Juicebox Album Cover Art

Over the summer I worked on images for an album cover for the groovy/funky/jazzy New York-based band "Juicebox," brainchild of saxophonist extraordinaire Nick Myers.  I tried a few different styles, media, and types of imagery, as you will see below.  Inspired in part by some visually interesting films and a few bottles of gin.  The winning image has yet to be scanned, so stay tuned:

This started out as the sheet of paper that I was wiping my brushes off on.  Then I took a still from the '60s film "Bedazzled" as inspiration for the drawing I made on top.

This was inspired by the Tropicalia art I've seen on album covers of the '60s.  It seemed to fit the style of Juicebox's fun, vibrant music.

I'm not really sure where this came from, although I was sort of thinking of seeing the face in terms of a topographical map, with a sort of "face paint" to accentuate certain lines.  I had another album cover in mind when I made this, but am too embarrassed to say which one, since this looks nothing like it.

Legs inspired by a scene from the 1976 film "Car Wash." Wrong format for an album cover but I was just playing around with the materials I had in front of me at the time.  

Arbitrary '80s color behind a contemplative female face, with eyelashes that seem like they belong in some surrealist painting.  Not sure it really goes with the Juicebox vibe but it seemed just weird enough that a jazz musician might dig it.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman

This is a self-portrait I made during college round one - in 2001 to be exact!  In other words, this is how I saw myself over 10 years ago...apparently under heavy Picasso influence like most 20-year old artists.  I found it stashed away in one of my portfolios recently and thought I'd share.  It used to hang on my bedroom wall in my Poughkeepsie apartment but I guess I forgot about it after I moved to the city.  Made with oil on canvas, 9x11".

Malaise

I made this drawing a few days ago when I was feeling really anxious and had a lot of pent up energy.  Somehow the weave of the sweater would represent the tension and containment I was feeling.  It's hard to recover from a case of "general malaise," but I'd like to think that drawing that malaise helps a bit.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday to my momsy, who turns ___ years old today, although she doesn't look a day over 30 :)  And because she is as beautiful and dainty as a flower, I decided to draw her some flowers (which may or may not be daisies, roses, and poppies? I'm not really sure...) in her honor. 

Bon Anniversaire, Maman!

Happy Father's Day!

Hi Pops!  As you can see, my appearance has changed dramatically since you last saw me :)  And it was all done in the spirit of Father's Day to honor my beloved Papa Siefs!  Next year it'll be a tattoo. 

P.S. I tried to draw something in the style of a Mad Magazine cartoon since it's up my dad's alley...he has passed down to me the love of all things abnormal and hilarious, and for that I thank him.  Oh and I also thank him for my love of weird cartoon drawing and a sense of mild mischief.  If only I had a copy of his drawing of PoPo the cat to demonstrate!  Anyway.  Happy Dad's Day!

Rebel Without a Cause

Drawing inspired by James Dean classic, although I got a bit carried away somewhere along the way...hmmm, it's probably best not to show your local analyst this one!  Made with Staedtler pen and light gouache wash on sketchbook paper.



And God...Created Woman

This drawing is a "creative interpretation" of a scene in Roger Vadim's 1956 film, "Et Dieu… créa la femme."  Brigitte Bardot's "beau" has just passed her by in a bus without getting off to meet her as planned, and the camera watches her for several seconds as the wind whips her hair all about.  Gouche, watercolor, and Staedtler pen on sketchbook paper.

Atlantic City

After I took my awful Qualifying Exam in January, I went to Atlantic City to blow off some steam and forget all 2,000 of the images I had just memorized. That night, my man friend and I ended up in a casino bar with several nearly nude ladies dancing on platforms. I found them oddly fascinating, and I'm not exactly sure why, but the whole scene was very grotesquely mesmerizing in a sad and beautiful way. This painting was made in response to that evening. Partially inspired by Milton Glaser's psychadelic Dylan poster from the '60s (see below). Acrylic and metallic craft paint with Sharpie on canvas, 16x20.

Stan Brakhage

A still from a film by Stan Brakhage, "Window Water Baby Moving," an experimental short film showing the birth of Brakhage's first child in all its gory glory. Believe it or not, this still is from before the baby was born. I was lucky enough to walk in with my dinner just as the baby's head was "crowning..." Blargh! Au revoir, appetite! Anywho his films are full of rapid, jarring cuts that make you feel as if you're having a seizure. I found this still by careful pausing. Staedtler pen, watercolor, and pencil on paper.

Vivre Sa Vie

This is a drawing I made about a year ago after seeing the Godard film, "Vivre sa vie." It shows the scene where Anna Karina is watching the silent film about "Jeanne d'Arc" and as the woman on screen starts crying, Anna starts crying too. I included this with my drawing of Debbie Reynolds (Singing in the Rain) and Karen Black (Five Easy Pieces) in my "Women Crying" series that was in my friend Molly's exhibit two weeks ago. I will post images of the 3 together in a bit. This drawing was created with black Staedtler pigment liners on sketchbook paper.

Sleepwalking

Hmmm...where to begin? I started drawing a figure, only having a vague idea of what I was doing. I wanted to make a weird lanky female with really long, blonde hair, and I wanted to keep the composition really simple. I decided I would use only a few colors - pale yellow for hair, pale purple for the body, and either light gray or white in the background. But somewhere along the way I turned the figure into what now appears to be a male with an incredibly long forehead wearing a sleeping bag and walking on a green pasture with the pattern of my pajama pants in the background...hmmm....I changed the colors of the arms from a dark maroon color to the current teal/blue and also added the harlequin-like diamond pattern in select areas.

Here's a close-up of the face, which I find hilarious for some reason - such determination! Such a giant forehead! Created with Staedtler permanent marker, gouache, watercolor, pencil, and colored pencil.