The art and musings of Arizona artist Jeff Curtis otherwise known and loved throughout the world as JEPHYR!
Copyright Notice
All images, photos, and video excluding advertising and google generated content, or unless otherwise labeled, areCopyright Jephyr (Jeff Curtis). All Rights Reserved.
These images are not in the public domain. Contact me for licensing terms and pricing.
Unauthorized or unlicensed use for all commercial and personal applications is prohibited.
Memorial Day Remembrances And A Pastel Pencil Photo Study Of A Rabbit
A Young Patriot At the 2009 National
Memorial Day Concert At The US Capitol
Hope you are doing well and (if you're in the US) enjoyed your long Memorial Day weekend — and were surrounded by family and loved ones.
If you are a US military service member — or had or have one or more in your family — thank you for that service.
And to all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect this nation — I honor you — and offer gratitude to each family member and loved one for that sacrifice as well!
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With Memorial Day in mind — I'll share a few photos of my Grandpa and Dad.
I'm not sure what kind of military service my Grandpa did — but recently found photos of him in a Doughboy style uniform (possibly during or just after World War I).
Composite - Photos of my Dad and Grandpa
My dad served in the US Navy during World War II — and related to his
time on the docks — he succumbed to mesothelioma many years later.
Mesothelioma is a lung cancer caused by Asbestos exposure, Learn more about it here.
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Repaired this photo of my Grandpa in his Doughboy uniform - probably taken around 1918 or 1919.
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And A Recent Pastel Photo Study From My Sketchbook
Pastel Pencil - Photo Study - Copyright 2020 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
Thanks as always for stopping by my corner of the world.
As mentioned in my last post, I feel a recharged after taking some time off over the last couple of months from drawing / painting every day.
And since the governor of my state has relaxed his Covid-19 'stay at home order' - I've FINALLY been able to get out to do some drawing as well.
Today, I put the finishing touches on the pastel pencil attached below at a local coffee house — and it's felt good after several weeks to be looking at something besides my same ol' walls.
Not to say that I haven't been getting out at all.
In fact, since the first of the year I've been walking almost every day — and thankfully our governor declared that exercise was an 'essential' activity.
So I've been able to continue walking around my neighborhood and having a few 'social-distancing' appropriate conversations with other walkers — which as been really nice.
Still, it's been great to be able to go to a coffee houses or restaurants in just the last week or so — and sit and do some work outside mi casa for a change.
Anywho — I was looking for something to draw — and came across an old pastel pencil of the little birdy that I had started LONG ago — and decided to finally get around to finishing it today.
I used an awesome photo as a reference — so a big thank you to that photographer!
Pastel Pencil Birdy Photo Study - Copyright 2020 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
As I just wrote to my niece (who has 3 kids and is always kept busy looking after them):
"I know mommas work their fingers to the bone and don’t always get acknowledgement for all their hard work — so I hope you are feeling a special warmth and Blessing from your family and the Lord today!"
So if you're a mother too — whether your kids are grown and out on their own — or you're still wiping noses and bandaging scraped knees — I hope you feel loved and appreciated today!
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I've been feeling a little recharged in the art department myself after taking some time off from drawing and painting all the time.
Recently and somewhat naturally I began making art again — and I feel refreshed by taking that time off.
In my last post I shared a pastel pencil portrait I did for a nephew — that kinda got me started again.
Just finished a quick birthday pastel pencil portrait sketch for my nephew.
His family had sent an Easter package to me — and his momma and he and his siblings had each done some awesome color pencil sketches they'd enclosed for me.
I was planning on sending my nephew a birthday gift and at the last minute — inspired by their great artwork — decided to do a portrait of him to include with it.
So the night before I had to send his gift package out, I sat down and drew sketch of him using pastel pencils (you can see a few along the bottom in the photo below).
Anywho — thought I'd share a photo of my draw'ring with y'all too.
Birthday Pastel Pencil Sketch - Copyright 2020 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
An Enthralling Tale About The Time I Took My Mom Jeeping And Got Lost
Legal Disclaimer: The use of the word 'enthralling' in the above statement is not a legally binding guarantee. Results for individual readers may vary.
ðĪŠ
Before I became the internationally known and loved artist Jephyr (and everyone still called me Jeff) — I spent my early life exploring the Colorado mountains near my family home — hiking, camping, and fishing — and then after I turned 16 — furthering those adventures in my dad's orange, 1973 Jeep CJ-5 with a black rag top.
