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STAYING VIGILANT |  | June, 2008- As the big sequel for the comic book starts to head down the home stretch with a couple weeks of drawing left before two solid, mind numbing weeks of layouts and text done on the computer, it seems like there's just
not enough time in the world. Still, I've been making all too frequent rounds through Austin's social circles, winning awards, and still trying to get this site fully updated with a slew of stories hanging over my head like Damocles' sword. |
VOLUME TWO: THE TALES OF THE REALLY WHITE VIGILANTE
With just under a month before the book goes to press, I'm
working feverishly to finish up all the drawings that will make up Volume Two. Here's a few final thoughts on the entire project and a look at some of the new imagery before I hit the finish line. |
THE ART OF IAN SHULTS
Ian's new website is pretty much up and running, although there are still
some bells and whistles to load on, as well as some of his latest paintings. Click on the link above to see some of the work Ian has produced over the years. It's a pretty amazing portfolio of painting, illustration and sculpture, and its definitely worth a peak. |
AUSTIN CRITICS' TABLE AWARDS
A surprise nomination ended with a
surprise win for the four curators of last year's gigantic Radical Nautical art show, of which I helped put together. Thanks to all the artists who participated, and if you're interested in how the awards show went, click on the title above... |
PAINTING CLASSES | I'm still teaching painting and drawing classes while I'm working on the second volume of my comic book. Classes can be scheduled throughout the week and there are some new slots added to the lineup this week. Check 'em out!
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| RWV #2 PREVIEW!
May, 2008- With the target release date looming large on the
horizon, I've been processing five months of writing and thoughts into the next issue of the Tales of the Really White Vigilante.
With the release date of August 8th set in stone, my workload has taken on a hectic pace. Take a look at the early progress and hang on tight for a more in depth preview coming soon! |
IRON MAN AND MY IGNORANCE OF HOLLYWOOD
I went to the movies last week and watched Iron Man. While it was a
thoroughly enjoyable movie, the aftermath provided a few revelations that even shocked some of my best friends. |
MY TRIP TO KANSAS CITY, 2007
The long promised and long awaited recap of my trip to Kansas City last year is
FINALLY FINISHED!!! Let's hope some more trip updates are fast on its heels, alright? |
OFF THE WAGON
My battles with Nutella continue. After swearing to go on the 'Two Scoops' diet, I finished off a jar over
three weeks time. The next jar of Nutella I purchased didn't fare so well, as I polished off the entire jar in less than an hour. One day at a time seems to be the wrong battlecry for my addiction to the world's greatest hazelnut spread. |
ITUNES WAR
While putting the last week's worth of work into my comic book, the Gentrification Station Studio is standing on the
precipice of a potentially ugly war between internet radio stations. Since I found Devil's Night Radio a few months ago, its been a staple fallback, playing old punk songs with a good mix of Serge Gainsborough, Johnny Cash and even a few tracks from the Cabaret soundtrack. Ian and I have both taken a liking to it, although lately I've been yearning to relive my old industrial days and stumbled across Van Richter Radio,
which so far has those hard edged industrial dance rock beats to fill a hole in my ear. Those same beats drive Ian crazy, and so far I've been willing to defer my tastes for the common good, but I'll see how long before I can sneak those tunes onto the everyday playlist... |
THE SOUNDTRACK OF LOST LOVE
Every so often, a song comes on the radio, or you stumble across an old CD or tape, and for better or
worse, it throws you back to an innocent, fun little time when the birds are singing, the sky is blue, and you're in a glorious relationship with a hot little vixen that'll never end. Some clever guesswork from those that know me well probably can attach a pretty face to some of the songs, but I'll deny it if you try guessing. Here's a smattering of songs that make me think of the good times: |
I'VE NEVER LIKED STAR TREK OR WILLIAM SHATNER BUT...
The Cliff Notes to life in Austin can be summed up with
this song, hilariously mashed up with some old clips from a Star Trek cartoon. |
ANOTHER BONUS FROM THE MUELLER DEVELOPMENT!
