found Chick Publications for Arab speakers...

old portrait sketch of Pastor Kirk leading a bible study

I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you

Maria Torres , north Manhattan street artist

Sending prayers out to the humble artist who creates stuff like this, as well as sweet abstract pieces, have not seen her in a while... 

Old studio space from last year

fun but bleak times...

Fwd: 10 years ago...

...back in 2009, I compiled and illustrated my first and only 'zine, with stories, poems and art by friends & mainly it was inspired by musical jams and creative hangouts at the time, mostly with my dear friend Anthony Roque. We used to meet up after work, at spots in New Brunswick, New Jersey and bust out sketch pads and just "nerd out", sketch people, the setting or imagined stuff, drink beer and take in each others musings or frustrations. It was idyllic and child like in a way, an adultish routine of venting and observing and checking in. Anthony died this past year and its been really tough to reflect on what were really care-free days, knowing that both our lives got complicated and distant after this brief moment where life wasn't so heavy and art and songs just kinda were sweating out our pores, not trying to impress anybody's taste but our own seeking to practice some sort of taking existence in. Lately, it's also been hard to try to create new work or have perseverance with the comic book project I have been chugging along with, with my wife, as life just seems so in my face and chaotic, especially when you try to make some thing very serious and realistic, instead of lighthearted and fleeting... I am hoping this silly old blog journal allows me to just get feelings out, to remind me that my weird expressive-without-audience-approval approach to life (like Anthony's) is worth it... 

Pictured ('Awesome Reality #1' with Ant's intro art); sadly no more in print... 

Portrait at 2

working Harlem

back to work... journal entries on various projects and life to come... -J