The Idea Box Journal

I wrote a short think piece on why Joker matters right now. If you’re interested in cinema as a cultural mirror you can read it on Patreon or Medium 🧐
Join me on Patreon to help support art ❤️

Figure studies (with a touch of female ferocity)

For gifts this past holiday season I thought it would be fun to paint a small collection of objects for the home. These include several wooden boxes, a rocket, and a clock ❤️🌟 In the future I’ll share my process on Patreon for these and other gift ideas you can make yourself.

Samurai
Black & white
My cat’s all that
Day and night
🖤🤍

Excited to share that the new collaboration is now installed! Many of you may recall my enthusiasm for the sculptures of Christopher Frost. It occurred to me that my birds and his Colony series could be a nice fit together. He was generously open to the idea.🌟

The series of mini houses are along the Minuteman Bike Path in the Cambridge are. This one featuring my bird Civitas is by Lake St in Arlington, MA. Drop by if you’re in the area.🏡

Learn more about his work at ChristopherFrost.org

Top 10 Fantasy Book Covers of 2019

Well that’s a nice way to close out the year.

Here’s (most of) the books I’ve had the pleasure of illustrating covers for. Ever since childhood this is what I wanted to do with my life. Here’s to collaborations continuing in the new year and beyond 🥂🌟

One of the wonderful qualities of winter (in parts of the world that undergo a significant change of seasons) is along with the snow and the cold, is the quiet. I painted this moon recently to see how bright color would read on the well-known bright white sphere. Even with the loud phthalo blue and magenta, the familiar round face rests in the dark sky as silently as ever. The moon is essential to our planet for gravitational balance, soothing the tides, keeping days 24 hours, providing navigation for sailors & insects, and likely more than we are fully aware. Whether visible as a nail-clipped crescent, split in half, or full as above, the moon loyally remains the most present, calming companion in our night sky. When given a moment’s thought, she can be a source for appreciating a re-enchantment with our world, just as it is. 

🌟🎄Merry Christmas 🎄🌟

The trickster archetype is one of my favorite motifs to revisit from time to time. This painting wasn’t created for any purpose other than wanting to be reminded not to take life too seriously. The ancient Greeks gave us Hermes, Krishna in India, Kitsune in Japan, and Coyote in Native American stories. They appear to ruffle folk’s feathers, usually with entertaining intentions. Though less funny when your own pants are down around your ankles, or worse. Traditionally comedians, magicians, and artists shake up society’s status quo. Characters like Bug Bunny, Jack Sparrow, and The Joker smile wickedly at civility. Saturday Night Live, The Onion, and The Daily Show continue to keep us honest.

Does this painting capture that relationship? No, it’s more open-ended than narrating a scene. I wanted to conjure the spirit of the sentiment. I added the small planets afterwards digitally to give the figure a sense of manipulative power. In the future I’ll either develop this fellow further or, as is fitting, allow the persona to shapeshift again into a yet another form.

If you’re interested in the subject I highly recommend Trickster Makes This World by Lewis Hyde.