The Joy Of Action

I have a few really great science and trade manuals and study books that love to use in my art.  The unused beer caps reminded me a little of gears, so I thought theywould play into the retro industrial vibe.

She Pinned Her Compass To The Clouds

Untitled #1

Down The Rabbit Hole

In the past I've experimented a little with gel transfers, but had never actually included one in a finished piece.  Over the weekend I acquired a 1960's edition of Alice In Wonderland and the image of the white rabbit seemed like the perfect thing to try to transfer.  

I've always loved the idea of transfers, but have been putting it off for a while.  I'm so paranoid that I will create a nice background that I love and then ruin it with a bad transfer application.  There are a few things I would do a little differently next time, but I think it's not bad for a first try.

Bernice

Forgotten

Happy Mother's Day

"She truly appreciated what she had because she struggled to get it."

I apologize that this scanned image is not as crisp and clear as I would like it.

I created this piece with thoughts of all the women in this world that are

yearning to become mothers but are encountering physical barriers. 

Circus Sideshow

I found the original photo of Baby Thelma in my Grandparents photo album.  She must have come to town with the travelling circus that came every year.

My Grandparents lived about a block from the town's fairground, on a dead-end street backing onto train tracks.  Back in the day, the circus train would park at the end of the street and my Dad (as a little boy) would get to sit in the window of his second floor bedroom and watch the circus folk walk elephants past the house.
 
He said that always on the last night, when the circus was packing up, he would get up in the middle of the night and listen to all the salty language out the window as the drunken carnies stumbled back to the train cars.  I'm sure for a little boy in the 1950's, that was pretty exciting.

Bird Song

Happiness

I love those cheery illustrated faces that you see in old ads from the 1950s.  They seem so benevolent and really kinda phony that I always thought that they must be taking happy pills.

Knowledge

The Hard Way

I wanted to create a panel this time by just hand painting something, instead of adding vintage photographs or various art papers like I usually do. 

Below is the reference image that I started with.  I just came across it on the web and I loved how beautiful and tough she looked.

Paper Doll