Tag Archives: dead man’s hand

Dead Man’s Hand Grand Finale!

Wow! Proud artist SB dropped off the Dead Man’s Hand watercolour last Sunday. It looks absolutely fantastic! Until this afternoon, it occupied the place of honour above the mantlepiece where I.ve been admiring it. Met up with photographer extraordinaire MR at Island Blue Print to choose out a frame earlier today, and the process will take about two weeks. So, although The Dead Man’s Hand is done, and it will be really done when it gets hung on the wall. Can.t wait!

But in the meanwhile, diligent readers can see the finished painting right here and right now! The professional photographs and scans that will be used on the book cover are forthcoming. These are photos I took with my mobile phone to post onto the blog. They were done on a little bit of an angle which gives the images more of a nervous look (I.m looking up the painting).

Dead Man’s Hand Photos

Dead Man’s Hand

LH as Server

SB remarked that there.s a neat effect with the server: her eyes follow you across the room no matter which angle you.re looking at the painting from. With the other characters, the eyes lock in if you.re standing in front of the painting. The painting is from the point of view of the gunman (who is himself not visible). It.s probably the smallest thing that creates the effect: a thin line in how the eye is drawn or just how the angles all converge together.

Lucy

Here.s TS and GP.s husky, Lucy. Sleeping away just like in real life! Lucy is the best dog ever! They were all visiting a month ago. Every night, Lucy would do her rounds to make sure everyone is okay. So around 2 or 3 in the morning, you.d hear her get up, pitter patter up to everyone, give them a sniff and a lick in the face, and then go back to bed. I like that–a pet who earns her keep! TS is saying it.s a husky ‘pack’ thing to make sure the other members are okay b/c they work in some cold and harsh environments.

Here.s gambler #3. The red from the baseball cap adds a splash of colour to the painting. The protective gesture wasn.t in the original photographs but SB improvised a shot of Oz adjusting his cap to come up with the gesture. His back is also off the back of the chair to give that feeling of surprise.

Here.s gambler #2. SB was saying that some faces are difficult to draw and other faces are a delight to draw. Of all the faces in The Dead Man’s Hand, she found this one to be a pure delight: however she drew, it would look like the model. I wonder why that is? Mmmm, the cigar looks good too.

Gambler #1

Gambler #1 wasn.t from the photo shoot. He.s a composite of various images from the internet. Originally Gambler #1 was cast as the ‘cool & relaxed’ guy. But this didn.t really work out when the painting was coming together. The chips dropping out of his hand implying motion is a touch I like.

Customer

Photographer MR handed the camera controls to artist SB so that he could partake in the photo. Him and C were the two models in the photo shoot with acting experience and it really showed. To pose in front of a camera without acting experience is actually really hard!–you have to stay still and it doesn.t quite feel natural. Kudos to SB for capturing a high level of detail in this face: it was more difficult because the customer is further back than the gamblers.

Here is one of the owner.s of Cenote.s posing as himself: the bartender!

And here I am as Wild Bill Hickok holding the dead man’s hand: a pair of black aces on eights! The large pile of poker chips in front of me is the consolation prize for what.s going to happen in the next couple of seconds: BANG!

Thank you to everyone who turned out to the shoot and Cenote Lounge (where the beer is cold and the Cenote dogs are hot) for hosting the event! Kudos to photographer MR who ran the photo shoot. And congratulations to artist SB for putting it all together!

Until next time, I.m Edwin Wong and I.m enjoying the fruits of Doing Melpomene’s Work.

Dead Man’s Hand – The Artist’s Studio

Paid a visit yesterday to assiduous artist SB at her studio. She.s flying back to Brazil next week so that means that the Dead Man’s Hand cover illustration is going to be done real soon! Not only can she paint, she.s also a damn fine cook! Also there to enjoy her Melanzane alla parmiggiana (fried eggplants layered with meat and tomato sauce, basil, cheese, and on top a crust made with eggs and more cheese) was cameraman extraordinaire MR (who took care of photo shoot duties at the Cenote Lounge) and their significant others, R and M. It was fun to watch the artist showing off her creation and listening to everyone.s feedback.

Dead Man’s Hand Status

The last blog on the status of the cover illustration was last week. At that stage, all the individual sketches had been approved as well as the global layout for where everyone was going to be situated. Actually, the gambler on the left didn.t quite fit. He had originally been cast as the ‘cool gambler but as the picture progressed, it seemed better if all the characters exhibited a degree of surprise to maintain the unity of the theme (i.e. the unexpected). Since all the models sitting in that position had been playing the ‘cool’ role, this means that we had to find an unsuspecting model from the internet to fill the role on a last second basis. Also (since some of us are cigar aficionados) the decision was made to place an ashtray by the dead man’s hand poker combination to draw attention to it with a wispy trail of smoke.

