AWAY preorder ends...soon

Last week of sales, so go buy one as it's a very limited edition first pressing that you can resell on ebay 20 years from now (probably only for like, ten cents, but hey, you got twenty years' use out of it, stop complaining). Still not convinced? Well, here's another sneak peak:

and yes, if you're following @tori__h ( that's me!) you know how you can enter to win a free copy!

proof

So when cataloging my negatives binder during open studios last week, I found this gem of a proof sheet from Italy. It was never fixed or washed, so it took on this lovely process of decay that actually at times looks like I did a light sepia tone on it (another thing, like proof sheets, that I will only do when forced). Here are a few cuts from said sheet.

a nice old man who shared his lunch with me at the library..stranger things have happened

bricks

The Colesseum

an exhibit at a great little gallery in Bologna where the owner let me photograph

chemical spills looking like birds..

back in my neck of the woods.

Okay, so yes, it took me a little while to post any new comics, I've been a little under the weather both health-wise and on a metaphysical level, so that often gets in the way. But I was just listening to the amazing new Silversun Pickups record (it's called Neck Of The Woods, get the title pun?...it's phenomenal, buy it now) and it was just the thing to convince me to finish up this little two panel comic. True story.

 

Also, starting to make some more minor headway on the not-yet-named comic endeavor. See the power of good music? ..by the way 100% of the "buy tori's comics" proceeds go to good music (or more comic books)

now showing

So I'm trying a new method of displaying work here, and hopefully it works better (let me know what you think, that's what the comments section is for). The link below is to a web-album of my latest photo-series/interactive composite art piece, which was recently shown at the Jurried Spring Art Show at SACI Florence. Unfortunately, visual documentation provided fails to fully capture the piece, as like previously mentioned, it was built to be picked up and shuffled around and you just don't get that tactility through the internet, but I believe you can get some feel for what the piece was like via the pictures provided. Okay, officially just ran out of pretentious-artist-babble, it's cardboard, string, and silver gelatin prints. take a looksee:

cardboard box piece 1

apresto firenze

And so closes my last night in Italy, going to snag a couple hours of sleep before heading to the airport. Here's a little journal sketch I did today while staring out over the whole kit and kaboodle. Promise to post some final project pictures in the coming days. Ciao!

hey, more film prints

part three: grottos

Okay so the Medici Grottos are one of the most well-known things in the Boboli Gardens because, well, they look amazing..it was like being in Indiana Jones...I felt so cool! Oh and for those not up on the series, parts one and two in the Boboli gardens series are here.

part two:dishes

Okay, so between having a life, the internet being temperamental, and my computer spazzing out, I have yet to finish my Boboli Gardens Series. Well, have no fear, because, I'm on it. A probably lesser gawked at part of the gardens is the silver museum, which basically means "ridiculously ornate plates and such" as opposed to all actual silver items, and I suppose it is the sort of thing that most people's grandma's drag them in to view, but I not-so-secretly love looking at this sort of stuff. They're super-detailed, painstakingly gorgeous, and essentially JUST TO EAT OFF. Like think about that, once upon a time, that was just for someone fancy to place their fancy snack on whilst entertaining some other fancy person. And that's what a chunk of the people whom are nowadays making all sorts of cool art would be doing: putting all their love and energy into: a plate that only the fanciest of the fancy could even see. So while on one hand it's really great that all this attention was paid to making every little thing beautiful, it really makes me grateful for the modern age. Plus, did I mention there's a bug-themed bowl? Like a bowl based off the things you don't want in your bowl?!

obviously, no one ate off this

see? what'd I tell you? bug bowl!

part one: trees

So yesterday (Sunday) I finally meandered my way over to Boboli Gardens, and it's possibly the most fantastic place in Florence. I took both my 35mm film and DSLR cameras (unfortunately, my computer crashed while uploading from my memory card and I lost roughly 30 photos, so I guess I'll just have to go back..hooray for museum cards!), and went through a lot of media on both, so I decided to make a batch of mini albums that I'll post each day.

oh, hey, prints. Uh, yeah I did those...

These somehow didn't make it up here until now. Good thing I have this extra day and all.

accumulation

The illustration that has been eating up all my time these past 3 days. Click for detail. Enjoy. 

alternate take

So here is the same print from Monday (Did you miss it? Well, you wouldn't if you were subscribed! No bother, just click the link to view) except in a different four-color process. Think it really changes it, but can't decide which version I like better... Love it, hate it, want it? (No I'm serious, I don't want all of these and more importantly, I don't want to pay to get them home, so just keep checking back  for me to part with them after critiques or leave a comment and I'll let you know).

serigraphy, yo

Okay, so I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I am actually an idiot at art. Fancy terminology? Know none of it. Fancy supplies? Don't got 'em. Sense of decorum and/or shame? Never heard of it. Hence, when two of my program courses got cancelled and I need to pick new ones, I went with the biggest, fanciest term I could find in the course listing. Without having the slightest clue what it was. Turns out, it is just a fancy name for "a course on silkscreening". And yes, very art-smart people, I know, serigraphy is not only silkscreening, but all we're focusing on in the course is photoemulsion-based silkscreening, so that's that. Anyhow, here's the first color combo of the first print of some idiot (me). Not bad, eh?

Oh, and it's based off of here.

We're Americans abroad, Americans abroad, whatever there is to be said, say in it English!

First of the comics done in Florence to be posted. Also, yes, the title is an Against Me! reference. You should know by now that they're basically what I live my life to.

Also, is anyone/does anyone know any cartoonists/graphic novelists in Italy? It feels weird not having a comics-buddy here. Preferably someone who at least speaks un poco Ingles (little bit of English). Okay, I'll wait here while you go find friends for me.Thanks.

R2 Duomo

Yeah, so this has come up multiple times in conversation so I just doodled it out.