A Quiet Moment Amongst Friends

Faces in The Mist: Reimagining Sasquatch

Three years ago, after spending months alone in the Oregon wilderness, my friend Kent C visited San Francisco and gave me this book about Sasquatch:

  

The book attempts to set the record straight about unclassified bipedal forest mammals. On the eleventh page of the book there is an exercise where the reader is asked to "finish the art" and give Sasquatch a proper face:

I sent this page to a handful of friends and asked them to send in their interpretations.  

The first response is my own. I made a pencil drawing of an adolescent Sasquatch in the mid-1980s. He's just grown his first mustache, and although it makes him look older, he still feels awkward at the high school dance. 

Laura P, a Montana native, envisioned a transgendered Sasquatch wandering in the wilderness of her home state. 

 

Carl W watches a lot of television. He contrasted the myth of Sasquatch with images of Phil Spector, the Ayatollah Khomeini, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Rod "He Hate Me" Smart from the defunct XFL football league. I asked Carl if he was comparing the XFL to Iranian Democracy and he said that was an oversimplified way of looking at it. 

Teresa U followed the numbered instructions to create the Big Foot face, but she broke with convention and added her own spicy rainbow colors. 

Julia W figured it would be a lot easier to use a popular, pre-existing Sasquatch face than go through all the trouble of creating a new one from scratch. 

Do you know who that is? It's Harry from Harry and the Hendersons. (If you like this, here's a similar one that I created!)

 

Seth L used bubble wrap and magazine cut-outs to create a happy, tap-dancing Sasquatch. He made this at work and no one found out!

Peter F created a Shatner-squatch. 

Anna U drew an adult, red-haired Sasquatch with braces and head gear. She was partially inspired by her memories of the Sally Jesse Raphael Show. 

Alright, we're down to the end. No offense to the first eight, but these next two are clearly in a class of their own. 

Eric U (no relation) not only finished the Sasquatch face, but he created an entire Fall fashion catalogue around the creature's distinctive brown tones. For less than $25, you can purchase a hand-tailored polo that looks just like Big Foot's skin and fur. You can wear the walnut-brain to work and pull on the feces for a trip to the driving range. These colors are right for any occasion!  

Eric is a graphic designer and painter living in San Francisco. This is his first submission to A Quiet Moment Amongst Friends. 

And finally, Jake C, the professional cartographer, came through big-time with an incredible transit map.

To fully appreciate the map, you need to click on the image and view the full-size version. You'll find that it's surprisingly easy to travel from Sinussia to Chinwick. Jake made a few iterations to the map over the last two weeks. His latest version added a much-needed express line linking the Commerce District to the Quarry. Unless you're commuting to Owlwood, you don't need a car in Squatchia. 

Wow. So many amazing interpretations of Sasquatch's face! I'm still accepting submissions. If you're inspired, send your finished Sasquatch faces to aquietmoment@gmail.com. 

UPDATE August 2009: I received two late submissions.

Los Origenes de los Hebreos

Found drawing, pencil, pen and colored marker on paper, 8 1/2 x 11 inches, 2009

Cover translation: "The Origins of the Hebrews"

Panel One: "The road taken by the Israelites when they left Egypt."
Panel Two: "God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai." 
Panel Three and Four: "Drawing" 

I found this water-damaged booklet about Jewish history on the sidewalk in my neighborhood. The spanish-language fold-out tells the tale of the Exodus from Egypt and Moses recieving the Ten Commandments. Interestingly, the Red Sea is depicted as an enormous half-tomato, half-caterpillar monster.

As I have done in the past, I took it upon myself to restore the piece and help the original artist flesh out their concept. I started by giving the Red Sea monster a more realistic facade. I then used colored pencils to add depth and texture to the desert landscape. Moses and the Israelites were given nicer clothing and fun hairstyles. For the final touch, I wrote "Exodus" and "10 Commandments" in a cool, heavy metal font. You have to admit that this new version is pretty bad-ass. 

Click the images to view larger versions

Five Animals With Fish Coats

Five doodles, ink on paper, 8 x 8 inches, 2009

Goose

Snake

Bear

Frog

Horse

A month ago I drew the above goose engulfed in a school of fish. In the last few days, I returned to the drawing and expanded the concept to include a variety of other animals. It's a little ambiguous, but the fish aren't eating the animals like piranhas, but rather following them around in an amiable, symbiotic relationship. 

You might be thinking that these drawings are a commentary on body image, with the school of fish representing the media-fueled herd mentality that denigrates non-"normal" appearance. That's a reasonable guess, I suppose, but it's not correct. The actual message is: Teamwork works.

Stains of Saints by The Weather Machines

Music, video, color, 3.5 minutes, 2006

This song was recorded by my friend Jason W's band, The Weather Machines, in 2006. The video was directed by Adam B. If you like pop music and videos about time warps and cloning, then you will love this jam.

The Weather Machines are from Portland, Oregon by way of Rapid City, South Dakota. You can learn more about the band on their website. Their music can also be purchased at all of the popular internet download sites.

UPDATE: I know three minutes is long for today's short attention spans, but don't miss the end of the video. It gets more awesome.

World Affairs: March 17 to April 2, 2009

Found homework assignment, current affairs, ink on paper, 2009

While walking around San Francisco's Embarcadero last night around 10pm, I saw what appeared to be the contents of a school bag strewn across the sidewalk. I made a quick, subtle grab at my feet and was able to scoop up this sheet. I would have spent more time collecting papers, but there were two tough looking dudes hanging out on the street watching me. It would have been too risky. 

The sheet seems to be a homework assignment where a student was asked to write down the two most interesting world news items on a daily basis. He/she makes some odd choices and there appears to be a teenage preoccupation with sex-related news. 

The best update is definitely the last one: "Critics irked by China relishing in schadenfreude"

Fifteen Taxidermied Musical Acts

Collection, found photographs, Fifteen 160 x160 pixel squares, 2009

"We were dead, but we started a band!"

My posts about the Frog Band piqued my interest in the subculture of taxidermied animals performing in bands. A thorough search of the internet turned up this collection of fifteen musical acts. Finding these performers was no easy task. The internet is filled with fake animals in bands and anthropomorphic taxidermy, but it's much harder than you think to find a deceased animal handling a musical instrument or singing. I also had to make some tough calls and exclude animals that looked too alive.

These musical groups are part of a rich history. The art of anthropomorphic taxidermy has thrived since the Victorian era. You can read all about it on the exhaustively researched website Taxidermy4Cash.com. [Editor's note: This is also a fantastic resource for making some good money during the recession. Get your hands on some antique taxidermy and you're set.]

Frog Band: Guitar Solo

Drawing, pencil on paper, 8 1/2 x 11 inches, 2007

This drawing captures the lead guitarist for the Frog Band tearing it up on a guitar solo. He's in the pocket. The crowd is going nuts. 

This was my final project for a drawing class at San Francisco City College in 2007. Just like my Hand Turkey was the greatest of all time, this has to be the best drawing of a taxidermied frog playing a guitar that the world has ever seen.  

UPDATE: There is a squirrel band at the Country Music Hall of Fame that might give my frogs a run for their money. According to legend, Hank Williams Sr. shot these little guys on his land and hand them stuffed. Whatever, my frogs can take on some country squirrels. I'm not worried.

UPDATE 2: Angela B just pointed me in the direction of this Prairie Dog a capella group at a bar in Hayward, Wisconsin. They actually look pretty tough. Who knew there were this many taxidermied animal bands in the world?

UPDATE 3: I compiled images from 15 taxidermied animal bands on the internet.