In chronological sequence, here.s how things shaped up in the last week.

Dead Man’s Hand – Outline

The Photoshop image was printed out in a line format (outline mode) onto a full scale reproduction. From there, SB placed it on top of the watercolour paper with a carbon sheet in between and traced it out. Eagle-eyed readers might be able to see the outline of the characters on the carbon sheet:

Dead Man’s Hand – Carbon

And really assiduous readers will be able to tell that some stuff moved around after the carbon transfer as well!–the table, Lucy (the husky), and the door have all moved to the left. Compare it with the photos below. This was done to increase the sense of perceived space and line up the poker hand I.m holding with the door.

Here.s the finished outline on the watercolour paper:

Dead Man’s Hand – Outline

Next comes colour!–

Dead Man’s Hand – Colour

What comes after that? If you said ‘more colour’ you win!–

Dead Man’s Hand – More Colour

This pretty much is where the drawing was as of yesterday. Have you ever wondered how an artist.s studio looks while they.re working away?

SB.s Studio

When I got there, she had some incense lit at her workstation. Light is natural from the south facing window. It.s hard to see from the photographs, but the painting is a good size and the size looks impressive in person. You can get an idea of the size from the scale of the chair or the coffee cup, but it doesn.t do justice to actually seeing it.

Here.s the artist.s apparatus:

Watercolours

What.s next, you ask? The eyes aren.t put on yet. This gives the characters that timeless look of Grecian statues, which is sort of cool as well, though!

I hoped you.ve enjoyed what is probably the second (or maybe third) to last blog on the Dead Man’s Hand cover illustration (things always go on longer than anticipated: I used to be an estimator for a construction firm in a past life). Meeting up for a celebratory dinner at my place next Sunday to wish SB and R a safe trip to Brazil and to wrap the project up. Thanks for tuning in, I hope you.ve enjoyed seeing the painting coming together as much as I have!

Until next time, I.m Edwin Wong and I should get cracking at Doing Melpomene’s Work if the cover illustration is almost complete!

Cards in Art

Assiduous artist SB is now transferring the Dead Man’s Hand cover illustration onto the watercolour paper. Boy it sure looks good!–

Dead Man’s Hand Photoshop Final

I like the sense of space. Not too busy. The chips dropping out of the left gambler.s right hand herald the arrival of an unexpected guest. The cards arranged in the dead man’s hand occupy the focal point. That we dared to go with a full contemporary setting impresses me. So often, it seems that the urge to go with period dress from some other time seems like the right thing to do. But I think as a piece of art ages, part of its appeal will lie in how it captures how the people in the time it was created appeared and dressed, the furniture that they used, the types of venues they would frequent.

I think that.s one of the difficulties in doing crucifixion or religious scenes today. So many masters in the Renaissance tried their hand at them that they.ve sort of crystallized how these scenes should look in our minds: Jesus and his cohorts dress in Renaissance clothing and sport Renaissance hairdos and fashions. It is like trying to write a play in blank verse today. It.s almost impossible since the influence of Shakespeare is so strong that you.d end up just doing a poor imitation of the Bard. That.s what I like about the 20th century Canadian painter William Kurelek: he has the audacity to clothe the characters in his religious settings in modern garb. Here.s his Who is She that Cometh Forth as the Morning Riseth? And it works. The religious feeling is perhaps even amplified because the characters and architecture appear contemporary. They feel closer:

Detail from Kurelek Who is She that Cometh Forth as the Morning Riseth?

I thought I.d share a special treat with diligent readers today. In the book Poker Wit and Wisdom by Jerome and Dickson, there.s a top 10 list of playing cards in high art. To get an idea of what.s being accomplishing with the Dead Man’s Hand, it.s useful to take a look at how past masters have depicted cards.

First up is Raftsmen Playing Cards by George Caleb Bingham (1847):

Raftsmen Playing Cards

Are they sitting on a pier or a large raft?–can.t see the feet of the fellow on the left. How attention is drawn to the cards is that they occupy the horizontal centre of the painting, 1/3 up from the bottom. The islands in the distance provide a natural frame to draw attention to the card players. A more honest game than some of the ones coming up.

Number two is Soldiers Playing Cards and Dice (The Cheats) by Valentin de Boulogne (1620-1622):

Soldiers Playing Cards and Dice

This painting captures the psychology of the gamblers well. Notice how mesmerized they are by the impenetrable uncertainty in the dice and the cards.

