BADJONESRISING HAS MOVED!

badjonesrising has moved. follow blog there…so long wordpress!

I actually have some really sad news though. I hate wordpress. I made the decision to move and while I have been working on a layout, new links, and photos for new posts I haven’t been updating. I apologize for no updates. I was moving each post last night, and started to realize that my wordpress archive was half empty! I was able to move all the posts, but not all the photos. There are 16 posts are missing! Thanks wordpress, and just to think I was defending this blogging platform all this time…I will keep the remaining archive up, but the majority is now at badjonesrising, the blog

Anyway, I made the move and it is such a great feeling. If you follow me here please follow me on tumblr. If you don’t have a tumblr account that is ok! You can bookmark my sight and you can still comment via disqus. If you don’t have one of them, comment as a guest!

Thank you for everything, loyalty, comments, and inspiration. Please be a part of my art life via tumblr!

Depthcore/Agenda Closing Party

I had to take a picture of this guy, his scorpion was a piece of art all on its own.

I missed Agenda, one of NY’s biggest tradeshows, but I did attend the afterparty. The Depthcore Collective art show was hosted along with everyone from Agenda, a live band, dj, and plenty of free Sailor Jerry’s and PBR. I was really busy dancing and drinking beers and watching all of the young streetwear kids go crazy. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of artwork displayed. I have been familiar with Depthcore for at least a year now, checking out the new art every now and then. I have my personal favorites, which unfortunately didn’t have any artwork there. I did get to see plenty of new artists, but there were so many people I couldn’t really get all the photos I wanted to. The ones you see above are also on Depthcore Collective’s website. If you have the time to be really impressed then you should go on over there and see some great work. They also have a tumblr coming soon, and a twitter for you little blue birds out there.

The next post will have the rest of my collages I did inspired by Amanda Hawkins. I am also super excited to post the other video!

Sketchbook pages, and a new gangsta video!

Truth.

I really like this spread. I am going to turn this into a painting I think. Two or in a series.

This is the result of the second time lapse video I made, it needs the other side to be complete…

This blogging thing is starting to consume my brain. I sleep, drink Kool-Aid and Blue Moons, make artwork, and continuously think about this blog. I have become a sea of ideas, waves crashing over each other, the ebb and flow of creation…I have spent the last couple of days watching nothing but art videos on vimeo and have been so inspired. Two leading ladies have really opened my eyes to making art videos. The joyful Jenny from Starting Over Studio and the amazing Amanda from Ahhh-Design. Jenny has a couple of examples of “vlogs” and I watched them, feeling a sense of comfort and friendship with her that I have never felt. Seeing her face, listening to her voice, really made me connect with her blog posts more than I ever had before. I wanted to give that to my readers, send them the most personal message I can. Amanda is new to my daily blog visits, and I am so thankful for it. I spent all day Sunday reading almost every single one of her posts, all the way back into the winter months. She is one of the best collage artists I have ever came across, and her videos on vimeo are top-notch. I just knew that this is something I wanted, needed to do.

I decided to sit down yesterday and put all the inspiration onto paper. I used some techniques that I saw Amanda use, tried to think along lines of Jenny, and put out some pretty neat stuff. I want to show you all the collages but I have to upload the video first. I will give you the second video because it is shorter and a lot of fun to watch. I will say that making art videos in general is a challenge for me. I am naturally a shy person, at least when it comes to presenting ideas and art. It’s crazy, because I am an artist and I am outgoing…but when it comes to putting my work on the internet and being front and center is a big step. I figured this is a good way to gradually get into all that tutorial stuff that I have been meaning to do, starting with my hands moving a mile a minute!

I hope you enjoy the vimeo videos, and I hope that you will give me some feedback. Be easy though, because I was up late, tossing and turning over this blog post. I put some crazy gangsta music on it, and faded it out like all the cool kids are doing! LOL…and remember, bravery is a big part of blogging. If you learn one thing from me, please let it be the art of bravery.

Classic tattoo art

the colors aren’t really my cup of tea, but the design is a keeper

this was everyone’s favorite, it took me forever. I do love working in some graphite though…

a classic skull and swords and cross thing…think pirates.

this is a banner I made, thinking about making it a permanent on the blog or gravatar

I was hard at work the last two days drawing, drawing, drawing! I did at least four new pages in the sketchbook, which means I am getting down to the nitty-gritty. I am so excited to finish it! I can’t believe that I actually completed it up to this point. I’ll post the new video as soon as I am done. I also did some work on the side…

I had a craving for some graphite on my hands so I brought out some old techniques. I was having a discussion about classic tattoo art and the possibilities that it can bring for an artist. I have never tattooed anyone in my life, but I am sure that I could design a tattoo. I wrote a similar post back in May about it. Since I have been in New York, that’s all I see. I have also been interested in them, wanted them, and thought about how many amazing tattoos exist.

