HODGEPODGE @ SMASH and Other Rad Shit

Okay. I was just bitching on Twitter last night about how much I hate writing blog posts. And I still do, but apparently I was bitten by either the Guilt Bug or the Blog Fairy last night while sleeping. Ouch! Note to self: Bring Guilt Bug spray and a Blog Fairy swatter to bed tonight. FIZZ and SPLAT!

Okay. Couple of things to pass along in this post, then I'll let you all get back to what you were doing before you unfortunately stumbled upon this mess of words and links.

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1) Great news! Found out yesterday that The Babylonian Trilogy by Seb Doubinsky made the Bibliophile Stalker Best of 2009 Short List for Best Novel! I did the cover artwork for this amazing book - which has absolutely nothing to do with it making this list, I assure you. It's all about what's BETWEEN those covers. I've said it before and I'll say it again - it's a BEAUTIFUL book and an INCREDIBLE read! Send in the links!

Link to the Best of 2009 Short List here.

Link to the book on the PS Publishing site here.

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2) Exciting plans this weekend? No? Well your Saturday night is taken care of at Instinct Gallery (1408 Locust Street, inside the Des Moines Social Club), with The Lost Diary of Capt Malcolm Chang. Main attraction: New works by Van Holmgren. Side galleries: Veronica Hebard, Anna CF, Ron Wagner and Zech Ward. Click here for all the yummy details. I'll be there. Wouldn't miss Van's show for all the tasty monsters in the sea. Even with a giant side of melted butter. Be there or be me WAY back in junior high. It wasn't called a mullet back then, so piss off. Gosh!

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3) SMASH, The Greatest Store in the Universe (and it is - go there and see for yourself - bring money - you'll want to buy everything they're selling), is having a name change party Nov 20 from 5-9p. Blame California for the name change. Hell, blame California for everything as far as I'm concerned. Should be a SMASH-ing good time! HA! See what I did there? Details here. Which provides a wonderful segway to...



4) I'd like you all to meet HODGE and PODGE! Two wild and crazy hedgehogs who are acting as hosts of sorts for my upcoming solo show at SMASH --- HODGEPODGE!

So when the hell is HODGEPODGE?

The show itself runs from Dec 1 - Jan 9, at SMASH (400 E Locust, East Village). The reception is Saturday, Dec 12 from 4-7p.

So what the hell is HODGEPODGE?

30+ pieces - some old, some new - reDONKulously reduced prices!

12x18 HODGEPODGE photo prints (signed, unframed) - $20 each

Various wooden blocks and HODGEPODGE gift boxes - $5 to $7

FREE HODGEPODGE bookmarks and Dead Clown Art stickers!

And SMASH will be printing HODGEPODGE t-shirts (my design) during the reception only - golden yellow on pretty much any t-shirt they offer (visit their site for options) - only $18 each! T-shirt pre-orders welcome if you can't make it to the reception. Please email me at deadclownart at yahoo dot com with t-shirt size and color preference.

Mixed crackers, gummies, fizzy drinks and the giant bucket of awesome that SMASH always has on tap will be provided

Click here to view an online version of the poster I'll be hanging up tomorrow (11/12).

Click here to view the Facebook event. Feel free to RSVP is you'll be able to make it to the reception.

I'll be hanging HODGEPODGE posters and scattering about HODGEPODGE bookmarks all over town tomorrow (11/12), much like Herbie the Hedgehog does on Hedgehog Day (not to be confused with Groundhog Day). I'd tell you when Hedgehog Day normally is, but it changes every year. This year it's on December 12th, thus the date of my reception. Hedgehog posters and bookmarks? For me? Thanks Herbie! You're the best!

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Finally! Jesus! I was wondering if this train had a final car. Or if it was one of those effing forever trains.

Closing thoughts: Death to all squirrels. Sinus infections can suck it. I heart redheads. Pick up your trash. And if you text while you drive - knock it the fuck off! Common sense, she is truly dead. Rest in peace.

The End.

Best,

Chris

deadclownart dot com

By the power of Grayskull...

Come on. Say it with me. You know you want to. All together now...

I HAVE THE POWER!!!

