Maker Faire is one of the very few Bay Area events that I’ve actually manged to attend since moving here six months ago. It was a lot less conference-centric than I had hoped, but as far as fairs go, it was great. Exhibitors were all super-friendly and genuinely loved talking about their goods, plus I got to catch up with friends, so – whee! And of course I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures amidst all the clamorous excitement, though experiencing definitely took precedence over documenting  – there was just so much to marvel at.

Tesla coils + electric guitar = amazing.

Children dancing whilst being zapped inside a Faraday cage, thus safe.

We all took turns getting zapped by the loveliest of mad scientists  grasping a Van de Graaph generator, which produced roughly a million volts, but with a very low current.

I don’t know who this kid was, but his expressions were the best.

My sweet new ride.

Tiny drones

This was actually quite impressive – all the fish and lobsters danced (and sang) in synch!

The charred remains of a piano.

Ran into Mitch near the giant MouseTrap.

Manually-operated, salivating cunnilingus machine?

This massive wolf sculpture spat fire via remote. I got to push the button.

Gašper remembered he can’t play piano, but did get to play a guitar that used empty oil drums as amps.

Possibly swans roaming a desolate stretch of lawn on our way back.

Click image to see her bigger.

LA was fun this time around, surpassed only by the car ride, which included learning Slovenian and teaching Russian and singing Slavic folk songs in unison. The opening reception for Gag Me With a Toon 5 was filled with much-missed friends, some excellent surprise run-ins and model behavior from Micron, who peacefully snoozed in her carrier the entire night. I wore my most ridiculous leggings and space shoes and lots of eyeliner, while RedBull proved, once again, to be an emergency heaven-send, its effects culminating in a rainbow-farting pantomime with J.R. Goldberg outside of the gallery. What do we win?

Besides the art show, there was delicious food, the Kubrick retrospective at LACMA, family visits, a magical, late-night emergency Reuben sandwich, 11AM tequila, much-needed catch-up time with Anechka, who was a most gracious hostess, cat-cuddles and attempts to bend time to our will. As much as I love my NorCal sanctuary, these little pockets of buddy-time are incredibly rewarding. We drove home at 1AM yesterday morning, flopping into bed around 7:30.

What else? These past few weeks have been mostly comprised of waiting for an answer. Some big, exciting changes could be looming on the horizon, but I can’t tell you about them just yet. Suffice to say I’m happy and excited and grateful and I hope you are, too. FEEL MY RAINBOW POWER!

My contribution to the show, Eggs. It’s mixed media on two birch panels. The original is available for purchase, here. More about it here.

J.R. Goldberg’s adorable piece, complete with “Sold” dot. Go girl!

Jenny and ramen and whyareyoupointingthathugecameraatmezowhyeeijustwantmytea

Annah eats cat-butt after a long and stupid day.

Coffee and cookies at LACMA before visiting the Stanley Kubrick retrospective.

Gašperoo

Microbe

Annah and Tang

Quintus and breakfast.

Booty, the one-eyes pirate.

Armed and ready for our 1AM drive back North.

5:30AM in northern California

Here is a first look at Dendrophylax Lindenii – my lil’ 8×8″ violet graphite piece for Travis Louie’s “Zombie” group show, opening on May 25th at NYCs Last Rites gallery.

Click the image to see it bigger.

Having just finished an Aeon Flux tribute diptych for Gag Me With a Toon 5, I’d been on an Egon Schiele (one of Peter Chung’s bigger influences) kick. Those of you familiar with his work probably recognize the hint at the pose from one of Schiele’s drawings of Mime Van Osen. This one:

I’ve always loved how odd and disjointed and shambly these portraits looked, and they immediately came to mind when Travis told me about the show’s theme. I also dig the sketchy quality, which I decided to keep for my piece, as well.

And what exactly is a Dendrophylax Lindenii? It’s the Latin name for a flower called the Ghost Orchid. Since starting my Alien Botany series, I’ve become infatuated with orchids – it was only fitting to include them here.

