kevinhurtack

First off, Happy Memorial Day to everyone. Hope you all have a fun and safe holiday weekend. I'm defintely glad to have a long weekend. Where I work we usually don't have holiday's off so I'm stoked to have it off this year. Plan on checking out the new Terminator movie, watching the Denver Nuggets whoop some ass at home, and going mountain biking along with the traditional cookout.

As far as Art goes I am almost ready to put up the first 8 pages of my comic/graphic novel Shadowdale. Just need to finish up some lettering and one more page. I'll be making a special section of my website for it and regular updates.

I've also been in contact with Damnation Books, a relatively new publisher of e-books and an e-magazine of the Horror genre. I'm going to be doing some story and possible cover work for them. I'm liking the way they're doing things over there from the business side. If you're so inclined you may wanta check out their guidelines for Art or Fiction.

I'm close to finishing a short story, and plan on sending it out once it's been tightened up a bit.

My piece called Grace will be appearing on the back cover of Night To Dawn later this Fall. That issue will feature some new layout ideas both on the cover and interior which I've been given a preview of and given some insight toward. Lookin' good.

Thursday was a beautiful day out here so I went mountain biking at a new place about an hour north of home. The trails were nice, and fun. Nothing too strenuous or technical but not boring. At certain points they led close to some of the coves that were between the hogbacks foothills. Pretty cool, especially now that everything's green and whatnot.

My illustration for the short story The Bravest Soldier by Michael C. Keith is now 'live' on Static Movement Online's May '09 issue.

You can check it out via the link below.

THE BRAVEST SOLDIER

The Award and Rules:

This award is bestowed upon a fellow blogger whose blog content or design is, in the giver’s opinion, brilliant.

Apparently the rules are as follows:

1. When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to the said person so everyone knows she/he is real.
2. Choose a minimum of 5 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don’t have seven friends. Show the seven random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with Honest Weblog. Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.
3. List at least ten (10) honest things about yourself. Then pass it on!


Makkaiois one of my oldest and best friends. I've known him since middle school and read his blog regularly. He's always been into gaming and programming. His blog consists of insights into MMO games, development orientated posts, and his opinion on the continuing evolution of the MMO culture. I admire Makkaio's passion and love for gaming. I appreciate that fact that gaming isn't simply mindless entertainment for him and that he has learned the nuts and bolts of the gaming industry. I respect that fact he's never lost this passion for gaming even as we got older and that his creativity and intelligence are used for something outside of his day job. I'm glad to see him stepping up and working on his own game currently. His blogs are well written and straight forward.

Geo I've know George for a few years through the various small press publications we both did illustration work for. George's a very talented artist with an imagination that lives up to his title 'Twisted Mentality'. George not only has wild ideas but good craftsmanship which I've seen mature over the years. His use of shading and composition is growing. I like his blog because he not only shows finished pieces, but shows the various stages that he's going through. You can find a link to his Deviant Art page on his blog as well which has more of his Artwork. If you like good Horror check 'em out.

Deanna Davoli I've known Deanna since college, and she's one of my best friends. She's a tremendously talented Fantasy artist who's work continues to amaze me. I enjoy her blog because it is a good way to keep tabs on what she's working on and what festivals she's appearing at.

Jodi Lee I've known Jodi Lee for several years and her blog always has good insight on her editing/writing projects as well as well written slice of life pieces. Her snarky attitude at times can make for an entertaining read.

Julia. Not only is she Makkaio's better half-perhaps superior half :P she's one of the few people I know that blogs almost daily. That wouldn't mean too much if it were poorly written drivel. Julia's blog makes for an entertaining read because it runs the broad spectrum of life's topics. Whether it be about music, her everyday life, social issues important to her, or her violin performances it's always down to earth and engaging. A lot of people try to come up with themes for their postings and blogs. Julia's was vaguely inspired by a indie coffee shop she used to go to, and I think she's accurately conveyed the topics often discussed in such establishments.








10 Honest Things About Me

1) My first job was at a burger joint when I was a junior in high school. I worked there part time for about 4 years before leaving to go to college at Buffalo State.

2) I grew up in a rural community, not even a town per se, and spent the majority of my youth in the woods and along the creek in the ravine behind my folks' house.

3) I've loved cycling since as long as I can remember. When other kids had pics of Tony Hawk or Joe Montana on their wall I had Greg Lemond and Italian road cycling teams on my wall.

4)I never had training wheels.