See. That wasn't so hard. Feel better, don't you? Well I do, so piss off. HA!

Okay. Right to it...

1) New - and quite favorable - review of Sebastien Doubinsky's wonderful The Babylonian Trilogy here. Haven't ordered your copy yet? Jesus. How many times do I have to tell you. It's brilliant and unlike anything you'll ever read. And it's literally covered with artwork by yours truly. Order. Receive. Read. Repeat. You can thank me later.

Slipcased hardcover for $80 here
Hardcover for $32 here

2) Recently finished 4 HEMAN-related paintings, that I'd started at a live painting session I did at Instinct Gallery, as part of Art Stop 2009...



Added them to my site - deadclownart dot com - today. And they're available for purchase in my Etsy shop here. Which provides a seamless transition to the next item...

3) I'll be showing the aforementioned HEMAN pieces - plus an older self portrait of sorts - at the October alumni art show at Grand View University. Details: ReVIEW II, The Alumni Art Series, October 2-30, Artist Reception Friday, October 23, 4-8p, The Rasmussen Center, Grand View University. Spread the word! Share the love! I'll be there with invisible bells on that don't make any noise at all.

4) I'll be showing 2 SPOOKY paintings at Creepy Crawlies - the October show - at Instinct Gallery. Details here. Should be a frightfully good time! So much spooky art fun it's scary! HA! BOO!

5) And finally- I have a name and a t-shirt image for my December show at SMASH... which I'll share with everybody later. Sorry. Totally stoked for my first one-man show! Much love to SMASH for letting me show! Haven't visited their site lately? What better time than now?

That's all I can think to tappity tap out for now my fine feathered friends. Thanks for playing. Be good to each other.

Cheers!

Chris

deadclownart dot com

nothing to blog about

can't believe it's almost fucking september. where did the summer go? um, did we really even have a summer this year?

i don't recall doing summer type things. not a single trip to the pool. no water slides. no adventureland. no sunburn... actually i'm perfectly okay with that one. barely any sweet corn. barely any grilling. zero bikini tops to watch. breezy/rainy state fair???

insert the ever popular and witty/naughty acronym WTF here

ultra light post. hardly anything to pass along really.

opened up a shop on etsy.com: deadclownart.etsy.com

please look it over when you have some time. buy if you want and you're able. no pressure whatsoever.

still not able to share the smashing news i mentioned in my last post. that one down there. from july. i know - i suck at blogging. honestly i don't really enjoy it. need a bumper sticker that says I'D RATHER BE TWITTER-ING. 140 characters or less. that should be the rule for blogging as well. we could call it micro-blogging. heck, i'm already micro-blogging on Twitter. why not just follow me over there by clicking here. i'll micro-blog often there... and i'll continue to macro-blog rarely here.

have an amazingly flattering and marvelous occurrence that i'd love to share... but alas am not able. that's 2 super secret items. i feel like a highly camouflaged ninja spy. more later on both super secret items. but here's a clue of sorts for the latest. not so much a clue, but you really should be reading her work if you're not already anyway...

i'd like you to meet the incredibly talented and impossibly lovely SARAH PINBOROUGH!

i've read THE RECKONING. next of hers to read: TOWER HILL. and i hope to order and read THE LANGUAGE OF DYING from PS Publishing very soon.

her official site is exactly, precisely here. check her out! you won't regret it! great and scary stuff! think early KING. um, STEPHEN KING.

that's it and all i'm afraid. not enough that i need a nightlight or anything. well not every night. shut up! leave me alone!

take care. and if you can't take that, take candy. it's bad for your teeth, but it tastes so good!

best and cheers and rock and peace,

chris

deadclownart dot com

now with 100% less michael jackson

happy 4th day of july!

break out the illegal fireworks. or settle for lame (yet quite hot) sparklers, or those black fizzy snakes that leave annoying semi-permanent burn marks on sidewalks. fleshy appendage check!

just added 5 new items to the Artwork section of my web site, for a grand total of 100 items. woo hoo! including 3 paintings i just finished today ---

Jesus Shaves
Yes He Can
Button Pusher

all a little heavier than usual for me. 1 sorta-kinda funny involving jesus. occasionally driven to create odd jesus images. not sure why. other 2 reactions to this silly & scary world we find ourselves attached.

steps up on soapbox.

there are important & sad things afoot. there are also things that pretend to be more important & sad than they really are. pay attention to the differences. regardless of what your TV tells you. don't get me wrong. very sad - yet not all that surprising - that michael jackson died. but worthy of the relentless coverage of late? no. he was a pop star. talented? yes. famous? yes. but the most important thing happening right now on this planet? hell no.

everybody deserves to be free. we know that, but our freedom was given to us. we inherited our freedom. & we take it for granted. daily. those who aren't free, & realize that they deserve to be, want the freedom that's denied them. it's hard for me to believe that there are still places that deny this basic need. 21st century my ass. sigh.

steps off soapbox. not sure why i bought that much soap to begin with. weird.

moral of the story: take a moment. put down your beer. step away from the grill. take your eyes from the loud & sparkly sky. take a deep breath in & out & appreciate how it feels to be truly free. today of all days.

be good to each other. take care of each other.

best,

chris

deadclownart dot com

Voluntarily Obligatory June Post

The collective 'they' can't make me do it. But I'm perfectly willing to. Voluntarily of course. Especially after persistent, inventive & highly unorthodox 'suggesting'. My 'suggesting' has never involved a red-hot poker, fire ants & a bicycle pump. But then 'they' are working at least a little bit out of the box commonly labeled 'normal'. Arial. Bold. Red. On with the show...

Bulleted reminder type items:

Orange Alert Press is putting the finishing touches on Sunlight at Midnight, Darkness at Noon. The completely-sold-out, hand-assembled hardcover editions are looking AWESOME! See for yourself here. Order a paperback copy today. They won't last forever. Cover art by yours truly. No, the other one. Yes, me. Gosh. Sigh.

Sebastien Doubinsky's The Babylonian Trilogy is ready to ship. Order either edition from the PS Publishing site here. It's an AMAZING read! Unlike anything you have EVER read. Weird & wonderful! Order your copy today! Cover art by I furry Grover.

Tore down my portion of the May show at Instinct Gallery (downtown Des Moines). Big fuzzy thanks to Michelle Holley for letting me hang my odd two-dimensional friends! Had a blast! Ended up selling 2 pieces. Didn't expect to sell a one, so 2 is FABULOUS! Originally hung 17 pieces, & by my mediocre math selling 2 leaves me with, um, 15. Phew! Math is hard! Here they are... most of them anyway:

Sea Hag
Robot Zombie
These 3 Words
3 Muscle Men
Batman Broken Bling
Lobster Jesus
Fruit Stripe 8
Frog Man
Eat the Flintstones
Self Portrait as Demon
The Babylonian Trilogy

And finally, I received the BEST news in the world... BUT... I can't share it with you all yet. Shit & shucks, because it is filled to the tippy top with awesome-ness! Can't wait to share, but I absolutely hafta. Sorry. Will when I'm able. Promise. Rules are hard too. Sigh.

That's all for now. Thanks for playing. Be good to each other. Don't litter. Seriously. And only YOU can prevent forest fires. Just you. Without any help from anybody else. Ever. Grab a shovel & a REALLY long fire hose. Good luck!

Best comma Chris

deadclownart dot com



P period S period: Follow me on Twitter!

The Link-Filled Post

Instinct Gallery. My show - etc. - in the side gallery. 17 pieces, all for sale. Artist reception Saturday, May 9th. 7p-midnight.

instinct gallery

The Babylonian Trilogy by Sebastien Doubinsky. PS Publishing has them in stock and ready to ship. Order yours now!

hardcover
slipcased hardcover

Sunlight at Midnight, Darkness at Noon - The Cunningham/McCreesh Letters. Cover by yours truly. Coming soon from Orange Alert Press. Hardcover run SOLD OUT. Paperbacks available... as of this post anyway. Reserve your copy today!

link to their blog

And finally: Added 5 new pieces to the Artwork section of the Dead Clown Art site today- Sunlight at Midnight, Darkness at Noon cover image, and 4 NEW paintings you can see at my show - etc. - next Saturday night - including Robot Zombie!!!

artwork section

Virtual hugs and kisses for the support!

