The Last Temptation of Verneece McLeen

Well, it has been a long while since last I updated this blog... February. Man, that seems like a lifetime ago! Since then, my partner and I sold 3/4 of our art and belongings, and fled Dallas in a most spectacular fashion on Easter Day. We meandered up the West Coast for awhile with no particular destination, and eventually wound up in Seattle. In short order, we took up residence aboard a WWII-era Navy minesweeper moored on Lake Union, and now 3 months later, I feel as though I'm finally getting my bearings... enough to function, anyway! So, at long last, I dug out my neglected Klaustina files, and set to work on cleaning them up and crafting a new story.

As of my last entry, I was planning (and still plan) on having large-scale prints of some of the images produced for a show, but then... life apparently had alternate plans. When we left Dallas, I was quite disappointed to leave behind my friend Katherine Batiste, who stars in all of the images. Happily, though Katherine made her way out West as well and now lives in Monroe, WA, about 30 miles away. Close, but unfortunately not close enough for the impromptu afternoons of hanging out and drinking that most usually culminated with us "playing Klaustina." Besides, the muses have been pretty sluggish this summer anyway...much to my chagrin!

A couple of days ago while searching for some other files on my computer, I stumbled across the photos from our last two 'red-hot camera sessions' in Dallas, and immediately forgot about the other project I was working on! So, without further ado, I give you my latest vignette from the 'My Daughter Klaustina' series, 'The Last Temptation of Verneece McLeen.'

And, that's what I have so far. I have 2 other panels that I'm still working on, as well as tweaking the color continuity on the preceding panels, so I'll update this post as I finish them. I started working on this post 2 days ago and, as is my tendency, got distracted with work on other Klaustina stories...so, posting this incomplete is probably the best way to keep me focused on finishing!

Jermanda McLasters

This is the latest installment from My Daughter Klaustina, Starring Katherine Batiste, Jermanda McLasters. This story, like the others I just realized, sounds MUCH better if you use Bjork voice (mental or verbal) to narrate it. So, switch your internal dialogue to Icelandic, and fylgja along!

I have just begun distributing individual micro-edition prints of each story panel around Dallas, so keep a sharp eye out! Only 200 prints of each hand-numbered 1st Edition panel card exist-- less if copies are discarded by the disinterested (which is bound to happen!). Collecting a complete set in the wild will be, admittedly, pretty challenging! I will give regular hints (easy ones, like Pearl Cup bookrack) about where to find panel cards around town, so it won't be totally impossible! ;)

Thanks, and happy hunting!

My Daughter Klaustina

So, this is one of the test shots for my book project, My Daughter Klaustina, Starring Katherine Batiste. This character is tentatively named Jalinda, and she is very excited to go to the prom.
This is Klaustina herself, anxiously hoping that her children, Glaussenberg and Glorinda don't come home from school.

Klaustina, Jalinda and other characters are played to perfection by the great artist Katherine Batiste. Katherine graciously allows herself to become the canvas onto which the characters are painted (with acrylic paint, if you were wondering), and poses tirelessly until the shot is captured. These images are pretty rough; since I was so excited about the project, I rushed through the painting process, and used our crappy little pocket camera for the shots; but, they're just the beginning! Of all the creative ventures I've worked on throughout my life, this is my absolute favorite, because it allows me to bring my sketches to "real life", and really screws with perception--always a great joy, for me personally! Over the next few weeks, Katherine and I have more "red-hot camera sessions" planned, and the goal is to stage shows in different cities featuring large-scale prints, along with the release of the My Daughter Klaustina book. With any good luck and, most importantly, an influx of production capital, we'll start spreading the gospel of Klaustina in Mid- to Late-Summer of this year! Click here to see the work in progress.

Well, here we are...

Geez, this is pretty daunting; my very first blog post of all time! I really don't know what I hope to accomplish with this endeavour, other than to give myself a new creative outlet, so that I can ignore my other projects when they aren't giving me a sufficient level of satisfaction. And, I don't really know if I'm OK with people reading this, as my posts are liable to grow increasingly cathartic as I delve further into Le Monde du Blog. But, probably not too cathartic, as I really don't have much of anything to get off my chest... unless I venture out into public. Yes, I really despise the general public, generally; but I won't get into that right now... I'm sure I will have ample ammunition and opportunity for ranting in the near future, like the next time I leave the house!
So, primarily, I think my intent is... still pretty unclear, at the moment. Stay tuned, I might eventually figure out what I'm doing! :)