Superman "hasn't done anything to his hair since the 50's." Are you forgetting the Super Mullet of the 90's?

Umm... You think mullets count? I do not.

Ask me anything. Typing actual english words helps though.

Is there such thing as "pretentious" artist?

Yes, absolutely.

You see it in "fine art" especially with the recent spate of them ripping off commercial artists and calling their "reproductions" "found art" or some such. Meaning in art is a lovely thing but honestly, it's really about how pretty and aesthetically pleasing something is at the end of the day. I miss the days of actual technical proficiency that'd go along with the long winded "explanations" for their art too. I appreciate most art, as I appreciate the beauty, even in the ugly side of life... but I really wish decent figurative art would make a come back.

Banksy, now, there's an artist who at least for awhile had real meaning and social commentary to his work.

In my opinion, the worst offenders of "pretentious" artists are some musicians, who rate their own work far too highly and go on and on in such serious ways...when the intelligent people in the room know they're simply derivative of many a musician before them, or even worse, are a creation and simply a front for corporate blandness sold as "edgy" and "new" when it's been written by committee and the singer mimes the words and looks pretty. People who don't even write their own music are not musicians, they're taking part in some shallow commercial karaoke business. Yeah, musicians, when you've written a piece that captures the mood of the times and affects a generation or becomes their voice, then you can take yourself uber seriously. Odds are though, those talented folks are just humble and like to write and acknowledge that it's luck of the draw as to what sticks. You're not all David Bowie. You're not all Nick Drake. ( Nick Drake impersonators are the funniest to me. )

To me, art, all art should first and foremost be a creative outlet that makes the creator happy. Sod anything else. Sod all the extra layers of meaning you want to add to try and make yourself "serious". Just have fun, make something beautiful and
hopefully many others will also agree. And by beautiful, I don't mean happy. By al lmeans, share your sadness with the world too. Don't fluff yourself up as if it's some deep thing. It's not. Unless you watched your heroin junkie parents parents die in a burning car wreck and were then raised by an abusive step uncle named Jeff, living with the demons he got while off fighting in some war that damaged his brain and the depleted uranium shriveled his testes and made him a eunuch...then you're probably just a middle class effete bastard play acting at such things. Don't take yourself so seriously. Because I won't. It's either pretty to look at/listen to or it isn't. "Meaning" ( pretention ) is too often used to cover up for lack of quality. I crack up when I hear musicians get interviewed and droll on and on about the importance of a certain piece or blah blah blah. Especially when they've got a 100 million in the bank. Yes, you have it so tough, please share your troubles with us. Same for you, Damian Hirst.


End angry old man rant. I tend not to like pretentious holier than thou types. Or as we call them, wankers.

Ask me anything. Typing actual english words helps though.

DOCTOR WHO

Not entirely sure if this one'll see print but here's a bunch of work in progress shots as it shaped up.

& yeah, the Christmas special was rather sappy & spiffy at the same time, wasn't it.

CHOKER 5 is almost here

Image have a large preview up so go check it out!

Yeah yeah, I know the book has slipped... it's been the bane of my existence in 2010, constantly on my mind, constantly *almost* done, just with other crap coming up that pushed it back just a little further. Ben should have #6 script finished soon so I can get cracking on the last issue hopefully and then it's going to make a mighty fine TPB. It'll be big too. I usually only stick to 4 issue miniseries, because a 6 month slog is a lot more draining than only a 3rd of the year commitment... and I've set myself the goal of 3 miniseries this year, plus some smaller projects. ( So at least 10 issues worth of stuff, plus if all goes well, a whole bunch of paintings for things. )

Just need to get settled, get contented and get focused on working again. Huzzah!

Last Year...

Sort of started off shit, & decided to stay that way for much of the year. Between being T-boned & being incredibly lucky to walk away with just really bad bruising, missing out on an international acting role in an advertising campaign playing *myself*, divorce, finances being all locked up, lost cats, losing pets for good, complete loss of privacy on some correspondences, temporary paralysis ( *thankfully* temporary! ), having people threaten to sue me ( Nothing real that couldn't have been defended easily enough but who needs the headache ) generally arsing up my deadlines and plans because of the other things and crazy stuff like a mentally unstable fan type claiming the last 8 years of my life have all been a sham & about ulterior motives... yeah, it was fun. You certainly find out a lot about yourself.



But there was some good stuff too... I did get asked to be part of a campaign, as myself, to flog a cellphone of some kind, even if I couldn't do it due to US visa travel restrictions...I should really add that to the "good" column. WORMWOOD was basically the biggest thing on the Sony PSP on the comics front for the longest time, constantly being in the top ten and at times being number 1. CHOKER did amazingly well ( and will eventually be finished, I'm currently waiting on the final script and the second last issue is about to hit stores ) I self published my first art book, Squidgirls, I stood on the shore of the Arctic Ocean, where my career began at a place called Barrow, I got to travel to so many places, like the UK, Spain, France and had my first ( hopefully not last ) real exhibition, in Paris. And I met a girl named Molly, whom I'd met a few times before and fiiinally decided to remember... I also met some amazing new friends, & learned the value of some older ones, so there's that too. And of course, I owe a huge thanks to fans and new readers alike who picked up anything I did last year. Cheers guys.

Slowly getting back to the work, hopefully under control soon. ( Yes, I know I've been horrible at getting back to people and getting on top of things, ) As with the rest of life. I always bite off more than I can chew ( or draw ) ....and a lot of interesting things are planned this year More travel is planned for this year, with conventions and festivals in Australia ( where I am right now ), the UK, Poland and obviously, around the US, though not as many as last year at this point. Moving to an entirely new city and new life in the US and if I don't like that, well, being a hermit on the side of a mountain in NZ or Tasmania sounds good too.
So come on 2011. Show me your worst. 2010 didn't break me, so let's see what you've got.

Art and stuff on the blog again soon, oh yes. ( And that pic? It's from my French gallery Exhibition at Gallery Maghen )