I almost posted in January...
...But February 3 is close enough. My regular work schedule is being switched around right now to accommodate my supervisor returning from maternity leave, and I've been given an enormous amount of days off while things transition. I don't know what to do with myself! I'm so used to having to cram as much as possible into my two measly days off, and now faced with 5, the vast expanse of time seems incomprehensible to my mind. Luckily, things are getting done, but there's been quite a bit of tea-drinking and facebooking to fill in the cracks between my more productive moments.
You have a package on the way to Japan! It most absolutely should have left sooner than it did, but I went through some serious pains getting it sent at all, so I can't feel much other than relief that it's on its way. The main problem stemmed from this item:
Yes. That is a bottle of home-made nectarine liqueur, concocted in the Seville with Mariel Martin. I even wrote a little description for it, that I was going to include in the package:
CHIMGIGOLO is a nectarine liqueur like no other. Created in Oakland from bottom-shelf vodka in a plastic jug and a bag of Safeway club-deal nectarines, the ingredients were dumped into a plastic tupperware container, put in the fridge next to some Cock Sauce and fast-food ketchup packets, and forgotten about.
One year, three months and six days later, the murky concoction had fused into imbibable perfection and was once again remembered by at least one of the creators. After a complex straining process involving coffee filters and a funnel, the Chimgigolo was at last ready.
Behold, and savor the unique time-ripened liqueur that could only be made by three distracted art school kids from the Yay. Pour into your favorite glass, take a long deep whiff, and think of faraway friends.
CHIMGIGOLO. Because shitty things some times get better if you forget about them long enough.
However. My plans were thwarted majorly when I discovered that it is flat-out impossible to send alcoholic beverages of any sort overseas unless you are a licensed liquor merchant. This discovery in itself would be bad enough, but the way that it was discovered only added to the frustration! My sister and I decided to get some coffee one morning and drive to the post office to find out what the best way to send your package would be. At the US Post office, we very specifically told the woman that we were sending liqueur with our package, and wanted to make sure that it would be okay. She lazily nodded her head and pointed with half-open eyes to a poster with photographs of the various items that one cannot send internationally. I saw batteries, I saw cleaning products, I saw several noted 'dangerous' items, but nowhere did I see anything resembling Chimgigolo, so I nodded my head and asked about pricing. She gave us a full run-down on the shipping and gave me a customs declaration to fill out and sign. So I go home, and very tidily pack your box, and bring it back to USPS the next day. I am called up to the counter, tell a new woman that I am shipping my package internationally, and she immediately asks me if my box contains any alcohol or liquids. I nod my head, and she shakes hers, and tells me that USPS cannot ship liquids at all, let alone liqueur. I try to argue with her, but the woman that had helped me the last time was nowhere to be seen, and this new one wasn't having any of it.
A few days later, my sister and I drive first to FedEx, who tells us flatly that unless we have a liquor license it's a no-go. We then go to UPS, and the woman has no idea if they can ship alcohol, but would be completely okay with labeling it as 'juice' and seeing what happens. I am a bit more reticent, because I don't know what the customs search will be like, and I don't want to end up getting shipped to Japan myself to get flogged by bamboo sticks. We then go to a wine merchant on San Pablo Ave. to ask if they have any idea how we might be able to ship it. He is at as much of a loss as us - the service apparently doesn't exist.
So there you go. That was a rather longwinded way of saying that your package is now a Thanksgiving dinner without the turkey. All the side dishes are there, and they are tasty, no doubt, but the main course is nowhere to be seen. Just know, however, that upon your return we will toast to old friendships with a finely aged nectarine liqueur.
Moving on, I wanted to comment on your drawing from the last post. This is probably way too late, you're probably already painting it by now, and I apologize for that - I think in the future maybe I'll try to do separate art-critique posts so I can respond a little faster. Anyway: it looks awesome, the figure is especially well done. I think one thing that I've seen you struggle with at times is balancing your love of detail with consideration for the overall work - I think that you're excellent at both, but the problem that I've seen come up is that the gap between the detail and the 'big shapes' is not always filled in properly, like you go from A to D without dealing with B or C. It's like the big shapes are set up, and you immediately set in noodling away instead of getting some middle ground in there. I say this mainly because I don't think that this drawing has that problem at all, it's extremely detailed but it's obvious that the amount of time you spent on it allowed you to to consider all the steps from macro to micro.
I am noticing that the ocean scene surrounding the figure looks slightly flat in comparison to the figure itself. I know that you play around with rendered elements juxtaposed against decorative elements like in your hyphy paintings, but I'm not sure if you meant it to be that way this time - and if you did, I think that it needs to be pushed more in one direction or the other. I think that the main problem (and I know I'm speaking about the area with the glare now, so I'm trying to account for that) is that the two jellyfish in the upper-left and lower-right are approximately the same size and value (and also the school of fish in the background - the corners are almost mirror-images of each other). Considering that it's in the ocean, and one's visual depth would be much lower than above-water, I think you could ramp up the atmospheric perspective on the upper-left jellyfish and darken it quite a bit. Not only would this add more depth to the scene but I think it would really lock in the composition, because the two jellyfish would no longer be polarizing one's attention between the two corners. Movement-wise, the shapes work, but I think that a value adjustment like that would allow the eye to move through those shapes in a more logical progression.
