Pity Me Not!

In my life I have come to the realization that I can't stand pity parties. I feel that they can be the end of our character. First of all, our times of hardship can shape and mold us into stronger people if we choose to allow it to. Sometimes it's hard for me to admit it, but I am thankful that God made me the way I am and the experiences He has allowed me to have. I also am thankful that He has blessed me with parents that wouldn't let me feel sorry for myself. Thank you Dad and Mom.

Bucket List... Check!

You've most likely gathered from reading my blog that my life expectancy is shorter compared to the next person. Now this doesn't change the truth that we all will eventually die, but it has shown me that life should be experienced to the fullest extent. The first part is my relationship with Christ. The second part means having an attitude of acceptance of my situation and doing my best to maintain a positive outlook. Thirdly, this means that I want to do as many fun things as possible before I "kick the bucket" or at least run it over with my wheelchair. Lol. So, I have compiled a bucket-list. One of them was to go for a ride on a motorcycle.

Van Closet

So you've seen the van restoration project. Well, my dad and I had a parts van left over from the project that we were trying to figure what to do with. After some brainstorming, we came up with two ideas: a mini trailer or a closet. We figured the closet was the easier of the two. Yea right. Sometimes words just can't describe, so... Well... here it is.

ABC Art Is A Success!

When I first started my animal alphabet project, I had no idea how the drawings would be received. To my surprise, there has been such a huge abundance of support from family, friends and even people that I haven't even met. There has also been some great advice on how I might improve them. I would like to thank those whom I have described for being so amazing. My art would not be as much of a success without you. Thank you for what you have done and continue to do.

Hot, Hot Hot August Nights

I'm back in Oregon after 3 days of Reno, Nevada's Hot August Nights. 'Hot' is probably the best adjective to use for the event. We arrived at our motel, unloaded the '64 Chevy Van from the trailer and all our gear. Called up my buddy Collin to let him know the fun had arrived, picked him up and went cruising in the "Vanimal." 

The next morning we headed to the swap meet. Aah, what a beautiful place, 5filled with vintage, rustic treasures. My mother and sister would feel right at home. We decided that we'd had enough of the swap meet and chose our default boredom filler: Cruising. We stopped at a few car shows at some big hotels / casinos and before we knew it 7 o' clock rolled around. Now it was time to cruise the registrated-only specified cruise in which they close off one block for people to show off their sweet rides. 

Our last day was similar to the day before with one exception. Chevrolet had a small test track in which people could actually drive a new Camaro or Corvette. They also had professional drivers who would take you on an exhilarating 30-40 second race around the track. After some convincing, my dad got me to agree to go for a ride. There was a big line because it was free, but the people with Chevrolet were so great. They put me right a the front of the line! Sometimes words just aren't enough to describe something, so here's the link to the video of my ride:

http://social-gen.com/barrettjackson/index.php?e=24&s=3&id=9395

Fun, fun, fun.

I don't know if it's the elevation or the heat that makes it more difficult to breath, but I will say that I am thankful to have my ventilator to help with my breathing. I find that every year I go seems a little more difficult for me physically in one way or another. For a young man in my physical condition I make do with what I have. I may not feel the best, but one thing that will never change is my drive to keep going in life. People often ask me how I maintain my attitude in life. My answer consists of three main things: How I was raised, my personality and most importantly because God has blessed me with each breath I get. 

Hot August Nights Prep.

My dad and I are getting ready for our annual trip to Reno, Nevada for Hot August Nights. Imagine the largest car show you can think of and that will sum up H.A.N. In one of my earlier posts I described my custom 1964 Chevy Van. We will be towing it down to Reno to cruise around town. Something about cruising, with the music blaring,  and seeing the reaction of people as we drive by brings a smile to my face. I will be spending time with one of my best friends, who actually helped work on the van. He hasn't experienced Hot August Nights yet, so it'll be fun showing him around. I will try to post some of our experiences over the course of the trip. Reno! Here we come!

Preparation for Roost Barn Sale

Today has been a fairly laid back day for me. I woke up and thanked the Lord that He has blessed me with another day, and asked myself, "How can I be productive today?"

Thought I'd give my wheelchair the day off.

Roost Reimagined is having a barn sale this weekend, which I have been fortunate enough to be a part of. I have been working to get my alphabet flashcards ready. Among the flashcards I will also have individual prints of the animal letters. Unfortunately supplies will be limited, but there will be more available prior to the sale. I look forward to all of your input on my art.

Seize The Day!

Through my life and in the physical struggles I endure, God gives me an incredible image of how short life can be. This image has also shown me that as humans we constantly try to prevent death, when there is an inevitable truth: we all are going to die sooner or later. So, what do we do with this seemingly morbid thought? For me, there is one simple answer: live life as if every second, minute, hour, day is our last.

The VANimal; hear it roar!!!

SO, I figured I'd share a little about my custom van, affectionately known as "The Vanimal." With every story there is a history, so come along with me. When my dad was 16 he bought a 1964 Chevy Van from Sears and Roebucks (now it's just called Sears). When he was 17 he sold the refurbished van before going into the military. Jump forward 30 years. An acquaintance of my dad finds the van and we end up buying it back to restore for me. We had over 100 people volunteers help with this project. Thank you everyone.

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Jumbo The Elephant

Are you sick of stippling yet? Well here is an image that my lovely mother asked me to draw. Believe it or not the flag was more difficult than the elephant itself.

Fly Like An Eagle

I was commissioned to do a stippling of a bald eagle for someone.

There's really not too much to say about it besides the significance that an eagle has for me. When I was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy my parents sought comfort in a number of ways. My mother often found comfort in scripture. She came across a scripture that I have adopted as my scripture. It's Isaiah 40:29-31, which says:

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He gives strength to the weary 

    and increases the power of the weak.

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Even youths grow tired and weary,

    and young men stumble and fall; 

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but those who hope in the Lord

    will renew their strength. 

They will soar on wings like eagles; 

    they will run and not grow weary,

    they will walk and not be faint

ABC Flash Cards

So I thought it would be cool to make ABC flashcards. I would draw, with pencil, an animal for the corresponding letter. After sketching the animal I would go over it with brushlike pens.

After a little tweaking, using Photoshop, the images were ready to begin printing on manilla tags, which was my sister's creative idea (thanks sis).

Spider Sense Tingling Because of Spots!

Okay so I have a confession: I am a huge fan of comic book characters. Of the many favorites, Spider-Man is by far one of my biggest. One of the types of art that I find I am good at is stippling. For those who are unfamiliar with this form of art, basically all of the outlines and shading is done with dots. It's a very tedious, yet interesting way to draw an image. So my reasoning was simple: I love Spider-Man and I enjoy stippling. Why not combine the two? And the final product:

It's A Circus

My abilities to draw are often not used due to lack of ideas on my part. So my sister, who is extremely creative, gives many ideas on things for me to draw. The most recent has been to draw circus-themed animals. My first drawing is of a balancing, juggling monkey (What a talented fellow he is).

What's a circus without a seal balancing a ball? 

And the latest and my favorite so far is a sharp-dressed bear.

City And Colour Project

So, I have posted some of my art on Facebook and have been fortunate enough to have it noticed by a number of friends, family, and even acquaintances. I was recently asked to create a piece of art showcasing one of my favorite bands: City And Colour. Whoa! Talk about a huge honor! So what I started out with was a drawing of band frontman Dallas Green (as shown below).

City And Colour will be playing in Portland, Oregon on January 16th so I decided to add Mount Hood as the background.

I also ended up adding more sky and even some stars. Using Photoshop, I used the cutout effect to add a cooler effect. And here it is: