SeventyEleventy
Nik Arnoldi Dot Com
  • The Challenge.

    Telescopes
    $150


    I never thought that I would be 25, graduated from college, working at a place completely unrelated to my college degree, and not living with the woman I would be spending the rest of my life with.

    I never saw myself travelling between continents to find my soulmate, nor did I see that I would have not even owned a car for more than six months.

    When I look through the eyes of the kids I work with at MSD, I see what I used to expect of myself, and what I am now.


    I'm younger in a lot of ways than I thought I would be... but older in others.

    For example, I'm younger in the sense that I'm not married (though now I'm finally a year or two's worth of planning to being married to the love of my life!!)... but I'm older in that I feel much more responsible than I could have ever expected from my mid twenties. I feel like I have grown to understand people a lot better; which, when I was young, this seemed completely impossible in that I was an only child and a latchkey kid!


    I feel like I'm at the crossroads of an interesting point in my life, where I move from living a life of happenstance, to moving to a life of purpose. I feel a shift and a change of pace. I feel like it's time for me to be adult about things, though I always remember that it only aids in my childlike nature in the long run. I feel like I'm opening to the chapter in the story where the plot is starting to really grab.


    And, as the ironic fate of the Muses would have it, these are times where I find it more difficult to record it in journal form.


    But I'm recording it through what I do.








    I'm working on this mural at this place called Kids on the Mount, a community center up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. This is the biggest piece I've ever worked on, encompassing several rooms with 10 foot ceilings, and intermittent hallway sections. It's amazing watching the space grow into more and more of an illustrative environment as parts of the mural are completed. When it's done, there'll be some snazzy quality photos. And I plan on being done by spring.

    And spring... my heart is set on spring, when I plan to skip over the Atlantic and be with my dearest Heart.

    This year is a crucible, but I know it will make us stronger through it all.


    Love conquers all.

    (Another thing I didn't expect to fully believe by this age... There's no proof better than this!!)

  • Munday
    This is my last Monday in London for a while. I'm at a very conflicting point of two strong emotions pulling me different ways: excited for everything the rest of this week has to offer, but dreading it to pass too quickly. I don't want to part with my lover and now fiancee, no matter how soon I will return and no matter what great company I will have when I get there. For the rest of my time in America, my business hat will be on and I'll be working with the sole intent to be back in London ASAP.

    Yesterday we spent the day as a retreat from the outside world, curled up all day in our pajamas, watching movies and having some serious conversations about my plans to come back. This is going to be one of the hardest things I've ever done because as much as I love what I do in Denver, I know it's not enough to keep me happy. And in addition to that, I know I have my future waiting to happen here in Londontown.

    It will be hard to leave Denver however, seeing as I've spent my last year trying to firm up my roots in the new place. Capoeira with the Canto do Galo studio, my friends from work and outside of work, my studio, my bikes and my home are what make me enjoy my time in the Mile High City, but it's not enough to keep me going forever. It feels like a song that's missing an instrument, or a book without binding.

    I will be back here soon, and it will be good. It won't be easy, but it will be good.



    Introduction
    $100


  • ENGAGE!
    I AM THE HAPPIEST MAN IN THE WORLD.

    To put it bluntly, she said YES.

    To anyone else, it sounds like any other engagement, bowing down on one knee and putting a ring on the finger of one's true love.


    But this is a horse of a different colo(u)r, entirely.

    Let me introduce the key elements of this day that made me the happiest man in the world:


    THE RING:
    Born out of the mind of my dear friend and the most talented metalworking artist I know, Leah LeMasters, the ring took four months to create. It was designed with the signature symbol I created and refined with my fiancee when we first met. The precious stones set inside the symbol we created out of love are two blue sapphires surrounding one big emerald, perfectly cut and fair trade. The green and blue symbolise her changing eye colors, those eyes I get lost in whenever I see them.