I’m busy with arts for upcoming group shows, one of which is Gag Me With a Toon 5 – opening in LA on May 4. You might remember my Cheburashka from last year’s GMWAT. Over on the east coast, Frei, our producer extraordinaire, has been hard at work on editing new featurettes for The Secret Guide to Alternative Beijing, some of which should be rolling out soon. Also soon: more photos from my recent Euro-trip and announcing another group show I’m part of, which I’m pretty excited about!

Meanwhile, photos from Saturday’s expedition to Half Moon Bay, and, as always, my various microblorghging can be found here: Tumblr | Twitter | Instagram.

One dozen is not enough.

Gašper’s first composition lesson.

I want a wheelbarrow now, so I can name it.

The boat in the middle was named, “Pale Horse”.

I hope you’ve all been taking goof care of yourselves. Enjoy the visual jaunt and forgive my lack of words, for now.

I interviewed Chet Zar and wrote a short introductory piece about Conjoined on Haute Macabre – click to read it.

Fear and Loathing by Kevin Kirkpatrick

I spent about a month working on my piece for this exhibit, sculpting for the first time in over six years. My only experience until now had been within the confines of an SFX studio, carving organs and corpse heads for movies. I chose to stay on topic with my Alien Botany series and created a 3D version of the Amorphophallus Venusinus – the same plant I painted in gold on my piece in the Wonderland Gallery Skulls exhibit.

I have an entire line of suggestive fine porcelain in mind for a future project, and this is the first of the bunch. Displayed in a laboratory clamp, the sculpture features an engraved plaque, which reads:

Zoetica Ebb

Amorphophallus Venusinus
Earth c. 2111AD
Her Cytherian Majesty’s Private Collection

You get the idea.

I was only in town for something like thirty five hours, but managed to see many of my much-missed friends at the reception, culminating with the traditional takeover of several booths at Norm’s, which was being used as a pimp’s personal playground for the evening.There was a parade of hookers in various stages of discombobulation to and from the restrooms, keeping us entertained until food arrived. A few snaps from the opening and of the aftermath, below.

Mister T by Jacob Roanahus

Ghostin’ with my Amorphophallus

Mutation by Matthew Levin

Taslimur with his piece at Conjoined 3

Tracey Roberts with her tapestry, cameo by Travis Louie’s Double Krampus

Jessie Fohrman’s Chiroptera Aracneae

Jeffrey R. Kibbe’s Lophortyx Blood Experiment

An eerie likeness of Brian Williams AKA Señor Lustmord with Kazu Tsuji’s terrifying Lincoln

Ver Mar’s albino centaur. 

Hi mom!

Matt Levin’s ever-impressive profile

Adam was really hunrgy, Ver paid the ultimate price

Quintus as the Utensil Bandit

Stephanie!

In November, I was part of the Skulls exhibit at Kat Von D’s Wonderland gallery. Close to one hundred artists reinterpreted acrylic skulls we received in the mail.

Mine is inspired by Russian lacquer art, my Alien Botany research and gilded grills everywhere. After painting one of my specimen in gold leaf paint on the skull, I collaborated with graffiti artist Seraphix on the script (thanks, Antoni!). A bunch of pictures were taken before I sent the finished skull off to Wonderland, but I haven’t had the chance to go through them until now. Some were taken in artificial light and some in sunlight, to give you as much of an accurate idea of how this piece looks as possible.

This is probably the glossiest thing I’ve ever made, and thus a massive pain to photograph, but between the two sets, I think you’ll get the gist. A few photos of the show reception follow, too – enjoy!

Reception fun at Wonderland Gallery! Photos by Mister Sam and Wonderland curator, Sam Soto.

Me and my gorgeous reception date, Clint Catalyst

Stephanie Inagaki, who also had a skull in the show, and I during and after the reception.

Show silliness with mom, Stephanie and Mister Sam

We like free wine.

No art opening is complete without a post-reception celebration. Preferably with burgers and onion rings.

