Washington DC

Hello Friends!

I have returned and will try to keep this baby updated again. Here's a sweet picture from my recent Halloween trip to Washington DC.



Enjoy!
Phill

P.S. If I happened to slap you in the face this weekend I apologize...but you probably liked it.

The King of Pop

Dear Friends,

Today we mark the death of Michael Jackson. I am personally saddened because he represented one of only a handful of musicians who have had a profound impact on the decisions I have made in my life. The man was troubled, his actions bizarre but his music brought me joy and for that I am thankful and I will miss his presence.

Be wary of people running their mouths. The King of Pop had problems, there is no doubt about that. But the people who will spout off jokes and disregard the art tend to be talentless and non-contributing and they will never affect .01% of the number of people that Michael Jackson did.

Phill

Pics or it didn't happen.

Homies,

I had a very interesting New York experience that culminated in a fine drawing executed on Tuesday night.

This took four hours and was critiqued by the remarkable Joshua LaRock while it was being drawn. The paper is larger than my pitifully small scanner so there's some noticeable distortion on the right side of the scan.

I'm available for portrait commissions.
Phill

Radiohead

Comrades!



If I was forced to make an assumption based purely on his music I would say that Thom Yorke is composed of equal parts Wizard and Computer.

Throw it in the fire,
Phill

La Carmencita

Friends,

I just found something that I think you all might enjoy. In 1890 John Singer Sargent painted a famous Spanish dancer who went by the name La Carmencita. His result was a very fine painting of a very interesting subject.



Recently I found a video of Carmencita performing in front of Edison's Kinescope Machines. According to the Library of Congress, Carmencita was the first woman to perform in front of an Edison machine.



It's fascinating to me to see the same subject presented in paint and film as a display of the changing modes of documentation.

Art geeks assemble!
Phill

It's about time!

Friends,

THIS IS HAPPENING!


Real 21st century here we come!

Phill

Donations...

Esteemed Friends,

I need to attend Bonnaroo this year. Everyone I love is going to be singing there and to not go would be a major problem. Thus I am accepting donations. Please give...your Phill needs you.

A small donation can provide this face with a mind blowing experience. Please give today.

Phill

YES

Hey Guys.

The Animal Collective were on Letterman the other day!



Phill

Wedding Card.

Hi Folks!

John and Lisa got married on Saturday. It was a lot of fun and I made them a card to celebrate the occasion. Here are some pictures.





I enjoyed making it and am available to make custom greeting cards if anyone is interested.

Phill

One More Time.

Hi Guys,

Ok I don't want to go too crazy over this girl but good lord, she's awesome.



I mean honestly! How is she not the most famous woman on earth?

Love,
Phill

The Girl from Outer Space.

Friends,

Every once in a while I feel like a complete stranger will paint a picture or sing a song specifically for me Janelle Monae has done just this. Behold.


Her album "Metropolis: The Chase Suite" is a science fiction story set to digital and traditional orchestration. I think you'll like it a lot, plus she's really pretty.

Phill

Dissapointed

Dear Friends,

I try so hard to stimulate your brains and sometimes you just won't let me. Why won't you let me blow your minds?

Phill

Your Mission:

Dear Friends,

You are charged with filling a 30 gig iPod with information that will be used to educate the future of the human race. This will be the only source of knowledge that future generations will have from our time.

What Books, Films, Music and other media do you store on the device?

I'll post my list in the coming days.

Phill

A-A-A-A-Alcohol.

Fiends,

Samuel L. Jackson is in the video for "Blame It" smoking a joint. I thought that warranted a whole post.

Phill

Web Comics!

Hi!

I read a few web comics on a regular basis. Here are some of the ones I like most:

Questionable Content - It's like friends...but more awkward.
Penny Arcade - They play Pokemon and D&D. Gabe has become one hell of an artist.
XKCD - Smartest stick figures ever.
Three Panel Soul - The painted comics are my favorites.
The Abominable Charles Christopher - The tales of an existential Yeti and his quest through the forest.

Tell me what you guys read and I'll post links. Does anyone know of a Sci-Fi web-comic that won't make me want to vomit?

Phill

Squirrels

Friends,

James Gurney has an incredible blog about painting, art and life. Today a part of his post made me laugh.

"I have no idea what the squirrel is thinking. They seem to be driven by a mysterious combination of determination and paranoia...and now and then a fierce Killer Instinct."

Isn't it soooo true?

Squeak Squeakum Squeak Squeak,
Phill

Tom Waits

Countrymen!

