Category: Uncategorized

We were the winning bid to design and fabricate props for floats in the Fiesta Bowl parade.

One float, sponsored by, you guessed it, Cheez-It – wanted huge Cheez-It boxes.
Made of 3/4″ plywood, the boxes were then wrapped in printed vinyl. The boxes were to be the backs of two sets of bleachers on a float for the parade. Continue reading “Last in the series – Cheez-it”

Another church children’s program – it seems the churches in Arizona have to compete to get families.

The 3-dimensional pieces on the wall are all Styrofoam, coated wit Rhino coat and painted.  They are all backed with 1/2″ plywood for stability.

The arrow is a wood base and Styrofoam coated with Rhino coat. The letters are pine cut to shape on a CNC router.  The base has casters on the front, so that the prop can be easily moved.

The wall is printed vinyl applied like wallpaper. All of this was designed and fabricated in a now defunct print shop in Mesa Arizona.

Sometimes it pays off to be paid to have fun. A church in Tempe, AZ wanted a showpiece for their children’s ministry.

They wanted a huge tree in the foyer of their school building. More than 20 feet high, We needed to construct offsite the prop that was then to be installed in the building.

The skeleton of the tree was constructed of steel and wood framework. We sculpted the tree out of 4’x8′ sheets of Styrofoam. Continue reading “More fun with fabrication”

As an artist, I tend to love anything creative, and more so if it involves using my hands. Woodworking is a creative and therapeutic outlet for a restless mind.

My found object, re-purposed art is a fun outlet.  I have been employed in the large format print/ fabrication industry for the past eight years. Some of the moist exciting projects involved carpentry.

The photos here show a child’s playhouse with a spiral staircase.  I am certain the time spent on this project was way more than an experienced carpenter would have required.

The project was designed with EnCad, a program much beyond my scope of experience or ability. The wood was cut on a MultiCam CNC router, all part of my abilities. 3/4″ marine grade plywood and Luan were used in the construction.

The wood was primed and then coated with Rhino coat, which is a 2-part epoxy based coating used in pickup truck bedliners. The stairs were simply coated with poly-acrylic.  The shell, after assembly, was then covered with Styrofoam that was shaped to resemble tree bark, and that was coated with Rhino coat.
The end result was a fun play tree house.  I unfortunately never got to see the finished result, which included a rail around the perimeter and a treehouse on the top. It now resides in a church somewhere in Utah for their children’s ministry.

This was one of several pieces that they ordered to fit their theme.

Wood is one of the most versatile materials that can be used to create almost anything one can imagine.

Friday Night Crew
oil on canvas

See this and more at the pcoming opening reception at Gallery One-Oh-One in Mesa AZ.

 

“Don’t Taze Me, Bro…”
Oil on Canvas, 16×20

Next month begins a series of shows in this new year. Take Five Artists have a group exhibit at One-Oh-One Gallery in Mesa, AZ.

I will be debuting my abstract pieces primarily,  The last time I showed at this gallery I exhibited mostly 3-dimensional pieces.  In February it will be all oil paintings, both abstract and abstract-expressionist paintings.

INFERNO, burning the bridges behind us
222 pages of fascinating insights by artists and musicians from the pages of the infamous Inferno Newspaper.

From 2000 til 2007 I published an underground arts newspaper in South Jersey, It covered the arts scene in New Jersey and Philadelphia, and other points on the map.

With a slate of a dozen contributors, we enjoyed a good run. The then economy tanked.  Not one to stop capitalizing on a good thing, I pulled the best articles from every issue and compiles them into one journal.

The full color edition sells for a premium at $40.98, still a steal in this day and age! Available from Barnes and Noble or Amazon.   If the price is too high you cheap bastard, you can get the economy edition for $14.98, also at Barnes and Noble or Amazon. The economy edition contains all of the wit and wisdom of the premium edition, only in black and white.

In addition to the original articles, every writer also contributed forwards and never before published articles for this unique book. this is a must have for your bathroom library, and in case of emergency, the pages can be used in the place of toilet paper.

 

Waterlogue
Superstition Watercolor

Waterlogue is an inexpensive app for the creative types. $3.99 – cheap.

The app is available for PC’s and Macs, as well as iPhones and iPads. I use it on my Windows laptop when I want to develop digital artworks, or just feel like playing around.

For the student, it can help you learn how to translate scenes into watercolors. It will turn any photograph into a watercolor version. Of course it is no substitute for actually painting, but is a useful resource for getting ideas.

PhotoPea is an excellent free graphics program.

Whether you are a graphic designer, photographer, or use Photoshop for any reason, and want to be free of Abobe’s strangulating pay per month scheme, PhotoPea is a robust professional level graphics editing application.

If you are well-versed in Photoshop, then the learning curve is lean. One caveat, it is a web based application, so you must have a good high speed internet connection. Continue reading “Free Graphics Program”

I know it ain’t much.  I set apart a side of the studio for my new graphic design business.  I invested in a vinyl plotter, and am able to do custom vinyl design and installs.

I offer competitive prices to local businesses.  There is no need to go online and buy from a stranger!

In addition to custom vinyl, I am able to print banners and flags. I specialize in media that supports our troops, as well as supporting “Shop Local!”