Recently in Chris Leavens Category

Dutifully irrigating the desert landscape.

(Inspired by a recent backpacking trip to the lands of the Havasupai people).

Vector art (Adobe Illustrator CS5), 2010.
Prints available!

(Detail images after the jump)

My latest piece, created for the first edition of Colorvision Magazine!

Vector Art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Here's my 2009 Christmas card design:

The inside reads:

"The only gift Francine the reindeer wanted for Christmas was the one no one would give him: a new name."

I'll have a few extras, so if you're interested in purchasing a set, just post a comment!

Here's a new piece I finished for the upcoming BloodSweatVector art show at the West Berlin Gallery in Berlin, Germany. The show runs from November 12 -> December 12. More info!

Also, if you've got a moment, check out my interview with Colorvision Magazine!

Vector Art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints will be available after the show starts.

Here's a piece I finished recently for the magazine Belio. Enjoy!

Vector Art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

First I went on vacation. Then the largest wildfire in the history of Los Angeles came within 2,000 feet of our house. After the fire cleared up, I got violently ill! Finally, finally, things normalized and today I had time to finish this piece. Hope you enjoy it! Detail images after the jump.

Vector Art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

I found a spot in the woods where things just sort of happen.

I've been working on this one for a long time! Detail images after the jump.

Vector Art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

Earlier this year, Argentinean art magazine Göoo invited me to create a two-page spread for the newest issue, #7, Witchcraft. It's been printed and announced, so here's the artwork I submitted. You'll have to piece together how this relates to witchcraft.

If you're interested, I'll let you know where to pick up a copy when they're available via retail. The other art included in the magazine is awesome, so it's definitely worthwhile. Just let me know.

I put this illustration together exclusively for an upcoming show at a gallery here in the Los Angeles area called Hibbleton. Prints will only be available to folks who attend the show. It would be great to see some of you there.

Show info!

For detailed close-ups of the image, see below.

Vector art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

No one knows for sure
what happens in the thicket.

Vector Art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

The impossibility of the journey was only trumped by its staggering strangeness.

This one took me a long, long time. I experimented with some new patterns, textures, and ideas. Hopefully it all works.

Vector Art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

Apologies for the lack of communications, I've been INCREDIBLY busy lately.

Here we have a collaboration between the great Roctopus and myself. It was great working with the Roctopus, and I think the results speak for themselves!

More Roctopus: roctopus.net

Also, keep your eyes peeled for a Roctopus tutorial coming to vectortuts.

I've got a few illustrations that I'll be posting soon, I'm just waiting for the OK as one's set to be published.

More to come!

Vector Art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Rhyolite, NV, a ghost town just northeast of Death Valley.

The intricacies of organizing an impromptu concert evaporate in the hands of mystical cyclopes. (Illustration Friday, topic: intricate)

I guess by this point, my love for the color orange is no secret. I've loved it ever since I can remember being able to like anything. Weird. Close-up detail images after the jump.

Vector Art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

A broken, breezy world under repair (Illustration Friday, topic: breezy).

I put a lot of time into this one and I feel pretty good about it. Hope all the work shows.

Vector Art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

Detail images after the jump.

Time to celebrate. (Illustration Friday, topic: celebrate)

I started this one with something much more peaceful in mind, but this is what came out. This is the way my mind seems to work this time of year. I listened to the Wildbirds and Peacedrums album repeatedly while creating this one. Great music to work to.

For those of you in the Los Angeles area, my work will be on display this Saturday (Feb. 21, 2009) at the Flintridge Bookstore in La Canada. A bunch of my older pieces have been on display there since last June, but this show's a bit different as I'll be discussing my work, showing new stuff, and offering up a free print as part of an art-show raffle. Hope to see you there.

Vector art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

From time to time, I draw people. And spatulas. (Illustration Friday, topic: time)

Vector art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

Double whammy: flawed in construction and location. (Illustration Friday, topic: flawed)

Vector art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

Climbing out of my hiatus (Illustration Friday, topic: climbing):

As many of you are aware, things have been pretty busy for me lately. Now that we're finally semi-settled into our new home, I'll be creating new artwork again. For you locals, looks like my work will be featured in two -- yes two -- art shows in February. More details to come.

Vector art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

These birds are strikingly similar to birds I've created in the past... (Illustration Friday, topic: similar)

A little music always helps.