Be excellent to one another!

Chris

deadclownart dot com

Dead Clown Art @ Instinct Gallery - Saturday, May 9th

What do the following have in common?

» A very ill purple dinosaur TV pet
» A trio of pink Muscle Men with issues
» A slightly noxious 6-eyed mermaid
» A 2-headed bright green robot zombie
» A giant pink & sinister schizophrenic rabbit
» A battered broken Batman

Absolutely nothing!

But you can see them all - & so much more - at Instinct Gallery during the month of May!

Details:

The May show @ Instinct Gallery, 1408 Locust Street

Main gallery: 'Carnival Delights' - Featuring amazing work by Michelle Holley

FREE! FREE! FREE! The admission, not the art. Sorry.

I'll be showing 17 pieces - some old, some new - in the side gallery, with Patrick Cooney & D. Ryan Allen.

My side show - get it, side show! - is called 'etc.'.

Artist Reception - Saturday, May 9th, from 7p to midnight

Mark your calendars! I'll be there of course, hanging, sipping some wine, chatting about art, & handing out FREE Dead Clown Art stickers while supplies last. And be sure to ask me about my 'shades'.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO EVERYBODY YOU KNOW!

Okay, maybe not everybody. But at least the cool ones who live in the general area.

Hope to see you all there! Pack the gallery! Go art!

Thank you all for your support - of me and the Des Moines alternative art scene!

Chris Roberts, Dead Clown Art

deadclownart dot com & instinctgallery dot com

Orange Alert!

Nobody panic. This is only a test.

Recently turned in cover artwork for a marvelous collection of letters called Sunlight at Midnight, Darkness at Noon - The Cunningham/McCreesh Letters, to be published very soon by Orange Alert Press. Already seeing positive feedback popping up on the www, including kind words from the co-authors, poets Cunningham and McCreesh...

"The thing is dead fucking perfect. The detail, specifically how he used exactly the typewriters the letters were composed upon is great..." -Cunningham

"I really think he delivered an excellent cover for us, I couldn't be happier." -McCreesh

I'm totally flattered. Amazing feedback from two amazing word turners. Thanks guys!

Orange Alert Press will be publishing Sunlight/Darkness in a hardcover run of 26 - all of which are SOLD OUT, and a paperback run of 100 later this spring. Pre-order your copy today!

The letters are thought provoking and roughly beautiful. And I absolutely love that they are LETTERS. Typed on typewriters. Sent via snail mail. Always lingering in the background. Just out of sight. Adds yet another layer to the entire experience. Read for yourself. Yummy links...

Cover Announcement

Book Details

Cover Image

Wonderful project, book, poets and press! Thrilled to be a part of it all!

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In other news...

Not sure if I'm supposed to announce this yet, but the main show announcement is posted so...

Around 10 paintings of mine will be hanging as part of the May show at Instinct Gallery, downtown Des Moines, IA. Older pieces. Newer pieces. None of which have anything in common. Which is why I'll be calling this, my first gallery show, ETC. Fitting methinks. Totally psyched to hang at Instinct! Part of a larger show featuring the wonderful work of Michelle Holley. Opening reception details to follow.

Check out Michelle Holley here.

Check out Instinct Gallery here.

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As a famous and very animated pig with a speech impediment once said- That's all folks!

Take care of each other. Be nice to each other.

Best,

Chris Roberts, Dead Clown Art

deadclownart dot com

P.S. Nothing rhymes with RODENT.

Insert generic blog entry here

New bumper sticker idea- I'd rather be Twitter-ing. Sadly, some drivers probably are. Swerve! Screech! Crash!

What are you doing?

Twitter-ing while driving. note to self- cruise control does not = auto pilot. my bad. lots of honking. screeching. then CRASH!

driver of the other car yelled at me. hit me in my nose. nose bleeding. ow! sniff. good news- iPhone intact. go for next Tweet! WOOT!

Both under 140 characters even. I am the king of nothing. All hail the king.

