A Buncha Stuff

Western Illustrations

2009-10-12T01:21:00.006-04:00

These are pictures of some Wester Illustrations that I purchased at an antique store in Reno years ago. The artist's name is Stew Walters, and he has a reno address. I'm assuming these aren't recent because the phone number doesn't have 7 digits.

I'm trying to gather any information that I can so I can establish some provenance for these drawings. If you happen to know anything surrounding these drawings(published? dates?), I would appreciate if you could send the info my way.

I can be contacted at pezcore13@yahoo.com

Thanks!

Click on any image to enlarge.

How to Work a Pole

2008-09-28T11:09:00.003-04:00

This is a video of Chris painting a column for my thesis show. I'm pretty sure that this is a technique employed by many professional painters.

The music in the background is Baltimora's "Tarzan Boy". It's too bad you can't hear it over my goofy giggling.

What To Do With Your Stinky Old Sneakers

2008-09-27T16:29:00.005-04:00

I really enjoy driving around Nevada because I constantly come across things that interest me. The Shoe Tree outside of Middlegate Junction is one of those things. On a Trip from Reno to Las Vegas, my bff Chris "Dr. Chim Richelds" Bauder and I decided to stop and lob a pair of his old sneakers up into the mighty Shoe Tree.
Notice the hoof.
Chris Bauder. Confident. Every muscle quivering in anticipation.Calculating arc, speed, and wind resisitance.
This is the only action shot that I have. Unfortunately it was pitch black, so I wasn't able to see where to point the camera.
Chris' shoe is somewhere on the left side.

I Have The Coolest Toilet Seat In The World!

2008-09-27T16:08:00.006-04:00

Check it out for yourself if you don't believe me. This beauty is the real deal! This toilet seat is from Harrah's Lake Tahoe, and it has actual cards, dice, and chips cast in resin. Even if you try to look, you will never find such a fine example of a toilet seat anywhere. Except maybe Harrah's Lake Tahoe.
Imagine sitting in an ivory tower watching birds fly through fluffy clouds, all the while wondering how your life could get any better, because that's how I feel every morning after I wake up (and sometimes in the afternoon if I eat a big breakfast).

People Who Bathe in Patchouli Should Stay Home

2008-09-27T15:23:00.003-04:00

Here are some snaps of some pieces that I have in progress. The sketch is on a wood panel which I plan on working into with some wood burning. The print below is the same character, but tweaked slightly. I am having some fun with lino cuts, so expect to see more of them in the future.

Hack Progress Shots

2008-09-15T13:54:00.008-04:00

Here are the progress photos from "Hack". Just looking at these pictures makes me want to do more drawings on walls.

The Finished Product!
Some Details.

PresiDent in Progress

2008-09-15T09:30:00.004-04:00

I know that Mr. Hands has come and gone, but I wanted to post these progress pictures of PresiDent and Hack. I'm thinking that I could do a little flip book or something. Check back soon! Hack is coming!

Tiny Blocks Make Tiny Prints

2008-09-07T20:57:00.004-04:00

As promised, I have provided pictures of the small prints that I'm working on. It has been a good long while since I've worked with lino, so these were a bit of fun.

The block with the hand flipping the bird was the motivation for my drawing titled "Sectioned Hand" Check it out in one of my previous posts.
The reason for making these was to create little business cards that I could hand out in social settings, once again proving that I am a whore when it comes to self promotion. People like whores though, right? If you would like one, drop me a line with your address and I'll shoot one to you.
Below are some of the finished prints that I made for our reception. Take notice of the professional studio setting, and sexy assistant.

Groomer Has It Pt.2

2008-08-30T16:48:00.005-04:00

Two of my favorite things in the world:
A 30-pack of Bud and a shaved dog.
On my recent trip to Reno, I gave Chloe her last haircut of the season. I decided to stick with hyena inspired look. I left the hair on the bottoms of her legs to mimic a Clydesdale. What a formidable beast!
As they say in the outback of Australia,
"Krikey! Don't fuck wit a bloke what has a hyena!"

Sectioned Hand

2008-08-18T00:52:00.003-04:00

Here is another new drawing. I have also been working on little wood-cut prints that I will be posting soon. Let me know what you think.

New Drawing

2008-07-13T21:38:00.003-04:00

So I've been trying to get back into the studio, which means that I've been cranking out some bad drawings. This is the first one that I've done that I feel good about. I've been playing around with phosphorescent paint, so the drawings glow in the dark. I've provided a before and after, so you can see all of the glowie goodness. It was hard to get a glow-in-the-dark picture that was in focus because of the long exposure, but you get the point.

The Last Days of A6

2008-07-04T13:09:00.001-04:00

These are some snaps of Sean Russell, Brian Porray and myself doing wall pieces for the final show of the A6 Gallery. It figures that the first gallery that I was repped by ends up getting torn down.
One dirty mutha.

Sean Russell: Artist Extraordinaire

Brian Porray taking a break and admiring the mess.

I love working on walls. If anybody wants me to come by and make a wall messy for them, please give me a call. Seriously.