Vector art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

My wife and I begin the process of moving into our first house this week, so if I seem a little more quiet than usual, that's the reason.

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

Here's a monster I created for Studioaiko's awesome monster party. I dropped in a background for kicks.

Vector art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

And soon the smoke beast began to expand like a balloon, scaring every ounce of bejesus out of the house-hungry cyclops. (Illustration Friday, topic: balloon)

I actually finished this illustration about a week and a half ago, but I'm posting it now to correspond with the publish date of a tutorial I was hired to write for the website Vectortuts. If you're really interested in vector illustration and you're looking to learn a bit more about my process, check it out. I will warn you, however, that it's a members-only tutorial and you'll have to pay to play.

Here's the link, in case you missed it: vectortuts.com/articles/news/new-vectortuts-plus-tut-create-whimsical-artwork-entirely-in-adobe-illustrator/

Vector Illustration, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

I'm of the opinion that working for a boss is not a good thing. (Illustration Friday, topic: opinion)

I've decided to draw people again. I guess they're sort of people. Another illustration is on the way really soon.

Vector art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

If folks keep losing their lunches, the whole town will be vacant. (Illustration Friday, topic: vacant)

I don't normally draw people, so I decided to go for it this week. I think they turned out OK.

Apologies if I've been quiet recently. My wife and I have found a house and we've been busily tackling the required bureaucracy. In other news, I'm pleased to report that there's a little Leavens on the way. That's right -- Adriana's pregnant. Come May, a baby Unloosenite will be among us.

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

Vector art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

Here's my take on Halloween. After the beasts have feasted, repairs will be necessary. (Illustration Friday, topic: repair)

I get a little sick of all of the gore and blood associated with Halloween. Otherworldly monsters who eat your plants are scary, too, right?

Also, if you're looking for other Halloween-related stuff, Unloosen-style, check out the fiction section. Craig J. Clark and Joe Blevins have been offering up great, twisted horror stories all month and they'll each be delivering two more just in time for this Friday. This is seriously good stuff, not to be missed.

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

Vector art, Adobe Illustrator CS4

I meant to post this last week, but my wife and I are trying to buy a house, so I've been a bit busy. Better late than never, right? (Illustration Friday, topic: late)

This is my 2008 Christmas card design. I'll be printing off 250 of these. If anyone's interested, I'll be offering them for sale in packs of five and ten. The cards are standard, 5 inch by 7 inch size and they're professionally printed on thick, glossy card stock.

5 cards will cost US $11, shipping included for US and Canadian residents. 10 cards will be US $20, shipping included for US and Canadian residents. Sorry, I'll have to charge extra for people in other countries. Just post a comment if you're interested and I'll email ordering info. I'll probably be posting some PayPal links/buttons within the next week.

Also, in case you missed it, I was interviewed recently by the awesome vector illustration website Vectips. CHECK IT OUT! Also, big thanks to Bella Sinclair for mentioning me in her list of seven artists on the web she admires. She's quite an artist herself.

Vector Illustration, Adobe Illustrator CS3 and CS4

A tall beast packed with all types of power. (Illustration Friday, topic: packed)

I'm pretty happy with this one.

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

An Internet/illustration friend I met through Flickr, Goobeetsa, is collecting artist trading cards depicting scenes from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," so I decided to take a crack at it. This is chapter 5 of the story.

Quite an odd clique the characters in this story make, eh? (Illustration Friday, topic: clique)

Vector Art, Adobe Illustrator CS3

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

The inside of his mouth was like an island, storms and all. (Illustration Friday, topic: island)

Vector Art, Adobe Illustrator.

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

Just removing some of the clutter that builds up in my mind (Illustration Friday, topic: clutter). This one's probably best viewed in its larger form (click this one for that one).

This one took me a while. I'm VERY tired now.

100% vectors.

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

Some try to keep memories alive while others seek rest. (Illustration Friday, topic: memories)

If the dark tones in this one blend to much together, please let me know. My LCD, although very good, sometimes shows more separation in darker tones than CRTs and prints.

Speaking of memories, while working on this I was listening to a great new album called "Sahara Swing" by Karl Hector and the Malcouns. It's basically a bunch of Germans playing Afrobeat (think Krautrock meets Fela Kuti). Made me think of one of my favorite bands, Can. So I listened to Can's "Soon Over Babaluma." It was good.

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

**NOTE** I'm in the midst of a major behind-the-scenes site overhaul, so if your comments don't show up right away, don't worry, they still made it through.

