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Welcome to my website!

 Hunt around and you will find art, an info/sales portal  for my Cuckoo comics and play, essays, a commissioned childrens’ book, and of course, pie! Scroll down for updates:

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to tech goblins or other demons, no matter what/whose computer I try, artwork can sometimes be displayed at itsy bitsy size. Sometimes. Then weeks later I can fix it. Or the artwork doesn’t show up at all. Some pictures get flipped around. Then they go right side up. Then they flip again.  ARGLE ARG!!  Please go to STREET ART and ART for  possibly better views!

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This year at Fremont Chalkfest I had to honor to chalk Arnie! And to tell people all about this 20?? yr old super mutt.

180 cm sq / 6' sq

Dream Big!

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Two quick aurora portraits! They’re very mysterious because the computer overlords are deigning to upload them upon whim and not request. I love this one:

Swooooooooooooosh!

And I’m experimenting with paper.

Poking the sky

Poking the sky

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Daly City Chalkfest was a tour of all the kinds of foggy drizzle…but what other chalkfest do you get to see a crew use a heat lance (? I think ) aka FIRE, to dry the pavement?! Equally unique, I made a portrait of Lady Bird, homage to a doggie extraordinaire;

Lady Bird

I slurp thee

That’s her real tongue!! Nothing is exaggerated, if anything, she’s more furry than this picture. And to see how damp it was, check out Sharyn Chan’s fine shot, taken maybe 30 minutes later:

SharynChan's LadyBird

Chalking in a windbreaker suits me! Protects from fog drizzle, slobber drizzle, and I’d rather be chilly than hot. Bring it, Daly City!

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For this portrait, the photographer – aka The Bomb Diggity – did WAY more work than I did! All she had to do was drive 250 miles to the ONLY HOLE IN THE CLOUDS IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF ALASKA, set up shop w/her camera, and then drive 250 miles back to our point of origin. I was there! The lot of us were hooting and hollering at the reds and purples and shapes. What a night!

Wow!

Wow!

Not shown is the road and our bundled-up caffeinated selves. But that green light was real !

The Bomb Diggity also bought the original! How cool is that. Here’s her photo:

'All Nighter in Greens and Purples'

‘All Nighter in Greens and Purples’

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Version 1 of this Swirly Aurora. Imagine seeing this in person! Wee bitty lighthouse and other goofy editing not included in the source photo and were my own bright idea ( TERRIBLE PUN )

Shine your light over me

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Oofda, it’s been too long! Due to Stuff Going On I haven’t been able to focus on chalk festivals and pastel art at home. Then I remembered aurora portraits;  they’re pretty quick! I can pop in and out! They don’t need polish, and Auroras send me to my happy place. So I set up an Aurora Portrait Station and ‘travel’ there when I can. Here’s two portraits so far;

Oooooooooeeeeee

Oooooooooeeeeee

Yes it’s rough and unfinished, but I love the Vibe.

Happy place

Happy place

 I want to live here, seriously!

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Luna Park Chalk Art Festival! This was in San Jose , California, within sight of Lick Observatory. So I figured it was time to bust out this:

I am privy to secret intel here

I am privy to super secret intel

If you know, you know. One day homage to Lick Observatory’s laser guide star system, and other universal facts. ‘Death Star Snail!’ shouted passersby. Also shoutout to Premiere One, a sponsor cool enough to endorse space snails.

And great live music to be seen and heard along our ‘Inspiring Artists’ row. I’ll be back!

Inspired to nap!

Inspired to nap dramatically!

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The beautiful ‘Thephalapod’ at Palo Alto Festival of the Arts!

Thephalapods haff eith armth

Thephalapods haff eith armth

It took about an Octopus’ amount of arms to pull this off; Octo-reference thanks to Jeanne Villepreux-Power, photo by Sharyn R. Chan , sponsorship from City National Bank, yummy food and drinks galore from Ada’s Cafe, Volunteers from the local Rotary Club, night time security, and Ukulele tunes via Sean Carter. And then there’s this;

EYE SEA YOU

EYE SEA YOU

Green messy fun!

