Long Beach Comic Con 2009: Moonlight On Fantastic Forum

Check out Christopher Moonlight on Fantastic Forum (click here for the podcast) with Joe Antrum-Russell, Oscar Bermejo, Moses Alarcon, and Lawrence Yong. Also in the podcast: Comics on Comics' Juan-Manuel Rocha and Vito Lapiccola, plus Costplay goddess Samantha Scharlach. (AKA Silver AKA Lay Deadpool) It's a long podcast from the Long Beach Comic Con, and he doesn't turn up until nearer the end, but it's a lot of fun. Give a little time to load, and then scroll it about four marks from the end. If you hear them bagging on Twilight, you know I'm about to join them. Special thanks to FF producer Amber.

They talk about Moonlight Art Magazine, J.H. Williams III, Eddie Campbell, Billy Martinez, Dame Darcy, Paul Pope, and more. More pics coming soon.

Geza X @ The Black Cat Gallery

www.myspace.com/gezaxart

Alex Ross Art's Sal Abbinanti Interview at Comic Con 2009

Christopher Moonlight's interview with Alex Ross' art manager, Sal Abbinanti, in response to those who think that Ross is only good at copying photographs. www.alexrossart.com www.moonlightartmagazine.blogspot.com Special thanks to Heidi MacDonald at http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/

Interview: Camilla d'Errico @ San Diego Comic Con 2009

Christopher Moonlight's 2009 San Diego Comic Con Wrap Up!

I finished up The San Diego Comic Con on Saturday and defiantly ended on a higher note than I have in a long time, at the convention. This first photo is certainly one of my favorites. From left to right it's Dave Gibbons, Sally Hurst, and John Higgins. Dave Gibbons (of Watchmen fame, of course) and I talked about teaching art on a walk we took together while he was on his way out from his Master Sessions: Heroic Figure Drawing panel. I was particularly taken by Mr. Gibbons enthusiasm for teaching, and his complete willingness (and joy) to talk about the subject in farther detail, after the panel was done. I should also note that no aspiring artist was disappointed at how forthcoming with helpful information he was during the panel. No question was treated as a dumb one, and every question was given a more than satisfactory answer.

Later on that day, I also got to hang out with Watchmen colorist, John Higgins and his lovely wife (at least I assumed she was his wife, maybe I better check on that) Sally Hurst, for some very stimulating conversation about color, printing, and yes again, teaching. John's colors are as much a part of The Watchmen as the writing and the art, and I'd dare say that the book wouldn't have been as good without him. I’ll also highly recommend his book from Com.X called RazorJack. I think I'll look into becoming a colorist, now.
Readers and You Tube followers can also look forward to interviewes with AtomikA’s Sal Abbinanti (who also heads up alexross.com) Bongo comic’s Bill Morrison, David Mack, and Camilla Derrico.

Visiting friends is always nice, and I was very pleased to be able to stop and say hi to my pal Heidi MacDonald (of Publisher's Weekly's The Beat) after her time on Thursday's "Indie Comics Marketing 101" panel with Chip Mosher and Sam Humphries. Heidi would be shocked to hear me mention that I've known her for 15 years, when she worked for Disney Adventure magazine. I've still got your card from then Heidi.

I also saw my friends Batton Lash, Jackie Estrada, Billy Martinez, and Alex Chiu. Billy, who was jaming on the live art, at his booth, is also in issue #4 or Moonlight Art Magazine.

Dan Brereton, Tara Mcpherson, and Ben Templesmith all agreed to be in future issues of Moonlight Art Magazine, and Andy Runton signed a copy of Owly: A Time To Be Brave to my three year old daughter. She loves it.

Outside of comic con, I’m working on an interview with J.H. Williams III for our next issue. Yes my friends, life and Comic Con are great.

I'll leave you with some fun photos I took on the convention floor and this thought. Many said they didn't have a good time at this convention. Otheres said they had a blast. I know I did. I guess it's just in what each person makes of the San Diego Comic Con. Each person finds what they're looking for there, because there really is something for everybody. If you didn't like what you found, maybe you weren't looking for the right thing in the first place. I'm just loooking forward to next year.


