IF*Propagate

Peeps, go forth and multiply!

Take a closer look - they're sugary! :)

When I read what the theme was this week, the first thought in my head was "bunnies" and the next thought was "marshmallow bunnies"... so I couldn't resist attempting this idea. It was rather simply orchestrated, and not in my usual illustrative style, but it gets the point across...Enjoy!

IF*Frozen

Frozen (by yours truly, Darrel Reese)

I watch my window, frozen with fear
tonight, as I lay awake in bed.
It always happens this time of year;
Creepy visions sneak into my head,
Strange and erie creaks come to my ear.
"O'eractive 'magination" says Dad;
But tell that to the monster o'er there
Who thinks I'm ripe for munching - I'm dead!


I've been absent lately, but I have good reason - I've been doing some side work, so the blog has suffered. Sorry! (there's only so many electives a full-time employee, father, husband and 3-hr commuter can get done in a day) But I'm back, for the moment, and trying to "fall back" into things. :) Enjoy - I had to get my Halloween fix in!

Idle

"Back in de swamp where dat Spanish moss grow, I heard me a story from long time ago..."
-from Petite Rouge, written by Mike Artell & illustrated by Jim Harris

I am not an idle person. I like to keep busy. That said, I can on rare occasions be found relaxing in a hammock or engrossed in a good book that I just can't put down. Sometimes both at the same time.

Speaking of good books, this illustration was inspired by the story quoted above, which I strongly suggest all you parents out there would have fun reading to someone at bedtime (or just enjoy the pictures)...

Tango

TANGO, digitally created with ArtRage2, tin foil paper base

These partners are embraced in an intense natural dance.
Notice how the sperm whale dips his partner quite deeply.
Yet, the squid really wishes he would stay off of its feet...
...er, tentacles.

Yes, it takes two to tango.

I was inspired by a report in the news this past week. Hundreds of carnivorous calamari have been washing up on shore in San Diego, presumably accidental carnage from a massive hunt gone awry. These Humboldt squid aren't usually in that area, but with increasing water temperatures and overfishing, they're increasing their hunting territory.

As a scuba diver, I love squid. The way they glide underwater looks completely unnatural and magical, similar to the way hummingbirds fly captivates us. I'd probably be one of those idiots jumping in the water to see them.

Hollow

...& now, for something completely different.

This is still rather rough, but it is a concept that I've actually got a whole series in progress. An abstract geometric style that is more art than illustration, but I couldn't help post it now, and hear your thoughts.

I often observe that many people have two sides, like a coin: on one side is the face that everyone sees, but the other side reveals that inner self they only reveal when they want to or to those closest to them.

Hollow sums up that feeling we get when we feel disconnected from those around us, or that sense of overwhelming loss/fear that makes us vulnerable, but the world won't ever know it because of the masks we wear to hide behind. We make ourselves prisoners within our own selves, yet, we alone are the only wardens that can open the door and let the real "self" out.

Of course, our dearest friends and family see right through this. Now if I could just draw someone reaching in and pulling the other out from the back of the throat... :)

Shaky

People walk tightropes every day, attempting to balance their careers, family time, and personal desires. Sometimes it doesn't take much to push us over the edge and have it all come tumbling down, mostly due to our own folly. Sometimes we put one foot in front of the other with such resolve that we feel superhuman. Yet, we are all ordinary people, capable of extraordinary things. It's a fine line we walk, and all we must do is try.

"Why do we fall down, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up again."

-Dr. Thomas Wayne, Batman Begins

This illustration is an average Joe who is quite uncertain of his near future. It's a humorous attempt at making a less than heroic bloke appear to be doing something amazing...imperfectly.

Drifting

"We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness. It was kind of solemn, drifting down the big, still river, laying on our backs looking up at the stars, and we didn't ever feel like talking loud, and it warn't often that we laughed—only a little kind of a low chuckle. We had mighty good weather as a general thing, and nothing ever happened to us at all—that night, nor the next, nor the next."

- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Huck and Jim, Chapter 12)

Many of us spend our summers drifting. Driting down in the water (pool, river, water park). Drifting off to la- la-land in the hammock. Or drifting off to another world with a good book, in a cozy chair under the gentle breeze blown by our all-too- important air conditioners. Hence this tribute to Huck Finn....

I realize that Jim was a man and not a bullfrog, but I didn't want a serious looking illustration, something more light-hearted. Enjoy.