I tried to put my own little spin on them, with my graffiti/edgy style. Classic with a touch of modern and young. I am not sure what is missing but I feel like the project isn’t complete. Maybe some classic colors? Or sailor mermaids and “mom” written in a bleeding heart! More research, more work, and more motivation will get this where I need it to be.

And by the way, I had over 40 views yesterday about my blog moving and only four comments. Does that mean that I shouldn’t move because I had so many people reading yesterday? Or does it mean that 40 people read but doesn’t care enough to put their two cents in? I just don’t know…

Bad Jones Rising moving?

I was reading my stats and info on my wordpress dashboard earlier, and this is my 59th post. It has only been about 5 months since I started this blog, and it seems like I have been doing it forever. I take so much pride in my posts, my followers, my feedback. Recently, I have been struggling with where to go from here. If you are interested and haven’t read my Goals page, please check it out. To sum things up, I would really like to use my blog to meet other artists, art lovers, interact with them, and ultimately create a teaching/learning community. It would be a perk to sell some of my artwork and maybe open an online shop, but that is a longtime goal. I love wordpress, but it has a lot of limitations. I have been running two blogs since the spring, for two very different reasons. My tumblr, is used for quick updates on my sketchbook, the art I like, beer notes, and personal inspiration. I get triple the views on tumblr, and an enormous amount of feedback. The difference between the two blogs is frustrating and I have been thinking about moving Bad Jones Rising to the tumblr platform.

If you don’t know much about tumblr, definitely check it out. It seems trendy and hip at first glance, but all for good reason. The tumblr platform is literally the most customizable and easy-to-use blogging site I have ever used. Oh, and it’s completely free. I made a quick list about the pros and cons, hoping and praying for some insight.

1. Tumblr lets me choose from thousands of layouts, or completely customize an original one. It is the easiest and most interesting/fun process. I have been working on a layout that is completely original, and I have been itching to use it.
2. Tumblr has an amazing dashboard that is easy to navigate, and the phone app is great too. I use my phone to upload photos most of the time and wordpress always gives me the most problems. Tumble also allows video, music, and multiple photo uploading!
3. I already have a lot of followers, curious about my art. I would hope that they would continue to read and comment about my artwork and share (reblog) my posts.
4. I honestly think I would update more. Right now I am updating wordpress every 3 or 4 days. I update my tumblr every single day, sometimes more than once. I want all of my wordpress readers to be a part of that.
5. Tumblr is getting bigger every single day, and adding new features. This only means good things for badjonesrising.

Like I said, I haven’t made any decisions yet…just thinking about it constantly. Right now I blog on tumblr part-time…thinking about being over there full-time. Tell me what you think, I can’t wait to here from you guys.

Under the Influence @ powerHouse Books

larger than life graffiti, on the wall inside

an amazing larger than life wall piece. sculpture like this make me want a warehouse studio

detail of sculpture

the far corner of the art gallery upstairs, the variety in the show was unbelievable

more artwork, notice all the graffiti?

i really liked the one in the top left, reminded me of my characters

i saw this one and instantly thought of jackson pollock listening to hip hop

this was a favorite, graffiti done on six mini toy trains. great idea, great execution.

All those photos are so crazy right?! I went to the Under the Influence opening reception last night at powerHouse Books. If you remember I was just there for Julia Rothman’s Drawn In book opening. I wrote a post about it a bit ago. The event last night was a book signing and exhibtion for Jamal Shabazz. He is a photographer whose work chronicled some of the best years of hip hop and graffiti. It was one event of many in the Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival.

The store was empty at first. The music was loud though, and eventually people swarmed in, hungry for art, music, and beer. The event was sponsored by Brookyln Brewery, but the beer wasn’t free. I am starting to realize the word “sponsor” isn’t what it used to be. I left early, but not without some great pics. I was really into everything on the walls. I can relate to stuff like this, it being mixed media and all. I saw artwork done in collage, typography, acrylic, oil, spray paint, etching, (even collagraph!), airbrush, emulsion, and shellac! I like all of it so much, and the bookstore did a nice job curating it. It really inspired me to get back into my graffiti days and add some text to my work. It was a unique way to get all my urges out onto canvas, I think I might start up again. Dumbo always does a good job of pushing your artistic and musical talents. Everytime I go there, I leave with new knowledge to make me a better artist.

