TOM WILLS PRODUCTIONS

Saturday, January 14, 2012

No. 141: On Fire

Edward Van Halen is "On Fire: by Tom Wills, February 2012.

Click on each picture to enlarge.

This image of Edward Van Halen is one of the few that I intended from the start to be a painting. My concept was for him to be on fire, a nod to “On Fire,” the last song from the first album back in 1978. That was 11^th grade for me, and that first Van Halen record baked a lot of us – thwarting our maturity for the 34 years that followed.

Ed has what guitar aficionados call "Brown Tone." It's hard to replicate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6z-nxAYhGw

So, a painting. “On Fire.”

Except, it’s not a painting. It’s a colored drawing.

But it’s not a pencil sketch. It’s pen and ink.

Granted, I penciled in the outline and shading, and then went over the lines with drawing pens and black ink.

I also used a black ball point pen, a really cheap one, for some shading.

"Do it 'til you're black and blue."

Next, I erased the shading and painted over the faint shadows that remained. The paint? A kiddie Crayola set, $3 at Walgreens.

A little White-Out was used on the right hand. Hey, I’m an amateur.

"Don't draw the line .."

It’s a drawing for a painting of a drawing.

My fear was that he’d turn out a comic book superhero, given the color scheme. Perhaps he did, anyway.

I did the flame colors first, starting with the head, and then the body.

Guitar, pants and shoes followed.

The most time-consuming part of the process was the color wash for the background: Blue, black, purple and green. All mixed together in Dixie cups.

I drew details over the whole thing when the paint had dried. The hair and face got overhauled.

So, it’s a drawing for a painting of a drawing. Talk about mixed media.

Ed Head.

Van Halen is back in 2012 for a new album and tour. The 34-year immaturity cycle is ramping up again, as it seems to do every five or six years. I’m hoping Eddie is still on fire, and that he and David Lee Roth go out loud and large. I can’t wait to be 17 again, even if the boys in the band and I are now in our 50s.

"I heard you missed us. We're back!"

I have had this record for 34 years.

Edward Van Halen is "On Fire"

This illustration is for sale

For inquiries: hankbonesman@embarqmail.com or willstom01@gmail.com

Sunday, January 8, 2012

No. 140: Sleeps With Angels

Tom and Corleone, January 2011

I love to watch my dog sleep.

More honestly, I enjoy watching him fall asleep.

There is a window between full-on and completely off that is both brief and mysterious.

He stretches out first, and then those big brown eyes take a few rolls around the room.

Everything quiet? All in order? Can I see the door?

Am I dominating a sufficiently inappropriate piece of real estate at the end of, or in the middle of, someone’s bed?

The eyes get very heavy. So heavy.

Like a stone.

Flutter. Twitch.

Fight it.

Close.

Nose gets a little dry.

A long sigh.

Ear flaps down.

Out.

This is a living example of peace on earth.

It takes about seven minutes.

Sometimes I will sit there with him, or lay next to him.

That’s when I notice how, somehow, every hair is in place, as if combed by a woman before bedtime.

How I wish I could fall out of reality so quickly.

How I wish my mind could unspool itself from the day to day like that.

They say dogs don’t have a conscience and don’t care about time.

Horse shit.

They know good and bad, right and wrong. They have only mastered, unlike their masters, how to put their conscience to bed.

This particular model also comes equipped with an internal clock that wakes me up every morning at 6 a.m.

I draw most of my stuff early in the morning, or late at night, because I am usually wide awake.
Keep me up at hankbonesman@embarqmail.com or willstom01@gmail

Saturday, December 24, 2011

No. 139: Like Painting For The Ears

Listening to Jimi Hendrix taught me how to think spatially, as an artist, writer and musician. His sound showed me that everything isn’t up and down, right and left, vertical, horizontal, black or white.

Dusted by a dollar

There’s also around, inside, between, rainbows, moonbeams, Castles Made of Sand.

My Space.