Since Austin's old Mueller Airport's redevelopment started in earnest a couple of years
ago, not too many changes have affected the East Side. Since construction of the idyllic homes began, the trickle down affect has been noticeable. Wave after wave of SUVs are constantly turning into the tony idealized white fortress of suburbia, a touch of Plano right here on the East Side. More importantly, its now near impossible to drive the length of Airport Blvd without catching red lights on at least 2 of the five intersections. And there's nothing
like sitting in traffic in Texas during the summer without air conditioning... |
ONE DAY WALKING THROUGH THE MARKET
I was rushing through the aisles trying to find the ingredients for a quick meal I could cook up
after I got home from teaching some classes. Right there, in the middle of the HEB in the Hancock Center, I noticed a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese that looked, well, different. Within seconds I was laughing at the absurdity of it all - it was a BOX of KRAFT MACARONI AND CHEESE that was labeled, 'ORGANIC'. It carried with it a $1.79 cent price tag too. On my next visit to HEB, this time my local, East Side, gritty, downtrodden version on Seventh Street, there was no such product to be had. |
JUAN PELOTA
While taking an extended bike ride through east and central Austin, I found myself snaking through the downtown grid
when I came across Lance Armstrong's new bike shop, Mellow Johnny's. Putting aside my deep hatred for the man personally, I knew a friend who worked in the cafe attached to the shop. As I locked my bike, I looked up at the coffee shop and was amazed.
Stunned, the sign actually read Juan Pelota. Since the bike shop's opening, all the press has harped on just how clever Lance with the name of the bike shop, a homonym of sorts with the French phrase for 'yellow jersey'. I never expected Austin's egotistical super-athlete and super-humanitarian to make a play off Spanish with his well known status as the most famous man with one testicle. |
WHILE HILLARY PONDERS LEAVING THE RACE...
I've been marveling at the election system America has in place. I caught HBO's
movie Recap, which was done well, but was depressing for a few reasons: Nothing to prevent what happened in 2000 has been fixed, and the movie itself was almost torturous to relive the political backroom war rooms in a style more fit for a documentary. And as America is actually taking the time to think about and elect a 72 senile old man as President who is as bitter, out of touch and scary as the man currently residing at the White House, I've come up with a new law that should be written into the Constitution immediately: No one over the age of
54 should be allowed to run for any public office ever. |
THIS THOUGHT JUST JUMPED INTO MY HEAD
While sitting down and having the honor of watching the new Coldplay commercial for the
twentieth time that hour, I turned to my friends and said, "Wow, its like U2 and Arcade Fire just had an abortion." |
ONE LAST KISS FROM THE BABY BOOMERS
As if the world hasn't been completely fucked over by the American Baby Boomer generation
enough already!!! The former peace loving hippies have spent their lives destroying culture with crass commercialism and empty pop sentiment, blindly supported endless and senseless American wars across the globe, and sucked social security dry. Those same dirty little folks who once believed dropping acid and listening to horrible music was the solution to the world's problems before ultimately deciding greed was good, apparently had one last (for the love of God, please let it be their last!) trick up their sleeves, decided the ecologically friendly notion of turning corn into gasoline was a good idea too.
Well, now that food prices are rising almost as fast as gas, an entire generation, two or three will have to resort to eating Spam and Ramen noodles the rest of our lives. Out of respect for our forward thinking elders, I'd like to extend a welcome handshake to the second greatest generation once again for taking well intentioned ideas and turning them into a living hell that they'll never have to deal with while they dine on the final dollars of
social security. God Bless You All, and thanks again for the gentle statesmen (and women!) your generation elected over and over again (God Bless George W. once again!!!) for sending us into a completely worthless and war Iraq that has left our country bankrupt and providing us with a lifetime of oldies stations to enjoy. |
MY RAISIN BRAN DIET- TWO SCOOPS!
