Neurological Cyborg Monster Drawings

HEY APATHY! Free Comics Online

It’s been a ridiculously quick three or four days since my last post. I spent the weekend working on the webcomic and animations while watching a bunch of old movies. Yesterday I was all over the place, the bank, the camera shop, the art store, and so on and didn’t have much time for any extensive work. On days like that I like to work on rapid studies which require little thought or energy. The images in the photo above are of my new “Face: drawings. This series is an attempt to compare the human psyche to the human body, taking in to account all the wonderful vices & variables available as part of life in the modern metropolis. Brain doesn’t work today. Can’t get the new camera to work properly either (note the terrible discoloration in the above documentation). Busy week ahead, a large commission, a small commission and a pile of dreadfully blank pieces of paper. more Art here

Alternative Comics Commissioned Jazz Portrait

Gary Bartz alternative comics portrait

I was posting the progress reports on this commissioned comic portrait of saxophonist Gary Bartz a week ago or so and eventually , as often happens when one is busy, I forgot all about the painting. I finished the ink drawing and delivered it to the client last Friday but just discovered the snapshot this morning while cleaning out my camera. The entire drawing took about 7 hours to complete but the work was spread out over a 10 day period as I had a number of more pressing tasks to complete simultaneous with this commission. At any rate the drawing is part of a series/style I invented depicting some of my favourite jazz musicians, each caricature is made up of a New York cityscape complete with little tiny people spiralling through the urban chaos. When I listen to this music I always get a strange visual sensation likening my imagination both to the tribal roots of the forest and the concrete and bricks of the big city. I hope that the artworks represent that same mysticism derivative of the improvisations played by all these magical musicians.

Ok, Gary Bartz is one of my favourite players but I'm going to do this any ways... The coolest alternative music performance of his career ( and one of the craziest of all time) was when Gary played at the Isle of Wright with Miles Davis. I know, I know, nobody wants to be remembered for playing with Miles because they all went on to create their own musical landscapes but the fact is that the shadow cannot be overthrown. I suppose it's a sort of curse catch 22, like a Mafioso king anyone who played with Miles was pretty much a made man in the world of funky jazz, however they are all also pretty much destined to be remembered best for their work under the sorcerer. (Wayne Shorter, who has worked with a vast number of musicians including Art Blakey and was the band leader for the chart topping Weather Report, still advertises as the saxophonist from the Miles Davis Quintet) So sorry for the reference Gary but this playing was sick...

Gary comes in at the 3 minute mark and you ain't never heard anything like it !!!

(warning make sure your cat is not in the room)

for more ink drawings visit http://www.heyapathy-comics-art.com/

Alternative Comics Commissioned Portraits

Alternative Comics Portraits! Although I succumbed to a trend or two as a teenager, my underlying and recurring interest in jazz has pervaded possibility over the years. Comics, in a similar manner, have perpetually and persistently entered and exited my life since childhood. Interestingly enough one of my favourite influences, Robert Crumb, has taken to combining the art forms and creating numerous book and CD compilations sharing the wonderful stories and music of past decades. When I listen to music an inspirational entity ensues so I thought it would be fun to channel that energy and do my own style of homage’s.

There were about seven pictures in the series and I exhibited them at SUBLIME CAFE in Kensington Market. The cafe features great coffee, live jazz, and a huge selection of rare records for sale and being played. I didn't meet the lady who bought this Billie Holiday tribute, however the rest of the collection was purchased by the cafe owner. Rez, the proprietor and curator of the LP library, has recently asked me if I could do a GARY Bartz portrait to add to his collection. I'm an avid listener of Gary Bartz and huge fan of the 70's Miles Davis stuff so naturally I agreed. As soon as I finish this post I'm off to th art store and will start the new drawing this afternoon. visit http://www.heyapathy-comics-art.com/

Alternative Comics INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC

Music has always been a big part of both my life (which I sort of had before )and artistic process. As the majority of my work is created as an improvised stream of conscience, drawn with black India, start to finish, without any corrections ever, I often enjoy working to my own private score. Over the years my quest for interesting rhythms has sent me far far away from what the mainstream has deemed music, as a boring repetitive song often inspires artwork of similar merit. These pen and ink portraits were inspired by and made while listening to some of my favourite jazz giants. I like working to this kind of music because it always sends me off in different directions. The practice of playing tunes in my studio also became an integral part of both my street and public performances where I could use the sounds to accelerate and energise the live mural painting and audience members alike. (It was particularly fun blasting HOT RATS at city hall and PLASTIC PEOPLE out in the shopping district on Queen West.)

