Phew! I finally finished off these fellows for my show at Galerie Polaris opening on Saturday February 11, 2012. I will be attending the opening and will blog the trip to Paris. Brussels and Bruges will also be on the agenda as well. Should be hella fun!!

"Criss Cross", epoxy clay and acrylic paint, 12.5 x 6 x 4 inches, 2012

"Dumbo", epoxy clay and acrylic paint, 13.5 x 6.5 x 5 inches, 2012

"Tom Thumb", epoxy clay and acrylic paint, 12 x 4.5 x 4 inches, 2012

This fun event took place last Friday 1/20 at the Actual Cafe in Oakland. I love drawing with my peeps!

More clay detail and paint to come…

Still plugging away on these sculptures for my upcoming show at Galerie Polaris.

Elwyn Palmerton and Alison OK Frost

Elwyn Palmerton and Alison OK Frost have a nice show of drawings that are the result of a collaborative exchange over a period of time. Show runs through January 29th at MacArthur B. Arthur. Open Sundays 1 – 5 and by appointment.

Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
Really great guitar work along with initially disturbing vocals that grow on you like back hair.

M83 – Hurry Up We’re Dreaming
Resonates with folks who grew up on John Hughes movies.

Boris & Michio Kurihara – Rainbow
A lush mixture of songs and elaborate guitar jams.

Tune-Yards – Whokill
Merrill’s voice is really unique and her vocal layering and stripped down instrumentation is wonderfully dynamic.

Glen Campbell – Ghost on the Canvas
I especially love his version of GBV’s “Hold on Hope,” and “Wish You Were Here” brings tears to my eyes.

TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light
Can these guys do anything badly?

PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Beautifully crafted fits and starts.

The Antlers – Burst Apart
Creamy and dreamy.

James Blake – James Blake
Haunting!

Wolves in the Throne Room – Celestial Lineage
Post-Apocalyptic infinite carnage.

My TOP TEN beers for 2011. I have a couple of ties and yes, I do lean toward stouts…

Mikkeller 黑 / Black
Oil Black Stout with 17.5% ABV. Glorious and dangerous.

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast or Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel
Oatmeal Stout with coffee but BGBW has even richer Civet Cat Coffee.

Evil Twin Wet Dream
Brown IPA with Expresso. Super hops on top with a very bitter finish.

AleSmith Speedway Stout
A fine example of an Imperial Stout.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
A lovely, quite hoppy, IPA.

Russian River Supplication or Verhaeghe Duchesse De Bourgogne
Both nice Sour Ales, hard to choose.

St. Bernardus Abt 12
A lovely “go to” Belgian ale.

De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis (Hell & Damnation)
Very, very nice Imperial Stout.

Stillwater Stateside Saison
Beautiful Farmhouse Saison.

To Øl Black Ball Porter
Dark and a tad smoky but still round and a bit hoppy.

I used 12″ wooden manikins as armatures. I need the hips to be wider to accommodate the Magic Sculp I’m adding. Magic Sculp is a two-part epoxy clay that, once mixed, begins to harden. It’s got a two hour working time before it gets too stiff to apply.

Here are my fellows before “skinning.”

Bulking up the tops of these guys with some tinfoil and duct tape.

Hot-gluing the joints to maintain the pose.

Magic Sculp on the joints adds more structural integrity.

Increasing the footprint. Just keep there figures from toppling over.

The next day, the Magic Sculp is completely stiff. Time for a new layer of “skin.”

Adding some detail…

I need to take a couple of days break from these guys to work on another project. I will be back with another post early next week. It will give me some ideas about rendering the tops which I still haven’t resolved yet.