Toot your own damn trumpet!
I will toot Carson Ellis' trumpet here. Her books are magical. If you have a child and have not read Du iz Tak? you are in for a treat! In the Half Room is another one of my favorites.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CV3QkfWFiZc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
This is a pumpkin caving of the infamous Nautilus submarine, owned by the pirate captain Nemo . Who sunk ship that supported war, ramming them with his submarine. In this tale Nemo's ship gets attacked by a monstrous giant squid. I caved this design at the Chadds Ford Historical Society's Great Pumpkin Carve contest and event. This is a live carve event. Artist have no idea what kind of pumpkin they will be given to carve. No knowledge of shape, color, size, or condition. Competitors must create their design with manual hand tools. Cavers have 6 hours to create their master pieces, to be considered to qualify to be judged ,to compete for the prize . The size of the average pumpkin is from 200 to 400 pounds , and their wall are about 5 inched thick. It took me 6 hours to carve my pumpkin design. Stephen J. Vattimo 10/18/2021
I actually said it to my child (while backing away from her) when she tried to pet my stomach after I ate a lot of falafels.
Decided it was a good advice if you want to stay on my good side.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUGGH12B8_s/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
My friend once gave Peter hair in their own drawing... I finally gave in. I gave Peter hair... keep in mind that you won't be able to see his hair with his mask on. Drawn with Aggie.io.
This is a painting of a first century Galilean fishing boat, most likely the very type of
boat used by Peter when he was called by Jesus to follow him.
This illustration is part of a bigger mural I am working on, about the ministry of Jesus
the Christ.
If you notice, the boat is beached facing backward, with the fishing net coming from
the back of the boat. This is to signify that Peter, like all the other apostles, except
Matthew the tax collector, dropped their fishing occupation and followed Jesus, Who
would make them the fishermen of men’s souls.
Here is a truth about me as an artist. Two parts of this painting gave me trouble in
carrying out this illustration. The fist was illustrating the ropes of the rigging. My first
attempt was horrendous it took me a second try to get it right. I had to look up pictures of ropes on the Internet to overcome this challenge.
The second was illustrating the rocks on the bottom of the Sea of Galilee and the
reflections of the boat on the water. I must have made about five attempts until it
finally clicked. Even when I kept looking at the reflections of boats on water, I could
not make the breakthrough.
In creating the kind of art that I do, it is very rare to find a model that meets all my
requirement for what I am illustrating. So, it takes photos and imagination and the
grace of God to create an illustration that looks better than a stick figure and communicates the message intended.
So, I figure God has me go through these challenges to keep me humble because, without humility, God is not able to use our talents for His glory.
(October 12, 2017)
This is a sketch of my bearded dragon, Skittles, who I was sitting across from. I'm just starting out with Sketchbook Pro and trying to get the hang of it, but am rather new to it at this point.
The Woman Puppet from Rome. A clay or plaster of paris puppet head that was glossy and smooth. This painting of the woman pupped is regal and dignified. It shows little animation or dramatic expression. It is unlike most of the others, say for its counterpart
Casey the Puppet. This painting captures the essence of a puppet lots of older Canadians will remember. A strange genderless creature with a dog puppet companion. A puppet with an outspoken personality that I remember as a kid wondering how it got away with saying what it did. The painting has a Canadian stamp to commemorate the puppet's roots.
Clearly I have a problem. I am obsessed with my first pet in over fifteen years. How I have missed having a pet. Mostly because of allergies I have avoided pet ownership. Recently I bought four big air purifiers and two budgies. I vacuum frequently. Join me in celebrating the love of pets.
The Queer Old Man is a solid wood puppet head created more than 50 years ago if not more. The eyes of the character are a radiant blue and the carved structure of the face is expressive and bold.
Impalla, Wart Hog and Topi is a strange painting of a young doll like female puppet head with large intimidating eyes. The scary doll head puppet looks like a frozen predator. Her expression almost ferrel but still oddly innocent at the same time. I chose the vintage storybook background based on the mottled rich tones of the paper itself and the fact that the title refers to prey and predators in Africa. It is an excerpt from an old African adventure story. I love the arresting expression and bright colours of this painting. She has great stopping power and evokes all kinds of emotions.
A portrait painting of a vintage dislocated puppet head. Created with mixed media including vintage storybook pages, old photographs and stamps. Pen and ink, gouache, and watercolours.
This is the next redo on tap. It's a watercolor painted in about 2006. Likely I'll only change values of the leaves--the lighter ones. And I will try to define the yellow petunias better.
