The Arena in the NEWS (For Creative Tuesdays)

The latest Creative Tuesday's challenge is upon us.  This time around the theme is truly NEWSworthy.  Such a theme as news, is so open to varieties of interpretation, I just can't wait to see all the responses that are brought together.

For my piece, I originally intended to draw an old style radio tower.  Before the advent of the internet and all the strands of modern media, we had television.  Yet, before television, there was radio.  One could easily go back further and further, eventually settling on scratches into cave walls.  But, as I was drawing the towers, I went blank, kind of in a zone, and the picture, and all it's lines morphed into something different.

It was here that I remembered a story.  While I can't recall the exact details, it told the tale of millions and millions of dollars were invested in the construction of a new stadium.  The taxpayers were on the hook for the vast majority of the funding.  They didn't have a professional sports team, yet felt they were in line.  In fact the inside information gave them belief, hope that they would be awarded with the bid.  So the town, in all their joy and happiness, decided to put their chances over the top, to construct this beautiful stadium, the best the world had ever seen.

Someplace midway through the process however, many negatives appeared.  First there was an overall, nationwide, depression of economy, which saw the materials needed to complete the project jump up in price dramatically.  Anytime a bid takes place, research is conducted, as to logistics, which include, to a major extent, the pricing of those things necessary for the project.  Well, with the economic blight that persisted, prices shot up dramatically, and the project ran out of money.

But the politicians were not afraid, as they had a great number of privatized backers that had indicated previously that they would help if the situation arose.  Many of these individuals, despite making the promises they had made, had to back out for the huge hits their companies and portfolios had taken.  But still, there were so many, the politicians were not afraid.  They knew that they would get the funding.

Everything changed however, when the professional sports leagues to which they were seeking bids, changed their tunes.  One decided that due to the economy, expansion was not a responsible endeavor.  Another decided to do the same.  The others decided to go with different cities.  So now, today, this city has this shell of what would've been the most impressive stadium ever.  It has since become a black eye upon the public, a reminder of how priorities can easily get diverted by the promise of fame and attention.

So, in a situation such as this, Who, who is to blame?

A Novella Found (Upon the Asylum Wall)

Fear Of Failure (Wednesday Wake Up Call)

No matter how hard w try
we are never alone

No matter the distance
a shadow's always cast

Buried deep within
the fear resurrects again

Only to find out once more,
It fares no chance
when talent's light is preserved



Over at the New World Creative Union, Natasha presents this week's Wednesday Wake Up Call with the theme of "Fear of Failure."  Head on over to feel the creativity stir and get inspired.

Fortification of

Every sentiment

Aligned in

Ragged fashion

Omniscient voiceover scrawls the mind—

From distances travelled—from sky to cloudy locale

Fretting won’t get you squat; fretting won’t get you

Anywhere, it can and often does, proliferate the overwhelming

Instances that allow stagnancy

Life.  We might regret the inactivity, but if the mind is

Unusually ripe with fear, our ability to succeed is half buried and

Repertoire is likely overwhelmed, unless we can brim confidence,

Each and everyday, it’ll be déjà vu, counter-intuitive at every beat

Fear, the dusty fleck

Flirtatiously offering

Failure, your domain

Gifts (For Creative Tuesdays)

Over at Creative Tuesdays, this weeks theme is a parlay off the celebration one.  It is, of course, Gift.  Head on over and check out all the gifts prepared for you by the ultra-talented artists that contribute to Creative Tuesdays.  And while you're there, read the guidelines and join in.

A bit of a background for this piece.  I initially was going with the gifts under the Christmas tree idea, but then, I got to thinking, literally while I was putting the bulbs on the tree, that Gifts can be so many different things, and from there I came up with God and Country, partially due to a Smashing Pumpkins song that just happened to play while doing this, in which Billy Corgan, the lead singer, repeated God and Country a few times in the song.  From there Family was easy, as was love.  I have to admit, the last area remained empty for a while, which is completely ironic, as my workspace is filled with over 300 books, yet it took me a few days to come up with Knowledge anyhow.

