I assumed the event would be at the Capitol — that’s where most of them have been. When I arrived, the place was almost empty.

I knew that wasn’t right. I took the damn headphones out of my ears and heard the crowd, just a block away at City Hall.

I hopped on my bike, rode the short distance, and rounded up a few protestors along the way.

City Hall was packed.

There was a solid police presence — even officers stationed on the roof.

The best part? When the march started, a hungover (and about-to-be-drunk) MAGA chode started yelling and threatening protestors. (See video below.)

Naturally, he was double-fisting a Monte Carlo and a tall boy at noon on a Thursday, while rocking a Team USA sweatshirt.

These are the exact shade of people who shout at us to “get a job” and “stop protesting.”

• Wear sunscreen.

• Wear a hat. It makes you feel less visible.

• Bring a whistle. It’s the easiest way to make noise without losing your voice.

• Be ready for the unexpected. Listen for the crowd, not just what’s in your earbuds.

• Stay peaceful and respectful. (Even when the hecklers aren’t.)

Honestly, the crowd was loudest for the cars honking in solidarity — even louder than for the speakers.

There were over a thousand people outside City Hall today, demanding Trump’s removal. Friends, neighbors — I literally ran into both.

I went by myself to this event and it was nice to be able to roam freely and admire the crowd and the signs. So get out there and enjoy the next protest for yourself.

I have always found education delightful. I love learning and absorbing all the things around me, past and present, and then thinking about the future. But there comes a point where you have to put your knowledge into action. It has to be pretty much every day.

I think that the tendency to deny the world your art (however it arrives) in favor of "not having enough experience" is pathetic. Who cares? Look at Kanye. He's a world-class idiot, and he shouts his opinions. If you are reading this, then your opinion is valuable to the world, and we deserve to hear what you have to say.

Do not deny yourself education, but just make as much time for learning as you do for expressing yourself on any given day or week. It is important.

I arrive at this conclusion myself on a daily basis due to business building and learning an incredible amount about digital design and marketing. The practice of making/doing enhances the education that you receive. If you don't want to do it, then why learn it?

I feel that socially motivating art will be a big hit for the next few years. We all like beautiful things to look at regarding imaging, direction, and motivation. So why not elevate protest art to the same level as the band merch table? Should everyone be able to take a piece of the protest home with them? I attended that protest. I had that speaker sign my poster. Limited edition runs. This could be epic.

A few key items to consider with all posters. Most posters are a mix of art and text. Occasionally, it's just art. Occasionally, just text, but those are rarely as memorable. So, in general, posters are designed to convey information. Who, what, when, where, why, how much? A good poster will answer all of these questions.

The best posters have a simple multi-tonal color palette. I like large, blocky shapes and bold, dynamic lines. In terms of text, white, black, red, yellow, or orange are the best colors for expressing urgency but not annoyance.

Posters that contain text need to have a hierarchy of importance. The most important information can be in the largest or most striking font. Perhaps color will show more significance than size or arrangement. You, as a viewer, will have to decide that. A poster can contain a surprising amount of text information. This is why a good poster designer will have a sense of flow to the information.

So, I will hybridize the protest poster and the band poster. I will let you know as this develops. I am currently working on finding a local print house that will produce posters in a timely and economically functional manner. If you have any suggestions, please send them my way. Or if you want to tell me about any of your favorite band posters and if you have any of them signed. I love to swap stories about that.

It seemed to me that there were about equal numbers of men and women, possibly even more men. It wasn’t just activists I was there with people from my community. My friends who are doctors, lawyers and engineers were there.

Many people held signs. There were an incredible amount of anti-Elon signs. And a fair amount of “fuck donald trump” signs which I always appreciate. One woman set up a booth as a sign-making station, quickly creating custom signs and handing them out. She also provided oranges and water—a small but thoughtful act of care.