Tom Waits is playing The Devil in the new Terry Gilliam movie. Here's a picture.

Countrymen!

The movie is called The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. It's going to be good.

Phill

WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKK!!!!!

KANYE'S UP ON HIS BLOG SAYING THAT THIS SHIT IS A GOOD DRAWING OF HIM!!1!!!

THATS FUCKIN CRAZY!!!! I DRAW BETTER IN MY SLEEP FAM! I CANT EVEN BELIEVE THIS! MY SHIT IS WAY DOPER!

LOOK I EVEN PHOTOSHOPPED MY SHIT TO SHOW YOU BUT ITS TOO DOPE FOR BLOGSPOT AND THEY KEEP GIVING ME ERRORS!!!! WHAT THE FFFFFFFUUUUUCCCCCCCKKK!!!
SERIOUSLY FAM IM TIRED OF EVERYONE HATIN AND SAYING HOW MY SHIT AINT THE BEST.

People...who like people.

Hi people,

I want to say that I like pretty much everyone. And I don't mean just the people I know, though I certainly like most of you a great deal. I mean, I like total strangers simply because they're new and different.

Over the last few days I've been reading about other countries and their governments and traditions. On completely separate occasions I've caught myself thinking "I really like Spanish people." and "I sure do love France." and then just today "Wow, German people are cool." It was when I thought that about Germany that I realized that I can't identify a single group that I genuinely do not respect or in someway admire. Maybe I'm just lucky?

Likingly,
Phill

Korg

Music Lovers,

This is awesome.

I 'd like to see someone play it live at a show. Cut the Cuteness I'm talking to you guys!

Phill

Go Forth!

Comrades,

This is a cool program that could get you out of your house and into the world. I would go if I could.

Phill

Everything.

Hi Friends,

Two things! First, visit the Grand Central Academy's Blog. They show great work and recently a whole bunch of their artists won awards at the Art Renewal Salon. The blog is here.

Second, while you're here, have your mind blown by NASA the track is called "Gifted".


You don't have to lie, you liked that a lot,
Phill

p.s. Watch Gangs of New York and The Departed as soon as possible and tell me about how amazing they are.

No.

Hi Friends,

I am not going to see Wolverine, Transformers 2 or Spider-Man 4 (when it gets made). This is because X-Men 3, Transformers and Spider-Man 3 were some of the worst movies I have ever seen. If I were to go to a cafe and get terrible coffee...and I mean horrible, weak, bitter, disgusting coffee, would it be wise to go back to the same cafe for a sequel? The answer is no.
If we all keep dishing out money to see movies that are probably going to suck, these companies and their directors are going to keep getting away with making shitty, weak, bitter, disgusting movies.

Boycott!
Phill

P.S. Fuck you Sony Pictures.

Bounty Offered.

Hi Friends,

Here's the deal, if you can help me find a job that meets the following criteria I will give you 100% of my first paycheck...no questions asked.

The job must:
1. Be full time.
2. Be some kind of Creative Service.
3. Be located somewhere between Toms River and New York City.
4. Provide enough money to move north of Ocean County within a reasonable amount of time.

Happy hunting. I hope I find one before any of you guys do. I could use that paycheck.

Phill

Poster

Hi,

I made this poster so that people will buy things from Pendo's on-line store. I like it because it looks militant but actually is not.





Now buy stuff!
Phill

Spinnin with Wacom

Dear Wacom,

Thank you for helping me learn how to paint and draw. And thank you for making me want to be a DJ with your incredible new dance music machine.

Humbly,
Phill

Socialism.

Hello,

Under Ronald Reagan the wealthiest Americans paid 50% taxes on their earnings. Under Richard Nixon they paid about 70%, under Eisenhower they paid 91%. All three were Republican, none was ever accused of being a Socialist.

Barack Obama is trying to raise the tax rate on these same people from the current 35% to the astounding 39.6%. Obviously he has pictures of Chairman Mao and Josef Stalin hanging in the oval office.

Stop thinking about it, I'm right.
Phill

Delicous Blasphemy

Hi,



Cowbell FTW!!
Phill

DL Hughley

Hi friends,

D.L. Hughley has a pretty descent show on CNN. Here's a good clip.

Be Aware,
Phill

Um awesome?

Let's get real friends,

Motivate!

You're Welcome!

I don't trust GE...

Hi friends,

It goes without saying that I have a native distrust of billion dollar multi-national corporations. But GE is trying hard to make me believe that they are up to something good (which they will no doubt overcharge us for in the future). Their alternative energy website is really well designed but is pretty short on the details of their technologies and plans. Have a look and tell me what you think.