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Public service announcement; This is NOT a BEE! What is it then? A praying mantis? A jumbo moth? I appreciate the love of bees, attentive people walking by, but no no no, it’s….

NOT A BEE! Photo thanks to Sharyn R. Chan!

Yooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuu light up myyyyy liiiiiiiiiiife

 It’s a firefly holding a lantern! The theme of Daly City’s Chalkfest was optimistically titled, ‘ Here Comes the Sun.’Great one day event with a loaded lineup of primo chalk artists, seriously. And pastries galore!  Super shoutout again to Sharyn R. Chan ( check out her art! ) for the photo!

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Rattlesnakes are all over Lick Observatory/Mt. Hamilton, so it was overdue to pay Homage to Rattlesnake. Since my Great Grandfather and family lived up there for 29 years, I wondered if any rattlesnake I see up there has had its ancestors encounter my ancestors….

All in the Family

All in the Family~ ~

The ‘black hole’ on the left is via a sun image from Great Grandfather’s 1922 Wallal eclipse expedition in Western Australia. That expedition was the final proof of Einstein’s theory of relativity. The  image in the middle is the sun taken with ultraviolet light, and the moon on the upper right was drawn from a moon picture taken at Lick.

In theory I’d have drawn allll the scales of Rattlesnake, but in that direction lies madness, so I settled for wee galaxy-style scales and bean-style scales instead. The entire layout was also drawn with extra-lighting speed; I’ve often wondered why I didn’t get the handy dandy ADHD hyperfocus, punted out Homage to Rattlesnake  layout in one morning, then realized EVERY early chalk morning is a hyperfocused  event ahhhh hahahahaha

2 hour post-hyperfocus nap was not taken exactly here

2 hour post-hyperfocus nap was not on this concrete

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Beloved Spice

my heart is here

my heart is here

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Our district – aka D4 – had a very contentious supervisor election which entailed all of us making a blarg choice one way or the other. At the last minute a godsend stepped up and announced his candidacy via my driveway. Into the breach storms a hero….LUCKY CAT!

Into the breach storms our hero

Meow and prosper

Okay not my finest work due to weather and other factors. But Lucky Cat was drawn during a huge event out front and virtually EVERYBODY agreed that Lucky Cat was the best possible choice for our neighborhood. He is absolutely everywhere out here. In businesses. In homes. In our hearts.

Unity at last!

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At Fremont’s 1 day Chalkfest I finally gave in to The Force and featured a giant donut. All day chalking in front of Krispy Kreme – might as well surrender. Sea Dragon, however, put up a fight;

* pew pew! *

* pew pew! *

Of course every chalker bought donuts this day. Special thanks to Clif Gold for the good photo!

Sunshine on Sea Creatures

Sunshine on Sea Creatures

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Palo Alto Festival of the Arts has returned! I pulled out the composition I was going to do in 2020; Sister Wendy in/as a Gustav Klimt painting;

She is a darling!

She is a darling!

This photo was taken by Sharyn R. Chan , who is a stupendous artist! And photos from above were a theme this year. Here’s a bird view thanks to Wayne Renshaw ( I think this link is his & Cheryl’s website, they are amazing )

View from Heaven

View from Heaven

My favorite audience comment came from a kid who walked by and quipped to his Dad, ” That’s creepy, but it’s pretty. ” Honestly that’s the coolest art critique I’ve ever had. Goal achieved! Thanks kid!

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Now I know what it’s like to chalk in a wind tunnel! Lick Observatory’s 2022 mural’s theme was the resurgence of Mt Hamilton’s wildlife after the 2020 SCU fire. There was so much I wanted to add; mountain lions, the infamous squirrels, rattlesnakes! But realistically I had to pare down the design choices. Bonus: red color  ( but not Ladybug ) and undercoat were made by 100 year old bricks home-made on site at Lick! Those bricks are festooned all over up there. Photo references via Laurie Hatch and Sean Carter:

*Wooooooooosh...!*

*Wooooooooosh…!*

With cosmic kindness the wind blew parallel to the sky trails, so it really was a collaboration. What can ya do but go with it! That said there were times when it was heating up and I was scrubbing the concrete with bricks that I questioned my life choices.

