My Summer Workspace

Here's a change of pace. For all of you who've been wondering what I'm doing this summer, here's a picture of my "studio space." You'll notice it's not really a studio, it's the kitchen table. There is no space left in my parent's house, and there's no money to get me out of here yet. (by the way, the books and panda aren't usually there, I was just staging some photos)

Dragon

As payment for my latest project, I got a Wacom tablet and the program Corel Painter X. it's a heap of fun, but my Mac has some rotten internal problem that makes it so it can't run the program. :(
So, i'm running it on a stupid dell.
Anywho, this is the first thing I made with Painter. I was just playing around, and this didn't take long.

Wanna' buy it? Contact me about purchasing reproduction rights or convince me to print posters: cynocephaly@gmail.com

A Walk in the Park

The walk in the park series was my senior year's masterpiece. It took most of the semester and caused severe muscle and joint pain through my wrist, arm and shoulder! (I'm all better now).

Anyway, Walk in the Park is about more than just a walk in the park.

During the Fall of 2006, I was studying abroad in Japan. While there, I took the time to become more acquainted with the medium commonly known as the graphic novel. Even though I want to illustrate comics, I have had little exposure to them. Japanese comics are unique in how they use the visual image to immerse the viewer in the mood of the setting – everything about the image intentionally attempts to express and convey the feeling in the story. I wanted to try my hand at this kind of story telling.
The Walk in the Park series became a gamut of self-imposed problems and challenges. Every element had to be thoroughly planned and choreographed to fully stretch my capabilities and push me to the limit of all I could do.
This is the most complicated and in-depth piece of sequential illustration I have ever attempted, and it is this kind of work I would like to continue to pursue: ever challenging my abilities and pushing the limits of possibility.
Beyond challenging my abilities, the Walk in the Park series is also very personal. As you may have noticed, it is a continuation of a watercolor painting I created almost a year earlier titled “Self Portrait.” It is meant to be a description of who I am: not what I look like (I employ similar methods in many of my works). This series is an expansion of that concept.
While I was in Japan, I tried to come up with words to describe my style. The words I came up with were “Lighthearted Darkness.” This is where the concept of strangers in the park and three-headed dogs become less ominous. I have learned that life is full of imposing and serious matters, but all are surmountable with hope, joy, faith, and a bit of humor.

Page 1


This first page introduces us to the main characters: a boy named Higashi and his 3-headed beagle dog Cephyroth.




Page 2



Page two takes us along with our favorite characters on their walk... where they meet a rather imposing figure...



Page 3



Here we meet Argus the centaur. And the red balloon.



You may have noticed the red balloon in other of my works. Well, this it what it means. It's a symbol of the future and the unknown. And it's not just the balloon, but the act of taking the balloon and who it comes from that makes it symbolic. Argus is symbollic as a messenger: mysterious and intimidating at first, he turns into quite a surprising character.



Page 4


Meet Lilith, Argus' wife (a faun). She's the most outwardly light-hearted character of the story and birds always seem to be singing whenever she comes along. Enigmatically less symbolic than the other characters, she becomes more of a support character, complimenting the others, and making them more whole.



One question I haven't gotten much of is what the 3-headed beagle symbolizes. Well, it's long and complicated:
You'll remember from the piece called DOGFACE (etc) a character with the head of a dog. This is an actual medical condition (sort of) called Cynocephaly (my email address is cynocephaly@gmail.com). Cyno means dog, ceph means head. The three-headed beagle is named Cephyroth: a corruption of the name of the popular Final Fantasy VII character, Sephiroth- it's pronounced the same- but Sephiroth is actually a villain, and a pretty good one at that. And of course, the idea of the three-headed dog comes from cerberus, guardian of the underworld. Dogs are, in certain mythologies, something of a bridge between the temporal world and the after-life, and that's why they lick people (I can't remember exactly, go look it up on wikipedia like i did).
SO, with all that in mind, Cephyroth is a harmless beagle (in contrast to his namesake and the traditional cerberus), he's a happy-go-lucky, absent-minded, squirrel-chase-loving, boy's best friend kinda' dog. He may have three heads, but he's still one dog. It's a hard concept to grasp, but in honor of it's complexity, I've decided that Cephyroth is an illustration of the Holy Trinity concept (three parts, one whole): but Cephyroth is by no means divine. He's a dog.



