Cobra Vs Mongoose painting by FallingApartart

My latest painting is a continuation of my spray paint experimentation. I have used spray paint in the past as background filler on large canvases, but this my first time really testing my limits with good spray paint (Montana German White and Black) and large work areas (8′x4′ wood panel). The whole experience has been great as far as seeing what can and cannot be accomplished in the medium. I’ve also been using a variety of different caps to find the combination that works best for my application. I’ve found that process to the resemble my experiences finding the correct brushes for different acrylic mediums. There’s definitely a ‘vision’ for what I’m trying to create when I paint, so I need to be sure the materials I’m using are capable of recreating what I have in my head. The trial and error can be frustrating at times, but then there’s that great “eureka” moment when the paint flows off the brush correctly, or you step back and see what you’ve been looking for.

In this particular piece, I was continuing with my Indian animal theme I had started with the Peacock wedding mural . This time I went with cobra and mongoose. It’s funny how our cultural education effects how we view images. When I created the initial sketch and posted on my Instagram, one of the first comments I received was about Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, which was one of my favorite stories growing up. Over the weekend, I was working on the piece in my garage, my young daughters saw the painting and said “Oh cool- a honey badger!” Execution-wise, I’ve been going back through my old graffiti books and researching a lot of Vaughn Bode. In the end, I can see Bode mixed with a traditional tattoo flash. Overall, I’m happy with the outcome, but I’m going to keep pushing the boundaries. Thanks for looking!

Mary Appeals for The Sinner painting by FallingApartArt

I finally finished this personal project I’ve had on the back burner for some time. Based on an old lithograph, “Mary Appeals for The Sinner” also incorporates some elements of Eastern Mysticism and Gnosticism (The star tetrahedron and aural spectrum) and traditional tattoo framing in the roses and filigree. Liquid acrylic on 11×14 cold-press paper. Thanks for looking!

K and S Peacock Wedding Mural by FallingApartArt

Right about the time of the Lonestar Roundup, I started experimenting with spray paint via SLOKE. I had done some work with spray paint in the past, a few smaller things for my fiance’s apartment, gifts for friends, and backgrounds for live paintings, but I’d never really worked large or with quality paints. I decided that there was no time like the present to do something different; I’ve been working relatively small for the last two years in pretty much one medium, liquid acrylic on cold-press. I recently popped the question and the major theme for our wedding is peacocks (There was a pair of peacocks courting in the park where I proposed). We’ve had this 9x6ft canvas I had done for my fiance back when she was in her apartment and it had been sitting in storage for a few years now:

Wedding Mural Stage 1 by FallingApartArt

So I decided to surprise her by creating a large scale backdrop for photos of our guests when they arrive at our wedding. We’ll also supply paint markers so people can sign the mural with well wishes vs. the conventional guestbook most people have at weddings. She loved it and with a few touch-ups, it’ll be ready to go next March. I am interested in doing more large-scale work- think 8×4 ft panels, walls (indoor/outdoor), etc. Send me your ideas and let’s talk – email info@fallingapartart.com Thanks for looking!

Calavera no.2 by FallingApartArt

The Lonestar Roundup is finally here! I just put the finishing touches on another calavera for the show – paste acrylic on 3x3ft panel. This Friday April 13th at the Travis County Expo Center see the best in the traditional hot-rod and kustom car world come together for an awesome Texas-sized show. Music,food, art, and vendors all in one place for two days. Get more information via the official Lonestar Roundup page or their https://www.facebook.com/LonestarRoundUp. Thanks for the support and hope to see ya’ll this weekend!

SLOKE x FallingApartArt Limited Edition Tees

FallingApartArt is pleased to announce the release of fifth limited edition tee featuring an original design by SLOKE ONE of CBS/NBK. The run is limited to 24 (only 20 available now) high quality American Apparel shirts, so supplies are VERY limited. Buy an original piece of limited edition art streetwear today! SLOKE ONE x FallingApartArt Limited Edition Tee

SLOKE ONE Official Site

Calavera cut-out by FallingApartArt

Once again, it’s time for the Lonestar Roundup Rod & Kustom Show April 13th-15th at the Travis County Expo Center. Every Spring, The Kontinentals Car Club brings together the best in traditional hot-rods, kustom cars,motorcycles,music, and vendors in one place. There’s tons more info on their official website:
The 11th Annual Lonestar Roundup official site

This will be my 6th Roundup, my second year as a vendor, and my first year with a booth inside. I’ll be out with limited edition tees, stickers, and original art for sale. I also like to do a few pieces specifically for the Roundup and this year is no different. I finished the above calavera panel cut-out this weekend and had a blast doing it. I already have another panel ready to be cut up and painted. The cut-out above is 2ftx2ft and would look great in your living room or garage. Stay tuned for more details on LSRU 2012 edition original art. Thanks for looking!

FallingApartArt popup shop at SXSW 2012

SXSW 2012 has finally wrapped up and I am exhausted. Even though the events really get going in the last four days of South By, there is so much packed into that short amount of time that it feels like you’ve been going for a month.