Kings of the Mountain

Kings of the Mountain

The lightning orb was from a photo Sean took of the storm that set off the CSU fire

Ka-BAM

Ka-BAM

Thanks to Lick Observatory for indulging me! Additional sponsorship thanks must go to Sean’s Rancho Relaxo, Ibuprofen, and Einstøk Porter.

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If I’m depressed I’m going to chalk mural Snoopy in a public place, because apparently Snoopy is a cosmic magnet for happiness. All ages and all walks of life came by and chatted the entire time I was at Daly City Chalkfest. This introvert had the best conversations – who knew!   I thought that almost nobody would ‘get’ it, the opposite was true. Here are two of my favorite things;

'Pew pew!'

‘Pew pew!’

Check out this kid’s pants!

Fashion forward!

Fashion forward!

Proud to say we get paid for these shenanigans

Ready for takeoff

Ready for takeoff

Here is a more professional shot, it’s amazing the difference between angles and cameras;

Thanks Sharyn R Chan for the photo!

Thanks Sharyn R Chan for the photo!

Is four pics of Snoopy overkill? Yes. Do I care? No! Auroras and Snoopy make my day. You can’t have enough. And once again the hero of the hour is Bjørn Jorgensen’s photo reference.

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Another Night Owl! I can’t get enough of this theme. Adorable owl photo reference via Lynn Leiterman!

Whoooey Whooo Whoooo!

Whoooey Whooo Whoooo!

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The Sun vintaged the Chalkfather portrait perfectly and thus a true icon was born:

Groovy Rainbow of the Heavens Forever

Groovy Rainbow of the Heavens Forever

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Living in California as an aurora addict can be tough. So can living in the modern world with tech problems. I’m bypassing both by posting two bad photos of good aurora portraits. Here’s two photo versions of the same painting. A difference in lighting changes so much!

I want to be here

I want to be here

I want to be here

Colors!

 

 

I am using super duper secret techniques to try to replicate these beauties. Here is another unjustified crap photo of a lovely aurora:

Weeeee!

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I met my soulful doppelgänger and she loves chasing owls. Woot!

Pastel on paper, 40/40 cm aka 16/16", all photo reference via Lynn Leiterman

Woooo Hoooo Hooooooooo Hoooooo Lynn Leiterman

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Chalkfather; Don of Our Chalk, Icon of Grooviness. Currently blessing all passersby via my driveway.

May the ROYGBIV bless you and keep you

May the ROYGBIV bless you and keep you

Holy Icon painting  blessing my driveway via master Fyodor Zubov!

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I’m not sure exactly what Frog is saying, but I’m sure it’s a marvelous story

More than Ribbit

More than Ribbit

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Vesterålen, my favorite place in the world! Not so happy with the clouds and the random rainbow glory colors, but hey the ‘hytte’ is finally on paper!

Rød Hytte

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Did you know that Great White Sharks spy hop?! Sharktoberfest ’21 was virtual this year, so here is how I festooned my back yard:

I look pettable

I look pettable

To view Sharktoberfest ’21, and to hear the true story of a shark encounter and more on this mural, click on any link I’ve marked in this sentence! To see me & and an eminent biologist give David Attenborough a run for his money, go to 2.27.30 for five minutes of TRUTH.

Extra special thanks to Hooligan for helping create this piece!

Land Shark

Land Shark

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If I’m legacy remembered for anything, it’ll unfortunately probably be immortalization as the Muppet Chalker. But dang it they have anatomy you can make up, which makes them ideal for  hurried chalk muraling . Daly City Chalk and Art Fest ’21 was my first post/sorta-post plague festival, and they did such a great job. Here is Gonzo in the, err, classical style;

Conquer! Pillage! Chickens!

