New pet portrait / King Con

I just got back from a funeral for my uncle Will in Detroit. He was one of the nicest, sweetest guys I've ever met, and I'll miss him. Despite the terrible circumstances, it was great to see my mom's side of the family (I don't get to hang out with them very often, unfortunately). I even got to meet Will's son and one of his daughters, both of whom I'd never met previously.

It's been hectic since I got back to Brooklyn. My band had a show on Halloween (and, as predicted, injuries were sustained). My Fed-Ex guy showed up at the show along with two members of his metal band ('Deadzone"). For some reason, I found it hilarious (and...touching?) that he came. Our friends Sara & Erika threw a really great baby shower for us the day after. It's always nice to be surrounded by a ton of close friends, especially when they're shoving presents at you. We got some great stuff for Lulu. She will be dressing like David Bowie, apparently.

I've been working on a mural in Lulu's room, which I'll post when I'm done. I'm working on a two-page comic for an anthology due in about a week. Sophia Wiedeman and I will be once again sharing a table at the upcoming King Con in Brooklyn this weekend, so c'mon by and pick up some new comics. Lastly, I'm working on a few pet portraits. Just finished this one of two cats who have an antagonistic relationship. I tried to convince the client to go with a pro-wrestling theme, but her husband is a football fan, so...

New Paintings & Finished Painting

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. We went to Karen's cousin, Nomi Silverman's house. She always makes way too much food, and she always makes a gazillion different dishes (she obviously loves cooking, so I suppose to her it's not too much or too many). I brought along my requisite Tofurkey, non-dairy garlic mashed potatoes and wheat-free (for Karen) stuffing.

We got to look at a series of Nomi's new work for a show that opens this week in CT. It was very powerful, graphic b&w etchings and lithographs dealing with Matt Shepard's beating & murder at the hands of two homophobic men that happened several years ago. She used the stations of the Cross as image inspiration and metaphor.

Tuesday I finally finished up the portrait of Tatum's (deceased, R.I.P.) Scottish Terrier. I also continued work on Wilfredo the Chihuahua and started a new commission of a lop-eared rabbit wearing a pirate's hat. It's times like these that I thank whoever/whatever's responsible for my being paid to paint Pirate bunnies. It also reminds me of my own childhood bunnies, Dudley & Kimper and their little duckling pal, Gomer.

More Dog Portraits

The portrait of the Scottish Terrier is almost done. I thought it was finished, but there's something not quite right with the background....it's a little too sparse. I might scumble in some texture or something.

I started working on a new portrait of my first long-term girlfriend's current girlfriend's chihuahua. I was getting very frustrated with the face because Wilfredo (the chihuahua) has a very cute & expressive punim that I just couldn't capture correctly. I rubbed out his face several times, and I think I at least got the proportions correct this time. I'm going to let it dry for a week and try again 'cause it started to get muddy.

Tatum O'Neal's Pet Portrait Progress

I got some more work done on Tatum's scottish terrier (R.I.P., little guy). The fluorescent lights really throw off the color in this photo, but you get the idea. My father-in-law's suggestion to obliterate the ochre/greenish color at the bottom helped immensely. That guy's a genius when it comes to painting. Some of the drawings he did during the 1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott were bought by a museum in Oberlin, OH, so if you happen to live there, be sure to keep an eye out!

Pete Meat

I just finished another pet portrait in the traditional style. It's my childhood friends' dog "Pete Meat". I think it turned out pretty well. I don't know why I'm drawn to keeping the backgrounds so vague and ethereal. Is it because I'm lazy or is it because I want to draw all attention to the subject? You decide.

Now I'm working on a posthumous portrait of Tatum O'Neal's scottish terrier. I liked the very very loose quality of just blocking in the darks that I did the first day so much that I'm tempted to stop working on it and leave it as is. I should probably take it as a sign that this portrait will go well, though, and keep going.

Holy Hip-Hop!

In honor of Snoop Doggy Dogg's birthday today, I present a stunning portrait painted by Alex Melamid now showing at The Forum Gallery in L.A. This current show features paintings of various hip-hop stars (50 Cent, Kanye West, Russell Simmons, Lil Jon, Reverend Run, etc.) done in the old masters style.

I can't wait until the show comes to New York (January, I think).

In order to somehow incorporate a shameless plug for myself into this thread, I'm also posting a photo of one of my traditional pet portraits of...Pony Doggy Dogg!

Editors Note: I just realized that Snoop's birthday is actually tomorrow...sorry, Snoop!