Ink Drawings on Rice Paper

Puck it. I've thrown caution to the wind and have accepted my compulsion to make landscape drawings. It's risky to make non-risky art. It's risky because it's safe. It's risky because it's not on the fringe or avant garde. In all seriousness, to be a famous artist nowadays, you have to make weird, confusing and pretentious art.

So, I've entered an art competition and show in Daegu, South Korea. I will probably send the two images above to the show, as well as some others that I am frantically working on in the hopes of finishing them in time.... yeah, deadline pressure! it does an art career good!

I'm bracing myself for the comments of, "Oh, Pretty!" and then complete silence.

Whooo are Yew?

Yew Trees - Pencil Sketches

Ok, these are a bit better. So, now I need to put the realistic drawings within a mystic atmosphere... Unfortunately these sketches are drawn from images found on the internet. This weekend, though, I WILL climb the mountain and sketch some trees from real life. I like the idea of looking up into the tree, as in reverence or as a child would look up to an adult. In Korea, Yew trees are believed to be the spirits of ancient ancestors. I plan to do the sketches on some rice paper.

I came across an interesting web site created by an English Professor who has been living in Korea for the past 27 or so years. Although the site is pretty simple it has some interesting thoughts about Jamok-namu(Yew Trees) on Taebaek-san and about san-shin (Korean mountain spirits). Taebaek-san is supposed to be full of san-shin.

In other news, there is a "foreigners" art show in Daegu in May and the deadline for entries is April 24th. Hopefully I can get something done and entered in it.

Meow Zen

Isn't this awesome? I wish I had painted it...
But it was painted by this dude...

Despair, self pity and a painting of my "Short Cut"

Well, I think my previous painting is a lost cause. On Sunday I'm going to climb the mountain, take my sketch book and draw some Yew trees from real life. I think the Yew Tree should be an ink drawing on a rice paper background. Also, Yew tree from memory is just not working out.

Anyway, I did this painting below to blow off some steam. It's a little sad to me that landscapes/cityscapes are currently looked down on now as frivolous and meaningless art. I really like them. Some exciting things happen in city-scapes. This painting is of a little short cut that I take everyday coming home from work. It's a smelly little sewer river, but pretty in it's own way.


I especially like the way these three buildings turned out. I like how natural and relaxed it is.


So, in conclusion,

I guess I'm forever destined to be in the Museum of Bad Art. I can only dream.

And here is a picture of my two biggest fans watching me work...Peace.