Saturday, October 3, 2009

Baby Tattooville Update

There's so much to report about Baby Tattooville!

But right now I just want to show you a few pages of my Explorer's Journal.

I've been traveling all over the Mission Inn in Riverside, California to document some of the strange creatures who live here.

If you wake up early, the rooftop dragons are still perched on the towers because they love the sound of bells.

I was awake at these wee hours because the Gronkus was pounding away on the old piano.

I'm doing 50 of these little drawings, all on location. There will be one to give each of the collectors who are attending.

Better get back to work. The fandango told me to check out Gladys, the one-eyed fortune teller in the sitting room of Floor 3.

9 comments:

Steve said...

Love the drawings/paintings. And love the captions -- they sound like lines from Dylan, circa Blonde on Blonde.

What size are the drawings?

(Maybe the captions are more reminiscent of Lennon -- my word verification is "repayoko.")

Roberto said...

Welcome (back) to California James! The land of fruits and nuts! Our flower is the Poppy (Don't tell the Taliban), and our totem is the bear-claw, with cinnamon.
The Dragons are down from the hills due to our recent fires,(the earth-quakes usually scare them back) and the Wuddler is obviously from back East (he must have stowed away in your drawing nap-sack!). The Gronkus and the Fandango are probably early arrivals for the Baby-Tattoville Art-extravaganza.
Enjoy your stay... I hope you brought enough happy-face stickers for Molley's anti-art orgy;) You should be safe tho, assuming the metel-detectors are working and all the Homies stay relatively sober. -RQ
p.s. my word verification is 'sinor.'

Anonymous said...

Jim, These are SOOO nice!!! What a wonderful surprise!!!
thank you for sharing...

eric said...

awsome work! so much personality, i hope you take the time to illistrate a childrens book just like this.

silly creatures all over the place, that would be awsome!

are these original artworks avaliable to own!!! would love to have one!

Karin Corbin said...

Love the illustrations, you always put a grin on my face when I read the blog.

Oh how I would love to be able to roam around the Mission Inn for a week or two or even take up permanent residence in some little hidden away nook. A fine example of architecture that crosses all boundaries of illustration, fairy tale, fantasy and reality. Just to experience them is inspiration for our imaginations. We don't have nearly enough of them in the New World therefore I build them in my workshop.

Rachel M. Brenner-Manis said...

You especially have to see The Mission Inn around Christmas time all lit up. Been there alot back in my UCR days, just sit and drink a coffee and explore. Also like the tafts chair and hoky statues of the clock tower.

Oh the drawings are great, my fave is the rooftop Dragon.

Unknown said...

Jim...
lots of fun to look at...by the way...has anyone told you that you have great penmanship?

By Scott Flanders said...

Just got my copy of Imaginative Realism. It really is a wonderful book. Thanks a bunch Mr. Gurney!

Jason Pruett said...

these are a lot of fun.