I wouldn’t say that women were represented at this protest very well. There was one female speaker and she started off by saying that she was the mother of 5 children and was married “to a smoke show”, ummmm ok. The only part where she referenced women’s lack of representation was in reference to a little girl who was being abused. I am starting to think that little girls and transsexuals are very attractive to men. Is this why they keep trying to make them the forefront of the movement for women? I do not appreciate it.

This protest in particular was in regards to the top versus the bottom in terms of wealth inequity. Considering that I did not hear nearly enough people chanting “eat the rich”. I heard a lot of “do your job” chanting which is ok. But obviously these people are confused about what exactly their job is and I am certain that this phrase isn’t going to teach them the lesson they deserve. I know that “eat the rich” is much more terrifying.

Rally the howling Basset Hound. He really livened up the crowd.

As we were leaving. A young boy, maybe five years old, held up his handmade sign. It featured a giant poop emoji and the words “Boo Donald.” He stomped down the street, chanting with all the confidence in the world: “Boo Donald! Boo!”. I agree kid.

This event lasted about an hour. The speakers were okay to decent, but the energy could have been much stronger. We need more amplification, more powerful rallying cries, and less lecturing from the podium—save the history lessons for another time. We came to make noise, to demand change, and to be heard. The momentum is here; we just need to push it further. Next time, let’s be louder.

I stopped by my studio today and repainted my 2 signs from my protest last week.

I am going to add the lettering to the signs tomorrow morning.

Any suggestions on phrases?

I was thinking…

Be the Change

WTF?! WTAF?!

Trump is a baby

Let’s Go Shut Down

He’s got the Sundowners

Diaper Don Stinks

Eat Shit Elon

YoUr£ tHe Cr@zy b!t€hes

So many good ones to choose from! I have a feeling that there will be many more protests and as the weather gets warmer more and more people are going to come out to the streets

I will be sure to document what I can while at the event I have recruited a friend maybe two so I have doubled or even tripled the audience They will help me hold the signs

Sign Making Materials: When creating a sign, use whatever material you have that you are willing to hold for a few hours. Foam board, corrugated plastic, or heavy-duty poster board work well. I like to keep some in my studio for impromptu sign making. You can use thick black permanent markers. Acrylic paint pens. Or my favorite acrylic paints. Acrylic paints are cheap, available in a wide variety of colors. Also, acrylic paint is waterproof.

Considerations of Sign Layout: A well-designed protest sign should be easy to read from a distance. Use large, clear lettering and keep the message concise. Use bold lettering and vivid color contrast to make an impact, and consider double-sided designs for maximum visibility. I like to use an acrylic paint pen to outline the letters and then give maximum visibility with white acrylic paint in the center of the letters.

These are the exact steps that I take:

Cut poster board or foam board.

Paint one side of board with vibrant color, let dry.

Paint other side of board with a different vibrant color, let dry.

Drink a cup of tea and dream of the phrases you want to scream at white republican men.

Lightly sketch phrase on board with a pencil to determine best placement. Learn from the mess up and know that nobody will ever see those pencil marks.

Outline the text in an acrylic paint pen.

Go back over text with bold colored, black or my favorite, white acrylic paint to make lettering bolder and more legible.

Let sign dry. Document sign with a photograph and share with everyone you want to join you.

Below are some phrases you might consider:

Potential Phrases for Signs: A great protest sign delivers a strong message in just a few words.

• "Democracy, Not Theocracy"

• "Elon Musk Go"

• "Stop Having Sex With Republicans"

• "Eat The Rich"

• "Silence = Complicity"

• "Words Are Our Only Weapons"

Legal Considerations for Safety: Public protests can attract heavy police presence, so it's important to know your rights. Be aware of laws regarding public gatherings in your area, including any restrictions on amplified sound, blocking traffic, or sign materials. Most importantly, avoid property destruction—even minor damage can be classified as a misdemeanor or worse. Authorities, including police and military, may use "property destruction" charges to criminalize activists, especially when counter-protesters claim their signs were damaged. Be mindful of this and encourage peaceful, non-destructive forms of resistance.

