Sunday, December 31, 2006

Peace---Illustration Friday

This is my IF entry for Peace.

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Phoenix IF


This is a phoenix I did some time ago. I used it in IF for Ghost also.
My favorite part of the Phoenix mythos is that it's tears can heal all wounds.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Men's Fellowship Logo in Colors


I enjoyed adding colors to this. I thought the chalice looked more distictive in wood tones than in metal. The oak leaves jock strap is from the oak trees at the two camps where we have our weekends. Also, oak is a symbol of strength.
For anyone who does not know the flaming chalice is the symbol of the Unitarian Universalist faith.
Leave your comments and let me know what you think of this or any other of my postings.
jk

Men's Fellowship Logo



I'm trying to work up a logo for my Men's Fellowship. This is the black and white version for printed stuff.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Shooting



This is just back in East Texas. I am taking target practice at the bank of a "tank".

There is something disturbing about this picture for me. It is the curly hair, the pistol and the dismal foliage.

Vicenza, Italy


This is me after being out of the Army for a few months. I had just returned to Italy after traveling around Europe.

War Pictures



On December 7th, Pearl Harbor Day, I was interviewed for the Smithsonian Veterans Project. The Project seeks to preserve the memories of U.S. Veterans from all eras.

The interviewers were two college seniors not much older than my truck. At one point I caught myself worrying that I was telling my wicked war tales to kids so young.

As I followup, I have promised to send Kate Lynn and Mellisa of San Diego State pictures of myself from that time and after. While looking them up I decided to post them to this blog as well.

This one to the right is from about 1970.

Mask for Illustration Friday (IF)


I love masks. People behave differently when they have something disguising their faces.
Even masks by themselves have their own life. Like some disembodied persona.
I had created this face for another drawing.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Hugging


Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Guys Kissing


Monday, December 04, 2006

Might IF

I was not excited about this subject matter but I think I got some "shock and awe" out of my system.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Invention IF


Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Smoke/Humo IF

I wanted something beyond whispy images and dirty habits to illustrate Smoke for Illustration Friday. These are characters from my Paraders below.

The Masked Man

This is from a collage art project I led at the Unitarian Universalist Mens Fellowship Renewal Weekend in April 2006. All the pictures used in this collage are from the November 2005 edition of POZ Magazine.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Paraders

this began with some stick figures and I elaborated on their body shapes and hair.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Dr. A. Brad Truax Awards



Truax Awards are scheduled again on December 1, World AIDS Day. This is the award I made from polymer in 2003 for Mary Caffrey.

Wind IF

This is my entry for Illustration Friday theme Wind.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Ghosts IF


This is a late entry into Illustration Friday's "ghost" topic. After looking at some of the postings I wanted to try my hand a more human haunt.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Phoenix Ghost IF

This is a remake of a previous posting of "Phoenix". I made the old bird at the bottom a little more ashen. I had thought to draw a traditional autumn haint. But the Phoenix tale, rising from the ashes of the consumed parent bird, seemed to fit the theme so well.

Four Ways

This is the design for my submission to the New York fundraiser, "Postcards from the Edge". I'm working on applying beads to it right now which changes the whole feeling. I like this palette of colors.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Happy Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!

This is a paper cut-out made lifesize from an old greeting card. If I'm ambitious he may get some more bones to hang out with. I'm hanging the finished product in my front door window.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

I read La Cucaracha every day. When I had the idea of a soylent green/guacamole connection, I thought of Pepe and Chepe delivering it. Tough thing is is that I love good guacamole.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Trouble IF Charles Roberts

This is one of my most somber illustrations. The figure is based on a photo of Charles Roberts, the man who killed the Amish schoolgirls. There were sides to his personality which no one could see.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Father and Son

I'm trying to find a benefit image for an AIDS Service Agency which specializes in working with families. It's tough to find the right contrast in a baby's skin. The bit of a moustache and patch give the almost soft looking father more of a masculine feel. I've seen babies hold on like this.

Friday, September 29, 2006

New Head Shot

Quiet--Illustration Friday

This is my Illustration Friday entry for the subject "Quiet". This looked like a quiet group to me.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

New Self Portrait

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Freeway Phobia IF



This is for Illustration Friday, "Phobia". This is a phobia which is new enough that it does not have a Greek name. The best I have heard it described as is "Freeway Phobia". It can be the sometimes paralizing fear of driving on a highway or freeway. One person told me that for almost two years he sat in his driveway and cried each morning before making his L.A. County commute.

