Best of Film of 2009

So I'm kind of enamored with James Cameron right now. Last Night I experienced the Avatar in 3d and was completely blown away, not just by the character design and great acting but by the way this old story was told in such a new and refreshing way. It is also amazing the lengths that everyone involved in the process of making this movie have gone through, especially the 3d modelers, animators and motion capture folks. This film IS amazing and if you haven't seen it yet then you are doing yourself a disservice. P.S-You'll definitely want to see it in 3d, it enhances the experience and really puts you in the film. check out the trailer and some behinds the scenes stuff in the video playlist underneath.

Creative Quarterly 17 Unleashed!!!

I'm very excited to say that it's official the new issue of Creative Quarterly is out. I made into the online gallery which is pretty much awesome for me. To have my name included in the same list as artists like Anita Kunz is a crazy honor. I'm stoked on it so check out the online gallery and the magazine should be in stores now, there's a lot of really great art in it.

Snow Day

So this is the scene outside my window right now. Maybe tomorrow when it stops I'll start a snowball fight with someone I don't know. Until then inside I shall remain until it stops and just make sure I'm ready to brave whatever will remain of this elemental carnage.

I also managed to find time to scan two of the sketches I did while trapped in the trenton train station last weekend. I did do more sketches but they were just plain ole silly. I'll save them for when I need a good laugh. but yeah since I'm trapped I'm gonna buckled down and do some final sketching and movie watching.

Some Quick Studies

These are just some spontaneous small paintings. some done in watercolor and some done in acrylic done purely for the sake of fun and experimenting with some more spontaneous ideas.

My Favorite Album Art of '09

The artwork for these albums made me want purchase before listening to the music. Kudos to these bands. They obviously understand the need for great art

Daytrippin' in New York

My friends Marvin, Gloria, Danny Mak and I took a daytrip to New York to check out a couple of sights and to see the "Hajimari-A Prelude" show by Audrey Kawasaki at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery. Her show was amazing and packed full of people waiting to get their prints and postcards signed. I'm really excited because I did not get a chance to meet her at the last show she had in Philly so my friend Gloria and I both seized the opportunity. She was super gracious and awesome and her and her show are the highlight of this month even after christmas day. But yeah here's how the rest of the day went. :)

We arrived in Chinatown and got some amazing dumplings.

We also checked out the Kandinsky exhibit and Thanhauser collection at the Guggenheim.

We stopped pass Times Square which left me kind of speechless.

and we missed the last train to philly, so we commandeered a table at Trenton train station and talked smack, sketched and people watched until 7am. Good Times!

oh yeah and my favorite piece in the audrey kawasaki show. see more here

Guitar update

One or two sessions left. Time for me to sleep.

Feeling Nostalgic

I've really been thinking about acquiring an old school polaroid camera. I've always love the way polaroid pics came out and lets be honest when you were a kid you loved shaking those instant prints when they shot out of that camera. I don't like the colors of the one pictured, maybe I'd get a black one or white & grey one either way I think I'm getting one of these bad boys, gotta love that white border.

and continuing with the theme of nostlagia this has been stuck in my head as well.I think I was maybe 6 or 7 when I first heard this song. good times

My Boo from Big Eaze on Vimeo.

I got me a Gee-Tar

Hey everyone I've been working on this commission. The only guidelines I was given was to ensure that the piece had some bluebirds in it and beyond that I was given complete freedom and Yes, its a painting on a guitar!! I'm stoked on it especially after going through some priming issues that are now dead and gone. This is only the beginning so I'll keep everyone posted as it goes. Its going to be finished really soon. :)

The presence of Exposure

Last night I went to my friend Doreen Garner's Senior Thesis Show opening entitled "The Presence of Exposure" at the Tower Gallery. What she had on display was a mix of Illustrative glasswork set on top of a chaotic display. The show was great and every corner of this installation was intriguing and thought provoking. Here are some more pics

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A CMYK Acid Trip for all to See

Major Lazer "Keep it Going Louder" from Eric Wareheim on Vimeo.