I spent hours scouting the rivers, creeks, and mountains around my home and relied on a "sense of direction" that was well honed at that time — and so I'd often just take an old unfamiliar trail to see where it went — knowing I could always find my way back.
Whether it was youthful bravery or ignorance, I never thought once about getting lost — but as you'll read below that confidence was tested one fall afternoon.
A Pic Of The Jeep With A Certain Nefarious Character Behind The Wheel ð
Taken at the top of a jeep trail that wound upward through a steep canyon just before it opened up to a meadow area.
Adventures In My Dad's Old Jeep
While still a teen and thanks to that old Jeep, my explorations went further and further into the mountains — and I'd simply put it in four wheel drive and steer it up steep rocky and rutted trails — winding past sage and scrub oak, up through aspen tree and towering evergreen forests — and along precipitous canyons that gave way to beautiful meadows filled with bright and colorful wildflowers as high as 7,500 feet or more above sea level.
Along the way there were all kinds of woodland critters, like squirrels. porcupines, marmots, and occasional and thrilling sightings of deer and elk.
It was an idyllic time in my life — and I miss those days tremendously.
My Old Snap Of A Winding Jeep Trail Rising Upward Through
A High Country Meadow — With A Distant Lake Just Left Of Mid-Center
My Fellow Explorers
I had a high school friend who'd often join me either hiking or Jeeping.
One night we camped out at a high country lake and we were treated to the sound of a nearby bull elk bugling in the predawn hours.
It was very awe inspiring — but also a bit scary because an elk in rut with a full rack can be ornery and dangerous — and the only thing separating it from us was a paper-thin vinyl tent.
National Geographic shared this video showing various elk bugles and suggest at the end to RUN if you hear that sound!
ð
The Video is cued to start at 18 seconds. (Bull elk in Colorado look like the very first one shown in this video)
When my high school chum wasn't available for explorations, I'd enlist anyone else I could find.
One time I invited our somewhat quiet and reserved church pastor to go 'four-wheeling' — and during one summer vacation, a younger classmate/co-worker joined me for regular 'jeeping' excursions into the high country.
Jephyr - The Mule-Skinner
1899 Photo Of A Mule-Skinner
On one Jeep trip, my dad was riding shotgun while I was behind the wheel and navigating up a steep boulder strewn trail. He didn't give praise very often but when we got through that section he said I'd become a pretty good 'mule-skinner.'
If I do say so myself — all my hours driving in that rough terrain had made me worthy of that rare commendation.
Cruising Through The Lower Sage And Scrub Oaks Near My Childhood Home
Inviting My Mom To Join Me For A High Country Trek
One fall day, I decided to try to find a cave that I'd heard many people
in our area talk about. I had a general idea of its location — but
nothing more than that (long before online maps and GPS) — and
determined with youthful exuberance to set out in the Jeep to see if I could find it
anyway.
I don't recall exactly how it came about — but I asked my mom if she wanted to go with me and recall that she readily agreed — and though it was the first and only time I remember inviting her, now that she's gone I wish I had done that WAY more often.
Looking Down From The High-Country — Our Little Town In
The Right Corner — with A Nearly 1,300 Foot Peak To The Far Left
Our Adventure Begins
Mom and I took off that day — traveling along our little town's paved streets that quickly gave way to gravel roads — and then up the rocky, off-road trails, with tracks made deep by countless other four-wheel vehicles and rain water run-off.
As we bounced along with orange and yellow fall aspen trees brushing against the side of the Jeep, I began to notice the sky getting darker as large storm clouds moved in. So after we'd traveled a few more miles, I made the decision to pull over and set out on foot — hoping to get a little more exploration in before a rain hit.
Fall Aspen Landscape
Finding a place to park in the colorful aspen — I maneuvered as far off the trail as I could (leaving room for other four-wheelers that came along and needed to pass) — and we immediately set out hiking through the trees.
After a bit, I was pleased to find a game trail and we followed that up for a while — our feet pushing through a thick carpet of yellow and orange leaves.
The Sky Begins To Look More Ominous
As we hiked along the trail that wound upward through the dense trees, I kept one eye on the dark clouds through openings in the canopy above, noticing it was looking more and more like a serious storm was brewing.