Here.s number three. The Cardsharps by Caravaggio (1596):

Cardsharps

Hey what do you know?–one can look naive and expectant but be cheating at the same time! And the other players should be focussed less on the uncertainty in their hand to focus more on the stray hand of the cheater! Incidentally, the philosopher Ian Hacking used this painting to grace the cover of The Emergence of Probability.

Number four is actually a whole bunch: the House of Cards series by Jean-Simeon Chardin (1736-1737):

House of Cards

The delicateness of the models and the fact that they are building a houses of cards–the most unstable of structures–is what defines this series. There is no ominous sense in these pictures but the instabilities of the models and their buildings would suggest otherwise. It would be a fun experiment to see what sort of effect could be generated by making a house of cards with the dead man’s hand.

Number five is none other than Guardroom with Soldiers Playing Cards by Jacob Duck (1620-1660):

Guardroom with Soldiers Playing Cards

What better way to stay awake for a long watch! The stillness of the watch is amplified by the sparseness of the setting and the dull colour tones.

Number six is Glass of Beer and Playing Cards by Juan Gris (1913):

Glass of Beer and Playing Cards

I think I see a card with some clubs on it and a rather frothy looking beer. Oh wait, there.s a card with some hearts too. Not sure what to make of it, but the orange tiles are a warm and inviting colour. More information please!

Onto number seven. Here we have Scene in a Gaming House from A Rake’s Progress by William Hogarth (1732-1734):

A Rake’s Progress

What a busy den of iniquity! But maybe the rake is doing well?–he looks like he.s having a He-Man moment, you know the one when he pulls out his sword and says: ‘By the power of Greyskull!’.

Number eight is The Card Players by Pieter de Hooch (1663-1665):

The Card Players

It looks like the cards are a prelude for a different sort of a game! Do you think de Hooch should have used a different colour for the skirt for the lady by the window?–her skirt melds into the drapes/table/wall leaving her legless!

Number nine is A Woman Playing Cards with Two Peasants by Hendrick Sorgh (1644):

A Woman Playing Cards with Two Peasants

I like how the relaxed looking duck looks almost anthropomorphic. Lots of opportunities for painters to capture human psychology in these card portraits: here there is self-loathing, mischievous delight, and the winner going in for the spoils. What.s that that she.s won?–a jug of milk?

And number ten is also called The Card Players, but this time by Henri de Toulouse Lautrec (1893):

The Card Players

Everything looks very soft from the array of couches to the cushion/table between them to their flowing robes. I wonder what the preoccupation with red is in this era? Maybe a reaction to all the dull colours in the paintings from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?

There you have it, ten + one masterpieces! Ten established paintings and one emerging masterpiece. One thing is interesting: a lot of paintings from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. During this time, Pascal, Cardano, Tartaglia, and others were laying the basis for the science of probability using dice and card games. The fascination with risk and chance on the human mind seem to be an especial focus for paintings from that era.

Until next time, I.m Edwin Wong and risk, uncertainty, and cards are the tools for Doing Melpomene’s Work.

Dead Man’s Hand Newsflash

Artist extraordinaire SB has been busy in Photoshop composing the Dead Man’s Hand. Last week the discussion was on how to increase the sense of space in the rough draft and how to increase the sense that something unexpected was about to happen. To diligent readers jumping aboard the story now, the Dead Man’s Hand is the cover illustration for my upcoming title Paying Melpomene’s Price. The dead man’s hand is a poker hand (pair aces on eights) which stands in as a visual analogue of the unexpected because that.s the hand Wild Bill Hickok held when he was unexpectedly shot! It.s a fitting illustration because one of the central themes explored in Paying Melpomene’s Price is the disproportionately large effect the unexpected can have on the best laid plans of mice and men. Here.s the sketch before the brainstorming session:

Dead Man’s Hand BEFORE

Bringing the Dead Man’s Hand Together

A good start! We wanted to do a couple of things to make it even better: 1) focus more attention onto the poker hand, 2) increase the sense of space, and 3) make it more obvious that something really bad is going to go down.

So the construction crew came in and busted down the bookshelf on the right wall, a table was added in the back right corner to suggest that the space extends to the right, a barstool was placed in the front left corner also to suggest that the space extends towards the viewer, the table was flipped 90 degrees, the staff door moved and left open (to generate space receding into the distance, and the sleepy husky was moved further into the background.

