This is the first piece I’ve done “just for kicks” in a looooong time. Had a blast making it. I’ve been itching to make a series lately. Currently in the feeling out process to see what grabs my interest the most. By the way, have I mentioned how much I *hate* naming things? Uggh.
Or so the sidewalk down the street tells me. Yup, definitely going to have to rank this as one of the more interesting times I’ve walked down the street to get bread. It’s hard not to be intrigued by “Murderer Lives Here” scrawled in chalk with an arrow sign pointing towards the house of the accused (who happens to be a neighbor just a little ways down). As soon I saw the first sign I whipped out my phone and started taking pictures. Someone in SE Portland is pissed at someone named Kathy and wants everyone else to know it. Just a heads up: I crossed out her last name in all the photos, ya know, in case the “murderer” isn’t the cold blooded, she-goblin we’re led to believe. Now I know what you’re thinking: But it’s written in chalk! What more “proof” do we need? I know, I know. I’m right there with ya. But still, we have no evidence this lady is the abhorrent, perverse (presumably), cold blooded, murderous demon the anonymous creator suggests. Either way, I’m finding this public roasting pretty fascinating. A few feet down several more signs.
“Animal Abuser” followed by “Murderer Kathy _____ Lives Here”, both with arrows pointing to the same house. Whoa, someone is really sticking it to this lady. Curiously enough all of the signs were done across the street and not directly in front of the house in question. I’m wondering if this Kathy wench killed someone’s cat or dog at some point. Not sure, but if these signs are indicative of anything someone out there reached a boiling point and wants revenge, or at the very least some public humiliation. And here I was thinking I was living next to saints. A couple of more signs a few yards down.
And there you have it. That was everything I saw and with it starting to rain it looks like I documented them just in time. If anymore sidewalk drama unfolds I’ll be sure and make a post about it. In mean time maybe I’ll have enough guts to knock on their door and do some private investigative work. I smell the beginning of a Scooby Doo-eqsue mystery unraveling before my very eyes. Have any thoughts on the matter? Let me know.
UPDATE: A good friend of mine dropped some knowledge on me when I posted the link on Facebook: “You’re witnessing the remnants of a protest. It’s the home of a woman who does vivisection on live animals at OHSU (Oregon Health and Science University).”
Greetings! Welcome to the all new Robot Plague. First, some numbers: I first launched the site back in 2003, this overhaul makes it version 4.0, I’ve been freelancing for 7 years now and at the time of this posting I’m 25 years old (the big 2-6 comes next week). These are the cold hard facts, folks. Time flies, as proven by the fact that I now look and feel like the oldest person at shows. It’s undeniable; The cold, wretched claw of father time has me firmly in his grasp. You know what else is hard to believe? How inexcusably long it’s been since I’ve put up any new work. A lot has changed since you’ve seen me last; I moved up to Portland, OR for film school, I sold Stuff On My Cat and I no longer offer screen printing services (sorry kids). I’m also getting hitched! Belinda and I have been together for 6 years now and just a few short months ago I popped the big question. She’ll be all mine come Fall 2011. Exciting times are a comin’.
As you’d expect from a portfolio relaunch there’s a ton of new stuff to look at over in the artwork section. Some pieces have been around a bit while others are hot out of the oven. There’s a lot of stuff I’m really proud of over there, check it out and let me know what you think. Feel free to swing by on a regular basis. I want to keep this thing as fresh as possible with various posts including anything film related I do, new artwork, articles and whatever else I can muster up. I got started early on the article front and wrote an entry about some insanely cool Japanese MMA posters I came across, check it out! I’m also accepting new work, so if you’re need of visuals for a project of yours don’t hesitate to get in touch. Thanks for popping your head in, don’t be a stranger.
The only sport I follow is MMA. At any given time I usually have zero idea what’s going on with the major stick and ball sports. I can definitely appreciate them, but it’s a rare occasion when I actually watch a game to begin with. Mixed martial arts, from my humble perspective, has all of the grace, athleticism, drama and entertainment to rival anything else out there. Honest!
People everywhere “get” fighting, being part of the animal kingdom it’s ingrained in all of us. Our primary objective is to survive, we have to defend ourselves. Fight or flight! So it’s easy to see why people everywhere, regardless of where they’re from know what gettin’ crazy eyed and doing the fisticuffs is about. For instance! The last card I saw had fighters from the US, Canada, England, Germany, Denmark, Croatia, The Netherlands and Brazil. Diversity: MMA has it. Watching fighters from around the world proudly display the technique and style that was directly influenced by their home country never gets old.
While I know infinitely more about what’s going on with American organizations I try to keep one ear open with what’s happening in Japan. Squeezing in a Japanese card, while I don’t always get a chance to do so, is always a welcome treat. Right now the two main flavors of Japanese MMA come in either Sengoku or Dream, but before that it was all about Pride.
As you’d expect the Japanese do things a little differently than they do here in the west (a good thing!). For example, the winning fighter usually receives flowers and a trophy, the crowd is very respectful and frequently dead silent. Not only that but they somehow seem to show the best angles and instant replays on the planet. What’s not to love, right? I had no idea until just recently, but even their posters kick ass.
The first time I saw a poster for a Japanese MMA event I was grinning from ear to ear. It was refreshing to see the sport interpreted through a different cultural lens and epitomized through their promotional material. Domestic violence, breast feeding, sperm cells and butterflies aren’t images people typically think of to promote a fight but these Dream and early Pride posters prove that fighters aren’t needed to hype an MMA card.
What impressed me the most while scouring the internet for these posters was the respect these ads have for the sport. They’re playful, they’re sincere, they’re creative and they go beyond two men trading blows in a ring. MMA, in the confines of these prints, transcends that of being “just” a sport. They’ve managed to capture the struggle, the pain, the glory and most important of all the human element of what it means to dedicate your life to being a mixed martial artist. As a huge fan of the sport and as a designer I can appreciate these immensely and on multiple levels, I hope some of you are right there with me.