My favorite memory of snow is from when I was about nine years old and staying at a mostly vacant resort a few hours outside of Moscow with my grandmother. It was the middle of winter. We’d spend our days red-cheeked, skiing through the surrounding forest, crunchy white powder bursting out of our way, snow-capped ferns towering everywhere. In the evenings, I’d skate on the frozen lake and we’d go for night walks between sprawling, virgin-white snowdrifts. They shimmered just like blue and pink diamonds under the streetlights, and I would pretend to be the Ice Queen, surveying my domain.

In Russia, it’s commonly believed that the way you greet the new year will reflect on the rest of it. Last year, what was meant to be a quiet evening with a few friends turned into a massive, chaotic party – lots of fun, but definitely not what we intended. Then, coincidentally or not, what was meant to be my year of full art dedication turned into something else entirely.

I was determined to greet 2013 with full correctness, so my friend Eso and I sequestered ourselves in a Pine Mountain Lake cabin. The glorious former 70s party den is undergoing renovation and only a small section is habitable, but between our sleeping bags, provisions, a drive to Yosemite and a vintage yellow hot tub, we had all we needed for the perfect 48-hour sojourn. We toasted the future with silver tequila from that hot tub after a day of frolicking in the snow, then meditated into the wee hours of the new year.

I hope everyone had a great time welcoming the new year, too! I leave you with my photos and a mantra, to help kick things off:

“Whatever you do or dream you can do – begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

7:00

Eso and her new chicken purse

“Let’s go that way!”

A log we considered sitting on, before realizing it was iced over. Next time – blow torch.

Hodgdon Meadow

Charred tree

Sherbert skies

Supplies

Removing construction dust

Happy new year!

Deco building in Chinatown.

The plaque on my old dorm; long ago, I took a comic book illustration class at the AA.

Micron, staring down the ghost of the aged radiator.

Cognac by the fire with my beautiful mother.

French breakfast with Cameo at Boulette’s Larder.

Pretty chairs at the De Young museum. We went to see the Nuriev exhibit.

Driving to Half Moon Bay.

My rubber boots make me invincible.

Black sand.

Japanese Tea Garden.

Micron’s first fish.

Hadn’t seen this guy in 20 actual years, glad to have caught him before his move to LA.

Happy new year, my beloved star-squidlings! Off to a cabin in Yosemite,  see you on the other side.

It’s been over a month since my arrival in a Northern California autumn wonderland. What have I been doing besides taking pictures? Only a few things, and I intend to keep it that way.

• Alien Botany. Finished two more specimens for my drawings series, documenting details here as I went. So many more of them to capture.

• Building a three-dimensional model of Specimen 1. My first sculpting experience since way back in the day, when I carved human organs and faces out of Sculpy for an SFX studio I moonlighted at. So far, my creation looks like an extraterrestrial shlong and I can’t promise that will change.

• Reading 1Q84. The latest from Haruki Muarakami.

• Working on releasing the first finished video-bites from Beijing for The Secret Guide. Oh my god, when will we release this stuff already? (Soon.)

• Walking. A lot.

• Collaborating with my brother on his album cover and release. Remember this gelfling? He and his friend, Grey, spent two (!) years working on an album which is just about ready for your ears and is due to drop on 12-21-12. The intro track was released here yesterday – check it out and sneak peek the cover art, too – drawing by brother, the rest by me. Add alterGeist on Facefuck and Bulat on Twitter for more.

I’ve had a few visitors and went out into the world a few times, but for the moment, it’s art hermit mode uber alles. I’m calling this The New Ascetic. How are you winding down your year and preparing for the next?

For a long time now, I’ve thought about my place online, my place in the world, about you and the wonderful, humbling letters of thanks you’ve sent me. I’ve thought about where Biorequiem is headed, whether I’d still be of use to you if I changed, whether I’d get as much work if Biorequiem changed… In all of my ambivalence I barely wrote here at all. It comes down to this: while I love keeping my chronicle, my focus has shifted and it’s time to shift things around here, too. How else could you trust me?

Which brings us to a series of events that finally pushed me to hit the Reset button on just about everything.