The Walk in the Park series is for sale!
Each of the pages is matted and framed at a whopping 30"x40" (76cmx102cm), they are designed to stand alone, or look very snazzy side by side, with a few inches between them. They are not for sale seperately.

The 4-piece series is for sale at $1575 (plus shipping when applicable).

i crave sushi

The idea for this piece came about during the summer of 2005 when I was craving sushi. The original plan was for it to be a triptych, but it turned into a self-portrait. Some familiar symbols lurk around the room, and each object is representative of some part of my life. Several of the objects are based on things that I actually have, like the plush frog on the back of the couch that is representative of my childhood.
The piece became a large-scale study for the painting “Ocelot in Paradise.”



Pen and Pastel, Matted and framed 30x40" (76cmx101cm).
$300 (plus shipping when applicable)
Note: because of difficulties in framing and unique qualities of the materials in this piece, it has incurred a certain amount of damage including some unnoticable smudging and "bruising" of the paper surface.

DOGFACE (The Adventures of,): EFFULGENCE

This piece was created for the 2006 Scholarship art scholarship competition. The theme was the word “effulgence.”
This is the original essay that was submitted with the piece.

“EFFULGENCE!” (Obviously something a villain would demand).
“What does that mean?!” (Of course, our hero can’t be expected to know what it means).
“Give her to me!” (The villain persists).
“What are you talking about? What is this?” (The hero begs for clarity).
“It’s symbolism – I’m sure of it.” (The pony can talk, and he’s very smart).
“*Foiled again.” (All villains must say this at some point).
“Sounded like mouthwash to me.” (The hero lightens an otherwise dark scene).
It ran through my mind for a while, and in the end I had to edit out the punch line and streamline it a bit. The characters developed slowly, first the villain, then the hero who, at the last minute, got the face of a dog. As a normal man, he just never made an effective hero. The third-party/ sidekick eventually became an ordinary talking pony. He was a unicorn only for a few minutes, and a horse for even fewer. The villain needed a purpose, but not an evil one like most villains. So as it turns out, his little sister is waiting for him to bring back Effulgence to save her life. Only his methods are villainous as he disregards the hero’s needs in favor of his own. The hero must have met some greater villain and been put under a curse… why else would he have the face of a dog? And the pony, I don’t think I’ll ever figure out. As for Effulgence, it must have something to do with that watch. From there, a thousand stories developed that I fear I’ll never have the time to write down. I eventually abandoned the lines between the frames and the voice bubbles. I also gave up the idea of putting a three-headed beagle puppy sleeping in the background. That just wouldn’t have made any sense. As for actually expressing effulgence, I played on the side of the appealing mysterious and magical sound of the word itself, without its definition. And just to embellish it, decided to illustrate the thing with the title of Effulgence as being effulgent. The story however, is to be continued…



Pen and Ink, matted and framed: 16x20" (40.5cmx51cm) (that's probably the size anyway).
$215 (plus shipping when applicable).

The Everett Series

1. The Problem with Everett



I needed an solution for a problem. The problem was 2-D design class and a series of assignments involving the elements of Design. I can't remember if it was line or perspective, but the solution was Everett, a character I got stuck in my head after watching The Nightmare Before Christmas (yes, i know he looks like Jack Skellington - so what?). Everett is stuck in a world that's all about conformity and monotony. Unfortunately, he can't keep up with that.

2. Everett's Boss



And so, because he's different, (the next assignment was on value, and I was enjoying developing a story), Everett gets in trouble with his Boss on a regular basis. Upon looking at his boss, most viewers come to understand that he'd probably be less cranky if he weren't being choked by his suit. But whatever sympathy we might have for him, he's still making everyone's life miserable by making them all be the same and scaring the b'jeebers out of them.
The story goes that this day at work is the last straw for Everett. With nothing else to lose, he decides to break all the laws and run away.

