Daily Keemo 09.04 - Blood

King Of The Blood. Cures All Humors. 1889

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(Yes, this one is really 119 years old. "King Of The Blood". That is a marketing slogan for the ages. I just love the phrase "Cures All Humors". Just can't beat it.)

So, lets see... this page is 119 years old, I am 35 years old, the wine I am drinking right now is only 3 years old, this painting is about 6 hours old, this story is minutes old and this moment is now. I suppose all time and history always come together at this point of now. By the time you read this, now will gone. I was going to say something like, "it's funny how things work" but that really isnt appropriate. It is just the way things work. King Of The Blood, 119 years old and it's here now. With that... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 08.24 - Louder Than Bombs

A Chord (A Alternative) 1 of 7
or (5 stories for 216)

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I have started this story 5 times. Really. I guess I'm not sure what is the exact point that I am trying to get across here. The first time was a story about this drawing. The bombs, the people, the music... all that stuff. The second was a story about where this great guitar chord card came from that is used in this drawing. (They came from Studio 216. If you are near Dallas/Ft Worth, I highly recommend a visit to the gallery. "tell em' keemo sent ya!") The third was about wonderful people, that do wonderful things and when you see them you can tell they are surrounded by others who enjoy these wonderful people for the wonderful things that they do. The fourth story was about how friendship can span time and distance if you allow it to and how it is possible to understand some people better in a few days than some in a life time. That brings me to this story; The Fifth Story, which I guess is about all these things; friendship, time, distance, kindness, giving, bombs, music, people, texas, mail, not to mention Studio 216 and the Granbury Gang and all the other things that connect us and made it possible for this piece to happen. Wow, that sounds pretty lofty and I am not sure what is more abstract; this drawing or this story. Either way, I know there is something here for us all and if we tilt our heads just right, both the drawing and the story make just enough sense, that there really is no abstraction at all... Enjoy!





(Special thanks to S & K at Studio 216 for all the great cards and other goodies. You guys are the best.)

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Daily Keemo 08.20 - Wonder Drug

No Diet, Wonder Drug Proved Successful! 1957.
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You know, alot of what I like about design from past decades is how different alot of it is. Different techniques, different ideas, different angles, different fonts, different graphics, different design tools, different printing techniques and then I run across ads like this one from 1957 and realize that while alot of that has changed maybe alot still remains the same about us. I'm pretty sure that I just heard the text from this ad, "Proved Beyond Any Question of Doubt!" and "No Calorie Counting" and "Reduce Without Diets or Exercise!" and "Eat What You Like!" on TV earlier while watching a bit of the Olympics. There is a saying that is something like, "the more things change, the more they stay the same." I suppose that this may illustrate that just perfectly. With that... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 08.19 - Not In The Bible

The Word Prejudice Is Not In The Bible

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This is the 12th in the "Book of Facts" series. I was going through a bunch of books that were stored away in boxes down in the basement. I ran across this old book of facts. It is just page after page of wierd, fun, interesting, not so interesting, silly facts. After about 2 pages, I thought, "this is perfect!" So, here are some of the interesting facts, you will find in this painting...Enjoy!
- (Most Importantly) The Word Prejudice Is Not In The Bible. ( I repeat, prejudice is NOT in the bible.)
- Often A duck swims while sleeping.
- from 1835 to 1837 the United States had no national debt.

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Daily Keemo 07.24 - Cup Of Tea

It Is Easy To Be Your Cup Of Tea
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We were walking the dog in town. Its a little dog, black crazy curls, legs that bow like a cowboy and a tooth that sticks out over his top lip. She had to run into a store so I took a seat outside on the bench by the door. This is up in a Northern Michigan tourist town so all the stores have benches out front. There was a couple on the bench next to me sharing a beverage and we talked briefly about our dog. "What kind of dog is that?", "What it's name?" Your usual run of the mill questions that everyone asks when they see a dog. (Some people then follow it up with some baby talk to the dog. This is always amusing.) This couple was not of that ilk though and they went back to their beverage. I went back to daydreaming while the dog hunted around under the bench for things to stick his nose into. Then I hear very loudly and clearly from the man of the couple I was just talking to, "It is easy to be your cup of tea." (He was saying this to the woman) I wasn't listening so I don't know the context. I couldnt figure out what context you would say that. Either way, I thought it sounded very poetic. I went back to daydreaming. She finally came out of the store and we started walking back down the sidewalk. After walking a bit, I turned to her and said, "It is easy to be your cup of tea." She looked at me perplexed, "What?"... "Oh nevermind, just trying it out," I said. "Oh..." and we kept on walking and the dog kept hunting around the sidewalk looking for things to stick his nose into... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 07.23 - Little Things