Conquer! Pillage! Chickens!

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Another aurora portrait! This one truly had ‘happy little trees’ as I sorta panicked and mucked around with texturing. Squint and it works! ( Or do I need more powerful glasses )

pastel on paper

Happy Big Sky, Happy Little Trees

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The time came around to make this one

” Two boards upon cold powdered snow, yoh-ho! What more does a man need to know…”

 

Bjørn Jørgensen aurora photo reference again! I’m really grateful he gave me permission to use his pictures.

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Chance is really really really really good looking. That said, this picture is overwrought on purpose ( learning exercise ), but finally I painted fur that doesn’t look like sticks or scratchy hay.

Chance!

Every side is my best side

 

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Kristian Birkeland, with my imagination of his muses Huginn and Munnin. Of course the muses didn’t turn out so well on this one, but the aurora and portrait are okay!

A little bird told me

He was sitting in my backyard, staring right into my neighbor’s house. I wonder what they thought of the stare-off. Meanwhile, here’s the best version of the aurora colors! :

Oooo Aaaa Oooohhh

Oooo Aaaa Oooohhh

Photo references via Bjørn Jørgensen and Norwegian currency!

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No Exit; Living by the ocean in a wildfire climate change state. More fantastic photo references thanks to Andrea Izzotti and Noah Berger.

No Exit

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Earth turns to ash and water turns to air and the ground goes around. Pastel on paper, photo references from Elizabeth Vermilyea and Andrea Izzotti.

Neither rain nor snow

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Meet Jake! He and his partner Ms. Jones are the resident Super Ravens of Lick Observatory. This rainbow photo was taken by Sean Carter from the Observatory’s Main Building. To add to the universal mystery; shortly after I finished this piece, a tremendous wildfire tore all around and THROUGH the Observatory grounds. Jake and Ms. Jones fled, the Observatory buildings were miraculously saved, but all else is literal scorched earth. We thought Jake and Ms. Jones had fled for good.

To fly over the rainbow and back again

To fly over the rainbow and back again

To our delight, once the inferno had passed, the Super Ravens returned! This mountaintop scene will never look exactly the same once it grows back, when I look at this picture I wonder how much more Jake and Ms. Jones know than us.

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 2020 Vision for America; Make Great Cookies Again

Nothing to lose. Everything to gain.

Nothing to lose. Everything to gain.

This is how Cookie Monster’s ( ‘Me President!’ ) cabinet would fill out. Not pictured is Gonzo – he’s head of Secret Service. The wind was blasting the entire time I filled this campaign promise in my driveway, so it’s pretty slapdash. Still, I feel that Kermit aka Chief of Staff expresses the 2020 Zeitgeist perfectly:

Zeitgeist 2020

AAARRRRRRGGLEARRRGAARRRGLEAAAAA

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Huginn & Munnin, Thought & Memory. I didn’t think Huginn would turn out so well, so these ravens are pastel fiddly on non-pastel paper. Sorry Huginn, I didn’t mean to cut your tail off!

Huginn og Muninn

Bjørn Jørgensen again with the photo reference

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Kick covid a**! This piece was done for the virtual Denver Chalkfest:

Stay one Bruce Lee kick away from each another and wear a mask

Stay one Bruce Lee kick away from each another and wear a mask, dammit

Little known fact; I am the same height and weight as Bruce Lee. Beyond that there is, surprise, virtually NO resemblance. I think about this fact often while I’m squatting for hours on concrete and making ‘OOF!’ noises when I stand up. If Bruce Lee could do what he did…

I also like his outline version better than the final, so here it is!

Iconic

Iconic

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*AAAAAAAAA…* Angels singing:

The Bountiful Harvest

The Bountiful Harvest

Apparently the way I deal with current events is to spend hours and hours  chalking rice-a-’rooni’ on my driveway. Two birds flew overhead after I finished, and didn’t poop on it, which I’ll take as a sign that they approve. Or at least don’t disapprove.

rikelig.høstmedfugler

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My driveway has been proud to host this campaign announcement. 2020 VISION FOR AMERICA; MAKE GREAT COOKIES AGAIN:

Such an improvement!