Sean likes Bud, Bombs, and Graphite

X marks the spot!

2008-07-01T22:47:00.000-04:00

We have arrived in Maine, and it is absolutely beautiful. Here are some pictures of our new abode. To all family and friends: Please come and visit. I miss you already. Plus, we have a guest bedroom!

More to come.

Where's My Barrel?!?!

2008-07-01T22:14:00.000-04:00

How could we pass through lovely Buffalo New York (no joke, it's nice) without making a pit stop at everyone's favorite waterfall. If you haven't guessed yet, I'm talking about Niagra-Fuckin'-Falls!

My blushing bride. I'm pretty sure she's smiling because the roar of the water covers up the sound of her farts. Just kidding... kinda.
I don't know if anybody else noticed, but I believe that I have found the ruins of Castle Grey Skull!
Either that or the Great Wall of China.

This is where they make the Mocha's for all of the tourists. I had one, and they're delish!
I hella love sight seeing!

Flood!

2008-07-01T21:47:00.000-04:00

The storm that we saw in Nebraska found its way through Iowa, and we ended up following it all the way to Maine. What it left was what the news stations are referring to as the 500 year flood, but what I saw was a heaping load of pain-in-the-ass for most of the residents of Iowa.
Here are a few snaps of the side of the road. We ended up just squeaking through before they closed I-80. It's a good thing that we did, otherwise we would have had to tack an extra three days to our trip. The flooding was pretty bad, and it wasn't even supposed to crest until the next day. When we were passing over rivers, the water was nearly touching the bridges. It felt like everything that we passed was under water. Keep in mind that these pictures were taken before any television anchor-people could rush out and get fitted for waders, which means that the water got much deeper.

Evan and Renee go to White Castle.

2008-07-01T20:05:00.001-04:00

Have you ever imagined something that was so enticing that you built up a jonze for it even though you had not even tried it yet? That was my experience with White Castle sliders. After watching the Academy Award winning documentary Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, I was led to believe that their sliders would dance across my tongue and make love to my taste buds. What I encountered was something completely to the contrary. Although the size of the burger was conveniently small enough to eat with one bite(see picture), I can't say that they lived up to my lofty expectations.

For all of the children:

Don't dream. Don't you dare, because if you do, you will end up driving down the freeway with your mouth stuffed full of small discs of boiled meat and onions(which look like baby tape worms) encased in soggy bleached white-bread buns. As you drive, you try and choke back the tears, but you realize that there are none coming because your internal organs are all starting to shut down.

I ordered 10 sliders and I finished 10 sliders. I imagine, even as I write this, that I will be darkening the doorstep of White Castle in the distant future.

You may scoff, but before you do, let me point this out. I know that you've eaten at a chinese buffet. And every time that you leave, you tell yourself that it will never happen again. I know that given the right circumstances, such as on the days of heavy drinking, the China Buffet is a glowing beacon of satisfaction for your battered stomach. You'll cave... and when you do, think of me.

See you at White Castle

Jun Kaneko

2008-07-01T19:43:00.000-04:00

While we were in Omaha, we had the opportunity to visit Jun Kaneko's Studio. His studio manager Jason showed us all of the different spaces ranging from storage, to kilns, to galleries. I want to thank Jun, Rhee and Jason for taking time out of their day to deal with our prodding.

Tornado!

2008-06-30T21:25:00.000-04:00

We were about an hour out of Omaha when we saw a huge cloud formation. As we drove further into it, the color of the sky turned a weird green color. We arrived in Omaha just in time to hear the air raid sirens go off. We were getting reports on the emergency radio of the boyscout camp getting hit by a tornado. The whole situation was a bit surreal, but I had never experienced anything like that before, so I was intrigued.

Then the shit hit the fan. The alarms in the hotel started going off, and we had to go file into the downstairs hallway with the other guests. Each of the circles on the Doppler indicate a tornado. Keep in mind that there should still be some daylight. We were watching people do live outdoor broadcasts where it was still sunny.

Dust Storm

2008-06-30T21:19:00.000-04:00

It's as if Nevada was saying "Don't Leave!".
Or maybe the desert just farted.

I've had better ideas

2008-06-30T20:48:00.000-04:00

This is our trip out to the dried(almost) lake-beds outside of Fernley, NV. It was my bright idea that we should go driving out there a week after a storm. I was not picking up on all of the telltale signs of mud, even when we stopped by a small body of water where I stood in it. In one of the pictures, I think that Renee is pointing to that moment in the future when she gets to tell me "I told you so, dummy."

You ever seen Groomer Has It?

2008-06-30T16:56:00.000-04:00

Well, don't bother, because it sucks. But look no further if you want to see some mad grooming skills. Chloe was in need of a summer hair-cut, and my dad suggested that I give her a buzz. I drew inspiration from hyenas and UFC fighter Chuck Lidell(sorry Chuck, please don't kick my ass).

If you have a furry animal, and you want it less furry, give me a call.

P.S. Have beer on hand.

I'm a friggin' optometrist!