Results

Here.s how it looks now:

Dead Man’s Hand AFTER

Here are the details:

Bartender

Wild Bill Hickok

Go Ahead, Make My Day

Poker Player #1

Poker Player #2

Poker Player #3

Server

The changes look bang on! The gambler on the right holding his hand in a protective gesture really adds to the suspense. The space is nice too as it allows the eye to wander around. Moving the dog to the back also concentrates the action in the front and makes the action more concentrated, as the dog is having a snooze.

What.s Next

At some point, the Dead Man’s Hand is going to get transferred from Photoshop into a real watercolour painting. The creative team.s going to get together for another session in the next few days and talk about the gambler on the left and the bartender. Originally the gambler on the left was cast as the ‘cool’ guy, but contextually, it might work better for him to express some form of surprise. Same with the bartender. The only character not looking surprised is the ‘make my day’ barstool guy. But with the scowl, it sort of works even better for the overall tension of the piece: it give it more of an ominous edge.

There you have it! I hope the Dead Man’s Hand is coming together to your satisfaction! Until next time, I.m Edwin Wong and I have been Doing Melpomene’s Work.

Dead Man’s Hand Photo Shoot

It.s done! The Dead Man’s Hand photo shoot took place at the Cenote Lounge last Sunday. To all the assiduous readers, here.s a few photos and happy memories from the event. Although the Dead Man.s Hand is a spooky idea, the photo shoot was anything but!

Here.s me slaving away getting all the props together the night before:

Dead Man’s Hand Props

Because none of the roles were preassigned (except Wild Bill), I wrote up cue cards for all the different roles:

Dead Man’s Hand Action Cue Cards

Also had to make sure the dead man’s hand was in the deck of cards: pair aces on eights with the Queen of Clubs as the kicker card:

Dead Man’s Hand-The Cards

Here.s ‘Wild Bill’ holding the dead man’s hand:

Holding the Dead Man’s Hand

Clockwise from the right, here.s R, EA, OZ, and EW posing as poker players. The lighting is just perfect. No need for the special photography lamps. We had to hold still for expert photographer MR to get all the shots. From what I could understand, he would take a photo of the group and then follow up with individual shots of the gamblers’ expressions. As MR lines up the photos, artist SB provides feedback. The intent is for SB to create the watercolour painting from the photographs so the communication between photographer and artist is crucial.

Gambler Group #1

Clockwise from right here.s the second gambler group: MT, CK, LH, and EW. Having two gambler groups gives assiduous artist SB more options for the look she wants to achieve.

Gambler Group #2

Besides the gamblers, the illustration also calls for a server, bartender, and barstool customer. LH nails down the surprised expression in playing the server. Hollywood lost a bright talent when LH decided to go in a different direction!–

LH as Server

And in the final shot, Cenote co-owner S got into the action by playing himself (bartender). Perfect: he.s got a classic 90s punk ‘Open Up Your Mouth and Say SNFU’ shirt! Photographer MR also hands off the camera to SB so he can get into the action as well. Here he is with the bartender doing a damn fine Clint Eastwood impression. Make my day!–

S and MR as Bartender and Barstool Customer

We had allowed an hour and a half for the shoot. Actual time was closer to an hour. With the great team we had, things went quickly. Everyone is all smiles after the shoot wraps up. Here EA is helping me take down the food orders. I had originally started writing down everyone.s orders on the little notepad but boy it is really hard to write all those words on a wretched little square of paper! It turns out EA had been a waitress many years ago so I.m glad she offered a hand!

Relaxing Post Shoot

And of course since we are all full of smiles we took a group photo for the blog at the entrance of Cenote. Damn you guys look like stars!

Dead Man’s Hand Group Photo

THANK YOU to everyone for making this happen! To S, thank you for opening up Cenote early and letting us have access to the space. The tasty Cenote dogs sure hit the spot afterwards. I will have to incorporate them into my routine! To OZ and CR, thank you for making it down while 8 months pregnant and on move day as well! Can.t wait to hear the good news and to hear the name you guys decided on. To Ei: enjoy the cards, don.t worry I let your mom know the odds of pulling out the dead man’s hand is actually 1 in 2.5 million! Just make sure you shuffle well and you will do just fine! To C the Great, thank you for helping out on such short notice. Good luck on the Whitehorse adventure and I want to hear more about it before you guys take off! To LH, I.m sure glad you were able to come down–we.ve been discussing the idea of this shoot on our runs for such a long time that you know more about it than I do. It was terribly nervous for me on shoot day, but when I heard you explaining to the other folks the idea behind the shoot so well, it totally calmed me down! To R, thank you for taking part in the shoot and an even bigger thank you to sharing the secret of the Brazilian BBQ with us later on. You are the BBQ god and we will carry on the tradition of expert steak making! To MT, thank you for helping out at the shoot. Even though I.ve left the construction industry, that I can count on you means more to me than ever. It.s going to be time soon for us to catch a show again soon! To EA, thank you for agreeing to come out on short notice and sharing the mighty Jeep Wrangler story. Synchronicity, what more can I say!–while you were buying the Jeep I was blogging about old times. But let.s make a meaningful coincidence happen sooner this time!