On October 10th, I got an opportunity I’ve fantasized about for years: a chance to step back from all the things I do and focus on the one I’ve neglected most. Having drawn my entire life, but lacking the financial security necessary to dedicate all of my time to it, the idea of focusing solely on art has been a goal that’s eluded me for a long time. Savings were spent, projects got in the way, I let new adventures sweep me away – all without giving myself time to do the one thing I have always loved most. And though leaving Coilhouse helped usher me in this direction, I spent the majority of 2012 working on commissions, photography and writing gigs – for all of which I’m beyond grateful, but they got me no closer to my goal. And then, suddenly, in the actual midst of a personal catastrophe (regarding which I hope you will respect my privacy) there it was. My dream, in my hands, all infinite facets and multiple choices. And I jumped.

Today, 75% of my possessions are in a storage unit in LA, and I’m unpacking boxes of books and art supplies about an hour south of San Francisco. This house is surrounded by trees, and I look forward to spending a while here, living simply, thinking thoroughly, reading a lot and working on only two things: my Alien Botany series and The Secret Guide to Alternative Beijing. Feel free to nudge me regarding anything you’re owed via email; orders, Kickstarter rewards and outstanding emails will be addressed in the coming weeks – I hope you will forgive the delay as I arrange myself. I’ve moved away from LA after ten years, from many of my friends and all of my family. Away from a persona that no longer fits. A physical shift on par with my inner one. For me, this is big and I hope to document it here in whatever form is called for, as seldom or as frequently as feels right. In the meantime, have a cup of spiked tea and let’s see what comes. No promises.

Polaroid by Lou O’Bedlam

October 11 This Thursday, I’m struttin’ for Halcyon  at the gorgeous historical Mayan theater in downtown LA. Get your tickets today, right here, by clicking the yellow banner titled, “Provocations”.

November 2 I have a piece in the 100 Skulls exhibit at Kat Von D’s Wonderland gallery. My skull is inspired by Russian lacquer art, my Alien Botany research and gilded grills everywhere. A sneak peek of the process:

November 3 I’ll be speaking at Farmhouse Conf 3, among an impressive squad of what the Conf website describes as “amazing people from a variety of backgrounds and influences”. So far, the announced speakers are Shepard Fairey, Andy Baio, Kate Darling, Caroline Woolard,Michael Lopp, Justin Ouellette, Megan Dean and yours truly. I’m happy to be in such talented, diverse company. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased directly from the event page. My talk summary:

And! Fall is here again – what better time to pick up a GHST RDR jacket and skirt for your winter wardrobe?

Right before leaving for China, I received this commission request: two small drawings, on a budget, in the pages of a journal that would serve as part of a marriage proposal to a girl who really loves fairies. I was asked to make it sweet and told it didn’t have to be chaste.

I received the journal the week before my departure, hoping for a few spare moments to work on it from the road, but the leather-bound notebook ended up traveling to Shanghai, Beijing and back – untouched. The Secret Guide shooting schedule was just too intense for me to think about anything else.

I had to get started on this a couple of days after my return to make the deadline. Working with a limited amount of time, limited space, and a client’s limited budget, these slinky little temptresses are what I came up with – one drawing at the beginning of the journal, one at the very end. Though I wish I’d had time to make the drawings more elaborate, I infused the pages with as much sweetness as I could. I’m told she loves them.

Incidentally, these were commissioned by the same client who tasked me with the Death+Delirium hybrid a few years ago. All the above images are clickable – do so to see them bigger.

It’s October, in theory my favorite month of the year because of Halloween and the idea that fall is here, in the wake of the late September autumn equinox.

I say “in theory” because here in LA we’re still melting in 100-degree heat, but skull-shaped goblets are readily available in drug stores, which means that Halloween is, in fact, approaching, despite this decidedly unglamorous heat.

To celebrate, I’m making the ladies of the Gibson Girls Print Set available individually. This means that you can now collect Molly Millions, Cayce Pollard and Chia Pet McKenzie at your own pace. They darlings can be yours at $30 each.

I’m not sure how long these will be around just yet, so I suggest you snatch ‘em up while they are.

