Illustration Friday: A Gallery Scene (Collaboration with Miranda Herrick)

We'll round out this week with a collaboration for Illustration Friday's theme, "Shadows."  Ironically, this past Saturday, I exhibited some new collaborations with photographer Chad Spann at Flashed Photography (click here for the post.)  I found it fitting to share another collaboration with you this week, only this one is a bit older.  

"A Gallery Scene" inks on bristol / 2007 (Brandt Hardin and Miranda Herrick)

When I saw the theme this week, the drop-shadow off of the child figure in this work immediately came to mind.
Back in 2007, I collaborated with a fellow artist Miranda Herrick.  Miranda works with very intricate, visionary patterns to make some very psychedelic works!  Miranda had given me some pads of scrap paper from where she was cutting perfect squares out of bristol board for her work.  What was left were these long 14 inch strips.  All the works I did on these were multi-paneled and matted similar to what you see here.  When I began the work, I left the large frame which the child is looking at empty.  Miranda filled this with her own design.

Click HERE for a stream of my Illustration Friday entries!

Wishing you PEACE on Memorial Day from DREGstudios!

With all the hatred we experience in the world on a daily basis, I want to wish everyone PEACE in their lives today.  As it is Memorial Day, we remember those lost as a token in the cost of WAR- wars both just and unjust- those for pride and those for profit.  The most fitting and thoughtful memory you can have for those memorialized today is one of purpose and progress.  As life is a wild of a ride, we get too caught up in the ups and downs of our everyday struggle to think about tomorrow nevertheless the state of the world for future generations to come. Never forget, we're in this together whether we like it or not (and I don't mean both sides of the isle, I mean the entire human race.)

"Sacred Texts:  We the People" inks on pages from The Holy Bible (2007)

    Wars have been waged and raged throughout the entire history of man (over love, over territory, over food and fire... none of which can be held in context today for cause of war as far as much of the free world is concerned.)  Today, the stakes are raised much higher as WAR is now BIG Business with natural resources and profiteering on the table.  As a people, we can continue to allow this to escalate or stand and lend our voices. The money spent on war (nevertheless that made from it) could be used to create renewable energy to power the entire world.  Trying to gain a military stranglehold on what's left of our petroleum and ignoring the fact that it's gone in less than half a century is insane.  The cost of war is not only composed of our abstract idea of money, but the cost of LIFE (hundred of thousands and over time- millions.)

Memorialize your entire world today- rich and poor, left and right, all class, all creed, all shade.  There is room for all of us, enough sun for all of us, and enough fun for all of us.  Give and get.

ASK EM

by Gikuyu Wamuiru

Go to south America and ask the indigenous tribes

You'll find when you get there, that only a few have survived.

Ask them if they have gotten that promised paradise
Ask them is it too late to fall for those religious lies

Go to Australia and ask the aborigines

How it feel for people to come and take their land 

and do as they pleze.

While you're on the subject of invading nations

and putting folks on reservations

ask the native Americans, who's truly the Indians?

or go to Gaza strip and ask the Palestinians.

Go to Europe to Belarus, where their populace is socialist

and ask them about that myth of a future that don't exist

Go to the Darfur region of Sudan

and ask the one point two million refugees

dying of starvation in the sand

Go across the globe, or go next door

Ask any body should there be war

War no more  No more war

War no more  No more war

7/28/06

Flashed Photography (Collaborations with Chad Spann)

This Saturday night, No Egrets Tattoo is hosting another spectacular group exhibit, Flashed Photography.  Another brain child of Joe Melanson, this event will feature over twenty regional photographers and artists (including myself) displaying their work for the public.  This event is absolutely FREE and will have entertainment from three DJ's providing the house music.  You're also in for a treat with another themed cake from Heather Bowker.  If you didn't see her Television Cake from the last show at No Egrets, Retro TV Night, Click HERE for my post about the show to check out all the fun and get an idea of what you're in for THIS Saturday night!

So what's the big idea?  How am I in a Photography exhibit?  No, I didn't suddenly take to the streets with my trusty camera and try to conquer another art form.  I have enough illustration and painting projects to keep me busy for the next year!

Chad Spann is one of my favorite photographers, and not just because he can hold his alcohol and make me dribble in my pants with obscene laughter every time I hang out with him.  Chad has a real eye for the world and capturing the macabre and beautifully surreal things he sees.  Chad's gift is that when he takes his shot, you can see what he saw and take that trip with him every time.

"Cheers" Mixed Media / 2011 (Brandt Hardin and Chad Spann)

"Get Your Funnel Cake" Mixed Media / 2011

Chad and I had been toying with the idea of some mixed media collaborations all year.  We wanted to
take my illustration and digitally incorporate it into some pics that Chad would take.  The idea sat on the back burner, making it's own gravy until this exhibit surfaced to provide us with a forum for our new-found idea.