Its The Small Moments That Give You Away.
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There are these little moments when I know that we are meant for each other. Many people think that this is shown with grand gestures, big things but I've come to learn it is always the small moments that give us away. They are little looks, light touches, maybe its just when you talk you look at each others eyes. Phrases like, " I thought of you when...." or "This reminded me of you..." or "You would have liked this..." always give you away. This was a "I thought that you could maybe use this in your art" moment and she handed me a stack of old design books that were going to be thrown away at her office. "Even if you can't use them, I thought you would like them" See its those moments. Those simple moments. So, with that here is a page from one of those books ...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 07.21 - Back To Earth

When I Come Back To Earth It All Makes Sense
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Sometimes I think it is some kind of Attention Deficit Disorder. Sometimes I think it is just daydreaming. The part of me that got the psych degree tells me it the first thing. The painter in me hopes it is the latter. (I am sure there are other explanations but I should keep this short.) Either way, my head gets in the clouds and I enjoy it there. Most of these paintings come from those clouds. I am pretty sure that more of us spend time there then let on. Obviously, that is not based on fact but just on a hunch. As a painter, I suppose it is safe to base things like this on a hunch or on the clouds or a daydream or whatever else it may be that helps get the paint to the paper and the pen to sign the name and the desire to keep doing these day after day after month after year and then on and on and on and I swear that there was a reason this whole machine keeps moving forward and then I remember its those clouds and those daydreams and all the art just seems to get its purpose when I come back to earth and it all makes sense again. With that... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 06.30 - Flowers

I Meant To Pick Up Flowers On The Way Home From Work. 1938.

I meant to pick up flowers on the way home from work today. She loves flowers. (Who doesn't really?) The orchids that were on the kitchen table finally kicked the bucket. I tried to make time to stop on the way home today and pick up something to replace them. I was getting home earlier, so I thought it would be a nice suprise to have something in their place. Well, one thing lead to another, stuck in traffic, had to make last minute stop for something else and never made it to the flowershop. I'll try to do it tomorrow. Until then, here is some flowers for the ones I didn't get today. Shhhhhh... don't tell her though... it will still be suprise...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 06.26

The Devil Is In The Details. Part 2. 1958

Im fascinated by marketing. As much from the designer side of it as the consumer side of it. As I have mentioned many times before Im particularly fond of older commercial design. It's funny though how the message itself really hasn't changed that much over the years. The graphics got fancier but the underlying message is the same. I really can't find a better example than this advertisement from 1958. (This could probably apply to any of the weightloss products on the shelf right now.) One last thing, this is part 2 of 2. The devil shape in this one has been cut out of the advertisement that was used in Part 1. Well, with that...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 06.25

How Not To Draw A Person With One Breast.
(or) Dust Off Your Heart, Youre Not The Only One Here. 1938.

I got an email recently that asked why alot of my pictures have a person with one breast. I wasn't sure what she was referring to so I responded, "I'm not sure what you are referring to? Do you mean the heart?"... "Oooooooooh, that is a heart!" came the reply. Yes, that is a heart. Most of us have one and I like to think that most of us try to use it when we make some of our decisions. Alot more of us wear it on our sleeve than we think and if you look hard enough you can see it bubbling underneath most people when you are talking to them. I like to keep thinking that most of us strive to have a good one. I know I forget about it, in there beating away, and these little paintings and stories remind me to bring it out and dust it off. I was asked in an interview last year year what my work is about. I wish I wasn't so nervous or I would have said something like..." it is about reminding us all to bring out our hearts and dust them off a bit and maybe even share them with someone nearby." Well, with all that said, I'm off to draw a person with one breast!...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 06.17 - Thanks

Acknowledgment #1
or The One Page That Is Always Overlooked.