2008-06-30T16:38:00.000-04:00

I made some spectacles for my nephew Aiden. He looked like quite the brain in his new glasses. I laughed so hard I almost pissed my pants. Who says you can't have fun with pipe-cleaners? Maybe, one day he'll be a doctor like his unka Evan.

Oops......

2008-06-30T16:27:00.000-04:00

Has this ever happened to you? We were going into JJ's Pie Company (great pizza) to have a bite to eat, and Renee closed her door a little too fast.

Nevada Ruins

2008-06-29T22:55:00.000-04:00

On our drive from Las Vegas up to Reno, Renee and I came across some old buildings. I can't really guess what the structures were used for, as there is hardly anything left of them. Lots of cool stuff to look at though.

Leaving Las Vegas

2008-06-29T22:09:00.000-04:00

I know that Renee and I technically left Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to post a few pictures that we snapped on our trip. Las Vegas was very good to me and I have met many great people that I consider dear friends. I am currently living in the Mid-Coast area of Maine, which is a helluva lot more green than the balmy deserts of home. Stay tuned for updates on my work, and other things that pop up along the way.

Work For Sale or Trade

2008-05-07T23:04:00.000-04:00

Here's some pics of work that is still available for trade or sale.

The Ballad of Mr Hands and Other Yarns

2008-04-19T16:42:00.000-04:00

Telling a great story (or spinning a great yarn) can be tricky. Some of the best tales come to us filtered through layers of exaggeration, half-truths, and pure delusion. The internal affects of memory and time can mutate one experience into something completely different. There is no real way to know just how big the fish Uncle Steve caught really was. One of my main objectives in this body of artwork is to present stories, some from firsthand knowledge and others from outside sources, in a way that seems innocent on the surface but reveals something darker upon further examination. I collect ideas from personal experiences, as well as mass media sources- comic books, viral video, television, and advertising - then develop cartoon characters that represent the people from these stories. The characters in my paintings are mutations of their former identities. Some originate from humorous anecdotes, but many are a reaction to our culture’s obsession with decadence and the way people will knowingly sacrifice virtue for personal gain. The presence of tentacles as arms and the lack of a human gaze in their “zombie” eyes signal a loss of genuine humanity and a mutation into something sub-human. Each character represents a different story and emotion, but many of the paintings deal with situations of anger, aggression, bullying, and subjugation.
Mr. Hands was a man who got fucked to death by a horse. This statement, by itself, forces a brutal image, but when taken out of a realistic context and made into a cartoon image, it becomes less offensive, easier to tolerate. This is what I try to accomplish within the work. When I saw the “Mr. Hands” video on the internet, I could easily say that it changed me. I had seen my fair share of sick videos on the internet, but I found this one particularly disturbing. It made me feel really dirty. I knew right away that I would do a piece or two in response to Mr. Hands’ horrifying demise. I needed to work it out of my mind, and I have found that time spent in the studio fulfills that for me. If I portray the characters in that “mini-drama” as cartoons, it allows me to cope with the situation better because I am not hung up on the reality of it.

The characters that are developed in this body of work are heavily influenced by early animation from studios such as Fleischer, Van Beuren, Disney, and MGM from the early part of the 20th century. Some of the cartoons I draw from are Felix the Cat, Popeye, Tom and Jerry, Cubby the Bear, and Bosko. These cartoons are appealing because if the storylines are read literally, they are actually very unsettling. Racism, sexism, violence, vice, and death are rampant in these cartoons, but when portrayed by cartoon characters, they seem less offensive. Layers of political incorrect-ness are accompanied by jaunty tunes and silly dances. You can find DVD compilations of these cartoons for sale at Wal-Mart, often for around a buck. I own many of these compilations and find my research material on them. As I watch these old cartoons, I look for scenes that grab my attention and pull images from them.
My method of selecting imagery is based on the expression or tension in the characters in the cartoon still. If I am working on a painting where I would like one of my characters to be a bully, I will go through these old cartoons and find scenes that deal with a one-sided conflict, for example, a man beating a dog or a huge bird looming over a quivering worm. The actions in the paintings are often a physical representation of internalized conflict and repressed anger. The expressiveness of the creatures in the painting is a major thematic component to this body of work. I admire when you can convey something funny or something kind of creepy through posture, gesture or body language. I am also really interested in the space between an action and a reaction. That is why I usually deal with two characters placed in a way that leads the viewer to believe that something important is going to happen. I like when I am not sure whether somebody’s ass is going to get kicked, or somebody’s ass has already been kicked. What’s going on? I like to have that openness in the work, where I have put these individuals into various situations, and I know specifically what I am referencing, but I do not want to make that the focal point or nail it down. When I manipulate the posture of a character or the expression on his face, it points the viewer in a certain direction. From there, the viewer can imagine his or her own stories by putting together the visual cues that I have provided for them.

An Introduction

2008-04-18T02:27:00.000-04:00

Hello, my name is Evan Dent. My artwork is mainly drawing and painting, but I try to keep my hands busy all around. I am currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will soon be moving all the way to Maine. I'll be posting images of my artwork soon. Please feel free to drop me a line if you have ant questions or comments.