Whales, Lushes, and a Benefit for dogs. First showing of 2012.

Norfolk, Va. 2012

The Belmont House of Smoke.

Seems much bigger from the outside, thank god there's a back patio. Hung some work in a benefit show for Dogs Deserve Better. It'll be there all month, so, if you can, swing on by.

The bands that played were incredible: DJP & MRT. Carousel. 

Blows my mind that this caliber of music is coming out of our little backwater.

Most interesting part of night: Standing at the bar, in conversation, I see a man take one of my pieces down. I broke from the words exchange and chased after him, friendily. I assumed he was the one who bought it, but he also seemed like a random drunk person. I was right on both counts. It was an illustration of a humpback whale flanked by two calves. I told him one hundred times, friendily, that the piece had to stay until the show was over. He told me one hundred times, drunkenly, that he loves whales, anything whales. He also told me that there's a huge whale market. He then told me about a recent whale sculpture that he recently purchased and how he's super excited about it. Of course I forgot the sculptors name, but, it is happily accompanied by many a whale image, and soon, one of mine own.

God bless the drunk guy who loves whales.

Saw some old friends, new friends, acquaintances, and since Matt is so homophobic I made it a point to hold him close and grab his balls. Whenever I do this he always acts incredulously. He hates it. I love that he hates it. And I'll do it again Matt. Oh, I'll do it again.

All in all, it was the second best night of 2012 thus far.

I guess it would be the first, since I was considering New Year's Eve, which I guess would be the best night of 2011. Whatever, time doesn't actually exist anyway.

Whales!

Love.

Alan J

Va Beach, VA. 2012

The Inaugural Blogural: Blog for blog's sake.

Welcome.

Let me start at the beginning.

Naples, Italy. 1980.

I crawled out of my mom's vagina with the soul of someone who died approximately 15 months earlier. Shortly after this, I started drawing. I did this to distract myself from whatever else was going on, usually school. There was this one time in class, early grades, a girl sitting in front of me turned around and suggested that I colored all in the same direction. I ignored her. She repeated herself, with a bit of a snide and scoldish attitude. I remained steadfast in my resolve.

30 years later, my drawings are still a bit shaky. But that's ok, cuz I like them.

However, that's not to say she's wrong or right. Should or not should not be ignored. I just felt that things like art are to be explored in any way possible. And particularly from one's point-of-view. Obviously, to not be affected by outside sources is impossible. So learn what's to learn. Keep what works. Invent the rest.

Basically, this is how my elementary age avatar should have replied. “Coloring all in one direction is a choice of aesthetics that I do not care to employ. I thank you for your input, but I think I will meander instead and see where that will lead me.”

So here I am thus far,

Alan J

Virginia Beach, Virginia. 2012.