Bazzare Bizarre - won't be there

Sadly, I will not be showing at the SF Bazaar Bizarre this year -http://www.bazaarbizarre.org/, because of family business that needs to take precidence right now. I feel crumby about missing it, some of my favorite artists and crafters will be there, I was honored to be selected along side them in this great juried event. I will hopefully participate in the next one, and invite everyone to that, I think there is a spring event for them.

Also not doing City Art Cooperative Galleries affordable art month this year. I'll be available in the new year to serve the art loving public again.

My Mom's favorite

My Mom has been having a hell of a year, she's been very ill of late, and I have been very involved in being with the family, so blogs will wait. Here, in honor of mom, is a jpg of one of her favorite paintings of mine, "High Plains Drifter".

New Blog featuring- The Guinea Pigs!

Glo and Rox have a new blog of their own! The pig page is called funwithpiggies Check it out if you haven't had your fill of fuzzy cuteness lately.

Show up in Rockridge!

My new show hung at Christensen Heller Gallery on College ave has started, and there are lots of new work hanging Wed through Sun through Nov 10th. Located two blocks north of the Rockridge BART Station on 5829 College, near the corner of Chabot, it's a little art and jewelry gallery with lots of neat gift art and quirky art items. It was hard work, but now I can take a week off to enjoy some summertime fun before prepping the studio for fall projects.

Illustration Friday, Discovery

My interpretation of "Discovery" for .
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Hard work and no play

Talk about burning the candle at both ends! Is there no end to the hours and energy that has to go into earning the rent and enough to get by? To pay the tax bastards and the credit card swindlers and the health insurances extortionists?

Excuse the rant please, but seriously folks, all I want to do is sit still and draw some pigeons for my new comic strip. That's all. An hour free of slaving for the man! Plu-eese!

But alas! "It's a hard life." That's the title of my new comic booklet. And here is a sample drawing. Hope this is enough of a teaser.

Of course if you would like to ease the hard-ness of it all, you could buy some art from me...

The Mouse and His Child

The Mouse and his Child

This is one of a few books that I read when I was a child that I have looked up and ordred or bought now as an adult to re- read . Partially I wanted to do this for nostalgia, to re-live the delight I had in the first reading or in this case, it had been read to me. The other motive I have is to discover if the book holds as much magic as it did for me as a child, or if it 's not as good reading as an adult. The last reason is to find my way back into that enchanted land part of my brain where ceratin ingredients from each of these books lurk as peices of a magic puzzle. They spark the way down the secret passageway from the land of the half remembered to the world of the partly imagined. From this place, most of my inspiration for paintings and stories comes, I would like to pull from here my own story, that I can write down someday. I just finished reading this book again. Actually, it was the first time I read it, because the first time it was read to me by my mother when I was little. It holds up very well for an adult read. This story had stuck in my head, but not everything about the plot, I could only recall little prize peices, like "The last visible dog" and Bonzo dog food, and moods from the story, but didn't know what was going to happen next and how the end played out along this second reading, so it was fun. There were parts I hadn't remembered at all, like the Woodchuck who was into abstract mathematical thought, and the fact that nature is so brutal in this story, in the first part of their journey a rat gets eaten by a badger, a whole army of shrews get eaten by a couple of weasels, which promplty get eaten by owls, and further into the story nature continues in this brutal circle of life type plot twists, something I 'm pleased to see is not considered to rough or graphic for children's book material.

Otters

I've drawn some otters for a potential projects, here is a sketch. I think I like working with the colored pencils, more to come.

Today - a sketch

I thought I'd post this watercolor sketch I've done for a commission, it's a variation on the rollorcoaster theme I've previously done, this time with Giraffe's, and a friend of the Girraffe's.
Had a cold this week, but still plowing along at the day jobs and this here after work work. No rest for the wicked.

A gift from NYC!

My friend L.S. just got home from a breif New York Trip, and has brought me this wonderful little framed print of a New Yorker Cover.

She knows just what I like. I have it hanging over my standing lamp now, to remind me of my goal, New Yorker cover in the next 5 years!!!

Drawings to be posted later tonight.

Friday's Painting #8 - Art Show Tonight!

