ArtForDorks.com

IHC Website X

I'm am so happy to have just completed the website for my new place of employment, the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center at UCSB. The amazing and talented Alejandro Casazi did the design and I did the development. I wrote in some cool features by tweaking Wordpress' provided functionality. For instance, on the events and funding paging, it will always show the most recent upcoming event and if there are no upcoming events, it will show the ones that recently passed. It sounds so simple but this little task saves me a world of time and is easy for anyone in the office to update. Now that I've automated it, I can focus on my actual job at the IHC, program and events assisting. Please take a look at the site (www.ihc.ucsb.edu) and come to some of the events!

Tusk Tusk Y'All X

Tusk Tusk : Paint on Wall : 15 x 8 feet? Let me start by saying how good it feels to have friends that like your stuff and let you do whatever you want to their property. I got a call from Chris on Saturday asking if I wanted to paint an "ugly yellow brick wall" before the opening of new motel called the Agave Inn. Chris feared that the guests who rented this suite would find that the aforementioned yellow brick view wouldn't match with the ultra-hip southwestern interior and wanted to paint a view for them instead. I said I was into the idea and drew up a few drafts. I personally liked the Walrus dude the best but I was fairly confident that they would pick one of the less left-field ideas I brought ( the other options were an octopus spelling Agave Inn with his tentacles and two old folks drinkin' margaritas...so maybe none of my ideas were "right-field"). I was stoked when Chris said the Walrus was his favorite too. He wanted the image to be totally random...and a totally random idea I delivered...zing! So, after a few hours painting a wall, a few failed attempts to describe what "tusk tusk" means, a few kids asking who the lady outside was and one free dinner later, the final result was delivered in time for the opening. So, if you stay in Room #8 at the Agave, you'll have a particularly random view. On top of that, if you leave through the back door, you'll be confronted by an over sized "HOWDY". Thanks again Chris and Kenny for encouraging my randomness.

TheFasterTimes.com X

I've signed on as a member of the "Faster" team as an aid for all things design and development. The project started a number of months ago and has since launched to a good start. I'm not quite sure whether to assign this to design or development because I've had a hand in both. I've added a few pages based on an existing design and moved elements here and there for increased functionality. Feel free to check out the site at www.thefastertimes.com

Very Jerry X

Jerry : Door Hanger for the Presidio Motel This is Jerry, any relation to Jerry Garcia is purely coincidental but encouraged. He's my 2nd of 3 door hangers I've drafted up for Chris and Kenny at the Presidio Motel. This is my ultra-hokey take on your traditional "do not disturb" sign, get it? Any who, Jerry will surely hang with you if you happen to make a trip over to Santa Barbara and stay at the Presidio, which is also encouraged. Enjoy!

Sea Snuggles X

Sea Snuggles : Acrylic and Accidental Bird Poop on Skateboard Greetings from under the sea everyone! I've been down here painting all of the scenery and you'll never guess what I've discovered! Under the big blue there's a major cuddle fest going on. Octopuses snuggling walruses, cuddle fish being themselves, sea urchin's playing cupid with their spines, you name it. In other news, this little skate I painted is soon to be up for auction to benefit the Montana Skatepark Association, I'll add a link to the online bidding once it's posted. I've been on a bit of a walrus kick lately and I've been trying to figure out how I've made the transition from elderly to walruses. There are some obvious similarities, they both wear glasses and prefer the cold arctic waters and sustain a diet based mostly in fish. How can you not make the connection? I left the board outside for a bit in order to let the spray enamel dry and, to my surprise, discovered later that a bird had so graciously left it's fecal matter atop my masterpiece. I'm no Dr. Doolittle, but I think this was some sort of bird "kudos". I do live near the sea, there's every chance it was a seagull in which case he was privy to the startling discovery I found at the bottom of the ocean and wanted to give me a little "wassup, we cool" in the form of an cloudy white blob. It's cleaned off okay, but the memory still remains.

Meet Russ X

Door Hanger Idea for Presidio Motel Meet Russ. His hobbies include high stress business deals, listening to Morrisey (hence carnation) and antique bear collecting. Quite a span of interests if you ask me, oh yes, and fish, Russ loves fish. Russ is the first of three characters that I'm creating to be the little "do not disturb signs" for the Presidio Motel. I'm not sure if he'll make the cut but I like him, we'll see. He'll hang off the knocker letting passerby's know the wishes of the rooms tenants. The other two characters are a Jerry Garcia type sheep dog and a bear who loves to read "Beary Potter." I'll keep posting as I finish each one.