Altering the Vibrancy of Foundational Baselines

Different Shades of Identical Distinction

Self-Portrait

Over at New World Creative Union, Natasha's posted this week's prompt for the Wednesday Wake Up, and it has to do with creativity and to shut those hater's up for good.  

Well, I started off attempting to paint up some vicious Dragon breaking free from an unsettled mass of earth, but then I realized I'm not that kind of artist, well, only because I haven't learned to be that kind of artist yet.  Fact being, my dragons look like anteaters, so that's a big reason I very rarely do anything that's not abstract.  However, I wondered, what could I do?

So I started out doodling in crayon, thanks Tash, and just started mindlessly drawing, (which is how all my pieces get going).  Then a thought captured me, and the result is now here, on display.  A Self-Portrait.  And while I'd love to say it's strictly my artistic self, I really don't want to lie.

Not sure if this piece silences the haters, or makes them want to say "told ya so," but if that's the case, let me rebut by saying, the first step in overcoming adversity is by identifying there is adversity to overcome.  Understand your struggles, contemplate them and ways around or through them.  Only by acknowledging as such, will you even have a shred of hope in overcoming them."

But then, the question arises, that I struggle with the most.  If you eliminate adversity, kind of impossible really, speaking generally, but if you are able to bring your mind to a better place, improve your lifestyle etc.. does what makes your creative side move also disappear?

That's the riddle right there.  A riddle I'm sure most would say, away cruel ills, and pray it doesn't clasp tightly upon your artistry as you vanquish it from your days.

Ghouls

Separation

Trouble

A Duality Sketch (Driving on LSD)

B & W Sketch of...

Cartoon Character

Was bored, couldn't think of anything to paint, so I drew some cartoon character.

Completeness Through Incompleteness

Beside the Hall of the Ancients

Truck Passing Rocky Highway

Haven't had the opportunity to post anything here for a couple days.  Not sure when i'll get the time to do anything meaningful.  been a bit out of it past couple days.  Hopefully I'll get out to a show or have time to either paint or review a couple albums or books I've been meaning to do.  Anyhow, I just whipped this up.  The thought was that I wanted to do a drawing of a truck kicking up rocks as it passed a freeway.  I wanted to draw it as a child would.  Anyhow, just something to pass the void.  Thanks.

Crayontastic

Just playing around with some crayons today.  Originally started this piece out with the idea of Russian Dolls in mind.  As I was playing around I thought about continuing on that line of thought but altering the shapes of the outer shells, then place them in some kind of futuristic, yet primitive garden.  Finally I scrapped the whole garden idea, I didn't like the way the crayons made it all look, probably because I'm not that great with crayons, but I kept these odd mushroom looking pieces, but there not really supposed to be mushrooms, I was aiming for those lawn lights that pop up out of the ground as it gets dark.  Anyhow, just playing around with crayons today.

A Mechanized Existence

Was digging through some old folders of mine.  I found this sketch I had done maybe a year or so ago.  I remember I only used pen and the last bits of some different colored highlighters.  The idea was just to doodle and use up those highlighters, which I did.  However, as I was going through this process I found myself thinking about a planet that has become mechanized, where all facets of our existence is connected, linked or whatever the phrase you'd like to computers and electronics.  So that's the gist of the piece.  A planet that has become mechanized, where beneath the elements their is a digital existence beneath the surface, down to the very core of life.

Abstract Tribute To Comic Book Characters

In this piece I started messing around.  My original intention was to have the faces of numerous comic book characters.  As I realized I'm not quite at that level yet, so I decided to blur various parts/pieces of characters together in one big chaotic jumble. See if you can find them all: Venom's easy, but their are six more.  The Phantom, The Spirit, Daredevil, Capt. America, Wolverine, Silver Surfer