A chance encounter with the works of Odilon Redon, a friend's new set of Derwents and a pricing error at Michaels all conspire to awaken the beast of creativity from its years of slumber. While I'd done some light sketching between '00 and '02, I spent more of the time writing.

Then in late 2003, a set of pencils and some paper found their way into my hands and a clockwork movement within me was suddenly activated...

...one gear turned another, slowly at first - then faster

...a coiled spring flung loose a very old door

If you'd been seated next to me, you probably would have heard it.

Weeks later I emerge stained in multicolor, with an armful of strange and wondrous creatures for you, dear visitors, to enjoy, despise, embrace or ignore as you will.

As you'd expect, I have been furiously pumping-out art much faster than I can get it all scanned and added...

...stay tuned as this light spring shower reveals itself as the mother of all artstorms.

Click on the view-thumbnails to view each piece

A sketch in charcoal - a view of my "art area".

That utility meter, that's something I've been dragging 'round with me since the 90's - a good luck charm, if you will. I think it came from my first apartment off Melrose in Hollywood, CA.

Sailing away from it all.

Oil pastels in white, pink and green are mixed chaotically in the sky above, a hot blast of color frames the calm seas as our hero disappears over the horizon.

I had a dream about Israel. This isn't an accurate presentation of my imagining of Israel but it wasn't meant to be.

An outdoor sketch from a woodland not far from my home - I didn't really have time to finish it to my satisfaction, but it's still pretty nice.

A nice earthy sketch with a suspicious-looking treegnome looking down toward us. I gotta' warn you, the image is 1520x1673 - about 1/2 meg.

The left 60% of a psychic self-portrait with shades of pink. Executed on black high-rag paper for that new-primitive look.

Yellow and black on white paper. A dark impression of a mysterious creature of the mind. He's pointing away - or pointing the way? Pointing our way?

Amidst the cold sterility of the emergency room, a thing lingers, of neither this world nor the next - a big squishy green thing to be exact. Scoff if you will, oh unbelievers, but doubt not this phychographic evidence!

You will know when I am leaving because I will tell you - but where I go you cannot follow. When I go, I go alone - when I go, I am as an empty man and your stares pass through me unhindered, fall upon the ground, a silent soundtrack for my exit scene.

I like the pose but I wish I had made more of a commitment to negative space - maybe I'll go back and do it over. Yes there are clearly biblical undertones here - as to which side of the fence the viewer sits, well that is clearly your call. :grin:

Wake up and follow me . . . or the sun.

On Venus, mechanical incendiaries are considered a barbaric abuse of metal (which is quite rare there). Birds, however, are plentiful and the Venusian Birdbomb is a mainstay of weoponry on the cold blue-green planet.