5) I sliced my hand to the bone on broken glass.

6) I moved 1400+ miles from my birth place to Colorado without a job waiting for me, and it turned out to be the best decision of my life.

7) At one point a few years ago I weighed close to 190 lbs. I've shed 30 lbs and lead a much healthier/active lifestyle.

8) I rarely drink alcohol any more. Maybe once or twice a year. I really don't enjoy it or 'need' it. Have nothing against alcohol but think those years are over for me.

9) I am a Christian.

10) My Art/Writing is my true love.

I used to devour the words of Kerouac and Morrison like a starving dog that had wandered into a banquet. Dadaism and Abstract Expressionism. Stream of consciousness. These were the banners I carried into battle against the commercialism and industrial tyrants that tried to lay siege to my wallet and consciousness. Sonic Youth and Nirvana's feedback sang my national anthem across the campus quad.

I gave the finger to the establishment and cast off their labels. While others explored the pleasures of the flesh and the union of the soul with one or many, I delved deeper into the road of excess in search of the fabled Palace of Wisdom which seemed more like over crowded house parties, dingy Buffalo streets splattered with vomit and blood. Tickets that were seemingly one way were paid for by ill gotten goods and morally grey means.

Looking back at it now is like a ring of soap scum on the shower walls. You can see where a youth of ignorant hate and excess peaked.

Growing older is a sour thing for some. The backwash in the stein of Life. I still don't see it that way. When I look in the mirror I see the grey hairs, the furrows etched in my brow, and the growing baldness. But I don't see growing older as a process of slowing down or loosing the 'edge'. If anyting the process of getting older has been a boon to my creativity and intellect. The edge has become sharper and more focused. No longer the barbarian's axe but a surgican's scalpel. A sniper's rifle.

As I hit my 36th year today I find myself growing stronger and more focused. Grounded in reality, but not hindered by it. Childish delusions of fame and fortune have been shed like the skin of the serpent. I made my peace with God and Christ and the Holy Spirit. I feel no shame in that nor deny it. Yet I continue to push the boundaries of my Artwork and self-expression. I continue to explore the corridors of darkness and the supernatural without it weighing me down.

I've learned to work with the political system to make definite changes in the laws and regulations in regards to the environmental issues I consider important. I don't know lash out with anger but brandish intellect and critical thinking to defend those that cannot speak for themselves. I know that the world will not change overnight but in small steps.

I know and like myself more then I have back in the days of brash youth. I embrace the process of living and growing older rather then wallow in the melancholy of what once was my youth.

The sport of mountain biking began in the 1970's. It's rather mind boggling when you consider how fast the sport has grown from the early days of fire roads in Northern California to single track, downhill, and free riding today. It's even included in the Summer Olympics. The technology has gone from department store bikes to alumnium frames, front/rear suspensions and more types of tires that I can name. Although Colorado, California and Texas remain the stronghold of the sport, (the three states have the most pro riders), it has managed to gain popularity across the world and feature international champions.

I can still remember seeing a picture of a mountain bike for the first time in the late 1980's in a road cycling magazine. There was a definite appeal to the idea of riding through the wilderness rather then the road.

After moving out to Colorado I've been blessed to have access to numerous great trail systems. To me the sport of mountain biking represents freedom. Riding down a sweet single track or wagon rode through miles and miles of unspoiled land and not seeing another person for hours is sublime. XC (cross country) riding also presents a physical challenge that can be grinding and grueling. But when you reach the top of hill or make it through a series of switch backs the feeling it gives me is the best. There is an unspeakable satisfaction of looking back and seeing how far I've climbed none stop, or clearing roots or boulders.

Trail riding is an intellectual stimulant. It requires eye/hand coordination and quick decision making otherwise you'll be doing an endo, (head first over the bars).

Trail riding is a religious experience. This is where I find God. Whether it be the view along a ridge, encounters with elk and other wildlife, or the sound of the mountain wind and the sweet vanilla of the Ponderosa. No sermon can capture the raw beauty like God's country can.

I'll never be one to sit on the couch all day. I'll be riding until I can't get out of bed. Mountain biking isn't for everyone. It's harsh, taxing, and grueling to the rider and the bike. Despite all that there are the rare breed that find the pleasure and beauty in it. Feeling the flow. It is love. When you are no longer rider and bike, but you are one. When the sun hits your back and the wind your face and you know what it is to be truely alive and free.

