Sometimes, as I fall asleep I compose elegant sentences descirbing what I've done that day and what I will do the next. I use words like "rubicund," to make simple bruises or poor complexions seem more exceptional and wonderful than they are. Only rarely do I ever commit those lambent words to a physical form, and then I realize just what I hideous pedantic egoist I am.

Before hanging the Kite show a few days ago, Caleb and I had to take down the monkey from where he was hung from the ceiling of the Trunk Space, looming. I tied his arms to his spine, and tied his legs and tail together, so that what was intended to be carried aloft by seven people, could be transported by just the two of us. Someone finally bought the great puppet recently, for a rather paltry sum, that I find kingly knowing that I was shortly to cut the monkey down and throw him away, having run out of patience for finding storage spaces large enough to accomodate him around the house.



The Kite show was only marginally successful. When it rains in Phoenix, as it did last night during the opening reception, Phoenicians panic and approach the weather as though it were an transitive beast, uncertain where it may strike next. Their prior experience with light drizzles ending in only creating more muddy clay around the city they adamantly ignore, and stay locked up inside residences waiting for when the rain turns to something more insideous. Phoenicians have read far too much Hemingway. Nonetheless, nearly all of the artists did come, and the sprinkling of artists' girlfriends and boyfriends made it seem like a far more successful turnout than it actually was.

I made tetrahedron kites with reduction style woodcut wasps on them, and I steeled myself against an evening of listening to people comment on the "bees."



The next reception for the Kite show is on First Friday, March 7th. My next solo is at Deus Ex Machine in Phoenix, opening May 2nd.



I awoke this morning with a large bruise over my right eye (bruise not pictured above). The mysterious bruise is rubicund.

I co-curated this show, and a few of my pieces will be in it.

You should come if you're in town, and if you're not, you should feel bereft that you cannot attend.

Happy Birthday! To ME!

Can you tell what I got for my birthday present?

Sorry, Million Dollar Pat and Girls With Glasses thread, but it was about damn time.

Now, I know you didn't get me anything for my birthday. No one loves me! Boo hoo! But you can make it up to me by making a donation to your local Planned Parenthood the next time you have a chance. Today is not only my birthday, but also the anniversary for Roe v. Wade.

You can also leave a comment on one or more of my sets, if'n you really want to do something nice for me. One of them has been hovering at 1099, and it's bothering me so much looking at that number.

It's difficult to maintain a sense of depth and perspective when drawing something under a lens, or at least it is for me.

These ants are for an illustration. They'll eventually be inked, and on a plane of red gingham, but I like them as they are, with all the messups and erasure marks that convey movement.

My birthday is on Tuesday next. What should I do for it?

Huzzah! New profile picture!

Last weekend, I modeled for Dr. Sketchy's. It was unbelievably cold, and in most of the pictures I have a sort of pained and stoic expression on my face. Most of the people drawing didn't take off their coats, and a couple wore gloves. But most of the work that I saw was still pretty good, given that the poses were short, and the model was miserable.

My friend Caleb did a rather nice quick guesture drawing:


The show at Pravus was pretty good, especially for something Mike and Kenny threw together just a couple of weeks ago. It was awesome to show with someone like KRK Ryden. Another one of the artists in the show and I are working up some ideas for a duo show, hopefully for L.A. But I don't know about that quite yet.

The boy is in Los Angeles (and I'm terribly jealous) on a business trip. I haven't had the house to myself in ages, but sadly I've no great plans for it. I bought a fresh pineapple from TJ's, because I adore them. The thing is, I'm mildly allergic to pineapple. It makes my skin itchy, though no rash, and makes my lips all puffy. That I have to suffer to eat it makes it all the more desireable.



Edited to add:
If you're in Phoenix, drop by the Trunk Space this month to see my giant monkey. He's a little worse for wear after spending the tail end of 2007 in my shed, but that just adds character, right?

New poster art. I think I'm going to try to sell the original on gigposters.com or something. The last one I gave away, and the one before that was just a photoshop composite of painting with text overlaid, but this one I've actually still got and I need some W.A.M. soon to deflect all the costs of making slides, and getting transcripts, and paying fees, and overnighting packages.


My first show for 2008. I was much more excited when I was initially invited to be in this show than I am about it now. Most of the artists aren't printmakers, but I guess that just means I get to show everyone else up with my sweet actual printmaker action. I didn't make the poster for this, Kenny the curator did, I'm just one of the artists.


I'll be modeling for Dr. Sketchy's tomorrow (Sunday, December 30th) at Trunkspace in Phoenix, 1506 NW Grand from 7 to 10 pm. I need to dig up something remotely burlesque-y to wear.

Old rejected set. Say stuff about it, if you're so inclined.

Oh, you think I forgot about this action? No, my friend, I did not. I direct you to my latest rejected set:


I'm knee deep in graduate school application nonsense. I've narrowed my list down to 5 schools, and am laboring away at the essays, attempting wit and brevity and brilliance in short 120 eighty character lines. The great morass of slides was reduced to a coherent and Spartan 20 (15 for Austin). The hope is that Long Beach, Austin, Chicago, Providence, or Minneapolis will be my residence of 2 to 3 years at least. But oh man, University of Utah. I really hope that this is just a funny joke, like a practical joke from someone with very very bad taste, because otherwise I might have to murder you. Yes, University of Utah, I may have been an erstwhile admirer of yours, but mark my words. If you don't remedy this situation with some speed, then I will stand on your throat and watch you die.
A snippet from the portfolio, all photographed by Taye when she was here last week:



Any of you Phoenicians reading this should consider attending the last Phoenix Dr. Sketchy's of 2007 at Trunk Space, Dec. 30th. By then, I will know if my irrational hostility was resolved or not.

Rejected set. Blardy blardy blar.

You know the drill.






P.S. Should you be interested in a Roethke pronunciation shirt with super conversational word bubbles drawn by me, then let me know. I'll be printing some up, and if I don't have one in your chosen size or color, I'll print on an item you provide for a modest amount. Lorelei already has one, and you know that means it's super awesome.

I'm bringing the monkey to this, and suspending him from the ceiling above me (skip back to journal entries if you're confused about the simian referrence).

If you come, please do not draw me with fairy wings. I will hate you forever if you do that.


I drew this for an illustration. How does one get paid for drawing, when there are a million others who want the same thing, and can draw as well as you or at least almost as well? This is not a rhetorical question.