The heat is on, but we are busy painting and sewing to get ready for our fall shows (Rose City, Bellingham, and Jet City). And we have managed to slip in a few lazy days drinking beer on the back porch.
The journey of a thousand Robots...
"The journey of a thousand Robots begins with a single Sketch."
Some famous Zen Master said that, I'm sure. No? OK, maybe I said that.
Robots have become a big part of my life, and it all kind of started with that one sketch. Evelyn wanted to sell some of her Geeky corsets and clothes and bags and stuff online and asked me to draw some silly cartoons of things that could say "GEEK!" One of the first things I drew was the little Robot guy above.
I liked the little guy. Pretty soon, I was drawing and painting more than I had in years and Robots kept jumping into my images. Now I have drawn and painted tons of Robots (not a thousand yet, but it is a journey...), and I have taken over the website and the live shows. It has been a genuine Robot Invasion. And I am grateful to Evelyn that she has allowed the Invasion to take over LarsenGeekery as much as it has. (She is still making fantastic stuff by the way.)
Now if I can only find a Counting Robot to tally up how many Robots I have actually drawn and painted so far.
-- Jay Larsen,
LarsenGeekery Labs
Exploring Energy, Motion and Emotion
I just finished two very different Robot paintings that have some less obvious things in common. Yes, they both have Robots in them--That's obvious. No, the less obvious thing is what I am learning about motion within a painting: Motion of the paintbrush, but also the Motion of the Energy and the Motion of the Emotion of the painting.
I have been discovering that my finished paintings feel more coherent and energetic if I can feel and visualize the movement before I start moving the brush. For the children on the left I visualized dust and dirt slowly drifting down to settle and aggregate, almost creating the building and the characters as if by a slow geological/sedimentary process. As I applied paint I kept feeling this slow fall and drift of the dust, slowly building up layer after layer until the canyon of buildings and the Robot appeared. The result is a very deep but static formation. Even the children, who have more energy than their environment, seem caked in the fall of dust.
After all those rocky grey tones, I needed a splash of color. So I chose a black and white animal as my subject (ironic, I know!) But I picked a brighter color triad and started sketching. When I finished my sketch, I realized I had just drawn two characters sitting on their butts. Not very dynamic. So I decided to alter the sketch slightly to make it seem like they had suddenly come to a halt. Like their obvious forward motion had been checked. That gave me the idea of actually laying out the characters and my paint motion as a big checkmark: starting at the badger's nose, diagonal down to the bottom, and then up to the top-right of the paper. Laying my paint in along these lines of motion added more interest and emotional energy to the characters.
I am learning so much as I work through these paintings and the puzzles they create. When I have a positive image of how the energy will move, the paintings really seem to spring to life in ways that are surprising and interesting even to me. I hope you enjoy them half as much as I enjoy the process of creating them. I will be photographing these two additions to the Robot Art series and posting prints in the very near future.
Let me know what you think and keep your eyes open. Robots are Everywhere!
-- Jay Larsen
LarsenGeekery Labs
May Brings Robots to some Great Pacific Northwest Shows
May is here and with all the spring flowers and grass (that grows too fast) comes some fun Pacific Northwest Shows:
May 2-3, 2015, Normandy Park Art Show and Festival, Normandy Park City Hall, WA
Jay has two paintings entered into the Art Show and he will also be vending his Robot Art and Prints both days of the Festival. Come support local artists and craftspeople.
May 16, 2015, Bellingham Brick and Toy Fair, Ferndale Events Center, Bellingham, WA
Organised by the same fine folks that bring us the Bellingham ComiCon every year, the Brick and Toy Fair focuses on Geeky toys like Lego, Robots and more. The Larsen's will be there with all the Geeky Goodness.
We hope to see you at one or both of these Western Washington events.
But if you can't make it to a live show, our online stores are always available for your shopping convenience.
Help Rescue a Retro Robot Today @ LarsenGeekery.com
Every Drop of Oil is Precious, to a Retro Robot
Trying to move rusty old joints and bearings without lubricating oil can mean crippling pain, or worse, for a forgotten Retro Robot. But you can help these classic science fiction creations move freely, so they can become meaningful members of society again. And all it takes is pennies a day.
