It's Dangerous to Go Alone

   Here it is, the painting that got me back into painting after a four-year plush extravaganza! I was surprised at how easy—and frankly, how fun—it was to get back into it. And I'm pretty happy with the results as well. I truly enjoyed creating this piece!
   It's called , aka "Hitori de iku no ga kiken desu", aka "It's Dangerous to Go Alone", and it depicts the hero of The Legend of Zelda, who had been pursuing a couple of Octoroks, who cunningly led him to meet their mama.
   The game was created by the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto (do Mario and Donkey Kong ring a bell?), and originally released for the original, 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System. It will always hold a special place in my heart: I sunk a lot of hours into it when I was a kid, and it is a true classic that still has a great influence on gaming today.
   Here are some in-progress photos that show my painting coming to life:

The drawing, which I transferred onto canvas after laying down a base color

Finished lifework has been painted

Starting to fill in the color (and making decisions along the way); initially I considered making this a full-color piece, but in the end I liked the dramatic impact of limited color

Filling in the Big Octorok

Starting to bring Link to life

TA-DAAAA!!!

   It's already on its way to the classic video game-themed show at Gallery 1988: Venice, opening Friday, September 16 in Santa Monica, CA. Over 90 artists will be participating, so there will be tons of variety as usual. Here's a teaser. Here's the evite, as well as the evite from their VG show earlier this year, which I also love.

Mr. Mitts

Kristin just created a Mii for her cat. Awesome.

Wonder if he does Wii Fit Yoga too?

It's Mii & my sisters!

These are the Mii people that we created for ourselves while enjoying Kristin's Wii at Christmastime:

Kristin seems to have had waaaaay too much coffee!

Guest animator, Joe A.

If you're already afraid of dentists, this won't help. (Awesome work, Joe!)

Wii like to bowl

Oh, isn't the tree beautiful? Let's sit around an... NO TIME FOR THAT NOW—KRISTIN GOT A Wii!!! LET'S BOWL!I took her on, proving that I suck both at Wii bowling and real-life bowling:

But what's this? We tied!

Kristin tries to break Jeff's laser-like concentration on his perfect bowling form:
Pretty sure she's still bowling here. Either that or Zumba.
Brad challenges Eric, while Martha wonders how long she'll have to sit through this nonsense:
Kristin looks awfully happy to beat Brad! I wish I had a photo of the Miis of Kelley, Kristin & myself together... hilarious!

Rhythm Hell

So I finally started playing "Rhythm Heaven," & I pretty much suck at it! Good thing I've got another flight coming up so I can keep practicing. I actually improve when I play with my eyes closed. The visuals totally throw me off! (Where's Beyonce when I need her?!!?)

as if Beyonce wasn't cool enough before...

she plays Nintendo DS too!

Super Mario Bros!

This morning I awoke to discover that the rain had brought a bunch of very large mushrooms to my front yard.So the only thing to do was to photograph them and turn them into...

(Admit it: you're singing the theme song in your head right now!)

(sing the super mario theme song in your head)

Yet another of my fondest memories from my childhood...the day I beat Super Mario Brothers (and SMB2...and SMB3...). In my opinion, some of the best character design in games. (In your face, 3D rendering...you can't top this!!) And just look how good they look in plush form! For the "i am 8-bit" show at G1988 LA.