Skullcrow Laughs - Final

Skullcrow Laughs

So I finally bring you the finished skullcrow piece! I had to wait for that last little bit of inspiration so lend itself to me. Enjoy!

Kelp Dragon - Work in Progress

Hey everyone! I've been busy working on a new piece:

Kelp Dragon

Took lots of inspiration from seahorses and their ability to blend into the various flora and fauna in the oceans. The main species of kelp I'm using as reference in this piece are the Giant Kelp which grows vigorously in the waters off California's coast and Bull Kelp which can form colonies up to 4 meters long. Amazing stuff. Both species are endangered by warming ocean waters and the increase in sediment brought by melt waters and construction up stream. I'd like to think this little dragon would be a kelp gardener of sorts and tend to the kelp forests, helping them thrive and grow.

More to come on this piece later. I'm working several times a week on my Livestream channel. Please come and watch me create and chat with me a little if you want. 

http://www.livestream.com/keymonsterart

Skullcrow WIP - 5.21

Still working on Skullcrow, but I'm really enjoying the color turn it took in the last few days. Orange has got to be one of my favorite accent colors.

Skullcrow - WIP 4.25

Some more work on the skullcrow. More next week!

Skullcrow WIP - 4.19

Skullcrow

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Sprained my knee last week so I couldn't even make it up the stairs to my studio. So I'm now just catching up with work on this piece. 

Lots of texturing and flat colors so far. Decided to go with an aspen tree for the branch this Skullcrow is resting on. The aspen is in the poplar family, a large group that has many native species all over North America. One tree in the poplar family that had significant spiritual meaning to the Lakota Sioux was the cottonwood tree (Populus deltiodes). The wood from this tree is considered sacred and was the central piece in the Sun Dance. Read up on Lakota Culture HERE. 

Because of the significance of the cottonwood to a culture I greatly respect, and because I grew up with two large quaking aspens (Populus tremuloides) in my backyard and huge cottonwoods all over my hometown, I felt a connection that needed to be expressed with the Skullcrow. 

As I said in my last post, the Skullcrow is neither living or dead, but just goes on in existence as a guide to those who need it. Similarly, one of the oldest living things in North America is a grove of male quaking aspens, collectively called Pando. They are connected together through a massive root system that continually creates new, genetically identical trees; thus keeping this "tree" alive for what some believe is close to 10,000 years. Aspens and the Skullcrows go on through the ages. 

Thats my blerb for the day. Thanks for reading Check back for more progress shots!

Works in progress

A couple of sketches for recent projects:

Skullcrow makes its return!

Skullcrows are not animals, rather they are spirits of creatures meant to guide those who lost. They are not of the living and not of the dead so their methods as guides are sometimes misunderstood as mockery and cruel humor. But if the guided looks close enough they will see what these tricky spirits are trying to tell them.

Sumatran Tiger

I've recently watched numerous tiger documentaries and read a few books and articles about their decline. What struck me as most interesting is how the tiger in most if not all of its natural ranges is the building block for the food chain. It is often the only large predator and only control for the larger herbivores.  Once a tiger population is removed or brought to such low numbers their impact on the forest is measurable. 

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Look for more work in progress shots as I work on these pieces! Thanks for looking!

Walk the Line

Walk the Line - January 2013