Show your support and feel the warmth that only comes from watching the twinkle in the visual receptors of a Retro Robot as he/she is able to man a communications panel, or drive a cargo loader, or any number of useful tasks.
Having useful tasks to do keeps these Retro Robots from falling into the Dark Underworld of Evil Geniuses and Mad Scientists who promise unlimited power and oil, but just end up corrupting the programming of these otherwise gentle robotic creatures.
You can give to Retro Robot Support at multiple levels and receive heart-warming gifts:
- $5: enjoy a 5x7 portrait of a thankful Retro Robot.
- $10: receive an 8x10 portrait or a 4x5 Velcro Patch.
- $15: you get the glorious 12x18 poster of a lucky Retro Robot.
- $40-$50: get the premium Retro Robot Map or School Bag with a Velcro Patch. (These are the same bags our Sponsored Robots use to carry spare parts and floppy disks.)
- $100-$300: you can adopt an original watercolor and ink Retro Robot by Mad Scientist and Master Geek Jay Larsen.
Show your support for Classic Retro Robots by displaying your gifts proudly. And remember every little bit helps a Retro Robot become a useful and vital part of society again.
Robots Invade Normandy Park
Don't worry, the Robots are friendly, non-threatening watercolor paintings, and they were invited to come to the Art Show and Festival.
Jay Larsen (LarsenGeekery.com) will have 2 Robot Paintings featured in the Art Show and he will be selling his Robot Art watercolor originals and fine art prints as one of the festival's vendors.
Join the Normandy Park Arts Commission for the 17th annual Arts Festival! Artists, vendors, musical performances, interactive crafts and more, the festival really showcases the talent in our local arts community. May 2nd and 3rd, 2015
www.normandyparkartsfestival.com
Normandy Park City Hall
801 SW 174th St
Normandy Park WA 98166
Artist Jay Larsen with one of his Retro Robot Watercolor Paintings.
Rescue a Retro Robot by Supporting LarsenGeekery.
As Little as $5 can change the life of a Retro Robot forever...
You won't believe how much $5 can mean to a Retro Robot.
With all the new fangled digital computers and AI dominating the modern robotics industry, many classic and retro robots have fallen on hard times. These robots just want to be useful again, but they need your help. You can make a lasting change in the life of a retro robot by providing funds for the necessities of robot life: paint, gear oil, and basic programming. You can provide all of this for less than the cost of an overly-complex coffee or a trendy microbrew. Help improve the life of a retro robot today by supporting LarsenGeekery.
Robots like RoboTow (pictured above) or dozens of other classic robots need your help today. And you can give to Retro Robot Support at multiple levels and receive heart-warming gifts:
- $5: enjoy a 5x7 portrait of a thankful Retro Robot.
- $10: receive an 8x10 portrait or a 4x5 Velcro Patch.
- $15: you get the glorious 12x18 poster of a lucky Retro Robot.
- $40-$50: get the premium Retro Robot Map or School Bag with a Velcro Patch. (These are the same bags our Sponsored Robots use to carry spare parts and floppy disks.)
- $100-$300: you can adopt an original watercolor and ink Retro Robot by Mad Scientist and Master Geek Jay Larsen.
Show your support for Classic Retro Robots by displaying your gifts proudly. And remember every little bit helps a Retro Robot become a useful and vital part of society again.
Save a Robot! Buy Some Art!
Get Carried Away
Useful, versatile canvas bags and Robot Art, what a great combination!
Well we think so. Evelyn has taken Jay's Robot Art and made beautiful patches with genuine Velcro fasteners and put them on her most popular sized bags:
The Map Case Bag, which is really a comic book bag in disguise.
And the European School Bag, which is perfect for a laptop.
See us at Emerald City Comicon 2015 in Seattle Q-4 & Q-5
Emerald City Comicon 2015 is coming up fast, March 27th-29th, in Seattle.
LarsenGeekery will be there in Artists Alley Q-4&5.
We will have a boatload of new Art, Prints, Greeting Cards, Patches, Bags, Skirts, and more. Lots and lots of Jay's Robot Designs. This is one of our favorite shows of the year. So we hope you have your passes and are ready to Geek out. 2015 looks to be a great show.
March 27-29th, 2015, EmeraldCityComiccon 15 - Seattle WA