"Sunbathing at Night" (pic & sketch)

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The Clark Family

I mentioned a while ago that my personal goal was to have everyone that i consider extremely close to me to have a drawing,painting, sketch in their household. This is one that i created for my friend Cara. Sadly her mother passed away earlier this year which left a hole within her that continuously slowly to heal. I guess overall people really don't think people really can wrap t heir head around the idea that it's a good chance that someone close will no longer be there the next day. It's a deep thought to have so that's why i've made it my mission to cherish those around me each and every day. I had started this sketch because i know she was coming into to town from Texas. I didn't know if i was going to personally give it to her then or mail it later. I'm kind of glad i did mail it later because sometimes we all need happy surprises.

Norfolk Drawing Group 49

Last Tues wasn't the typical drawing day for me. I forgot that there was a Tides game which ultimately ruins traffic on top of me leaving late. My sketches were not to the best of my ability but i guess that's why you practice in hopes of become better.

Eva Herzigova (pic & sketch) plus words of wisdom

I believe people are put in your life for certain reasons. I guess that would explain why i met some people in this past Fri. I was sitting in Panera (one of my few hiding places) sketching when i bumped into a Christian group sitting at table. They chatted me up to no end about everything from the t-shirt to i was wearing, adultery, volunteering in nursing homes, and overall just being a better person. I still have yet to come down of my personal emotional high that i've been on since taking a work-related trip t Richmond. I want to become a better person so i'm doing everything in my power to do so.

I promised myself each morning before i head to work i would go look inside of my Eastern philosophy books and pick out a passage. These passage will become a phrase that i would say throughout the day whenever i felt overwhelmed. Similar to that of a calming technique. Yesterdays phrase went something like:

"How can we end suffering until we agree not to suffer"

to me that means how can i expect to complete anything until i say i will no longer allow it to happen. that's' a deep phrase anyway you look at it. Wish me well and i'll attempt to pick out the ones that stick out in my travels.

Take a look in the mirror

i went to lunch for a friend over a week ago and it's shocking what you find in the men's bathroom. As i washed my hands i saw this sticker pasted to the mirror. Automatically i had to take a picture of it because i didn't know bathrooms were a place for PSAs. It makes sense being that the restaurant has a bar where people drink and most of the time they aren't using their best judgement.

a day in the life of Tommy

i wake up each morning if and i'm lucky i'll make up my bed. I know how to do it and it isn't hard but sometimes it may or may not get done

what being single allows you to do is keep as little food as humanly possible in your fridge. This is what a countdown between trips to the grocery store and paychecks look like

Sometimes i ask myself how excited are you to be going to work today. You can imagine it's harder to get motivated some days more than others.

The long journey doing the backdoor entrance to good Ol' Navy.

** sorry i can't take pictures when i working plus sometimes i'm to lazy to remember i take pictures when i left**

Different Set of Eyes II

sometimes the words other tell you are very important. Clarity is very important from time to time. The words my friend used made sense so much that i posted it for others. Not to expose to much about myself because i'm pretty much an open book, but to help others who might be in the same situation. So yes i'm 29 y.o and still learning to be a grown up when it comes to love.
(this is the neat glittery decorated notebook that she gave to me)

A Different Set of Eyes

i took a break from posting for a while. I attempted to draw back from checking online 1 million times a day. But i do miss posting therefor i'm here again. I borrowed this photo from a friend. I haven't picked up oil paints in ages (because i can't paint) therefor it seemed like an easy task.

Most of my female friends are unhappy with their body. "My arms aren't toned enough, my stomach should be flatter, my breast aren't big enough, or my hair won't grow" are all things that i haven't heard. Okay maybe the hair not growing is my own personal comment, but i don't think women really realize how special they are. If i ever had a show in the future i would create nothing but drawings and painting to show them that. Sometimes i feel like we see each other through the wrong set of eyes. What we see may not be what others see and vice versa.

Reflections

For reason that are somewhat out of my control i won't go into great detail. I'm simply say that i'm disappointed by some of the people that i hold special. I'm almost accustomed to them letting me down because they do that way to often. Sometimes these things in life can be like fireworks during the grand finale. One bigger than the one before that until i think it will never end. Honestly i have trust issues therefor i find it hard to believe what others tell me. If you claim your straight be one thing then act accordingly

"Untitled'

I finally opened a fortune cookie that i had laying around for some time. I'm always searching for knowledge and unthinking about places.

"If you have knowledge, let others light their candles by it"

that's what it read and now see myself bring those words along with me to work. It's one thing to be great but how can you expect others to succeed unless you teach them.

Months ago i watched Mad Max on TV, and i remember that there was something interesting about my attention to girls with curly hair. Especially one girl that i won't mention. The tears within my mind came as i remembered the past. The actress wasn't even that visually rememberable but the feelings that i saw were. So i borrowed a move image and did my own emotional attempt.

