Atlanta Art: group show appearance

I had the pleasure and privilege to join fellow Atlanta artists Laura Asherman, Peter Brooks, Chandler Cox, Kelly Crosby, Crystal Desai, Larry Holland, Hillary Jourdan, Nick Madden, Sara Santamaria, and Dallas Ward as part of WonderRoot Gallery’s Members Only exhibition which runs from July 24 to September 9 at WonderRoot Community Arts Center in Reynoldstown. I had to miss the opening because I had to work, but the missus and I went over there this morning to check out the exhibit. I know a couple of the other artists, but hadn’t seen work by many of them before. It’s a variety of mediums, crafts, and sizes that come together nicely. I had hoped to post a few pictures of the exhibit, but this morning was a very busy time for the arts center. In the gallery, aspiring dramatists awaited their auditions for a casting call downstairs while a candle-making class took up most of the gallery and the entire building shook with the live drums coming from the recording studio. It was a little too cramped and all the actors were sitting underneath the pieces so it would’ve been presumptuously invasive of me to start snapping photos. If you live in Atlanta, I definitely encourage you to check it out.

Here’s a picture of my piece:

 

The Jumpman Cometh

Here’s a quick piece I did, paying tribute to two of Japan’s greatest cultural exports from the worlds of Godzilla and Nintendo by depicting the Mothra twins from the 1964 film Godzilla vs Mothra as the Mario brothers Mario and Luigi. I haven’t seen the new Godzilla movie, but I’ve been playing a lot of Mario Kart 8.

亲爱的 Dracula: A Fiery Pit of Smiles

This first picture was done as a birthday present, a wolf-bat visiting upon the home of the birthday boy in question. The birthday party itself was pleasant and included a nice spread of grilled meat action and traditional sides. As far as I know, no bat penis was served, but there were hot dogs and while the presence of such exotic fare as chiropteral phallus muscle would surprise me, it is not beyond the realm of reasonable ingredients. I myself had a delicious burger, expertly seasoned and grilled. During the time I was at the party, the music played predominantly was Madonna.

This second drawing features some of the staff from Slice of Brookhaven, a friendly pizzeria and bar located in Brookhaven, which neighbors Atlanta. The staff there is very pleasant and the pizza is top notch. I host pub trivia there every Tuesday at 8pm and encourage you to come by. I always ask a DC Comics question and I think I put together a pretty good trivia DJ set list. I struggled at first with the musical demands of the trivia host because I was hung up by some of preconceived notions on transforming a space with music- I was born to score alien weddings, robot pornography, and non-consensual ketamine dosings, so adjusting those artistic sensibilities to fit the trivia vibe took a few tries. Eventually I stopped worrying and learned to love classic rock, but I assure you I’ve retained some of the spirit of the fringe. Hopefully I’ll do a few more panda portraits at the restaurant. I like the look of the place and after all is said and done, if an artist truly wants to celebrate the beauty of life, surely their themes address the sophisticated psychic power imbued in pizza. The staff all wear red shirts, which makes them easy to identify but lowers their chances of survival should they be sent out on a mission by Captain James Tiberius Kirk. That’s the cost to be the boss, I suppose.

亲爱的 Dracula: Two Burnt Holes in A Blanket

Here are a couple of recent panda pics.

The coloring of the bottom one is intended to less-than-subliminally provoke thoughts of the Bahamas and in turn, compel the audience to act more like James Bond.