For those of us who rely on our cars to get to and from work this can be a terrible thing in our lives. One can, with help, overcome it. My first step in overcoming it was realizing other people suffered from this demon too.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

I really enjoyed seeing my work on the Unitarian Universalist website area for clip art. I needed a chalice for a flyer I am doing for a worship service for peace. This is an update of a piece I started some time back. Flames are the hardest thing to capture.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006


Ellen asked for a new sign for our table at Church. This is my fantasy design. It's a cross between Looney Tunes and the DOD.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Managing my time 365

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Change IF

Change IF.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

DIG is Development in Gardening, a non-profit promoting veggie gardening in poor areas of Africa and Latin America. These are fantasy flowers. I started with the roots and grew them up to the blooms. All of it drawn September 13 and 14 for presentation on the 16th. This is one of several drafts begun with the one yesterday.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

This is for a fundraiser for a non-profit called Development in Growth. They promote gardens for food in developing countries in South America and Africa.

Couple, 365 DD

I love the contrasting colors and the simplicity of design. This is 365 DD for Sept. 12

Monday, September 11, 2006

September 11 is the birthday of D.H. Lawrence. His The Plumed Serpent is one of my favorite novels.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

This was my work for 365 DD for Sept 10. I also drew this on the inside blank area of a church program. Then I cut and pasted and added a few touches on Adobe Illustrator.

Saturday, September 09, 2006



This is my entry for the art project, 365 Daily Devotionals. Today, September 9 is the 156th anniversary of California becoming a state. Califia was the queen of the Amazon. The Spanish thought they had found her land when they saw Baja. Pat Califia is a writer activist. I combined the two for a personification of the best of our state---old and new.

Ant Farming on Mars (IF)

This is for the Illustration Friday theme of "Farm". I thought there had to be farms in the future. I first thought to have the farmanauts riding real giant ants. Then I thought they would just use the design of the ant for strenght and to maneuver over the rough terrain.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

There is something spooky about dark rooms. Particularly when there's a "bump in the night". Ooooooooo!

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

I recently found a Yahoo Group called 365 Daily Devotionals. It calls on its members to post an artpiece for every day of 2006. This is mine for Tuesday, Septem 5th.
My friend and neighbor Mark planted a beautiful catus garden in front of the house across the street. He later died of a long battle with cancer. I noticed that the cactus now has lots and lots of red fruit. This is my tribute to it.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

I don't necessarily advocate it but church services are a great place to practice sketching the human face. The subjects are usually going to sit in the same place for about an hour. This is our minister during his sermon. I found myself paying better attention than when I simply sit there and my mind is liable to wander.

Friday, September 01, 2006

Safe "Illustration Friday"

I like Illustration Friday because I seldom wind up with the same concept that I started with. It's like the association test where you are given a word and asked to say the first thing that comes into your head. With IF you take that one step further by putting it into an image.
As a gardener I am well aware that I only share these plants with thousands of little critters. I thought of this poor posey "safe" behind an iron fence. That is no challenge to this little grasshopper who sees only his personal salad bar. Maybe he is feeling this is a "safe" place to have lunch.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Capture "Illustration Friday"



This "field of athletic competition" evolved from the original idea of the hands playing "capture the flag". Though I redrew them from scratch, I had used the blue irises in something else. My own eyes are green. The score roughly came from the count of players on each team. I do want to know if anyone counts them. Whatever the game is there are no injuries, though one of the players is laying down. Tired? And two players on the bottom left have gotten huggably close. Enjoy the game!

Friday, July 14, 2006

Sacrifice IF


God called on Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of his faith. At the last minute an angel stops Abraham's hand. The story has leant itself to many artworks.

Thursday, July 13, 2006




I got time off for good behavior!

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Skyline IF

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Modern Proportions

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

My best gay July 4th!


20 years ago today?

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Song Book Cover


This is the cover for the 2006 UUMF Song Book. The icon of Unitarian Universalists is the flaming chalice. We first used the book in the 2006 Spring Renewal Weekend at deBenneville Pines.