Where I let you, the discerning music lover, know a little about what I've been listening to over the past week, presumably so you can sneer in self-righteous disgust about it.
Kudos to the artists, though; music can be very helpful.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Photo Of The Week - May 31, 2026
Where I display a particular photo (taken by me) and provide some additional information about it (just because).
This week's photo: Bent Tail
My memory's a little hazy on this photo's exact location, but I think it was taken in the southeastern Denver suburb of Centennial. For whatever reason, I'd been walking around a park, taking photos of landmarks in black and white, when I came upon this vintage-looking (but probably reconstructed) windmill. Which struck an interesting contrast against the greying sky.
Been reading this week - May 31, 2026
I'm often not sure how I find time to read; yet apparently, somehow, I do. Here's some books that I'm either currently deep into or just finished.
Artwork of the week - May 31, 2026
Where I post an artwork (by me) that I'd like to draw attention to (for a week), and write a little extra information about it.
This week's artwork: Kawaiiju-ko! Kuso! Nigeru!
A combination homage and parody of aspects of Japanese pop culture, particularly the idolization of teenage schoolgirls in anime and manga as well as the militarization and urban destruction seen in so many kaiju (giant monster) films. The collage portion of the artwork was created by cutting and pasting backgrounds from travel books and magazines, then pasting photos and schematic drawings of military hardware over that mish-mash of a background. The girl herself is painting with acrylics, in a deliberately cartoonish style. Finally, the pidgin Japanese title (also pasted onto the artwork) translates as, "Giant (cute) monster! Oh, shit! RUN AWAY!"
Sunday, May 17, 2026
Artwork Of The Week - May 17, 2026
Where I post an artwork (by me) that I'd like to draw attention to (for a week), and write a little extra information about it.
This week's artwork: The Unraveling
A stark statement about the obsolescence of technology and the decline of physical media in the 21st century.
...That's what I tell myself; but truthfully, this was inspired by the sight of a run-over cassette tape in a parking lot, with its innards strung across the pavement. For some reason, I decided to paint this with oils, which was simply ridiculous; acrylics would have worked just as well, and taken perhaps 5% as long to dry.
A companion piece to a later painting, Breaking Compact.
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Been Reading This Week - May 10
I'm often not sure how I find time to read; yet apparently, somehow, I do. Here's some books that I'm either currently deep into or just finished.
Been Listening This Week - May 10, 2026
Where I let you, the discerning music lover, know a little about what I've been listening to over the past week, presumably so you can sneer in self-righteous disgust about it.
Kudos to the artists, though; music can be very helpful.
The not-quite-comprehensive List:
Artwork Of The Week - May 10, 2026
Where I post an artwork (by me) that I'd like to draw attention to (for a week), and write a little extra information about it.
This week's artwork: Party Of One
A 2025 mixed-media depiction of an African White-backed Vulture in flight. You may think that you aren't familiar with this bird, but if you've ever seen vultures in a nature documentary on TV or the Web, there a much-better-than-even chance that they were members of this very species. As Africa's (formerly) most common vultures, they were mundane sights at the carcasses of large animals almost anywhere on the continent, meaning that they frequently appeared in the countless documentaries starring Africa's charismatic megafauna.
Yet, despite being being prolific background players, they get very little recognition or much chance for the spotlight. Although I've seen several documentaries focusing on Africa's vultures (and good for them!), I've never seen or heard of one that focused on this species in particular, or even had much of anything to say about it other than that it was "abundant." (Sadly, that's no longer the case; along with several other African vultures, it's currently classified as "Critically Endangered.")
And that is why I chose a White-backed Vulture as the subject of this painting, and why I depicted it in such stark terms. There are no other vultures in the composition, nor any other animals, nor even a background but a blank sky. When you view the painting, it's just you and the vulture, hanging in the sky, quite unconcerned with you, and leaving you to take or leave it as you will. Even background players have their own lives to lead.
Sunday, May 3, 2026
Artwork Of The Week - May 3, 2026
Where I post an artwork (by me) that I'd like to draw attention to (for a week), and write a little extra information about it.
This week's artwork: Flame In Vacuum
This was one of the (relatively) few paintings that I completed in 2011. Conceptually quite simple and unremarkable in technical terms (I didn't use any difficult or experimental techniques to paint it), it has nevertheless become a sort of "motto painting," if you will. I often find myself going back to it to use as a positive example of simplicity in design, as a profile picture, or simply for inspiration. I think this is at least partly because it endures as a metaphor. I, of all people, know all too well what it's like to be creative and freakish in a world of dull conformist indifference - almost like a lit match floating in empty space, with naught but the stars for company.
Been Listening This Week - May 3, 2026
Where I let you, the discerning music lover, know a little about what I've been listening to over the past week, presumably so you can sneer in self-righteous disgust about it.
Kudos to the artists, though; music can be very helpful.
The not-quite-comprehensive List:
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