From shadowvale

This is a preview frame from the comic I am working on called, ShadowVale. The dude is one of the main characters and his name is Barry. Is he simply a burn out that spews idiotic drivel or does he hold the answer to the crisis plaquing the town of Raven, Colorado?

Coming in April 2009.

Today I came across the now notorious cartoon which appeared in today's New York Post.
If you haven't seen it then click on the link below.  Although, it is every US citizens right to express themselves freely I think that the NY Post has trampled the line of morality.  There are plenty of other ways to attack and criticize the current administration's economic plans and Obama himself without resorting to blatantly racists imagery.

Someone argued that Obama didn't write the stimulus bill, but the members of Congress did and therefore the cartoon is in reference to Congress. That it isn't a racists comment toward Obama nor a death threat/wish toward the President. Personally, I find this difficult to buy.  Even if that was the cartoonist's point he failed to deliver it.  Since there's only one chimp dead on the ground it doesn't convey the idea that the bill was written by the proverbial room full of chimps at typewriters.

Personally, I do think it is a racist image and the NY Post knowingly printed it while being aware peoples reaction would be that of the President.  The cartoonist in question is known to have done other political cartoons which associated gay marriage with bestiality, and other so called 'satires'.  

This type of ignorant narrow minded hateful imagery doesn't deserve to see the printed page, and I hope that the NY Post experiences a severe backlash for it.





<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jlBBpB0_XF-eJt6GGtXCSl5bfV1AD96E8LU00">The Associated Press: NY Post cartoon seems to link Obama to dead chimp</a>

~encrypted transmission beta liberty omega~...

Stop blaming the Dems and Reps for our current economic crisis!  I've found the truth to the entire crisis and have a limited amount of time to share it with you - the PEOPLE!  I suspect they'll jam this single soon...they're on to me by now.

It is time to unite as one against the forces that work against us.  To cross party, cultural, and even international lines BEFORE it is too late!

To see the face of OUR TRUE ENEMY click <a href="~encrypted transmission beta liberty omega~...

Stop blaming the Dems and Reps for our current economic crisis!  I've found the truth to the entire crisis and have a limited amount of time to share it with you - the PEOPLE!  I suspect they'll jam this single soon...they're on to me by now.

It is time to unite as one against the forces that work against us.  To cross party, cultural, and even international lines BEFORE it is too late!

To see the face of OUR TRUE ENEMY click HERE!  and prepare yourselves for the SHOCKING truth! 

KNOW YOUR ENEMY!

~end transmission~ 

KNOW YOUR ENEMY!

~end transmission~

I recently put up a print of my painting Maggot Head up for sale on ebay.  You can bid/buy it via this link:  http://cgi.ebay.com/Maggot-Head-supernatural-horror-digital-print_W0QQitemZ130272152526QQcmdZViewItemQQptZArt_Paintings?hash=item130272152526&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Oh, and shipping is free.

I just put up three prints that are available for sale at my etsy store.  The images I have up there right now are MaggotHead, Grace, and The Creeper.

If you're interested you can check out my store by clicking the link below.

Thanks.

<a href="http://www.kevinhurtack.etsy.com">Kevin's Etsy Store</a>

I've just uploaded a new drawing to my website. The piece of Art is called, Call of the Banshee. It is a mixed media drawing done with pens, ink and brush, Inktense pencils, and colored pencils. I'm very happy with the way it turned out, and that the drawing paper I used didn't warp too much when I applied washes on it.

You can check it out HERE

I also plan on selling a few prints of my original Artwork starting next month through the website etsy.com 
I'll post further details when everything is set up.

Thanks,

KvN

Late last night a lot of ideas I had for Purgatory Blues started coming together. The whole idea is evolving and the characters starting to soldify. One of those times when I start writing notes and everything just fits together. One idea leading to another and so forth. The purpose and personality of the characters coming together very well. The beginnings of the storyline forming. It's been quite awhile since I've created a character that I like as much and have invested in as much as Reaper as well as the creation of a fictional world. Defintely lotta fun. Always a good thing.

Did a rough sketch of an idea for Reaper's weapon as well as a full body sketch of him. His weapon is essentially like a crowbar only with 6 inch spikes at each end and such. I wish I had one LOL. Maybe I'll make a prop someday - somehow. Then when Mormons come around I can grab it off the wall and be all like, ''Repent! Motherfucker!'' >:D

Might work on some more intricate designs for his cloak later on as well as what he looked like prior to becoming Reaper.