A Hideous Deformed Creature...

of superhuman size and strength. I know i have a habit of watching movies that make me question my own logic of wasted time that i can never get back. Somehow i stumbled upon the Toxic Avenger on the On Demand function on digital cable. The movie is cheesy and very over-the-top in all aspects (nudity, gore,and comedy) but i watched it because it remind me of my childhood. I remember some 20 plus years ago sitting in front of the TV Saturday evenings watching USA Network's "Up All Night" movies. The movies they showed were beyond bad sometimes other time they were down right horrible but faithfully i watched them anyways. i remember hearing buzz that The Toxic Avenger was a cult classic. As a kid anything that was a cult classic and above a PG rating i had to watch it. So i watched it and reminded myself what those over-the-top images did to me. Perhaps they made me the artist i am today? So within 2 days i had watched all 4 Toxic Avenger movies knowing well in advance what i was getting myself into. I even found a small piece of myself within one of the movies plot. Taking small amount toxic ooze on me this time in hopes that perhaps i will have some ideas for artwork.

Tori Cougar in Training (pic & sketch)

it's 3:28am and i should be asleep but i'm not. I should be sleep so no blogging this time

Coffee Shop Lounge Lizards Unite

(Kate)

Yesterday was my day off. Oh, how i love to be able to tell myself that I'm not going to do anything at all even remotely resembling work. I turn into a coffee shop lizard because i simply enjoy the laid back atmosphere. Yes i still don't drink coffee but i can have a cup of tea and blend in with the background.
The coolest thing about yesterday is that i had the chance to talk to my closest female friends in my life (that aren't family). I hate to say this but they're energizing to me. I enjoy having conversations with individuals that i can actually match ideas and theories with. I can't do that so freely with customers at work. It makes it kind of hard to do so when you have someone yelling at you because they paid cash and they don't have a receipt. If i forgot to mention, it's my fault as well.
Sarah and Cara are the 2 ladies in my life that catch up on me enough to keep me sane. I truly cherish their friendship and ideas.

"Empty Fantasies" (pic & sketch)

When i went to Richmond a while back i heard of a photographer that take takes pictures of parties all over the world. Since I'm a photo junkie that is always looking for new images to attempt to draw I visited the site. At first it might have appeared to be borderline art but i liked more than 1/2 the photos.
I've been playing around with markers on and off for a while and i thought this would be the idea time to give it a serious attempt. The title of this piece "Empty Fantasies" could mean various things to me. Is it the belief that chasing money, women, material goods will always leave a huge hole within a person? Possibly it's the belief that my nostalgic personality has me constantly yearning for the past? Or just maybe it's the idea that the act of sex brings only moments of happiness only to be the ultimate let down? It could mean all those things but maybe i simply wanted to create something beautiful for a change.

the website in question is http://lastnightsparty.com

Norfolk Drawing Group 47 & 48

i don't know how i felt about both drawing nights. i don't want to say that i wasn't excited to be there because i was. The magic of drawing sometimes comes and goes but it is by no means a reflection of the model.

Read a Book...

I'll start this blog of with some randomness.. 5 most recently heard songs that i could use in life

Solange - Dancing in the Dark

Maxwell - Lifetime

Erykah Badu - Ye-Yo

John Legend - I Use to Love Her

Jennifer Hudson - Spotlight

If i could date Erykah Badu, i probably would based solely on the idea she sings. There's something appealing about a girl that can sing (especially if it's from the heart). I went to Kings Dominion yesterday and realized how much i hate seeing couples there. There's always hugged up on each other reassuring me that i'm single. Subliminally i can hear their sighs of pity. I can grin about it now because i chose to be in this situation. My mom had me also watching The Good Morning America Show yesterday during a "Shopping for a Husband" segment. Encouragingly she said all i had to do was take the same things and apply them from a male perspective to my life. Thanks mom, it's almost like she was giving me the typically talk that most women get your baby-making-factory-is-going-to-shutdown-soon. I thought about an old friend yesterday wondering if my friend had the same thought about me.

Now on to the art work. This is actually a picture that i borrowed from a co-worker Ashley. I like it because it was the typical centered straight forward type of picture that i'm accustomed to seeing. It was slightly off and to the left leaving the entire right side with enough room to be creative. I know it isn't a complete drawing because that wasn't what i was going for. I just wanted a somewhat developed sketch.

Public Service Announcement

This has been an interesting week to far. I want to take a moment to post a PSA. I know some people may be ready to call A&E and hold an intervention based on a picture that i posted. Trust me i'm not even close to abusing alcohol. The main reasons being because it's to expensive and i'm broke. Those two combinations really hamper my ability to be one. Overall i'm fine just working through life's growing pains.

(2 sketches that i'm currently working on)

Solid Ground (pics & sketches)

sorry no witty words or vent session just straight up and down art.