I’m enjoying being reunited with my blender, working under the big tree on the patio, waking up with Ales and our tiny dog. In the mornings, I’m happy to be able to open my mouth in the shower and not to feel obliged to check the air quality index. In the afternoon I begin to miss Beijing’s architectural mammoths and ceaseless energy. Dumplings steaming in two-hundred-year-old alleys around every concrete corner. Pedicabs rattling across 8-lane megastreets, streetlights swimming in the wet night pavement.

Our footage is finally rendered and now there are something like 40 video-stories to edit over in NYC – plus we’re still tallying up the additional blog posts to be written. There will not be a trip summary post here this time, because I want to save all my impressions for the Secret Guide website, which might be tumbleweedy now, but that will change in the coming weeks. This adventure has me very impatient to share all that I found with you.

Cover + select pages from my Summer 2012 Beijing Style Capsule. Click image to see it bigger.

In the meantime, I’be been a good little art bee, designing the Secret Guide lookbook, postcards and posters, finishing the most romantic commission I’ve ever received and slowly preparing a piece for an upcoming art show I’ll tell you about soon.

The Secret Guide to Alternative Beijing postcard, front and back. Click image to see it bigger.

There are still portraits to draw and portfolio reviews to conduct, plus several thousand of photos to get through, but I’m ON IT.  I also have a backlog of outfit photos, photos from San Diego, photos from San Francisco… And all this is in addition to working on the Alien Botany series! Also! I know I owe some of you art and stickers. If you’re reading this and haven’t received something from me, email me a reminder and I’ll get it out this week.

As you can see, I’ve got my work cut out for me. Expect sporadic visual updates.

Click image to see it bigger

In fact, it’s happening tomorrow. At this moment, I’m in a tornado of packing and tying up loose ends before boarding a plane for a one-month-long journey in China. My hair is freshly dyed to resemble a frosted sugarplum, my suitcase is waiting to be packed, to-do lists are being demolished at lightning speed. Shien, Daniel and I have been working around the clock, and now it’s time to make our concept a reality.

Thoughtful travel gift from Claire and Jason

Because I said I would if we reached our goal in time for our departure, I’m releasing my latest mini-series, Gibson Girls, as a print set. It’s up in the shop now at just $70 for all three prints, because Kickstarter makes me happy.

Though we’ve met our goal, there are seven days left to contribute to The Secret Guide to Alternative Beijing. If you want me and the team to avoid eating ramen all month and to help cover mounting equipment rental co$ts, there is one week left to pledge. Thank you again for your support thus far – I can’t wait to show you what we find!

On the 11th, after much anticipation, excitement and no small degree of shipping confusion, two fragrant boxes landed on a doorstep of a purple house in Echo Park.

It was our very own shipment of Wild Children [click to order], Ales’ first graphic novel, just in time for his first signing at Meltdown Comics – a surreal scenario, when you consider that I’ve been going to and covering events at Meltdown for years. I love the place and the community it fosters around comics, art and general nerdery, so I was extra happy that this kinda-big-deal of an event was happening there.

Michael Hans and I dropped Ales off just in time for the first fans’ arrival and zoomed off to acquire wine – a trip made extra fabulous by my 5″ platforms and sequined booty shorts, neither of which I had the time to document, which only means I’ll have to eventually bear the burden of wearing the same outfit twice.

Tons of people came, many books were signed and the wine flowed like… Eh, like a variety of Wild Children associations I could make but won’t for fear of spoiling parts of the book for you. It was a fun night. Having witnessed first-hand the amount of work Ales has put into this book, having proofread the script numerous times, and having seen the mammoth effort he’s made to get to this point in just three years of being in the US, it was immensely gratifying in every respect.

On to the images, which convey the night’s atmosphere on their own. We love you guys, thank you all for joining us!

Leslie!

The Daniel!

Rickie and Sasha!

Laurensaurus!

Julian!

Doctor Koudounaris!

Lesliesaurus!

V and a creepin’ Juliansaurus!

Not pictured: a gourmet hot dog truck outside. Mmmf.