My battles with my heroin-like addiction to Nutella have been well talked about among my friends
for years now. While I've built a pretty strong willpower to saying no to drugs and being able to hang off alcohol for a few days in a row, my resistance to Nutella is non-existent. So in an effort to change all that, I've put on a self imposed Raisin Bran diet - just two scoops (from a spoon, not a butter knife) - a night. We'll see how long this all lasts. |
APPARENTLY, PHOTOSHOP HAS A NEW JUXTAPOZ FILTER
Just take a children's drawing, bring it into Photoshop, load up that Juxtapoz
filter, and voila! Children's Juxtapoz art! |
AUSTIN'S NEW LOOK
I've started seeing the newly painted police cars throughout Austin lately. Painted in the austere and
throwback style of black hoods and trunks with a white body emblazoned with the APD logo and a catchy slogan I haven't read yet, they seem oddly intimidating to me for some reason. Since I arrived in Austin, the cops have driven around in white cars with an oversized wordmark on the side of the cars done in blue with yellow highlights. There was some sort of weird cartoonishness with those cars that fit Austin in an odd way - like the police need to exist in this town, right? Well, with the new paint job, it feels like a new
authoritarian is in town and its disconcerting, to me anyway. |
ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG
Another one bites the dust. I caught wind of the death of Rauschenberg with
his obituary in the New York Times. I was saddened they ran a picture of his smiling old man persona, fat from the profits of a life as an artist, living comfortably in Florida. I always think of a couple things when I hear Rauschenberg - I always loved that fanatic picture of our little hero rolling around on roller skates with a parachute blowing behind him,
reminiscent of Wile E. Coyote. I also am reminded he attended KCAI for a year and like all the people who make it big from KCAI, he was a dropout. Paul Huhtanen, where are you? |
MORE CULINARY DELIGHTS WITH IAN!!
"So I was going to the movies, and I was ordering a drink at the concession stand, and like all
good Texans, I ordered a Dr Pepper. The young, robust, African American girl behind the counter informed me they only had Mr. Pibb Extra. I asked, "What's the extra?" She blankly stared ahead and in a robotic, dry montone, quickly replied, "Mr. Pibb Extra has an extra zing of Pibb.
I was sold." |
SHOW THE MAN SOME WELL DESERVED LOVE!
George W. Bush's disapproval
rating went over 70%. For the man who rallied the country's support for a worthless and costly war that has crashed the economy and crippled any hope for a turnaround for ages, while ignoring the problems of social security, healthcare, education, energy, pollution and anything that can't be fixed in an ill spoken soundbite, I still think seventy percent is a bit harsh. I know if I was bribing every American with a fat $300 check twice in eight years, I would hope for at least some measure of gratitude! Like my mom always says, 'If
you don't like the man, at least respect the office!" If any reader out there knows a phrase that can mean any less than that sentiment, please email me your ideas. |
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ONGOING AND UPCOMING SHOWS
2008
AUGUST 8
Tales of the Really White Vigilante, Volume 2
our intrepid hero battles hipsters, SXSW and his own demons
NOVEMBER
Solo Show
A show of new work
DECEMBER
Blue Genie Art Bazaar
creative gifts for the Holiday Season
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CURATED GROUP SHOWS
RADICAL NAUTICAL
August, 2007 Gallery Lombardi, Austin, Texas
with Ian Shults, Rachel Koper, Kevin Peakes and Kevin Tijernia
Austin Chronicle Review
Best Group Show, Austin Critics' Table Award
FATHER'S DAY SHOW
July, 2006 Bolm Studios, Austin, Texas
"Top Ten Art Shows, 2006" Austin Chronicle
WILL THERE EVER BE A RAINBOW?
The Unicorn Art Show
curated with Ian Shults
November, 2005 Bolm Studios, Austin, Texas
"Best Group Show, 2005" Austin Chronicle
SHOULDA BEEN A PLUMBER TOO
October, 2004 Bolm Studios, Austin, Texas
WHILE WE'RE YOUNG
April, 2004 Blue Genie Art, Austin, Texas
SHOULDA BEEN A PLUMBER
October, 2003 Blue Genie Art, Austin, Texas
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