So I was away for 8 days on a trip to Italy. It was amazing. I will post more on it later once I get a card reader for my camera and have a chance to go through everything. But until then you can have this tasty little morsel from my other camera. It's the Pope, petting a baby lion...held by a juggler. Papal audience? More like Papal Circus...

In regards to everything that happened all of yesterday I only have one comment:

For the love of God will someone please make Sting shave that damn growth off his face



It's not really the beard so much as the fact that it is gigantic and is growing down his neck. Sting, with a neck beard. I never thought I'd see the day.


And since we're on the topic of musicians who should shave I'd just like to put it out there that Nick Cave really needs to get rid of that mustache.

Aaaaah I have no art for you right now. I'm too busy apply to grad schools/ looking for a temporary job/ getting ready to visit the pope.

More later.

Oh, this is my new favorite website.......................



no, really.

Plowing through graduate school applications. Unfortunately it's snowing too hard here to get anywhere for any sort of New Years festivities.

Oh well.

Also, Terry Pratchett is now going to be SIR Terry Pratchett and he deserves it 1000%. I've got Nation for Christmas and have only about 50 pages left, it's so good. It's kind of nice to hear someone else asking the same questions I have had since I was...like...9.

Oh, and in other news that is nowhere near as interesting, Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol gives birth to a child with an equally stupid name.

Ok, last edit I promise but I found this video of a very young and confused looking Nick Cave and it made me laugh so damn hard.



God, I love Nick Cave.

That is all.

Get ready for a stupid-lame music post.

Apparently I was completely out of the loop last month. Not just out of the loop, but probably across the room from the loop and looking the wrong direction.

I completely missed that Manic Street Preachers lost writer and guitarist was finally pronounced 'presumed dead' at the end of last month. After almost 14 years. Which is a shame, because his work was really incredible brilliant.



Motown Junk is one of my top favorite songs.

Also, I just got the little Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! book a couple of months ago that was about Tim Noble and Sue Webster who are two artists that I love to death. The book is hysterical and I am so insanely jealous of them meeting Nick Cave. My favorite part:

"Tim Noble: The President of Iceland and his wife are pretty good though, weren't they? They're totally open.

Nick Cave: He seems like a really good guy...and Dorrit was sweet...

Tim Noble: Yeah...

Nick Cave: I think she thought I was Nicholas Cage"

That freakin' cracks me up.

Also, saw the new music video for More News From Nowhere:



I know this ones pretty old too but watched Tom Waits press conference for his Glitter and Doom tour and was pretty amused:



And finally, saw Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Thursday and was blown the hell away. It's been two years since I've seen them in concert and damn has the budget gone up. Just when you think they couldn't possibly cram in more lights/fireworks/fire/smoke/lazers they do. Amazing as always. Also they had Johhny Lee Middleton which, if I'm not mistaken, usually does the West Coast tour. Also I damn near peed myself when they played this lovely Savatage tune and dedicated it to Criss Oliva:



I think that's it...

Oh and this painting of Saint Patrick holding a beer. Yeah, BOSTON!

So...5 days ago I finished college. Suspiciously enough the world did not, in fact, end. So far I've mostly been trying to A. complete some screenprinting transparencies to burn and print before they close the shop and I have to leave forever (though I figure I can get in for at least another semester) B. scan, edit and pick images for my portfolio for grad schools and C. pick grad schools. Also go to the gym.

I know I'm done but I don't feel done. Like maybe there is a hidden test somewhere.

Well, it's been interesting but I think this blog might be reaching it's end.

Loki (c)2008 Oil on board

So here's a neat trick. Just finished a diptych of a portrait of me and my brother, complete with frame/box. Originally I had them like this:



I brought it in to class for our final review of our work. I was happy with it but it didn't feel like a pair. The teacher suggested I flip the positioning of the image (I didn't want them facing each other before because I thought it would be cheesey/dumb). So I did...and viola:



Completely different image. It kind of blew my mind how much different is, now it's pretty much the psychological double-portrait I wanted. The expressions, light and everything works so much better.

Diptych 21"x15" (including frame, which is not shown)