This one has close to 175 hours in render times and postwork. It was a monster. i'm going to print it on a 4'x4' canvas. Tell me what ya think.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Sam that Taxi driver
Our last trip to LA was a lot of firsts for the boys. First trip in an airplane, first trip to Disneyland, first time meeting new in-laws. So Saturday night we decided to go out to a nice restaurant another first for the boys, and arrive via taxi, yet another first. This is where we met Sam the taxi driver. Nessa and the boys piled into the back and I climbed into the front seat, it’s easier to get in and out.
I love talking to taxi drivers. That’s the real reason I like to sit in front. I have had some of the most amazing conversations with taxi drivers. I have had some of the most amazing weird conversations with taxi drivers too. I go into total interview mode, its fun; I recommend it to everyone who ever rides in a taxi.
“So I notice your accent Sam, where are you from?”
“well… it’s a small country in the Mediterranean.”
“hmm… Greece?”
“No no no, umm, lets see it’s just west of Syria”
At that moment I realized just how little I knew of the Geography of the Middle East, and I have to admit was a little embarrassed, but I guessed anyways… “Turkey”
“No no no turkey is to the North. Our president was recently assassinated, it was big news”
“I’m sorry Sam I’m just not up to snuff on the Middle East”
“I am from Lebanon!” he said with a proud smile.
Well, in my brain the only thing that registers with Lebanon is Beirut and embassies and snipers and bombings and such. Not wanting to go that direction I ask him how long he has been in the US.
“twenty-four years” he says. “I came to America to get an education. The president of Lebanon was a very smart and wealthy businessman, and he offered anyone who wanted to come to the United States to go to college fifty thousand dollars. This was not a loan he gave you the money. The idea was that you would bring your education back to Lebanon. He was tired of the violence and was very peace minded, and he was rich! He didn’t want any more fighting. He was a very smart man.”
“And generous too it sounds like”
“well he was very smart.”
“and you don’t have to pay the money back?”
“nope.” “Actually…”, he said handing me a pamphlet from between the seat. It showed a distinguished looking man and a bunch of words in a language I couldn’t read.
“Sorry Sam I don’t speak Slavik”
“It’s Lebanese!”, he said with a laugh. “It’s the son of the former president. There is an election coming up, and he is calling all of the people his father sent to The United States to return to Lebanon and vote. He’ll even buy the plane ticket.”
“Huh?”
“Ya he will by the plane ticket so that I can go vote in the election. It’s a very important election.”
“are you going to go?”
“I don’t know”
“Do you have family there?”
“yes and family here too.”
“oh, are you married?”
“yes, that’s the problem, my wife won’t go with me”
“How come?”
“well… Lebanon holds on to a lot of tradition when it comes to women, you know, wear black, hide face, walk on other side of the road”
“really, so it mostly a Muslim country?”
“no, fifty - fifty probably Muslim, Christian”
“so then why the laws?”
“it is a very old country, with very old laws”
“I see, how did you meet your wife?”
“Well I was going to school in Boston…”
“What were you going to school for?”
“engineering”
“You’re an engineer?”
“yes I have a Bachelors in electrical engineering”
“and you drive a cab?”
“You do what you have to do, I have a business, a store that sells imports. Business is not so good right now. I have to pay the bills you know?”
“all too well, so your wife runs the store while you drive a taxi?”
“yes and the kids help too”
“How many kids do you have?”
“Three, three girls.”
“oh man, poor guy, you are OUT… NUM… BERERD.”
“you’re telling me!” (laughs)
“so you met your wife in college?”
“no I met her in Canada.”
“huh?”
(chuckles) “ I met her working for the United Way in Canada. She was here on the same program.”
“So you fell in love and moved to California.”
(laughs) “yes and moved to California.”
“Why California, why didn’t you go back to Lebanon?”
“Well like I said, thing are not so good for women there, some laws are very old, and she, well she is used to her freedoms here. We had a friend here so we packed up the car and drove here.” “so you are staying here for her.”
“yes and for the children.”
“That’s what Dad’s do”, I said
He paused and looked at me for a second, “yes, I guess that’s what Dad’s do.”
I love talking to taxi drivers. That’s the real reason I like to sit in front. I have had some of the most amazing conversations with taxi drivers. I have had some of the most amazing weird conversations with taxi drivers too. I go into total interview mode, its fun; I recommend it to everyone who ever rides in a taxi.
“So I notice your accent Sam, where are you from?”
“well… it’s a small country in the Mediterranean.”
“hmm… Greece?”