My parents were in town, so my normal routine was interrupted, hence the delay. (Illustration Friday, topic: routine)

Acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20"

So many things to detach, so little time. (Illustration Friday, topic: detach)

The textures in this one almost brought my computer to its knees. Also, if you're ever wondering which Mouse on Mars CD is best to rock while working, I'd suggest Glam.

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

Sailing through the air to meet some "friends." (Illustration Friday, topic: sail)

Feeling better about this painting than the last one.

Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 30"

I intended to draw a moose and poof, it turned into this (Illustration Friday, topic: poof!).

In all honesty this is the best I've felt about anything I've done in weeks. It's also one of the most complicated vector pieces I've done in a while. If anyone's interested, here's a breakdown of the process.

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

Having grown tired of canned fruit, the King decided to sup upon something fresher (Illustration Friday, topic: canned).

For those who are keeping score, this is the 500th Unloosen post. Thanks for sticking around.

Acrylic on canvas.

One fish monster is never enough. (Illustration Friday, topic: enough)

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

In PA, Adriana and I visited DHL, who decided to dress conservatively for the occassion:

Adriana partook in the good Doctor's Drank (thanks, Ed) sipping ritual, effectively "slowing his roll:"

We watched and laughed as dr. SATAN, who lives a few houses down from DHL, mowed his lawn. Lunchbox of Blood showed us their instruments of terror, talked about playing them, and then fed us hamburgers. It was good.

For my 25th birthday, I received a female mannequin torso. It was a group effort and the culprits included Wargo, Kendall, and Jack. This was back in the glory days when both Wargo and Kendall were still existing in LA. Seven years have past and I finally feel like I've done the mannequin some justice. Here she is (click on the little photos for the big ones):

Admittedly, my painting skills are a little rusty and it shows in my technique. There's more painting stuff planned for the near future, so a remedy called practice may cure my ills.

Acrylics on mannequin.

DHL and some other east-central PA guys have started a pop group called Lunchbox of Blood. They sound a lot like Air Supply, only louder, noisier, and drunker. After an 84-groupie escapade, DHL asked me to come up with some artwork, something that would depict the "smooth, dentist-office calm that is L.O.B." (his words, not mine). Minus the text elements, this be where I'm at:

I don't know if it's AM radio enough for them.

Siamese monster squirrels contemplate the power of the all-knowing acorn. (please help me come up with a punchline for this one -- Illustration Friday, topic: punchline)

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

On Thursday, Adriana and I set off for a relaxing vacation in bucolic east-central Pennsylvania. If you're going to be in the area or you are in the area, let me know and we will collude, drink beverages, and make fun of mustaches. DHL, I expect a basement concert and I'll be bringing prototypes of your logo. Sorry, no truck burritos.

In the forgotten days of monster birds, offspring were sprung from head trees. (Illustration Friday, topic: forgotten)

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

I'm actually pretty psyched about this one.

Nor do I usually draw baby noses. (Illustration Friday, topic: baby)

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

When your home is overrun by orange and yellow vines and vegetative cyclopes, it's time to worry. (Illustration Friday, topic: worry)

I put a little extra work into this one, hope it shows. Now the tired is setting in heavily.

On an Adobe Illustrator-related tech note, I've found the root of my computer's slowness when confronted with complex images. It's all tied to the thumbnail previews in the layers pallet. After each new item is drawn, it's redrawn in the layers pallet. If I hide the layers pallet momentarily while working on complex images, the slowness disappears. This is a minor nuisance for me because I like to keep the layers pallet exposed all the time -- I use lots of layers (I like my files to be somewhat organized). But I guess if it helps me to put off dropping 2.5 Gs on a new computer, I'll deal with it for now.

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

The large-footed bird strode along happily in his new extra-wide loafers he picked up at the factory outlet store in Camarillo. (Illustration Friday, topic: wide)

I'm super busy this week, so I figured I'd just throw together a VERY quick ink & paper drawing this time around. It's too bad, because I'm in the planning stages for a piece that would've fit this topic perfectly.

So what's keeping me so busy? Tonight, I'm taking part in a group art show in downtown LA, so I've been prepping for the show for the last couple weeks, putting together promo materials, carting prints to the show location, and updating my portfolio site, which isn't quite done, but it's definitely informative enough and functional.

