I haven’t been online for a while, but regular visitors need not panic - no-one’s managed to silence me. A few things have conspired against me - I’m working full-time again, and it’s been flat out for the last few weeks. The internet’s been playing up and my site’s had a couple of technical issues (I haven’t been able to add new work). The experts are currently on the case.
The upside of all this is I’m richer, which means I can get back to spoiling some friends and helping others out of trouble. I’ve also rediscovered the pleasures of old-fashioned, unplugged art. Any angst incurred on the job is vented on the page at night, and sleep deprivation aside, my work continues to improve.
I’ve also discovered a neat trick in Photoshop that lets me create high-quality digital pictures in one third to one half the time. The original drawings need to be more polished, but I’ve never been adverse to such work. I’ve also been reworking the cartoons in “Misanthropist Camera.” The new versions, which are drawn in ink, may one day feature in a compilation titled “Culture Wars.”
Anyway, I’d better go. Every bad girl needs good shoes, and it seems I’m the man to ask.
Expect more nightmares,
JF.
Don’t worry - I’m not apologising for offensive imagery. It’s just assumed a different form. Regular viewers are probably wondering why I haven’t added much lately. It’s got nothing to do with holidays, girlfriends, personal problems, etc. None of these should limit our work - if anything they should inspire it!
My site has been on line for approximately six weeks. Thanks in part to its designers, it has received almost four thousand hits. I would like to thank both them and the visitors who have liked what they have seen. Showing my work at a gallery is less convenient, more expensive, and generates less interest.
Regular viewers will notice that I have resized my images. If there are any other ways you feel this site could be improved, feel free to let me know. I would also be interested to hear what pictures/themes you like the best (and for that matter, hate the most). If you have any work on line, please feel free to send me links. Likewise, if you know of any other artists I may like, send their site details my way.
Here are some of my personal favourites. In some cases they have influenced me; in others I simply appreciate them for their imagination, technical ability, and thematic brilliance.
Hieronymous Bosh, Pieter Breugel, Francisco Goya, Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Ernst Fuchs, H.R. Giger, Mark Ryden, Keith Thompson, Michael Hussar, and R.S. Connet are well worth a look. Check their work out if you haven’t already.
Good luck with your own projects, and thanks again for you time!
Sincerely,
JF
“Misanthropist Camera” is a new gallery of black and white cartoons. It has been added due to popular demand. I want to rework most of the pictures to make them fit for public display, so fans of the series may have to wait before their favourite ones appear. Whether you are young or old, black or white, rich or poor, liberal or conservative, you’re likely to find yourself somewhere here. If you feel I’ve been a bit harsh, too bad; you probably offended me first.
Most gallery owners are reluctant to put my work on display. I was therefore grateful when a friend directed me to one he knew. She naturally wanted to see my pictures before she exhibited them, and I showed her a carefully censored selection. This did not help; my remaining works were rejected for being too disturbing. While I am used to this sort of treatment, I was somewhat bemused by her statement that “we display art in our gallery, and what you do is… something else.” Forgive my ignorance, but I thought that art was about self-expression, and I make no apologies for expressing myself as I see fit. I also believed the relativist views that hold such currency these days had broadened our definitions of art. Perhaps I was wrong on both counts. So what is art and who defines it? Some of my heretical thoughts on this issue are discussed below. Read the rest of this entry »
Thank you for visiting my site. It would not exist at all without the team that helped to build it. You can see more of their handiwork on Infectious Videos. I am grateful for the dedication they have shown in promoting my work and wish them all the best with theirs.
-JF, 2007