One of the things SXSW has taught me over the years is it’s better to go in without and plan and let things run their course. As documented in the post prior to this one, I had no intention of setting up any kind of merch booth and really just taking it easy. Well that night, I had a talk with SLOKE ONE who happened to painting a mural behind the new Emo’s East / Beauty Ballroom complex on Riverside and he introduced to me to the guys at The Collective, who were nice enough to let me set up a table at their female MC showcase. It was a great time and a good first run at setting up a pop-up.

My close friend Ian from El Paso happened to be flying in that night and on the plan, he started talking to Jason Lee, co-owner of S.O. Terik in LA on the plane. He told Jason about what we’re doing over here at FAA and Jason passed on his info to my friend so we could meet-up. That led to me going over to the S.O. Terik stage at Clive Bar in the Rainey Street district and meeting all the great artists that work with S.O. Terik. I also threw down some quick live art on everything from a table to the graff walls S.O. Terik set-up to share art with the SXSW community:

Table painting at S.O. Terik showcase SXSW 2012

Wall rose at S.O. Terik showcase SXSW 2012

I also made it out to Beauty Ballroom to hangout and pass out free stickers:

FallingApartArt SXSW 2012 two man street team

I wrapped up SXSW by hanging out SLOKE ONE, REI, RUBIN, and JABER, cooking out and working on my spray paint skills:

SLOKE, REI,RUBIN, SXSW 2012

SLOKE, REI,RUBIN, MURAL SXSW 2012

And my contribution to Sunday, a jaguar on a panel. I got started pretty late, so I wasn’t quite able to finish the spots, but I’m pretty happy with the results:

FallingApartArt spray paint jaguar

I had a blast working with “real” spray paint (courtesy of SLOKE and Montana Spain) and tips and I plan on working on some more for possible live art events in the future. A huge thanks to Ian, Jason and the S.O. Terik Crew, SLOKE, and The Collective for making my SXSW a memorable one!

Free stickers at SXSW 2012

Once again, my fair hometown of Austin, TX is over run by the awesomeness of SXSW. Ask most locals about their personal take on South by and you’ll get a mixed bag ranging from a week of fun to pure misery. Personally, I’ve always found the craziness of SXSW a novelty even though I’ve been surrounded by it for years. It seems like each new SXSW offers a chance for some new experience, whether it be musically, artistically or just socially. You literally have thousands of people from all over the world in a college town that is fairly quiet every other week of the year.

I had originally planned on doing a pop-up shop during the week, but I decided against it, as I’m also currently getting ready for the Lone Star Roundup Hot Rod and Custom Show April 13th-14th. I will however be downtown a few nights this week passing out FREE Guns N Oil and Bomb Squad stickers, so if you’re around and you see and random bald guy handing out stickers, it’s probably me- come up and say “Hi”. Thanks again for the support!

Dentata painting from FallingApartArt

This week, I wanted to go back to my ‘roots’ and paint something edgy. Recently, when I start thinking of subjects for paintings, I get in a mind set of whether an image is marketable or if someone would want it hanging in their house. With “Dentata” (as in teeth), I wanted to do something that was purely an exercise in doing what I want. I’m a huge horror fan and greatly influenced by artists like Bernie Wrightson and Pushead, so I was going for something that would look at home on the cover of a horror comic or metal album. I had a lot of fun figuring out the layout and coloring on this. I hope you enjoy it, too. Thanks for looking!

Lion Crest by FallingApartArt

Finished this painting last night, based on the #refaday tag on Instagram. Ref a Day was started by Doug Hardy and Mary Joy Dalrymple at Ed Hardy’s Tattoo City in San Francisco as a way for artists to share art reference pictures based on different subjects each day. Since last month’s subjects included “lion”, “key”, and “torch”, I decided to create a painting based on those references. I had also been reading a book on Mithraic mystery religions and incorporated some of that information into the painting as well. One of the key figures in the Roman mystery religions was a lion-headed figure.

“He is entwined by a serpent, with the snake’s head often resting on the lion’s head. The lion’s mouth is often open, giving a horrifying impression. He is usually represented having four wings, two keys (sometimes a single key) and a scepter in his hand. Sometimes the figure is standing on a globe inscribed with a diagonal cross. In the figure shown here, the four wings carry the symbols of the four seasons and a thunderbolt is engraved on the breast. At the base of the statue are the hammer and tongs of Vulcan, the cock and the wand of Mercury. A more scarcely represented variant of the figure with a human head is also found.

Although animal-headed figures are prevalent in contemporary Egyptian and Gnostic mythological representations, an exact parallel to the Mithraic leontocephaline figure is not found.

The name of the figure has been deciphered from dedicatory inscriptions to be Arimanius (though the archeological evidence is not very strong), which is nominally the equivalent of Ahriman, a demon figure in the Zoroastrian pantheon. Arimanius is known from inscriptions to have been a deus in the Mithraic cult (CIMRM 222 from Ostia, 369 from Rome, 1773 and 1775 from Pannonia).]While some scholars identify the lion-man as Aion (Zurvan, or Kronos) others assert that it is Ahriman.There is also speculation that the figure is the Gnostic demiurge, (Ariel) Ialdabaoth.Although the exact identity of the lion-headed figure is debated by scholars, it is largely agreed that the god is associated with time and seasonal change.” Source

The painting is currently in the portfolio but eventually I’ll place it in the Store. Thanks for looking!