Two sky arms develop the land, ironing away the mountains and electrically binding buildings to the flattened earth. (Illustration Friday, topic: electricity)

I'm really not sure about this one. I had to finish it on my 12" iBook G4 because Adriana and I went out of town this weekend. The colors on the iBook are really hard to gauge. Creating something like this on a computer of this caliber is a brand of masochism I'm not eager to soon repeat. I'll probably go back in and fix it when I'm on my home computer.

The seemingly endless parade of oblivious birds chomping his brethren had planted enough seeds of resent, anger, and hatred to animate the building. (Illustration Friday, topic: seed)

I've been invited to display some of my work at a group show here in Los Angeles on May 17, so I've been busy preparing (hence the lateness of this post). If you live out here, or you're going to be in the area and want to check out the show, feel free to email me for more details: chris[type at symbol]unloosen.com

And yes, as one might imagine, I was really, really tempted (in a heavy sort of way) to use this topic as an excuse to draw multiple Neils from The Young Ones, but I found restraint.

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

This is what a close-up view of the wrinkles on my brain looks like (Illustration Friday, topic: wrinkles).

OK, I admit it, this has almost nothing to do with wrinkles, but this is what I was working on.

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

The peaceful mountain instinctually regressed to a more primitive state when it literally blew its top. Oh, and that's lava, not blood. (Illustration Friday, theme: primitive)

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com

Yet again, the mountain failed to read the label on the eggs he was eating. Sickness and a multitude of pink, large-footed birds followed in the wake of his gluttony. (Illustration Friday, theme: fail)

I wasn't sure I'd be able to tackle this project as my wife had an unforeseen medical emergency which put her in the hospital overnight earlier this week. Luckily, she's OK.

Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com/Monsters

One of the many reasons to save water is because you never know when the rare, but dangerous saguaro tortoise will stop by to slurp up your reservoir or swimming pool. (Illustration Friday, theme: save)

I spent a little more time on this than usual, adding in a lot of texture details. Near the end, the computer became almost unworkable because of all the vectors and feathered paths (not like means anything to most people, but oh well).

Enjoy, or not if that suits you. Purchase a print of this for your favorite uncle by clicking here.

So he decided to pay homage to his town-stomping ancestors by hanging a picture in an appropriate location. (Illustration Friday -- theme: homage)

For the past few weeks, I've started drawings that coincidentally fit the IF weekly theme. Strange.

Prints available via Imagekind, if anyone feels inclined to add this to their wall or office/cubicle space.

Adriana and I are in New Mexico for the week. Today in Albuquerque, we saw this:

An entire telephone pole covered in womens' shoes. This is how one "rolls" in the ABQ, which was once described to me as a giant Kingman. If you've been to Kingman, AZ, you realize that isn't exactly a compliment. Luckily for New Mexico's biggest, it's not really an accurate description. But I digress. The home this pole o' pumps sat next to was a hodge-podge of makeshift metal sculptures, cacti, and old crap. We found it after I took a wrong turn. Hooray for wrong turns.

Don't you hate it when trees split your local office buildings in two? Don't you hate it when giant birds come to roost in your previously-respectable centers of business and commerce? And how about when said birds chomp your car? These are my pet peeves. (Illustration Friday -- theme: pet peeves)

You will probably best served viewing the larger image, which can be acquired by clicking this image:

Enjoy (or not, if you please)! Available, along with other drawings smithed by me, at my Imagekind store.

Just a quick one off:

After I finished the last whale (Heavy), I had an idea for a totally different whale. I didn't want to spend a whole pile of time on it, so I kept it pretty simple.

Heavy the Whale has fallen ill. Illustration Friday; theme="heavy."

I started this one before I saw the theme of the week, but I think it fits. Giant flying whale=heavy. A city feeling the hapless wrath of his influenza=heavy.

Created in Adobe Illustrator CS3.

Heavy the Whale is available for purchase via my Imagekind store.

Another Illustration Friday submission (the theme is garden) and a new illustration:

I've decided to commit myself to one illustration a week indefinitely. I've uploaded this one to my Imagekind store, so it's available for purchase if anyone's interested.

Three faces will be found if the observer is diligent:

All trickery done in camera, no Photoshopping.

Merry Christmas:

This is the artwork that ended up on my Christmas card this year. Enjoy Christmas and kick all of those politically-correct "happy holidays" dweebs in the shins for me.

