My Little Monsters

Anyone who does a lot of blog surfing probably knows that one of the most popular types of blogs out there (second only to Chinese baby-adopting trip journals) is the art blog. Blogs are a perfect format for artists of all types, professional and non, to show off their sketches, doodles and fully-finished works to a larger and more varied crowd of people than you'd ever be able to lure into an art gallery or non-Starbucks coffee shop. There are more art blogs out there than you could visit in a lifetime, much less during your regular working hours which is the only time of day anyone ever hits the 'net anyway. Whatever kind of artwork you enjoy you're sure to be able to find several talented people out there who are glad to share their stuff with you and to all those same talented people I'd just like to say- I want in on some of that action!

I think that it's really unfair of you people to hog the art spotlight just because you happen to be the one's with all the talent. I mean, just because I couldn't "Draw Smitty" to save a busload of blind children from certain death doesn't mean that I shouldn't be allowed to share my sad scribblings with the rest of humanity! So with that in mind and in honor of the Hallowe'en season I present "The Monster Art of Steve," a brief retrospective of the artist's works through the years. Please, love me.

-------

This first piece is perhaps the earliest known example of the monster influence in Steve's work. Up until this point most of Steve's pieces revolved around a similar theme- house with chimney, one tree with bird, smiley face sun and a handful of stick people labelled 'Mom,' 'Dad,' & 'Me.' What might have happened in Steve's personal live around the time that this pen & marker drawing was completed that took his work to such a dark place we may never know, but there are theories. Kindergarten was a bitch.

This picture was either finished off with a dark wash of some sort or Steve spilled his grape juice over it. Either way it works. Also please make note of Steve's inspired use of a backward 'a' in Dracula's name which some philistine art critic attempted to correct!

Steve would like to add that he is not at all bitter about the fact that Wes Craven later stole Steve's visual interpretation of Dracula for use in the alleyway scene of the first Nightmare On Elm Street movie.

-------

This second piece was never really intended for public showing but it is too good to leave out. "Devils Got A Green Dress On" was created as a gift for the artist's younger brother, Matt. When Matt was quite little he found it hysterical to have other people sing the 'Devil's Got A Blue Dress On' song while substituting the word 'blue' with some other color. He thought that this was pee-in-your-pants level funny although nobody could ever figure out why. Steve theorizes that while she was pregnant with Matt, his mother may have had an asbestos licking habit.

-------

"Finger-zilla" is perhaps Steve's best known work. Words can not do it justice so let's just stare at it in silence for a few minutes, marveling at the subtle way in which Steve manipulated the finger paints so as to perfectly convey the clashing natures of Godzilla's savage fury and his all too human desire to find his place in this unfeeling world.

"Finger-zilla" was created when Steve was only seven years old, proving that he's no Genji-come-lately in his love of all things Godzilla.

-------

Steve enters his primitive Grandma Moses phase with "Sea Monster Attacks House." Notice how he disdains such things as realism and perspective in favor of just drawing a cool monster tearing stuff up. That's the hallmark of a true professional.

This picture was drawn and colored over the course of several school classes which shows, if nothing else, that by high school all of Steve's teachers had pretty much given up all hope for him and let him do pretty much anything he wanted. Steve doesn't know how he got away with that for so many years, but he suspects that it's 'cause he's so damn charming!

-------

This is not Steve's work, but he found it in a library book so he's claiming it as his own. Found art is still art.

This is the coolest thing that Steve ever found inside a library book even though the artist didn't plan ahead well enough to save room for both of the vampire's wings. Amateurs!

-------

Thus ends today's showing. Please feel free to comment upon the profound effect my art has had on you, but don't go overboard. I blush easily!

Tomorrow- "The Poetry of Steve"