Arts in the Family: 2011-06-26

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Who's Bugging Who?

A couple of weeks ago my kids and I were in the front yard playing when my daughter noticed one of our cats was carrying something in her mouth. She said it looked red. I thought it might be a bird as our cats are pretty good hunters. Turns out it was a very large beetle. I don't know the exact name for it but I managed to get some footage of it. Pretty neat.

Ruminations

I was driving home from the grocery store when I saw this beautiful sight and had to pull over for the shot.

This week was pretty busy with Doc Ed shows at Converse Elementary and at the San Antonio Children's Museum. This weekend I'm doing some work in preparation for the Water Conference next week at Our Lady of the Lake University.

The latter half of the week was occupied most unpleasantly by computer issues... again. I seem to be running out of space and now I have to see if there are programs that have been gathering dust that perhaps should be deleted. Since I'm not very confident and/or skilled in that department I'm soliciting advice from my very computer literate friends. Computers. Can't live with them, can't drop them back into the fiery chasm of Mount Doom from whence they came!

Now I sit here sipping some wine and pondering the merits of piddling away this Saturday afternoon watching movies on YouTube while I draw for fun or catch up on some work around the house. LET THE PIDDLING BEGIN !

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Circus Memories-1995

David Larible (on the floor) and his sister Vivian (va,va,voom!) balancing on her head on the single trapeze getting ready to cue the opening parade.

One of the best ringmasters Ringling or any other circus could have: Eric Michael Gillete.

Fellow 1993 RBBBC Clown College grad, Edzui (Edge) Szumowski, kicking it up during the opening parade. Somewhere in that procession is a clown in a sparkly blue get-up with a bell hat. That would be me. If I ever find a photo of that I'll post it...I think.

Stilt walkers during the opening parade. One of them is fellow 1993 RBBBC Clown College classmate Keith Alexander.

Above and below: Opening parade camels with fancy blankets depicting clowns Chris and Gina Allison.

The one and only Gunther Gebel Williams and his elephants leading the show to finale.

Black light bungee acrobatics near the finale.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Here's the Thing

Okay, so once again the impatient child in me couldn't wait to show you my next drawing. I'm a fan of John W. Campbell's writing especially the short story "Who Goes There?", (1938), which eventually became the Howard Hawk's 1951 classic, "The Thing from Another World". Years later John Carpenter did his own take on it but simply titled his film "The Thing". His version was more faithful to the original story about this alien creature that could take on the appearance of any living being including people.

I've decided to draw the older version because it just appeals to me a bit more. There's something about black and white film that really suited this tale of fear, paranoia and isolation in the bleak Antartic landscape. And of course the Thing is played by the late great James Arness of "Gunsmoke" fame. Bonus! I should have the drawing completed in the next day or two.