Somewhere my bicycle is out there, enjoying the night...

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What's NeXT?

For those too young to remember, Steve Jobs left Apple in 1985 to start a new computer company called NeXT. At the time, I was marketing for a company called Island Graphics Software which made a design suite called Write Paint & Draw for Sun Microsystems Inc. Sun as well as NeXT were based on the UNIX operating system. Though the computer platform failed, it did create the base platform for modern day macs. Here is a great little trivia article about the graphic designer who came up with the NeXT logo for Steve Jobs. 

Fresh off the Tracks

My client wanted a simple cart to sell his microwave tester on the internets (www.micro-tester.com). Chris at KV Web Solutions found this open source cart called Tomato Cart. Not only does it work well, but the default interface is really user friendly. I think the client will warm up real quick to it's back end features. I'm really happy with the find. If you have similar solutions, let me know.

Sacred Spaces

I signed my waviers and headed out to the ranch yesterday.
I walked the site looking for a vantage. It was tough finding the spot. I had to walk around, look, feel, sit, stand, walk back, go in circles and smell... I felt like a dog looking for a place to poop. I also had to think about the conditions; dry wind coming directly from the west, no shade.
I took a hike to the top of the hill for the 360 vista. The lone oak had a rope swing to nowhere and a couple scattered mortars around it. Not as impressive as the community site below. From that hilltop I could see the freeway to the north, the Asuncion to the east and the Disneyland railroad that envelopes the main property. Looking down at the site, I realized the planview: the site overlooked the village and creek to the east, and had a grand view of a meadow to the west. I hiked back down and found my comfort zone. The area had a horseshoe shaped rock bench about 14 feet long, perfect height to sit on and take in the view. The painting above is the view directly west.
The process of painting was a mental rollercoaster of "Why did I pick such an exposed spot?"; "This is going nowhere."; "My frigging acrylics are scabbing over!", to actual success.
I used two brushes, kept the strokes broad and loose, and abstracted the scene and colors to fit the conditions and mood I was working under.  
Favorite part: Flicking paint at the masonite!

I have an interest in California Native Americans and am doing a series called Sacred Spaces - Landscape interpretations of indigenous sites. My aim is to have a dozen paintings and have an event somewhere in the near future. check out some of the paintings at Art Bistro, and site photos on Flickr.

Gordon "Gordie" Duane, 1930-2011

I always thought his logo was straight out of Giorgio di Chirico's sketchbook. The Surfer's Journal has a good eulogy on his legacy and influence. It also mentions the "foam man". I love it.

Back from Family Vacation...

I'm fresh back from vacation at Lake Tahoe. My mind is still at this wonderful place near Trout Creek. This is one in a series of native sites I have been painting for the last year. I hope to have a dozen for a show sometime in Fall. 

Let me know what you think.

Jade Jackson CD art

CD front and inside

CD artwork

Under the CD

CD case back

Jade Jackson is our local talent in Santa Margarita who does such a great job of singing, performing and writing her own songs. I was fortunate to compose the visual material on her first CD and used Oasis Disc Manufacturing for their services. The process was almost effortless.