    THE FRIENDS:
    I have been away from my dearest Harriet for two years as she grew into the amazing woman she is today. In that time, an amazing group of interactive theatre performers called The London Leisure Pirates. An amazing group of people including Eden, Blondie, Alfie, Emma, Sam Roberts, Tyler, Rob, Amy, Jack, Mark, Rich, Ryan Oh Ryan and Aleko, greeted me with open arms when I met them in London and made me feel at home, like I had been with them the whole time.

    I had no idea to expect that kind of reaction, but I knew how much they all meant to her, so I secretly contacted the ringleader of the bunch, Eden, to let him know I want to propose to Harriet at The Secret Garden Party, an amazing event that their group participates in. Eden, still having never met me, said that we could get it set up for Saturday night and he would have the DJ turn down the music so I could make the announcement. His planning helped make it one of the most amazing experiences of my life.



    THE EVENT:

    We packed on Wednesday to get to the Secret Garden Party early. Harriet knew where the ring was because Leah drove us to the airport and handed it off to me in a big blue bag. I hinted to Harriet where I may possibly do it by acting a little disappointed in the fact that I may propose at one of the places she guessed. When I was packing, she noticed I threw the blue bag in my travel luggage, which I wasn't taking with me to the festival. She looked a little disappointed, but we had a blast for the first few days of the festival.

    That day, I couldn't get any sleep. I couldn't sleep the night before and I couldn't nap later on. I was irritable and anxious, thinking that this all could still possibly fall through. It was coming up on the hour and we hung out in the Leisure Pirates tent to keep dancing and having a good time after a great day of performing for the festival. We lingered around, and as we were sitting in front of the tent for a breath of fresh air, Eden called everyone all inside to wish Mark Newman (one of our fellow Leisure Pirates) a surprise happy birthday. He turned down the music and everyone but Harriet was looking toward the stage. As she was waiting to sing "Happy Birthday", I bowed down to one knee and took her hand to ask her, "Harriet, will you marry me?"


    Glitter cannons burst over our heads, confetti was thrown by all our dear friends, and champagne popped for us as we bathed in the happiness and love between us and coming from all the good people all around us.





    She said YES!!!



    We walked around the entire festival, eight hours after the proposal (FROM ONE AM til 10AM!!!) and told anyone who was still awake, anyone who had ears to hear it, that we had just been engaged. We stood on stages with several DJs to announce it; we shouted from the tops of art installation towers; we even approached most of the cleanup and security crews to tell them of our proposal and to spread the love.

    Life is MOST good.


    I am so relieved and elated to see the ring on her finger, and I can't think of a better time, place, or people to have shared that experience with. And I can't think of anyone else I would want to spend the rest of my life with. I am the happiest man on earth.

  • All the kids that want to make the scene...
    here in NORTH AMERICAAAAAAAA...

    These are some of the last of the 48 hours of being on American soil for this summer.

    I am ridiculously excited... the picture painted of London by Harriet and the friends of hers I know only minutely from Facebook is one of bohemian revelry.

    Nights listening to live music, leading into adventures that lead into the very sunrise; old architecture that develops new meanings with the people and fun things that happen inside it; pure EUPHORIA.



    I mean I'm obviously not all THAT excited about it... god, it doesn't sound like something I'm into at ALL... All those artistic events that will inspire me ridiculous amounts... of COURSE I should probably pack loads of things for me to do. /sarcasm. (practice for English wit)

    Can't wait!

    I'm excited to see the family that I've missed over the last couple years, and I'm excited to see the new member of the family... I'm excited to become one of the family.

    This has been a summer of the HUGEST degree, but it's just about to get kicked into overdrive.


    I feel utterly unprepared for this world she plans to share with me, but I am excited nonetheless.


    This summer is all about making memories for our future together.



    And for those of you I will see when I get out to London, I come bearing gifts! :)

  • seventyeleventy @ 2010-06-09T17:59:00
    Harriet's farts smell like roses and sunshine

  • Draw something pretty on some really nice things.
    Summer is in FULL effect!!

    My mom and little sister arrive tonight. My girlfriend is sleeping in the other room. My life is pretty damned good.


    Instead of writing words about it all, I'm just going to post photos. The pictures say most; the captions say only a little more.

