Happy dog time! Picture, picture! Good boy.

Time to shake off the grief of last week's events.
Here's a double header designed to make me smile: (1)the official photos of the First Family have been done (2) by Annie Leibovitz.
This is good for three reasons.
1. It keeps a human face on an administration some are inclined to demonize.
2. It gives the nation a photo of the First Pooch! I'm a cat lover, but, come on, how adorable is this guy?

3. It gives work to Annie Leibovitz. In light of her recent troubles, she could use a break.

Saying goodbye to my Muffin

I usually don't post much really personal writing, but bear with me.
My ex's daughter, Emerald Rose Foss, was killed in a car crash on Friday, October 9. As today is my ex Linda's birthday, it strikes me that it's time to write about this.
Linda was pregnant  twice during our time together, and miscarried both times. We both took it hard, but it seemed to me at the time that she wanted to be a parent more than I did.
We were together for the better part of 7 years. Our parting was complicated, hard and painful, as partings usually are.
Linda and I remained close to varying degrees after we parted, no small feat given the conditions. When she was pregnant again some years later, I was so happy for her (at least when I wasn't preoccupied with my own completely unnecessary melodrama).
I knew Emmy Rose all her life, not as much in the later years as I could have. But early on we were the best of buddies. I started calling her Muffin when she was 3 or 4. She said, "I don't like that." I told her, "well, you can call me Muffin if you want to too." So that's how it was. She was my Muffin and I was hers. I went from changing her diapers to taking baths with her and reading her to sleep.
I got a very small taste of what it was like to be a parent. Not so much that I could say I got it all, but enough to know I might have been good at it, and that it was something that would have made my life fuller.
But misgivings are of no use, except to understand.
Emmy and Linda came to my graduation from MCAD, and I was so glad to have them there.

This is after the ceremony. That's Emmy Rose in front by the center rail (what a smile!), flanked by Kim and Jenny to the left and me to the right (in the blue dress), and Linda right behind me.

Here's Emmy asking me about my work at my Senior show, again after the ceremony. This is in 1999.
It's a shame Emmy's face isn't in this picture, but I hope my smile says it all.
Eventually Linda and Emmy moved to Grand Rapids to be nearer Linda's family. I saw them when I could, but I must confess I missed many opportunities.
I had been up North to see my family for my neice's baby shower a few weeks earlier, and thought about calling on them. But I made the fatal error of thinking, "I'll do it next time."
Two weeks later, the phone call from my sister telling me about Emmy Rose's death.
I wanted to say something profound at the funeral, something deep and worthwhile. What came out was a pile of blubbering and a few kind words for Linda and her family. I don't think anyone minded, but I was embarrassed and frustrated with myself.
I had it all worked out in the car, and none of of it came out. I know, it's not about me, but it mattered to me to say what I had to say, and I blew it.
Here's what I wanted to say.
I'm trying to make sense of this. Of course, it doesn't make any sense. Like the song says, I can't shout about spiritual labels when little ones die and big ones thrive. Why should Emmy Rose suffer?
About 8 years ago, I went to a benefit lecture/ prayer service some Tibetan monks were giving. They were trying to get their brothers and sisters out of Tibet before the Chinese killed them, which sounded like a good idea. During the lecture, one of the monks talked about the elimination of suffering.
There was a Q & A. Trying to come off like a big deal intellectual, I asked the monk if the elimination of suffering was a good idea. Isn't suffering necessary to appreciate joy?
The monk said, "Yeah, maybe. But I still don't like it."
That floored me.
The Book of Job says "man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward." Aside from the poetic imagery, which I really like, that means something more. We are the sparks that fly upward.
We are sparks. We are souls with bodies. We are energy wrapped in stuff.
That's all we are.
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only moved. So where did the energy go when it stopped running Emmy's body, this body that was 90% smile and 10% fire?
Where does the energy go?
My money's on up there, to rejoin the larger energy we call God.
I will miss Emmy for a long long time, and try to forgive myself for missing as much of her life as I did, while embracing the time we did have together. I know it's going to be hard for Linda for a long time, and I will make more time for her if she'll let me.
So long, Muffin. You did the good work. I'll catch you on the other side.

This is taken from the facebook memorial page for Emerald Rose Foss.

Original Art Sundays, No. 16: The World in Love, p.1

As some of you know, I attended a funeral this week. I will say more about that tomorrow- I have a specific image I want to post in relation to the event, and I need to get at the scanner at work to do so.
Meanwhile, I am tickled to present the first page of this year's 24 hour comic.

This work has been in the back of my head for years, inspired by a dream  I had when I was a child, and shaped by things I picked up along the way.  No conscious plotting during the work, beyond some fly-by-night strategy on pacing. No worrying about what it meant. Just do it!

Process: I just had a loose idea of the story when I sat to work, as will become apparent in later pages.

The art is influenced by a purchase I made that day. Wet Paint had a sale booth at the 24 hour event (but only for the first couple hours). They had these wonderful ink-based grayscale markers. I wanted to see what I could get out of using values for line. Even working in this rushed atmosphere, the work feels very fresh to me. Much of my apprehension and frustration about the work not being perfect has dissipated.

No Photoshop on this one. Unless there are glaring errors to correct, I will present these pages raw.

Original art supplement: Making amends, having a heart

I feel a need to amend yesterday's post with some newer work.
Nothing against the Day for Night dude, modeled on the Mysterious Pete character in Feininger's Kin-der-Kids, but old work is old work.
I finished this piece a couple days ago. One of the local comics stores, The Source, has this playful thing where they give each artist a blank card and ask them to illustrate it. I drew the eight of hearts. Playful idea, simple execution, and it integrates my fascination with good pinup art and my loose, flowing style.
Once I had the concept, the rest was easy.

