19 Jul 2011
Mostly on this blog I’ve posted about consumptive experiences. Video games, board games, movies, music… in short, “media.” I experience media, in whatever form, and then sometimes I post thoughts about it here. However I do feel like part of life is adding to the conversation, not just being a consumer. Writing is one form of contributing (given the sort of writing I’m doing is derivative, not purely creative, but it’s something). However there is a key way that I’ve been working on contributing over the past couple years that I haven’t mentioned here at all.
I’ve always had some aptitude for committing visuals to the page. But art is one of those things where in our youth we’re all equals and over time the skill level spreads out dramatically. Through school I drifted in that awkward middle space: expressive enough to be considered artistic by normal people, but not nearly good enough to actually be an artist. That’s it there, isn’t it? Artistic vs. artist. Or maybe more appropriately: “artist-ish.”
As I continued taking classes in school it both became clear that I had some knack for this, but also that I lacked the skill and inspiration to really do anything meaningful with it. Skill is something you can work on, and the inability to understand the incremental improvements is something that most people see as a brick wall when it comes to art. Inspiration is something else entirely, in that it’s difficult to manufacture. The short of this story is that I let art slip out of my life, much like I did for music. And while I know that for a variety of reasons that I’m not cut out to be an artist, there is a great need in my life for creation and art is a fantastic way to satisfy that need.
So it is that about two years ago I did something about it. With the help of a dear friend, I left my comfort zone of pencil and paper and picked up a paint brush.
I started with watercolors. And I think this piece here is the first I was happy with. Yes, it’s Metroid fan art. Remember what I said about inspiration being a problem? Sometimes you need to borrow a spark.
Before too long I worked my way into acrylics. I started on canvas paper, not wasting real canvas on my initial fumbling. This piece here is one that I like. Bats are adorable.
The next step in confidence was canvas board. Still not real canvas, but a larger vote of confidence. This one of a kraken attack is one that I like.
Painting is meditative; working with physical colors is a wonderful (if unforgiving) experience. I also sit in front of a computer all day, so I wanted to keep my distance from digital painting. But it has a place, especially as a means of experimentation. This piece here is one of the digital paintings I’ve done.
I’m now at the point now where I feel like I can use real canvas and not be wasting it. This guy here is a return to the subject matter of that original watercolor. I like him for many reasons, but not least of them is how much growth the piece shows.
Waste a canvas? Ha! How about eight? This project is a series of paintings, which I’ve failed to adequately photograph together. I’m very happy with them. The next step is to figure out how I’m going to hang them, because I’m now willing to hang my own art in my own home. Progress.
With all this exploration in color and texture I felt like I earned the right to return to the cold hard world of pen and pencil. I just completed a rather ambitious project in that space which you’ll be hearing about here very soon.
That’s been my journey so far. I will try to comment on it more here as I feel is appropriate, but if you really want to track what I’m up to the best way is via my DeviantArt page. You can get a feed on that, and I’ve also added that as a gallery widget to this blog on the right.
17 May 2011
Continuing our pictorial journey through Middle-Earth…
We left off our journey arriving at the town of Bree. Here you can see it at nighttime.
More ruins from ages past.
Ah, the swamp with the neeker-breekers. Which of course in the game are not just an audio component, but big bugs that you have to squash.
More swamp. I took a ton of shots of the swamp because I found it so oddly beautiful. The low sun hitting the haze, with all the ruins poking out of the muck… not exactly inviting, but not exactly an eyesore either.
We’ve worked our way out of the swamp and into the Lone Lands. Here you can see Weathertop, also known as the ruined tower of Amon Sûl. In the game you can play out a nighttime defense against a ringwraith raid.
South of Weathertop there’s this rundown inn along the main road (which of course Strider avoided as much as possible).
Some ruins in the Lone Lands. In the background is the fort of Ost Guruth, which isn’t covered in the fiction at all but does serve as an important quest hub for players in the game.
We’ve worked our way out of the rather desolate Lone Lands and into the area known as the Trollshaws. On account of, well, the trolls. But when it’s not pouring rain and you’re not getting bagged by a wandering troll it can be quite lovely.
Speaking of trolls, here are a few famous ones. Bert, Tom, and William can be found as the stone statues that Bilbo and company left them in.
Here’s a river going through part of the Trollshaws. Not the river, mind you (by which I mean the Bruinen, the river that Elrond used against the Nazgûl).
South of the main road and the great river’s ford it all empties into a little lake.
We’ve crossed the river, climbed up and down, and have now descended into the valley of the elves: Rivendell.
Some of the nice architecture of Rivendell.
Here we’ve stepped inside the Last Homely House: Elrond’s home. Apparently he doesn’t live humbly.
At least Elrond knows how to entertain. In his decadent dining hall you can find old Bilbo, happy to play the riddle game with anyone who’s willing to chat with him. Nothing like a creepy old hobbit walking around asking you what’s in his pocket.
29 Apr 2011
In the book High Fidelity (and the movie too, for that matter), the main character is obsessed with making “Top 5” lists and categorizing his music collection. There’s a moment where he decides to organize his records autobiographically - the order in which he experienced them. I’ve always been intrigued by that idea: trying to express one’s journey in life through the music that accompanied it. So I’m going to do just that, except instead of sorting stacks of records I’ll be producing a playlist.
Unlike the character in the book I have no intention of organizing every single piece of music I own in such a matter. Really I just want to capture the inflection points. The problem is that as soon as you introduce choice into this exercise it becomes an entirely different activity. In defining the timeline of my life, what music was most important?
Do I choose songs that represent the evolution of my taste in music? Or do I choose songs that are steeped in personal memory? Sometimes hearing a song can take me to a time, or to a specific feeling. Some songs are tied so tightly to poignant memories that hearing them transports me to an exact moment. Clearly a musical timeline of my life has to include these songs. They may not represent me musically, but they do represent my human experience.
As I’ve tried to put this list together it’s become clear that I can’t just do one or the other. A progression through my music tastes alone is soulless; a trip through the highlights of emotional moments lacks context. There needs to be an intentional blend in order to achieve a sensible storyline. It’s a tricky task, and one I’ve been working on for months now.
I’ve finished reconstructing my timeline, and now it’s down to the logistics of writing, linking, and presenting this to the vast anonymity of the internet. Let this post serve as an introduction to the project. The next time you hear about it we’ll jump right into the early years of my exposure to music. Everything from Bob Marley to Michael Jackson to even New Kids on the Block. You heard me, I’m baring it all.