    Happy Birthday to me tomorrow!


    Re-united



    Her first Sno-Cone... Wash Park rocks!



    Red Rocks hike with the kids from my class



    Harriet makes my hair purdy...



    Nathan and I try to lift the Hat in the Stone at Rocky Mountain National Park.



    Superheroes in disguise...




    THE WORLD
    IS
    UPSIDE
    DOWN!





    I love her.













    And to not make this an entirely art-free photo post... here's the Cookbook cover I illustrated for Montessori School of Denver!





  • LG
    I must so blatantly say, life is really good.

    At 1 in the afternoon today, I sent out an email to the parents of my kindergarten classroom announcing that we're going to print paperback copies of the children's book I wrote and illustrated for our class auction project...

    By 6:30 PM, over half of the parents have responded with interest in a copy of the book. In fact, in one of the parents requested to order FIVE.

    I know that a big part of it is that their child appears in the book, as well as a full color illustration of him/her, but I'm just pleased that I could create a project that would be so dear to these families.


    I love working with this school.



    And this week has been ridiculously slow in that it should be 4:30pm on Saturday right now. Harriet will have landed, and we should be heading away from Denver International Airport. I thought I could make it go faster by staying ridiculously busy, but I just seem to be able to fit more in those stretched out minutes. It's been five weeks since Monday, and today was as long as the middle three days of the week.


    SATURDAY.



    This commission was completed on Sunday. I am pretty darned happy about it. :)


    On A Westbound Wind


    THREE DAYS AND EIGHT HOURS AND TWENTY MINUTES.

    Yes this is getting challenging.



    I am ridiculously ecstatic. :D

  • Writer's Block: The second time around

    Do you think it's possible to fall in love with the same person twice in a lifetime? Or do you believe everyone gets just one chance to make it or break it?

    Submitted By [info]rainingcookiies

    View 1391 Answers



    This is the story of my love with [info]beepea.
    .

    We fell in love through an LJ community, met in Boston, got engaged in Minneapolis, visited San Francisco, moved to England..... yeah, most everyone knows the story.

    Well anyway, I had to move back at the end of that summer (YES, all of that happened between January and September), and after that everything pretty much fell apart. The break was necessary for us to both grow on our own so we could become better as independent young adults, and now we find ourselves, two years later, facing the exact same future together.

    Damn, that question sounds like it was practically written for us.




    Wow.

    Eight more days.


    I can't wait.... I seriously CANNOT contain my excitement.



    Mountain Lion
    $200


    Holy crap, my life rocks.

  • Soonish. Nowish.
    Last night's art walk was a blast... one of the few nights I've felt connected to this city in a way. Usually I just feel like I'm only just existing in this city as another stepping stone between here and where I really want to be. But I finally felt like there was a reason for me to be here and I can't wait to share that feeling with my Heart. She'll be here in just 20 more days!

    Everything in the meantime I am focusing all my energy on so that these days will pass as quickly as possible. I can relax and enjoy the fruits of my labor when she arrives.






    one of a kind, hand-painted hemp tote bags


    On the topic of labor, I've been working closely with Marques White to create a 100% organic clothing line. This project has really made me think about the business end of art a lot more, and it's a welcome change from getting too heady about what I do. All the shirts are printed with environmentally safe dyes and on bamboo T-shirts.

    There'll be more pictures as we come out with more pieces, but currently here are some of the clothing and accessories we have out right now.




    cute girls in cute shirts...



    What we aim to do with the label is share this line just like the way bamboo grows, with our grassroots efforts. The idea behind this isn't to just become some huge corporation that doesn't give back to the world. We want to make this line an investment in community, and in our world.




    A commitment to community, creativity, and change



    I wouldn't write so pretentiously about the line if I didn't have this much pride in it. I like it so much not because it's something I designed, but because I love what it stands for. Marques's ideas for what we will do with this work just keep me excited about what we're doing, and I just want to include as many great people as possible.

    That, and the shirts are just SO darned comfortable...



    :)

  • You can really only get to Limbo via taxi.
    Things have been remarkably good.

