"Smile" new funny comic by Sam Graham

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A New funny funny by Sam Graham about a man who walks into town and is confused why everyone is smiling at him.

November 24, 2009
digital

Univerpsyche

It is possible that all of existence is taking place in some super-cosmic psyche -our psyches microcosms of it.

Simultaneous time

If all time is simultaneous, there's an infinite amount of you's in all past and future moments. Is linear time/self a trick of perception?  

Video Game

This reality may be like a video game we’ve played for too long, forgotten that we are playing a game, and think nothing exists beyond it.

Sam Smash Page

I know its been a while since I put art up, so here is something I have been working on which prevented me from doing the aforementioned: 

I considered this a "study" or "research," because I was trying to create a work based on what my sketchbooks look like, and wanted to see how it would turn out. 

Click on it to visit my flickr album and see larger versions of this plus closer details.

Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles artist, photographer, animator, writer, and musician

Working...

Hi guys!

Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I am working hard on something -so I haven't been able to put anything up any new work as of yet. But be patient!

In other news I got to meet an artist I really like named Alex Pardee at a charity art show called "Celeritas," at a motorcycle-type space called "Suru" on Melrose. Really great show, I recommend you see it if you enjoy art and motorcycle related things. 

I want to be an artist's assistant right now, so if you know of any opportunities, please forward them my way. Any other art related opportunities as well.

-Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles artist, photographer, animator, writer, and musician

Blake

If all is infinite, as Blake said, then self would be too. What, then, would separate us from "gods?" Perhaps we're merely unrealized ones?

Francis Bacon at the Met in New York

I more than halfway across the country right now which means I am that much closer to New York, "the land of art."

I am very excited about a Francis Bacon retrospective showing there at the Met; he is one of my favorite artists and the chance to witness so much of his work in person, that I previously only seen on the pages of books was a chance that I couldn't pass up.

("Self Portrait" by Francis bacon '71)

I am going to try to expose myself to as much art as possible when I am in New York and hopefully will be able to share with you, "my gentle readers," some of the cool shows and artists that I see.

Don't forget to say "hey!"

-"Nevada" Sam Graham

Sam Graham is a los angeles artist, photographer, animator, writer, and musician

Tortilla Chip and Tootsie Roll Sculpture

I like to use the extra food that isn't eaten at restaurants to make art out of. This is a funny little character that I created at my favorite Mexican restaurant Sion's in Manhattan Beach using an uneaten tortilla chip and the tootsie rolls that they gave us after we were done eating (that no one wanted.) So I thought this was a good way to do something useful with the extra food. I hope you enjoy (my Mom got a kick out of it!)

Don't forget to say, "hey!"

-Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles artist, photographer, animator, writer, and musician

Aquamarine and Orange Multi-faced Head

(Click to see it larger on flickr)

This is a digital painting (using photoshop) of the multi-face'd character I have been working with for a while now. It's inspired by Tibetan Buddhist art. In particular, this art form's multi-limbed and multi-headed characters that express a "spiritual" or "enlightened" state.  I am interested in the fact that Tibetan art uses a vocabulary of "multiples" to get at this concept, and with this series, I am endeavoring to adapt this concept of multiple features to express a spiritual state in my own way.

My brief 1 AM example of what I mean by "spiritual state": a blissful altered state of consciousness in which selfhood seems to transcend your familiar self. Unfamiliar abilities, or knowledge might be encountered. 

Don't forget to say, "hey!"

-Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles artist, photographer, animator, writer, and musician

Grape

(Click to see this photo in larger sizes on flickr.) 

Here's a cool photo I took in Orange County of a model in very low light conditions. I call it "Grape." 

Don't forget to say, "hey!"

-Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles photographer, artist, animator, writer, and musician

"Midnight"

(You can click on the image to go to "flickr" to view it in "all sizes")

With these new images I have been thinking a lot about Francis Bacon, and his process of working spontaneously and allowing chance to come into play. As per Bacon, I started without a clear idea of where I was going to end up -trying to capture something transient. 

