Whale of a Time

I was doodling around in the studio the other day and ended up drawing this guy. Seems like he's got potential. Maybe I'll make a cardboard cutout of him.

DISTANT RELATIVES

As many of you have probably already seen on my facebook page I've recently had a show go up at the Emerson Space Case this month entitled "DISTANT RELATIVES".

The show features three large portraits on wood panel, which is a first for me in both scale and material.   As an avid fan of old photographs I've amassed a pretty good collection of my own family photos that I sometimes draw on for inspiration. "DISTANT RELATIVES" centers on three of those photos, specifically family members that I never got the chance to know, but who's influence wears heavy on the overall narrative of the family on my father's side. The show is designed to reflect on that narrative and the place that I might play in it for future generations of my family; those for whom I will become a "distant relative."

My great grandfather Israel Schraer, my partial namesake who passed on when I was an infant.
Ink and Watercolor on Wood

My uncle Arnold, the second oldest of my father's three brothers. He was a professional artist in the bay area and died of melanoma at the young age of 42.
Ink and Watercolor on Wood


My grandfather Paul Schraer depicted here as a young man. Although I know my grandfather very well, the stern-faced man in this image is unrecognizable to me. As he is the link between the other two men it seemed fitting to include him in this series
Ink and Watercolor on Wood

The show will be until the end of September and can be seen at the corner of NE 30th and Emerson in Portland, OR every day until 2am. 

Medical Droids Can Rock Out Too

If you bring me up a burrito from San Diego I will draw you any Star Wars character you like. That's just how I roll.

Here's 2-1B from the Empire Strikes Back rocking out on his future guitar. Notice that he can plug his circuits directly into the guitar for greater precision and vocal effects. 

Thanks for that burrito, Asher. It was delicious. 

Project P.W.

Last year after seeing Pee Wee's Big Adventure at the Bagdad theater here in Portland I realized that nearly every shot of that film can stand on it's own. It inspired me to create the blog Project P.W. where I curate art inspired by Pee Wee's Big Adventure.

CHECK IT OUT

Style

I think one of the hardest things to do as an artist is to develop your own personal voice and style. Often it takes a long time and a lot of experimenting to come up with something that resonates as true to yourself, interests, ideas, and influences.

I feel like this small self portrait I did a few months ago comes close to satisfying all of those things. More work to be done though. 

Welcome..to Jurassic Park! -er, I mean Bearded Maladies!

Our humble mascot 

Hello and welcome to my brand new blog! After a nine month hiatus from the blogosphere I'm finally ready to jump back in. (Insert terrible gestation/birthing joke here)

Some of you may be familiar with my previous blog "A Sketch A Day"and are probably wondering what to expect from this new monstrosity. Perhaps you're even a little frightened. Well, let me put you at ease - this blog will have everything you loved about the last one AND MORE. The "Sketch a Day" project was designed to keep me working creatively, to develop my craft, and to challenge myself to attempt new mediums. After three years I decided that that purpose had been fulfilled and it was time to move on to bigger ideas and more ambitious projects (ones that might take more than a day or two to complete). I'll also be posting about inspirational ideas and artists that come my way. So in "Bearded Maladies" you may not get a post everyday, but the content of the posts will be much richer and hopefully more fulfilling than before.

That's the idea anyway...        Hope you enjoy!