Two More Art Influences:

Lewis Carroll and Topp's Batman Gum Cards (1865/ 1966). The Batman cards were the bridge between Mars Attacks and Wacky Packages. Norm Saunders did most of the card art as well.

Another Painting From the Early 1990's

Sold it and forgot about it......acrylic on canvas 20 x 28". Title "The Ballad of Where We All Went Wrong".

HypnoLoveWheel Album / CD Cover

I did the cover for Hypnolovewheel's "Candymantra" CD.
The Candymantra character always did well by me, and he
re-occurs in my art every few years.

Large Painting On Canvas from 1991

An older painting that is 38 x 40".

My Space

http://www.myspace.com/konga5 (detail from my Devil Tattoo Sign)

Drawing / Sketch Idea for a Painting (2002)

12 x 18. Graphite on Canson paper.

Practice Makes ....

10 x 14. 2002. Green Face on Canvas Panel.
Just an exercise/study for a face.....

Illustration Work-Beer Labels and Carton-1997

About 8 years ago, a small micro-brewing company in the mid-west contacted me to do illustrations for a new beer they were producing. I did about half a dozen different labels and this carton. It was a fun job, and it's always good to have your artwork on a product. I was in Asbury Park N.J. last summer, and what did I see on the ground next to a garbage can in the parking lot --- one of the empty bottles that I did the artwork for!
LESSON TO EMERGING ARTISTS: Getting your artwork on a product is important--and can have unexpected longevity.

My Two Favorite Oil Paintings! 1962/1942

This painting by Margaret Keane is titled "Escape" and is one of her best. Maybe not because of the composition--(which is a little sloppy) but for the depth lof expression on the woman's face. The other painting is by George Rozen ; who would be the "Mickey Mantle" of pulp cover artists back in the days of olde. They are both done in oil paint--which I do not use mainly because it takes so long to dry . Someone once said that painting with oils is like painting with butter, which is very true. The frustration is great--but the pay-off is awesome. Human fleshtones, glass, smoke, fire, water and metal always look better and more tangible when using oil paint. Somehow I wish these two paintings would merge together......

Two flyers from past exhibits 1999/2001

BOOTED OFF OF E-BAY Dec.11, 2006

This is a sign that I did and put on E-Bay for auction Dec. 9. 2006. *****DEC. 11, 2006. This is the first time it's ever happened to me but E-Bay discontinued my auction because it was deemed offensive! I have a clever way of relisting it on there--I will keep you posted. The eyes GLOW IN THE DARK! Makes a great and creepy gift! 20 x 24" wooden sign--hand-painted and distressed by me! SEE MY OTHER BLOG PAGE:
http://snackbar-confidential.blogspot.com/

Newer Painting

16 x 20". Acrylic on
canvas panel. 2006. SEE MY OTHER BLOG PAGE:http://snackbar-confidential.blogspot.com/

Giant Spider From Montreal !

I rarely go on vacations, but have been to Montreal (Canada) twice in the past few years. It's a wonderful and AFFORDABLE vacation--especially if you are within a 5 to 10 hour driving distance. Montreal is like a cleaner and friendlier version of NYC.
Lots to do and see and the best part is that you can stay in the St. Catherines area (a near mirror-image of NYC's Greenwich Village) for about $70.00 a night (give or take a few).

HORROR! TERROR! and Early Art Influences !

...early influences on my embryonic art instincts. Later in life, I found out that I was NOT alone on this...
(James Bama was the artist who did most of the Aurora model kit artwork. Norm Saunders (who did the Mars Attacks cards) did most of the (early) Wacky Packages art.
I have no friggin' idea who did the Terror Tales cover art , but whoever he is, let it be known that he has warped my mind forever. (Eerie Publications was a New York based publisher that put out half a dozen CHEAP & shoddy horror magazines in the late 1960's and 1970's--Witches Tales, Horror Tales, VooDoo Tales, etc.) Their magazines were crude and demented versions of Warren Publications (Creepy, Eerie, Vampirella) . Other influences would be: Mad Magazine, Famous Monsters Magazine, Rat Fink/Weird-Ohs/Odd Rod gum cards and stickers.

My Art work from...1977!

YES...I was a Marvel-comics-geek in junior high school. I was pretty sure I wanted to draw comics for a living at that point. I have my X-Men Super-cringing shoes on right now!

"Cave of Pills" illustration / painting

16 x 20" acrylic paint on canvas panel. This is stuck inbetween being an illustration for some magazine article on prescription drugs and an actual free-standing-narrative painting . Later it became a more rational painting with a slightly different subject. I also did some "painting as illustration" work. The money is alway$ good (the IDEA that someone is paying you for your artwork is actually BETTER than money!) .
Alas, this can be unfulfilling because conceptually, someone is looking over your shoulder and telling you what you CAN or CAN'T do. That is a bummer. EMERGING ARTIST LESSON #5: No matter what you are doing; even if it's for someone else--pretend that it's for YOURSELF--it will always come out better.