    Which it's why it's off-putting to feel not-so good.

    I'm trying to figure out what's been affecting me, but I feel like I'm in a funk. My confidence seems a bit off-balance, and I don't feel the flow of things right now.

    I've been agitated, weary, and a bit down lately.



    Think it's just that damned stress and distance. But mostly just stress.




    Too Far West
    $100


    In other news, I am foster-caring for two 10-yr old long-haired kittehs. This will be interesting. I kinda like them already.

  • I told you I was freaky.
    This weekend was wild like a wet lizard.

    This photograph illustrates it perfectly.



    This weekend was the annual charity auction for my school. The auction's theme this year is... you guessed it.. 70s disco! There was a live band, plenty of hors d'oeurves, good spirits, and great company. Most of the teachers and a good percentage of the parents were there, just making a great old time of it. I've got an incriminating photograph of one of our parents dancing on the bar with some ridiculous platform shoes that have dice in the heels. Needless to say, wild night!

    The next day we had a class to make our cordas for the batizado in the Canto do Galo studio. Our capoeira class was pretty relaxed that day, but the process of making the cordas was LONG. I didn't get out until 5ish, but we started at 2. It's a pretty complicated procedure, but it starts to make sense after a while. It just takes some cooperation and patience, as well as concentration.


    Waveland
    $100


    In addition to crazy fun weekend, I also had the chance to get some paintwork done. I decided to retain my sanity by working on a piece for my collection in addition to commission work. I didn't get the best photographic results for the last piece, but I hope that the commissioner gets a better photo in her home. The painting above was a way to relax my hands and put my heart in the right place. The painting below is a piece for a little girl's room, and I am so glad it's going to her. After a little collaboration with her mother, I had a pretty good idea of what she wanted and I'm proud of what we came up with.



    Grace Kathryn


    Lately on my mind has been the worry of people thinking I've lost my integrity in that I don't paint just what I want anymore. Though it may seem like I'm "selling out", I am not in the business of art for the product. I'm in it for the process. I spend my days working with young people, which gives me loads of inspiration and energy to infuse into my art. When I get home, I start my OTHER work, which is where I expell all that energy into paint and illustration. I don't like to stop. As evidenced by the pieces above, these are only a few of the artworks that I've done in the last week. I post my best works to share, but the rest of my work I do for my own personal edification. And when I finally go to sleep, I rest well knowing that I've been pouring my heart into the things I love to do.

    Side note: I've started work on my SEVENTH issue of Coffeestain Comicks. Though I haven't put issue 6 to print yet, I have plans to do a limited run of them and reprint them as necessary. I'm debating on doing an anthology at some point... It's getting to the point that there are so much back story that people may be missing in just picking up a random issue. That, and it'll be a way for me to really push my older stories in a more refined direction. It's still just an idea for now, but until then I'll be sketching away on the next comic book, which has a new guest writer on the script. More on that when I get closer to completion!


    In the meantime, it's Monday, it's beautiful outside, and as soon as I get off work I'm going to LOVE the bike ride home.

  • Calling Mr. Behr...
    Right now, it's darned near impossible to keep up with all the work that I've been doing lately.

    In an effort to save up money to visit [info]beepea in London this summer and all the various other awesome things we'll be doing together between the end of May til the middle of August, I have been working night and day on things that will potentially help me as an artist and as a severely broke individual.

    Over spring break from Montessori School of Denver, I spent my vacation painting a mural and training loads in Capoeira. I don't have photos of the latter, but here are some photos of the former.









    This was painted at a church up in Genessee Park, Colorado, which is in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It's a beautiful place, with the room's view overlooking a wide expanse of evergreen trees and mountains off in the distance. Luckily, I had a ride to and from the site, otherwise my work time would have been severely cut due to the massive commute UP and the frightening trip down.

    Needless to say, it was a productive break.

    THIS weekend, is another busy one, packed with a visit from Mestre Acordeon to our group at the Canto do Galo studio, where he'll be giving some workshops. I am STUPIDLY excited, and there will be a pot luck dinner afterwards.

