Author: Mark Alexander

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Body of Work

I used to paint. A lot.

My earliest recollection of putting a brush to canvas was in high school, although it wasn’t until years later that I began to do it with any sort of seriousness. Like with so many other things in my life, the arrival of Star Wars is what lit the flame. A lot of my sci-fi work also served as illustration/inspiration for that never-completed always-in-progress novel I started in my 20s.

After my move to San Francisco in the mid 80s, I was surrounded by all sorts of new…ahem… “inspiration” that prompted not only new subject matter but a completely new style altogether.

My last work was the portrait of Ben from ten years ago.

For some reason the Muses have sequestered themselves out of sight after that was completed, but as I’ve written before I’m not too worried about their absence as I’ve had long dry spells before, only to have them broken with a tsunami of new work. Maybe this coming year will bring that tsunami, because I’m tired of friends saying, “You’re so good! Why aren’t you painting?” and I have to explain that it’s not just a matter of sitting down and having inspiration magically appear.

So here, with apologies for the low quality of some of the photos (and to be honest, some of the actual paintings themselves) for the first time ever, my (nearly entire) body of work. You’ll notice some common themes repeating…

Once Upon a Time (1977)
Not Even Death Shall Part Us (1978)
The Hitchhiker (1978)
City By The Sea (1979)
Flashback (1979) – This was done as a gift for a friend who loved “Not Even Death Shall Part Us”
On The Beach (1979)
Cast Out (1980)
Olyxas Rising (1981).
Kiss (1980)
(The Pilitian Requested) A Room With A View (1981)
Zarok (Returning Home) (1981)
Olyxas Rising II (1984)
Chariots of the Gods (1986) – This came to me in a meditation one afternoon
Self Portrait (1986) – My first venture into the new style. I had a long way to go.
Patrick (1986)
Is It Love? (1987)
Leatherman (1987) – This was the first painting I sold.
Untitled (1988)
Dreams (1987)
Attitude (1987)
Michael (1988) – There’s a long story behind this one.
Trevor (1988)
Kenny (1989)
Dennis (1989)
Parade (1991)
Tom (1992)
Giovanni (2000)
Chris (2001)
Dan Futterman (2001)
Knows His Place (2001)
Coley and Bastian (2003)
Miss KC Dare (2003)
Yuri (2003)
Steve (2004)
Joe (2004)
Bruno (2006)
Ben (2008)

There are maybe a half dozen others done over the years that I never got photographs of because they were early works and given away.

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I Used to Sketch

While searching for the photo of my painting Not Even Death Shall Part Us for the previous post, I ran across a bunch of other stuff.

Okay, I know they’re not fine art, but at the time (I was 20 or so) I was very happy with how they turned out; now doubly-so because I know I didn’t lay anything out first. I just grabbed a pen and started drawing.

Artistic ability may indeed be a gift, but I know this much: if you don’t use it, it deteriorates over time. Take this from a guy who really hasn’t produced any art in over ten years and is now almost terrified at the thought of drawing anything.

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Jean-Michel Jarre Does It Again

Chills upon hearing the first track. Just like 40 years ago after rushing home with the newly-released Equinoxe.

Once again I am twenty years old, skimming over a vast sea of golden dunes in my landspeeder under a double sun in a wheat-colored sky with the love of my life at my side.

“Not Even Death Shall Part Us” (1978) by yours truly, based loosely on a STAR WARS pre-production painting by Ralph McQuarrie. Yes, I used to paint.

In 1978 as the original Equinoxe was spinning on the turntable I called my friend and mentor Kent and after holding the receiver (yes, Virginia, it was a phone with a wire connected to the wall) up to the speaker I said, “Can you hear that? Landspeeders!” It’s been a long time since a piece of music had me bouncing off the ceiling.

I won’t say Infinity does this—and a lot of the same criticisms I had with Jarre’s last sequel, Oxygene 3, apply here as well—but it’s still a worthy followup to the original work.

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I’m Going To Hell

“George, I never noticed how beautiful your eyes were! They’re like pools of liquid sapphire… whaddaya say we leave Beau and Larry down here to talk shop and go upstairs and fuck our brains out?”

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Moody and Atmospheric

Netflix does it again.

As we often do when nothing catches our eye on cable, we pick up the remote and say, “Netflix.”

Sometimes even that comes up empty, but a week or so ago we started watching Bodyguard.  I was initially reluctant to dive into it because the subject matter didn’t pique my interest, but once I started watching it gripped me. It’s one of those dark British dramas whose inscrutable characters, subtle soundtrack, and saturnine cinematography immediately drew me in.

Bodyguard is the story of Sgt. David Budd, a war veteran who helps thwart a terrorist attack, and is then assigned to protect the Home Secretary who was a major proponent of the conflict he fought in. Sgt. Budd harbors a secret and carries with him a host of conflicts and issues that must be addressed, but not until circumstances force him to confront his demons does he finally find peace.

I give this one a 9 out of 10 stars only because of a couple gaping plot holes that were never fully addressed. It’s only a six-episode season, but worth every minute.

And Richard Madden (Sgt. Budd) is very pretty too.

 

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Released 22 Years Ago Today

The Addams Family (1991)

Another one of those films (along with its sequel) that when it appears on cable I drop everything I’m doing to watch. Raúl Juliá’s death in 1994 was an absolute tragedy. The Addams Family films had the potential for becoming such a wonderful series. Watching Pugsley and Wednesday grow up would’ve been delightful…

It turns out that the film had a very tortured birth and that there actually was a third film with a totally different cast, director, and production company that went direct to video and crashed horribly—as it should have. You don’t mess with classics.

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Shower Thoughts

When the CDC tells people to throw out their lettuce everyone rushes to do it. But when the CDC tells people to vaccinate their kids it’s a giant conspiracy and we shouldn’t listen to them.

Also…