Back story: Adriana and I were in Sonoma, CA for part of our honeymoon. A frequent conversational theme of our wedding was taco trucks and the delicious food they spawn, so when we read about a special Jesus taco truck in and around Sonoma, we decided to track it down. I can confirm its existence because I spotted it on the move while I was driving, but sadly, there's no photographic proof. As a sort of consolation prize, however, I'm posting a photo of Jesus truck's market and spiritual rival, the taco truck belonging to the pagan wizard gang known as "Los Magos." Note the artist's depiction of the wizard magically infusing his foodstuffs with indigestion.

Dedicated to the good Dr. Lunch.

*Trigger technically pulled by Adriana.

Well, this is it, the very last illustration for IAD 2007:

My stab at Halloween. I wanted to go for a different, sadder kind of scary. As with a few others this month, I really wish I had more time to smooth out the wrinkles, but the message I want to convey is there.

Medium: AI CS3

This was a quick one, but I packed it with a little extra absurdity:

One more to go.

Medium: AI CS3

This is an idea I've had stored in my brain for a long time. I was originally going to paint it, but it seemed to lend itself to IAD:

Medium: AI CS3

Medium: AI CS3

IAD nearly ended tonight as I was drawing this one:

Popping this one out was a psychological and creative struggle. The project is beginning to push me to the limit, mostly because of sleep deprivation.

Medium: AI CS3

My head feels like scrambled eggs. The 26th installment of Illustration a Day follows the colon:

Medium: AI CS3

I guess technically, it's stealing tree, because a bit of duplication was employed. More than likely, I'll revisit this one after the month breaks -- I'd love to give it a little more time and attention.

143 points to the first person who notices the very thinly-veiled homage to an eminent surrealist.

Medium: AI CS3

A quick one, a bit darker and simpler than usual:

Medium: AI CS3

Near, far. Near, far. I guess I like the whole "wide-angle" dynamic.

Medium: AI CS3

Titles are a bit of an afterthought, if it wasn't obvious already.

This one took a lot longer than I intended.

Medium: AI CS3

IAD 11, Open, was a quick sketch finished within a few minutes. I liked the idea and wanted to give it the full Adobe Illustrator treatment:

Although I'm pleased with the results from an artistic standpoint, I can't say it's one of my favorites. But I'm sure, just like the one with the pipes, a bunch of people will like it.

Here's another Illustration a Day entry. Only eleven to go.

I guess it's no secret that I'm a big fan of modernist illustration, specifically cartoon-type illustration. I try not to be too derivative, but I realize that I probably come pretty close to betraying my influences sometimes.

Medium: AI CS3

This one's dedicated to Dungeon Master Wargo:

Icosahedron, give me resolve.

Complimentary colors make-um file huge, even after chief's compression ceremony:

Medium: AI CS3 (again)

"The box! I choose the box!"

"OK, let's see what's in the box."

(A few of you know what comes next.)

Medium: AI CS3

Given a little extra time, I think this one could be even better. Click on it to see the bigger version; for this one, it's quite necessary:

But this is illustration a day. I'll have to make the changes and post it during illustration as you please.

Medium: AI CS3 (Adobe Illustrator CS3, for those of you who may have forgotten.)

A bit of a Mr. Chompins redux:

Mr. Chompins, you see, takes to the nighttime skies in pursuit of misbehaving, disrespectful children, whom he eats.

Medium: AI CS3

Illustration a day continues with BANINJA.

Textures: PS CS3
Illustration: AI CS3

Request filled:

I didn't comply 100% with Alex's original request ("I request a picture of an astronaut with space-rockets lined up for launch behind him, and behind them, a blue sky. The astronaut should also be holding a fresh, hot pie of some sort. Maybe there should be bikini-clad graduate students reflected in his visor, washing an official NASA pie truck."), but I dare say I improved on it. You be the judge.

Medium: AI CS3 (but of course!)

More (click it to see the biggun'):

Medium: AI CS3

When I was in Thailand a few years ago, I ran across a mural detailing the Ramakien, a mythology imported from India. Part of the mural depicts a scene in which one of the heroic characters (Hanuman, I think) expands his own head until it is the size of a building. He does this to disguise himself. People walk into his mouth and they don't realize it's alive. This idea has become a minor obsession of mine over the years. I started drawing a stream-of-consciousness piece and it crept in (or out, or whatever) again:

Medium: Pencil (Dixon Ticonderoga!) and Paper

Another in the style of Feeshes:

Textures: PS CS3
Medium: AI CS3

I don't know why I keep going back to themes of oral hygiene; I've got good teeth and I've never feared the dentist. Maybe Dental Mania has indeed taken hold.