New painting promised. New promised painting. Promised new painting.

here

Spare $200 burning a hole in your trousers? Throw some baking soda on both the $200 and your trousers. Send the $200 to me. Plus shipping. I'll send you the painting. Nobody has to get hurt. Money for painting. And if I even smell a cop, I'll send the painting to you one piece at a time. Whoa! Sorry about that. Release your inner mobster, huh? Release him!

Shameless reminder of the upcoming PS Publishing release of The Babylonian Trilogy by Sebastien Doubinsky. Pre-order it. Read it. Love it. I sure as shit did. So tasty. Nom. Nom. Nom.

here

Barrels of free time? No monkeys or pickles to fill them with? Follow me on Twitter! It's like virtual monkeys and pickles, but with words, and for the soul. Deep. True.

here

Pretty soon we'll be jotting down 3 random words on Post-It Notes, sticking them to fire hydrants and light poles, and all of the crazy bus people and homeless folks will be our friends.

I'll go first: Nose. Weasel. Sugar.

Who's next?

Hugs and kisses, represented for no apparent reason by 2 unrelated alphabet characters.

Best,

Chris Roberts, Dead Clown Art

deadclownart dot com

Super Rapid Quick Fast Post

Long time no blog. I totally suck at blogging. Or maybe it's that I suck at being interesting.

As promised, a super rapid quick fast post...

1- Bacon Fest was awesome! I didn't even die. Pics on Facebook soon.

2- I'm on Facebook. This probably should have been item number 1. But then who isn't on Facebook.

3- I'm also on Twitter. Find it much easier to pretend to be interesting in less than 140 characters.

4- Just realized I already posted about my being Twitter-fied. Maybe nobody will notice. Fingers crossed.

5- Finished a new painting. Its new-ness officially starts to deteriorate... now.

6- I'll post a pic of said new painting shortly. Here & on Facebook.

7- Wow! This isn't a super rapid quick fast post at all. Wrap it up jackass.

8- And finally, two glowing reviews for the soon-to-be-released (mid 2009) The Babylonian Trilogy by Sebastien Doubinsky. One here. The other here. Cover artwork by yours truly.

9- And one review/synopsis for The Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliott (out now). Review here. Likewise, cover credit = I furry Grover.

10- What kind of list only has 9 items? Really? 9 items? Couldn't come up with 10? Wait a minute. I've got it!

Well, it's a blog entry. It's current. Room temperature even.

Be nice to each other for piss sake. There are enough problems swirling around our heads like vultures right now. Certainly don't need MEAN added to the mix.

Best,

Chris Roberts, Dead Clown Art

deadclownart dot com

All a Twitter!

Recently persuaded to Twitter. So now I Twitter. I'm Twitter-ing. Consider me Twitter-fied.

Do you Twitter?

Which is NOT to nervously tremble like a chilly bird, so if you thought it was THAT, and answered YES, try again.

Follow me. I'll probably follow you. I'm like that. Really put up a fight when persuaded to join Twitter, huh? I'm easy.

What's new with Dead Clown Art?

Nothing. Sadly nothing. Postcards mailed to various destinations. Waiting. Will hopefully pick up some more book cover work. Soon. Twiddling thumbs. Both of them. Not bored. Personal work. Here and there.

Do you Twitter? Did I already ask that? Silly me.

Chris, Dead Clown Art
deadclownart dot com

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from Dead Clown Art! From all of ME to all of YOU!



Hope your 2009 is filled with way more awesome-ness than you could ever hope to handle!

Chris Roberts, Dead Clown Art

deadclownart dot com

Now with more fiber!

Ooo! So fibrous!

Got my copy of Rained/Medicine from PS Publishing last week. Looks f-ing amazing! They put out such fabulous editions! Signed by Ray Bradbury and Caitlin Kiernan. Tons of extras. A fine looking set! Marvelous add to our already overflowing book shelf.

Took some pics of the book itself and slapped them all together here:



Also of note:

Had a great time at the 2008 Iowa Crossroads Conference! Great art... great music... great people! Met the lovely Cat Rocketship. We both admitted to not being very good at the mingling thing, talked about the local art scene, and hung out by the very large smoked salmon for a bit. Please check her work out at pleaseobey.com. She does some amazing work! See for yourself.