And finally, none of this would have happened without the efforts of diligent photographer MR and artist SB. Kudos to them for taking on a challenging commission from an unknown patron. To capture all the flashing thoughts and feelings in that split second after being surprised but before the conscious mind grasps what is going on is a serious challenge. They are capturing the moment between states like the moment liquid is flashing into steam but is not yet steam. But from what I can see, if anyone.s going to be able to do it, it.s going to be MR and SB.

There you have it! Until next time, I.m Edwin Wong and because I held the dead man’s hand and lived to tell the tale, I will continue to be Doing Melpomene’s Work.

Staging the Dead Man’s Hand

Dead Man’s Hand Photo Shoot

This is it! Photo shoot coming up at the Cenote Lounge Sunday, May 31st 2:30-4 with appys and drinks on the house afterwards. The Cenote Lounge is next to the Odeon Theatre and down a flight of stairs. Thank you to the owner for opening up a few hours early so that we can do the shoot. And thank you also to all the volunteers who are taking a big chunk out of their Sunday afternoon to help out. Don.t worry, it.s time well spent: when the book on tragic art theory sells ten million copies, you will be a star!

Not sure what I.ll wear to the shoot, thinking about trousers with collared shirt, no jacket no tie. But jeans and t-shirt would be equally appropriate. LH is thinking about wearing classic black dress and word is MR is going to break out the mighty cowboy boots and hat. Baseball caps (might work out well with poker brim) and bow ties have been mentioned. To me, best fit for the shoot would be something that is your style in a subdued colour. The centrepiece of the painting is the dead man’s hand and people.s astonished reactions to the loud entrance. Lots of options for attire.

There.s a cap of 10 people, we.re at 10 adults and one child (understandably the owner isn.t looking for the restaurant to be overrun!). Of the adults, 3 women and 7 men. Had wanted balanced numbers but couldn.t get it to go this time. Here.s the roll call:

1 LH

2 MT

3 Es

4 OZ

5 CR

6 Ei

7 MR

8 DR

9 SB

10 Ro

11 EW

I hope everyone can come, it.s going to be a blast! But if something comes up (which is the way of the world), please drop me a line so I can fill the spot.

Dead Man’s Hand Cue Cards

What.s everyones’ roles during the shoot? Good question! The talented artistic team nailed it down last night at Cenote over a few cold ones. Thank you to SB, MR, and Ro for their enthusiastic input. There.s seven roles. Everyone can play as many roles as they like: nice thing about digital photography, we can take lots of shots and select the best afterwards. I.ll have little cue cards made up for the day of the shoot so as you rotate into different roles you.ll can see what that character is up to. The backstory is that Wild Bill Hickok is playing poker with his back to the entrance, pulls out the dead man’s hand (pair of aces on eights). At that moment, the gunman enters and shoots him in the back of the head. The moral of the story is never to underestimate the unexpected. The dead man’s hand is the visual representation of the unexpected that.s made its way into common folklore (i.e. Dylan has a song about it, Motorhead sings about it, and so on).

Here are the roles:

Dead Man’s Hand Concept Sketch

1 Bartender. Action: cleaning a mug, looking at gunman apprehensively. Thoughts: ‘Something bad is about to happen (but I.m not sure what quite yet)’. Personality type: experienced, seen it all.

2 Barstool customer. Action: turning head slightly towards gunman, looking with corner of his eye. Smoking cigar. Thoughts: ‘Make my day!’. Personality type: ornery, not impressed with what.s about to happen.

3 Server. Action: walking into kitchen, startled by sound of gunman entering, contorts body/head to look, carrying tray. Thoughts: ‘Shit!’. Personality type: easily frightened.

4 Gambler #1. Action: playing with poker chips, arm on chair, disinterested smirk. Thoughts: ‘Hmmmmm’. Personality type: cool, indifferent

5 Gambler #2 Action: hand on table, tilting body, about to get up, looking directly at gunman. Thoughts: ‘Shit!’. Personality type: interested in self-preservation.

6 Gambler #3 Action: focussed on game, turns to gunman with poker face. Thoughts: ‘A distraction to the game of poker’. Personality: stoic.