Phill

Well begun is nearly done.

A question friends,

Why do some people not want to work when they're at work? Why do some people assume that their coworkers and their bosses are supposed to be their friends? Why can't we all just be professional at work? Why am I asking you these questions?

Where am I?
Phill

Music and Intelligence?

Hi,

Some grad student did a marginally unscientific study that compares what kind of music people listen to with what is on their iPod.

I would like to draw your attention to the far left of this chart.

See? I told you!

Science!
Phill

One more reason

Hey Music Fans,

The Animal Collective are a group of geniuses sent from the psychedelic warp zone specifically to please me and those who are fortunate enough to be like minded. To prove this fact I present you with the cover from their most recent album entitled Merriweather Post Pavilion:



See? I told you!

Lion in a Coma,
Phill

A request

Hi,

Yahoo! News (in their infinite intelligence) referred to the following request, made by Christian Bale, as "Odd".

Christian Bale was McG's first choice to play John Conner, whom he calls "the most credible action star in the world right now." McG offered Bale the part while he was shooting "The Dark Knight," and he initially turned it down. Bale told McG that if he could refine the script to the point where it could be read on stage without any special effects and still be a compelling story, he would agree to star in it.

That's not odd, that's smart. This movie might be good.

Come with me if you want to live,
Phill

Road Trip

Hey Traveling Buddies,

I'm thinking about taking a trip up to Massachusetts to visit some very important museums. The Clark and The Norman Rockwell Museum. Both are fascinating and they are surprisingly close to one another. I'm going to go in late March or early April, if anyone wants to come with me let me know. It's always more fun to road trip in a pack.

Phill

Twitter

Hi friends,

I'm Twittering. Let's see how this goes.

www.twitter.com/phillustrate

Tweet,
Phill

Van Gogh

Hi Friends,

Sometimes I have issues regarding Van Gogh's paintings, but more often than not I just fall right into his pictures and enjoy myself. MOMA has a cool website about a show they're doing about his night paintings (a subject I'm obsessed with). Click here to see it.
I was also impressed by the website itself. Check it out, particularly the portrait of Eugene Boch, the Ultramarine is incredible.

Met vriendelijke groeten,
Phill

Chillin!

Hey people,



Feel free to stumble or digg me or whatever!

You're Welcome!
Phill

Vlog

Dear Friends,

I want to start vlogging but I'm skeered and don't know what to make a video about. Many of you have heard me rant about something. Tell me what topic I've chewed your ear off over and maybe that will be the first video I post.

Phill

Valentine's Day

Hi friends,

Valentine's Day is this weekend and I would like to remind everyone that the origin of the holiday is the Roman Festival of Lupercalia which of course was far superior to our tradition of chocolate and cheap jewelry. To quote the Roman Historian Plutarch:
"At this time many of the noble youths and of the magistrates run up and down through the city naked, for sport and laughter striking those they meet with shaggy thongs. And many women of rank also purposely get in their way, and like children at school present their hands to be struck"
That's right kids, naked Romans running around slapping each other with riding crops. You're gonna have a hard time enjoying your dinner reservation with that image in your brain.

Enjoy Yourself,
Phill

Yatta!

Ohayo Tomodachi,

Japan is really cool. Not that you needed more proof of this obvious fact but here you go anyway!
Pep Ralley.

Anata no o-henji tanoshimi ni shite masu.
Firu

Do you want to meet?

Hello Again,

I just saw this. It's well done.

Signs from Mete Ercan Pakdil on Vimeo.

Phill

Snoop

Hi friends,
I've been on a music video tangent lately and I was going to apologize for that until I found this.

Snoop should give Lil' Wayne instructions on how to be cool. Additionally, 'sensual' is by far one of my favorite words.

Sensually,
Phill

Feel free.

Hi friends,

A long time ago I found an awesome watch design studio called TokyoFlash. I of course want all of the ones that look like they belong in Blade Runner or Dick Tracy and feel that you all could afford to chip in and buy me one. They've also recently started to make bags and hats and all kinds of conventional goodness that I want. Have a look, buy me stuff.

Please,
Phill

Oil Painters

Dearest Friends,

Oil painting. It's like the universe's way of saying, "You're not there yet buddy...keep trying". But the universe grants different people different skills Casey Baugh for example, has all the skills I want. Check him out, drool for a while. He's like a young Richard Schmid and it makes me crazy.

Phill

The Worst Ever.

Dear Lil' Wayne

Just as you were beginning to viewed by me as human being you go ahead and ruin it by releasing an album with the worst album art I have ever seen IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.