As the sky grew darker, I finally determined it would be best to turn around and make our way back to the Jeep before we got caught in a downpour — and my unquestioning mother simply agreed and followed me back down the trail.
Looking For An Orange Jeep In A Sea Of Yellow And Orange
As mentioned, at that time of year aspen leaves were already deep into their beautiful, rich fall colors — so everything was a wash of yellow and orange.
Another Look At Similar Fall Scene
At that point in our hike back down however, I was only casually looking for the Jeep and was just depending on my normally reliable sense of direction — but after we had hiked down the trail for a while, nothing seemed familiar, and so I decided that we'd missed our turn off to it.
Not concerned at that point, I just said something like, "Let's go back up a little, Mom."
So we hiked up the trail again — but this time I was very carefully looking for any landmark or sign that would remind me where I had parked.
Fear Begins To Set In
As we hiked back up again — I was beginning to realize the thick carpet of leaves was making it impossible to see any of our previous tracks — and it was about then it began to dawn on me that for the first time in all my high country adventures — I felt a little lost.
It was also becoming very clear that a big storm was definitely blowing in — and as those thoughts collided — it suddenly hit me that neither of us had told ANYONE where we we going.
As we hiked, I began to consider that I would be OK if I couldn't find the Jeep and had to find a place to hunker down to spend the night — but was worried about my mom and began to feel a sinking feeling about becoming lost with her.
We were both dressed in light fall clothes — and neither of us had jackets, packs, or supplies of any kind — so I knew it would be a long, cold and wet night if I couldn't find the Jeep.
Visions of my rain-soaked mom shivering in the dark began swirling in my head — and I also began imagining my family being worried sick if we didn't return home.
I knew from hearing many news-reports about lost people — that my family would contact the sheriff, and in turn our little town would begin organizing search parties — but with a web of Jeep trails that ran everywhere through the nearby mountains, no one would have the slightest clue about where to begin looking for us.
Mom's Question
Lost in both the thick trees and those thoughts, I led my mom back up the game trail until I felt again we had passed our turn-off to the Jeep — so I stopped and as casually as I could muster said,
"Let's turn around and go back down a bit, Mom."
That's when my mom softly asked, "Are we lost, Jeff?"
Not wanting to alarm her or admit that I was in fact at that point feeling completely lost — I reassured her we were fine and said we just needed to go back down the trail a little bit again.
A icy-cold, sinking feeling was growing inside me however — and with every step I took, I strained my eyes for any familiar landmark or sign of the orange and black jeep — which I now realized was completely and perfectly camouflaged in the fall landscape.
Digital Composite — Our Jeep As It Looked 'Hidden' In The Aspen Trees
Eureka!
Fortunately, as we hiked down the trail again — I finally spotted just the very top outline of the Jeep off through the distant trees.
As I led my trusting mother back to it — it became very obvious how well "hidden" it
was.
Even walking directly towards it — the Jeep's colors blended perfectly into the fall surroundings — and it was difficult to see.
Once back safely inside, I never uttered a word to my mom about feeling lost — and I don't recall that she ever mentioned it again — but an overwhelming sense of relief washed over me as we headed down the trail to town.
As we did, the rain finally hit and it poured steadily all the way back home.
The News has been quite unsettling recently and I'm sure no one needs to be reminded that it has been filled with endless Corona Virus reporting.
If you have been personally impacted by it in any way — then I honestly pray for you that you will feel peace, and that you and your loved ones will be healthy and well.
Since there are many other sources of news that you can turn to — unless I feel I can add some important information about it — I'll keep my blog posts here a light and entertaining oasis away from all that.
A Screen Capture From The Animation 'Carpark'
Funny Short Animation: Carpark
With that in mind today you will find a very amusing, well-crafted animation called Carpark from the folks at Birdbox Studio.
Though the entire video is black and white — the characters and background designs are stylized and very appealing — the animation is smooth and well done — and the sound track is perfect.
I won't give anything away about the story-line — but it's very relatable and offers a funny pay-off in the end.
The entire video is less than a minute and a half and offers a small dose of much needed light entertainment.
My Weird Dream - Joe Biden Crashes His Car Into Home:
I've posted about other dreams I've had here — but only when they really stick out in my mind or stay with me long after I've awakened.
I'm not suggesting the dream I had today has any significance — but will share it as much to simply document what it was — and because it was very vivid and has stuck in my thoughts since I got up.
