Artwork ... 'Background'

'Background'

This is a simple painting. The title comes from what I have in store for this piece in the future. It will be the background behind another piece of art, perhaps several pieces of art. I have an idea for a series of paintings, which will be related to a serial novel I'm working, basically with a different painting appearing on each cover of the serialized story (which I'm planning to tell in five parts of about 20,000 words each). I wanted similar backgrounds for each painting, and then it occurred to me, why not have the same background for each. This is the modern age! Technology is at my fingertips! So, I've painted this image first and plan to combine it with my future paintings in Photoshop. Does this make sense to anyone but me? If not, it will once the finished products are presented, which might take some while as I've still a lot of writing and painting to do.

The feel I was going for here is kind of a mixture. I wanted to represent a deep, dark storm, but also sort of an old, tainted leather kind of look. I think I've pulled this off. My colors were green, red, orange, and just a hint of burnt sienna here and there; the mixture tends toward a dark browning with hints of the original colors here and there, which is what I had hoped would happen.

Also, I wanted to point out that the middle area of this piece is dark on purpose. That is the general area where other images/paintings will be placed.

Not my favorite piece, but I think it works.

Artwork ... 'Randall at the Tower'

'Randall at the Tower'

I will freely admit, I hate this painting. The perspective is way off, which is what I get for not drawing out at least a basic diagram in the first place. Then there's the fact the subject matter is far too expansive and complicated for the small, 11 X 14, canvass I was using.

If you can't tell, that white blob is supposed to be the back of a white cloak. The figure in the cloak is facing a door to a building. The detail needed, or at least the detail I wanted, should have involved a much larger canvas, one that would have allowed to add the detail I wanted. Such was not possible here.

But, I'm still learning and picking up things after years of not painting. I can chalk this one up to another lesson learned. I might revisit the subject matter one of these days with a larger canvas. Maybe.

The title and the image are of my Randall Tendbones character, a healer in my fantasy chronicles. Randall plies his trade, so to speak (technically he works for free), at one of two towers within the city of Bond. The healing tower where Randall works is actually not truly a tower, though the large building is round. I was trying to show a night image of Randall approaching one of the side entrances to the tower. I think I failed miserably.

However, I do kind of like what I did with all the bricks and stones in the wall, the slight texturing effect.

Artwork ... 'Metallics I'

'Metallics I'

This was really more of an experiment than what I think of as true artwork, even abstract art, meaning there was little intent behind it as far as content. I have some gold, bronze and silver paints which are fairly useless to me. I've been wondering what to do with these paints. Sometimes I can use them as filler, to stretch other colors a little, but the shine from these paints often disagrees with whatever I'm doing on the canvas. I find these metallic paints limiting in their use, and they don't really work as well as one might think for painting images of metal objects because their gloss tends to push the light in directions unwanted.

I've also been meaning to try painting with a palette or painting knife, something I had never done before. So, I figured I've got all these metal paints and I've got a painting knife I've never used. Walahh! What I came up with is the image you see above.

The reason this piece is titled "Metallics I" is because I have another idea for an image that will likely be called "Metallics II," whenever I get around to it. I still have quite a bit of these metal-colored paints, and while I don't necessarily want to deplete my complete supply in case I should ever need them (the bronze in particular comes in handy with darkening or browning of other paints), I still would like to use up more of what I've got.

As for using my painting knife, I found it an interesting experience, but I'm not sure it's something I actually want to try to paint with on a regular basis. It does really bring out some texture, and I hope that shows up in the image.

Also, now that I think about it, the randomness of this creation of mine might make it truly more abstract than any work I've ever done. Or maybe not. Maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part. Either way, it was a fun experiment.

Books read in 2012: No. 63 -- Shotgun

by Ed McBain

Started: July 23
Finished: July 25

Notes: I had not intended to read this novel anytime soon. In fact, until today I did not even own this novel. Earlier this year I had read quite a bit of Ed McBain, and I was starting to feel like I was burning out a little on him, so I had promised myself I would not read any more McBain for a good long while. Fast forward to today. For about six hours I was stuck without a vehicle today. I also had no computer, no Kindle, and no books. I rarely travel from home without at least two of those three items, but today I had planned only a short trip. That short trip turned into an all-day affair. So, without wheels and without anything to help keep myself occupied, I began to become quite anxious. Fortunately I spotted a used book store just a few blocks down the road. One decent walk later, after a few minutes of shelf perusal, I stumbled upon this particular McBain novel, one I would have gotten to eventually (as I will all the 87th Precinct novels I've yet to read). Better yet, the price was only a nickel. Yes, you read that correctly. A nickel. As in five cents. The old paperback is fairly beat up, but it's still definitely readable. So, despite my earlier unease, I soon found a McBain novel to help me spend what would have otherwise been a dreadful day. Even better, this novel is from 1969, one of the earlier 87th Precinct novels, which are usually my favorites because they are more to the point and have less personal drama for the characters.

