I feel like I am busy constanly; I have a lot of things I like to do. Here's a brief run down of some of the things I do that aren't covered in other areas of the site:
Moonshine Valentine
Following the collossal FAILURE that was the demo project (see below), I decided to just work with my band and get the "worldclass" recording that I had been promised. All the work has paid off, and the album is set for released on October 30, 2009!!
Demo Project
After the release of "Too Much Dream", I decided that I wanted to go in another direction with my original compositions. So, I contacted a producer and brought him five brand new songs: "The Night Let Me Down," a country-pop ballad; "The Cover," a British-Invasion-esque pop song; "Relax," an up-tempo, Tom Petty-like number; "Rumors," a song that is sort of a cross between Heart and Stevie Nicks with a modern sound, ala Amy Winehouse; and "Strings," the song I wrote for my Grandpa on what would have been his 81st birthday. That last one there makes me so emotional everytime I sing it... I know it's a good song, but I feel like I got punched in the chest everytime I sing it.
After dealing with these people for eighteen months and getting NOTHING (zero, zilch, nada, bupkis) in return for the $3,500 I paid... after being told that I "sucked" at least 1,000 times by these "professionals" - who weren't so concerned about my "suckiness" when they were taking my money - I finally sued them to get my money back. And I won.
To make a VAST understatement, this DID NOT turn out quite the way I wanted (or was promised it would turn out, quite frankly). So, if you are thinking about recording somewhere (a recording studio, a record company, a publishing firm, someone's basement) in the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene area and want more information about this (for your own protection or just 'cause you're curious) contact me. Your mileage may vary, but my experience was that these people are suck-ass scammers.
A Night Borrowed: Sorrow Stones Trilogy Vol. 2 - Available 10.01.09
Nearly
two years have passed since Rhiannon found
Dominic's murdered body following the Battle
of Hastings, leaving her pieces of Bròn
Seud behind,
as well. But, now that Dominic has returned,
the normal life she always wanted and that
she's carved out for herself has disappeared,
replaced by the returning curse of the Sorrow
Stones. She must now go get the magical gems
she abandoned, and embrace the magic she
once shunned so that she can send Dominic home.
When Weylin returns in the body of a man
Rhiannon trusts, she must immerse herself
into the legend of the mystical gems to learn
how to be rid of the evil man once and for
all.
Seattle vice detective Dominic Williams - a few months into his coma recovery - goes looking for Rhiannon St. Clair, a Chicago college teacher who also had dreams of being in the 11th century while comatose. He is determined to find answers about how and why he ended up in medieval Scotland, and he believes this Rhiannon holds the key. But when he finds out that she is looking for her father's murderer and the ancient, mysterious book the killer stole, he finds out he may have gotten himself into a situation that may challenge everything he thought was real... and may be more than he can handle.
As the two timelines begin to collide, Rhiannon
must give herself over to the true power of Bròn
Seud to protect the secrets of the shimmering gemstones
and to prevent the curse from ever taking Dominic
away from her again.
ISBN: 0-9825563-0-6
Available October 1, 2009! Pre-order your copy now!
Um... pretty obviously, I finished the book, and it's available for pre-order at the publisher's site or from me. When you order it from me, I'll sign it, too. :)
Pyrography
Pyrography is the art of drawing with fire or heat. I haven't seriously done any pyrography in almost two years, but here are some small photographs of some of the work I've done. Larger versions of these pictures can be found in the "Photos" section.
This is a pyrography painting I did for a friend in 2004. As you can see, it's a pirate ship sailing past a cove. The piece measured 24"w by 18"h, and is enhanced with touches of oil pastels, chalks, and charcoal.
This is the very first pyrograhy painting I did. I ended up selling it on eBay for $5 or something. It measured 12"h by 8.5"w. I drew the design in No.2 pencil, and then went over the lines with a burning tool. Finally, I added color with oil pastels, chalk, and charcoal shadows.
This is the last pyrography painting I did. I made this piece for a friend's birthday. From initial drawing with pencil to shipping it off took about 2 months. The detail work took the longest. Each leaf on the willow tree has to be drawn, then burned, then colored. As with the others, this piece is mixed media: oil pastels and chalks for color, and charcoal for shadows. This was also the largest piece I attempted: it measured 24"w by 36"h.
Painting
I also do more traditional still life paintings. Here are some photos.
Not much to really say about this piece. It's a reproduction of a photograph I had of Eileen Donan Castle in Scotland. The medium is oil pastels on canvas board. Completed in 2002.
Again, there is not a whole lot to say about this painting. I bought a kit off of QVC to make this painting, a reproduction of a Cezanne. Medium is oils on canvas board. Completed in 1997.
I found this picture of the Australian coastline in an old National Geographic magazine and made this. I don't really like it, but it shows some of my progress, I guess. Medium is acrylic on canvas. Completed in 1999.
This is a horrible picture of a fantastic painting. One of these days I will take a better picture of this; it's my favorite that I've ever done. Anyway, the picture I found on a serving tray at a Dollar Store, and copied it, then made some changes. This painting is currently hanging in my livingroom. Medium is oil pastels and acrylics on canvas board. Completed in 2003.