Deposit Man: Play God by ~christophermoonlight on deviantART

Oh, and I almost forgot. I also got some copies of the new issue of Deposit Man: Play God, by Cary Coatney, with a cover by Me!

Interview: ROBOT 13

When I first came across the preview for ROBOT 13 on Publisher's Weekly's comic blog, The Beat, by Heidi MacDonald, I knew right away that it was something special. The art is simple, and easy to fallow, yet speaks volumes about action, story, and designe with every panel. Fans of monster comics are sure to enjoy, along with anyone else who wants to read something fun.

Christopher Moonlight: So, we have Blacklist Studios' Thomas Hall who writes Robot 13 and Daniel Bradford who does the art. There isn't much info online about this book except some beautiful artwork. I've seen a giant octopus and a robot with a human skull. What can you tell me?

Thomas: The first issue of Robot 13 opens with some fishermen pulling up something mysterious in their nets. As they look at it and try to figure out what it is, their ship is attacked by a giant Kraken, which starts grabbing and devouring the sailors. The “thing” the fishermen pulled up from the bottom of the ocean suddenly leaps to life and defends them. That “thing” turns out to be Robot 13, and he fights the Kraken until he has defeated it. At that point, the reader doesn't know much about our Hero, and as it turns out, neither does Robot 13. The rest of the story from here on out will be for the reader and the robot to discover who Robot 13 is and where he came from. The robot wants to know those things and hopefully the readers will come along for the ride.

CM: How did you guys come to team up with each other? How did you know you wanted to work with each other?

Thomas: I saw a comic online that Daniel had done, and I wrote him an email telling him how good I thought it was. We struck up a friendship, and found out that neither of us had anything pressing to work on, so we kicked around some ideas. Daniel had a few different ideas, and I read one of them and realize that some of the things I had been kicking around in my head for a project would mesh with his ideas so we decided to take the best stuff and go from there. Both of us had a drive to do comics, and we wanted to push ourselves to really do something of quality, so we realized that working together would bring out the best in both of us. That was 6 years ago, and we are still at it, so I guess we were right in a sense.

CM: What is your working relationship like? On your My Space it says, "Thomas Hall writes comic books. Daniel Bradford draws comic books." Is it that simple or do you guys go back and forth with each other until you have the story you want?

Thomas: It's that simple, but we do go back and forth. We always kick around ideas, but since I am the writer, I guess the biggest part of my job is to collect all the best ideas and fit them together, and to figure out what the story needs from there. Sometimes, I put something in the script and Daniel draws what he thinks it should look like, and I see the page and change something down the road. That happened with issue 1 of Robot 13, where something Daniel put in there was so cool to me, that I had him put another reference in at the end of the book. That wasn't planned, but it turned out really great. And sometimes, I just come up with something that Daniel can't make work, so we come up with something new. So there is a flow between us, but basically I write whatever I think makes the best story and Daniel is free to draw it how he thinks it will look best.

CM: How did you come across Jeff Slemons, who did your cover? It's beautiful.

Thomas: Jeff is a friend. He saw something I posted about KING! And wrote me and told me how much he liked the book and that he was an artist and loved comic books. He & I struck up a friendship, and I knew him for about a year before I saw his work. One day, he was like, “want to see a new painting I did?” so I was “Sure.” He emailed me this amazing picture, and I was like, “Who IS this guy, anyway?” I was blown away. When we got around to doing Robot 13, Daniel said he wanted to do the covers for the book, and I was all for that, but Jeff offered and gave me his cover and I just knew we had to have 2 covers. Not because it's part of a trend- just both covers are equally beautiful. How can you say no?

CM: Now, you have another book. KING! Do these books tie in to each other, or are they completely separate?

