Exciting News!

Greetings all!

It’s been a damn long time since I posted here last, and I’ve got a lot of work done since!  First off, the first installment of our Graphic Novel, The Price Of Tea, is printed and ready to go.  View info about it here. We’ve created a whole website that is devoted to being a companion piece to the graphic novel just in case you’re not up and up on your Japanese studies.  It’s simplistic, but very interactive with lots of cool art.

Secondly, we’re going to be in Atlanta, GA on Aug. 27th-Sept. 1st, so if you’re down that’a ways swing on over to Dragon*Con and track me down in the Art show area.  I’ll show you some original artwork and maybe draw you a little somethin’.  (Of course you can buy a bunch of neat stuff too)

Thirdly, Mythic Circle #30 is out with a plethora of my illustrations in it.  I have a few copies for sale, so if you’re interested… Email me. 

Oh, and if you haven’t noticed, there’s a few new paintings in the gallery.  Go have a look!

Talk to you soon!

-CJB

Hello All!

2:25 am–

I finally finished work on the interior of the first installment of our Graphic Novel - “The Price of Tea.” I finished scanning and adding the words mere moments ago. I’ve uploaded the double page spread for tantilizing measures, so here ya go-

So now I have to paint like a crazed goon to finish up some other work not related to tea in any way (hopefully, although I’m jonesin’ for some cold green tea right now…). You ever get a painting you want to do stuck in your head? Well, my head’s full of them. So that’ll take up some serious time. I guess that’s what I get for visiting beautiful places even though it’s the seventh year for the cicadas! Oh their screams torment me so!

Ah yes, if you’re going to be in South-Western Virginia (NOT West-Virginia) June 21st-23rd and want to see some original artworks, drop me a line. I’ll be there, but let me know soon because my schedule is usually packed when I’m there.

Enough rambling, I’m off to sleep!
Talk to you soon!

Hello All,

I’ve updated the website with a couple of new paintings- be sure to go get your eyes full here (link).

As for the Graphic Novel, here’s the synopsis to keep you enticed: The Price of Tea- 

Set in 12th century Japan when the lines between myth and history were overlapped; religion, bloodlines, and politics clash. With the winds of war brewing, a mysterious mountain dragon living under Muroji and reported to have the power to harness raging tempests, gets caught up in the web of fate.  Drawn from historical and mythic sources, The Price of Tea takes the reader through the gaps of historical documentation and into a rich and exciting fantastical world filled with Foxes, Kami, Samurai, and other creatures of myth that ruled Old Japan and shaped its history.

= New Paintings!

 This sucker is about 25″x  32″ and painted with Watercolor on Mulberry Paper.  If you know a thing or two about paper, Mulberry paper is extremely thin and fragile.  It’s practically like dying the paper, as the reverse side looks nearly the same, just a little lighter.  It’s always fun to stay up all night and paint, and as of right now, I’m not sleepy and don’t plan of sleeping until later tonight.  So damn productive today… Now, off to work on the Graphic Novel!

Hello All,

Just a quick update- If you’ve been wondering what I’m up to lately I’ve been working on the First installment of our Graphic Novel entitled “The Price of Tea.”  I’m very nearly finished, being on the last few pages to ink.  Here’s another clue to what all this mess is about-

  I’ll reveal the synopsis as soon as I whittle it down to where I’d like it to be, so you can start getting even more excited about it! 

Talk to you soon!

-CJB

So, I’ve been working on this larger painting for the past couple of weeks.  Here’s a quick shot of it with the digital camera-

20″ x 28″, Watercolor on 180 Arches coldpress paper… 

In Fact, I WILL be at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA this year as an artist in the Art show and I’ll have a booth with all sorts of excitement there. Whoo! You’ll just have to show up to see it all! Originals, some Prints, Sketchbooks (’07 and ‘08!), crazy decorations, Con exclusives, and an installment of our Graphic Novel.
Yes, you read correctly- Bet you didn’t know I’ve been working on a Graphic novel for a damn long time now. It’s coming soon, the debate is on whether it’ll be thicker or thinner. Printing stuff is always complicated. There’ll be more stuff about that here as progress continues…

CJ has been working with the Mythic Imagination Institute and Imaginal Cells Filmworks to in an effort to produce a documentary. The piece of the documentary that we’ve been working on is entitled ”The King and the Corpse,” and is a traditional Indian tale made multi-cultural and analyzes the human relation to myth.  There are many big names associated with this work and we are certainly honored to work beside them.  Other artists include, Brian and Wendy Froud, Alan Lee, Charles Vess, and a plethora of others.  You can now view the movie trailer, which is beyond our wildest dreams awesome.  Here’s a few of the pieces:

Sketchbooks are here and there are only a few left!  They really are a piece of art, hand made with heavy paper, beautiful art never seen before (or again), and unique highlights.  CJ has written throughout about his artistic process.  It’s a real treat to hold and to read.  It can all be yours by linking to the Sketchbook page…