Squat Thrust #1 almost gone.

Well, there are only a few copies left of issue one. It is a small 8-page mini. The second issue will be a 24-page digest size issue. Coming at the end of the year. I hope.

Back to the Drawing Board

Crazy Week! Art Dorks site is Gone! Halloween Parties and more. I am doing some separate drawings and thought I'd post one. I will also post some halloween pics soon. I hope.

Good Times

Photo by Brant Hinrich

This past weekend, I went with some friends to St. Louis to see a show of paintings by one of my favorite artists, Gary Panter. If you don't know, Panter is an underground comic artist who came to fame as a punk artist in the 70's but gained real notoriety as the designer of the sets on Pee Wee's Playhouse. His work is frentic and poignant and funny to boot. Gary was kind enough to correspond a couple of times with me while I was a frustrated grad student. It was his do what you want and screw the rest approach that helped me to develop what I am currently working on. We then went to the Star Clipper, one of the best comic shops ever to meet Gary and a briliant art historian / editor Todd Hignite. They were promoting the new book "In the Studio." They both signed. It was a good time had by all. I spent most of my allowance for the month in three hours. It was great. Thank you Gary and Todd for being swell guys.

Three days and an atheist

Ok, so here's another page for issue 2. It isn't complete as I have not yet added this to the other elements of the page. I have also included a couple details. I got a graveyard built in my front yard. I will post some pictures soon.

Finally, some new stuff

Ok, so I thought it was time to put up some new stuff. Actually, I just got my scanner working. Thanks to my good friend John Melnik. YAY! The rat drawing was put on a piece of paper that one of my students used to test colored pencils. She gave it to me rather than throwing it out.

Unconsciously speaking...

When I was in Grad School, I got introduced to the comic diaries of James Kochalka. I really loved the idea of working so personally and directly. I was mad though cuz I didn't want to copy him. It wasn't until I looked at my own sketchbooks that I realized that I was writing about my life but not always so directly. The images were subconscious leakings of all the stuff I see in my head and the writing included the things I was thinking about or experiences I was having mixed with random words. I liked the idea of working and letting my brain work without my manipulations. I will talk later about some of the subject matter but for now, just take a look and figure it out for yourself. ha.

Some older sketches

Sorry for the picture qulaity. My scanner is on the fritz.

Man I love to draw.

Some more sketchbook drawings. It seems like the newest stuff (still to be posted) gets denser and denser.

Predators

Make 'em care.

Being a teacher has been a great experience. I am seeing a change as you take kids who don't give a rip about art and you open their eyes to possibilities they don't even know exist. I know this sounds terribly Dead Poets Society of me but it is true. I love that I get to do this and I learn so much from them as well. I have already learned a new way to draw a tree and a nose. I will be publishing some images soon of the first issue of squat thrust and some old minis. My scanner is on the fritz right now so I have to wait a little. So until I can, here is a drawing from last year to hold you over.

EMAIL ME

OK, so now you can email me through my complete profile. Just click on it then click on the email button and you can talk, comment or order a zine. Currently, squat thurst # 1 is available. It is an 8 page plus a cover quarter page zine. I will put a doodle in it and sign it to you if you like. It is only a buck. You cant even get a chicken sandwich at KFC for that. Oh wait, yes you can. But my zine tastes better.

Guts in a Jar

Some drawings come dorectly from my classes. One of the projects they do each year is a canopic jar in clay. This pic came out last year when I was having them work in clay.

more more more

AND more

I have been putting my images together by hand but would like to use photoshop more. My scanner is on the fritz so it's old fashioned scissors and glue stick for now. As the books develop, I can see how I can write more directly at times to a particular topic. then collage into the drawings. For right now, a lot of my writings are about working with middle school and being married. Monsters just cavorte around for the heck of it. Kind of.

Still More

More

A few things to see.

I work in my sketchbook religiously. I discovered that when I stopped working like an illustrator where I draw based on a concept, I can draw more on my subconscious to create really weird stuff. I also find that you will get some very personal stuff unintentionally. My writing however is something for the reader to grasp onto immediately even if incompletely

Where this all began

Ok,I make zines and minis as well as a number of other creative objects. I have been showing off and on in galleries and doing a lot of odd projects. WHile I was a graduate student at the University of Buffalo, I discovered the world of mini comics and zines. I soon discovered a real love for these little hand-made collections of stuff. Here was a place I could put all of my creative juices, including my love of drawing, stories, collage, printmaking and networking with great people. Right now, I am doing less mini comics and more with my zine "Squat Thrust."

I am a middle school art teacher and this seemed appropriate seeing as how it was Jr. High that introduced me to this "fart involuntarily in front of the girls" fitness tool. The zine takes drawings and writings from my journals and collages them together into the book. There is a narrative if you want but not as direct as a comic would have. This need to document my life really took form early on but it was only in the last few years that I figured out why. My Mom and Step-Dad split up in 91 and my Dad eventually left to move to Florida. He took the family photos with him. It really devestated me later as now I have only a handful of images from my youth. Now married, I have nothing to share with my wife and future children. Please don't think I'm whining. I ain't. Just sharin'.

It was this event that solidified the need for me to document my life and thoughts in some tangible way. Looking at Squat Thrust is like looking in someones photo album. You may not recognize the people but it can be really fun to peek into their lives. The words and images are not staged in my book. For better or worse, they are what they are. I will be posting some future images and some old ones, as well as pictures and other creative stuff. If you want to order a copy of squat thrust, I will be posting a picture of my email address so I dont get spidered... eeew.

Welcome

Ok, right now it's just me but I know you will be reading this soon so I want to say hello.