Sketchbook Project 2011 - Preview Pages Online

We are still a few weeks out from sending the filled sketchbook in, but I've uploaded a few pages to the Art House Coop site for public preview. Go see.

Bony Lil January - NYC

Two performance this month in New York City!

BINDLESTIFF OPEN STAGE
January 3rd
Galapagos Art Space
DUMBO Brooklyn
8pm

+

NY DOWNTOWN CLOWN REVUE
January 17th
Dixon Place
LES Manhattan
7:30pm

Come on out! xx

Like Water

So this is how best I can trace the unfolding of this realization today:

This morning Emily White tweeted about David Lynch talking about transcendental meditation. This is the first thing I saw, still toasty in bed. The idea that we can expand ourselves over time. The twinkle and excitement in him as he speaks about it.

This evening I read the yewknee.com blog and was caught by Michael Eades' response to this article on James Franco. Not usually something I would pay attention to but describing someone's life as having "fluidity" rather than "fixed identity" smacked me upside the head the way the man in The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill struck me years ago when he said he was not a careerist. Never heard of the concept. Before that was just being a bum or indecisive or developmentally stunted.

The resulting idea:

I have studied improvisation in every art form I use for decades, but I tend to beat myself about the head about the rest of my life. The transparency of the career/marriage/kids or the loopycareerartist never seem to line up properly with my life as is.

Although I am extraordinarily good at, I do not really enjoy beating the crap out of myself. I wrote a play [How to Give Up on Your Dreams, By Not Really Trying] about how goals ruin everything but didn't really have a solution at the end because I still want the things I don't have, so am still disappointed.

But what if I allowed my life to be fluid like i allow my art to be. What if I entertained the notion that tickling certain parts of yourself can enlarge your enjoyment of what IS in your life. What if I let it flow, as Bruce Lee said, like water. Control is different from Responsibility. You can be responsible. You cannot be in control.

Some magical combination of David Lynch and James Franco are freeing my fucking mind.

I am cool with this.

Thank you internet and mostly, thank you friends who pass things along.


<3

Here is a photo of a Mongolian marmot hunter. They dress in all white and a hat with ears and carry a tassle-y something. It mesmerizes the marmots so they can get closer to get a better shot.

Sketchbook: octovember

Blockprint Holiday Cards!

I've made blockprint cards for the holidays!

Squirrels are the best.

Here, we see, the extraordinary Blue Squirrels of Happiness in a birch tree generally supporting peace and love and beauty, printed in antiqued metallic ink and handcolored.

I've got about 30 at the moment, with envelopes.
5 cards - $25
10 cards - $40
shipping included inside the US
{if inside NYC cheaper still}

contact me at vaganthead at gmail dot com.
first come first serve. paypal.

To hell with virtual and digitally printed cards. Send them ones made digit-ally (x10).

Sketchbook: fHour + GangBurgs

...the plot thickens...
I'm finding it's best if you read them aloud. Like you mean it.
......click to see bigger......

T-Shirts for the Gene Wilder lovers

It began in March of 2008 as a rant about the too too many Gene Wilder movies that were being remade, then a graphic, then a guerilla campaign that saw my inbox filling with t-shirt requests from strangers around the world by word of mouth alone.

It has been just about exactly two years since the folks over at wireandtwine.com have been hand-printing and selling the shirts.
They are still available! Send along your Gene Wilder lovers!

Look at all the happy customers! You'll notice by the preponderance of navy on yellow, these were largely early-adopters.



Happy Holidays and Stop the Remakes!

The have finally begun my submission to The Sketchbook Project 2011. It's coming along nicely and I'm considering it a kind of test run for a honest-to-goodness book I want to make. A sort of part sketchbook, part abstract/stream-o-conscious art book maybe with some recurring characters.

As you might notice, I am using a similar technique that i used for my fine art pieces in the Sink series onaccounta the thin paper in the sketchbook.

The submissions up on the site are Pa-RETTY intimidating. Good to know the bar is set high! The tour will be fun!

Bony Lil's Recital

This is from the 2008 NY Clown Theater Festival. This piece has been around in various forms since about 2003. It started with canned music and then the wonderfully talented Valerie Thompson {who composed an original score to the short film/animation Bony Lil's Creation} came aboard to compose and perform an original piece.

This was a cabaret night at the clown festival and you will see a nice introduction by Joel Jeske at the top of the clip.

Bony Lil's Recital from Zea on Vimeo.

Bony Lil in the Loop- Chicago

Bony Lil - How To Give Up On Your Dreams - Lesson #14 from Zea on Vimeo.

An offshoot from the show I created for the NY Clown Theater Festival, "How to Give Up on Your Dreams, By Not Really Trying"

Spent an afternoon running around downtown Chicago with a camera.