Upcoming Presidents Day Protest: Mark your calendars—on February 17th at noon, protests will take place at every state capitol. This nationwide demonstration is an opportunity to show solidarity and demand change. Whether you're making a sign, marching, or supporting from afar, collective action matters.

Save your signs! You can repurpose them indefinitely

You can keep them as is and display them in your garage. Or you can throw a fresh coat of paint on the board and craft a new slogan. It is as simple as that. Join in the protest fun!

Leo liked to journal! He wrote down a shitload of his ideas and we are all still benefitting from it. In his diary he sketched out/invented the escalator, the hot air balloon, the water wheel, an elevator, also dissected and cataloged every single muscle, nerve and body part that he could identify without a microscope. All of this between 1506-1510 in the Codex. That is some fine journaling Leo.

He was also a grave robber. Obsessed with understanding the mechanics of life, he dissected over 30 human corpses. His studies of muscles, bones, and organs—including the famous fetus in the womb drawing—were far more advanced than anything his contemporaries produce

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In my opinion Leo was the first person to elevate science to art. It was medical art. An admiration of the beauty of science, the fleshiness of humans and the careless way these beloved were tossed aside. Nobody else saw the beauty in a dead model like Leo. He admired, considered and looked longingly at these forms and shapes. Defiantly capturing them and tucking them away in his journal for nobody to see. In fact he was so secretive about his plans that he wrote everything in it backwards! What? Yeah the guy could also write backwards! So when this Codex is displayed they pair it with a mirror, so you can read the scribbly ancient Italian handwriting.

A study of a fetus similar to this will get you the death penalty here in Idaho these days. But Leo didn’t care. He was like, “waste not, want not”. Honestly these corpses were lucky to be seen by his eye and captured for all time and eternity this way. A couple more examples of Leo’s grave robbing finds.

I am now wondering if he would just return these parts to the graves after he was done with them, sort of like exchange them for a new part when he needed? Another Leo invention, body part rental.

Another amazing Leo discovery during this grave robbing period of his; is that the heart is a muscle! That is right, Leo figured that out. Before Leo declared to the world that the heart was pure muscle basically everyone believed that the heart was a “spiritual center” or a “furnace”. So grave robbing paired with artistic illustration really paid off for all of humanity.

This is all a testament to working science. It is rapidly diminishing. I am extremely sad about it. I hope that you will continue to admire and appreciate the ancient wisdom of artists who dared to see the world as it really was and for how they wanted to to be understood no matter how dangerous or odd that was. Below is the heart that Leo documented and admired. I bet his studio did not smell good.

Sadly, the DaVinci Codex is owned by Bill Gates now so it sits inside of some moisture, light and air ideal environment doing nothing all day. The Codex has been let out of it’s room a few times. So keep your ears and eyes open for an opportunity to see it. I believe Gates has committed to displaying it about once every 10-25 years. Thanks asshole. Usually the insurance & security surrounding an exhibit of this magnitude allows for at least one or two of Leo’s other pieces of art, like an oil painting of his. He really only made 15-20 oil paintings (because he wasn’t that interested in it). It won’t be The Mona Lisa (because it never tours) but it would be remarkable.

Now I have to show you one of Leo’s oil paintings too. Below is Virgin on the Rocks. Sounds like a cocktail. The background is the best part of this painting in my opinion. I am not a fan of biblical art and neither was Leo, but he happened to be earning this little thing called “a commission” to work so his opinion/lifestyle/free spirited attitude were of little interest to the commissioner. He made all these forms using the studies of the muscles that he dug up and analyzed in his studio.

Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol—two names that, separately, shaped the art world in their own ways. Warhol, the calculated mastermind of Pop Art, and Basquiat, the raw, untamed force of the 1980s Neo-Expressionist movement. Their friendship, collaborations, and eventual fallout have been mythologized, but at the core, it was a relationship built on mutual admiration, business, and, at times, uneasy power dynamics

Warhol and Basquiat working on Taxi

Basquiat was the wild energy Warhol had been missing. He was young, brilliant, and effortlessly cool—a former graffiti artist who had turned the streets into his first canvas. Warhol, though still the reigning figure of downtown New York’s art scene, was past his prime in the eyes of some critics. Their meeting in 1982, arranged by gallerist Bruno Bischofberger, quickly turned into a friendship that blurred the lines between mentor, collaborator, and competitor

Taxi or 45th&Broadway 1984-1985, Acrylic, Oil Stick & Silkscreen on Canvas

Basquiat wasn’t one to conform to expectations. He had a thing for expensive Armani suits, but he didn’t wear them like the collectors and gallerists who sought his work. He painted in them, worked in them, sweat in them—then showed up to gallery openings with paint-stained luxury draped over his wiry frame. It was a perfect contradiction: wealth and rebellion, high fashion and raw creativity. He didn’t just make art; he lived inside it

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Warhol saw Basquiat’s genius, and in return, Basquiat idolized Warhol, though not without conflict. Their collaborative paintings—where Basquiat’s frenetic marks collided with Warhol’s clean, mechanical silkscreens—were an experiment in balance, sometimes brilliant, sometimes uneasy. Critics were harsh, calling it a publicity stunt, a mismatch. Basquiat felt the sting. Was he being seen as Warhol’s protégé, or worse, a commodity? Their friendship cooled, and by the time Warhol died in 1987, Basquiat was spiraling. Some say he never recovered from the loss. I don’t know if I have recovered from Warhol’s sudden death.

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Basquiat’s story is often told through his tragedy—his rapid rise and his early death at 27. But there’s something else that lingers: his refusal to be boxed in. He wasn’t just an artist; he was a walking contradiction, a disruptor of class, race, and fame. And maybe, just maybe, those dirty Armani suits were his way of reminding the world that art, real art, doesn’t fit neatly into any category.

Doc Cabezas 1982 Acrylic & Oil Stick

Zenith 1985, Acrylic On Canvas

Art in Your Inbox!

Here you have the blank canvas and all the brush/color options. The watercolor brushes have the ability to flow and create really loose lines, very similar to actually painting watercolor. I like to work with the watercolors in layers in Fresco. The layers can be dried, left wet for more blending or the layers can also be stacked on top of each other. I’ll show you a couple examples of how the “finished'“ work looks. I have a wealth of knowledge about this program and I would like to explore more of it with you over time.

In these examples I have painted a white watercolor wash onto a blueish background. The white watercolor is semi transparent giving the image a real dimensional feeling. I added another layer on top of each circle and drew, using a digital pencil, these botanical shapes.

Another example of fluidity and layering below.

This image has multiple layers. All of them were created using the live brush. Look at the charcoal colored botanical shape. I duplicated it, enlarged it and repeated it multiple times throughout the canvas, even turning it upside down at the top right. The layering and duplication of objects is where the real value of Adobe products are. These two features absolutely revolutionized digital design.

Below one last example. Here I used another live brush set, the oil brush. So this digital creation has both the watercolor brush and the oil brush. The watercolor is soft, loose, flowing. The oil paint is thicker, bolder and more textured. I like the combination of the two to add more feeling to the canvas. Nobody wants a boring sunset.

None of the images are completed. I often work on a piece for an hour or so and then abandon it and come back when I feel like it, if ever. I just make sure to make some art every day and so should you.

When ancient cultures experienced death, if they were wealthy enough & lucky enough they were enshrined in paint coated with wax. If the artifact managed to survive tomb robbing, water damage, fire, excessive moisture and temperature fluctuations then we are lucky enough to witness these faces of the past.

The eyes on these Egyptian examples are mesmerizing, they are the focal point of the piece. If you have the chance to see one of these in person they are really remarkably rich in color and still have this glossy, dense texture.