3. Everett's Joy



Leaving the city, Everett makes some new friends and finds out that there's color (answering my newest assignment) and a new kind of life in the world outside. He's determined to bring this life back to the city.

Unfortunatly, I hit a block after this. I couldn't push the story much further without serious plot complications and not a whole lot of sense. I took a break from the story from which it would never recover... except in one final project...


Finale: Everett's (and everyone's) Happily Ever After



When the portents of the second and third acts become too complicated, skip to the end.

I couldn't let Everett's struggles go unresolved. I just conveniently left out the resolution and took the audience straight to the end result. In truth, only about half of the characters portrayed in the final piece were actually thought of for the sake of Everett's story. The rest of them are random thoughts I decided would fill space well and make people wonder what could have possibly happened. But, as you can see, it turned out all right in the end.



Stats and pricing for the Everett Series:

The original 3-piece series ("The Problem With Everett," "Everett's Boss," and "Everett's Joy") are all Pen and Ink (with some colored pencil in "Everett's Joy").
They are each framed and matted at the same size: 16x20" (40.5cmx51cm).
They are $100, $110, and $110 respectively, or the entire 3-piece series can be purchased for $300. (plus shipping when applicable)


The final piece ("Everett's (and Everyone's) Happily Ever After" is done in Pen and Colored Pencil.
Framed and Matted, it is 24x30" (61cmx76cm)
And is for sale at $175. (plus shipping when applicable)

The 3rd Giraffe

One of my most popular pieces, this is more than just a self portrait; it is also a portrait of my two closest friends at the time. It is representative of the enigmatic qualities of the three of us, and shows off the light-hearted mood i felt then.





Watercolor. Matted and Framed: 28"x20" (71cmx51cm). For sale at $220 (plus shipping when applicable).

Self-Portrait

This is a figurative self portrait. Obviously.



Watercolor. Matted and Framed: 28"x20" (71cmx51cm). Not for sale except for an extrememly generous offer.

Reading in the Future

The sequel to my Self-Portrait. It never did make much sense... but it's kinda' grown on my over the years...



Watercolor. Matted and Framed: 28"x20" (71cmx51cm). For sale at $185 (plus shipping when applicable).

Boardwalk

This one should look familiar to my fellow Virginia Beach locals. It's the boardwalk near fifth street. I used to work at the Sunsations there. Of all the summer jobs I haven't liked (and that would be all of them), it was my favorite.
Meanwhile, I love the beach.



Watercolor. Matted and Framed: 28"x20" (71cmx51cm). For sale at $200 (plus shipping when applicable).

Pegasus & Crows

The answer for this one? I like feathery wings.



Watercolor. Matted and Framed: 28"x20" (71cmx51cm). SOLD.

Lullaby

The original title of this piece was lost until after I re-named it for the purpose of my art show. The original title: Dormi-Totoro.



What does it mean? Well, just in general, if there's ever a protrayal of someone sleeping in a piece of mine, it means I was probably tired or sleepy at some point while I was making it. I guess I let my art sleep for me...
Anyway, the idea for this comes from a fascination with fairy tales, particularly those that involve children wandering off into the woods. There's at least one such tale in which the children succumb to the elements while warranting the pity of all the woodland creatures. This is especially appropriate because I used the falling snow of one cold night to create the crystalic, drip effect, that became very subtle as i allowed too much snow to freeze on the surface...



Watercolor. Matted and Framed: 28"x20" (71cmx51cm). May not be for sale except for incredibly high offers.

Baby

Baby is a reactionary piece, expressing how I feel about abortion. I am often asked what the various elements of this piece mean. They are meant to be taken as a whole, but here, for the first time, I'll try to break them down...
The infant-like figure in the foreground represents an unborn soul, robbed of it's potential and plunged into hopelessness. The tree he stands by has died, but continues to blossom: it's white blooms are now red, a symbollic portrayal of lost purity. The ground is also stained with blood and death. The figures in the background are a processional of those women who have had abortions and must now face the journey of consequences for their actions. They are by no means condemned for what they have done, but, for this part of their journey, faced with mourning and ruin, there is no joy.