Trane's "my favourite things" featuring Pharaoh Saunders, from the village vanguard was always a favourite thing to play early in the morning on Queen West. People would be just waking up, headed to work, or partaking in early morning tourism, when these wonderfully horrific and (to the unsuspecting ear) apparently indecipherable squelches would encompass the side walks. The best part is as the music becomes almost intolerable and someone is always about to approach and reproach me the whole mess culminates in the most exquisite and recognizable refrain of the once upon a time pretty melody known as my favourite things. It melts even the most skeptical of nay-sayer's! I guess I really enjoy messing with people, they have got to learn somehow! For those unaware the portraits above are of Louis Armstrong, the MAGUS Miles Davis, and John Coltrane.

LIFE OF AN ARTIST Comic Portraits Neil Gaimen

Neil Gaimen giving "instructions" of the utmost urgency.

Each and every morning I set aside a short sequence of moments in which I find both pleasure and business in the act of reading. In pleasure the time spent allows me to escape and enjoy life in an unusual manner and in the business of thought I always learn something, a new word , a new connection or how to avoid police suspicion after committing a diabolical act.

I generally tend to choose the readings based on the amount of time I can allocate and find my self frequently returning to short stories, articles, and comic books due to the limitations one decree's as a freelance illustrator. Today however I figured it was best to take a comic to the cafe not because my time is limited (obviously) but rather because the peculiar prerogative of the February wind chills. It is damn cold outside but nothing like the previous winter and I had calculated that I could last outdoors with my coffee and the fresh air for approximately 20 minutes.

Therefor I reached blindly into my library grasping a copy of Neil Gaimen's "Dream Country" and decided to kidnap Calliope while i caffeinated myself. I must have read this a million and six times by now and it never gets stale. The spine tingling sensation and un-namable understanding that comes with good horror I got from these books as an adolescent hasn't faded a bit. These were among the first truly incredible comics I ever read, and , having been bored and disgusted by the exchange of script for slash which dominates the genre, restored my faith in the macabre. Thanks for all the wonderfully pretty stories Mr. G.

As is also part of my daily journal's and artistic warm up, I followed the inspiration with a little sketch of the monstrous muse. I looked at some press shots of Neil and thought they were as silly as a sandstorm in the sea so I did the drawings while watching him read one of his poems entitled "Instructions" instead. The portraits took about 5 minutes to draw, which is how long it will take you to listen to the story on youtube.Highly Recommended.

LIFE of an ARTIST ink portraits Francis Bebey

Francis Bebey & quote playing a flute of one note.

Another February day passes quickly away as I fill out forms, attach attachments, and rewrite proposals accordingly. I actually got quite ahead of myself in the submission processes today, completing not only those which are due immediately but venturing forth into the March deadlines as well. Unfortunately I hit a few minor set backs on the latter submissions which will require human assistance but today is a holiday. My inquires will have to wait until tomorrow. It's a good thing I got on this early, it would have been quite problematic to encounter these minor technical difficulties the evening the applications were due!

Anyways the day was productive enough that I was able to check out a website sent to me by my good friend Hunter Vaughan. Hunter is a long time friend and former fellow street artist whom I met out on the Queen West pavement. Hunter works in clay sculpture & pottery as well as saxophone, flute and percussion. (We practice music socially on a weekly basis with a number of other creative people) He is also an endless resource of information when it comes to world music and all oddities involving sound and performance. I got a wicked link from him this morning and was shortly thereafter introduced to Francis Bebey.

Francis is listed as a musician and writer and proves himself quickly in the little video I saw. I was so taken with this strange new (to me anyways) character that I could not but help capture his words and likeness in ink and post them here for all to see.I'm not going to describe the man nor the documented events , just check him out at www.keyofgrey.com/2010/02/francis-bebey-plays-a-one-note-bamboo-flute/ . If you're already familiar with Francis check out my website instead it is all about "savages in the city" http://www.heyapathy-comics-art.com/ (how's that for a shameless self promotional segue!)