Medium: AI CS3

Media: Photoshop CS3 & AI CS3

Medium: AI CS3

Ironic utensils should be the required desktop background images on every computer.

"No way!?" says ye.

"WAY!" I exclaim, "So way!"

Medium: AI CS3
Available in other sizes and desktop-background-friendly dimensions upon request.

I had this idea... a forest made of all metal scraps. So I started drawing this tree and it ended up being a torturous mess. The effect I created to give the pipes dimension, in cooperation with a light drop shadow (for depth) crashed my computer about a dozen times. So I wrapped this one up and called it quits.

To be entirely honest, it doesn't fit into what I normally like to do, but here it is anyway, my very own Maxwell's Silver Hammer.

Medium: AI CS3
Text added for feeling.

Medium: Pencil & Paper

Illustration a Day continues with...

Medium: AI CS3

Any requests?

Media: Pencil & Paper/AI CS3

October is here, which means the second annual Unloosen Awareness Month is also here. This year, to celebrate the awareness, I've decided to post a new illustration every day for the next 31 days. I figured I might as well start things off right, so here goes:

Medium: Adobe Illustrator CS3

"...and then I ponder again the loneliness of the office supplies department."

I wonder... did China strike a deal with the Georgia Department of Agriculture?

These dolls stood behind glass in an old mission museum in San Juan Bautista, CA. Unfortunately I couldn't get a better angle on it, but yes, that is a skull she's stepping on. Seemed like a good one for Friday the 13th.

San Francisco. Chinatown. Normal?

Maybe he's talking to The Gracklecleaver?

Spring into summer in this season's hottest attire, only at Target.

Above: Alex models the freshest warm-weather fashions.

This is the final official installment of my Western Avenue photo series. I may post a collection of odds and ends, but this is the last of the good ones.

Taco must be proud of his fine patio. Although the patio isn't really shaped like the twelfth letter of the alphabet, but its tortilla-wrapped goodies do its namesake justice.

Schwarzes und Weiß!

I'm not, nor do I think I ever will be a fan of tags or taggers, but this one accidentally turned out OK. Once a mural depicting the streets of Los Angeles, this slab of concrete has become a canvas for numerous graffiti "artists" who've scrawled everything from their signature scribbles to new buildings on the multi-colored wall. Only a few bits of the original art remain. I liked this particular portion because it looks like the bus is escaping the choke of graffiti closing in on it. And the police are courageously driving full-speed into vandalism's neon maw. GO 5-0!

Even greater wonders lay beyond those windows. If only I had remembered my polarizer that day.

Note the clever reappropriation of letters.

I'm back from Hawaii, so I'm continuing the Western Ave. series with this gem. I'm not really sure what this store's called or what it sells because my Korean's a bit rusty, but I found the shop and its resident Kong entertaining, so here it is.

Adriana and I are in Hawaii right now, Oahu, to be exact. We ate at a Hawaiian restaurant today and we tried poi. To quote our waiter, "It tastes kinda like glue. I like it."

This one doesn't fit the absurd/funny profile so much (well, at all), but I liked the way it came out so I'm plopping it up here as an intermediary step between some of the other Western Ave. photos.

Western Ave. is big mix of architectural styles, but one aspect of L.A.'s premiere tenets of urban design reigns this mighty slab of asphalt: a perpetual cycle of tearing down and rebuilding with almost no regard for history or preservation. In Los Angeles, "new" is always the new black.

Western Avenue spans a good north-to-south swath of Los Angeles and along the way samples the city's mish-mash of culture, high and low. Botanica Amazonica sits on the northern edge of L.A.'s Korea Town in a transitional area populated by a mix of mostly Latinos and, of course, Koreans.

I highly suggest you click the above photo and view the larger one for greatest impact.

These are probably the last of the Chinese New Year photos I'll post this year. This was one of multiple "Miss Photogenic" winners participating in the parade. I have no idea what makes them Miss Photogenics and I'm not sure why all the Miss Photogenics were Asian, but they were.

I was pretty happy with this trio of photos, but I can't choose a favorite. There's something about each one that works. Which one is best in your book? Do they all blow the solar winds? Click below and let your inner judge guide you.

