Welcome 2017

Since I don't get around to doing blog updates as often as I used to, I figured i'd compile a few late 2016 update post. So... going backwards in time, here we go!!!

First of all, Happy 2017! 2016 has been a great year for me artistically. Finished lots of personal art goals and I was happy to have gotten a few mini animations completed. I've gotten back to doing animations just for fun, taking only a day or two to crank something out. Not sure if I will ever go down the road of a film project like Alien for Christmas again, but who knows!

Here is my New Years animation called Burst out of Your Shell. It's a simple statement that we should all shed our skin each year and start something new!

Burst Out of Your Shell 2017 from Dave Pryor on Vimeo.

Right before Christmas, I updated Alien for Christmas (which you can watch on Vimeo) with an all new HD version of the short. It was really starting to show it's age with the 640 format - so it was overdue for an update.

Alien for Christmas from Dave Pryor on Vimeo.

Now that I'm using Instagram much more than the blog, I put up a widget at the top of the page that shows the latest posts. This way, the blog stays a little fresh, even when I'm not updating it here.

In early December, I was part of 2 gallery openings at Gallery 1988. One was "The Coen Brothers show" (which you can see more detail on in the previous post below), and the other was "Another art show about Nothing" - a show dedicated to one of my favorite shows of all time, Seinfeld (which, coincidently, we have been working on a slot game at work for Seinfeld for the past year!)

"The interview"

Ink on paper

I chose to do an homage to one of my favorite episodes to a bit where Kramer and Newman work up a scheme to have the homeless pull a rickshaw cart around New York City. A fun moment when Kramer and Newman perform ad-hoc interviews with the 3 candidates that shows up - one of which wanders off right at the start, and another that ends up just running off with the cart!

I was using a new ink stain technique on this image - so if you now own it from the show, a fun fact that this is the first time I worked in this medium. I really wanted this to have a personal quality. 

Here are a few more images of the process:

At thanksgiving I had a chance to work up a couple fun bear-eating images. Who doesn't love a good guilt-snacking furball? 

After seeing "Fantastic Beasts" - I worked up this Bowtruckle image below - loved this little guy and how he would hide under Newt's lapel in the movie!

On November 19, I was part of an art show at Creature Features in Burbank CA dedicated to "MYTHBUSTERS"! What a treat. The show, curated by Chogrin, and featured a select group of artist works that featured portraits of Jamie and Adam from the show.

"Cheers!"

11x14 - Digital

My piece showcases, from what I was told by the curator, something that never happened in the shows history - Jamie and Adam dining together. Another thing it showcase is a drink that Jamie created called 444 - a mix of 4 fruits, 4 veggies, and 4 grains. I thought it would be fun to have these 2 cheering each other for their awesome success! The art is now on tour as part of a Mythbusters exhibit. Check out the review of the show on Nerdist

On November 18 and 19, I had the chance to experience CTN and DCON for the first time. Both conventions were fantastic, and I came home with more that a few bags worth of artwork and artist cards to enjoy.

CTN gave me a chance to talk with many folks that I normally only get to see online, and a chance to rub elbows with may of the industry professionals that I admire, and worked with on previous occasions. 

DCON was a real artists show - independently produced works (art, shirts, toys) from a wide range of passionate creatives. The price was right - only $10 to get in, and just about anyone who wasn't at CTN already was located here. 

In November, I took part in the Back to Bits project, a multi-animator effort that collected GIFs from animators and showcased them as an homage to the games of yesteryear. This is the first "volume" of the show with (hopefully) more to come. This effort is curated by Jerry Liu.

My animation - The Life and Death of a Marble - based on the Atari game Marble Madness, ended up being a little long for the GIF format - but you can see my directors cut here

The Life and Death of a Marble from Dave Pryor on Vimeo.

On November 5th, Gallery 1988 feature "Postcard Correspondence" - a show entirely dedicated to postcard art that you could buy and use as cards to display  - or better yet - mail to your friends! My piece featured "The Blues Brothers" at christmastime, and was aptly title, "Let the Good Times Roll". I was inspired by Elwood's tiny apartment in the movie, and I loved the idea of the brothers sharing that space at Christmas.

"Let the Good Times Roll" 

5x7 Postcard

And one of the biggest moments of 2016 - Cubs winning the world series! It doesn't get better than that for a Chicagoan. 

Geez - I have more to get to - Inktober, the Wonka show, SDCC... I'll need to do the rest in a post update when I get more of that precious time! 

-Dave

Console Wars - Gallery 1988

This is Gallery 1988's last show of 2015 and it's gonna be a buzz with electric delight. "Console Wars" features art from the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis era of video games. There is sure to be something there to delight your old school video-game needs! 

Gallery 1988 West

7308 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles CA 90046

Opening Reception Friday December 11, 7-9pm

"Playing for Keeps"

10"x30"  

limited edition of 15 signed and numbered.

My show contribution is inspired by the gaming juggernauts of the time, Sonic and Mario. Here they are slugging it out to see who will reign supreme as they go head to head for the crown of the 16-bit era! Sonic has the speed - but Mario has the hammer. Choose your side as you celebrate the fun and excitement of gaming at it's best!

Art Post Catchup

It's been a while since updating the ol' blog here - lets see... hmmm... what to say...

How bout just a smattering of stuff that I have been too lazy to place here until now? Cool?