And with that said, I am finally ready to show you some of my productivity. So here is the final sketch of 'Sympathy for the Tyrant'. I won't say much about it because I want a solid, objective opinion, but I would say that I'm still probably going to be noodling with the values for another week or so to really solidify it, so I would be very happy to receive any of your input. Also, I apologize for the horrendous creases in it.
Also, I've changed my single speed once again, you've probably seen the pictures on facebook so for redundancy's sake I will not post it here. It started giving me major back issues, mainly in my upper back, and I concluded that the problem was a combination of the chainring being to large and not having an ideal climbing position. So I went from a 48t ring to a 42t ring, and put some bullhorns on that sucker so I can lean down and stretch out if I need to. Good lord, it's like riding a whole new bike. I gotta say that I've never ridden anything that felt quite as ideal for city riding specifically. The acceleration from intersections is super easy, I've got enough hand positions to deal with minor hills, and the gear is still big enough that I'm not spinning like crazy on the descents (granted it's not a fixed gear so I don't have to). In any case, I was a little frustrated with my bicycle situation because I haven't been getting on many longer rides, but now I feel that I have an idea bike for the riding that I have been doing, which is circling around the east bay like a vortex all day long.
Allllll right, I could probably keep going on this, but it's nearing midday and I gotta get some bidness taken care of (I'm gonna go over to Rivendell and possibly get some Grip Kings!! Yeeeah!). I'm going to see Meshuggah tomorrow night, and I promise to throw in a couple head bangs just for you. I now have ideal concert-going earplugs meant to clarify noise instead of muffling it, and I'm excited about not being half-deaf on the 5th.
MUSIQUE:
Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You
Nomo - Ghost Rock (I took your suggestion, and you were right, I like it quite a lot)
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
Menomena - Friend and Foe (one of those "a year later I suddenly realize how good these guys are" moments)
Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure
Pink Floyd - Meddle
Mott the Hoople - All The Young Dudes
Squarepusher - Just A Souvenir
BOOKZ:
Michael Chabon - The Yiddish Policeman's Union, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay
Philip K. Dick - The Man in the High Castle
The Master and Margarita (Yet again)
Isaac Asimov - The Foundation Trilogy
T.C. Boyle - Drop City
Daniel Quinn - Ishmael
You have a package on the way to Japan! It most absolutely should have left sooner than it did, but I went through some serious pains getting it sent at all, so I can't feel much other than relief that it's on its way. The main problem stemmed from this item:
Yes. That is a bottle of home-made nectarine liqueur, concocted in the Seville with Mariel Martin. I even wrote a little description for it, that I was going to include in the package:
CHIMGIGOLO is a nectarine liqueur like no other. Created in Oakland from bottom-shelf vodka in a plastic jug and a bag of Safeway club-deal nectarines, the ingredients were dumped into a plastic tupperware container, put in the fridge next to some Cock Sauce and fast-food ketchup packets, and forgotten about.
One year, three months and six days later, the murky concoction had fused into imbibable perfection and was once again remembered by at least one of the creators. After a complex straining process involving coffee filters and a funnel, the Chimgigolo was at last ready.
Behold, and savor the unique time-ripened liqueur that could only be made by three distracted art school kids from the Yay. Pour into your favorite glass, take a long deep whiff, and think of faraway friends.
CHIMGIGOLO. Because shitty things some times get better if you forget about them long enough.
However. My plans were thwarted majorly when I discovered that it is flat-out impossible to send alcoholic beverages of any sort overseas unless you are a licensed liquor merchant. This discovery in itself would be bad enough, but the way that it was discovered only added to the frustration! My sister and I decided to get some coffee one morning and drive to the post office to find out what the best way to send your package would be. At the US Post office, we very specifically told the woman that we were sending liqueur with our package, and wanted to make sure that it would be okay. She lazily nodded her head and pointed with half-open eyes to a poster with photographs of the various items that one cannot send internationally. I saw batteries, I saw cleaning products, I saw several noted 'dangerous' items, but nowhere did I see anything resembling Chimgigolo, so I nodded my head and asked about pricing. She gave us a full run-down on the shipping and gave me a customs declaration to fill out and sign. So I go home, and very tidily pack your box, and bring it back to USPS the next day. I am called up to the counter, tell a new woman that I am shipping my package internationally, and she immediately asks me if my box contains any alcohol or liquids. I nod my head, and she shakes hers, and tells me that USPS cannot ship liquids at all, let alone liqueur. I try to argue with her, but the woman that had helped me the last time was nowhere to be seen, and this new one wasn't having any of it.
