Fall is easily my favorite season. Not only is it the birthday of one of the greatest men to ever grace this little blue planet (me), but the crisp air and warm colors always bring me back to growing up in the foothills of the Appalachians. While the city is no substitute, it’s nice to find little reminders among the orange and red treetops and the rusted breeze.

(Obligatory picture of Sara because of her orange hair.)

Sara and I returned from a bit of a vacation to Florida, visiting my best friend from college. It was a weekend of  science and partying (those two not mutually exclusive, of course).

We were waiting to be picked up at Miami International, looking for Adam in the distance. Moments later, we realized we were actually in the drop-off zone and rushed below to the arrivals pick up. Whoops.

After two months of settling, I’m glad to have rediscovered routine. I’ve begun a new job, I’ve settled into a new home, and I’m finally able to refocus on the more calming aspects of the everyday.

I shot this series today while wandering back from a long walk to the Mall. I thought Jens Lekman’s song “New Directions” fit nicely with the set, not to mention it’s aptly-named title with regards to my own recent changes.

It is hard for me to look at the next two months and not be intimidated. It’s as if I’ve been floating above it all, watching myself scurry around, picking up puzzle pieces and frantically find the place for each before arriving at the next.

I’ll find the Calm soon enough, but right now it’s hidden in fleeting moments, flanked on all sides by excitement, nervousness, and anticipation.

Before thinking too much about the above image, allow me to explain both it’s backstory and the reason why I am the greatest person alive.

First, the backstory. I was at Sara’s apartment waiting for a Craigslist stranger to come by and buy her computer. Because apparently it’s a requirement that in order to buy something on Craigslist you have to be either a) foreign or b) insane (lest we forget the obvious c- all of the above), I was on boyfriend duty. That’s where you are there acting much more manly and generally un-murderable. Specifically, we were selling Sara’s computer, which I had recently set up with a clean, untouched version of Windows. This leads me into the second point from the prior paragraphy: Why I am the greatest person alive (repeated for emphasis).

I am the greatest person alive (again, emphasis) because I drew the above in Microsoft Paint. For context, that’s like driving a car with your feet. As to the reason for the penis? Really I drew it because I realized at some point during the drawing that, wow, this man is naked. And what do all naked men have? A penis. The only reason I kept it, however, was really to spite Sara.

Continue reading ‘The Case of the Floating Purple Man’

Sara and my mom at the National Portrait Gallery. It’s not strong from a compositional standpoint, but I like the lone moment that it grabs; each of them distracted by the surrounding artwork, tucked away in unseen corners.

After getting some new brushes for light and watercolors installed, I played with the new tablet a bit more. I really need to use that thing more.

Chinatown in DC is often swarming with tourists, fancy cars, and teenagers going overboard showcasing the latest fashion trends. Lights blaring, cars honking, and advertisements plastered between name brand stores create a rather stark sensory overkill.

The stores all have their name equivalent in Chinese characters; along with the intricate arch, these serve as the only reminder that you are in fact in the area formerly occupied by Chinatown. it’s only when you go a couple blocks east that you find the wonderful hole-in-the-wall restaurants that are so sought out for in urban Chinatowns.

I’ve been uber busy lately, with big life changes on the way, hence the lightness of posting.

This is another picture taken on that fine Summer evening a couple weeks ago at the World War II Memorial. Actually, it’s several pictures, stitched together through magic. Dark magic.

Okay, Photoshop. I used Photoshop.