Another conference highlight- the MN band Pictures of Then. Talent to spare, and yes Casey, the lead singer's jeans were pretty amazing. Check them out at picturesofthen.com. Better live than what I heard on the demo I picked up at the conference, but really good stuff. And final conference note: Thank you Christina and Casey for stopping by! Really great seeing you both & totally appreciate the support. Hope you enjoy your complimentary prints.

Not that anybody reading this will be able to check this out, but I was recently featured in an internal magazine at ING - my day job - called ING Matters. The snip was focused on what ING employees do after hours. No, not that after hours. And since I'm not a vampire or an exotic dancer (any longer), I talked about my art. I might post the clip at some point, or I might forget. Either way, consider it blogged.

That should bring everybody up to date. Nothing else to report. You can stop reading now. No, really, that's all I have for you this time around. I'm serious. Later. Peace out. Okay... now it's just getting creepy. Bye now. So long. The end.

Chris

deadclownart.com

P.S. Why are people so genuinely surprised when wild animals do wild things? They're wild animals. Doesn't matter where they are. Put a tiger in a zoo... still a tiger. Shark in a swimming pool? Yep, still a shark. But that monkey is so adorable Chris! How adorable is it when it's beating you to death with your own f-ing arm? Um, not very adorable. Gosh.

Another P.S. Haven't bought Loyalty to Loyalty by Cold War Kids yet? Why the hell not? It's amazing! Not on the FIRST listen, but every listen after that... it's one of those CDs. If it wasn't for Radiohead releasing In Rainbows this year, Loyalty to Loyalty would be my pick for CD of 2008. Buy it already, damn!

coldwarkids.com

Who the flock is Chris Roberts?

Ray Bradbury and, um, Chris who?

PS Publishing just released the 2-volume deluxe edition of Ray Bradbury's marvelous short story collection(s) The Day It Rained Forever and A Medicine For Melancholy! My artwork is wrapped around the second book, A Medicine For Melancholy. PS also released two single-volume versions - which are both much less expensive - but only the deluxe edition contains my artwork. So there. HA!

I really like both covers. They're dramatically different, as you can see by clicking...

here

The single-volume cover is very representative of the short story that shares that version's title. While mine is much more abstract, hopefully capturing the feel of the entire collection, not one specific story. That's what I was going for anyway. Feel free to decide for yourself.

Here's the full cover:



That's all for now. Until next time-

Drink milk. Sleep. Watch TV. Read. Walk. Hiccup. Snore. Eat sandwiches. Whatever it is you do.

Peace,

Chris Roberts, Dead Clown Art

deadclownart dot com

P.S. Isn't anybody going to congratulate me on my 20th post? Um, I didn't think so. Grin!

New Cafe Press products & such & stuff

Stickers and shirts and hats, oh my!

Deleted old merchandise, added new to my Cafe Press store. Check out the new stuff here.

New products:

3 t-shirts (2 designs, 1 of which is quite funny, & don't tell me you've never seen a girl or 5 out at the bars who wouldn't absolutely CLAW for one!)

1 military cap

1 sea creature filled mousepad

1 yellow face demon button & magnet

2 stickers that speak for themselves (as stickers often do)

Buy with confidence from Cafe Press!

Coming soon... Lobster Jesus!

---

And 2 additional items...

Additional item #1: Lots of new work up at deadclownart dot com (Artwork section). 4 more pieces drying & waiting to be photo-fied. Getting oodles of paintings together for the Iowa Crossroads Conference 08 (December 3rd & 4th). I furry Grover was picked (1 of 9 artists, picked from 25) to show some of my work, & I'm very excited to do so. Should be a hoot!

Additional item #2: Vote Obama/Biden on Nov. 4th. If you didn't vote early (I did!), PLEASE vote on election day. Nobody's gonna do it for you, that's for damn sure.

Change is just a pen mark/lever pull/button push away! Mark, pull or push- just VOTE!

Thanks for reading! Best to all!

Chris

Obama/Biden 2008

dead clown overhaul

when a regular old HAUL won't mutt the custard... it's time to break out, throw down and otherwise scatter about...