I was talking to a friend last night about traveling and the effect it has on artwork. I know from experience that going on vacation, visiting new places, even sketching in a new place, can really change your artwork. If I can’t leave the state I am in, I find a new park bench or a tiny coffee shop to draw in. She told me I was brave for being this way and pushing my limits with creating. I was flattered at first, who doesn’t want to be brave? Honestly, I don’t feel like it’s an act of bravery. I look at it more of a challenge for myself, and an honor to let myself be inspired. You have to be open minded these days. There are so many things in the world that can bring you down, make you worried and stressed. When I feel like I can’t be comfortable or creative anymore, I change what I am doing. I don’t want to get sucked into a lifestyle that I don’t believe in, especially if it will hinder my creativity.

Ugly art

what’s he staring at? Or who is staring at him?

up close and personal

this is the result of boredom

so ugly, it’s cute

People sometimes keep the kind of art that they do when they are bored. It’s usually tucked away in the old sketchbook, on loose leaf paper, in envelopes, maybe even the fridge. I keep mine, for the first time ever, because I must be crazy. I used to throw it all away, but now I keep it so I can cut it up and use later. Those two ugly guys you see above are the result of boredom.

The first one is a two-page spread that isn’t quite complete. I’m not sure how to clean it up, or if I should just leave it. I had originally drew the little bighead on watercolor paper but the colors got muddy, so I cut him up and glued him up nice and neat. He fits well enough, but maybe some words for company? The second ugly guy, is of the spiky sort and inside of a flowerpot. This is something I have drawn before but a little neater.

The point of this post is to tell you that art is good, even when it’s bad. Honestly. If you hate it, keep it. Someone might like it, you could cut it up or alter it later. You could use it for reference or just to laugh at. I know I sound bonkers but it’s all true. I made a resolution that I was going to keep my bad art, and I have only gotten good things out of it.

Pencil punks

big nose, feelers, and a halo

big brother program, everybody needs a mentor

“Am I not turtle enough for the turtle club?”

Finally, a gallery, or something like it…

“Where the hell is Roni’s portfolio page?” I know you’ve probably looked at the page list there to the left, and asked yourself that question at least once. Well, guess what? It’s there now! Original Work was added tonight after a lot of stressful and unsuccessful attempts. I haven’t made all the albums completely public, but you can view four of them, with the provided Picasa link. I still have to include photography and sketchbook, but of course you can view sketchbook updates here on the blog! Click here to view paintings, drawings, collages, and art journal pages. I disabled comments on all pages so if you want to leave some love or questions, just comment here. Thanks and enjoy! [and Happy 4th!]

Credit should be given to Apollo Kids Live for helpful hints and Megan Seagren for the Picasa portfolio idea.

Black moon rising

another dreamcatcher, less optimistic in design

rock cities are never-ending

triangles and mountains and volcanoes erupting

anti and some brain matter

this was colorful, maybe a neat painting?

all my ideas and sketches and moods can be summed up by this page. The blackout poetry reads: “dark and anonymous people have spiritual memories and transient moments”

Forgive me art world, for I have sinned. I have a confession to make…
I have always worked diligently and enthusiastically when it comes to art. I am mostly self taught, except for what I learned in high school and a bit a art college. I try to find new art, new artists, and new ideas and techniques every, single, day. The problem comes when I can’t execute them correctly, or in an appealing manner. If you are an artist or not you know that life’s worry and stress can sometimes get in the way. When I get to this point I seem fold in my feathers, tuck in my wings, and waddle backwards!

I confess that sometimes I create artwork just to create. Granted, pulling out all my art supplies and doodling is somewhat “brainstorming” but is that really a way to create? I have this bad habit of drawing the same thing over 30 different ways, or just spilling paint into my sketchbook with no direction. I paint this way and it’s usually always successful. But when it comes to sketchbooks, it’s a whole different story.

The point is I have been tossing and turning lately. I haven’t been sleeping well, and even had some strange dreams. I’m not really stressed, just working on a lot of stuff. I have to make stencils, do some silkscreening, finish some large scale drawings, and work on my blog. Plus, deal with crazy, New York! Ahh, the pressure. I feel like there really is a black moon rising, and the eclipse might bring some awesome artwork. Are these pages a sign of what’s to come? Ominous and foreboding, or a sneak peek to some dark art done in my edgy style?