    SO EXCITED!! ARRGGH!!



    Soon I will post about the latest painting I finished, but I need photographic evidence of it first. Until then....

  • They built a statue of us...
    ... and put it on a mountain top.
    Now tourists come and stare at us.
    Blow bubbles with their gum,
    take photographs, have fun
    have fun...


    Us
    14" by 18"


    This is a big YES to spring break.


    Although my coffee machine has been broken, and my camera has stopped working, and my LAPTOP is being weird about my battery... I'd say I'm off to a good week.

    Monday, I checked the mail and I received not ONE, but TWO packages, from two different countries, two different people who mean the world to me. The first was from my Mom, who always packs good stuff and it makes me feel like I actually have food in my house once in a while. The second was from my lovely Harriet, who sent the loveliest bundle of photographs and a letter that made me melt.

    All week, I've been spending my days working hard on a mural up in the mountains, which is inside a children's classroom. The mural has been a process... since the first work on it with Leah Lemasters, to the second time I worked on it with Lady H, to every day I've worked on it aside from Wednesday. There will be photos now that Mom sent me back my old broken camera, and there'll be LOADS more photos of life and everything like it when H sends me her charger for her camera (which she conveniently left behind).

    So that's the camera taken care of.

    Every time I go to capoeira training I find that I am just a little healthier, a lot happier, and a load closer to Harriet. I look forward to being able to play capoeira with her when she gets here, in the warm Denver sun this summer. Her tickets are booked. I can't wait!!!

    Altogether, even in spite of all the petty little things (READ: ELECTRONICS) going wrong, it's really been an amazing spring break.

    I'm watching Hurt Locker right now, and if it's any evidence from the writing I am doing, the movie hasn't quite gripped me. Maybe it's the ending that makes the movie, but I'm not buying into the hype just yet. I'm not big into military movies (Full Metal Jacket and Apocalypse Now excluded)...




    Two more days at the mural and Friday will be the First Friday Art Walk on Santa Fe! Whoooo!

  • Happy Birthday Harriet!!!!
    Six hours ahead of the time that I post this, it's well into my dearest Heart's birthday.

    Several hours ago, I should have been finished with this illustration I am supposed to do for school, but several hours have passed and I've found myself busying my mind with her, along with everything about her, including going over old posts and finding some notes that she hid around my house to keep me thinking of her after she flew home. "That weird person you saw today? YOUR TEAM!"

    Three years ago TODAY, I wrote this. Full truth:



    ... and it's just like me to even get coffee stains on that.


    To be honest... I think I only get coffee stains on things I love. I still love that.

    I still love her.



    Right now I should really be getting back to my illustration that needs to be finished tomorrow, rain or snow... but sometimes sleep is just secondary.

    This is more important.



    In some ways, I don't feel like my art should even be in this same post, but my art is the only thing keeping my sanity at this point. The recent influx of commissions is helping me maintain my mindset. Whenever I paint or draw, I just imagine her near me and it's all better.




    This commission is for my niece, who will be born in Oceanside, California. Though I am familiar with Cali, I mistakenly guessed that all the trees looked like the North-Cal coast. Luckily, Alex (her mom and my sister from my bio-father) still likes the piece and plans to hang it above little Layton's crib. Art brings families together. I'm glad to have the chance to speak to the young lady who was a mystery to me all the while I was growing up several states away. Now she's married and having her first child. I wish her and her family all the best.



    And the piece that has really kept me busy over the last couple weeks is something I'll give the internet a liiiittle sample of right now. Some other images are uploaded on Facebook, but here are two more pages from the storybook I wrote as a class auction project.

    My process: With a writing prompt from my good friend Nathan, I wrote a fictional story about my kindergarten class all taking a fantastic trip to a zoo in Sydney, Australia... (based heavily on the Taronga Zoo). I drew illustrations of every animal we saw at the zoo, and had the kids put watercolor and marker to photo-copies of the illustrations. In Photoshop, I digitally collaged every coloring page into accurate-yet-fun full colored illustrations of the animals. And on every page opposite the animal is an illustration depicting one or more of the kids in my class interacting with the exhibit. With our all-day kids, I gave them drawing lessons on any one of the animals of their choice from the book, and then digitally collaged their drawings into the pages to fill out the illustrations. I managed to get all thirty of our kids into the book, as well as their drawings.

