A few weeks ago, I had the surprise on-a-whim pleasure of being invited to contribute some graffiti artwork to one of the local brewpubs here in Albuquerque.  It's been a serious minute since I'd done any sort of large-scale work with, especially with spray paint (and I'm pretty sure that the majority of what was doing at the time was illegal), but that's neither here, nor there.  What matters is that IT WAS FREAKING AWESOME, and it gave me the bug to want to do more large public pieces. 

If ever you are in Northeast Albuquerque looking for a place to grab a bite and sip some suds, visit out Desert Valley Brewing Co. on the corner of Wyoming and Comanche and check out the progressing urban graffiti theme taking over the walls inside. 

What's up, everyone? 

I just want to invite you to join us at the Kaktus Brewery Nob Hill location on Saturday, February 13th for the debut of Art Goggles!  

Caitlin Padilla and I will be instructing groups of folks (just like you!) on how to paint simple, yet, beautiful compositions on canvas while enjoying a pint or two of your favorite Kaktus brew.  This is the first time I will be doing something of this nature, so I'd love to have you join us for this event.

Spend opening evening with your significant other or your best friends as we first demonstrate how to paint this pair of love birds cuddled up on a branch, then gift your masterpiece to that special someone the following day - Valentine's day!

There are a limited number of spaces available, so act fast. $35 admits one and gets you your first drink as well as all the supplies you need to paint. And, if you stay for dinner afterward, you'll receive 10% off of your meal!

Visit the Art Goggles website for ticket purchases and more info.

Thanks, and we look forward to your presence!

Will Wooten

I can't remember exactly how I came upon an absolutely fantastic contemporary art book dedicated solely to the octopus (I think it was a google search of some sort, entailed by leagues of research to find out who the publisher is and from where I might purchase a copy, blah, blah, blah...). Once I discovered the publisher, I discovered its website. After I discovered its website, I discovered that the art featured within the pages of its books is really a showcase of artists whose works (paintings, drawings, sculptures, tattoos) make the final cut following an themed open submission. 

Earlier this year, I responded to an open call for skull & skeleton artwork, entitled "Excavate: Unearthing Artistic Skeletal Remains", by submitting three of my oil paintings. Today, I'm happy to announce that two of my three made it into the final publishing. My "Portrait No. 3" and "Outer Orbit" paintings will be featured alongside hundreds of other talented artists' works from around the world. I am extremely humbled and grateful to have my art chosen for it.

Out Of Step Books is the publisher and the folks there are now taking pre-orders for this book through their website. The books are expected to ship the second week of October. I have been in correspondence with Jinxi Caddel, one half of the owner/husband-wife/luchador tag-team duo, and she is one of the sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know. They ensure quality, love and care with every single transaction. You shan't be disappointed.

You can order your copy by clicking here or on any of the links above: Out Of Step Books

I must once again apologize to the folks who have been anxiously awaiting tattoo designs, drawings and paintings from me. A pretty epic art show suddenly caught my attention and sounded too damn good to pass up. I have been putting in work on a skateboard deck over the last few weeks and today I finally finished the thing, right on time for the deadline.

Because of my late participation, this piece was challenging. For the first few weeks, I had no idea in which direction I was going to take it and I was seriously second-guessing the first few layers of paint, especially my sudden decision to jump mid-way from acrylics to oils. Luckily, oil paints play real well off of acrylics, (but not the other way around) so I just kept pushing it until the image slowly started to reveal itself. I'm really glad I kept going because it turned out better than I had hoped.

I've uploaded a sequence of photos, stages from start to finish, showing how the painting evolved. Haven't figured out a title, yet, but I've been bouncing between 'Iron Galaxy' (a nod to Cannibal Ox, a favorite hip hop duo of mine) or 'Galaxy Knuckles' (one of the many self-acclaimed aliases of the hilarious hip hop blogger, http://bigghostlimited.com/)

I've also uploaded the flyer for the show, which cusps the last day of May and the first of June. To date, there have been over 300 submissions from artists around the globe, so it's going to be pretty huge. In addition, one of my all time favorite LA graffiti artists, MEAR ONE, has not only submitted his own piece, but will be at the opening event painting live. This all happens at Refuge PDX.

If you need something to do on the last Saturday night of May, swing by and check it out!

Thanks to ArtDeckCo and Future Shock for the last-minute opportunity and for the board to paint on.

Thanks for reading!