7 Dog: Action: sleeping, perks up ear.

8 Wild Bill Hickok: Action: startled, about to turn around. Thoughts: ‘Damn I shouldn.t have sat with my back to the door’. Personality: grizzled

There you have it. Comments and suggestions by assiduous readers always appreciated and welcome!

Until the Sunday shoot, I.m Edwin Wong and I am always thinking of ways of Doing Melpomene’s Work.

Lights, Cameras, ART!–The Dead Man’s Hand

WILD BILL HOLDING THE DEAD MAN’S HAND

Here we go, starting to come together! Diligent artist SB has drawn up the concept sketch of the Dead Man’s Hand. Here.s what it looks like:

Dead Man’s Hand Concept Sketch

Here.s a list of things that came into my head. Here.s a cut and paste of the email I sent back to SB:

Hi SB,

Good stuff! I like the back wall with staff door and the black swans all nice and discreet. Let me throw some ideas out there, see what you guys think:

-does the gunman enter on the left of the picture (bar side), centre, or right (dog side)?

-how could we create the illusion of more space? For example, could back wall move back 5’ or table where card players are sitting move to the right (opening up the middle)?

-which of the characters sees the gunman coming in?

-I like that the bartender is cleaning a glass, nice sense of motion. I.m wondering if there.s other ways to capture a sense of motion in the picture? For example, could the waitress be coming through the door or could one of the players be in the act of getting up or sitting down?

-would it be an effective way to draw attention to the dead man.s hand if there was a pendant light hanging over the table, something like this:

These are some of the things that jumped into my head looking at the drawing. Not sure how your guys schedules are next week, can we meet briefly to nail down the concept? Perhaps Monday or Tuesday.

Thanks,

Edwin.

Like I said in an earlier post, I.m sure appreciating a lot more all the time, energy, effort, and thought that goes into cover illustrations. Going through this has been a tremendous learning opportunity for me so far, glad to be working with a great team. Also met up with MR last night. He.s the other half of the dynamic duo behind the Dead Man’s Hand. I.ll be bringing my laptop to the photo shoot and we confirmed yesterday that his sweet Nikon camera is compatible with my MacBook Pro. I didn.t know all the technology that.s available these days (maybe it.s been out there for years!). You can tether the camera to the laptop and use the laptop screen as viewfinder. You can also control the camera.s functions right off the keyboard!-would you believe that? This will be a good feature as it will allow us all to crowd in front of the 15″ laptop screen instead of the little camera screen to see how the photos are turning out.

Wow, look at that, while I.ve been blogging away, SB has already replied!

Hi!

Great ideas!

Let me go one by one on what I think 😀

1. I think he could enter from the center, and we could cast a light/shadow of the door and the gunman entering on the floor.. so it would show like someone was coming in but without making it very clear. I was thinking of making the whole drawing from the point of view from the gunman because then the characters would be looking at who’s looking at the painting… (I’m not sure if that made sense)…

2. For more space we can just move the walls around. The last time we spoke, the idea was the make it a tiny space but that’s an easy fix! I’ll do it in the 3D room and send you some ideas. We can change the sofas and all for another table if you want, but it’d be hard to place the players more to the center/back of the room because they need to be the first thing in the drawing so the cards are bigger and you can see what hand he has.

3. For more motion, I’m thinking of making the waitress coming out from the kitchen, so she’d still be opening the door (I drew it wrong, sorry!). Also, I wanted to put a glass falling from her tray like if she got scared or something. One of the players could be sitting down, although I wouldn’t see them doing this in a poker game. What we could do is to have one of them playing with the chips, like if he was waiting for someone else’s turn.

4. I’m not sure if it’ll be necessary to have a lamp, but it could be done. I’d have to move the waitress otherwise the lamp would end up covering her face – I’ll see what I can do!

I’ll get a drawing tablet tomorrow and do some coloured previews in Photoshop, so we can have a way better idea for colours and light/shadows.

As for meeting, I’m good any day, whenever you guys can 🙂 Just let me know!

Thanks

– SB

I can see it must be a really interesting process for the artist as well when they.re doing a commission. I wonder if there.s any blogs out there written by artists who talk about their experiences working with patrons?–that.d be an interesting read.

Onwards and upwards! Until next time, I.m Edwin Wong, and I.ll be Doing Melpomene’s Work even if it involves holding the dead man’s hand!

Painting: Another Way of Doing Melpomene’s Work

Does this look like someone who.s doing Melpomene’s work?–

Well, it was and it wasn.t Melpomene’s work. But whatever it was, I did 9 hours of it today and boy am I done like dinner! Let me explain.