Dating from approximately 100–300 CE, this portrait belongs to the collection of Fayum mummy portraits, named after the region in Egypt where they were commonly found.

These paintings were attached to the linen-wrapped bodies of the dead, replacing the traditional Egyptian masks with a personalized representation. Though influenced by Greco-Roman artistic traditions, their function remained unmistakably Egyptian: to preserve the individual’s identity in the afterlife.

I wonder if it was common to have your portrait drawn in anticipation of your eventual death mask, or if the artist just imagined you at your very best while you lay cold before them?

This guy kind of has the Prince vibe going on. He looks real fun. Located in the Chicago Art Institute.

This old white beard man is located in Seattle, WA. Year after year I see his ageless face amongst the ancient Roman & Greek artifacts. They never cease to amaze me.

I really hope when I die that someone will make me look as good as one of these encaustic portraits. In fact don’t buy me flowers, or a casket, or a tombstone. Commission an encaustic portrait of me and fight over it. Then toss me in the ocean as ashes please.

James Castle was an artist who saw the world in his own way. Born deaf in 1899, Castle spent his life creating hauntingly beautiful works using nothing but soot, spit, and scraps of discarded paper, cardboard and fabric. His art, was his world, the spaces and people around him James had the sheer will to make marks. His family was too poor to provide him with materials so he used charcoal from the fire. He would used sharp pieces of charcoal to draw lines. Or he would combine the charcoal with his spit and paint or smudge the black into the cardboard or paper material.

Castle’s work might have remained hidden forever if not for a chance discovery. For decades, his family kept his drawings and handmade books stored away, not realizing their artistic significance. In 2004, a large cache of his works was uncovered in a family garage, sparking a renewed interest in his legacy. He also had a nephew who really saw value in his work. The nephew brought attention to Castle’s work via a college art professor. Since then, his work has found its way into major museums, including MoMA and the Smithsonian, but its power lies in its personal, private quality. Castle created for himself. He had no need to please an audience. He only wanted to create.

I’ve been fortunate to experience Castle’s world firsthand at the James Castle House, a tiny museum in Boise dedicated to preserving his legacy. The museum is located on the property where he lived. There are multiple structures still standing outside of the 1000sq ft museum. Inside you can see walls layered with fabric and paper, layered by James himself. You can see the art instruments he used and the materials he collected. The museum is small and they rotate his large collection frequently. I have visited there many times over the years and I always see something different. As a bonus it is free and the gift shop is charming.

Below a picture of James in the house where the museum is currently located. He is showing off a book of his drawings.

What I love most about Castle’s work is how it exemplifies the simplest shapes and colors as vibrant and new. His drawings are not elaborate or traditionally refined, yet they are full of meaning. The shapes he created, the marks he made, all prove that art has value simply because it exists. He didn’t need permission to create, and neither do we. So grab some charcoal and spit. Pull out a piece of cardboard and give it a go. For anyone who has ever doubted their ability to create, Castle’s life stands as an answer: create layer by layer and never stop.

Below a few examples of materials that are on rotating display in the museum. A peanut tin where he would keep scraps of fabric for layering, smudging, spit wiping (eww). Also below a band-aid tin that he used to store his charcoal in and broken glass pieces that he used to scrap lines.

He also created an enormous collection of doll like figures and figurines.

Below, a wall in the museum that shows how he layered materials on the wall over and over.

There is so much more to explore with James Castle. I am due for another trip to the museum soon. I’ll keep you updated.

It is a Wednesday, cold, winter. I am preparing to go to the protest wondering if anyone else is going to be there. I ask friends to join, but they are all working or busy otherwise. I created some beautiful signs though, and I have to show them off to a crowd. So I put on my winter coat, grab some gloves and my custom-made ANTIFA hat, and head down to the capitol.

There was a crowd, and it was growing. People filled the capitol steps and spilled out onto the street and across the lawn. I talked with moms I knew from our children's school. I talked with men who were there with their wives and daughters. I loved seeing the signs and listening to people talk about what they were fed up with.