My 19-year-old mind was dusted after hearing “Are You Experienced?” It was a beat up copy that I’d found for a buck at the old Record Exchange in Niles, Ohio. The used record sticker is still on the cover. Didn’t matter that it was scratchy. The notes went above, beyond and away from the vinyl surface. It was like painting for the ears, all blended and drippy.

Backward and forward

Was he playing backward or forward? Both? Didn’t sound like he was even trying; it was just happening.

I'd never paid attention until that point.

The live recordings are far better than the studio albums, because in-house engineers really couldn't handle the volume and tones Jimi was trying to put on tape. They sound weak. On stage there were no restrictions, including time constraints, and that's when the floating above notes began. That was the experience.
There are dozens of concert recordings, and more keep coming, because they are all different. Just like no painting or sketch can be an exact copy. There is different flavor.

There are hundreds of tremendous guitarists. There was one Jimi Hendrix. We are still playing him today, still finding new versions, unreleased performances, new sounds. His music has no boundaries. Spatial.

JIMI HENDRIX

December 2011

18'' x 20'' (approx.)

This illustration is for sale.

Contact willstom01@gmail.com

Saturday, December 17, 2011

No. 137: Smoke Up

Christmas 2011

His name was Lorrain.
Lorrain Irwin Wills. He put up with people his entire life, saying that's a girl name.
Truthfully he was the manliest man a kid could ever hope to know.

I decided to hang Grandpa permanently over the bar. It's an appropriate location.

He had an important money job, a big office, loads of friends. Drove Thunderbirds. Was a sharp-dressed man. Made quality time for his family.
Had a self-propelled mower in the 1970s.

Click on each image to expand.


SMOKE UP, 3' x 4' December 2011

This particular picture comes from a black and white photograph, on Kodak paper, taken in 1963 on the front porch of my parents' first house, on Estabrook Northwest, Warren, Ohio. I actually think that I remember this day, though I know that's impossible. I was only about 18 months old.

What I do remember is that pipe. Grandpa always had a pipe.

I'd play with his spares and try to be a man like him. And I remember the taste of that empty pipe: Acidic. Sour.

But when he filled it with Half and Half pipe tobacco and lit it up, it was the finest aroma.

Finished sketch on my drawing table.

My grandmother was somewhat of a neat freak who tolerated the pipe but, as their style and status grew, made Grandpa smoke outside. Near the end he swore he'd quit. But I knew he had a smoke kit in the trunk of that blue Thunderbird, and that he'd smoke up on every errand he could find. Grandma had to know.
It's not what killed him. It might have kept him going so long.

Finished sketch, with a photocopy for reference above.

The black and white photo has been in a vintage frame in my basement for several years. I had just finished a sketch of my brother and I, circa 1960s, for my dad for Christmas 2011 when I decided to tackle this. I knew that it would be a challenge.

Below are some steps in the creative process.

At this point, nearly completed. Needs final detailing and shading.

Trying to figure out how to place his feet, and their shadows.

Sketched in the folds in Grandpa's pants.

I've got my feet on the ground, but half of Grandpa is missing!

Working from the top down.

The framed photo, the laptop image, and a photocopy reference.

A rough version of my face.

A rough take on his hand and face.

On the porch with Grandpa, 1963.

This large sketch, which I still have to frame, is my Christmas present to myself. I feel good looking at it, and I felt good doing it and remembering those childhood days.

I used to keep lighters, matches and a cigar cutter inside of one of Grandpa's Half and Half cans. But I gave up cigars this year, and dumped the accessories. I don't have any hidden in the trunk of my car.

I kept the Half and Half can, however. It's a little rusty inside. Nicotine'll do that to ya.

Smoke Up

A Tom Wills Production, December 2011.

To inquire about a special family portrait, email hankbonesman@embarqmail.com or willstom01@gmail.com

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Christmas 2011 Drawings

Thank you to my growing list of customers and friends who have supported my artistic endeavors in 2011, my busiest year yet. Happy holidays and Happy New Year to all!