Thomas: Completely separate. KING! Is about a retired Mexican wrestler who used to have a persona called “The King,” and he still kind of lives that 24/7. Now that he's retired, he gets hired as kind of a hit man on occasion. He doesn't kill people, though. He kills monsters. We did a one shot a few years ago- a very small printing- and people went wild over it, so we are re-launching the book as a mini series. The first issue will come out right around the time that Robot 13 wraps up, and it will probably be a 4 issue mini series. It's going to be crazy. Zombies, Vampires, bloodsucking monsters and the Devil himself. It's a complete 180 from Robot 13, in that where Robot 13 is thoughtful and a little deeper, KING! Is lots of crazy action and fun and more of a wild ride.

CM: Daniel, you've obviously been influenced by Mike Mignola. He's almost become a sort of house style, like with Todd McFarland, Jim Lee, and Joe Kubert. Have you ever worked with Mignola, or do you hope to one day?

Daniel : Never worked for him but, just like any other fan, I'd love to so some day. I'm more than content working with Tom, though, and we have a severely full plate on our table as it is. Working with the Big Names just isn't on my mind right now.

CM: The other day you Twittered that you drew three pages in one day. How did you pull that one off without sacrificing quality? Did you just have them planned out before hand with thumbnails, or where you just in the zone?

Daniel: Truthfully that was just my plan for the day, to draw three pages. Unfortunately I was only able to get 2 pages drawn and inked. Typically I draw thumbnails directly onto Tom's scripts while I read them so when the time comes to draw the actual page I have everything pretty much mapped out. I put on some music, zone out, and let the page flow. The only thing I intentionally sacrifice while working would be the presence of my daughters.

CM: Blacklist Studios is your venture. Right? Was this just your way of having the freedom you need to make this book, or do you intend to take on more talent?

Thomas: Blacklist Studios started out just as a way for us to promote and package our self produced work. It wasn't even going to be a “company” at first. We were just looking for some way to give our projects an identity, so that people could find us, and so that when we pitched our books to established publishers, we looked like we had our act together. We self published a promo book for Enlightenment, which got picked up by Markosia but which still hasn't seen the light of day. Then when we decided to do KING!, we did a promo one shot of that too. We found that comic fans had a strong reaction to our books, but that all the publishing “interest” was really people looking to take the rights to our properties. Some didn't even care how well the books sold. We thought- at least we CARE if our books do well & if they are any good. Let's do this ourselves and control our own destiny. As for working with other people- sure, that sounds great, but that's somewhere in the future. Believe me- doing 2 books for ourselves is MORE than enough for us in the foreseeable future.

Christopher Moonlight Talks Moonlight Art Magazine On Art Rocks Radio

If you missed Christopher Moonlight on Art Rocks Radio last Wednesday, you can CLICK HERE and listen to the podcast now.

Subjects include the importans of print media, great art, and the San Diego Comic Con.

Things I'm Looking Forward To @ The San Diego Comic Con. 2009

I don't think those of us who will be at Comic Con will be able to go to all of these, but if you want to find us at the convention, here are the places to look. If you don't feel the need to find us there, these are just some of the great things we feel are worth checking out.
-Christopher Moonlight

THURSDAY:
10:30-11:30 DC Talent Search 1 Learn what DC Comics looks for in artists and how to improve your chances of becoming a working professional! DC Representatives discuss the different needs of the DC Universe, Vertigo, WildStorm, MAD magazine, and Zuda. This informative orientation session explains how DC's Talent Search works and provides numerous tips and tricks on how to improve your work and explore opportunities. To have your work reviewed, attendance at this orientation session is mandatory. (Please note: Not all attendees are guaranteed a one-on-one review.) Room 4


12:30-1:30 Indie Comics Marketing 101 Too Much Coffee Man's Shannon Wheeler has gone from minicomics to self-publishing to Dark Horse and now to The New Yorker. Heidi MacDonald runs the taste-making comic industry must-read blog The Beat for Publisher's Weekly. Marketing director Chip Mosher is part of the team that has helped rocket BOOM! into the Top 10. All of them know a thing or two about marketing indie comics, and they join forces on this wide-ranging panel where they reveal their secrets! Moderated by former manager of development and content at MySpace and architect of MySpace Comic Books, Sam Humphries. Room 4

