Remembering My Time In Uganda, East Africa

Tis the season to be thoughtful. Sometimes when the holidays settle down and my brain has time to jump around through thoughts that have been pushed aside to allow the day-to-day actions to be completed & I always end up sailing deep into memory lane when I was in Uganda, Africa.  To not turn this blog post into a large emotional journal entry, I will keep this simple. August-October 2010 I had a lot of money saved up from working. I refuse to use my money for pointless things that I really do not need so I decided to go to Africa. I applied to teach and live in Uganda for a month or so and I was accepted. I purchased my plane ticket and within a few months I was on a plane by myself going to a 3rd-world country where I knew not a soul. When I arrived I was escorted to a small village called Golomolo near Lake Victoria where I lived among 300 orphans in a hut without plumbing or furniture (you get used to it almost immediately). I taught art & science to the children and I fell in love with every single one of them.  The emotions I experienced I can not describe in depth enough for people to understand what a beautiful experience it was, I have never cried so much in my life, and leaving was the hardest thing I ever had to accept. I write this today because I woke up today thinking about my time there and I started to tear, I really miss the connection to humanity I felt while I was in Africa.

My Time in Uganda at Gossace Orphanage 2010: Dirty all the time & loving it!

Honestly, my first few nights in Uganda I cried almost every night. I felt guilty for taking advantage of so many things I had back home and how easy life was for me. I wanted to give every child that same life and so many times I wished to trade places. But the thing was, these children were as happy as could be! Happier than any kid I’ve ever seen in the States and then I thought “why would I want to take that away?” That is the beauty of culture. I admit, when I returned home I tried to work on some paintings I started in Africa but I got too emotional while trying to finish them so I have about 4 canvases that are not done and I wonder sometimes if maybe they are as complete as they will ever get. People ask me if I’d ever go back again and I reply, “If I could I’d be on a plane there right now to stay.”

My Time In Uganda 2010 : Unfinished/finished? Art, Getting Around, Teaching

If you’d like to see more pictures of this life-changing  journey I’ve got more on Flickr

South Park Toys on the Wrong Shelf

I know a collector of these Kidrobot Dunny Toys so for Christmas I decided to paint him a painting of  him putting his South Park Dunnies on his shelf instead of actually adding to the collection. I also thought it would be funny to have a much larger Munny Toy standing boldly before the toys because the expressions on the South Park toys is “oh crap!” (a play off of Toy Story and every other movie where the toys come to life) I painted it on wood using Ink and Acrylics/ Wood Varnish.

The Initial Idea : Sketch

South Park is on the Wrong Shelf : acrylic/ink on wood

More Stinkin’ Pet Portraits

Oh joy to the holidays and paintings of pets! Can never have enough paintings of pets. Actually, that is a lie. There needs to be a limit between pet portraits and pet photos on fridge magnets. I think I saw more pet photos in tree ornaments this year than I saw of  family! Though honestly, I must admit, a border collie with a ball in its mouth is so much cuter to look at than grandma sitting in a recliner reading the newest ‘Readers Digest’ still squinting even though the font size is already 30pts.

Alas, to add to the collection of cheesy pet portraits, meet Willow the amazingly nervous Italian Greyhound:

Willow the Greyhound : acrylic on wood

Hope you all are having a great holiday so far! Keeping it safe and drinking all of the wine you received as a filler gift! I know that is going to be my activity until New Years!

Holidays! Let It Snow!

I am not dreaming of a “White Christmas” but the holidays always makes me think of snow. I am ready for that first snowfall, and I know once it comes I will be ready for the last one as well! Due to my over-load of Christmas gifts to make this year I was unable to make the 2011 Hello! Snowman series, but, still I think all snowmen are awesome! Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Hello! Snowman - Ready for a snow war! 2010

A Few Days Before X-Mas

Just in case I become too wrapped up in holiday wrapping and creating I wanna make sure I say Happy Holidays to everyone who may read this! Remember, as awesome as receiving gifts can be, it’s always awesome to let someone know how much you appreciate them being in your life! Give some hugs, some smiles, and don’t think about this season with dollar signs (unless you buy some big diamond dollar sign bling-bling charms as an inside joke or stocking stuffer) think of this season as “The economy sucks but it’s good to know I have you this Christmas to help me drink this nog.” Merry Effing Christmas folks! Don’t be a cotton-headed ninnymuggens! (Yes, an Elf reference) Make smiles and stuff happen!