The best sign that I saw read, "Stop having sex with Republicans," which I agree with 100%. I hope that Republican men suffer from lack of female companionship for... ever. I also saw a "FUCK TRUMP" t-shirt, and I was given a QR code sticker and told to put it in a women's bathroom stall. The sticker directed women to places where they could access birth control.

There were a few speakers there to motivate the crowd and collectively express our doubts about what is happening. The ineptitude of the Trump administration, the cruelty, the dismissal of all qualifications—it's a true shock and an absolute threat to the way of life for so many people that I care about. One speaker, a wounded veteran, stated, "If my Medicaid is cut, I will die." Absolute death without access to his medicines and therapies that allow him to just barely survive currently.

It felt great for a Wednesday to be with a collection of people in my community that truly care about each other. A stark difference from the Republicans, who only care about: 1. themselves, 2. money, 3. power & control. I will attend every rally that I possibly can, and I will make sign after sign, more on the sign making process later. A friend sent me a picture from Reddit of me at the protest with my sign, so apparently, other people liked it too.

Art plays role in protests. It provides a visual language of resistance, shaping messages into something immediate and powerful. Every handmade sign, every banner, every piece of street art contributes to the collective voice of the movement. Protest art is not just about slogans—it’s about impact. A well-crafted image or a bold, concise statement can spread far beyond the march, making waves on social media and in public consciousness.

Standing among the crowd, I understand that my own artistic contribution—my signs—were part of this larger movement

. The imagery we create today will live on as a record of our resistance, a reminder that we stood up and spoke out. And for me, that is reason enough to keep making sign after sign, attending every rally I can, and using creativity as my weapon of choice. Also it is a clever way to sneak swear words into public media. They aren't going to take the time to edit all the signs in a group photo. So FUCK DONALD TRUMP becomes a slogan that people can become comfortable with.

Art has always had the power to shake the status quo. From graffiti on city walls to meticulously crafted paintings in galleries, protest art channels frustration, hope, and defiance into something tangible. It is an undeniable force—both visually and ideologically—that demands attention and action.

Throughout history, artists have wielded their brushes, cameras, and voices as weapons against oppression. Francisco Goya’s The Third of May 1808 condemned the brutalities of war. Käthe Kollwitz’s raw, aching prints spoke to the suffering of the working class. The AIDS crisis saw the emergence of the activist collective Gran Fury, using bold typography and graphic design to challenge government inaction. And, of course, Banksy’s anonymous street art continues to provoke and unsettle, blending wit with sharp political critique.

Protest art isn’t just about anger—it’s about visibility. It exposes injustices, amplifies marginalized voices, and offers solidarity. It transforms city streets into canvases of resistance and galleries into spaces of revolution. Sometimes, it’s loud and aggressive. Other times, it’s a quiet subversion—a small act of defiance that lingers in the mind long after it’s seen.

What makes protest art so powerful is its accessibility. You don’t need an invitation to engage with it. It finds you.

As a bonus, art infuriates people. It is equally effective when it is done well or poorly.

Please get your ass to a protest soon. The world needs your voice.

Posters in the making.

A skeleton of a design underneath the paint. It reads “Deport Raul” with a labrador rough sketch at the bottom. That is my asshole Attorney General. He was born and raised in Puerto Rico. He is a total ladder puller.

Photography has the ability to convey complex emotions and thoughts. Phrases that we can’t even articulate ourselves. This is how art captures you. You begin to search for something that you can understand. Luckily art rewards our gaze. Art wants to be admired, criticized and explored. Art doesn’t mind if you stare at it and get a little lost.

Get lost in these scenes from Stanley, Idaho of the Sawtooth Mountains. A truly magical area of Idaho and a dark sky reserve area. The stars at night here are just as remarkable as the mountains.