2:00-3:00 Spotlight on Bill Sienkiewicz The Eisner Award winning writer/artist is a Comic-Con special guest. Bill Sienkiewicz is best known for his comics work such as Elektra: Assassin and Stray Toasters, but he's also a film designer and writer/director. Bill talks about his career in this special Spotlight panel. Room 2

3:00-4:00 How-To Session: Tom T. Nguyen Tom T. Nguyen is a full-time professional artist and author. He works mostly for DC Comics and does pin-up art. Tom has created a series of how-to videos on YouTube covering the comic book art creation process. He will be covering the basics of how to ink a comic book page. Room 18

3:30-4:30 Marvel: Breaking into the House of Ideas Are you a writer or artist? Ever dream of working for Marvel? Do you find yourself thinking "I could do that...if I knew how!" Well, here's your chance! Join C. B. Cebulski, Marvel's talent liaison, and panelists writer Jeph Loeb (Ultimatum), Marvel editor Charlie Beckerman, artist Mike Choi (X-Force), colorist Christina Strain (Runaways), and more to find out the answers on how to get your foot in the door at every level in the creative process and how to make your job Marvel! Room 6DE

4:30-5:30 Workshop: Creating Creator-Owned Comics the Image Comics Way Want to bring your own vision to comics? Learn how from the people who do it best! Image founder Jim Valentino (Shadowhawk) and Image luminaries Joe Kelly (I Kill Giants), John Layman (Chew), Jimmie Robinson (Bomb Queen), Steve Seagle (Soul Kiss), and Richard Starkings (Elephantmen) present an unprecedented workshop with an insider look at the creative process and tips on perfecting your pitch. This program will also include a Q&A session giving you the chance to directly talk to many pros who have made their dreams a reality! Room 7AB

6:00-7:00 Neko Press 10th Anniversary Panel Billy Martinez, publisher and creator for Neko Press, will discuss what it takes to keep an independent company going with the changing times. Billy will discuss the many books and stories that came out of his 10-year-old company. A great panel for aspiring artists and anyone interested in moving into the field of comics and art. Room 10

Dan Brereton @ Booth #4900 (Big Wow Art)
Dan is one of the finest comic book painters in the industry today, and will be debuting Volume 2 of his fully painted book The Nocturnals as well as his sketch books The Goddess & The Monster. He'll also have lots of origenal artwork to show and sell, which is always a treat to see.































Exhibit A Press: Booth #1909

































Neko Press Comics: Booth #1622

Neko Press- booth 1602- 10 Year Anniversary party!
Stop on by for some exciting live art andappearances by Neko Press creators.Neko Press will be celebrating its 10th year in business.We will have a special 10 year sale on someselected Neko Press books and items, not to mentionbrand spanking new stuff that will be debuting at this event!
Don't forget to hit us up for a limited free inviteto our 10 year anniversary bash.Just ask one of our staff members for the freeinvite flyer to this event onSaturday the 25th after the show.It's going to be a blast!
For info on location and additionalquestions for this event log ontohttp://www.comic-con.org/






















FRIDAY:
10:00-11:00 DC Talent Search 2 Learn what DC Comics looks for in artists and how to improve your chances of becoming a working professional! DC Representatives discuss the different needs of the DC Universe, Vertigo, WildStorm, MAD magazine, and Zuda. This informative orientation session explains how DC's Talent Search works and provides numerous tips and tricks on how to improve your work and explore opportunities. To have your work reviewed, attendance at this orientation session is mandatory. (Please note: Not all attendees are guaranteed a one-on-one review.) Room 4