    Now that I understand it better, I know I can do a better one next year. But in the meantime, I have the confidence to write more. I hope to do another book sometime soon.



    Page 14




    Page 24



    There'll be pictures of the final book, and I will have it for sale after the auction. Until then, I have loads to work on.





    This will keep my mind in its right place. If I start thinking about her too much, time starts to do funny things and stops being predictable.





    But [info]beepea, when you read this, I want you to know that you're on my mind constantly and I hope your birthday is the best you've had yet. It's a tall order, but you deserve only the best. I love you.

  • DIOS MIO!
    Holy week in heaven!


    I have spent the last eight days walking in clouds.

    I feel like I have been revived from a two-year coma.

    My apartment is still in a slight state of disarray after the heavenly week that has just passed. I can't even bear to clean it up. Every time I put something away I feel a day further away from when my amazing and lovely Lady H came to America and made me believe in love all over again.

    It's safe to say I have never been this happy. It's like a switch has been flipped in my brain to being positive again.

    Yes, I am in love. I can't contain it. I can't play it off cool.

    I really AM this lucky.








    Art updates will resume after I finish the illustrations for this children's book. Deadline is Monday.

    Until then, I am going to draw with a heart filled up.

  • Going Postal.
    US Postal Service = Epic Fail.

    Once again, the Post Office has proven to be a very unreliable service.



    In mailing this piece to my friend Candice, who purchased it several weeks ago, the Postal Service managed to put a huge tear in the canvas.






    Boo on that.

    So since she was so cool as to say that she still wants the idea of the piece and she didn't want a refund, I gave the idea a second chance.


    sharper photos on the way... the sunlight has been very sparse lately...


    Now that all is fine and good and the painting has been reproduced larger, with a better handling on the colors and what I was attempting to do with the swing in perspective (yeah, I went overboard on the self-critique on the first one), I'll be FED-EXing this one off as soon as possible. In the meantime however, it makes my house look nice and cozy.



    In other AWESOME news, Lady H is arriving today!
    I'm pretty darned excited.



    Also, this painting, which started out as an ugly still life painting that I found in an alleyway, is now completed and hanging on my wall.



    Point of No Return
    $200


    He's a big guy. I haven't taken the measuring tape to him (mostly because I don't have any), but he's bigger than my usual 18 by 24 inch pieces.

    This in addition to all the work I have been doing on the Montessori School of Denver's yearbook cover, and our classroom story book (that I wrote and I'm illustrating... holy process Batman!)... I've been a busy guy.

    But I have FRED stickers!!!!




    Now that I know how easy the process is, I'm going to start doodling up ideas for other stickers. But until then, I've got 240 of these bad boys.



    aaaaaaaand I finally have a wireless connection. This has been conveniently typed from various places around my house, including my couch, my bed, and my toilet. Ah, decadence....




    TODAY!!!

    Arrrrghh! So excited! Just a few more hours until she arrives!!!!!

  • Surrealistically speaking
    I used to get so frustrated about feminism that I would write stupidly-long rants about it. Seeing myself as a humanist, I thought feminism was one-sided and not addressing the issue at hand: unity. So with that bias, I came across an article that posed the question, "Is There Anything Good About Men?"

    Surprisingly, it had a few good answers, and it made me look at the human race a little differently.


    Click here to read...

    Aside from busying myself with rants like these that don't get much done, I have actually been rather productive. I have fallen into the habit of finding junk and making art of it. The results of these endeavors will be posted in the next entry, if all goes accordingly. I still have two more steps in cleaning up this gorgeous end table that I have found, and I have yet to get a good picture of the file cabinet drawer that I've made into a shelf/drawing frame.

    All the other time is being spent working on a children's book for our class project for the kids in our class. It has yet to be written, but the outline is ready. This will be a fun project for both the kids to color/decorate as well as myself, because it will give me a chance to do fun caricatures of them all.

