Finished Fett

Okay folks, first off, Happy Holidays. I hope this chilly PNW evening finds you surrounded by loved ones and good food. It's important to have friends and I truly hope this holiday surrounds you with all sorts of good cheer and joy. I'm pretty joyful to call Boba Fett done. I have a shot here of the 'finished' piece. I have a couple small details to finish up, but this is it.

I think I'm happy with it though there are some things I would change about the process nextime I dive into more detailed works. I'm trying to get my details down to barely anything and even with the thinest brush in my arsenal it's still tough. Though all in all i'm pretty stoked on it. It's colorful, has decent comp, and it feels more dynamic than most of my art. Also, I wanted to give an update on the ski situation...all the snow we recieved a few weeks ago melted and currently were experiencing flooding here in certain parts of Washington. Course all this flood water used to be snow, but climate change is a hoax, right? In the last week or so the temps have fallen back down in the mountains and that's a big sigh of relief for the ski/board industry. I still have 2 more days of training but I wanted to let you know that I passed! Our 'try-outs' are now training clinics and yesterday was my last 7 hour training session on the mountain. It was an awesome experience that made me feel very, very old. The majority of the candidates are in their teens, and I'm turning 52 next month. We did recieve a storm that dropped some snow here a day or two ago so the mountain is slowly opening up, but we are literally inching along right now. Here are a couple shots of training from yesterday.

I am pretty proud of myself for getting certified and getting a job in the industry in my allotted time of 2 years. Another thing I learned in the training clinic from yesterday is that; I am not a great skiier. I have A LOT of work to do with particularly my hands. I was called out yesterday for having too much movement in my hands and arms. I thought I was incorporating style when in reality I'm compensating and using those pole plants not just to slow rotation in my upper body, but as a crutch. So i've been given the task of practicing for a while without my poles. I've been taken me back to my youth! they've taken my poles! Which I think is a great idea. I rely too much on them, but it was my AH!-HA! moment The good news is that my lower body mechanics are working well, but I should be able to complete the same manuevers even w/out my poles.

Anyway, my friends I leave you with this; It takes guts to learn something new and even though I have skiied my whole life i'm no where near where I would have considered myself up until yesterday. Even Jack (Pictured Below) Was told he didn't have the guts to do a keg stand....well.

Quick update; I have started the studies/sketches of my next piece. I have couple of shots from this morning. I wanted to do something easier than my last one...so I went werewolf.

Wax on, Wax off

Howdy, Well tomorrow is the start of try-outs at Mt. Spokane for ski school instructor. The process takes 4 days and spans 2 weeks. By the end they have who they want and cut who they don't. I'm excited to move forward with my certification and will be shooting fr a level two within the next couple of years. I also have a short vid of a new waxing technique I have adopted since moving to the colder region of the pacific northwest. First though let's take a look at Boba Fett, my current acrylic piece I've been plugging away on for the past couple of months. Here is a current shot of the piece as of this morning

I have been enjoying working on this one. I am learning a lot more with color mixing to add different depth and lighting to the armour. Yes, I still have to start his rifle but as I stated this one is going kinda slow. My sessions on this piece are about 30 mins to 1 hour at a time as there are quite a few details in the armor and lighting. This will probably be my last update on this piece then I will move on to the next adventure with art. I will say that I am glad I have art as an outlet. Sometimes life hands us a big old pile of crap and says 'enjoy.' When times are tough it feels great to be able to head into the studio and shut the world out for a while even if it is 30 minuets. America has lost it's color, literally. As a member of a federally recognized tribe it's sad to see the hate and destructive actions set fourth by our current administration. So, to escape into the studio means everything especially since I had nothing for so long. I don't ever take my talents or 'things' for granted. Never forget your roots. Okay! SKi talk time. I spent a couple hours yesterday waxing and tuning my Mindbenders for tomorrows start of tryouts. I have a short vid with a description of my newly adopted method. I pretty excited to be working on the mountain. I am also stoked to be learning something new. I have skiied my whole life. The last thing my father and I did together before having his heart attack was ski Mt. Reba (Bear Valley). I feel close to him when I ride the mountain. I know it probably sounds corny but it's true. This blog is also my journal. I have no kids to carry my story, so I guess leaving a blog as my testimony is as good as it gets for me, folks. I appreciate you reading my spillings. I will post my finshed Boba Fett piece as soon as it's done. I feel like I have another month or so, but we'll see. I will also take a couple shots from the mountain tomorrow and I can update with those from tryouts as well. Take care, and happy holidays.

Holiday Squeezin!

Here we go! we are now a couple weeks away from Thanksgiving and about six weeks from Christmas. I can't belive how it crept up on me this season. I've really had my hands full with the future jobs I have on my plate right now. It looks like I will be working/managing a local nursery in March of 26'. I'm pretty excited to be able to have somewhere to stretch my 'horticulture chops'...as it were. I stopped by for the interview a couple months ago and was pleasantly surprised with the cleanliness of the property as well as organization of the nursery. I think once things move forward a bit more I can post shots, and talk more about it. Until then though, let's talk riding! I also recently attended Mt. Spokane's Job fair. It was November first, and quite a few people turned out. I arrived just prior to 8 am, with the lot already filling up. I circled a few times, had a cuppa joe, and checked out the job sections. I applied as both an instructor level 1 and to work in the rental shop. I would like to gain a certification in mounting bindings, and increase my knowledge of 'fitting' gear for new students. I figure tuning, and fitting clients for classes is a good way to move forward. I should be getting my new mounted/ready Reckoners back this week sometime, and I can post a finished shot of those beauties. Okay! how is Boba Fett?! I'll tell ya. Actually, here is a short vid of the piece as of a couple hours ago. This piece (as most) has been a challenge for me. I'm trying to stay close to cannon with this, which of course has a lot of detail. I don't know how long this one will take as it seems to be taking quite a bit more reference and time than usual. Like I said in the video, I had to cover some of the piece up bcause I felt the colors weren't 'vibing'. Too many colors really, so we cover and try again. I just finished applying another coat of green to his armor, here is the most updated shot I have.

Next session I will start re-working his cape, and start adding laser holes/blemishes on his armor. I tell ya, painting in real life is exactly like using photoshop, it's all about layers. Of course there's no comparing painting to digital art but the layering effect works in both realms. I drove out to one of the local reservations this morning to get some dental work done and it was such a quiet beautiful drive I thought I'd pst a couple shots

Yes, some of the roads are still unpaved on the 'rez', but it's just one of the many reasons I enjoy being out there. We are too plugged in, and I am including myself here. I love video games, movies, and watching stupid fail vids. If we just look out the window insted of looking at our televisions, we invoke a sense of adventure. This is also a big reason I love being on the mountain and riding. I guess what I'm saying is; turn off your 'programs' and go outside once in a freakin while. Here is a shot of the actual facility.

Things sure are a bit quieter here than where I'm from. I enjoy that feeling of calm.