THE OVERHAUL

in as few words as possible...

my dead clown site was getting a little old, a tad rusty, and a bit squeaky. but one labor day weekend later...

brand spanking new, rust free, and squeaky clean! [insert shiny noise here]

visited recently? you'll notice a HUGE difference! haven't visited? WHY THE HELL NOT? DAMN! [wink!]

site whore or site virgin, check out the new and improved:

deadclownart dot com

comments welcome. thanks for looking!

chris

"dead clowning around since 1996"

p.s. need an odd illustration or painting? always looking for new projects, and every project is negotiable. send me an email at deadclownart at yahoo dot com.

pilo is loose & breaking noose

okay, so news doesn't rhyme with loose. but noose does. best i could do on short notice. big news post, so pay attention- both of you...

big news item #1:

PS Publishing recently started shipping Will Elliott's The Pilo Family Circus! had both editions - hardcover and slipcased hardcover (and signed) - waiting patiently for me on my front step last thursday night. they're both stunning! couldn't take my eyes off of them all night! so weird and amazing to see little old my artwork covering these two well-crafted, high-quality, top notch books!

PS puts out such amazing editions! Order one - Pilo or anything else in their catalog (current or forthcoming) - and see for yourself. you won't be disappointed!

front cover of the regular hardcover edition (click pic to view without border):



back cover of the regular hardcover edition (click pic to view without border):



slipcased hardcover edition (click pic to view without border):



here's the link to the hardcover edition:

Pilo hardcover

order your copy today! you won't be able to put it down... i mean unless you need to pee or get a beer or feed a pet or something.

big news item #2:

Fahrenheit 451
The Martian Chronicles
Something Wicked This Way Comes

anybody?

ever heard of RAY BRADBURY? he's positively immortal, and if you haven't read anything by him before, you need to. so how could i possibly be connected to RAY BRADBURY?

PS Publishing is re-releasing a short story collection by Bradbury called The Day It Rained Forever. Rained was originally published back in the late 50s in the UK. the collection was also published in the US, but it was called A Medicine For Melancholy. 22 stories each, but Rained contains 4 stories that Medicine does not, and vice versa. PS will release a regular hardcover edition and a slipcased hardcover edition of Rained; as well as a 2-volume DELUXE edition that will include both Rained AND A Medicine For Melancholy.

that's where i come in...

the publisher at PS asked me (via email) to put together the cover artwork for Medicine, for the DELUXE edition... and i immediately fell out of my chair. RAY freaking BRADBURY! i mean i've already had such an incredible time putting together the covers for Babylonian (late 2008) and Pilo (out now)... but BRADBURY? i read the email again, carefully, to make sure i hadn't grossly misunderstood the request. checked the calendar- nope, not april 1st. WOO and HOO!

so i turned in the final cover at the end of july, and all 3 editions of Rained (including the DELUXE edition) will be available for purchase end 2008. book details:

The Day It Rained Forever
a collection by Ray Bradbury
publication date: End 2008
Introduction: Caitlin Kiernan
Regular Hardcover: $40
Slipcased Hardcover: $100

Deluxe 2-Volume Slipcased Hardcover
Print Run: 100 copies
Signed by both Ray Bradbury and Caitlin Kiernan
$500

and no, i didn't put too many zeros on that last price. my cover will adorn the 2nd book in a set that costs 500 clams. shit you not. so if you're a rabid Bradbury fan and you have an extra $500 that's just burning a hole in your pocket- this is the book for you. pre-order now!

here's the link to the DELUXE edition:

Rained deluxe

the full cover image (small) is available in the News Room section of the PS web site. check it out! had such a blast putting it together! really happy with the way it turned out- hope you enjoy it as well.

okay- time to blow this prom date. was going to tell you all a very funny joke about moles and pancakes, but i've already gone on way too long, so it'll have to wait for the next post... and who knows when that will be. this blog is about quality, not quantity (he cleverly types in hindsight). moles and pancakes...

peace and lovely butter'd toast!

chris

deadclownart.com

send in the clowns (gulp!)...

you really have no idea how much that title frightens me... it's no accident that i named my illustration/painting/etc. company dead clown art. only clown is a dead clown and all. so why the brave title?