Diligent readers will remember the ongoing art saga of finder a cover illustrator. For those who.ve just got on board, I.ve been going to art shows (one fun one was the CNIB Eye Appeal viewing; will have to go to the auction next year for this worthy event), galleries, putting out calls for art, and looking through contacts to commission a masterpiece for the book cover. Well, it looks like the art saga is coming to a close! Tomorrow the contract between artist and patron will be signed and then WE MOVE TO PRODUCTION! The bold letters indicate my excitement. So stay tuned, dear readers: full report on all the breaking news tomorrow after the call for art is rewarded!

Was all the time spent on the call for art part of doing Melpomene’s work? Well, yes and no. Doing Melpomene’s work proper would be reading, attending plays, and, most of all, writing. But doing Melpomene’s work proper isn.t enough by itself to produce the book. Cover art is needed. In a way, then, the time spent on the call for art is part of doing Melpomene’s work. In fact, if you.re really steeped into something you believe in, it may be possible that everything you do is for the sake of the end goal.

I spent the day painting suite doors, door casings, baseboard, and the rusting iron bars that support the garage door at the condo today. The building is heritage. Originally a church, it.s been London’s Boxing Club in the 70s, Nelson’s Music in the 70s and 80s, a crazy used bookstore (the proprietor was in the process of going crazy) in the 90s, and finally it got converted into offices and a condo building in 2008. Today it.s known as the Palladian on the corner of Quadra and Pandora in the heart of the theatre and church district in downtown Victoria. Since the building is over a hundred years old (cornerstone laid in 1905), even though it.s restored, there.s a lot of work involved in the upkeep. And this work, although it is really Hephaestus’ work (is this the best term?–there was no god of trades that I know of, Hephaestus being the blacksmith is the closest to a god of general contracting) it has now been transformed into Melpomene’s work!

This is how it works: by slaving away painting and doing other repairs, I.ll be able to pay the painters to paint the Dead Man’s Hand. Paint for paint! Instead of painting the Dead Man’s Hand myself, I can paint walls and door, receive cash (which is really a universal IOU) and use the cash to pay the artists! So, to go back to the question: does this look like doing Melpomene’s work? The answer is yes, yes, and yes!

On another note, as other tenants pointed out, painting is a great workout. You.re stretching, up and down on your legs all day to dip the brush, you.re moving your arms all over the play and over your head, you.re up and down the ladder, and so on. Painting every day wouldn.t be fun. But it.s nice painting once in a while, if only to get a good workout. Vacuuming is like that too. They say cross country skiing is the ultimate all body workout. I would disagree. I would say vacuuming is the ideal workout. But where am I going with all this? One thing I.ve been thinking is: you see all the people who go to the gym. But those same people will ride the elevators and drive their cars all over town. Why not integrate fitness into all aspects of your life? Instead of driving, ride a bicycle. Then you don.t need to go on the exercise bike. Fitness is achieved by the daily round of getting around. Same with your job. Find a job where you can do different ‘exercises’ each day. Housekeeping is such a job: one day vacuuming, one day painting, another day lifting furniture around. Integrate fitness into life instead of trying to fit in a workout after a long day sitting at the desk. This way seems more ‘human’ to me. Am I on the right path?

Thank you to kind tenant M who snapped the photo of me painting for the blog. It turns out that she also blogs but not through this type of blog. She.s an amateur photographer who posts her photos onto Flickr. She.s been doing so for the last 5 years and is up to 1500 or so photos! Good for her!

Stay tuned for breaking news tomorrow on the call for art! Until next time, I.m Edwin Wong and I.ll be Doing Melpomene’s Work by doing Hephaestus’ work, painting, and God knows what!

Great Canadian Casino Trip

Two things happened yesterday. It was perfect cycling weather. And I needed some props for the the ongoing art saga. Assiduous readers will recall the Call for Art will close next week. That means it.s time to get together the props. The only playing cards here are a Japanese sumo set, a gift from MG when he was visiting in 2008. I remember the year because we were watching Phelps dominate the Olympics. Did you know that in ancient times, they used to date things by the Olympiads (e.g. in the second year after the tenth Olympiad, x event happened)? Well, that never made sense to me. But now it does. It.s a communal event everyone remembers. In that way, it has a significance that is easily communicable to other people. MG.s one of those people who went abroad after finishing university to teach English and never looked back. The sumo playing cards are beautiful: each card depicts wrestlers in the act of grappling and throwing. But for the cover illustration, I wanted something traditional, something that would call attention to the idea of the dead man.s hand without drawing attention to itself. So I needed some basic playing cards. They had some ‘Bicycle’ brand cards at London Drugs. Looking online, amazon.ca had some fancy cards. But then I thought of the View Royal Casino. Maybe they had a gaming store which would sell playing cards and poker chips?

