Six Weeks in Nowhereville

Six Weeks in Nowhereville
2023
Graphite, gouache, ink on toned illustration board
15 by 19 inches

 

New work on paper , just off the drawing board. Inspired in part by our bumpy ride from LA to Chicago, the final move of all our worldly goods in a bladder destroying rented truck. From our high perch (which is cool, the big rig-ness  of it all) David, Viola and yours truly drove through some majestic landscapes. However the bleak desert  landscape between LA and Las Vegas has proven the most inspiring .

Forget the imperial mountainscapes frosted in white, the red stone canyons, the luminous sunsets (and rises) , what seeped into my brain (and pencil) were ice cream cone shaped stands, forlorn and abandoned in the sands, galleons left adrift amongst the chaparral , and the countless “Jackrabbit” shacks/homesteads, built with such enthusiasm and abandoned with such a heavy heart. Neon glitz and sham popped up like unwholesome mushrooms we approached Los Vegas.  From my bumpy perch I made short handed doodle-notes which trigger memory and move my pencil along.

Doodle note from our cross country move from LA to Chicago, Summer 2022
Detail: Six Weeks in Nowhereville
Detail :Six Weeks in Nowhereville

The following, an album from that four day trip, late July, early August 2023, I think the quick snapshots convey the nihilistic neon of this fascinating wasteland:

I wasn’t able to capture these peculiar and abandoned ice cream shops, but a google search revealed their history.

From bumpy rental truck to comfy home studio.

Jiminy Muerte
Six Weeks in Nowhereville
2023
Graphite, gouache, ink on toned illustration board
15 by 19 inches

Epiphany 2023

Epiphany
2023
colored pencil, graphite, gouache on toned paper
9 by 12 inches

 

Today’s drawing , just in time for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Hectic few days and I feared I wouldn’t finish in time . 👑👑👑”To offer gold is to proclaim Christ’s Kingship, to offer incense is to adore his Godhead, and to offer myrrh is to acknowledge his mortality “ Saint Odilo of Cluny. I offer this drawing .

🌟Wishing a joyous Epiphany🌟

Epiphany
2023
colored pencil, graphite, gouache on toned paper
9 by 12 inches

 

Evergreen, Tempus fugit & happy 2023

detail “Evergreen”, 2023

Happy new year, I send out wishes for a year of renewal,optimism and rebirth.

I start the new year with a new drawing that I spontaneously called Evergreen. I had hoped for it to be the last drawing of 2022 but there are so many hours in a day. I finished up moments ago, so happy 2023.

Evergreen
2023
colored pencil, graphite and gouache on toned paper
24 by 18 inches

It is a continued exploration of otherworld, underworlds, pointy forms, death and rebirth, renewal and fir trees ( a friend pointed the fir tree forms out , aware of my fondness for Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Fir Tree ).

Detail “Evergreen”

 

Detail “Evergreen”

 This affinity for renewal isn’t new of course but does add a hint of optimism to my usual obsession over memento mori- the serpent devouring its own tale, a well known allegorical symbol , sprouts new growth .

Another recurrent theme is that of pointed forms, be they vaguely Gothic or conifer.

Detail : “Vein Creator Spiritus”

Even millinery is nearly always pointed:

Detail self portrait

The other day one of my drawings started incorporating this pointed fir tree / hermitage theme which I plan on exploring further.

Mr.Punch’s Leviathan
2022
colored pencil and gouache on toned paper
11 by 8 inches

No great revelations , nothing terribly profound, but a pause before the busying of a new beginning and the ever present reminder of the passage of sand.  At the moment my sweet old lady pug Viola is suffering from some sort of cough, an appointment scheduled but poor creature needs my attention . 

With that,

Happy New Year

💀🌱

detail “Evergreen”, 2023
Tempus fugit