Merry Jolly Folly Jingly Christmas!

A Yoda Terrier

For Christmas I painted my mother a portrait of her little boston terrier named “Yoda” I figured it would be a good start since her birthday is not too far away to slowly paint  portraits of her little critters. I think the most challenging/best part of painting pets is making sure you capture their little personality quirks. I learn it is all in the eyes when it comes to these cute creatures. In this expression Yoda is saying  “Give me your pizza crust and I will release this bone, do you trust me?”

Yoda Terrier, 2011

Hell Baby “This Is All For You”

In contrast to the very joyous holidays, I still find Hellboy, as hellish as he is to be part of the Christmas spirit. Hellboy “Red” is a super cheesy comic book character but he’s got a charm about him that keeps me hanging on. Think about it, him and Jesus pretty much do the same thing, he protects our species with his passion and bad ass strength (and also a key to the dark universe that tries to destroy us #his arm). I give to you baby Jesus’s comic book companion “Hellbaby” He is so awesome he doesn’t need no darn shepherd!

Hell Baby 2011

Hellboy by Mike Mignola

The Season For Creating

Christmas. The Season for giving. In my case, the season for creating. What I love most about this season is giving what I create. Rarely do I have a list to hand of things I want. I believe a gift should only be given if it represents the relationship between the giver and receiver. It shows you sincerely know a person. It’s why silly inside joke gifts are so precious. I have been doing this since I was born for my family and friends. I love being able to capture a moment we shared and visually present it in my own way. One time I made my mother this stop motion video for x-mas. It took a long time to make but in the end, it spoke the message I wanted to send to her and on x-mas morning when I saw tears roll from her face while watching it I said to myself “this is what Christmas is all about.” My brother is in the military and recently became a new husband. I now have a sister in law. I am painting for them a moment the three of us shared last year when were were stuck in a blizzard the day after x-mas, we took silly pictures in the streets. It’s in progress, I am going to have to paint the perfect snowflake.

Catching Love is like Catching The Perfect Snowflake

Art Gift Progress! UPDATES

Catching The Perfect Snowflake (almost complete)

Currently I am working on about 5 paintings at once! Today I started my mothers gift, her sweet little spoiled boston terrier whom I love named “Yoda”  aka “Little Crazy” will be greeting her in a painting this Christmas! I shall finish it pretty soon. I’m painting it on wood,  I can’t wait to coat it in gloss when it is finished!

A Yoda Terrier

I hope you all are doing special things this holiday for the ones you love! As crappy as it can be due to angry shopping cart shoppers, there is still time to personalize your items! Eff those shoppers! Make it worth smiling for.

Oh, Paris – I Still Dream Of You

The year 2006. I went to Paris for the first time. I fell in love with the culture, the city, the vibe, the art, the music, the food, the feeling, the…everything Paris was made of…and when I left, I think tears rolled off this cheek of mine because I did not want to leave this beautiful, magical, romantic place I call the verbal heaven.  A few months ago I was just laying in my bed listening to a mix I had in iTunes and Dent May’s song “Oh Paris” began to play and that feeling came back to me, so instead of tearing up, I decided to paint to the song with my emotions leaving Paris that day in 2006. One day I know I will make it back there, even if a zombie apocalypse breaks out.

Dent May: Oh Paris!

"Oh Paris, you've really done something to me, you and I seem to agree here tonight"

Where’d you come from? You look pregnant.

When I think of Life Aquatic, I think of happiness. Awkward happiness. This particular painting I made not because I am a huge Bill Murray & Jeff Goldblum/ Wes Anderson fan but more for the sentimental side of me. It was a gift to my sweet sweet penis machine, a.k.a my lover boy. This was one of the first movies we watched together while eating gummie worms, awkwardly getting to know each other through semi-questionable giggles. I remember thinking to myself “if he likes Bill Murray and Jeff Goldblum as much as I do, I think he is going to last longer than a Wes Anderson related one-night stand ”  and I was right, he could recite quotes from the movie and I learned not only is he awesome, but also, that I’m effing easy!

Zissou Eating Gummie Sharks