1:00-2:30 Comics Arts Conference Session #7: Strategies and Resources for Teaching a Course in Comics After brief statements about their own approaches to teaching a comics-based course, Alec Hosterman (Indiana University South Bend), Matthew J. Smith (Wittenberg University), and Randy Duncan (Henderson State University) create a dialogue with the audience so attendees can generate new ideas and glean information relevant to their teaching interests. Then Greg Urquhart (Alexander Street Press) previews forthcoming online collections of comic books and strips that will be useful for scholarship and teaching and discusses the issues and decisions the company has confronted in creating the collections. Room 30AB

2:00-3:00 Marvel: Cup o' Joe This is it, Mighty Marvel fans- the no-holds-barred, anything goes, full of surprises panel you wait for all year, and it's here! Marvel's EEK (editor-in-chief) Joe Quesada takes on all questions, shocks the audience with jaw-dropping announcements, and keeps you guessing with surprise guests. You never know who will show up, but you better be here, because this is the panel that everyone will be talking about! Room 6BCF

2:30-3:30 Comics Arts Conference Session #8: The Institute for Comics Studies� The Institute for Comics Studies is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the study, understanding, and appreciation of the comics medium. Director of ICS Peter Coogan discusses the organization's mission, goals, accomplishments, and plans. Board members representing the comics academy and the industry will contribute their comments and be available for Q&A: Randy Duncan (Henderson State University), Stanford Carpenter (School of the Art Institute of Chicago), Angela Ndalnias (University of Melbourne), Mimi Cruz (Night Flight Comics), Danny Fingeroth(Write Now!), Mike Richardson (Dark Horse Comics), Tim Stroup (Cold Cut Distribution), and Henry Jenkins (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Room 30AB

3:00-4:00 Impact University: How to Write and Draw Comics and Graphic Novels� Some of the biggest names in comics teach you what it takes to make it in comics and graphic novels. The star-studded faculty this year includes Peter David (X-Factor), Tom Nguyen (Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters), Brian Miller (Hi-Fi Colour Design), former Marvel editor and now IDW editor Andy Schmidt, publisher and editor-in-chief of IDW Chris Ryall, writer Scott Tipton (Angel), and Comics Buyer's Guide senior editor Maggie Thompson. Find out the best way to submit your work, learn the dos and don'ts of the business, and participate in a Q&A session. Room 30CDE

6:30-7:30 Digital Painting Seminar Patrick McEvoy (Starkweather: Immortal) demonstrate the art of digital painting with Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter. Using examples from his work on the Marvel Style guide, a panel from Archaia's Starkweather, and a cover from BOOM! Studios' Fall of Cthulhu, Patrick will step through various techniques, starting from pencils and working up to a final rendering. Learn how to bring a fully painted look to your digital artwork! Room 30CDE

SATURDAY:
10:30-11:30 DC Talent Search 3 Learn what DC Comics looks for in artists and how to improve your chances of becoming a working professional! DC Representatives discuss the different needs of the DC Universe, Vertigo, WildStorm, MAD magazine, and Zuda. This informative orientation session explains how DC's Talent Search works and provides numerous tips and tricks on how to improve your work and explore opportunities. To have your work reviewed, attendance at this orientation session is mandatory. (Please note: Not all attendees are guaranteed a one-on-one review.) Room 4

11:00-1:00 How-To Session: Adam Hughes is most commonly known for his stylized renderings of women: superheroines, damsels in distress, and figures in fantasy. Adam is considered by many to be one of a new generation of Good Girl artists inspired by Petty, Vargas, and Elvgren. He has worked on many DC titles, most notably Justice League and Wonder Woman, and has just finished a long run as the monthly cover artist on Catwoman. Adam will grace the stage for a two-hour demonstration on sketching characters. Room 18

12:00-1:00 CBLDF Master Sessions: The Heroic Figure with Dave Gibbons As the co-creator of Watchmen and Martha Washington, Dave Gibbons established himself as a master of creating immediately iconic heroes. Bring your sketchbooks and follow along as he shows you his creative process for creating dynamic, heroic figures at this live art demonstration! The original art from this session will be auctioned off on Saturday night at the CBLDF's auction! Room 30CDE