Mini review: One of the things I like about McBain's 87th Precinct novels is that you never know what he is going to do in the end. Sometimes you know who the killer is, and sometimes not. Sometimes the killer is captured, sometimes gunned down, sometimes gets away free. Sometimes a killer gets away only to be caught several books later. Sometimes there isn't even a killer. Most of the endings aren't overly tricky. This one was a little tricky, but not too much. The book's title says it all, and the art image on the cover. I liked this one, but I usually do with McBain.

Two new e-books

That's right! I've got two new e-books available.

The Storm

The first is simply titled The Storm. It is a horror novel that has taken nearly 25 years to write. Yep, you read that correctly. This novel was my first attempt at writing a longer work. I started in 1989, got up to 70,000 words, then college and life intervened. Over the years I have tinkered with The Storm a little here and there, but only recently did I decide to finish the darn thing. For me, for my writing style, I still consider it a little rough, almost a little juvenile. It contains plot points and various other elements which I would not use or do today. While I rewrote and edited some of the those elements down or out altogether, I also left a number of them in so as not to totally do away with the voice my much younger self had once upon a time. I was tempted to start this novel over from scratch, but I didn't think I could do so. The story wouldn't be the same, nor would the characters or the environment. For another thing, the story takes place in 1987, and I am so removed from that time period that I had concerns I would bring a different viewpoint, and that was something I didn't want to change. Does the story work? Well, I'll admit it's not Shakespeare, but I'm glad to be finished with it and I think it's not bad. In the end, it's about 106,000 words total.

What is the plot?

As I mentioned, the events occur in 1987, though they are not specific to the time (other than technology such as cell phones and the Internet would have changed much of the plot). Also, mostly it takes place in the small Kentucky town of Coal Gap, which does not exist; Coal Gap is a fictional town, sort of like Stephen King did with Castle Rock, Maine, and numerous other little fictional towns he has created for his works. The story centers around 10-year-old Billy Griffith who has the power to move objects with his mind. A mysterious figure with the power to raise the dead knows of Billy's existence and heads to Kentucky to find the boy and to claim his powers, along the way gathering other killers and the walking dead. When this figure finally arrives in Coal Gap, all hell breaks loose. Billy is not without friends and companions, however, and they come to the boy's aid. Some will live, some will not. But nothing will ever be the same in the small town of Coal Gap, nor for Billy.

Sands of Time

This particular e-books is a collection of 16 short stories, some rather long and others quite short. The total package is about 76,000 words. Here there is fantasy of various shades, horror and even a couple of science fiction tales. But I have to offer a word of warning. Most of these stories have appeared elsewhere already, either in print or in e-books. I don't want someone to pay for something they've already read somewhere else, not unless they want to, and I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to pull the wool over their eyes.

So if these have seen publication elsewhere, why release them again? Because they are all connected by a singular figure, my John Dee character. That actually isn't his real name, and he goes by many different names at different times, but that is the name by which I think of him.

Dee is more than 2,000 years old and has roots in a minor Biblical character. He has many powers, what we would think of as magic, and he never seems to age or die.

This collection brings together all of the short stories I have written about Dee so far. I have been wanting to create such a collection for a while now, and only recently managed to have the time to put it together.

For those who will notice, the cover makes use of my painting titled 'Dee.' I went back and forth on whether or not my painting should take up the entire cover, but in the end I opted for what you see, though it's not impossible I could change my mind at some point and could then change the cover. Time will tell.

Regardless, I hope anyone who reads these stories will find something to enjoy. Even if only one reader likes only one of the stories, that is enough to make me happy. Though, of course, I hope for more. ;-)

Interviews break

Just to let anyone interested know, I'm taking a break from the author interviews for a while. This is no surprise to me as I had originally planned on the interviews only being a temporary run anyway.

That being said, I'm not opposed to further interviews, but am just taking a break from the weekly grind of dealing with them. If you are an author who would like to be interviewed, please feel free to contact me.

Another painting ... 'Dee'

'Dee'

This particular piece might seem somewhat or partially abstract, but it's not. The title comes from my John Dee character, an undying mage with Bibilical ties who appears in a number of my short stories, though I've not written anything including him for some while now (I will eventually, I'm just busy on other projects). Several of my stories with Dee have revolved around the Middle East, ancient and modern, so I often imagine him trudging through the deserts of that part of the world. This painting came from that notion. I intentionally made the dark figure of Dee on the right blurred to give it a look of a spell of sorts shielding him from view.

This was also the most simplistic painting I have done since taking up the brush again, but it is one of my favorites so far. I still show little talent, but perhaps I can get better with more experience. Also, though it does not appear well in the scanned image above, I made use of gold and bronze paints here to give a glinting, sort of mirage texture to some of the desert. I like this painting enough that I will be using it in part on an upcoming e-book cover.