The opening is tonight, June 1st at 7pm at City Art Cooperative Gallery, all the art stars will be there! I have to change and get going, but wanted to post this little deer cleaning the bathroom, something I greatly look forward to doing tomorrow. Yea! Saturday and Sunday, day of garbage emptying, dish doing, grocery shopping and laundering! Yea becoming exhaused cleaning the house then taking a nap rather than working in the studio - but NO! I must, I must, I must prepare this weeks little paintings for my one blog reader, YOU! I can't let you down again, I just can't.

Pleas come out tonight and buy all of these, so I can continue to buy Guinea pig food and hay.

Thursday's post on Friday - painting #7

Thursday - a dull day. I got up late, went to work, worked till 4:30, came home, fed the pigs, downloaded four episodes of This American Life podcast/audio books from I Tunes, and the new Saltbreakers album by Laura Veirs and the Saltbreakers - formerly the Tourtured Souls (I liked that name better), but MAN!!! What an Awesome song Pink Light is, you can hear it on her myapsace website. Good album altoghther, definatly my favorite musical artist of the last two years.

But I digress, I wanted to say confessionally that I think I'm addicted to This American Life and possibly to the sound of Ira Glass's voice. The whole gang, Ira, Starlie, Josh, David Sedaris, I can't get enough of them, they are my new Seinfeld gang, but smarter and funnier. One episode per week won't satiate me anymore, I am now going into the archives and buying the ones I haven't heard from YEARS back. This can't bode well.

Anyway, having the podcasts made it bearable to walk back to work at my evening job, after eating a sloppy joe, while all my friends were out to Pakistani food and later Charlie Chaplin movies, I got to go do A/P at one of my bookkeeping gigs. More on trying to eek out a living later.

100 paintings revisited - painting #6

Hi all. Sorry I let you down. I am a Slug you know. It was too much for me to start two new "day jobs" in May AND do a painting a day for 100 days.

Now that the dust has settled, I still want to be your paint slave. So how's this idea. I keep drawing, I keep painting. I post a painting almost every day. There will still be 100 total, they will still be offered to you the public for $100.00 each - some may be on wood, some on canvas, some on paper - hey supplies aint cheap I gotta scrounge sometimes.

On days when I'm too pooped to paint, I will still post. I can post a scketch from my daily lunch sketches, so you can see the ideas as they form, maybe see the evolution of one of your favorites.

Hey by the way, they are for sale, please contact me by phone or email to buy - two of them are SOLD already, the earthworm one and the Vespa Bunny Babe. I can be reached by finding my contact info on FISHCHILD.COM

Today's painting is already for sale at CITY ART Co-op Gallery in the Mission (828 Valencia ST.) and the opening is at 7-10pm this Friday night, June 1!! Come on down and buy it. It's slightly more than 100 because of costs of showing it through the gallery, but essentilly, I'll only get 100 for it. (It's still a bargain).

Enough about money, just enjoy the daily posts, as I hope I will.

Mary-slug

100 in 100 Painting #5 - SOLD!

Ok so this one is on a canvas, rather than on a wood block. And, I cheated and didn't quite do it this week. But - it is 8"x8", original art and for sale for $100.00

This challenge I've given myself has already defeated me. I guess my life is a little too intrusive to do a painting a day. So, I am changing the rules a little. I can have weekends off. If I want. And, if some nasty little life thing comes up, like my mom going to the hospital (true story no lie) this weekend, well, I don't have to paint.

That said, I am committed to completing 100 of these suckas, and if there are a few blips so be it. I intend to make up for Sat and Sunday's paintings with a Kentucky Derby themed pic - I just love that a one-eyed horse ran the race, and another.

Ok so here's another confession. I'm taking another couple days break while I take care of some serious buisness outta town. I'm not beating myself up, cause I now have three (3) count em day jobs, and am working on painting commissions, and have two shows up and a neighbourhood trunk show in NOPA _ Pan handle district on Saturday for pre Mom's day shopping.

So I refuse to make myself feel guilty that I'm not posting a painting a day right now. Most likely catch up paintings and daily ones will resume next week. Thanks for caring.

100 in 100 Painting #4 - SOLD!

Hi there, here is today's painting - a bit early. I have to be at the City Art show tonight, so I have to post and run. It's another obscenely priced piece of original work - 100 dollars. This one is for Tracy, who likes earthworms.