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Edit: After typing it all out and thinking a lot about it — I now feel like I have more insight into my dream — and decided to offer my interpretation about it below.
Whether it turns out to be some wild imagining my mind created while I slept — or something "prophetic" — only time will tell.
But I've felt led to not only share it but offer an interpretation of it as well.
The part I remember began after a much longer dream I can't recall now — but here's where my memory of it picks up:
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I was with a large group, some family and others (maybe cousins), and we had stopped at someone's home.
Later, were all leaving — but I was delayed saying my "goodbyes" and was the last one to head outside — and by the time I got out to the street everyone I was with was gone.
I'm kinda laughing about this part as I type it — but Joe Biden was waiting for me at the curb — in a new, very expensive, white sports car with his driver's side window down.
I'm in no way a car buff — but I could hear the throaty, powerful engine and see the sleek design — and knew it was one of those ostentatious, status cars that people of conspicuous wealth own.
The image I digitally composited below is very close to what I "saw" in my dream.
"Joe Biden Waits For Me Curbside In A Car Similar To The One In My Dream: A $900,00 Ferrari 599 GTO" *
* Please Note This Is A Computer Manipulated Image — And NOT An Actual Photo From My Dream ð
For some strange reason, Joe Biden and I seemed to know each other — and he told me the people I'd been with wanted me to ride with him and we'd catch up to them.
I felt apprehensive about getting in a car with him (worried about how safe it was because of all the news reports about his recent daily blunders and gaffes — and questions about his hazy metal state) — but I was also a little put-out at being left behind without a way to get around — and so feeling like I had no other choice, I reluctantly decided to accept a ride with him.
* Find examples of Biden's odd behavior and numerous public blunders at the end of this post.
VERY Fancy Diagram Of The Crash ð
Joe Biden Wrecks His Car Into Home
I started to walk around the front of his car but right as I got to the front bumper — the engine ROARED — and I was just barely was able to jump out of the way as he drove off at a HIGH rate of speed.
I watched the back of his car RACE up a steep street (like the ones in the little mountain town where I grew up) — and realized that he had the gas pedal on that powerful engine completely to the floor and he was flying up the street utterly out of control.
He got to the top of the road in mere seconds — and then went sailing through the air when he hit a T-intersection — and crashed right into and through a home that sat there.
As I ran up the street, it was obvious the entire front of the house was completely demolished and I could see right inside it. There were smashed furnishings, broken wall and window frames, and glass and debris everywhere — and I could see the the back of the wrecked car stuck in a second floor kitchen area.
My Digitally Composited Image Above Looks
A LOT Like What I "Saw" In My Dream
When I got to the home I found a dazed family inside — and also all my own family and friends — who had pretended to leave me behind and had parked just out of view at the top of the street.
I told everyone what had happened — and about that same time I learned that an infant girl had been killed in the crash.
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The home Biden crashed through was occupied by a LARGE, extended, working class family — and there were many others there milling around after the crash.
Then, I noticed that several women in the family busied themselves seating some very fat, whiny toddlers around a table to feed them.
In my dream, it seemed somewhat normal that the kids still wanted to eat — but it did seem a little odd to me that life just went on for the adults in the family.
So, the women were trying to seat four or five, loud, crying, and squirming kids at a table right below Biden's crumpled car — with their home in utter ruins around them.
Then I noticed the women were strapping the kids into their high chairs to keep them seated — and observed more closely one woman putting a leather strap around the wrist/forearm of one of the kids — which was in turn secured to the arm of the chair the kid was in.
That's when I woke up.
Weird, huh?
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My Dream Interpretation
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I think my dream has several layers and here's my interpretation of their meanings:
Joe
was driving an expensive, powerful car that represents his Presidential
aspirations and ambition to be elected to the the most powerful position in the world.
The expensive, ostentatious car also represents that his campaign is funded and supported by wealthy donors and a very well
oiled Democrat Party "machine."
My apprehension getting in the car with him is related to numerous examples of his odd behavior and public gaffes — that some say is due to more than just slips of the tongue.
— Find several examples — including videos, and links about that below —
In my dream, Biden completely lost control of the expensive car — crashed it — and destroyed a
home (which represents that he is "behind the wheel" of his campaign and will ultimately cause some kind of terrible "crash" in the run-up to the November 2020 election).
An infant was killed — which is another representation of a death-knell for his Presidential hopes.