Watercolor. Matted and Framed: 28"x20" (71cmx51cm). For sale at $210 (plus shipping when applicable).

After a Japanese Print

After a Japanese Print... I can't remember the artist's name, but he created a series called 21 (or was it 23?) Ghosts (in the english translation). This story is about a samurai who's saddle horse (made of wood) starts talking to him. To alleviate the situation, he attacks the saddle horse and a tanuki falls down dead from it.
A tanuki is a raccoon/badger-like creature that lives in Japan (they're basically dog-sized raccoons, they are real, they just don't get a lot of publicity. try googling them.) They're like foxes and cats in Japanese folk-lore that can can change they're shape and enjoy playing tricks on humans.



Watercolor. Matted and Framed: 28"x20" (71cmx51cm). For sale at $200 (plus shipping when applicable).

Shoes

Ted's Shoes is a store in Bourbonnais, IL, near where I went to school. The sign was found on the back of the building, where I had to stand on top of some concrete, parking space stoppers next to a dumpster to get a good photo of it.



Watercolor. Matted and Framed: 28"x20" (71cmx51cm). For sale at $200 (plus shipping when applicable).

Shovel Dance

The result of an assignment, I found these shovels resting in the sunlight in one of my school's numerous dirt pits... (they were doing a lot of landscaping). I found them to be quite charming... for shovels...



Watercolor. Matted and Framed: 28"x20" (71cmx51cm). For sale at $200 (plus shipping when applicable).

Greiner

A portrait of the professor who taught me the basics of watercolor and oil paint. And, yes, he really did make that face...

Watercolor. Matted and Framed: 28"x20" (71cmx51cm). For sale at $150 (plus shipping when applicable).

Death to Self

This piece was created for the annual art scholarship competition in 2005. The theme of the year was the word “quiddity.”



This is the original essay that was submitted with the piece.

This is the outpouring of everything I was before I got rid of it all. It is the visual expression of what was essentially my dying self. And it is all that is left of that death.
The image is not a representation of a tangible object. It is the representation of an event: moments of conflict within my soul.
It is the ‘quiddity’ of what happened in those moments. The essence of what went on in those thoughts… it is the image of when my self died. For a while it struggled and writhed in torment… but then it was gone – left in the past with only a drawing to attest to the struggle that had taken place. The image you see here was all that was left; as for me, I had nothing: no self to be, and I wandered empty for a few hours afterwards - an event forebode by the images I had drawn.
You can see the powerful struggle in the tormented structure of an eight-legged horse; the face of a crying girl tells of the attached human emotion; the struggle for life and death of ‘self’ is portrayed by haunting animals and interlocked details… and the rotting color of something alive being pulled away… away… looms and smokes all around it. And the hollow eyes show the fear of what will happen when the self is gone – it is the self’s fear of death.
I did not intend for it to turn out this way. I approached it with no idea or intention of what it would be when I was done. I hadn’t realized that my personal struggles would come out so strikingly on paper. And to be honest, it hurts to give up one’s self, and in exchange getting only a lack of what one thought one was... But the image is left to hang on the wall, a scar for my memory to hold on to. And I am very much alive for having let it go.

Free-hand Ink and Pastel on Paper, matted and framed: 24"x30" (61cmx76cm). $210 plus shipping when applicable.

Self-Portrait After Rembrandt

Rembrandt's original is titled something like 'The Artist in his Studio' and is a yound portrait of Rembrandt. One of the goals of copying the old master was to mimic the size of the painting. I couldn't get a canvas small enough. (it's an inch or so too big in at least one directon...) The exercise was valuable: I learned just how insanely detailed a painting can get. But one of the biggest advantages of it being so small was I didn't really have to worry about the figure looking like me... ofcourse... the figure doesn't really look like anyone... except maybe a hobbit...



11"x14" (28cmx35.5cm) Oil on Canvas. Sold.

If He Were A Cat

This was probably my first color oil painting.



16"x20" (41cmx51cm) oil on canvasboard, framed. $150 plus shipping and handling if applicable.