If your interested, shoot me an email and I can arrange a payment method through paypal, or I accept payment via credit card over the phone, or cash or check.

100 in 100 Painting #3

I'm preparing a page for these to be archived and viewed together on Fishchild.com, that's to come soon. Had a good night tonight. Tomorrow work, work and more work. Tomorrow night is the opening for City Art May show. I've sold a piece before the opening and am working late tonight to provide a replacement for that peice. However, here's my third entry in the 100. Enjoy.

I will be offering small giclee prints of each of these, unframed, on fine art paper for $20.00 a pop. Just let me get squared away with the rent first, then I can buy the paper.

Originals, only one of it's kind, again, are only $100. Buy it now!! (Help me purchase next weeks planks to paint on!)

100 in 100 Painting #2

Here it is, the fabulous and beautiful second in the series....Ta Da! Buy it now!
These babies take a while to do, are all original one of a kind, and lower priced than something similar of mine, usually this size goes for 195.00 Here, now, it's offered as a series 100 in 100 for 100, execept for sales tax for CA residents, and shipping and postal charge in the US of $8.00. Again, contact me if your local and I'll arrange a cheaper way.

Cat picture on the Cat Art Gallery Blog!

Hey cool! Renata over at The Cat Art Gallery Blog has posted one of my little paintings! That same painting is available for sale, at City Art Gallery in the Mission right now! Mosey on over to The Cat Art Gallery blog for your fill of cat art galore, looks like she's showing no signs of stopping either!

Mary

Starting.... Now! 100 Paintings, 100 days, 100 dollars each

Here it is folks, May day, the beginning of a new month, time to start this thing off, Here is the first of 100 8"x8" paintings, done on Artboard, particle board, with a groove in the back for hanging. They are acrylic and varnished. Hope you enjoy, check back daily for a new painting! If you want to buy it, you can pay by credit card through Paypal, see below. Also, I accept credit cards over the phone, just give me a call - my contact information is on my website Fishchild.com

update on daily paintings

How bout that! Just as I commit to a daily painting, I get a whole bunch of freelance work! But, never fear, the insane commitment isn't going completly by the wayside. I have completed about four drawings and readyed them on the wood blocks, so I can catch up with the painting part on the freetime I have. So stay tooned. Tomorrow sometime when I get a sec I'll post the drawings, and maybe I can still hit my mark of 100 in 100 just there will be some days I don't get one finished. I want to stay working so I'm going to try it and see how it goes.

100 in 100 for 100

Ok, so here is this insane challenge I've just given myself. I, miss sluggo who's turning into more like Slug-go-go-go am going to start doing small 8"x8" paintings on blocks of artboard, one per day, for 100 days. Each small original work will be priced at the insanely low price of $100.00! I don't know where I will try to market these things yet, but if they don't kill me they will make me stronger. And keep me painting a couple hours a day. Seeing as I'm not in "Proper work" right now, it's something to do. Aside from the 4 art shows a month, running a website shop, a blog, searching for freelance work, keeping house, etc etc. I will post the results here for all to see, along with my agony of creation. Wish me luck. I will start this insane project: tomorrow.
Happy Easter everyone!

Guinea Pig Tote and T's

Alright! I've got a new Guinea Pig Tote bag and T shirt up at Cafe Press-Fishchild, I wish they weren't so pricy, but untill I earn some operating cash for the Studio, I can't yet afford to do it up t-shirt style with a nice print run or silk screen, so that's to come. For now, contribute to The Girl's upkeep, help me keep them in Hay! More GP pics to tug at your heartstrings. Also, see my comment posted on the Gloria's vet visit post for the follow up to that little adventure.

This week - Fun, Music, and shopping!

Hey everyone! This is going to be a big week for me here at Fishchild Studio! I'm working as an easel artist at the Sausalito Artwalk, on Wednesday night, April 11 from 5:30 to 8:30pm. Follow the link for a map. I will be with a group of artists on the sidwalk at 1001 Bridgeway, painting away, in front of Top Paws that will have some dog and cat pictures by me at it. there will be a musician of some sort there too, so it'll be like a party!
This is my "Open Air" open studio, as I'll have some good stuff from my studio that has to get cleaned out to make room for new. This will include two large banners from the Beach Boardwalk" sets that I did last year for a show last year. Please come on out and see what I'll be working on, see how embarrassed I can get as I paint in front of people, and see my pet portraits at the pet store.

