old home

, originally uploaded by fjordscape.

The new guy at work, Nathan, and I were talking about our favorite smells because I was eating Pad J and it's full of Thai Basil and extremely aromatic. We each knew our top three, for me it is:

Basil
Amber
Bergamont


but I forgot a very important one that for me is like the intoxicating breath of childhood/mystery/ancient times:

The Sea.

bone lady

bonelady, originally uploaded by hbobisuthi.

By some stroke of luck or fancy I often get requests to draw things that "look like a woodcut". There are many different kinds of woodcut looks, from incredibly detailed and precise (wood engraving) to chunky and crude (linoleum block prints). It's interesting to do art with one material and try to make it look like another.
For years, inspired by Dave McKean, I would paint and try to build up layers and layers to make it look like his computer/xerox manipulated images. Of course I was using papers and colored pencils and acrylic paint and gold leaf and so the effect was totally different. Which made my paintings more original, I think.
I have to do 2 illustrations for bands that "look like a woodcut". I want them to have the effect of the above picture, which is a photo by Holly of a wheatpasting on a wall in the Mission. I look at stuff like this though and think- 'maybe the best way to make it look like a woodcut is to make a woodcut'. It's just an incredible look that is so hard to mirror. I may invest in some knives and tree pieces.