May 19, 2008
HAL 9000, an oil painting portrait. *SOLD*
Wow, what an auction! Thanks to pv for picking up this painting!
Click here to View the Auction.
Earlier this year marked the passing of one of our heroes, science-fiction writer and visionary Arthur C. Clarke. Looking over our work at The Joy of Tech and AfterY2K, you will find many references in our comics to his books and ideas. One of his most famous and beloved characters is the HAL 9000 computer from his Space Odyssey saga. HAL is an artificial intelligence, the sentient on-board computer of the spaceship Discovery. In the movie 2001: A Space Oydessy, HAL is depicted as an omnipotent presence, with an all-seeing red lens, but with soft voice and a pleasant manner, even when trying to kill his astronaut crew. The effect is chilling, humourous, and unforgettable.
(Snaggy and I created a tribute comic to Arthur C. Clarke, which featured HAL, you can find that here, and of course you can read more about HAL over on WikiPedia.)
I really like this painting. What should be a rather cold and lifeless image, of metal and glass, is actually a very warm one. I get the strange feeling there is someone, or some presence, behind that red glow, watching everthing that is going on in the room. And of course it reminds me of the brilliant imagination of Arthur C. Clarke, and that makes me smile.
I think you will love having your own HAL 9000 in your home or office, or spaceship, to keep an eye on you. Perhaps one day it will say "Good morning Dave." :-)
Details: "HAL 9000" is Nitrozac's 38th painting of her Painting Blog. It's an oil painting, on 11 x 14 inch stretched canvas. Because it is oil paint, it may take weeks before it is completely dry and ready to ship, so please be patient. The back of the painting will contain the title, the date painted, Nitrozac's signature, and a fingerprint for authenticity.
Shipping for each painting is extra... to the US and Canada it is 25 dollars, to other locations, 35 dollars. Please Note: Canadians will be charged any appropriate taxes (GST) and PST if the bidder is from British Columbia, in addition to the sale price.
Thanks again to all the bidders!
Click here to view the Auction.
Posted by Nitrozac at 05:45 PM
November 22, 2007
"Original Apple", 16"x 20" original painting by Nitrozac *SOLD*
Click here to view the auction.
This painting was sold at auction... thanks Jack!
Most of us Apple fans have grown up with the original rainbow colored apple logo on our computers. It was designed by Rob Janoff and was Apple's logo from 1976 to 1998 when Jobs replaced it with a monochrome version. I miss that logo sometimes, I feel somewhat nostalgic about it. That's why I painted this commemorative painting. Perhaps it's a bit of longing for the days gone by, when Apple computers were little, beige, chunky boxes, with black and white screens, and KidPix was very entertaining. Sometimes I reminisce about those days when very few people had computers, let alone the internet in their home. You'd have to borrow a computer or go over to a friend's house to work on your resume on their Apple computer. Looking at this logo, it brings me back to the days where you could actually hear the sound of logging onto the internet with the modem happily bleeping and blopping away. It also takes me back to the days when getting an email was exciting. Untainted-by-spam email, each one was from someone you knew–unimaginable today!
This painting, though of a logo it may be, represents that era of when technology hadn't melded it's way into every aspect of our lives. Computers enhanced our lives, they hadn't taken over our lives at that point. Instead of precisely copying the striped colors of the logo, I painted them with expressive freedom, I want to convey the creative spontaneity and sense of fun I feel when I think of that era. I kept the logo itself crisp and true to it's apple shape to represent the business side, because Apple is a business, after all.
Details: "Original Apple" is Nitrozac's 37th paintng of her Painting Blog. It's an acrylic painting, on 16 x 20 inch stretched canvas, the largest canvas to date. The painting will be dry and ready to ship after the auction ends. The back of the painting will contain the title, the date painted, Nitrozac's signature, and a fingerprint for authenticity.
Best of luck to all bidders!
Shipping for each painting is extra... to the US and Canada it is 25 dollars, to other locations, 35 dollars. Please Note: Canadians will be charged any appropriate taxes (GST) and PST if the bidder is from British Columbia, in addition to the sale price.
Posted by Nitrozac at 05:09 PM
November 16, 2007
Paintings of The Big Three *SOLD!*
Click here to bid on "Arthur C. Clarke".
Click here to bid on "Robert A. Heinlein".
Click here to bid on "Isaac Asimov".
All three paintings were sold at auction! That's folks!
Robert A. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov are known as the "Big Three" of Science Fiction. Snaggy and I have featured them in our comic, AY2K. I painted them as they appeared in the comic. Heinlein and Asimov are painted in ghostly blue with "Sci-Fi" swirls around them to reflect their existence beyond this life. Arthur C. Clarke, who is still alive, is painted in realistic colors (with an Aardvark computer in the background).
