h and m

i decided to try to paint my cousin and his wife - i hope they like it! this was my first real shot at oil but hopefully won't be my last. i'd only ever painted with acrylics and that was some time ago. once my current projects are done i think a rotation between the stuff i usually do and oil will be healthy for me. the drying time is so long that unless i have eight paintings on the go i won't be so busy, ha ha. feel free to let me know how bad this is. oil on canvas, 14 x 18"

elliott smith

it seems i relate a lot of things to music. IF's topic is tango but i kept thinking of waltz #2 - one of my favourite songs. i can't really think of many songs that actually employ a waltz tempo these days. either way he seemed to dance a fine line between many elements over his life time but his talent was pretty undeniable. i'm not the best of guitar players but his ability was pretty crazy - try playing angeles. elliott's music could probably be described as sombre in general but i suppose that depends on how you're looking at it. if you haven't heard of him, you probably heard his stuff if you checked out good will hunting. anyway, i say his stuff is worth the listen. while you're at it, go listen to between the bars and pitseleh. go. elliott smith in moleskine, 8x10"

abandoned trucks

found this image on blogTO and decided to doodle it for something different. the trucks are in a graveyard for semis and trucks of that size. the photos were really nice. i would have thought that someone would have tried to recycle or reuse parts of these trucks, given our current climate-centric temperament these days, but even the hollowed out cab was pretty much in tact. maybe one day. ballpoint pen in moleskine, 8x10"

julia ormond

though i do have a graphite piece in the works at the moment, i haven't completed something in a while. looking back through some old stuff i came across this one. this is one i finished by poking away at it over the course of probably three years. it's hard not to look at it and think about how grueling it sometimes seems to try and complete something. the hair in this one was quite the labour for me. of course, i'm happy with it i think. it's a nice reminder for me to keep pushing through anything, let alone drawings or paintings. julia ormond on paper, 8x11".