1:30-2:30 The One-Panel Panel A single image can hold an entire world in miniature. Comic-Con special guests Charles Vess (Stardust), Hope Larson (Chiggers), and Michael Allred (Madman), plus Larry Marder (Beanworld) will each show and discuss one particularly meaningful panel from their own comics, how it came together, and where it led them as cartoonists. Moderated by Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics). Room 4

3:30-4:30 Spotlight on Ray Bradbury The legendary fantasy and science fiction writer is once again a Comic-Con special guest, as he was for the very first show in 1970. Ray Bradbury will discuss his new books, plays, and other projects with his long-time friend, writer and producer Arnold Kunert, and biographer Sam Weller. Room 6BCF

4:00-5:00 Building Your Art Portfolio Moderated by Comics Experience founder Andy Schmidt (X-Men, Annihilation) and featuring the expert advice of comic creators Chris Bachalo (X-Men, Generation X), Todd Nauck (Spider-Man, Young Justice), Robert Atkins (G.I. Joe), C. B. Cebulski (Marvel Talent Coordinator), and Zander Cannon (Top 10), this panel covers everything an aspiring comics artist needs to know about building a portfolio and getting his or her first gig. Join the discussion and ask your questions at the end! Room 30CDE

5:00-6:00 How-To Session: David Finch Artist David Finch got his start at Top Cow and Image comics more than 15 years ago. Successful books there including his creator-owned Aphrodite IX set him up for the incredible success he received on reaching Marvel Comics in 2001. After a 15-issue run on Ultimate X-Men with Brian Bendis, Finch made his permanent mark on the Marvel Universe with Avengers, Avengers Disassembled, and New Avengers. He is currently finishing up the smash hit Ultimatum, written by Jeph Loeb. David will discuss the creative process of comics and how to compose and lay out a comic book page from a script page. Room 18

5:30-6:30 Del Rey Manga...& Del Rey Comics!� Join the team for the Del Rey Happy Funtime Hullabaloo�Comic-Con 2009 edition! Hear about the newest manga acquisitions from Japan, along with other exciting new licenses and partnerships. Also, hear directly from some of the masterminds behind Del Rey Comics�a fun, new venture that's launching with the comics adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub's bestselling novel The Talisman. Get those questions ready now, and Dallas Middaugh (associate publisher), Ali Kokmen (marketing manager), Mutsumi Miyazaki (director of licensing and acquisitions), Tricia Narwani (Del Rey editorial), and Betsy Mitchell (editor-in-chief) will do their best to answer and/or dodge them! Room 4

Allen Spiegel Fine Arts 4701
Alexrossart.com 2419
Billsienkiewiczart.com 2449
Bongo Comics Group 2519
Dark Horse Comics, Inc. 2615
Devil's Due Publishing 2229
First Second Books 1323
Hi-Fructose 4939
IDW Publishing 1705
Image Comics 2729
Jill Thompson/ Brian Wood/ Cliff Chiang 1322
Penguin Young Readers Group 2913R
Spashpage Art 4400
Tara McPherson 4922
Top Shelf Productions, Inc1721
Write Brothers Software 1429

Artist's Alley

Autographs:

Clive BarkerAuthor: Books of BloodLine ticket drawing to be held Saturday 9:15 am in Autograph Area SaturdayAA411:00 am�1:00 pm

Release: Christopher Moonlight on Art Rocks Radio, this Wednesday!

For immediate release...

Christopher Moonlight will be on Art Rocks Radio (that's http://www.artrocks.ws/) this Wednesday, June 17th, at 7PM talking about the latest issue of Moonlight Art Magazine. Please, come join us in conversation about Moonlight's latest artists, comics, and controversies, by calling tole free at (877) 474-3302. Let's Rock!

The Art Of Christopher Moonlight Trailer

With music by Slowburn (www.nekopresscomics.com)

Moonlight Art TV: Hive Gallery & Art Is Our Passion

A Night At The Hive Gallery

www.havegallery.com

Art Is Our Passion 2009 Spring Studant Art Show

www.artisourpassion.com

Interview: Lydia Martin

www.lydiamartinart.com

Christopher Moonlight: Who is Lydia Martin, when she's not an artist?