I have hiked these Sawtooth mountains. I have invested hours and hours exploring these trails. Once I was on a private tour that flew us over these peaks just to see how they looked from above. Also this region was the epicenter of an earthquake that happened in 2019. We felt the rumblings of this earthquake at our home. The earthquake actually sucked a sandy beach area, where we often camped, literally sucked the beach down through the bottom of a lake, just gone. Nature is wild.

I took these pictures in the summer of 2023 while on a trip with my family. We try to make it up to Stanley at least once every summer. I have a lot more photos of this area. So if you enjoy these let me know and I will show you some more scenes. We should explore that mountain beach that disappeared. Geologists and volcanologists will be studying that phenomenon for decades.

Is this what Sting referred to as “fields of gold”?

This is going to hang on my fridge for the next 4 years. Edvard Munch, The Scream. Edvard did many versions of this same idea. He re created it countless times between 1893-1910. While walking with his friends at sunset Edvard had this overwhelming sense of dread which he described as a primal scream of nature. Ummmmm, same Edvard, same. This postcard is a variation of, The Scream, that is in the Edvard Munch gallery in Oslo, Norway. The museum has nothing but scream pictures in it! Every single damn version. I am kidding! Edvard created so many amazing paintings.

The scream version that we know and love the most, the version above was done with tempra (which is paint mixed with egg yolk) and crayon on cardboard! See when I tell you that you can make amazing and very valuable art with just normal supplies I am not kidding.

Another one of Edvard’s most wonderful paintings and one of my personal faves is, The Vampire, Oil on Canvas. Located in The Munch Museum, Oslo Norway.

Here Edvard is attempting to convey emotional suffering and the all consuming nature of passion. He must have been a real delight to hang out with, or worse to be in a relationship with. Edvard why are you always so emo?

Edvard is recognized in Norway as a profound and impactful, important artist. However, when he was a practicing artist he faced tremendous criticism. He had his shows shut down for being “disgraceful” and his work was often censored & removed from galleries. This criticism caused him to be better at being bad or worse at being better depending on how you see it. He produced more art. He produced version after version of things that he liked. He made marks on everything he could. And in that flurry of mark making he made all of his very best and most famous work which is traded amongst the wealthiest and most “tasteful” people.

So Edvard is the one screaming in our faces after all. He wants you to go and use your art to shout in other people’s faces. People don’t react? Do it again. Do it better. Do it worse. Do it bolder and louder.

These examples are from an Arabian exhibit in LACMA. Both pieces produced around 1540. They were owned by wealthy families and have luckily stood the test of time.

The colors indicate water. The patterns indicate marine life. The patterns around the edge also flow, water, life, maybe a little all seeing eye mixed in there. Growth and abundance are an important thing to convey to guests and children.

Another example and a favorite of mine below.

The border on the edge of this piece is infinitely repeatable and so fun to recreate. I dare you to try.

The cracked look of the ceramics is called “crazing” when the surface is exposed to “hundreds of years of existence” it goes cray-zing.

This exhibit was interactive. A Saudi Arabian lounge room was set up around the corner. I’ll show you that in another post. Many exciting patterns, fabrics and shapes in that room.

Find some art in your world today.

Durer was always stuck with the religious themes. The only paying gigs at the time were 1. The church or 2. Wealthy families, who claimed to be blessed with wealth by the church. So it was pretty much church work all the time. This led Durer to do works like Adam & Eve which you will see below. This picture was taken through a case so it is not the best, but any chance you get to look at a Durer YOU DO IT. As you can see Albrecht was obsessed with mathematical & artistic precision.

This piece is located in Los Angeles at the LACMA. It is titled Adam & Eve. It is a print from a woodcut. In this process Albrecht would carve into the wood the reverse (that’s right, backwards) image of what he had sketched out. After the carving was done, for him probably a couple days later, the wood block would be inked and print(s) would be taken by laying a sheet of paper under the wood block and most likely running it through a press (thanks Guttenberg). I am sure that Albrecht eventually had a group apprentices who would do much of this work for him. The endurance of these art prints is so fantastic because if the original wood block exists prints can still be taken from it! Wow Albrecht!

