Narrow Escape

I don't remember sea monsters being mentioned in the travel brochure.



The first version of this piece had the Squire running away from a volcano.  As it happens sometimes, it just wasn't coming together very well, and I scrapped it.  Starting over, I swapped out the volcano for a trio of tentacles, and changed the paper as well.

10x18 inches, painted in watercolor.

Outrun The Monster

Messing around with different color schemes, and putting a damsel in harm's way while doing it.  That's art.

10.75x10.75 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available at DPW.

Warglobe Number One

Yes, I know.  It's not so much a globe as a bell jar.  "War Bell Jar" just doesn't sound cool.  Besides, it's a prototype, to test the concept of Warglobes.  Branding accuracy comes at a later stage, after the bugs are shaken out of the design.

The top picture is the original painting.  The bottom piece is a gently tweaked version I made in photoshop, just for something to do on a lazy Sunday.

Watercolor, 12x17 inches.

Yet another 1957 Dodge Pickup Painting

I think I've drawn or painted the 1957 Dodge pickup more than any other car or truck.  There's a bone stock orange one at the beach, a Power Wagon gasser, a Power Wagon lowrider, and three Sweptside Surf Weirdos.  I don't get tired of painting them.  Maybe I'll do a Sweptside power Wagon next.

Yes, the red on the cab and the bed side is supposed to be mismatched.  I prefer vehicles that show a little age, look like they've been driven and not stored in a climate controlled, carpeted garage.  It gives them a character you can't fake or buy in a can.

Surf Weirdos #20
8.75x13 inches, painted in watercolor.

Jackpot

What with all those walking monkeys surfing their cars and trucks, it's inevitable that, occasionally, one will wipeout and their ride will wind up at the bottom of the sea.  At that point, it's finders keepers.


10x14 inches, painted in watercolor.

Aerial Weirdos 18

"Let's see them tack a parking ticket on that!"

If I had to do this piece again, I think I'd warm up the sky, make the Chevy pop a bit more.  Oh, well, there's always the next painting.

13.5x14 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available at Daily Paintworks.

Cactus Migration 2

It's a little different this time.  Instead of being content to scuttle across the desert, they've started stealing cars and trucks.  Reports of stolen vehicles and reckless cacti are coming in from all over.  They seem to prefer convertibles, though at least one school bus has been reported stolen, and there are rumors that a Zamboni machine was taken, though this has not been confirmed.

6.5x14 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available at Daily Paintworks.

Surf Weirdos #14

As it turns out, the rear engine layout of the Chevrolet Corvair Van makes it extremely maneuverable in all kinds of waves (in my mind).

9.25x13.75 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available on Daily Paintworks.

The Fishensteins

A couple pieces inspired by an earlier piece, The Bride Of Fishenstein.  I see the head of Fishy and I think that it'd make a cool balloon.  Then of course, it occurs to me he's going to need some company.  Maybe I'll add a Dracula to the pile someday.

Both pieces are 9x14 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available at Daily Paintworks.

Aerial Weirdos #17

What's the story here.  Is this an innocent repair operation, or sinister sabotage?  Or is it just a painting of a hitchhiker who's been to the hardware store?  I just don't know.  Nice car though.

This is the third time I have painted this particular wagon, although this is the first time I've painted it airborne.  It's sort of evolved into this strange, pseudo-allegorical "good vs. evil" with a light peppering of "Don't jump to conclusions."  Can't wait to see the fourth one.


11.5x15 inches, painted in watercolor.

Surf Weirdos #13

Uh-oh!

It appears that while an altered wheelbase gasser with fat slicks is absolutely brilliant for a quarter mile long strip of tarmac, it's not so good for surfing.

I don't use purple much when painting cars, but it seemed appropriate here.

10x14 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available on Daily Paintworks.

Surf Weirdos #10

The only valid reason to get the undercoating option.


10x10 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available at Daily Paintworks.

Surf Weirdos 11

When I'm done with a painting, I usually set it aside for a week or so, hidden out of sight.  Then I dig it out and look at it with fresh eyes and do final adjustments as needed.  Usually, these adjustments don't amount to much; a little detail here, a color tweak there.  For example, in this piece I repainted the wave on the left to make it more imposing and added some sea spray around the car.  I also darkened the red of the car below the waterline.  Maybe I'll go back again and make that wave bigger yet, or save that for the next piece.

Here's the previous version for comparison.

8x21 inches, painted in watercolor.  Available for purchase at Daily Paintworks.

And now...

My artwork is being featured in the current issue of Traditional Rod n Kulture Illustrated magazine,  one of the finest hot rod mags around.  It's so cool it comes with two front covers!  The good folks at R&K have managed to make me seem like a moderately coherent member of society, which all by itself would be worth the price of admission.  Production values are top notch, from the writing and photography to the print quality.  Even the advertising is cool, and that's just impossible.  So go pick up a copy, and gain some insight on the evolution of these paintings, and then stick around for the gassers, rods, customs, and pinups.

But wait...

There's more.  After you've read the magazine cover to cover, go on over to Set to Stun Productions and look up the Friction in the Static podcast, episode 172.  Yes, that's right, you can hear me ramble on about my work, the evolution of the Weirdos, and melting all my crayons.  And thanks to the miracle of post production, I sound like a perfectly ordinary human (mostly).  Then, after you've listened to me butcher the English language, you still have at least 171 other Friction podcasts to enjoy.