“No no no, umm, lets see it’s just west of Syria”
At that moment I realized just how little I knew of the Geography of the Middle East, and I have to admit was a little embarrassed, but I guessed anyways… “Turkey”
“No no no turkey is to the North. Our president was recently assassinated, it was big news”
“I’m sorry Sam I’m just not up to snuff on the Middle East”
“I am from Lebanon!” he said with a proud smile.
Well, in my brain the only thing that registers with Lebanon is Beirut and embassies and snipers and bombings and such. Not wanting to go that direction I ask him how long he has been in the US.
“twenty-four years” he says. “I came to America to get an education. The president of Lebanon was a very smart and wealthy businessman, and he offered anyone who wanted to come to the United States to go to college fifty thousand dollars. This was not a loan he gave you the money. The idea was that you would bring your education back to Lebanon. He was tired of the violence and was very peace minded, and he was rich! He didn’t want any more fighting. He was a very smart man.”
“And generous too it sounds like”
“well he was very smart.”
“and you don’t have to pay the money back?”
“nope.” “Actually…”, he said handing me a pamphlet from between the seat. It showed a distinguished looking man and a bunch of words in a language I couldn’t read.
“Sorry Sam I don’t speak Slavik”
“It’s Lebanese!”, he said with a laugh. “It’s the son of the former president. There is an election coming up, and he is calling all of the people his father sent to The United States to return to Lebanon and vote. He’ll even buy the plane ticket.”
“Huh?”
“Ya he will by the plane ticket so that I can go vote in the election. It’s a very important election.”
“are you going to go?”
“I don’t know”
“Do you have family there?”
“yes and family here too.”
“oh, are you married?”
“yes, that’s the problem, my wife won’t go with me”
“How come?”
“well… Lebanon holds on to a lot of tradition when it comes to women, you know, wear black, hide face, walk on other side of the road”
“really, so it mostly a Muslim country?”
“no, fifty - fifty probably Muslim, Christian”
“so then why the laws?”
“it is a very old country, with very old laws”
“I see, how did you meet your wife?”
“Well I was going to school in Boston…”
“What were you going to school for?”
“engineering”
“You’re an engineer?”
“yes I have a Bachelors in electrical engineering”
“and you drive a cab?”
“You do what you have to do, I have a business, a store that sells imports. Business is not so good right now. I have to pay the bills you know?”
“all too well, so your wife runs the store while you drive a taxi?”
“yes and the kids help too”
“How many kids do you have?”
“Three, three girls.”
“oh man, poor guy, you are OUT… NUM… BERERD.”
“you’re telling me!” (laughs)
“so you met your wife in college?”
“no I met her in Canada.”
“huh?”
(chuckles) “ I met her working for the United Way in Canada. She was here on the same program.”
“So you fell in love and moved to California.”
(laughs) “yes and moved to California.”
“Why California, why didn’t you go back to Lebanon?”
“Well like I said, thing are not so good for women there, some laws are very old, and she, well she is used to her freedoms here. We had a friend here so we packed up the car and drove here.” “so you are staying here for her.”
“yes and for the children.”
“That’s what Dad’s do”, I said
He paused and looked at me for a second, “yes, I guess that’s what Dad’s do.”
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Some of my art.
I presented two pieces of art this year at the "Erase the dark" Music art and film festival. The response blew me away, thank you guys. It was the first time I had publicly displayed anything I had done in this medium, ever. It was a step of faith for me. So then recently there something someone said. I can't remember who, maybe it was Dan Lance. Something about how we keep all of our art to ourselves, never sharing it with anyone, and why did God give us such things if not to share... Well, right here guilty. So I decided I was going to share some stuff.
These are the ones I presented...
Here are some others I have been working on
(click on the image to see it bigger)
this one is not done I need to photoshop in some splashes and birds and well, some pirates!! :)
This one is called "Red Sky at Night" I wanted to capture the largeness of the ocean and the clouds, this will be printed on a large canvas, probably 3 or 4 feet.
This on is call the Vigil. another work in progress, I am in the final render stages and have completely changed the armor and major work still has to be done on the tree to make it look more real.
This was a quick work I did, well less than 6 hours... I was playing with sepia tones and smoke and frames in photoshop.
Nessa and I did this one together it was tons of fun! This one will also be printed on large canvas.
These are two stages of one that i am working on right now, the bottom one is close to what i want but I need to work on the light and shadows, and some more work needs to be done on the jewelry. The whole thing is not quite dark enough for me yet.
What can i say I have a thing for old sailing ships. This one is another canvas print.
I love the sun and sky in this one. If I come back to it, I might change out the future landing pad thingy for a castle or something...I have a bunch more but this is a start. I will try and post the finished ones of the ones I am working on right now when they are done... I'm over 160hours into the one I'm calling the Vigil and still have some work to do. Thanks so much for looking!
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