Chicago Black Socks Scandal

Eight Men Out

The 1988 film Eight Men Out retells the infamous Black Sox scandal of 1919 and features some well-known actors such as John Cusack, Christopher Lloyd, and Charlie Sheen. I thought the film was very good and it kept my interest throughout. It was very well acted and I can see why they decided to make this into a movie since it was an unusual event. There were some funny moments too such as when Ring Lardner, played by the director John Sayles, is singing a parody of “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles.” I also enjoyed the interaction between the players and the media as well as Buck Weaver’s interaction with the little kids. Out of all the sports films I have seen this one was definitely one of the best and it is clear why it was critically acclaimed.
In 1919 baseball was very different from today and one of the major differences was the salary of the players because back then they did not make the astronomical salaries like they do today. Also they were paid by how well they played and how many games they won so injuries were more of a big deal then they are now. For example Eddie was hurt those two games and it affected him getting paid since he need to win 30 games. Today players get paid whether they win or lose and they also get paid through sponsorships such as Derek Jeter and Gilette. Baseball back then was all about the game and the players were celebrities but no where near to the extent that they are today.
In my opinion I do not think a scandal like this would happen in baseball today because the players are no longer being underpaid like the White Sox were. I feel the genre of sports films is still popular today since most sports films are about an underdog team who overcomes an obstacle such as in Remember the Titans. I also think that since sports are such a big part of our culture these films are popular.

Inspired by Georgia O'Keefe

Here are my latest sketches. I am also working on an article about a hiking trail that I frequently visit with my mom and my puppy. That will be completed soon.

Next month I am going to try to start watercolors and oil pastels. Also I am going to be posting my reviews and other pieces I have written as well as any new artwork.

New Paintings

     Currently working on some new artwork and will have images posted soon. Also, I recently completed act one of my short essay. Not sure what to entitle it but it is still a work in progress. So far the piece is just under five pages long and may be lengthened but not sure yet. I'll begin working on the next installment in the coming weeks. I won't be posting it any time soon but may wish to seek publication upon completion. 

     Any ways I plan on beginning watercolors soon since I have experimented with oil and acrylic. Before I venture to a new medium, I will be reverting back to black and white photography. Mainly photographs of flowers and parks. Such as Georgia O'Keefe inspired flowers. Focusing mainly on individual buds with blurred backgrounds. Then I plan on painting the photographs. I have included a painting I recently did as my current photo. This was done using acrylics, which I was initially going to do. I drew the flowers and leaves by hand. Then I went back and painted trying to show warmth and depth. This is my second painting so far.

     I have recently been reading The Hobbit. This literary work is enthralling and I love the way Tolkien describes every detail. Once I have finished I plan on going through the whole series and perhaps it will inspire some artwork. The weather has been perfect for summer reading and I am remembering all the times at the library when I was younger. Enjoying the sun with a good book can be relaxing.

Creation

Currently working on a new project. Not sure what the title is yet or what the topics will be about but it will be mainly short essays.

Twilight book covers

Here are my latest sketches. They are the first two Twilight book covers. I discovered that hands are so hard to draw just right. I decided to try anyways.

This has been the hottest summer in 10 years! So nice outside too but still not feeling well. However I got a new mac and it is the best computer ever. I recommend them if you are looking to buy a new computer. Other than going blonder nothing too exciting has been happening around here. Working on a short story. I have some that I want to go back and edit as well. I will post them when they are complete. Enjoy the art. Please note I am a fan of the these books which is why I decided to draw the pictures. This is a disclaimer. I wanted to see if I could sketch something besides still lives, such as pears. Also the names change is an ode to one of my favorite bands. It is a poignant piece of work to me right now. All my pieces are protected under copyright law as well. Unless given permission by me, the actual person, my work is my own. I appreciate anyone who respects this.

The Colour and the Shape

Due to life I have been on a bit of a hiatus because I needed to get my shit right. However, I have returned and am happy to present my first oil painting, with many more to come. My first piece is entitled Simply Pears. I am in the midst of another piece as well as several other projects.

The Space Between

My second painting class was this past Tuesday. Last week there was no class so I took this time to practice my assignment of learning how to draw pears since my mom has a some fake ones that she uses for decoration around the kitchen. I also decided to start using down time at work to practice drawing.

During my second class my teacher explained symmetry and learning to see the interesting shapes that can come from negative space. She said that things do not always have to be symmetrical and that often times the more interesting paintings are asymmetrical. However this also depends on the artist and what their style is. For example most religious paintings can be folded up and look the same on each side since they are perfectly balanced. Art is subjective. Things do not always have to be inside the box. I myself am a little left of center.

After dicussing this with me she had me set up my display. First she brought out five fake pears,a roll of tape, a desk lamp and a open box. Imagine a small cardboard box. Now cut of the top and two sides. This is where the pears are placed. The remaining sides of the box have a black background and the bottom is gray. Next she told me choose an odd number of pears, I picked three, and then set them up any way I wanted. I noticed one of the pears kept falling over on it's side. This seemed natural to the pear so I let it stay that way. My second pear leaned off to the side a bit and the third one was perfectly upright. If you were looking bird's eye view they formed a triangle. She explained to me that when she first started teaching this exercise what the student set up, they painted. A lot of students ended up disliking their work so now she first has us draw compositions using a view finder. This allows the student to look at all the angles and find the space between, which can often yield interesting results. So with my view finder(which is an index card with a small hole cut out in the middle) in hand I set off to search for what would become my first painting. Below are my six compositions.



After careful consideration I decided to go with my sixth composition, which features all three pears. My teacher explained that since they are all on different planes I would need to find where they each sit before proceeding. Once I accomplished that it was time to draw the to scale. She gave me the canvas I would be using and had me trace it, just like I did with the view finder. We tweaked it and came up with the end result. Notice the negative space between the pears. My favorite aspect is the shadowing and also how the one pear appears to be overlapping the other.



I have chosen to paint the pears red instead of green because why must they be green? I am very proud of myself for going from composition to canvas in just two hours time. Now on to the fun part!