Click the photo for size and impact. Flame on!

Never steal a mullet-wearing warrior's I.C. Lite.

I consider myself a fairly open-minded person, but when I have children I will consistently discourage them from choosing lives as a clowns.

He thinks he can fly.

Two posts in one day! It's been a while since last I posted, but things have been busy. Here, for your enjoyment is the result of an experiment with the new flash I bought for my camera. Scary stuff, indeed.

Last weekend, I revisited one of my favorite hiking trails for the first time in nearly five years. Along the trail, nestled in a canyon, are the remnants of a World-War-II era "settlement for German Americans." It was a completely self-sustained community with stables, gardens, and a power generation facility. After these National "Bocialists" moved out, it became a commune. Now it's just a rotting, mangled mess that seems to attract a never-ending parade of taggers. The above photo is a close-up of one of the steel beams that formed the walls. Click below for more metallic carnage, sans comments (I'm not feeling well today).

Red pirate mannequin? On what filth-ridden vessel does ye sail?

Complicated and untrue explanations aside, Ed, my girlfriend Adriana, mystery Unloosen writer, a red mannequin, and I met in Chicago. Good times were had, photos were taken. Some of those photos required an eye patch. Click below for the evidence.

Given the infamous nature of Chicago's Superdawg, I'm pretty sure the hell's been completely photographed out of these two demonic wieners. But I have a penchant for anthropomorphic food stuffs so I don't care.

The Nativity according to Syd Barrett.

Took my new camera and a new lens out for a test drive in downtown LA on Sunday and I felt compelled to stop into Mitsuwa, one of my all-time favorite supermarkets. Mitsuwa is a Japanese supermarket filled with excellent imports from the land of Godzilla. What does a young Japanese man do when he needs to impress the ladies? Why he colors his hair, of course. What does he use to color his hair?

It was a toss-up between this and another mens' hair dye called 'Gatsby.' Kind of makes our silly American 'Just for Men' formulas seem flaccid by comparison, doesn't it?

My girlfriend and I were doing a little Christmas shopping in LA's Chinatown when we chanced upon a street performance. Two men demonstrated both their Shaolin kungfu skills and their extraordinary pelvic might. Luckily, I had my camera.

Click any of the photos for a bigger version. Be sure to read on and view the rest because they only get better.

Click the amply-sized Henry above for an even bigger one.

Apologies for the lack of new material recently. I've been working on a longer-form story which may or may not appear here. More everything in the near future. Enjoy the holiday.

Here's one specifically for an old friend of mine, Jeff AKA Dr. Hot Lunch. This is not too far from his childhood home in east-central PA. Notice the care these cultured folks have put into the presentation of this "Metal Mementos" installation, meticulously constructed on their front yard. They deserve an NEA grant if nothing else. Keep making PA beautiful, lawn artists.

This was given to me as a birthday present a few years ago. It is a marvel of mangled English. Behold, the product of Chinese translation, design, and engineering:

Yes, in case you were wondering what class of vehicle this was, it is the ever-so desirable "Advanced Grade of Contest Model."

This bold illustration entices English-speaking youth everywhere to feel the power and luxury that is an Awning Car.

A little speck of the dark side shows through. Is this when he decided to slaughter children?

More of Gary Baseman's Tobies, this time scaling a wall.

These "Tobies" are a creation of an artist named Gary Baseman. They are currently on display at an art museum in Laguna Beach, CA.

Yeah, I don't know either.

I was visiting New York and I noticed that the Fryman had followed me. The Big Apple seems to have taken a bite out of him, however. He's now missing an arm, has a bunch of holes on his body, and there's a bunch of sticker residue on him. Poor Fryman.

There's nothing more inviting than a giant, frozen, vivisected pregnant woman in her third trimester.

Over the past few years, I've really become a fan of the exclamation point.

I wish couples at weddings got hit in the face with stuff more often. That would make weddings excellent.

As any of my friends can tell you, I am guilty of using the word 'awesome' in conversation with a frequency that should not be permitted by law (at least with concern to a 30-year-old man). This sight was truly awesome; I went on a hike north of Seattle in search of an area called the Big Four Ice Caves. What I found instead were avalanches. They sounded like thunder and looked like waterfalls of snow pouring off of the mountain. For a little bit of perspective, look at the pine tree in the foreground and then look at the little spiky 'hairs' on the mountain above the avalanche. Yep, those are more of the same pine trees.

