Sorry for not blogging last week. I’ve been working on the paintings for the show I’m doing in October at the Green Rice Gallery. It’s times like this I’m glad I don’t have a normal day job. (I’m actually glad every second of the day that I don’t have a normal day job.) I hate anything that distracts me from painting when I want to work. When I want to work I work. When I don’t I still do depending on demand. If something comes up that gets in the way of painting I funnel all hatred possible towards whatever the distraction may be. Blogging was sort of one of those things. Sorry to the few of you who come here for workday boredom relief.

Here are some of the paintings I’ve been working on. I am still getting reference together for a few more.

The theme of the show is nostalgia. I’m doing paintings old buildings and signs and landmarks around Charlotte.

My favorite building in charlotte in the foreground. The cool loft and store front brick building with Spanish tile awnings that’s sadly abandoned and not mine.

The Camden water tower in the South End. I drew out each brick and started filling them in one by one on that huge wall on the left. Each brick 3/8’s of an inch wide… and then I realized they were at the wrong angle. Had to white it out and start again.

Little burger joint on the BFR. I still have yet to try it. Maybe I’ll stop by when the painting’s done and show them a picture of it or something. See if I can get some free stuff.

This is going to be the old Coffee Cup sign. I haven’t done a triptych in a long time. I also haven’t used a paint knife in a long time. I’m taking the opportunity with this show to try different tactics and styles. I don’t want my stuff to all look the exact same. It’s nice to freestyle it.

Time to hit the bricks.

I usually listen to iTunes shuffle when I paint. That way I have a machine making choices for me. I’m saving up for one of those George Jetson conveyor belts that shower and groom and dress you in the morning. I also don’t really paint. I have a small army of those creepy white Honda robots do the work while I play air guitar to Krokus.

The other day Megadeth’s “Tornado of Souls” came on and though I’ve heard the song possibly a thousand times in my life the solo punched me in the face and begged me to learn it. Or attempt to.

Marty Friedman, you are a genius. But you already knew that. You knew that when you were a teenager in the 80’s, outplaying most veterans. Thanks for this and every other solo you’ve done. (Except “Sweating Bullets”. That was just chromatic wankery that sounded like Kirk Hammett if he could play like you.)

Enough talking to guitar legends that will never get my messages. Check this solo out.

I bit off more than I could chew yesterday but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I can muddle through it today. Maybe by next week I’ll be able play along and not fall behind and cry.

Paintings:

The world tour painting. The response was overwhelming for “spot that monument”. I’m glad my readership is strong as ever. God I suck.

and SHATTY.

Have a good weekend.

Everyone remember Stefan? My 7 foot German roommate who moved back home after 6 months in the States?

No?

Well here’s a picture of him in a canoe.

He commissioned me last month for a painting of monuments from around the world. He gave me a list that freaked me out. It was long and I had no idea how I was going to put all that stuff onto one canvas. I tried working it out in a photoshop analog and that was the worst part of the whole process. Everything just fighting for space with eachother. Obelisks and arches and statues and stadiums and walls and palaces.

I was going to include his list here but I’d like to see how many you can spot in this early stage painting. They are mostly obvious, but there are a few that I hadn’t really known the names of before taking this commission on. Oh. Thaaaat’s what it’s called?

For all you Olympics fans, here’s a video of Michael Phelps. Talking about Hellboy 2. No idea.

Today it’s back to the 300 workout. Wish me luck on getting it under a half hour.

On Monday I did a kettlebell ladder workout that destroyed my lungs.

10 swings
1 burpee
10 swings
2 burpees
10 swings
3 burpees
10 swings
4 burpees
10 swings
5 burpees
10 swings
6 burpees
10 swings
7 burpees
10 swings
8 burpees
10 swings
9 burpees
10 swings
10 burpees

Burpees.

Barf.

The Residence got some press in the Charlotte Observer and on their website. Pretty sweet. Check it out.

Residence Photos

Thanks to Olivia Forston.

I got some more reference photos for the upcoming October show I’m painting for. I hope to start hitting the paints soon.

This weekend I got my motorcycle is back on the road after getting a slack chain tightened. It was so loose that it started to grind away metal on the oil tank. No bueno. It’s good to have the Admiral back.

Friday night I did what every single young guy should do every few Fridays: Chilled out over at my mom’s and ate some hummus with her instead of going out and hitting bars or whatever. Then Saturday after a four hour-long MMA session at the gym I went back over to mom’s and then swam laps at the YMCA with her. I swam “ten” laps. Any real swimmer would count my ten total passes as five laps. I was dead afterwards. I had to rest for a minute or so after each pass. I was just getting sort of happy with my stamina on dry land only to have my lungs collapse in the water. Back to the drawing board. Anyone have a hookup for a free Y pass?

P.S. Look at Beef showing us his “Burt Reynolds naked on a bearskin rug” side.