"Choobakka Wants All Da Medalz"

"Gertrude's Secret" 

Inspired by "Rudy" from Funhouse Pinball

"Gorgar Speaks"

Inspired by Gorgar talking Pinball

"The Last Joust"

"Hellboy with Kittens"

"Holding Her is Dangerous"

"100% Mutagen Ooze"

Kong's Revenge - Popcade Art Show

The Popcade art opening is drawing close, and it's time for me to introduce my second painting in the show. It's called "Kong's Revenge" inspired by none other than the Nintendo original that started it all.

Kong's Revenge

Acrylic on Canvas

10"x30"

So what is my Donkey Kong backstory? When I was growing up in Chicago, I'd sometimes get to hang out at a hot dog joint in a strip mall on Cumberland avenue called "Happy Dawg". They kept a steady rotation of two (and only two) arcade machines in the place; a popular draw for the neighborhood kids. This is where I first played Donkey Kong; the simple yet brutal barrel jumping game based on an evil ape that held a plumbers girlfriend hostage. I sure didn't last long when I got my turn on the machine. I'd be lucky to make it to the second screen fireball stage.

Back in those days, I wanted to relive the arcade experience so badly, that I settled for the stopgaps (the horror that was the Atari 2600 version of the game). It sure didn't look the same, but it was close enough. I remember not being able to fall asleep the day before picking up the "pre-paid" cartridge from Musicland (Harlem Irving Plaza location) the next day. Donkey Kong looked more like a brown piece of crap than the ape I knew from the arcade machine, but those were times when you took what you could get.

The Arcade version of Donkey Kong and the Atari 2600 version.

The Atari 2600 cartage box promised a "real" arcade experience.

There were other ways I filled my world with Donkey Kong characters too. I had a set of coloring books which brought me closer to this odd monkey drama. I can't even imagine what the premise would have been in these coloring books - I just remember trying to stay in the lines and do Mario justice.

This painting is an homage to Mario and his nemesis, with the idea of an "obstacle course" universe that was so foreboding, it was almost impossible for Mario to succeed. Kong stands upon a giant mechanical  version of himself, spitting barrels at the hero that seem to have no finite limit. Yet Mario, as small and pudgy as he is, faces his opponent head on with only an occasional hammer at his disposal.

The reception for Popcade will take place 6pm-10pm, May 10th 2014 at:

POPzilla Gallery

Rothick Art Haus

170 South Harbour blvd

Anaheim CA

If you live in the LA area and Anaheim isn't too far of a stretch for ya, go and check out the show while it lasts.

Also, I just started up a Facebook site for "social butterflies" who like art updates delivered in their news feeds. Go check it out and see my iPad digital layout and thumbnail captures. You get to see how I started out with the idea and modified on the fly. Also, much appreciated if you give my page a "like" and spread the word.

POPCADE Art Show

This is an early announcement and sneak peek at work that I'll have in an upcoming show at the POPzilla Gallery in Anaheim California. The show is called "POPCADE" and will be featuring artwork from all sorts of video games - classic to contemporary. This show is shaping to be Orange County's largest collection of video game pop art ever!

"Trapped in a Never Ending World"

Acrylic on 3 individual 6"x6" canvas boards

My first piece for this show is called "Trapped in a Never Ending World". A simple and graphic approach, this piece features 3 of my favorite classic arcade heroes, each encompassed by the very thing they are stuck doing for eternity.

First we have the Burgertime Chef, destined to forever walk across and create giant hamburger treats. He gets to celebrate briefly when he completes his task, only to have more challenging burgers to make in the next level and an increased number of living foods chasing him. Mr.  pickle is my least favorite.

Next we have Q-Bert, who I feel the worst for because he's forever jumping cube after cube, only to have creepy dudes chasing him and ruining his cube color-chage work. Colliding with one of these bad guys ends up in a horrible squishing sound which hurts Q-Bert so badly, all he can do is shout explitives. Also, one wrong step off the cube pyramid and it ends up in a splat at the bottom of the machine (one of the best video game sound effects EVER!)

Finally we have Mario, who is forever trapped jumping barrels that Donkey Kong tosses his way. Well, at least the pudgy little Italian is getting some exercise.

The reception for this event is 6pm-10pm May 10th 2014 at:

POPzilla Gallery

Rothick Art Haus

170 South Harbour blvd

Anaheim CA

I have a second piece that's still in the works too - I'll have a follow up post closer to the opening.

Back to the Brothers

The power of brotherhood is strong! Here is another Super Mario idea - this one showing how Mario and Luigi have each other's back.   They are inseparable.

SUPER MARIO!

Just a big ol' Mario with his spunky brother. My favorite Mario game is still the original Mario Bros. arcade game, which my brother and I played the hell out of on the Atari 26oo.

Dig Dug Lego

As a fun project over the Labor day weekend, I decided to build myself some pixel art out of Legos. Here is the finished result - about 10" wide x 12" high versions of Dig Dug, Fygar, and Pooka true to their video game incarnations. These are glued to wood boards so that everything stays together permanently, and can be hung on the wall (now just to find the perfect place to hang them). Making these really makes me want to tackle other favorite old games!

DIG DUG

Here is my take on Dig Dug, the main character from one of my all-time favorite arcade games as a kid. Although the hero of the game shoots his victims and pumps them up until they explode, it's all portrayed in a terribly cute way. Nowadays, you can play Dig Dug on just about every console and portable game system available. Maybe I'll play some right now :)