Original music by Zebulun Barnow of B1g T1me. Chris Gummert on camera.

Sketchbook: Antleert Beefts

*slow headshake*

Sketchbook: October

...October 17................................................

...October 20................................................

...October 25................................................

Bony Lil's Creation + Distraction - on yewknee.com

Many thanks to the wonderful Michael Eades for doing a nice write up of the Bony Lil's Creation + Distraction! If you didn't get at chance, check out the films, freshly released last week. Being the second, Creation, has been getting less traffic but is the one crammed full of hand-crafted animation in techniques never before seen! Check them out. Pass them on.

A Making-Of video with documentary footage and discussions with the filmmakers is on the way! Some great doc shots and a brief of the process can be found on bonylil.com.

Sketchbook: august, september, october...

It's been a while since I've posted things from the sketchbook. Writing and performing a solo show and moving a thousand miles will do that to a person. You will notice a distinct lack of time to make all pretty colors.
Here, so it's like you didn't miss a thing.

august21..............................................


august29..............................................september06

october07..............................................

october08..............................................

Blockprints: In-Progress

My wonderful friends at City Feed and Supply commissioned me to do a series blockprints based on the Chinese Zodiac. I've done a series of farm and cafe theme prints for them in the past. I have been working on five little prints and one big blister. I will post prints when they are complete.

In the meantime, head over to City Feed and order a #1 sandwich with avocado for me. mmmm.

RELEASE! Bony Lil's Creation + Distraction!

Happy Birthday, Buster Keaton!!

Short film duet, Bony Lil's Creation + Distraction.
Silent Comedy. Hand-crafted Animation. Original Scores.
Watch online in entirety for the first time ever.

Zea Barker and Michael Pope present...

Enjoy!

Bony Lil's Creaton + Distraction! Tomorrow!

Get Ready!
Distraction is 8.5 minutes and Creation is 10 minutes.
It's nice to take an intermission between them.

Movie time on the internet!!

Bony Lil's Creation + Distraction: TRAILERS

In anticipation of the big release of the films on October 4th: the trailers!

Bony Lil's Distraction TRAILER from Zea.

Bony Lil's Creation TRAILER from Zea.

Bony Lil's Creation + Distraction is coming!!

Bony Lil's Creation + Distraction is about to be released in entirety online for the first time ever!

Created by Zea Barker + Michael Pope

The short film duet blends live action silent comedy, unique hand-crafted animation and original scores by Valerie Thompson, Brian Viglione and a few talented musicians from Blue Man Group. The films explore two challenging sides of the creative process; Distraction is the classic story of girl meets blank sheet of paper and Creation explores the chaos of inspired creation and its various repercussions. Shot on black and white Super 8 film and digital, it features a unique style of hand-drawn and stop-motion animation devised by Zea Barker.

The films have been shown by Chicago Short Film Brigade, Blood From a Turnip Puppet Film Festival and the nationally touring Fuck the Back Row.

Soon: online for all to see!

October 4th - Worldwide
to celebrate the birth of master silent clown; Buster Keaton

tune in. It'll be a hoot.

Last Show! Saturday!

How to Give Up on Your Dreams: By Not really Trying
premiere solo clown show by Zea Barker
Saturday 25th, 6pm, The Brick Theater, Brooklyn

photo by Joe Kolbow

It's been a blast to get the show in front of people. Big chunks of rewrites each night as the piece takes better shape. It is great when moments land as planned. Sometimes even better when an unexpected audience reaction reveals something new about the piece.

This festival has been a wonderful opportunity to share work and meet others with similar passions. Any bajillionaires out there looking to invest in pure awesome, this is the place.

Check out the review on NYTheatre.com!

And come catch the last show of the run!

Opening Night!

The World Premiere of How to Give Up on Your Dreams: By Not Really Trying unfolded last night to a wonderful crowd at the NY Clown Theater Festival in Brooklyn. Two more shows to go.
September 20th @ 9pm and September 25th @ 6pm.
tickets

Check out the photo blog of the Show by Jim Moore at Vaudevisuals.com

How to Give Up on Your Dreams Premiere

How to Give Up on Your Dreams: By Not Really Trying
my new solo clown show
premieres at the NY Clown Theater Festival

Friday September 17th 9pm

The Brick Theater, Williamsburg Brooklyn

info
and plus like --> {sidebar}

tickets

An interview about the show

New York City

I've crammed my flickr account full and can't bring myself to either make room or pay for more space, so I will share my new phontos here!
Ladies and Gentlemen: New York City


mariachi....................................................batman cake

babbling stream...........................................stained glass

bottles..............................................contrapposto in red

NY Clown Theater Festival 2010 - Parade + Pie Fight