Friday, November 19, 2010

Imminent Danger (2010)

The Bathtub (2001)

The Bathtub (2010)
 Illustration comes nearly ten years after poem was created.

The world was flat when I was born
And edgy on every side
Explorers attempted to make her round
Yet failed each time they tried

Something was glowing down underneath
When they peered o’er the rugged rim
Pulsating as might a wonderful sphere
Though the light was far off and dim

They speculated with all their might
On how it might be obtained
This longed-for orb in the firmament
Where all their hopes remained

We want our ships to disappear
As we near a far-off distance
We want to sail west to reach somewhere east
Was their uttermost insistence

So I, as their king, financed their dream
And hinting toward the outer realm
Appointed cartographer, navigator, cook
And lastly the one at the helm

Good luck I said and Godspeed to all
As they leapt off the precipice then
With parachutes strapped to their brave, sturdy backs
To guide these adventurers in

How quickly they faded into the inky black
Precariously gliding away
Singing their songs of untamed oceans
While holding the unknown at bay

I kept on waving and smiling until
They drifted out of our sight
Convinced of the wisdom of my royal decision
As that disk lit up our night

I settled into eating grapes
Reposing there on my chaise
A look of glib authority
Residing on my face

The village united in opposing views
Though nobody really much cared
Only a few shared the seeking heart
While most were most comfortable scared

I alone was cognizant
Of what the fate would be
Of those few men who placed their stock
In decisions arrived at by me

I’d already been where they’d yet to go
And knew that the light was round
But there was no life on that little rock
That fact had already been found

Twas gently whispered in my listening ear
On the day of my kingly birth
When I fluttered down from the Heavens above
And took up my post on Earth

So off they searched, this bothersome bunch
Good riddance was all I could think
I knew my own boundaries I knew my own place
In this bathtub that just doesn’t sink

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Owlness (Before and After) 2007


Wanted you to see how nicely some of your graffitti can clean up to become a wonderful piece of pop art, if you just give it half a chance (some would say the pop art is actually the version on the left, but...to each her own).

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Dudley the Dragon (2007)


Dudley, like so many of my illustrations, was found laying around in nature, or, at least in my surroundings.  In this particular case, I discovered him hiding in one of the travertine tiles that cover a lot of my home's floor area.  Travertine is just riddled through and through with irresistible images such as this one.  All one has to do is look with a bit of imagination, and the dragons will start popping out at you.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Conjoined Fins (2006)

Use the voice of Bruce (the shark from Nemo) to get the full impact (snicker).

Do You Feel Pretty? (2006)

Oh, why not?  Sure it's spectacularly goofy...who cares.  Having small children brings out that side of parents, sometimes.  It's a good thing.  Roll with it.