The home was occupied by a large working class
family — ordinary people whose lives just went on after the
crash — folks who simply needed to attend to their kids and get on with
their day to day lives.
Their reaction to the crash represents that most people are far to busy with their lives to truly stop and fully understand party politics, candidates, and elections.
Their loud, overweight and
unruly children represent the current state of way too many people in
the US — who live in abundance but still whine and complain and expect everything
to be done for them by the government and others — even when their home (nation) is destroyed around them.
Being strapped into their high-chairs represents a kind of attachment (or slavery) to their own desires and demands.
Biden suggested that his efforts would put 720 million (US) women back in the workforce (The Last Census found there were approximately 94 million total women of working age in the US - https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-03.pdf.
He declared during a recent Democrat debate that, "Nobody should be in jail for non-violent crime." (But has also said more people should have gone to jail during the 2008 Financial Crisis)
During a recent campaign stop Biden said he was running for the US Senate and if Democrats don't like him they should "vote for the OTHER Biden."
While visiting New Hampshire he told reporters, "What's not to like about Vermont."
Biden suggested that people should, "Play the radio — and make sure you have the record player on at night."
He said, "Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids."
During a campaign stop Biden declared, "We choose science over fiction, we choose truth over facts."
He shared a very creepy memory about kids rubbing his hairy legs — and added that he loved kids jumping on his lap.
Biden weirdly reminisced about "Corn-pop," a bad dude wearing Pomade in his hair — and straight razors scraped on the ground and left to rust in rain barrels. (The video shows his complete word salad during the telling of this story)
Biden claimed in a campaign speech to have worked with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping on the 2016 Paris Climate Accord. Xiaoping left office in 1992.
He began to say Margret Thatcher was the chairman and leader of the party in Germany — and couldn't identify the leader he was referring to. Thatcher was a British leader from 1979 to 1990.
The video is cued to start at 42 seconds:
Anti-Trump "progressive" liberal Shaun King Tweeted about Biden's recent speech blunders:
Biden Has Been Aggressive, Argumentative, and Foul Mouthed During His Campaign
Biden has also been very aggressive and argumentative with people — calling a 21 year old woman a "lying dog-faced pony soldier" when she told him she'd been to a Democrat caucus:
In the last few days, he got into an argument with a union worker about gun control and told him he was "full of sh**" and called him a "horse's ***" — and then challenged him to fight by saying, “Don’t try me, pal — do you want to go outside?”
During that same exchange he mistakenly called the semi-automatic AR-15 rifle an AR-14 and seemed confused about the difference between semi and fully automatic rifles.
In other videos he's shown a complete lack of knowledge about the guns — something that should be considered fundamental to enacting laws related to them and the 2nd Amendment.
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Joe Biden Confused His Wife And Sister During Campaign Speech
During a recent campaign speech he confused his wife for his sister and vice versa.
Joe Biden's Cringe Worthy Story About His Hairy Legs And Enjoying Kids Jumping On His Lap
Here's a shorter video of the cringe worthy story Biden relates about kids rubbing his hairy legs — and that he "loved kids jumping on [his] lap.":
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Biden Mangles His Own Name - Calls Himself an 'Obiden Bama' Democrat
Video of a recent speech where Biden proudly declared he was an "Obiden Bama Democrat":
Seeing Biden mangle his own name — should be very concerning to anyone seriously considering his candidacy for the Presidency of the United States.
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Biden Fabricated A Story About Being Arrested In South Africa
During several speeches and campaign events he claimed that 30 years ago he was arrested, along with a United States UN ambassador, when he went to to protest Nelson Mandela' imprisonment in South Africa.
Biden was forced to admit it never happened — but only after people began looking into his story, and the former UN ambassador told the New York Times, "That's a lie."
The next video shows Biden making the false claim about his "arrest" during a recent televised Democrat Debate (cued to start at 1:35).
The video goes on to reveal that there are no press reports or any records about it — and no one else has corroborated his story.
Even the far left The Young Turks Channel on YouTube called his claim a "crazy, absurd lie" — and that his campaign has finally "had to fess up" and admit that Biden "was not arrested for trying to visit Nelson Mandela at a South African prison during apartheid" after Biden "used the claim at least three times" — and "there is no evidence of the incident" and "his campaign could not justify the use of the word arrest" or "why Biden added that Mandela personally thanked him."