Also, on Saturday, April 14th, it's clubbing and art shopping at the Ultra-hip venue "Space Gallery-Bar" in the Loin, real near Fishchild Studio itself. I'm a vendor there and will be selling my teeny but neato art prints in frames, some art jewelry, and some orignal panels I'm craning out right now.

This section of Polk street used to be hustler heaven, but all the riffraff has been infiltrated by a combo of super-bar-fly nightlifers (Lush Lounge)(R-Bar), cutting edge art scene folks (new to neighbourhood soon- (Strangeco), and Saturday night band-bar gig goers (Hemlock), hot yoga "">Funky Door) along with some great thrift store shopping - (Salvation Army shop) and Out of the closet at Polk and California.
This hood is a bit different than it used to be, when the Hemlock was the "Girraffe" where my old freind M. used to be a fag hag with the real alcholoics, and the Locker Room (Gay adult videos) and Front Lyne (more gay adult videos) were the center of the scene. Still, the hood retains its seedy hustler petina and flavor despite the hip crowd, you can still buy crack and use it on the street with narry an eye batted.

It's a great place to spend a Sat night, but if your more the sofisticated type, head out Wendesday to the Sausalito thing, much more refined.
Hope to see you at one of these fab events. Anything you buy will help me pay my rent which is overdue!! Yea!

Gloria went to the vet today

I discovered some lumps on Gloria's belly, so I took her to the vet today. I took Roxie too for a check up. So far the doc says it may just be fatty deposits, cause Gloria is overweight. Or, it could be something worse. They aspirated the lump with a needle and are sending out to the lab to review it. Hoping for the best, cause the lab test and doc visit set me back a bit funds-wise, so no telling if there is something wrong if I'll be able to afford to treat it. Keep some good "thoughts" or "vibes" or "prayers" for Gloria. Any ideas on how these guinea pigs can earn their keep around here? I am thinking of doing a Guinea Pig T shirt that I'll put up on Cafe Press - any other ideas? How can Guinea pigs make a buck these days?

Inspiration at the MOMA

We went to the SF MOMA yesterday and renewed our membership. We checked out the Picasso and American Art - Modern American artist's reactions to Picasso's first exhibitions in the US, very interesting and engaging for me, a student of Modern Art, but LH who was with me said it was over his head and he didn't get much out of it, though he admits there is something about a Picasso in person that is just, well, something more. I love Picasso's work, and was really interested in the effect he has had on just about EVERYTHING that has come after him.

We then headed over to the SECA award winners, to see what the young contemporary artists were doing, maybe Picasso has had an influence on them...ha ha. Actually aside from complete lack of technique, there wasn't alot of Picasso influence. We agreed with the exception of Leslie Shows, whom we liked, there was only one or two in the show that we thought would be "meritous" in a graphic design final project, but agreed that the work in that group was just not impressive.

Then we stumbled into the Henry Wessel photography exhibit, which was a happy suprize. I loved viewing this show, almost every image warmed my brain, with recognition. His small bungalow photos, wide expanses of parking lots, scenes from S. California, (where I grew up), Las Vegas, and N. Cal, well, and road trips elsewhere, it's just the landscape of my memory and a lot of this scenery is what I draw on as story imagery in my own work. Too bad the book of the exhibit didn'thave the same effect of the work on the walls in front of you. Very worth checking out althogh it's hidden sort of.

Glad to have another year membership at MOMA.

Art Shows Galore

Hi Gang. I'm showing this month at three different venues in the City:
City Art Gallery at 828 Valencia St. in the Mission, between 21st and19th st
Artist Xchange Gallery on 16th between Gurerro and Valencia and later at Exclectix Gallery-shop in El Cerrito opening March 29th. Please come to one of these galleries and buy some art. If you can't do that, check out the link in the last post, and buy direct from me!

Next month: Alternative Press Expo (APE) at the Concourse Exhibitition Center in SF.
Hopefully at the Bizarre Bazarre in May, keep fingers crossed they accept my entry.

Fishchild Shoppe Now open for Business!

Here you can purchase prints, original artwork, notecards, and accessories, from my art Studio.