So when I see an Albrecht Durer, which I have had the occassion to do about 4, maybe 5 times in my life I gasp every time. I mean people just walk past this stuff like it is nothing! Look at the detail in this work! And to think that not only did he imagine this scene. He sketched out this incredible beautiful drawing and then freaking carved it in reverse into wood. He would have absolutely loved an iPad and apple pencil. I have no doubt.

Below is one more example of another Durer. This was in Chicago at The Art Institute, one of my favorite museums in the world.

This is from his Apocalypse “series” that’s right he has an entire series of end of times art. This is an engraving which is basically the same process as the woodcut but it uses chemicals to eat away the etching material so the artist

1.Doesn’t have to work as hard

2. Can add more detail (as if Albrecht needed that) and

3.Suffer from some sort of terrible chemical related art incident either immediately or long term damage.

I think Albrecht actually wanted all of us to suffer. But he wanted us to really enjoy that process of suffering. Every work of his art is like a little purgatory. So enjoy.

If you want to see another real banger of a piece of Albrecht’s you have to check out Knight, Death & The Devil (https://www.wikiart.org/en/albrecht-durer/the-knight-death-and-the-devil-1513). I am sure you have seen it somewhere before. I had the chance to see a print of it once in the SAM (Seattle Art Museum) but again I will have to find that pic. I think you will be blown away by the amount of energy, mostly doom, that is conveyed in that piece.

The little flag reads “I paint with all my love”. I love the tough exterior crying coconut compared to the soft bright papaya. Frida really did give everything she had to art. Because of her physical limitations throughout her life I think she saw the world differently. What I love most about her art is the way everyday objects take on a sacred quality and interact in strange powerfully distorted ways. Then there are her color palette’s. Her bright colors and bold lines distinctly define her work. Her fat, ugly, lying, cheating “husband” got all the money and attention during her life, disafordanadamente (unfortunately). I’m not even going to say his name here because he doesn’t even deserve the attention. They always put his work next to any public display of hers. It’s ridiculous.

Anyhow, another perspective on this beautiful, rather small, intimate, oil on board painting by the wonderful Frida Kahlo.

If you look closely & read the description you will learn that the flag was originally painted in tribute to the commissioned owner. So even Frida was a sell out. We all have to eat and try to establish a career autonomously from our spouses right?

The best place to enjoy more Frida, if you want, would be to travel to Mexico City and visit her home/museum and the Museo Dolores Olmedo. I fully plan on doing this within the next year or two. So if you want to go with me I am all ears.

When you stand in front of his paintings the shapes literally vibrate. It looks like the squares are starting to float off of the surface. I was digging through my photos trying to find the last Rothko I saw in person. It was February 2024 at the LACMA. I will find it I promise you. And then you can see the fuzziness of his precision.

I do have a Rothko coffee table book at my studio and I keep it open often for inspiration. Below is one I look at often.

Blue Cloud, 1956 Oil on Canvas

It doesn’t get any simpler than mark making. Humans have been doing it forever, with blood, mud, soot, charcoal, berry pigments. The more raw and textured the better in my mind. I think that the humanity lies in the texture. The way that the material spreads across the surface is always changing, depending on acceptance or resistance of the material. The way the material is delivered to the surface is always changing, depending on pressure and flow

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To pull out paper and dedicate just a moment to a design is a simple meditation. It is an act of deeper seeing, deeper understanding. It could be a line or a word but there is a beginning and an end to the mark. Then the mark endures a life of it’s own. Perhaps in a pile of scraps to be sorted by the month. Better off in a dedicated notebook where the accumulation of these scratches hold a more collective meaning.

There is nothing to be afraid of here. Mark making is an ancient gesture. Make some straight lines with pencil lead. Grab a pen that is near the end of it’s life and make some marks right next to the pencil lines. Compare their shittiness.

You have done your art work for the day. Go hug a tree.