Here's are some details of the eyes:

Don't forget to say, "hey!"

-Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles artist, photographer, animator, writer, and musician

"I"

This is a new image that I created -primarily on my birthday, May 16th. You can click on the image to be taken to my "flickr" page where you can look at the drawing in "all sizes."

Don't forget to say, "hey."

-Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles artist, photographer, animator, writer, and musician

New Colorful Image: "Swirl"

Don't forget to say, "hey"

-Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles artist, photographer, animator, writer, and musician

New (old) drawing! "Cupcake"

This is a drawing I unearthed recently and worked on a little bit by adding shading and the like. I think I originally drew it in photoshop. 

Originally it wasn't shaded as much, so I added some shading to it using the "burn" tool. It was also originally black and white, so I tinted it blue to give it some semblance of color.

I enjoy this drawing, I hope you do to!

Don't forget to say "hey!"

-Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles artist, photographer, animator, writer, and musician

"Alley": Photo from Paso Robles Workshops Taught by Strobist's David Hobby

Another photo from Syl Arena's "Paso Robles Workshops" taught by David Hobby (Strobist.) This is of my friend Stephen. I have a light coming from behind him creating the cool texture on the metal and a warm colored light coming from the right hitting his face.

We had a great time shooting this, except that we shot it in a dank rat infested alley way.

Don't forget to say, "hey!"

-Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles photographer, artist, animator, writer, and musician

New Drawing: "Shine"

Here is a new drawing I did today! It links to my flickr page where you can see it in super size if you so wish.

Don't forget to say "hey!"

-Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles artist, photographer, animator, writer, and musician

Model Photo from Paso Robles Workshop with David Hobby

Here's another photo that I took during Syl Arena's Paso Robles Workshops taught by David Hobby of Strobist. This model was really great, especially since it was her first time modeling on this shoot! We shot this photo in an old victorian house, but you can't tell that by this picture. 

To light this, I used a single flash (being set off wirelessly by a pocket wizard) to her right, and diffused it by shooting it through the shower curtain. To make the light bluish in the background I used a trick I learned at the workshop. The trick is, you put the camera's white balance on incandescent, which makes the image more blue to compensate for orange light. Then you gel the flash to be more orange (CTO) to make the subject look like they are in white light, but everything else -not hit by the stobe- will look blue. Specifically, I wanted the window light to look bluish to contrast with the warmish light on the model. 

Don't forget to say hey!

Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles photographer, artist, animator, writer, and musician

Impromptu Photoshoot!

I took this photo during an impromptu shindig at my house last wednesday night. I decided it would be fun to do a portrait of my friend Nick. I set up the lights using techniques I acquired during the Paso Robles Workshops with David Hobby (Strobist) and Syl Arena (Pixsylated). 

The photo is of my friend Nick Arciaga, another Los Angeles artist. He studies visual art at Art Center, a private art college in Pasadena, CA. According to Wikipedia:

Art Center is particularly known for its Transportation Design (automobile) and Product Design programs. It also has notable photography, graphic design, advertising design, illustration, fine art, film, environmental design and entertainment design programs. 

Nick went to Mira Costa High School with me in Manhattan Beach, CA.

This photo was shot on a Canon 40D using two flashes, one with a red, and another with a green-colored roscolux gel on each of them. The flashes were set off wirelessly using pocket wizards and held up by Manfrotto stands.  

Don't forget to say "hey!"

-Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles photographer, artist, animator, writer, and musician

"Ikon of Sam" revisited: 1 yr+ art project

I've returned to working on my ongoing sculptural drawing, "Ikon of Sam,"(see above) which I've been working on for a year and a half -since January, 2008. This piece was featured in my 2008 Cal Arts thesis exhibition of the same name (see below).

After taking a break this year, and working on flash animated works -I returned to working on this piece last night! We'll see where this goes!

Don't forget to say "hey!"

-Sam

Sam Graham is a los angeles artist, photographer, animator, writer, and musician