The Young Turks go on to say, "This isn't 'one random slip of the brain' — Biden has been exaggerating or wholly falsifying his behavior during the civil rights movement for decades now."
"Biden is trying to rewrite history when it comes to his civil rights record" — he is "trying to white-wash what he's done" and "lying about it makes it much much worse" — because "he wasn't actually in those fights."
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This is just a small sampling of many.
While it isn't my intention to purposely offend or make anyone angry — I do feel like I was given this dream and an interpretation for it — and felt led to share it.
As I've shared here recently, a few months ago I received a message that my computer operating system would no longer be supported — and since I've LOVED my trusty ol' PC and rely on a ton of software on it — I began the time-consuming and painful process of figuring out what to do.
After some research about it, I contacted a computer tech who said he could help upgrade my 'puter to the current OS on a new solid-state drive — and try to migrate all of my beloved software to it as well.
He didn't make any promises though — and even warned that some of the programs might
not survive the transition — but said he would do his best.
Music Below: New York based Gospel/Americana group, Ollabelle - 'Gentle Annie'
'Computer Bekymmer * ' - Copyright 2020 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
* Bekymmer is the Swedish word for 'troubles, worries, concerns, etc'
(I got sum of der S'vedish blood in me, dontcha know. : )
As I've related in other recent posts — to help speed up the upgrade/migration process for the tech — I cleaned up my decade old 1T main drive and ended up moving or deleting over 700 Gigabytes of old files.
Whew! It took forever to go through everything — and as mentioned before, while it was fun to look at ten years worth of old files, it consumed a LOT of time.
Then one day while I was still cleaning things up, my computer started REALLY slowing down and I hoped a re-boot would help — but when I re-started I got one of those error messages we all DREAD.
It said something like, "Your drive is in danger of IMMINENT failure!"
Yikes!
I immediately shut it back down and at my first opportunity rushed over to the tech — feeling a little sheepish about having taken so long to clean every thing up — and handed over a shiny new solid-state drive and my old computer — and prayed for the best.
Much to my relief, a few days later, he reported that EVERYTHING had gone well: Not only was the OS upgrade successfully transferred to the new drive and installed in my trusty ol' PC — but he had been able to migrate ALL of my old software over to it as well.
Now I'm happy to say that I've been testing everything out for a while and it's all working perfectly!
ð
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In addition, while all the computer schtuff had been going on, I was in and out of Doctor's offices for a possible upcoming surgery — AND my car has been in and out of the shop.
The upside on the car is that while the repairs were costly — I've been able to take care of some things that needed to be addressed for a while — and was back on the road after only losing a half day here and there.
Anywho — I haven't had much time for artwork — and often just didn't feel like being creative either — but hopefully now that everything is sorted out I can begin being an "art guy" again. BTW — my cartoon above came after I was completing this post and was looking for an illustration showing someone with computer trouble. After a bit of searching I thought — come on, Jephyr — YOU can MAKE one. And so I did!
ð
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Finally to da music!
Recently, I found an AWESOME song, Gentle Annie, by the New York based Gospel/Americana group, Ollabelle, and I've shared a video of that below.
According to the video's YouTube description:
"'Gentle Annie' is an early American Parlor song which was written by Stephen Foster in 1856.
It was recorded by Ollabelle, as part of the Stephen Foster tribute album, Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster, released by American Roots Publishing in 2004."
It's a beautiful song and definitely pulls on the ol' heart-strings — especially if like me, you've lost a love or two along the way.
Thou wilt come no more, gentle Annie
Like a flower thy spirit did depart
Thou are gone, alas! like the many
That have bloomed in the summer of my heart
We have roamed and loved mid the bowers
When thy downy cheeks were in their bloom
Now I stand alone mid the flowers
While they mingle their perfumes o’er thy tomb
Shall we never more behold thee Never hear thy winning voice again When the spring time comes, gentle Annie When the wild flowers are scattered o’er the plain
(instrumental break)
Ah! the hours grow sad while I ponder
Near the silent spot where thou are laid
And my heart bows down when I wander
By the streams and the meadows were we strayed
Shall we never more behold thee Never hear thy winning voice again When the spring time comes, gentle Annie When the wild flowers are scattered o’er the plain
When the wild flowers are scattered o’er the plain
The beautiful animation/video below, Father and Daughter by M. Dudok de Wit, features his Oscar Winning, Short Film "about love and the passage of time."
