cool and crisp here in the Northwest, and work has been coming along nicely. Here are some images of what's happening.

UUC Auction

The University Unitarian Church is holding their annual auction next week. We've just become members, and are slowly entering into its social network, which is fun and refreshing. I made this painting specially for their auction; it's unusually domestic subject matter (ripped off from a painting my daughter did, actually), and I hope it might serve as an advertisement for subsequent commissions as well as raise money for the church. Anyway, Rome (the dog) and Django (the cat) are heretowith immortalized.

Spooky Gang

The gang is out for a night on the town; this is from a series of Halloween pictures I've been working on (along with a bunch of other stuff I've been working on.)

Monster Night!

This is the first of a batch of Halloween pictures I've got going --- My wife and daughter have been asking me for a long time to do one, and it's turning into a series, maybe something that could turn into a book.. They're really fun to do, and I'm really happy with how they're turning out. I'm also thinking of doing limited edition prints of a few.

Shakti and Shiva v.2

I was approached by my friend Sharon Arnold, who is guest-curating this year's Seattle Erotic Art Festival, to submit a piece for an invitational wing she's arranged. I had such a good time doing the piece directly below that I thought it was wholly suited to this event as well, but with none of the parameters involved with commission work. I'm happy with it; I wanted to make a piece that inspired or evoked sensuality rather than depict it.

Shiva and Shakti Commission

My Friend Susie is a yoga teacher and is deeply interested in Tantric Studies. She wanted to surprise her husband with a large painting for their bedroom; we talked for some time about the mood and feeling she was hoping to see --- loving, sensuous, integrated, and above all full of vitality. I asked Susie if she minded me flirting with garishness, and she told me to go with it. I sent 3 updates to her as I worked to ensure I was on a useful path. This is how it turned out, and I must say how pleased I am with the results. A completely enjoyable job from start to finish.

Iron Man/ Captain Commander Mural

As you might imagine, this one is for an eleven-year-old boy's bedroom. Simple, dramatic composition, rich colors, and the semi-tromp l'oeil edges graphically rendered as building silhouettes and dust clouds help to break up and enliven a large blank space.

A New Skill Gained...

I just finished up teaching a summer 'digital design' program for ten high school kids; it went really well, but the thing is I'm still learning what seem like really basic PS skills my own self. To wit: The above image is a charcoal drawing, and I just found out how to color such things in dramatic (if not quite convincing) fashion. Hip hip hoorah.

Jahnavi's Room

A very busy period indeed. We're moved into the new house ( paradise), and I'm about to finish up the summer design session I'm teaching. In between, I managed to get Jahnavi's mural up; Joseph's room is up next. Then I begin a really thrilling project, which I'll document and upload as it progresses.

More Color Episodes From Sisyphus' Journey...

It seems like an irregular loop for me: I work on the computer, I work in traditional media, and sometimes I push it all into a corner and write folk songs. Well, these are evidence of my continuing dedication to the Sisyphus book --- anyone know a good agent?

More Drawings...

Some Uncolored Things...

This post and the one above it are sketches that grew into drawings, which themselves may very well ripen into finished pieces. That said, I rather like them at this stage.

Lowell Elementary: The small one.

So Jahnavi goes to this great public school on Capitol Hill, and I wanted to offer something to the community there. It turned out that they have a 2-flight stairwell that currently looks like a concrete-block Stalag, and when I saw the space, I knew what needed to be done.
However, that kind of work needs to happen in the summer, when kids aren't continuously streaming through. The PTA, however, saw some of my proposal drawings and became very enthusiastic, asking if I could bide my time by creating a smaller mural for the front stairwell. No problem says I; here's a watercolor version of it. I'm installing the full size, 4'x8' this week and will post the pic as soon as I get it. Taken, that is.

BTW: Yes, you're not imagining a "bridge" theme going on here. Although it may seem strange, there is no overt connection between my studio moniker and these bridges --- at least, none I'm consciously aware of. I've become interested in Ukiyo-e (Japanese for Floating World, and no, this is not borrowed either. Just, very, very synchronistic), or classical Japanese woodcuts. In some cases I've adapted the compositions plainly; other times I'm merely trying to hook into the sensibility while creating altogether new compositions.

Another View...

This shot gives a better idea of the scale... not enormous, but nothing to sneeze at, either.

The Polyclinic Mural, Part 1

Seattle's Polyclinic commissioned Artworks, a local non-profit organization working with at-risk youth and kids already in the Corrections system, to create murals which will be installed over the next few years on a fence surrounding some undeveloped property adjacent to their HQ. I had the opportunity to design the first two of these pieces, each 8 feet by 16 feet. The project has been very gratifying, not least due to the really wonderful skills brought to bear by the team --- Johnny, Nat, Desireé, and Duq. The next component will be installed later in May (It turned out amazingly well; I'll post it when it's up).
Incidentally, I plan to hire one of the participants to help me on a very large project in the works for Lowell Elementary, my daughter Jahnavi's school.

Cities of Sea and Air

This Was When I First Saw the Floating Bridge...

It Seemed Like a Weightless World...

Sisyphus and the Strange Danger Tree

The Parade Committee