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There is one page in every book that is usually always overlooked and definitely always under appreciated. It is one of the most personal pages in an entire book. It is the "acknowledgments page". This is the page where the author usually puts a note acknowledging someone or something that made the book possible. I have always found this page interesting. It says so much usually without many words. (I like to think of many of these stories as serving the same purpose) Well, with that in mind, I decided to start a new series that is going to be the "acknowledgment page series". These are actual acknowledgment pages from actual books. Hopefully, at the very least, this reminds us to all to be thankful for everyone who supports us, puts up with us and helps us get along...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 06.13 - Sweeney Todd

How I Spent My Christmas Eve.
or The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street. 1938.
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"Have you thought about doing a religious painting?" her email asked. To which I replied, "Hell no!" Of course, I was kidding around. (The keywork being "hell". I thought it was funny at the time.) It really isn't very funny now that I write it again. Oh well... so, I set out to do a "religious painting". This could mean many things to many people but at this stage in my life I may be lacking a bit in the religious inspiration area. I guess I'm not even sure what it means anymore to do a "religious painting". Does it have to be Jesus, Buddha, John the Baptist, a dove with an olive branch flying over clouds with gates and there is a hostess table by the gates and the hostess tells you there will be about a 45 minute wait and they will call you when you when your table is ready. I'm a bit off track I suppose. Well, one sidenote about this painting, is if you look at the background of this 1938 movie advertisement, you will see the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Recently, remade and known as Sweeny Todd. (Yes, the one with Johnny "everyone-swoons-over-me" Depp) Well, on Christmas eve (one of the most religious of holidays) the three of us wanted to do something a little out of the ordinary for the Christmas holiday. So, one of the things we did is we went and saw Sweeny Todd on Christmas Eve. There was lots of blood and only two other people in the theater and throats were slit and there were meat pies and I cringed every single time someone fell head first through the floor and when we finally got out of the theater the snow was falling and it was dark and we were all laughing about how we were spending our Christmas Eve and we were smiling about all being together and in the end that is what matters. With all that said, there has to be a religious painting in here somewhere...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 06.12 - Psych

Did I Mention That I Pay My Taxes
(or) A Psychologist's Armchair
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I like to think that I have my stuff together. You know, I pay my taxes, I do my best to be kind to people, I open doors for people if the situation calls for it, I often say hi to someone standing in line next to me, I definitely smile more than I frown. I tend to crack a joke before I complain. Did I mention I pay my taxes? Oh I did, sorry about that. I guess the only reason I mention all these things is because none of that tends to balance out just a general sense of feeling like the person in this painting. I suppose it might be only natural to think that just when you think this crazy planet makes perfect sense something happens to remind you that it doesn't. (Maybe it is the act of trying to make sense of everything that doesn't make sense.) A friend once said I was an "armchair psychologist". I said, "more like a psychologist's armchair". We laughed. Anyway... I suppose that's it... I guess with this painting its little more like a psychologists armchair!...Enjoy! (sidenote: my apologies to any real psychologists who read this. Im sure that the proper diagnosis would probably be: "An armchair's armchair)

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Daily Keemo 06.11 - Facts

On a per ounce basis, a woman's swimsuit is the highest price of wearing apparel in the United States

or (Other Facts That Don't Seem Like Facts)

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It has been a while since I posted something from the "Book of Facts" series. This is the 11th in the "Book of Facts" series. (I was going through a bunch of books that were stored away in boxes. I ran across this old book of facts. It is just page after page of wierd facts. After about 2 pages, I thought, "this is perfect!") So, what can we all learn from this painting of facts? Well, how about this one: "On a per ounce basis, a woman's swimsuit is the highest price of wearing apparel in the United States" ...Or... "A whipping boy is a scapegoat, one punished for the comings of another" Or... "Spots and lines appearing on the fingernails indicate imperfections in the nails." Okay, that is like saying, "If there is a spot on your face then there is a spot on your face." A fact indeed but is it notable? These are great. Good fun!... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 06.03

Without The Rainy Days
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I saw her a few days ago and she seemed just fine. Wonderful, as a matter of fact. Better than I have seen her in a many years. I won't go into who she is or what she has been through. (none of that matters here, I suppose) I will say that we all know someone who has been hurt like her and I hope that we all know someone who is a strong as her. Here is to all of us, who have been through something difficult and came out on the other side stronger and wiser and happier and with the realization that without the rainy days the sun wouldn't feel so wonderful... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 05.23 - Mask 2