The short film won 24 awards, including:
Oscar / Best Short Film, Animated / Academy Awards, USA, 2001
BAFTA Film Award / Best Short Animation / BAFTA Awards, 2001
Jury Award / Best Film / Anima Mundi Animation Festival, 2001
Cartoon d'Or / Cartoon Forum, Europe, 2001
Best Animation / International Competition / Clermont-Ferrand
International Short Film Festival, 2001
Father And Daughter - Screen capture From The Video Below
As an artist and sometimes animator, I feel the animation's accolades are certainly well deserved.
While the animation utilizes simple, stylized characters and backgrounds — it's narrative unfolds in a deeply engaging way — and is very relatable and beautifully moving.
The music adds a lovely nostalgic touch as well — amplifying the film's over-all emotional impact.
Screen Captures From The Video Below - Select Scenes From Father And Daughter
A word of caution, especially if you have lost a loved one and are still having difficulty processing that — though it ends on an uplifting note, Father and Daughter will really pull on your heart-strings — and many comments under the video on YouTube reveal that it left people in tears.
With that disclaimer out of the way — I hope you'll enjoy this one too.
God Bless and Comfort you if you're missing someone today!
As I wrote in my last three posts (1-15-20, 1-22-20, 1-27-20) — I've gone through ten years worth of old digital paintings on my PC and am publishing a few that either haven't been shared on-line before — or where uploaded but then taken down for one reason or another.
The ones below that are marked (WIP) — are "works in progress" that were never fully completed (but I reserve the right to finish them someday : ).
Let's get to 'em:
Eagle Photo Study - Copyright 2012 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
Cartoony Character Design (WIP) - Copyright 2012 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
Cartoony Character Design Study (WIP) - Copyright 2012 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
Grackle (Photo Study) - Copyright 2011 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
Cartoony Character Design (WIP) - Copyright 2016 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
As I've shared in my last two posts (1-15-20 and 1-22-20), I've gone through a decade of old files while cleaning up my trusty old PC — and have been sharing some of my old digital paintings that I found.
Some have never been shared publicly anywhere before — others were posted and removed for one reason or another.
Anywho — here's another group in no particular order:
Old Man Photo Study - Work In Progress - Copyright 2012 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ This digital painting is from the "works in progress" file — and I was using an awesome photo of an old guy as a reference,
As said in other posts — if you know the photographer for this one or any others used as a reference — please let me know in the comments or drop me an email — and I can add a credit or link to their site if they'd like.
In my last post I shared a number of my old digital paintings that I'd found while going through a decades worth of old files on my trusty computer.
Today I'll share a few more — some that were finalized and others that were (still are?) "works in progress."
It's been interesting to look back through my own work — hope you enjoy the trip too!
Anywho — here are a few oldies in no partic'lar order:
Wasp Photo Study - Copyright 2012 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ I found a GREAT macro-photograph of a wasp and set about digitally painting it. The wasp's head was in sharp focus in the original photo — but the photographer had artfully used bokeh or depth of field — "the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens" on the wasp's body.
At first I was tempted to paint the image as it was in the photo and then the idea of adding some other kind of body came to my mind.
I tried a few different options but when I began painting the tux (using a photo reference) it just felt right.
Hairless Cat Photo Study - Copyright 2012 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ Someone posted a GREAT portrait of a hairless cat I used as a ref to paint this study.
Thank you photographer-person! It's an EXCELLENT image.
BTW — as I wrote in my last post — if you know the photographer for any of the references I used for any of these images — please let me know in the comments or by email — and I can add a credit and link to them if they'd like.
Dragon Concept Close Up View - Copyright 2012 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ I created and digitally painted the dragon above first and slowly expanded out from that as you can see in the next image/view of it below.
One day while working it — I was zoomed in a bit and kinda liked the close-up view you see above as well.
BTW — I added the yellow/orange moon long before the we saw the series of Blood Moons a few years back — but I liked the effect
it had on the painting and later it took on a more symbolic meaning as well.
Joel 2:31: “The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes”
Copyright 2012 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ Though this Dragon painting still remains in the "works in progress" file — I like the
idea enough "some day" I might get back to it and finish it off.
Copyright 2012 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ Had a client a few years ago who I did a book illustration for — an ant character — and did this digital painting study in preparation for that using an incredible macro-photo as a reference.
