A Young Neil Young

A referenced digital painting of my favorite singer-songwriter of all time. Not so sure about the background and guitar sharing the same color will have to study into that and see how that effects the composition later. Does it poke holes in the image? Create confusion with positive and negative space? Or does it simply emphasize mr. young's body over the guitar's body? Ugh.

Some quick lyrics to go with the pic:

Old man lying by the side of the road
With the lorries rolling by,
Blue moon sinking from the weight of the load
And the buildings scrape the sky,
Cold wind ripping down the alley at dawn
And the morning paper flies,
Dead man lying by the side of the road
With the daylight in his eyes.

Dont let it bring you down
Its only castles burning,
Find someone whos turning
And you will come around.

Blind man running through the light of the night
With an answer in his hand,
Come on down to the river of sight
And you can really understand,
Red lights flashing through the window in the rain,
Can you hear the sirens moan?
White cane lying in a gutter in the lane,
If youre walking home alone.

Dont let it bring you down
Its only castles burning,
Just find someone whos turning
And you will come around.

Neil Young's "Don't Let It Bring You Down" off of the album "After the Goldrush"

Senior Art Show

The senior art show has been installed at snider. Featuring works developed over the course of a semester by fellow seniors Anna Lepsch, Zakk Roberts, Danielle Humbert, and Ethan Wolfe as well as myself:

My piece (what I've been working on for a good month now), shortly after being installed:

"Family Photo 2005", Mixed Media on Paper, 2008

Self Portrait VII

Anecdote

A very interesting story I read on an art forum posted by Nathan Christie (I've taken the liberty to clean up the internet speak into proper grammar so this is not his actual words but rather the same general sentiment of the anecdote):

So my wallet got stolen April 9th, and i couldn't replace anything for a while (finally got access to my bank account today) because I had no documents. I was thinking about how everyone was good to me and gave me food and shit over the last month, so I decided to get this homeless guy a coffee. We sat down and got to talking on the sidewalk on 14th and Starbucks.

This girl comes by... and... starts to take the homeless man's picture and he asks, "What the heck are you doing?" So she says, "Oh, is it alright if i take your picture?" And he tells her, "No that's fine. But, not like that..." And he starts giving her all this shit about the way she's got the camera setup and asking what she's shooting on and whether she's checked the light and if her film speed was blah blah and everything. And so it turns out he's a photo journalist that lost his house because his wife died and he couldn't pay the rent which sent his credit to hell. Then, the girl got scared and just sorta left.

And he says "What's sad is that she probably doesn't realize that the moment there, where two people realize they have something in common, is actually more beautiful than any of those boring old shots of homeless people that everyone takes."

Sunshine

Took this photo out of Zac's sunroof... I like it quite lots.

Always Look on The Brighter Side of Life

I was feeling royally bummed and rather depressed today (probably a result of listening to too much grunge yesterday) when I stumbled across a video of the end of Monty Python's "Life of Brian" which cheered me up instantly:



I am currently considering going to a show at FWMoA that Metavari is playing Wednesday at 9. They are an amazing post rock electronic band (http://www.myspace.com/metavari) There's another group headlining from Austin and it's 6 bucks to get it.

Listener Project

A rough digitally painted self portrait... I kind of dig it:

Earlier this month I saw an amazing band live called "Listener Project". Their music is based around incredible poetry. They're lyrics aren't available online so I decided to transcribe one of my favorite songs by them so I could reflect on it a bit more. It is called "It's Time for Drastic Measures" and you can listen along as you read the lyrics here:

And when the music stops
All we have are words merely
So listen up
They're not taking you seriously

And I'd write the words
If I only knew what you needed
Touch you in the heart
Try and stop the bleeding

All I want is for you to be ok
I'll do anything for you
Just say the word
and I'll write the words

And tell everyone our story
Try and find their hearts
Hope that I'll nick an artery

All I want is for us to be ok
Give my life for you
Just say the word
And I'll say the words

It's what I do
It's not my choice
They touch me in my heart
And I try to give them all a voice

And hey

I don't want it if it's easy
I can't have it until I've really worked freely
Cuz all you'll have is this singing

But I'll write the words
And if you'll give me five minutes
I might break your heart
But we're just beginning

All I want is for you to be ok
I'll do anything for you
Just say the word
And I'll spread the word.

As far as this body can reach
Try to find their hearts
No matter how deep
and I'll die for you

I'll love you all with all I am
I'll do anything for you just say the words

Hey...

When I stop believing
I hope you'll pick up all these pieces that I'm leaving
Cuz you don't want me
If i'm cutting all these corners
These corners

And when the music stops
All we have are words merely
So listen up
They're not taking you seriously

They don't respect you
It might be your managing style
And they neglect you
You might try not being kind

But no one likes you
It's time to start docking the pay
But if they hurt you
You might try filing a complaint

But remember
Sticks and stones
And stick those stones
Where you can use them again
Make them bruise where you send them
That they'll lose in the end
When they feel your revenge

But, right nows the time and it's got to be drastic
Trying to hold it all together
with a prayer and some plastic
ties
No matter what the size
I try and try
and die
A little death every time I close my eyes
And ressurect and pass right by
Another day another chance another window

But they're not taking you seriously
But, hey,
we're downsizing your accounts
We're all hoping things will bounce
We gotta do what's right for the economy
We have to let you go because we have no more money

They're not taking you seriously
You're oblivious and can't feel shame
It must be how you carry yourself
You're the only one to blame

So listen up
Well, listen up

When I stop believing
I hope you'll pick up all these pieces that I'm leaving
Cuz you don't want me
If i'm cutting all these corners
I've been cutting all these corners
these corners

Listener Project, "It's Time For Drastic Measures"

Song of Myself Finished

I finally got around to finishing Song of Myself. It is an amazing poem and definitely worth the long read. The last bits were excellent.

There is that in me - I do not know what it is - but I know it is in
me.

Wrench'd and sweaty - calm and cool then my body becomes,
I sleep - I sleep long.

I do not know it - it is without name - it is a word unsaid,
It is not in any dictionary, utterance, symbol.

Something it swings on more than the earth I swing on,
To it the creation is the friend whose embracing awakes me.

Perhaps I might tell more. Outlines! I plead for my brothers and
sisters.

Do you see O my brothers and sisters?
It is not chaos or death - it is form, union, plan - it is eternal
life - it is Happiness.

Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" Section 50