For the exhibit Saturday night, we'll have eight collaborations just like these to unveil to the public.  Pics include some shots Chad took from Waffle House, a Skate Park, and a Carnival!  Of course, I went in and illustrated figures into the works.  This was a new experimental process for me, not only by adding my drawings to photos, but digitally coloring most of them as well.

The show kicks off at 7PM Saturday night, May 28th at No Egrets Tattoo (1128 College St / Clarksville.)  The exhibit is FREE and OPEN to the Public!

"Silverware at Dinner" Mixed Media

 UPDATE 05/29/2011
Here are some great pics Aurora got of our one night exhibit at No Egrets Tattoo...

Myself and Chad Spann unveiling our new series!

Subject matter varied from zombies to comics to panties...

Some great stencil work on the evolving walls at No Egrets

Another themed custom cake from Heather Bowker!

Myself and Jeff Bertrand laying down some free-style acrylics...

Loyd Gant got involved with all three of us painting at once.

Fin.

Our curator, Joe Melanson has ways of collecting his commissions you don't want to know about.

Illustration Friday: Nod Off

"Topsy-Turvy: Nod Off" inks on paper / 2006

"Asleep" is what Illustration Friday gave us artists loyal to their themed gauntlet today as a topic of artist endeavor.  Here is another illustration from my Topsy-Turvy series, in which all the works can be hung either side up.  This dude is from waaaaay back in 2006 when I was still experimenting with the series around the time of my first exhibit of such work.  This illustration never made the cut for either show so I thought I would share it with you today seeing as it struck me as fitting the theme since the figure looks as if he's falling asleep through the progression of faces.

I have bouts of insomnia myself so sleep is very precious.  Just looking at this guy makes me want to nod off since I was up painting a skate deck last night.

Click HERE for more from my Topsy-Turvy series!

Click HERE for a stream of my Illustration Friday entries!

Rock Star Martyr: Bradley Nowell

inks on bristol / 2011

Tomorrow is the 15th anniversary of the passing of a unique and talented musician in Bradley Nowell.   Like too many other musicians over the past 40 years, the frontman of Sublime succumbed to his own addictions with a heroin overdose at the age of 28.  Sublime's self-titled debut from any major label was released posthumously after Nowell's death and has become a staple of alternative music with it's unique blending of genres.

For my portrait, I included Brad's trusty companion, Lou Dog.  His dalmatian was a mascot of sorts for Sublime and would roam the stage as the band played.  Louie even got a few lines about himself written in a couple of the band's songs.  Of course, the poppies in the foreground with Lou are included as the element leading to the musician's fall.

Tomorrow, Joebot will commemorate Nowell with a new article on his site at Rock Star Martyr.  Be certain to swing by and lend your ear.  

[Click HERE for more of my portraits for Rock Star Martyr!]

Top 10 Zombie Movies of ALL TIME with Dan & Colleen

"The Zombie Marshalls" Inks on Bristol / 2011

My buddy Dan and I have talked and debated movies for a very long time now.  The man loves some gore and all that goes with the horror genre, especially when it comes to zombies.  Several years ago, he met the love of his life, Colleen with an equally insatiable appetite for the living dead.  Two years ago today, they married and even had a zombie wedding cake!  This year for their anniversary gift, I've drawn up a portrait for them as the zombie versions of their selves. 

(Feel free to visit my Portrait Page to see how you can commission a drawing of you or your loved ones as well!)

As part of this very special post on their 2nd Anniversary, I asked the undead couple to give me a list of their Top 10 favorite zombie movies of all time.  Some of the titles were even gorefully fulfilling enough to make BOTH of their lists!  We'll start with Mrs. Marshall's list...

This may be a top ten list, but I am a person who cannot really say what is number 1 , 5 or 10. The positions change with what mood I am in. But these are the most loved.   -Colleen

Both of these guys had a tough time narrowing their favorites down to just 10!  Colleen starts her list off with a few honorable mentions...

Read more »

Illustration Friday: Floundering

It's Illustration Friday again this week and we have the theme of "Soaked."  This stone age painting is from waaaaay back in 2005.  At the time, I was doing some very low brow painting aside from my illustration.  The panel was exhibited at The Alter Gallery here in Clarksville.  It was always fun painting on found wood, and just laying down some colors to see what happened.  The process took an entire 30 minutes I believe...  After making the first broad brown strokes on my white background, I decided I had an angel underwater.

"Floundering" acrylic and metallic marker on found wood panel

[Click here for a stream of ALL of this year's Illustration Friday entries!]