I just...I try so hard to like you Lil' Wayne and you just keep slapping in the mouth with reasons to dismiss you.

Disappointed,
Phill

Dance Party!

Hi Friends,

In my mind this is the kind of thing that goes on at Bonnaroo.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Kudos the David Byrne and the BPA for being super triumphant but minus points for the shitty rap in the middle.

Phill

I just want...

Dear Sir or Madam,

Enclosed you will find a music video. While the video itself is nothing to write home about please note the quality and psychedelic depth of the music. Animal Collective is made of hallucinogenic substances.



Phill

The Super Coolest.

Hello Friends,

Imagine what a mixture of delight, confusion, surprise and mild sexual attraction feels like. Got it? It feels good right? Thats how I feel when I am confronted with an object that contains either bright lights, spectral color or a large touch screen. It's a good thing no-one has ever combined the three because I would probably ejac--I'm sorry what?
...Oh my god.
There are no words in Elvish, Entish or the Tongues of Man to describe how I feel about this machine. All know is that I want to fly to wherever it is and marry it so that I can physically defend it when anyone but me tries touch it.

Confounded and Aroused,
Phill

Andrew Wyeth

Hi friends,

“I am an example of publicity — a great deal of it,” Mr. Wyeth said. “I’m grateful because it gives me the freedom to go and try to do better. But I never had any great idea that these people are understanding what I’m doing. And they don’t.”

-Andrew Wyeth-

I have said it before and quotes like this confirm it; there is no reason to be anything other than an artist.

Phill

Phillustration!

Dear Friends,

It is my pleasure to announce, after months of construction, the opening of www.Phillustrator.com! It's not perfect, but it works and I'm damn proud of it. If anyone is having issues running it please let me know by commenting on my blog or by sending me an email. Now I can work on making better pictures for the gallery section.

Accomplished,
Phill

Flash (Oh-Oh)!

Hi Friends,

I'm learning Adobe Flash and ActionScript 3.0. I enjoy programming to a degree, I see it as speaking to a computer in it's native language. Isn't that cool? "Hey, Ma! Check me out, I'm speaking robot!"

You know what I don't enjoy? When I type two commands that ARE IDENTICAL except one goes to one address and the other to different address and one works just fine and the other crashes my movie. I don't enjoy that, not one tiny bit.

Thats like firing two identical guns at two different targets in different directions. And one bullet hits the target as expected, but the other bullet doesn't. Instead it disappears and causes the car you brought to the shooting range to explode! Doesn't that sound like fun? Isn't that something you want to learn?

No? Oh Ok.

phill.addInsaneFrustration(FrustrationEvent.LoseIt);

New Digital Painting

Hello Readers!

I decided to do a painting of the beach I grew up visiting. I tried my best to adhere to the proper artist's sequence in creating the piece. First I did a bunch of comps on paper.




I chose one that works almost perfectly on the 1/3 rules. And then went ahead and did a color comp in watercolor.




Needless to say, this was a complete waste of effort because of nature's adherence to Gargiulo's Law of P+ApM(T)=F (Phill+Analog Painting Materials (Time) = Failure). So I ditched the water color effort and moved straight to digital. Two days (and five cups of coffee) later I came up with this.




I pretty satisfied with it and it represents exactly what I had in mind...it just isn't exactly Ortley Beach. I hope you enjoy. And Tiffany, you'll just have to wait for Laocoan...that might take some time.

Satisfied,
Phill

P.s.- Right click on the images and then choose "View Picture" to get full views. Does anyone know a good hosting site that won't put ridiculous links on the bottom of my pictures and will still do a decent job?

Gadgets and Cameras!

Happy New Year!

I took a little break from blogging so that I could enjoy my holiday without worrying about commenting on things. It was, in retrospect, bittersweet but thats not what I'm writing about today.

I have been becoming more and more obsessed with gadgets that I can't afford lately and my newest tech pleasure is the blog Engadget (ya see what they did there with the name?). These guys are covering the CES show better than any other website and is making me want to pull out the credit cards and go all pre-recession at my local Best Buy.

The trend I'm most excited about are the HD Camcorder line-ups that every major brand has released. If you dig around Engadget you'll find some. I love that we can film hi-def digital on a handheld and as soon as I can I'm going to get my hands on one and do my best P.T. Anderson composition impression. Speaking of hi-def, this is a technical demo for a new Canon HD that almost made cry. It's simple but beautiful...just how I like it.

Tomorrow I'll post a new painting!

Phill