Next time I'm at The Source, I'll add it to their deck.

I'd hate to think of the guys at The Source playing without a full deck!

Original Art Sundays, No. 15: Day for Night

I had hoped to post the first page of my 24 hour comic from this year today. Well, tomorrow, but I'm posting a few hours before Sunday, as Fallcon is still running tomorrow.
However, a delay in scanning made posting p. 1 of 24 hour book 2009 impossible, at least short term. Problem to be fixed forthwith.
Meanwhile, loath though I am to do so, I am posting an inventory piece, just to maintain my self-imposed schedule.

this was a proposed cover for the Spock's Beard album Day for Night. When I met lead singer Neal Morse about a year after I sent them this, he told me that they liked it but it lost out to another concept on a close vote.
I don't often work in gouache. Perhaps I should. I rather like this! It has a simplistic yet eerie feel about it. The nebula inside the cloak is an obvious collage, but I think it works well.

'oo's the kid then?

the Minneapolis Public Library is hosting a series called Childish Films.
I'm glad they're showing stuff like this, and I know "childish" is not necessary pejorative, though I think "childlike" has a more positive connotation.
My objection is in the October 17 program, titled Toons for Tots. While I think it's great that kids are being exposed to good animation ( four vintage 30s Disneys, no less!), the constant refrain of "kids" and "tots" in relation to cartoons chafes just a bit.  I thought we'd passed the myopic notion that cartoons are inherently kid stuff.
To make my point as to the merits of this work, here's a classic from a few years later.

Memories of a scant few hours ago.

Here's a shot of the lot of us at 24 Hour Comics start time.

For more, go to the Mpls. 24 Hour Blog!

Original Art Sundays, No. 14: a dusty old bar....

I don't publish my photography much. This is partially because the market is saturated with really good photographers. It's also because I'm rarely satisfied with my framing.
But this shot, done on a shoot with a Digital Photography class on Mineeapolis' North Side, came out as I hoped.  There's a mood to the tiredness and dust in good sepiatone that I find quite compelling.
I haven't decided if I'm posting this year's 24 Hour Challenge book here. I completed it, oh, 9 hours ago- got done early, and it only shows on a couple pages! We'll see how it goes once I do my print run for the upcoming anthology/box.

Here come the students! Look busy!

In the interest of furthering my career and recognizing hard work, I have begun another blog. This one is  devoted to my students' work, past and present.
I have quite a bit on file, and will announce the prospect of the work's inclusion in all my classes from here on out. Sort of a digital portfolio of student work.
Off to a slow but ambitious start!

Posting an extra image to whet your appetite, here's a photo by Matt Hensche, class of '08.

Original Art Sundays, No. 13: so benull...

Well, it was a slow week, art-wise. But I did manage to get some sketching done while my student (!) was taking his exam.
The sad part for me is that while I can do such interesting work with just scrap Bristol from the cutting table and a rather fluid Jetsream brand black pen, so much of the line quality is lost in the scan unless you want a mountain of artifacts. I used to hate that sketchy stuff. Now it fascinates me.
Couple of my favorite experimental things here- the form defined by shadow (beginning of the first tier) and the mood piece drawing on the old saw of doing a continuous line (end of the second tier).
Also, a potential new character sprung out of nowhere- the French skeleton in Tier 1. You can tell he's French by the mustache. I'm sure I've seen something similar somewhere along the way, so I suspect he'll be a spear carrier in a future story.
The alien lovers reaching across space are part of my Poe pastiche. Another one that's been in the works for years.
Finally, a couple pop ins from the happy fish, Maggie's mule, and a VERY loose sketch of The Surrealist Cowgirls holding hands and ready for action!
Eager for 24 hour challenge this coming weekend. This week promises to be quite hectic!

The masochist says "hurt me". The sadist says "no".

So here I am all crispy from 2 days of very little sleep.
What do I do?
Sign up for the 2009 24 Hour Comics Challenge!
I hope to do 24 pages AND A COVER in the 24 hours. Going to try working a little smaller this time. I think I was the only one working at 11" x 17" at MCAD last year!
And my dilemma over going to MCAD or Open Book was solved, as MCAD students are joining the fun at Open Book this year!
Here's another shot Barb Shultz took of me at the '08 event....

Original Art Sundays, No. 12: Surrealist Cowgirls, p. 11

So ends another Surrealists Cowgirls adventure!
So many things to fix on this page: I left out their vests! Rather crude drawing in Photoshop to throw them on. Drawing with a mouse is like doing fine detail work wearing boxing gloves. it can theoretically be done, but it's not a very good idea most of the time. It worked out OK here.
Also reworked a couple word balloons, along with digitizing most of the text. Dropped a holding line for the support text at the top of panel 2. The flow is much better without it.
Overall, rushed and flawed though it is, I like this story. There's a charm to the characters, even Sparth!
Next: who knows, Highlander? Sorry, segued into a bad movie reference.
I'll either post some recent sketchbook pages next week, or begin a new story. I have a couple things in the hopper, but with 24 Hour Challenge 2 weeks away, I might stall until I have something bigger to post again.

She's leaving on a jet plane...

We lost Mary Travers to leukemia.
So sad.
I always like Peter Paul & Mary. I like the protests, I like the harmonies, and I liked the way they seemed to really throw themselves deep into the music.
And for some reason, the idea of a powerful voiced big woman with a square jaw really appealed to me!
Go figure...
Anyway, here she is with Joni Mitchell and Mama Cass singing Dylan's I Shall Be Released.