thismore

heavens to mergatroid

The " Let's Find Jesus In Small Bars In The Small Towns Of The Mississippi Valley In Wisconsin" tour.
Alma, Maiden Rock, Stockholm... i'm pretty sure there are a few more towns but i can't remember their names.

That's my Pops sittin next to one of Alma's finest. She paid for her drinks with checks.

Our search ended and this is what i learned:
Jesus is small and plastic and you can use him as an eraser. He couldn't, however, erase the sin of badgering down a basket of deep fried pickles from the Pickle Factory.

Hangovers are inevitable and very real on that long and dusty road through small town Wisconsin.
Maybe next time, Jebus, maybe next time.

RUMMAGING AROUND THE OLD STORAGE BINS

SINCE STARTING thismore I HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH OLD PORTFOLIOS AND PAINTINGS AND A TRUNK FULL OF SKETCHBOOKS. ITS BOTH FUN AND DISTURBING...DEFINITELY EMBARRASSING AT TIMES...THE GOOD OL DAYS...IT IS A DEFINITE "WIN" FOR NOSTALGIA.

HERE ARE SOME OLD INTAGLIO PRINTS (COPPER PLATE ETCHING) I DID IN 1997...OR CLOSE TO 97 ANYWAY. FROM WHAT I REMEMBER INTAGLIO WAS A PRETTY INVOLVED PRINTING PROCESS. HERE'S HOW I REMEMBER IT. FIRST YOU BEVEL THE EDGES AND BRILLO PAD THE SURFACE TO GET RID OF SCRATCHES AND SHARP EDGES. THEN YOU BAKE A LAYER OF A TAR-LIKE RESIN TO THE PREPARED SURFACE. WHEN THAT IS DRY YOU CAN START SCRATCHIN AWAY AT YOUR DRAWING WITH A SHARP METAL POINTED PEN. YOU THEN DUNK THE PLATE INTO AN ACID BATH AND THE ACID EATS AWAY AT THE COPPER LINES THAT YOU EXPOSED WITH YOUR DRAWING TOOL. WASH AWAY THE REST OF THE TAR, SMEAR SOME INK INTO THE LINES, RUN IT THROUGH A PRESS AND YOU'VE GOT YOUR PRINT.

THIS IS WHAT A COPPER PLATE LOOKS LIKE AFTER LEAVING IT IN THE ACID BATH FOR TOO LONG. PRETTY AWESOME.

THIS IS A BOOK I MADE. IT IS ABOUT 20 PAGES OF MY FACE IN DIFFERENT COLORS.

IT'LL KEEP YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT. A REAL THRILL RIDE.

SMALLEY'S MURAL ABOUT A YEAR AGO

THIS IS A MURAL I DID FOR SMALLEY'S CARIBBEAN BBQ IN STILLWATER. THE OWNER/ OPERATOR, SHAWN SMALLEY IS AN AWESOME GUY AND AN EVEN AWESOMER GUY FOR LETTING ME DO THIS. CHA CHA DID AN AMAZING JOB OF GETTIN THOSE LETTER ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. SHE'S THE BEST. WHEN IT WAS FINISHED I MADE IT LOOK LIKE IT HAD BEEN THERE FOR YEARS AND WEATHER HAD BEEN CAUSING IT TO FADE AND WASH AWAY. I USED SANDPAPER. I WANT TO DO MORE

SKETCHBOOK 1999

I FIGURED, FOR MY FIRST POST, THAT I WOULD START WITH AN OLD SKETCHBOOK OF MINE.
I WAS LIVING IN MINNEAPOLIS AT THE TIME AND GOING TO ART SCHOOL. THE HOUSE I LIVED IN WAS A 4-PLEX OF 1 BEDROOM APARTMENTS. EACH APARTMENT WAS OCCUPIED BY 2 OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS AT THE TIME. THAT 4-PLEX WAS FILLED WITH YEARS OF BAD DECISIONS. NOT ONE OF US LIVING THERE MADE A GOOD, HEALTHY CHOICE ABOUT ANYTHING...I'M SURE THERE WAS THE OCCASIONAL GOOD CHOICE BUT THEY WERE RARE. THE SMART PEOPLE ALL MOVED OUT. WE MADE ART. WE THOUGHT WE WERE BRILLIANT.