A few days later, my sister and I drive first to FedEx, who tells us flatly that unless we have a liquor license it's a no-go. We then go to UPS, and the woman has no idea if they can ship alcohol, but would be completely okay with labeling it as 'juice' and seeing what happens. I am a bit more reticent, because I don't know what the customs search will be like, and I don't want to end up getting shipped to Japan myself to get flogged by bamboo sticks. We then go to a wine merchant on San Pablo Ave. to ask if they have any idea how we might be able to ship it. He is at as much of a loss as us - the service apparently doesn't exist.
So there you go. That was a rather longwinded way of saying that your package is now a Thanksgiving dinner without the turkey. All the side dishes are there, and they are tasty, no doubt, but the main course is nowhere to be seen. Just know, however, that upon your return we will toast to old friendships with a finely aged nectarine liqueur.
Moving on, I wanted to comment on your drawing from the last post. This is probably way too late, you're probably already painting it by now, and I apologize for that - I think in the future maybe I'll try to do separate art-critique posts so I can respond a little faster. Anyway: it looks awesome, the figure is especially well done. I think one thing that I've seen you struggle with at times is balancing your love of detail with consideration for the overall work - I think that you're excellent at both, but the problem that I've seen come up is that the gap between the detail and the 'big shapes' is not always filled in properly, like you go from A to D without dealing with B or C. It's like the big shapes are set up, and you immediately set in noodling away instead of getting some middle ground in there. I say this mainly because I don't think that this drawing has that problem at all, it's extremely detailed but it's obvious that the amount of time you spent on it allowed you to to consider all the steps from macro to micro.
I am noticing that the ocean scene surrounding the figure looks slightly flat in comparison to the figure itself. I know that you play around with rendered elements juxtaposed against decorative elements like in your hyphy paintings, but I'm not sure if you meant it to be that way this time - and if you did, I think that it needs to be pushed more in one direction or the other. I think that the main problem (and I know I'm speaking about the area with the glare now, so I'm trying to account for that) is that the two jellyfish in the upper-left and lower-right are approximately the same size and value (and also the school of fish in the background - the corners are almost mirror-images of each other). Considering that it's in the ocean, and one's visual depth would be much lower than above-water, I think you could ramp up the atmospheric perspective on the upper-left jellyfish and darken it quite a bit. Not only would this add more depth to the scene but I think it would really lock in the composition, because the two jellyfish would no longer be polarizing one's attention between the two corners. Movement-wise, the shapes work, but I think that a value adjustment like that would allow the eye to move through those shapes in a more logical progression.
And with that said, I am finally ready to show you some of my productivity. So here is the final sketch of 'Sympathy for the Tyrant'. I won't say much about it because I want a solid, objective opinion, but I would say that I'm still probably going to be noodling with the values for another week or so to really solidify it, so I would be very happy to receive any of your input. Also, I apologize for the horrendous creases in it.
Also, I've changed my single speed once again, you've probably seen the pictures on facebook so for redundancy's sake I will not post it here. It started giving me major back issues, mainly in my upper back, and I concluded that the problem was a combination of the chainring being to large and not having an ideal climbing position. So I went from a 48t ring to a 42t ring, and put some bullhorns on that sucker so I can lean down and stretch out if I need to. Good lord, it's like riding a whole new bike. I gotta say that I've never ridden anything that felt quite as ideal for city riding specifically. The acceleration from intersections is super easy, I've got enough hand positions to deal with minor hills, and the gear is still big enough that I'm not spinning like crazy on the descents (granted it's not a fixed gear so I don't have to). In any case, I was a little frustrated with my bicycle situation because I haven't been getting on many longer rides, but now I feel that I have an idea bike for the riding that I have been doing, which is circling around the east bay like a vortex all day long.
Allllll right, I could probably keep going on this, but it's nearing midday and I gotta get some bidness taken care of (I'm gonna go over to Rivendell and possibly get some Grip Kings!! Yeeeah!). I'm going to see Meshuggah tomorrow night, and I promise to throw in a couple head bangs just for you. I now have ideal concert-going earplugs meant to clarify noise instead of muffling it, and I'm excited about not being half-deaf on the 5th.
MUSIQUE:
Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You
Nomo - Ghost Rock (I took your suggestion, and you were right, I like it quite a lot)
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
Menomena - Friend and Foe (one of those "a year later I suddenly realize how good these guys are" moments)
Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure
Pink Floyd - Meddle
Mott the Hoople - All The Young Dudes
Squarepusher - Just A Souvenir
BOOKZ:
Michael Chabon - The Yiddish Policeman's Union, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay
Philip K. Dick - The Man in the High Castle
The Master and Margarita (Yet again)
Isaac Asimov - The Foundation Trilogy
T.C. Boyle - Drop City
Daniel Quinn - Ishmael
posted by Daniel | 9:51 AM
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