Such an improvement!

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Feeding the addiction…Special thanks again  to Bjørn Jørgensen @ arcticphoto.no for the photo reference!

Pastel on paper, 9"/11", aurora reference courtesy of Bjørn Jorgensen

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Probably a bad idea to post art I’ve made with mountains in the foreground. Apparently that is not the way to go with me. But I like how the aurora turned out and yes it is from an actual photo reference!

Zzzzzzzap!

Zzzzzzzap!

I solemnly swear to never draw mountains in the foreground again…but do promise more auroras!

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Aurora portraits! These were quick(ish)ly done, hence no super photo. But tah-dah:

Vegg av portretter

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Sharktoberfest ’19 was a blustery blast, here we have a spiny dogshark and filetail catshark swimming around a basking shark.

Sharktober'19

It was so windy my gear was like an air foil unless I had 4 large rocks, two feet, and one hand on the easel at all times. Fortunately the wind was blowing towards me, it was kind of like eating chalk.

Once I got my stuff nailed down I managed a photo with the head honcho:

Adulting at its finest

Adulting at its finest

Why is this photo sideways?? Is it trying to swim? I’ll just claim we’re trying to play it cool like the dog and cat sharks. And here’s to next year’s Sharktoberfest!

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Here’s this year’s Palo Alto Festival of the Arts chalk piece. This lovely lass is an Akashinga Ranger, an all female anti-poaching unit based in Zimbabwe. The original image is by photographer Adrian Steirn, courtesy of IAPF and Akashinga, The Brave Ones.  For more information, please check out www.iapf.org/akashinga/

Complete with magical sunbeam

Bathed in a magical sunbeam

 

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Another chalk mural at Lick Observatory; The Hammer vs. The Feather / W.W. Campbell vs. Percival Lowell. They disagreed on whether there was water on Mars, so I put part of Lowell’s drawing of ‘canals’ and one of Lick’s Mars images in the center:

Lick'19

Lowell is upside-down because he was wrong! His style of science was more, hrm, imaginative and writerly, hence the feather. Campbell – my great grandfather – on the other hand, would gather LOTS of infallible data and then bludgeon his point ( correctly! ) home, hence the hammer. Turns out there was only a likelihood  of an insignificant amount water vapor on Mars.

Lowell

Lowell

To Lowell’s credit, he did create Lowell Observatory and postulate the existence of a planet behind Neptune. Turned out to be Pluto!

Drawing Great Grandfather in his place of employ for many years was intimidating to say the least. Here he is with the Mt. Whitney hut which he merely designed and made happen to collect data on Mars water vapor. No lengths too great to prove a point:

Accurate data doesn't lie

Accurate data doesn’t lie

And here’s another explanation:

Might need a telescope just to read this

You’ll need a telescope just to read this

Thank you Lick Observatory for this great opportunity!

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The name of my Denver Chalkfest piece is called, ‘The Rainmaker’, because, you know…

Ribbit Ribbit calling all Thunderboomers

Ribbit Ribbit calling all Thunderboomers

Pavement was probably too dry for Frog. After the FIRST rainstorm, I started taking a bazillion photos to document …anything. Here’s one with a fresh background and re-chalked-still-faded Froggie:

The Rainmaker; Squallus interruptus

Après deluge numero uno

Okay let’s try to finish before the next storm and get a good photo:

Great shot, Ansel Adams

Great shot, Ms Ansel Adams

Turns out that’s as good as it gets, on Sunday we got Thor’s Hammer again which turned all our work into phantoms:

Damp Sky Hopper

Damp Sky Hopper

Frogs need water, that much is clear. Even this little frog, though we met between the squalls. We got our leaping practice on:

RIB

RIB

BIT