The Secret of NIMH: The Great Owl

Any 80s kid should recognize my newest piece. It's a fan-art of The Great Owl from the 1982 animated classic, The Secret of NIMH. I grew up on Don Bluth animations (An American Tale, Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven) and his work is a great influence on my own. The fluidity of his character's movements, the brilliant lighting effects, and the dark, gorgeous backgrounds are some of the traits that made me fall in love with his style. Although my piece was just a quick tip of the hat, I hope you all enjoy it!

Tattoos, Dogs, and Charity...but not tattooed dogs up for charity.

Late last year I was randomly contacted by a man named Brad Jones who had seen one of my older designs over on my deviantArt page and wanted it tattooed. Apparently the girl I had drawn greatly resembled his wife (minus a few color alterations and the original design had a pair of vampire fangs). So we agreed on some colors and I went ahead with the alterations. Well, about a week ago I awoke to an email from Brad showing me the final product! My artwork, permanently embedded into his flesh! The tattoo was done by artist Mike Roche at Hart and Huntington in the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, NV.

In other news, friends and family have been clambering to get an original portrait of their beloved pets from me. I haven't gotten a chance to get any good photos of some of my latest works but I got a spare moment to scan my MOST recent one in. This one was for a good friend of mine, Katie O., who wanted to immortalize her family dog. He is a sweet old half lab/half boxer mix. The scarf around his neck was added because she told me a story of how he used to drag her and her brother around by their scarves. Also, I thought it might make the whole piece that much more interesting.

And last, but certainly not least, if you live in the Savannah, GA area (and haven't been under a rock) then you've more than likely heard of the 'Statts Block Party'. A great benefit show to help raise money for a local artist/legend who was was shot in the neck back in '08 during a senseless crime and is now paralyzed from the neck down. Put on by all his friends and loved ones, the show's goal is to help raise money for his piling medical bills. In addition to a huge line-up of great local bands there will also be raffles and art auctions. I did a small owl piece specifically for the benefit.

One hundred percent of all proceeds will be going directly to Statts. So go out, have a good time, and bid!! For more info on the Block Party or Jason Statts, visit any of the following links.

Statts Block Party Facebook Event
Friends of Statts Facebook Page
Friends of Statts Official Website