Maybe start working on the first draft of the script later today.

Got an email today from Stevie, from G&F Publishing, that included a pdf preview of the comic. After a few minor edits after the 3 of us flipped through it it is about to head off to the printers. Yay. Everything's looking good and I believe Paul will be taking some copies with him when he does an event later this coming month.

Stay tuned for more info...

I watched the documentary CRUMB the other night. It is about the legendary underground artist R. CRUMB, who is legendary for his comics, and Art. In fact you would be justified in saying that started the whole counter culture underground comic book genre with stuff like Mr. Natural and Fritz the Cat.

I enjoyed the documentary because it did not attempt to paint Crumb as a villian or a hero. They found 2 people that enjoyed/appreciated his work and what he was trying to do and 2 people that were critical of his work and the meaning behind it. Also most of the footage was mostly Crumb interacting/talking with family and friends. It wasn't very often you heard a voice from behind the camera ask a question. The documentary allowed the viewer to draw their own conclusions about Crumb.

I never really knew about R. Crumb until I began attending JCC. Mainly because I went to a very rural conservative uptight high school where such things as Crumb were looked down upon to say the least. Once in college though I was exposed a wider variety of underground contemporary artists and Crumb quickly became an icon along with DuBuffet and Maplethorpe amongst my art school cronies. His work wasn't safe and was a thumb to the eye of the conservative schmucks we'd all had to deal with in high school. Beyond that we all appreciated his pen and ink skills and his story telling ability.

Today, I still like Crumb and think he is relevant to the Art world. What's really interesting is seeing his influence and talent passed down to his son and daughter.
Although I don't agree with everything the man does or thinks I do respect him a lot.

As an Artist I enjoy experimenting with new ways to make a mark or apply color to whatever I am working on. I think most Artists get into a groove of using certain mediums and materials all the time and don't break out of that mindset. It's not necessarily a bad thing since there is a definite comfort level there and even an intimate association with using the same mediums for years or a life time.
However for myself breaking out of that mode and trying something new can be liberating and inspire new ideas. Sometimes these new ideas marry with the old and other times I'm left wondering what the fuck I was thinking. Regardless, I learn something and grow as an Artist.

Awhile back I bought a pack of natural sea sponges. While working on the comic with PS Gifford I'd used some of them for blood/gore as well as atmospheric texture. I think they worked well and liked the way they turned out. There's a certain primal even childlike quality to dipping a sponge in ink and splattering it about. It's improvisational. You're not limited to the regulations of composition or human anatomy. Not necessarily easier since you run the risk of doing too much splatter and making the piece into a Pollack.

Sponges'll definitely be a part of my arsenal in the future.

I put a new painting on my website, Eternal Nightmare Studio. To check it out simply click on the link below.

Eight Reasons Why I Hate Workin' Nights...

Just got back from the doctors.  Doctors being plural.  This past Saturday morning I had this ''full'' sensation in my left ear and my hearing was muffled in that ear.  Plus, I had a faint ringing in said ear.  It didn't get any better so I called my PCP and was able to get into her office this morning.  It's a small practice and I was able to get in to see her quickly.  Turns out, as I expected, I had compacted ear wax deep in my canal causing the symptoms.  She tried to get it out with her equipment, but it's not really designed for that much so I was referred to a specialist.  They were able to remove it from both ears and ran a series of tests on my hearing afterwards.  I passed the tests with very good results.  So good that the specialist seems pleasantly surprised/impressed.  He told me not to use q-tipps and use a 50/50 mix of hydrogine peroxide and water.  Put a couple drops in each ear every couple weeks.  That'll help keep the wax from building up.  The other doc recommend a ear wax removal kit to use 3x a year.  I'll end up doing both since my PCP said that people that get it once will often get it again if untreated, and the specialist said using ear plugs at work could cause it again.  They said most people don't know they have it until they start getting symptoms.

It's interesting to notice the difference now.  The little sounds I didn't notice before all this happened.

Been reading The Serpent Bride by Sara Douglass.  It's been a long time since I have read some fiction that I actually don't want to put down.  The basic premise isn't entirely oringinal, but the characters, plot twists, world building, and theology make it a great read.  It is the first book in a series, possibly a triology.  I found out later she has books set in the same world, but with different nations/races.  I plan on checking them out after finishing Serpent Bride while I wait for the second book to come out in paper back.

Might have something new to post up on ye olde website later this week, or weekend.