The three paintings make a triptych (although I am selling them separately). I enjoy painting tributes to iconic geeks, and The Big Three have greatly inspired geeks for many years and provided non-geeks with excellent entertainment. They brought the notions of space travel, robots, communication satellites, and so much more to life, I really can't imagine the world without their ideas!
When I look at these paintings it brings me a sense of inspiration, because they are artists who had originality in thoughts and work. I believe that they have changed the world for the better, and what I admire is that they changed the world with their ideas, not products. That is an extremely rare and great acheivement.
Details: "Robert A. Heinlein", "Arthur C. Clarke", and "Isaac Asimov", is Nitrozac's 34th, 35th, and 36th paintngs of her Painting Blog. They are all acrylic paintings, on 4 x 5 inch canvas panel. The paintings will be dry and ready to ship after the auction ends. The back of the paintings will contain the title, the date painted, Nitrozac's signature, and a fingerprint for authenticity.
Shipping for each painting is extra... to the US and Canada it is 8 dollars, to other locations, 15 dollars. Please Note: Canadians will be charged any appropriate taxes (GST) and PST if the bidder is from British Columbia, in addition to the sale price.
Posted by Nitrozac at 02:31 PM
November 02, 2007
"OS X Leopard - 2", 12"x 14" original oil painting by Nitrozac *SOLD!*
This is my second painting of OS X Leopard, and it's bigger! The previous painting was 7x9 inches, and this one is 12x14 inches. I decided against painting a third, larger version of this subject at this time, as I'm eager to move on to other subjects!
My latest paintings, "OS X Leopard" is all about celebrating the release of Apple's latest OS! Apple fans eagerly awaited this new and wonderful operating system, released October 26, 2007. I just love the design of the packaging, I'm a big fan of whirlpool galaxies and starfields, and I thought it would make a gorgeous painting, and I humbly have to admit... I was right! I have a total new appreciation for the "X" in front of the galaxy; those gradients were a challenge to paint. It looks amazing, though.
Posted by Nitrozac at 02:35 PM
October 22, 2007
OS X Leopard 7"x 9" oil painting *SOLD*
This painting was sold! Congrats pvmuir!
Click here to view the auction. Please note, a large version of this painting will be available soon.
My latest painting, "OS X Leopard" is all about celebrating the release of Apple's latest OS! Apple fans are eagerly awaiting this new and (hopefully) wonderful operating system. I just love the design of the packaging, I'm a big fan of whirlpool galaxies and starfields, and I thought it would make a gorgeous painting, and I humbly have to admit... I was right! I have a total new appreciation for the "X" in front of the galaxy; those gradients were a challenge to paint. It looks amazing, though.
I'll be painting at least one more canvas of this subject and this is the smallest, at 7" x 9". Note: I had planned to paint two more versions of this subject, but at the moment, I've decided to only paint only one more, an 11"x17". It will be posted for auction soon.
The photo doesn't really do the painting justice, and I must admit it looks better in real life. I photographed it just fresh off the easle and the glare off the the wetness of the paint was hard to avoid, so please forgive me. I will try and photograph it again when it's a little drier, so check back for updates and check back for the next two paintings!
Details: "OS X Leopard" is Nitrozac's 32nd paintng of her Painting Blog. It's an oil painting, on 7 x 9 inch stretched canvas. The painting will be dry and ready to ship in about a 2-3 weeks after the auction ends, depending on the drying conditions and such. The back of the painting will contain the title, the date painted, Nitrozac's signature, and a fingerprint for authenticity.
Posted by Nitrozac at 08:48 PM
October 09, 2007
"Shiny Apple", 11"x 14" original oil painting by Nitrozac *SOLD*
The painting is now in the collection of pvmuir! Congrats pv, and thank you! Click here to view the auction.
Hmmm, this could be one of the worst times for me to offer up my latest work, a large oil painting of an Apple logo. Apple Inc. has been acting nasty lately, and many Apple geeks have been losing that glow of love they usually feel for her. But sure, we might be a little sore from the brow-beating we've been suffering from the iPhone price cut and Apple's position on locking up the iPhone, but hey, it's Apple we are talking about here. Apple is like family; you have a spat, and they can drive you crazy, but eventually you get over it, and go back to being a loving family again.
Besides, Leopard is due out any day now, and that is a reason to celebrate. Who knows, maybe Steve Jobs's heart will grow three times bigger, and he will open up the iPhone to 3rd party developers. :-D
This painting is like the family crest of Mac geeks. It's hard to explain, this Apple-love that some people have, but when you love Apple you understand, it's more than just a logo. It symbolizes the struggle and rise of an underdog in a world that is far too often filled with techological shoddiness. It also symbolizes the innovation and excitment that Apple brings to the tech world. Face it, without her, our geeky world would be a lot less interesting. And it also symbolizes more than just some company from Silicon Valley, but the people behind the logo, and the rich history that it has. (Check out folklore.org if you are interested in the amazing stories and incredible characters behind Apple.)
