Gifts from a Family Who Know Me...

I'm delighted that this past holiday was one of the better ones in recent memory getting to see all of my family happy and moving toward better times.  The Christmas / New Years rush is one of the craziest times of the year and we're all still recovering from it this week even with the fevered atmosphere about us leading these American lives.  I'm blessed to have your audience and blessed to have my friends and family.  Most importantly, I'm thankful for people who know and understand the teetering insanity driving the pulsating urge to create- the lighting in the bottle in my brain.  My family followed through in style in feeding the beast.  First, my Sister and Bro-in-Lawz got me a gift card to Snobby Lobby which will come in handy very soon I'm certain.

My wife Aurora got me this awesome mini MUNNY!  I get to paint him sometime this year when things calm down a bit.  Each one of these dudes from kidrobot comes with a MUNNY shaped sticker to color and a MYSTERY Item- mine is an AXE!  I'll post some process pictures later on when I get to him.

My wife also got me art in another form with a few graphic novels I wanted included an awesome Elseworlds Superman... the Elseworlds DC series are a weakness of mine!  In these books, alternate realities and time periods are created to show what these superheros would be like in another time and space.

Every year I take a portion of my Christmas Bonus from my top secret day job as a Marketing Manager and I spend it re-upping my marker supply.  Here's what I got in the mail today from Cheap Joe's... they don't call him Cheap for nuttin'- you can't beat $1.99 Prismacolors with a stick... or a MUNNY Axe for that matter.  I even snagged a few NEW colors I've never had before!

Another neato parting holiday fact: The Incredible Hulk painting I posted from New Year's Day is on a canvas my father got me for Christmas this year!  Click HERE to see the painting! 

Have a prosperous 2012 dear viewer- I hope you find the encouragement you need to see your own dreams through.  I wouldn't be creating without the belief of those around me.

The Gift of Art

A Portrait of Nick Wood in three stages for his Mother

I'm winding down today from the hoopla of another Christmas with friends, family, and guests as well as our first White Christmas in Tennessee since I was 13 years old!

As each year goes by and art becomes a larger part of my life and social setting, it also becomes a bigger part of the holidays as well.  My creations make a unique gift and I was fortunate to ship dozens of prints and books all over the country which I ran specials on through the internet.  I also held some contests on the Facebook Fan Page to give away some free prints to random folks who participated (and I do this from time to time anyhow, so get your LIKE on by clicking the link above if you haven't already!)  The last portrait commission I took this year was of one of my oldest friends, Nick.  He wanted to give a portrait to his Mom for Christmas and gave me a few reference photos to get started a few weeks back.  He was wanting a young and older version of himself as the picture.  We were both really pleased with the final result and Jen at Hobby Lobby was gracious enough to pull some strings and get it framed for us just a couple of days before Christmas... thanks hon, you guys are the best!

My wife and I spend Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas day with her family.  Friday morning we headed down to my old stomping grounds of Tennessee Ridge.  Last year about this time, I showed you the portrait of my Grandfather which I gave to my Grandma for Christmas last year. For her gift this year, I turned out another portrait, this time of her parents. She recognized them straight away, which is my best (and sometimes only) indicator of success with my likenesses...

Portrait of my Great Grandparents, Paul and Clemmie Frey

Functional art by Paul Lancette / Pic by Aurora Hardin

The sleet scared us out of Houston County and back home Friday night.  I scored a pretty sweet tabletop easel from my father to use at art fairs next year.  He always manages to sneak in something of use to my passion. Here is one of the more charming memories we took from this year's Hardin Christmas...

We are all artists with ample time, motivation, and sometimes boredom, which apparently my sister's boyfriend was chalked full of staying in such a rural area after living in Phoenix the past few years.  Mom's reindeer got put in some compromising positions with his new found ingenuity.

We headed out Saturday morning for Nashville to my sister-in-law, Rozita's house.  We didn't get far when my good friend, Mike called me in a ruckus.  The poor guy got in late Christmas Eve from Columbus and thought he could at least get into Wally World to take care of getting mama that something special for Christmas.  The only places open in town were Walgreens and the Chinese restaurants.  I have a feeling mom wasn't expecting an earwax removal kit or take-out Kung Pao shrimp.  Fine art to the rescue! I couldn't leave the guy hanging so we pointed our direction back home to parlay.  I had my reservations about his choice of this work from my Topsy-Turvy series but he called later to tell me she loved it and already had it on the wall...

"Topsy-Turvy:  Faces" (inks on bristol / 2008)

Down in Nashville, Aurora had chosen four prints for her nephews and lay them out upside down so they could randomly choose which they would get...

Art is cool and colorful but you can't really play with it.. Good thing they got stockings filled with a variety of candy to wind them up so they could get busy with their new toys!  We gave them each items their mother was sure to love including jumping beans and farting gak (which kept us entertained the duration of our visit!)

It's amazing!  You stick your fingers in it to make a symphony of farting noises AND you can take it out of the jar for other endless possibilities!

Merry Christmas!

This Year, Give the Gift of Art!

The madness of the holiday season is quickly closing in on us. I'm all stocked up on tons of goodies that need good homes and I'll be liquidating some of them to you dear viewer. You have a good chance to snag some unique gifts for your open-minded, third-eye-wide family and friends the next few weeks.

I've posted some of my limited edition prints back on Ebay this month. (Click here to view the listings!) All prints have a starting bid of 99 cents and will only be in auction for 7 days! Why? 'Tis the season baby! These bad boys usually go quick and I've shipped them all over the world, so get a gander today and keep an eye on the ones you're interested in. I'm also signing prints at your request... just notate when you PayPal if you want a personalized signature to the intended recipient of your gift. I can also ship their print directly to them with a gift notice from you- again, just drop me a message.

I also have copies of my Third Eye Book available still! There's only about five left so they won't be here for long. (Click here for a preview / Purchase info at the bottom of the page) Click the Buy Now button and you don't even have to elbow drop anyone in front of their children to get the last one.

The first printing of my Topsy-Turvy book is almost sold out as well. (Click here for a preview / Purchase info also at the bottom of the page) These books are the most original item I have. The book can be opened from either side of the cover for a new journey through the full-color works.

I've also got Christmas cards on order of my own design and will be getting them out to you guys soon. If you haven't already, drop me your snail mail address at dregstudios@gmail.com to get on the list! If you are a fan or viewer, I owe you a card, don't be shy!

Merry Shopping and Happy Holidays from DREGstudios!

P.S. I also have in the neighborhood of 70 framed originals for sale. Email me to make arrangements for viewing. I'll let you dig through them and get a one of a kind gift for your lucky friend / family member!

Portrait of My Grandfather

My Grandfather passed away just before Christmas three years ago. As a gift this year for my grandmother, I illustrated a portrait of him. This is the first time I've drawn someone really close to me in this fashion... it was like I was hanging out with him as he came across in the initial sketch. I could feel him smiling through the paper with warm and healing acceptance of my rendering.


Thomas Joseph Hardin
1928-2006
inks on paper / 2009

The infinity symbol is made of grapevine. My grandfather would gather grapevine from the nearby woods of our farm and he would weave wreaths and baskets with just the vine and his hands. Sometimes, my grandmother would decorate them with ceramic animals and flowers and they would sell them at flea markets and my father's convenience store. My grandparents provided a crafty atmosphere in there home and always gave me projects to do as a child. This probably played an important role in my early interest in the arts as well as my creative development.