This is in the part of Seattle that is underground. They raised the city up one story or so after poop geysers started gushing out of toilets due to "technical difficulties" (i.e. little forethought, laziness, and a complete lack of civil engineering).

There'll be a cool avalanche photo later this week.

Montano de Oro State Park in Los Osos, CA (central coast of CA).

When I was in Seattle, WA, I ran into this masochistic cone o' fries. I suspected he was made by the same sculptor/company that made Hot Dog Boy and I was later informed (by the fry man's owner) that I was correct.

I saw this statue at an old Spanish mission in San Juan Capistrano, CA. It depicts a priest "teaching" a scantily-clad native boy. Draw your own conclusions. If demand exists, I've got a few more shots from other angles.

Oh, the power of words.

What would the scary kids do if you did enter?

...

I just got back from another trip to Arizona (one of my favorite states) and I took a ton of photos. This one's definitely the strangest and most Unloose of the bunch, so here it be. There's just something about mannequins that makes them endlessly bizarre.

Dragons terrorize the helpless inhabitants of LA's Chinatown neighborhood and all this dude on the sidewalk can do is take pictures.

Sometimes camo is scary.

Something about this horse statue makes it seem a little more "special" than others. He resides in London Tower which is in London, this one city in England.

I realize this one's pretty far from the normal stuff I post here, but I really like it so here it is. It's from the Porsche room at the LA auto show.

I don't normally post photos of people here, but I couldn't resist this one. This is my friend Alex mugging for the camera (as usual) near the corn field in downtown LA.

A chunk of land in downtown LA was threatened by sprawl and dumpy buildings. Some people got upset, so they sought a solution. The solution? A woman/philanthropist said she'd save the land under one condition: that she be allowed to plant corn there. This is the honest-to-God truth.

Yet another photo from Scotland. This is in Edinburgh. It is a place where some Scots go to worship and pray and sometimes daydream and other times see what's the highest number they can count up to before they lose track of where they were in the grand scheme of numbers.

I've finally finished my friend's web site, so I'll be back to doing things Unloosen-like very soon. I'm also moving into a new apartment this weekend and I'll have an extra room in the apartment devoted to work (AKA an office) and a lady-type person around the house to make living a little easier in general.

This was in a town near a Loch (not of the Ness variety).

Even though I've been back for two months, I'm just now posting my Europe photos. Here's some urban decay from Glasgow, Scotland. Have you noticed that I like the urban decay?

Ok, I realize I've been absent for a while now, but I've got plenty of great excuses, one of which is another web site I'm working on for a friend's documentary. This is a picture I took in France in September.

Here's the deal: you know he's French, but what's the deal with this guy? My suggestion to spur site activity is to have people submit stories about this dude (fictional, unless you sold him the snazzy orange hat and know his true story). Ten Pork Pony t-shirts to the person with the best story. I'll pay postage. Please post the stories as entries, not as comments. Please reserve comments on this photo for commentary. Please. Please?

I just got back from a ten-day trip to Europe and I'm freaking tired. I saw this in a cemetery near Saint Paul, a walled village in southern France. I used a wide-angle lens and, as a result, this photo looks very "space."

I forgot to post this. I took it while I was in NYC in late June. The sticker on the post reads, "Artists Are Sissies." Obviously makes more of an impact when the photo's bigger.

I saw this sign in east central Pennsylvania and I was nonplussed. I still don't know what to say.

The Hope Cemetary in Barre, Vermont is home to one of the country's most interesting cemetaries. This is a favorite of mine, this man and his wife, a dreamy poof of smoke.

Curtis's Ribs in southern Vermont is a restaurant in a school bus. My guess is that this is Curtis, but I've been wrong before (once).

I'll be traveling until the 30th of June, so my site participation will be spotty until after the 4th of July. I'll probably post a few more photos soon.

An insatiable masochist, Hot Dog Boy wants to be eaten. I wonder if that crazy cannibal guy in Germany's still taking volunteers?

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I took this photo about a month ago in Chinatown, just north of downtown Los Angeles. It's a big rotating sign above a cake shop. The bluish-gray background is the sky.

During a recent trip to Arizona, I took this photo in a small town called Jerome. Perched atop a mountain, Jerome's an old mining town that's been taken over by artists and hippies. It's a place where restoration, decay, and conservation seem to coexist. This picture shows a few dying buildings near the edge of the very steep mountain.