The painting is big, bold, and commanding! If you are a fan of Apple, you need this in your collection, and you are going to love it. It's an iconic work that reminds me a little of the Monolith from 2001... stand in front of the painting and prepare to evolve to the next level!
Of course on another level, it is also emblematic of the corporate culture that has shaped our society and world we live in today. That's partly why the logo is painted with a dark background. The rich, black paint with its lush brush stokes serves as the ideal compliment to the light shading and gradation of the logo and really makes the logo pop out, but if you are so inclined to imagine, it is also representative of the darker side of Apple.
Details: "Shiny Apple" is Nitrozac's 31st painting of her Painting Blog. It's an oil painting, on 11 x 14 inch stretched canvas. The painting will be dry and ready to ship in about a 2-3 weeks after the auction ends.. The back of the painting will contain the title, the date painted, Nitrozac's signature, and a fingerprint for authenticity. If the painting isn't sold at this auction, it will be offered for sale at a higher price on our webstore. Best of luck to all bidders!
Shipping for each painting is extra... to the US and Canada it is 12 dollars, to other locations, 25 dollars. All prices in Canadian dollars, and please Note: Canadians will be charged any appropriate taxes (GST (and PST if the bidder is from British Columbia) in addition to the sale price.
Posted by Nitrozac at 08:43 PM
September 30, 2007
"CowGirl" oil painting of an Elvgren by Nitrozac
This painting is a bit of a departure for me in terms of subject matter, as I usually paint objects or people of Technology. I had so much fun painting the classical Steve Jobs portrait, that I wanted to explore this more. I am an admirer of Elvgren's work. Gil Elvgren was an American painter most famous for his pin-up girls. His use of light and colour is phenomenal, and I love the innocence and playfullness of his work, and the cheesy way his subjects often react to situations or objects.
They say the best way to improve one's art skills is to copy the Masters. "CowGirl" is my take on one of his early advertising images. There's something about the cute redhead and her creamy colours, and the way the light plays on her features, that makes her a really fun painting to look at. She is primarily inspired by Elvgren, but I added my own touches to this painting, such as the desert background and suggestions of her jacket. I do hope you enjoy this painting as much as I do, as she is a pleasure to admire.
Posted by Nitrozac at 06:38 PM
August 27, 2007
"Fake Steve Jobs" "8x10" original oil painting by Nitrozac *SOLD*
"Fake Steve Jobs", 8"x 10"original oil painting by Nitrozac
Click here to view the auction.
This painting was sold, and is now in the collection of valliant66. Thanks to all who bid!
I'm pleased to present for your bidding pleasure my latest painting, entitled "Fake Steve Jobs". It could easily pass as the real Steve Jobs, however, I painted it as the Fake Steve Jobs. I painted it in a traditional portrait style, and imho, I believe the result is insanely spectacular. The colours, texture, and luminoscity are very impressive! When you view the painting close-up, it's quite enjoyable to look at the brushstrokes. However, be warned... the portrait is a little scary in how Steve's eyes seem to follow you around the room. It's a beautiful object. I love creating them, if I do say so myself. :-P
Fake Steve Job's blog has been getting a lot of press lately. For the longest time no one knew who was behind the humourous and entertaining posts. Recently, the mysterious author was revealed. It turns out that Daniel Lyons, senior editor of Forbes magazine, is the real man behind the curtain of Steve Job's Secret Diary.
For the profile picture on the Fake Steve Jobs blog, FSJ uses a press shot of the real Steve Jobs. For some reason, it perfectly suits the site, especially with the "Negative people upset me" line under it. But last week I noticed the photo was replaced by a cartoon version of Steve Jobs. I was so upset! The cartoon was quite good, but I really was looking forward to painting what we've all come to associate with FSJ. Many of FSJ's fans felt the same way, and protested in the blog's comments. Thankfully, the original photo is now back where it belongs. :-)
Who knows, maybe you'll be bidding against the Real and the Fake Steve Jobs for the painting! I'm sure both of them will want to get their hands on this beautiful painting!
Snaggy and I did this comic about Fake Steve Jobs in this JoT, enjoy!
Details: "Fake Steve Jobs" is Nitrozac's 29th painting of her Painting Blog. It's an original oil painting, on 8 x 10 inch stretched canvas. The painting will be dry and ready to ship a couple weeks after the auction ends, depending on the drying conditions and such. The back of the painting will contain the title, the date painted, Nitrozac's signature, and a fingerprint for authenticity.
If the painting isn't sold at auction, it will be up for sale in our webstore at a higher than originally listed price, so it does pays to bid on the auction! Best of luck to all bidders!
Shipping for each painting is extra... to the US and Canada it is 8 dollars, to other locations, 15 dollars.
Posted by Nitrozac at 10:04 AM