Mask #2
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I have been wanting to do masks for quite a while but I guess I just haven't gotten around to it. I have always been intrigued by them. (who isnt?) Then my brother and sister-in-law (everyone should be so lucky to know these two people) mention that they have located some masks that would be perfect for painting. (The two of them are amazing at finding stuff). I know, I said the same thing for Mask #1 but I thought I better just thank the two of them again for thinking of me... Enjoy! (Thanks B and J!)

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Daily Keemo 05.20 - iPhone

I Wish You Looked At Me As Much As Your iPhone. Part 2.
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The Story: I was standing in line at the grocery store. There was a couple in their early twenties in front of me. The guy was playing with his iPhone. " I wish you looked at me as much as you do that iPhone." She said to him. She was obviously very irritated with him. He did not hear one word she said. She looked away disgusted. Just then I felt mine vibrate in my pocket. Decisions... decisions... I decide to go for it. I pull it out and start responding to the text. "What the hell!" I hear from in front of me. I look up and she is looking right at me. Her boyfriend has now woke up from his phone and realized shes not happy. He puts his away. I finish my text and put mine away. There is this wierd moment when we are all looking at each other and all of a sudden I feel feel like Im pulled right into their quarrel. I kind of half smile and shrug, "technology..." (I couldnt think of anything else to say) "Sucks!" she replied and turned to her boyfriend. I spent the rest of the time pretending to look at stuff in the aisle; magazines, candy, etc... I felt the vibe in my pocket again... I decided to wait... I can answer that later. ... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 05.15

Together They Coexist And Inspire
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One wall in my "studio" has large diamonds shapes painted on it. A perfect diamond pattern. Floor to ceiling. Wall to wall. Well, it really is more of an office (with paints and markers and paper and brushes and canvases and magazines and books) than it is a studio. Anyway, the diamonds. I didn't paint the diamonds. She did. She measured it perfectly so that the height and width of all the diamonds fill the wall in a perfect repeating diamond pattern. She is much better at that than I am. (Im envious of her abilities) Every day I sit at my desk right below the perfectly painted diamond wall and I am pretty sure I hear it laughing as it looks down at these paintings getting churned out day after day. Her work is always perfect. (Did I say that I am envious?) and well... you know my work... It is a little more flexible when it comes to staying within the lines. Everyday when I sit down and look up at that wall I am amazed and inspired. With that, Im sure that our relationship is summed up quite easily within this story. Her lines are clean and straight, my lines are sloppy and organic and together they coexist and inspire...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.24

More Important Than Swimming Around In Your Own Head
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It has long been my thought that self doubt is the painters biggest foe. (I don't really have any clue how true that really is because I am basing that only on my own personal experience as a painter) When these bouts happen though, production slows, things end up in the trash, motivation slips. As I write this I think this could probably be applied to more people than just painters. Not too mention, maybe self-doubt is just a segway to depression. I don't know. What does this painting have to do with any of this selfish introspection? You know... probably not a whole lot other than these were the things that I was stewing on while I tried to paint a portrait of my friends son. I feel like I blew his portrait but its the little guy that reminds me there are more important things than just swimming around in your own head...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.20

Listen. Think. Speak.

Its funny. The initial reaction from most of the people who have seen seen this painting is "Why is the person puking?" We laugh a minute and then, after a few mintues, it is then "Oh, I see! It is not puke." (Boy, no matter how you try to dress it up "puking" is just not a pleasant word...sorry I got off track) Well, it isn't puke, it is words and out of the head comes ideas and with the ear we listen. It really can be a simple as that. Not just in this painting but possibly everything. You know now that I write that, it never ends up being as simple as that because we always end complicating things more and it all ends up being about bills and gas prices and deadlines and schedules and whats for dinner and who is going to be there and the alarm clock and gas prices again and bills again and somehow all the listening and thinking and speaking gets put aside underneath the whole mess and the alarm clock wakes up to do it all again. Well, here is to remembering that underneath the whole mess are some simple things that are much more important...Enjoy!

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