love my space heater

I'm listening to some Bob Dylan, Evan Dando and Elliott Smith to get my owl painting in gear. I finally finished James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, which was really good. I think that every Irishman should read this, it totally sums up the Irish-catholic guilt to a tee. I don't know if I'm ready to start Kierkegaard's Either/or... its really esoteric

Syd Barrett world.

This song makes me happy. Barrett's writing is so playful and ethereal (even when writing about men who like to wear women's panties). Jugband Blues is probably my favorite right now, even though it is really sad. I just put Syd Barrett's discography on my laptop and it has been getting me through this horrid snowstorm and my never ending car troubles. I love the outtakes and hearing the banter in between tracks.

Green, Green leaves-- falling from the trees

I just finished Bukowski's book Women and it was excellent, explicit and soaked in vulgarity. Bukowski has successfully replaced Hunter S Thompson for the top spot in my canon of literary awesomeness. I love the artful, witty use of expletives.

New Piece

This one was done in watercolors, colored pencils and acrylics. It was inspired by Marq Spusta's art for Dinosaur Jr's The Farm. His tree people are just too cute. I also added my own personal touch with the broken instruments in the thorn bushes. This is probably influenced by the Elliott Smith b-sides and live songs that I have been listening to non-stop. Smith's music is perfect to watercolor to... and so is Dinosaur Jr's song Puke+Cry!
I am SO glad that this semester is over.

Marq Spusta is amazing

Check this guy's illustrations out... they are gorgeous. I love the Sasquatches/tree people he drew for Dinosaur Jr's latest album. I'm inspired to make my own Sasquatch piece after looking at his ethereal, whimsical pieces.

This is the ONLY Christmas song that I can enjoy. I love me some Kinks.

"the sun rose high and went screaming by"

I need to create something other than secondary criticism of my favorite works of literature. It feels like a cop-out to dissect the art of others, but I guess that is the basis of academia. I just want to start back into the visual arts that I have completely abandoned since I went back to school. I have traded the honest art of the paintbrush/pencil for the art of verbs/nouns/syntax/critical schools of thought. The proverbial grass is always greener on the other side I guess.

...time to start a new watercolor piece.

Just gimme some truth

Something has sapped all of the creativity from me and left some blinding nihilism in its place. I think its all of the Christmas-bred consumerism and the sticky, saccharine music that accompanies it. Time for some burnt coffee and good music to warm me up.






This song is SO good.