    Scratch that, all of my other time is being spent covering up my recently blank walls. I thank everyone who has contributed and moved those pieces, and I'm glad they have found new homes.


    Since then, I have been painting escapist pieces like this:


    Panda Air
    $200


    Click Here to see it bigger!




    and this:

     
     


    Winter Ghosts
    $100





    This is a time of a lot of growth. It's not going to be easy by any means, but I will make my life better.

  • Rosencrantzycoatl
    My mind is seemingly entirely detached from my hand as of late. I have been painting with my head in the clouds, fully removed from whatever is going on.



    This, if you are on Facebook, you probably have seen already but I am just posting it for posterity.

    I started painting this while I was in De Pere at about 4 in the afternoon. I finished it at 1 in the morning. It was hard work but It was the most exciting project I have worked on in ages. I painted this for Cleopatra's Hookah Lounge.














    And to inundate this post further with more images, I share my most recent paintings.


    Jumping Off Point
    $100



    Go Fred Go
    $100




    Tangled
    $125

    (Collaborative effort with Gary, Nathan, and Em.)





    And last but not least, this guy:



    Good Ol' Bullet Bill
    $60


    He was painted on a broken skateboard deck.

    And if it weren't for the bullet in Mario Kart Wii, I would probably be a far worse Kart player. That doesn't say much, however.



    That's that. I just needed to get it out there.


    Also:


    GO SEE "THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS."
    I think it has won a place in my favorite movies of all time and I just saw it last night.

  • the Lengths
    Next year is approaching on the calendar, quicker than I could have ever expected.

    I don't have much of a BEST OF list, aside from saying that the best album that came out all year (and yes, I've heard the new Iron and Wine AND the new Andrew Bird albums) is STILL in my humble opinion, White Rabbits' It's Frightening. Audio candy. I have a sweet tooth.




    Best movie? District 9. Equal parts funny/action/gross-out/political statements.






    Now for the holiday paintings!

    These were all completed for the holiday season. My favorite three pieces I finished in the month of December (out of the NINE I managed to crank out in the month's time) are below:


    Loon Lake

    A humble effort for Thea and Stan Kirkwood...


    And for my dear friends Nathan and Leah LeMasters:




    Still Life with Foxes




    Evening


    A gift for my father. Now hopefully he will replace the painting I did for him while I was in high school! He's a sentimentalist.... I gave that one to him almost six years ago!

    And as a gift to myself, I renewed my Flickr Pro account, so that a good host of all my paintings are still displayed on the internet in one easy to view location!

    Take a look, but most of these paintings are sold or painted over!

    CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE SWEET PAINTINGS!


    And for a better list of what is still available, just look at my website. :)

    http://www.nikarnoldi.com


    I'm back, full-force. My brushes are at the ready and I am getting paint stains on EVERYTHING.


  • Nahvembah
    It didn't take me long to remember how awesome the Calvin and Hobbes comics were... Bill Watterson is a genius of the highest order when it comes to ink and short stories.



    Hello world. I'm still alive. Somewhat.

    For the first time in nearly a year, I visited my family back in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was a pleasant relief to be back in the arms of those lovely people I've missed so much. As a post-turkey treat, we all adventured up to Michigan to enjoy the DeYoung Family Zoo. I love that place. These pictures can serve as evidence WHY I love it so much.






    My sister Grace and the spider monkey Grace. Friends for life.





    And I'll be an uncle's monkey. Err...




    The Zoo also rescues pet dogs. Some of the rescued dogs decided to follow us around while we visited the animals on the other side of the fence.

    They thought we came for them, so they made the best of it.




    Animal magnetism. And bad breath.




    The horse is an aspiring photographer.




    And this is the baby tiger I held two years ago.

    I think some of my attitude rubbed off on him.

    But he's probably pretty heavy by now...




    In short, I saw people I love and it filled me up with joy. :)







    6th Issue of Coffeestain Comicks will be out soon... If you'd like to contribute to its production, buy a painting!