Then it occurred to me: maybe the View Royal Casino is part of the Great Canadian Casino chain. Diligent readers will remember I had read Warren Buffet Speaks a little while ago and then assembled together a portfolio of popular brand name stocks. Great Canadian Casino, ticker GC was one of them. Well, it turns out View Royal Casino is part of the Great Canadian Casino! As a shareholder, I could go there to check out my investment! So I called and asked whether they had a casino oriented gift shop. D, who answered the phone, said they didn.t, but they had lots of playing cards, how any did I need? Well, I got greedy and I said two decks. Well, from her reaction, I thought she was expecting me to say fifty or a hundred decks. Of course, just come on down, she said, but make sure you come through the right door. The door? Which door?–I was a bit perplexed but didn.t ask for clarification. Maybe I needed to be a customer to get playing cards. Well, I had a response prepared. It would be fantastic and would go like this, ‘Er no, I.m not a customer, but I.m a shareholder, will that do?’. Yes, it.s true, I confess, I am a bit like that!

So, I waited for the day to cool down a little bit. The trip is just over ten kilometres each way. Twenty or so kilometres round trip is a perfect ride. I can go fast and not feel it the next day. And you.re not on your bike the whole day either. But you.re on the bike long enough to enjoy it. Thirty kilometres is okay as well. But forty kilometres is starting to be a long time in the saddle. So, in preparation for the trip, I adjusted the brakes (it was getting to the point where the brake lever was going all the way down to the handlebar) and adjusted the front derailleur (the chain would quite annoyingly pop off when going into the big ring sometimes). Here.s a picture of my chariot, a beautiful custom 2014 Marinoni Sportivo Ti, made right here in Canada and sold by Straight Up Cycles:

Isn.t she beautiful? I.ve lusted after a Campy Gruppo since being a kid and finally ride one!–Athena 11 in silver. The Sportive Ti was my early retirement present to myself last fall. I haven.t had a car since 2010, so I figured I could splurge. It.s likely justifiable, since my last bike (a Specialized Stumpjumper) lasted over twenty years before one of the welds gave out.

The Great Canadian Casino is just littered with slot machines. They keep the place looking nice and new as well. A cavernous interior. The slot machines adorn the fringes and in the centre of the auditorium are the tables: roulette, blackjack, poker, and so on. There.s maybe fifteen or twenty tables. It.s around dinnertime and there.s dealers at ten or eleven tables. There.s games at maybe seven tables. I talk to one of the dealers at an empty table, H. He.s been on again off again with Great Canadian for over ten years. It.s a good job; he likes the regulars. Employees also get stock options with the company. He.s just recently sold his shares because of the run up in the stock price. He tells me about the different odds for all the games, which games to play, gives me some tips (pick a game, learn it online before coming to the casino). He.s a connoisseur of gaming. I like that. When I make to go and offer to shake his hand, I discover that he.s not allowed!–but of course, I should have known!

So on my way out, I get the playing cards. That.s what D had been referring to when I called earlier: you can only get the used playing cards on your way out: you can.t bring used cards into the casino. I get it! So, after all, I didn.t get a chance to use my line, ‘But I.m a shareholder!’. But now I have the cards and am one step closer to Doing Melpomene.s Work. Bonus: here.s what they look like and I.ve even arranged out for your viewing enjoyment the infamous dead man.s hand!–

PS if they only use decks once, does anyone know where the rest of them go? Surely they go through many, many decks each night! Also ordered some find looking chips from amazon.ca. It.s all coming together! Soon, soon, soon…

Doing Melpomene's Work

Writing on the Greatest Show on Earth

Tag Archives: dead man’s hand

Dead Man’s Hand Grand Finale!

Dead Man’s Hand Photos

Dead Man’s Hand – The Artist’s Studio

Dead Man’s Hand Status

Cards in Art

Dead Man’s Hand Newsflash

Bringing the Dead Man’s Hand Together

Results

What.s Next

Dead Man’s Hand Photo Shoot

Staging the Dead Man’s Hand

Dead Man’s Hand Photo Shoot

Dead Man’s Hand Cue Cards

Lights, Cameras, ART!–The Dead Man’s Hand

WILD BILL HOLDING THE DEAD MAN’S HAND

Painting: Another Way of Doing Melpomene’s Work

Great Canadian Casino Trip