So I recently found the best pop song of the year that apparently has been out and neglected by the masses since the summertime. The song is by Major Lazer a project lead by two of my favorite beatmakers Diplo and Switch. The video (directed by Eric Wareheim of the "Tim and Eric Show") feels like a cmyk acid trip, and has been playing in my head over and over since the first time I saw it on Saturday. You may need a palette cleanser after watching this video if your easily weirded out.

Preview

A commission I'm working on for a friend. My only guidelines for this piece were to make sure bluebirds were incorporated somehow, it was so much freedom I almost didn't know what to do but my design is set and it should be awesome when its finished. :)

Website 4.0 has arrived

of all the changes I've been I think my website is finally at a place where I am proud of it. I hope everyone likes it I worked really hard dreamweaver was quite the enemy during these revampings. click the website link on my sidebar to check it out. :)

I also made over my blogspot(which you are currently on) and my ohger.

My Owl

So I posed for a painting recently and the painting is now finished. My friend Gloria Martin is doing a portrait series of people becoming a part of nature or somehow becoming heavily influenced by it. I think this piece look's great and I'm proud to have been able to aid her by being reference and I can't wait to see what else her strange artist mind cooks up for this series. I also have to thank her for upgrading my lenses to something way cooler than I have now.

She's named the piece "Collie's Owl" it's acrylic and oil on masonite. Check out her blog if you'd like to see process shots.

The Cosby Show

I just finished a piece for a show themed around all things Bill Cosby. I decided not to take the jello pudding approach and tried to dig a little deeper into Bills personal life. I found an article in the Atlantic Monthly that spoke of his criticisms toward the African-American community in recent years. The article talked about whether or not his methods were actually bringing about a positive change or was he so harsh that the people who need to take in his message felt attacked and in turn refused to listen. Bill Cosby has a wealth of experiences and wisdom and I'm not saying his criticisms are wrong, but is it possible that his insight into this situation is slightly clouded with his advancing age or that he is just not thinking clearly before he starts speaking.

My piece is about the insight of Bill Cosby and I promise I'll be getting a good scan of this piece very soon. I named this piece "The fading Glare of Wisdom", it is acrylic on paper.

Feeling like an Ohger

Hey guys so I've recently become a member of a new blog community called ohger, I'll still be on blogger but my posting will be a little less consistant because I'll be on ohger. I'll be posting soon but until then please check out my ohger account.

-Collie

Portraits

A portrait of singer/songwriter Emily Haines in watercolor on Lightweight Rives BFK . done in 2 hours. watercolor takes me time as I'm kind of new to this medium. I also now see that Rives was a bad choice.

Another portrait for fun. The reference is a photo by Osman Balkan. Done in about two hours inbetween watching Conan and Fallon.
oil on Rives BFK

Dia de los Muertos Opening

The Opening for the show was great, Proximity Gallery is an awesome place and I hope to get the opportunity to show there more often. At the show I was able to see some old friends and even meet some artists I admire. The food(chips+dip and the pizza truck) and drinks were awesome, the margaritas were never-ending and so was the PBR which always makes for a good time. Not to mention that my piece sold!!!Here are some pics, I love my friends they came out and showed support which made me feel like a million bucks and I thank them, even the ones that couldn't make it. :)A pic of the crowd, including the blurry Joe Game (founder of the Autumn Society).
My friend Jenny Le came out...
and so did my homies Danny Mak and Marvin Silvestre ...

Allie got lost but found her eventually...

and Gloria, Anisha, and Kellie-Lynn all awesome people.

Ink Testing

Hey, I was messing around with some sumi-e ink the other day and I kinda like the results. Ink makes me think differently and is a fun way for me to let go of some of the tightness I'm used to in painting. Had tons of fun doing these little ink drawings/paintings. done on rives