Lydia Martin: It's safe to say I am the average woman, juggling being a mom and keeping my family together in this crazy world. I used to be a graphic designer so switching to being a full time painter and mommy is quite a different schedule. When I'm not painting or being the taxi driver, accountant, cook, maid, tutor,nurse, coach, counselor and cheerleader for our family I'm usually outdoors...gardening, hiking, biking or hanging out with my hubby and friends over a bottle of wine listening to my favorite music. I live a busy but fairly simple life.

CM: How does this tie in to Lydia Martin the artist?

LM: Drawing/painting is something that is more than a job for me. I need it to be whole person. It’s always been that way for me too, even as a child. If I've gone too long without doodling in my sketchbook or getting paint on my hands I start to go a little coo-coo. It's good therapy for me. Now it's a little different because I am forced to paint to meet deadlines for shows and commissioned pieces which can be difficult. But it's a good challenge and keeps me motivated so I don't mind it at all. I’m doing what I love.

CM: Tell me about painted ladies. What is it about women with tattoos that attracted you?

LM: The Painted Lady Project is a series I began when I started noticing how hugely popular tattoo has become, even with women. In our generation, seeing a woman tattooed from head to toe is not uncommon or weird. I'm a curious person and began asking these women about their tattoos. Most of them had these very deep, meaningful stories behind them, whether it was about love lost or gained, personal triumphs, milestones, reminders of who they’ve become or just great art that they loved. I immediately felt compelled to bring these stories to the canvas and give some kudos to the women that have the courage to adorn their life stories on their sleeves, literally. In turn, I have met some great people and have a new appreciation for the talent of the tattoo artist, as well.

CM: Most of the women you paint seem to have a sadness about them. Is that fair to say? What is going on in their minds?

LM: I don't know if "sadness" is the right word. It's definitely emotion you are seeing there though. I am personally very thoughtful and emotional, maybe more than I should be. So, when I paint that emotion seems to come through. Some of them are contemplations of love, depression, addiction, death and other “sad” subjects but I’d like to think it’s more about how we let those things effect us or how we feel about the decisions we’ve made regarding those parts of our lives. I use women a lot in my paintings because not only are they much more beautiful and visually striking but they tend to be more emotionally open creatures. Is that sexist to say that? Anyway, each painting carries a different emotion that anyone, male or female, can relate to. I think they mostly just expose the vulnerable side of being human.

CM: How would you want a viewer to relate to you and your paintings? What do you think their takeaway should be?

LM: It's fulfilling to hear from viewers that a painting "spoke to them" or that it conveys something they are going through at that time in their life. So many people have told me that a particular painting encouraged them or inspired them and that's just crazy to me because I’m just painting about my own experiences and emotions. But I think it has something to do with the fact that they realize they aren't alone. That others face the same trials and feel just as vulnerable as they do at times. But even if a viewer doesn’t take away something deeply emotional from it, I would be happy if they just liked to look at it and enjoyed the composition. To make a painting that catches people’s eye takes skill as an artist and that is something I am still learning.

And now a little Q&A segment I like to call, The Drawing Of The Three:

CM: What art books do you take to bed with you?
LM: A random mix. Lately, I’ve been reading up on tattoo art and the roots of the whole movement. My latest purchase was The Sketchbook, which is more about different tattoo artists around the world and their view on it all. I also love to thumb though art books about Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer or Alphonse Mucha. I love the Art Nouveau style!

CM: Tell us your favorite joke or riddle.

LM: I would have failed as a stand-up comedian. I hear a lot of good ones from friends but when it comes to retelling them I always seem to leave out the most important parts or my timing is off. And then there are crickets.

CM: What character in a movie made you think, "I should have played that role!"

LM: None. I would have failed as an actor as well! But I recently watched The Wackness and loved the characters in that movie. And the music! Rent it...it’s good!