Hamburg Leather Party

Here's a couple of the few shots I took from last night's show.

As we were on stage, I didn't get to photograph our band "Pluto Mist".

It was super fun, and quite silly. Lot's of people danced, which is always a good thing.

"Hamburg Leather Party" remains our biggest hit.

Now to prepare for "Lammas Night" tonight.

Lots to do... cuttings and flowers, fruits of the harvest to be collected.

Totems, and sacrificial offerings to be found, thrones to build, costumes to create....

waterfalls to visit. Got to get a move on now!

See you there!

See you on Pluto tonight!

Deciding what to wear...

The Wicker Man

If you've never seen "The Wicker Man", you've got to right away! The 1973 original, of-course.

It's Lammas Night 101, that's for sure.
Click here for one of my favorite ridiculous scenes.

This movie is the bomb!

Prepare yourself

Prepare yourself for Lammas Night!

Hop, crawl, lope, lurch, canter, swim, summersault or fly over to Hot Licks this Saturday.

My new show of 20 new oil paintings is already up, go have a beer and check it out.

If you can, please bring some fruits or flowers from your backyard.

It's time to celebrate the bounty!

Behind the scenes

Here's a "Behind-the-scenes" look at last night's one and only "Pluto Mist" rehearsal.

Missing from the scene is Bingo, and special guest star Kate doing her smash hit "Police Beat".

Misty

Nix

Hydra

Pluto

Cranius

We'll be performing this Friday Night with G-String Theory at Hot Licks.

Shawnee's Lammas poster

To be hung everywhere today...

Early work

Here's a drawing I did as a kid.

Drawing is courtesy of Jackie Baer.

Hester Prynne and Corn Dog

Shawnee and I got into making some corn creatures this afternoon.

I made "Hester Prynne" ( being burnt at the stake), and Shawnee made "Corn Dog".

Mama Cass and Chelsea Clinton

So I just found out that Mama Cass once posed nude for Cheetah Magazine. There is even a pull-out centerfold.

It's totally rare, Cheetah Magazine only published 8 issues before it folded.

I want this even more than I want to go to Chelsea Clinton's wedding.

(Double click to read)

If anyone can find a photo from this, or information leading to the purchase of said magazine, there's big money in it from me... to you.

I'm all fumed out, so enough spray painting for now. These posters cost in lungs.

Time to make art with sticks and rocks and other nontoxic things.

Thing one thing two

On second look I think my posters aren't so bad.

I didn't like them this afternoon, but now can see some promise.

I'll make more tomorrow.

Lammas Night preparations

I spent the day cutting stencils and spray painting Lammas Night posters for Saturday night.

I have a long way to go, and my studio is currently a disaster.

The Artist Go-Getter Look

Here's the "Artist Go-Getter" look I busted out today.

For a limited time only, I am willing to rent this outfit for just $49.99 an hour.

Watch and portfolio included.... what a bargain!

Wait for it...

Painted Turtle

I had the opportunity to paint some wildlife this morning.

No, I didn't paint the actual turtle, but I think somebody must have.

That yellow looks suspiciously like paint.

He is a really nice turtle. He stayed long enough for me to draw him completely from life.

He even hung out to pose with his picture.

Then he split for parts unknown.

Painting survival

Today I worked on this painting that has been kicking around the studio since last Fall.

I kept coming close to painting over it, but it seems to have made it out alive.

It was originally called "The Birthday Party", but I don't think that's what it's about anymore.

Now it seems more like it's about hope... so I guess I'll call it "Hope" for now.

Action Figures

This morning's drawing...

Action figures are fun.

They are running wild in my studio today.

Today I started this rather old-fashioned painting of a vase of flowers.

I think I'll start pronouncing vase as vazzzzz from now on.

Morning drawing

I just got an AC unit installed in the little studio beside my house. This is fantastic!

I like this idea of drawing something when I wake up in the morning, so here is this morning's drawing.

Ivy with Rose's plaster baby.

Finishing stuff

I spent the afternoon finishing up stuff.

I was feeling uncharacteristically precise.

Here's a couple that I finished today.

Morning Chamber

Here's a drawing from my morning chamber aptly called "Morning Chamber".

The nuns, on their morning rosary walk, stop and wonder about this painting of people dancing under giant flowers.

The Plight of the Monsters

Monsters have more of a plight than we can possibly understand.

They know what happens after we die.

They receive messages from beyond.

They know what lies beyond the Universe wall.

Future Boy likes his world

Here is Future Boy again.

Today he likes his world.

He is going for a walk.

Chaïm Soutine

It's time again for another mini-art history lesson.

Today's subject is Chaim Soutine.

Chaim Soutine (1893 –1943) was a Jewish painter from Belarus, which is now part of Russia.

At 20 years old, he and his friends moved to La Ruche, a home for poor struggling artists in Paris.

Although he was starving half the time, Chaim liked to paint rotten meat.

People complained that his room stunk, but he didn't care.

He just kept on painting rotten meat.

If he were alive today, he would have the last laugh.

His rotten carcass paintings now sell for millions of dollars.

One sold for a record 13 million bucks.

Of-course this is long after his death. When he was alive they were probably worth nothing.

He painted lots of things that weren't rotten, but this wasn't one of them.

I imagine this sting ray was particularly florid.

He seldom showed his work, but in 1937 he was part of a huge painting exhibition in which he was hailed as a great painter.

Hurray!

Enter World War Two and the fact that he was Jewish.

Boo!

Chaim was forced to hide out from the Nazis.

He lived outdoors, sleeping in forests or in bushes... in the rain, in the snow.

To make matters worse, he suffered from a badly bleeding stomach ulcer. Yuck.

He died from this stomach ulcer on August 9th, 1943.

He was 49 years old.

Preparationss

Let the Lammas Night preparation begin...

Lammas Night

The Ancient Pagan Gods are returning to earth...

AND THEY'RE PISSED!

Lammas Night, July 31st, 8 PM at Hot Licks.

Featuring The Mission Creeps, G-String Theory and paintings by Gretchen.

Come dressed as an Ancient Pagan God, as peasant folk are sure to be eaten.

Ritualistic burnings, nude revelry, virgin sacrifice.

Lammas Night

Lammas Night is coming soon....

July 31st at Hot Licks!

I bought this skull today at a thrift store in preparation for the event.