thanks for asking! posting to announce that my full color wraparound cover (plus cover design) for the upcoming (middle 2008) creepy and outstanding novel 'The Pilo Family Circus' by Will Elliott, is damn near ready for press!

here's the cover:



details about the novel:

'The Pilo Family Circus'
a novel by Will Elliott
publication date: Middle 2008
Slipcased hardcover: $100 (print run 200 copies)
Regular hardcover: $40 (print run 500 copies)
Introduction: John Berlyne
to be published by UK-based PS Publishing

link to the novel page on the PS site (slipcased hardcover edition):

novel page

PS Publishing has published books by Ramsey Campbell, Ray Bradbury, Joe Hill, and Stephen King, just to name a few. check out their site here.

other news: still picking stories to eventually edit for a horror short story collection (currently untitled) to be released by Another Sky Press later 2008. very excited to be working with the visionary Kristopher Young again!

also: trying to find time to paint - grumble - not having much luck in that department. do have two very weird ideas for paintings, once time and i are on speaking terms again:

goat woman with a long, intricate, open coat, exposing hundreds of breasts, creepy crawly bugs, stars and such...

two happy naked men with alligator masks holding hands and hot dogs, standing on a watermelon canoe, floating on water, eyeballs and rub off letters littering the night sky...

um, apologies in advance. thanks for playing!

chris

obama button thingy

tiny post. mini post. wee post. micro post.

listen. watch. read. pay attention. then...

support obama! vote obama! obama 2008!

see for yourself at:

barackobama.com

check out this nifty Yahoo obama button thingy:

See latest stories on Yahoo! News

i leave you with 3 magical words: chocolate bacon bar. oh, & yum. so that's like nearly 4 words...

chris

pesky panting pointy painted demon...

so much P in that title, reckon i need a tinkle... ahhh!

hello & welcome to the future. not only posting because i feel foolishly guilty that i haven't since october of 2007. not that anybody's reading this, again, but if somebody did - even just 1 person - i'd hate to push them away with the ancient date of my most recent post. too rude. so welcome, 1 random person! "another post about demons? what the hell?" exactly!

but not quite... actually a post to announce that i'm painting. i mean i've always painted, just on smaller pieces of paper & cardboard. all the better to scan you with my dear. but haven't painted larger format for, like, ever. totally. so i pulled out my wood... from my garage ladies! gosh. gutter minds. turned out 2 very mixed media paintings on wood. about 2'x2' each. originals & high quality giclee prints available for sale on my site - color section:

deadclownart.com

my favorite of the 2:



description from my site:

Self Portrait as Demon
Medium: Mixed media on wood (21.5x25)
Client: Personal, for sale
Description: The title pretty much says it all. Little old me, but with demon ears instead of people ears. Lesser demon of course. Who has the time? Hobby really. Grin! Not sure why I painted a self portrait exactly. Not a vain act. More like wearing a mask... but permanently... and somewhere other than your face. Something I'm not entirely, and without any risk.
Print Available? Yes: 12x18 giclee print- $41.40 + shipping; 12x18 photographic print- $9 + shipping; Original- $500 + shipping

interested in a print? interested in an original? just want to send me $ for no other reason than you have too f-ing much of it? send me an email.

probably not a very wise move, throwing my email address out for the spam vultures... but spam vultures, couple of things to keep in mind:

i get my prescriptions from an actual pharmacy... i really doubt you're going to ship me a Wii if i visit your site... i find it very amusing that the words 'scam' & 'spam' rhyme (there's a poem there, i'm sure of it)... & finally- i may not be able to break a cinder block with my penis, but it's perfectly long enough, thank you very much- keep your magic beans to yourself.

vent complete. exit program. beep.

okay. there you have it. your weekly, um, month-- no, um quarterly (?) blog. hope you're all breathing well in this cyber space we find ourselves. gasp!

fleece & glove-ly muttered ghost...

chris

p.s. when november rolls around, please VOTE OBAMA! i'm not the most political guy on this spinning rock, but i do know that BARACK OBAMA needs to be our next president. have you heard him speak? if not, please do. listen carefully. that's the sound of change. it's f-ing deafening. YELL YOUR VOTE!

barackobama.com