Painting from 1997

This one suffers from too much negative space! What was I thinking! ?Anyway, this went to my therapist as as payment on several sessions. Thank goodness for "sliding scale"! 16 x 20. 1997. ****CLICK HERE TO SEE MY OTHER BLOG****>>>>>http://snackbar-confidential.blogspot.com/

Older Painting by Me

Probably from 1987 (?). Large 35 x 38" or so. Much liked by all my friends (and vegetarians). On canvas which I do not use anymore. Sold this to a freind-of-a-friend who owns a record store in Queens, NY.

Sketch for Painting ....

I Used the Drive-In Theatre theme many times. It makes a nice backdrop for anything to happen on.

Illustration for Web Page or something....

I cannot remember what I did this for but the CD cover on the easel within the illustration was an early painting that was much liked by my friends (and I was constantly asked for prints & posters of this image) --it pictured a Devil emerging from a grill holding a hamburger on a plate while a "sacred cow" played the lute stood by . A comment on something or other... I will post it if I can find a snapshot...("Devil Burger" POSTED ABOVE, Dec. 2, 2006--take a look!)

Sketchbook Page and Kind Comment

(Click image to read comment) Sketch for the King Missle CD cover and alternate cd cover that did not get used.

Painting Sketch and Guest Book Comment

This is a sketch from the painting I did (SEE: giant golden skull character with guitar walking down street in a sky blue day) and a comment (CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE AND READ)from when I had a show at coffee house in Saratoga. EMERGING ARTISTS LESSON #2: Have your artwork in a place with a lot of foot-traffic! It can be more rewarding than a small stuffy gallery and can result in unexpected sales as well!

A Letter to Me From Ed "Big Daddy" Roth !

WOW! I wrote to Ed Roth in the 1988 or so and asked if he had any of his original art for sale. He had sent me my letter back--with a Rat Fink doodle in pencil and signed it! When times were financially rough I did (STOOPIDLY) put this on E-Bay, and although it did not sell , Roth's son e-mailed me and authenticated it as 100% real (just in case there was any doubt with me OR a bidder). Whew. I'm so glad it did not sell. Rat Fink was a big influence with me (and MANY other young artists) as a kid.

FLYERS for ART SHOWS

I love doing flyers for my shows and TRY to get really get that "garage band" look! I wonder what the citizens of Saratoga Springs thought when they saw "New Paintings of Equiney Terror" on there.

KING MISSILE to the stars and a Lesson to Artists

In 1994 or so, my friend Chris Xefos from King Missle convinced the band that I should do the album cover art for their next CD on Geffen Record$!
They had to choose between several paintings--and chose the one I probably liked the least (for technical reasons and temperamental artist reasons) . Anyway, I was truly grateful , designed their tour stage set, and saw my painting everywhere! Time Magazine did a fluff-piece on CD cover art, and somehow mine was chosen to be pictured along with the other examples! (Third CD down from the right hand side). Moreover, it was nice to see my artwork in one of those "12 CD's for a Dollar" advertisements! I did other CD covers after that, but none had the same impact or magnitude. EMERGING ARTIST LESSON # 3. There will be huge build-ups and plummeting let-downs! My next big CD cover break that did not happen was Veruca Salt's second CD "Eight Arms To Hold You". The art director was looking at my portfolio for this project and I was dropped for another concept. The night I got the bad news I pretty upset so I sulked like a pro and had about 5 beers in me. While the TV (M-TV) was on in the background word came through that Madonna had her (first) baby. All I can remember is being completely messed-up with a dagger through my "artistic id" as an endless crawl of telecast e-mails read "....Congratulations Madonna...you're gonna be a great Mom..." on the lower portion of the screen. Possibly one of the worst nights of my life (at the time). So, when you see that Veruca Salt CD in the used bins (and when you see Madonna's first born in the tabloids)--remember my depressing tale (and moreover --the lesson to emerging artists ; DON'T EVER GET YOUR HOPES UP TOO HIGH because they can come down like Humpty Dumpty sitting on top of the Hindenburg!)

My Horrible Art From The 1980's!

Dateline: 1983/84.
This is what I began doing when I decide to make artwork my chosen "path". I had the notion to do simple cartoony illustration jobs (in colored pencil) for books, magazines, greeting cards, etc. This is typical of what I was doing before I started painting in 1984/85.
Very 1980's looking , as I look back on it (and pretty awful too!)

Doodles & Scribbles While Bored at Work...2002.

Bored at work? Take out a pencil and go nuts! The boredom of counter and cubicle jobs can be neutralized instantly! Also, draw cartoons of co-workers and superiors you do not get along with! Fun Fun Fun !
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*I LOVE WASABI!* And I had brought this with me to remind me to buy more that day.

The wasabi in the tube is very good! The dry powders you mix with water are pretty lifeless. The wasabi that Japanese restaurants serve is the BEST and can not be duplicated out of the restaurant setting.