John's Graphic Arts
Tarot Project
(includes 328 K of graphics)
Yes, I'm foolish enough to attempt to construct a Tarot deck
from scratch. My progress shows that I've bitten off more than I
can chew, but should you be interested in the idea yourself, or
just curious to see what's up, the link above is for you.
This is not a fortune-telling site, and the emphasis
is on symbols, logistics and aesthetics, not on mystic notions.
Drawing
This is the standard stuff... if you've bothered to look through the page
about my Tarot project, you've already seen a lot of my drawing
ability (such as it is). Still, there are non-Tarot drawings
I've done, and I figured I'd show a few here... especially
ones you're unlikely to experience artistic deja vu
upon viewing (i.e. not the same old, same old).
What can I say? I had gone up to Rocky Mountain National
Park for a little exercise (you know, just a quick jog at
12,000 feet (seriously!)), and on the way back down, I
found myself craving a quick bite. A stop at the local
Taco Bell did the trick, and as I was relaxing with my
"food", I noticed that this place had the most extraordinary
view I'd ever seen from any fast-food joint... I mean,
there's no Wendy's on the rim of Crater Lake or an Arby's
at the edge of the Grand Canyon, or anything like that.
I was so impressed I decided to capture the moment on paper.
And there you have it.
Photography
Not surprisingly, I have more photographs -- even more decent,
well-done photos -- than I could or would ever put on this
Web page. To keep it down to a workable size, I've limited myself
considerably. To give it some structure, I've placed the few I've
displayed in neat little categories of questionable value.
Standard and Scenic
View from the Rim of the World highway in the San Bernardino Mountains
in late March 1994, looking at the San Gabriel Mountains, across the
San Andreas and San Jacinto faults (in the valley below). Enough said.
Unusual Subjects
I love this gate. It guards the entrance to Crystal Cave, which lies
in a large band of blue-and-white marble in Sequoia National Park
(alteration and weathering keep the marble here looking drab... inside,
where water polished, the color comes through beautifully!).
The gate is a registered landmark (the cave isn't (!)), made
many decades ago by a local ironsmith. In the center is a large
iron spider. The spider turns like a knob, opening the gate latch.
The "door" spins around the center vertical axis. A lovely piece
of work... and a pretty good job of capturing it, considering
the low light level at the entrance.
Projects, Effects, Etc.
The San Gabriel Mountains from Pasadena: now you see 'em,
now you don't!
Please note, this is not a retouched photo set, nor simple fog, nor
some sort of trick photography. This is Los Angeles and its air
du jour....
Computer Art
You will see, or have already seen, a lot of my artwork
as you move through this Web site.
I tend to make most of the graphics I use on this site.
I think it gives it a personal touch, but of course I try to make them
as sharp as possible to avoid that too-obviously-handmade feel (you know what
I mean... think garage sale signs...).
Abstract Art
Pool of Dreams,1996
At first glance, this may look like a bunch of cheesy scribblings,
and I can't really argue much against that interpretation, since,
effectively, it is. What makes this scene different from others
that I have created over the years (and then promptly banished
to the electronic afterlife) is that I couldn't delete it...
or rather, I didn't want to. Something about the pattern of
colors, the ease with which the mind can pull out familiar
shapes from within... I had to save it. (Whoa... someone stop
me. I'm taking my stuff too seriously.)
Other Media
If there is any case to be made for my being a true artist,
(personally, I do not think of myself as an artist... I will,
however, state with only minor hesitation that I probably have more
than average talent when it comes to creating things... maybe...)
I suppose some of the best support comes from some of the more unusual
media I occasionally use (and the fact that I'm not stuck to any
particular mode of expression). Observe:
Though the medium was
not a quantum leap from the norm, I was always fond of
my whiteboard drawings. At left is a close-up of one of many
works to grace my college room's whiteboard -- this
particular one showing a half-elf bard (only about one-tenth of
the drawing is shown). Though they sometimes persisted for months,
they were created with the knowledge that they were inevitably doomed,
at best (as here) to live on as a poor photographic representation.
Of course, all things fall victim to time, but these were especially
poignant reminders of our mortality... and of how damn difficult
it is to draw with dry-erase markers.
Here we have a comparison of idea and reality. The design for the sword
came first, one night, as I was recovering from a hard week of
exams. I sketched it on paper. Eventually moved it to a
computer sketch (left), to experiment with colors. Several months
later, I was holding it (right) in my hand.
Dream became substance...
even though it is merely wood, not metal. One day, perhaps,
I will take my Dreamsword to the next level of reality.
I like this one. Again, as with the whiteboard art, it is doomed
to a short life... but aren't we all? How can you create anything
if you can't accept its mortality?
OK, so I'm waxing poetic again. It's just an egg. An Easter egg.
And I painted it to look like the Earth. Cool. Yes. Wow.
As you can see, there's not much more to say about this, even if it is
cool.
Be drawn back to John's home page