What I’m Doing Now
Updated 2024, December 13
I’m based in Springfield, MO.
I’m getting my bearings again and wrapping up projects after working for 5 years as a caregiver for family. However I’m mostly getting my own studio and living spaces configured again, getting a better personal accounting structure in place, renewing social ties, and deciding which hobbies and projects to queue up and which to sit on for a while.
Dungeons & Dragons is happening again already. Barbarian spear-fisher beefcake sketches forthcoming.
Gardening will wait a few months, but not many. Seeds abide in storage, watermelons are a certainty. Perennial transplants are mulched for winter. I’m especially pleased about successfully propagating and bringing along an heirloom climbing rose with it’s deliciously fragrant, pink blossoms. It instills a desire for rose syrup.
Ongoing & Queued Animation and Art Projects
Panorama Animation in Blender
I thoughtfully composed a tutorial for myself as I went so I could pickup where I left off with retooling my animation workflow for Blender’s Grease Pencil tool, in which I am close to doing treatment tests for the 360 panoramas. In this direction lie not only my usual desires for flexible camera panning but also doing immersive, animated nature scenes for web and VR, for which I have many Photo Sphere / equirectangular photographic, video, and sound samples and references captured for adaptation.
Digital and Oil Painting
Blender’s Grease Pencil tool and technical explorations thereof will be an important part of my drawing/ painting practice moving forward but I do enjoy painting in nature and I do have a number of small wood panel oil paintings that need to be finished and gifted, or to be sold.
Surface Design
I have repeating, tiling designs in mind lately, visions of watermelon leaves and vines to be printed on fabric. I reckon I have just the right photo references from my watermelon trellis. I just learned it’s called Surface Design if I want search terms to find the needed software tutorials. Funny that I’ve worked with ceramic tile but mostly don’t think of “tiling” that way. I’ll probably start with Inkscape / Illustrator, but I have a mind to eventually try it in Blender with the Geometry Nodes system, which I have yet to dive into. It looks amazing, mathematical even!
Merchandise
If you have a Made-To-Order / OEM / White Label partners you like, please let me know so I can get art prints and garments listed and for sale. I have a deal of work in my catalog to adapt for those purposes, although I’ve been working up to making stencils for some hand-made stuff with spray paint. I have a notion to make handkerchief prints but crisp-edged, precision dyeing is out of my current knowledge.
Mosaica Rose Studio Assistant
Expect new mosaics and artworks from Christine Schilling at her workshop and space on Commercial Street. I look forward to assisting.
Big Brutus Visioning
Regarding historic Big Brutus, retired, orange, 13-story electric coal shovel of West Mineral, Kansas, with which my family has much history: The museum board members are receptive to my idea I just need to put together a presentation/animation envisioning development and electrification, especially visitor vehicle charging and regulatory considerations thereof. They’re so close with excellent facilities and power/water/waste hookups for RV campers and food truck vendors with a comprehensive overnight fee, but no metering for day visitors. Make it a vehicle charging or supercharging destination, supplement a “Southeast Kansas History of Electric Power” narrative to their excellent mining history and miner’s union content, and I think you tap and develop a growing market.
Open for Solicitation
If you’re looking for a [paid or worthy cause] studio or project assistant, or have merch design, illustration, or animation needs, hit me up.
Community
Nature, Hike, Bike Meetups
I would be most pleased by trail hiking, kayaking, and street bicycling group outings as well as outdoor dining / picnics / potlucks. Hit me up!
Clean Air / Mask Bloc
I’m hoping to join a local Mask Bloc such as are listed on MaskBloc.org for respirator/mask distribution, respirator fit-testing, public health resources, as well as clean air safe/accessible arts & culture events organizing and planning a la @Clean_Air_Club_ of Chicago. I’ve spent the last 5 years learning about airborne disease transmission and SARS2 pathology, I’m keen to help others catch up with clean air.
Really this subject matter would be great content for another animated Freddy Fox children’s health public service announcement ad spot, if Freeman or a competitor wants to pay me for one, that would be FANTASTIC. Keep me posted!
Direct Aid, Direct Action, Community Events, Misc
Good times, gardening, cooking, house shows, local empowerment, human rights, education, food and shelter, sustainability, anti-genocide solidarity, constituent actions, etc, keep me posted!
Recent Media Selections
Recent Art Enjoyed
Art of Maquenda
https://www.tumblr.com/artofmaquenda
Space Station Weird #1 by Luke Humphris
https://youtube.com/shorts/LZm0d0RL6xg
Houndsaint, medievalist printmaker
https://x.com/Houndsaint
Reading Now
A Second Chance at Eden by Peter F. Hamilton
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
https://librivox.org
Recent [Audio] Books Read
The Gold Coast by Kim Stanley Robinson
Pattern Recognition by William Gibson
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781004040742-pattern-recognition
The Difference Engine by William Gibson & Bruce Sterling
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781441890771-the-difference-engine
Hawk Mountain by Conner Habib
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9798212011174-hawk-mountain
Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780063028081-termination-shock
War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Maude Translation)
https://librivox.org
Recent Articles Read
Ambient carbon dioxide concentration correlates with SARS-CoV-2 aerostability and infection risk
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47777-5
Promising outcomes 5 weeks after a surgical cervical shunting procedure to unclog cerebral lymphatic systems in a patient with Alzheimer’s disease
https://gpsych.bmj.com/content/37/3/e101641
H5N1 avian flu isolate from dairy worker is transmissible, lethal in animals
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/h5n1-avian-flu-isolate-dairy-worker-transmissible-lethal-animals
The House Just Blesssed Trump’s Authoritarian Playbook by Passing Nonprofit-Killer Bill
https://theintercept.com/2024/11/21/gop-house-trump-nonprofit-authoritarian/
Recent Podcasts & Episodes Listened
Farming Today, BBC Radio 4
https://antennapod.org/deeplink/subscribe/?url=%68%74%74ps%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.files.bbci.co.uk%2Fb006qj8q.rss&title=Farming+Today
Catalyst with Shayle Kann: TEA breakdown: green ammonia and synthetic methane
https://www.latitudemedia.com/podcasts/catalyst
In Defense of Plants Podcast: Ep. 455 – The Many Mysteries of Seed Dormancy
https://www.indefenseofplants.com/podcast/2024/1/4/ep-455-the-many-mysteries-of-seed-dormancy
Pod Damn America: The Airborne Toxic Event w/ Julia Doubleday
Writer and former Bernie staffer Julia Doubleday joins Jake to talk about how the Democrats all gave each other COVID at the DNC.
https://soundcloud.com/poddamnamerica/the-airborne-toxic-event-w-julia-doubleday
Bad Faith: Episode 421 Why Trump Won and What the LEFT Should Do Now (w/ Katie Halper, Zaid Jilani, Malaika Jabali)
https://www.patreon.com/posts/115553648
Palestine Deep Dive: Exposed: How Western Media Can Be Prosecuted for Its Role In Gaza Genocide | Craig Mokhiber
https://palestinedeepdive.podbean.com/e/exposed-how-western-media-can-be-prosecuted-for-its-role-in-gaza-genocide-craig-mokhiber