Parade of Delusion

First completed piece of 2022 is here, depicting some version of an event that occurred over a year ago in 2021. This event has obviously been at the forefront of the news lately and, unlike most news these days, has actually kept our attention longer than a week after it was reported. After a whole year passed I felt like I had spent enough time thinking about the events that took place on Jan. 6th, 2021 and some of the motives that pushed people to do what they did, that I could condense my thoughts into an illustration about it. 

A lot of the narrative around this day has been getting twisted over the last year and there is a big attempt by certain news outlets and people to rewrite this day as a peaceful demonstration. A lot of this has made me think about how much of our history is distorted and altered and how a lot of this can be found in iconic works of art. The first image that immediately popped into my head was Jacques-Louis David's painting of Napoleon Crossing the Alps and I think it lent itself perfectly as a reference for this to display a false sense of bravery and heroics. Plus, after I read about the horse made of 5G energy appearing on a family's lawn I knew I had to illustrate that in some way.

This piece is me jumping back into a series I started working on during 2020 and have wanted to add to since these days are feeling very similar to the first year of the pandemic before the vaccine became readily available. the uncertainty, anxiety, and confusion is still very much a part of our daily lives and I feel like I have more to add to the series I first started as a way to process my feelings around the pandemic.

 

NYNT 14th Annual NEW YEARS BALL!

Here we go, folks! The NYNT 14th Annual New Years Ball is upon us! If you're dreaming of spending your New Years with Jonathan Toubin and co. at your favorite neighborhood bar TV EYE, I'd strongly suggest you get those tickets asap. This baby will 100% undoubtedly sell out!

Now, for some insight into my poster. After Jonathan gave me some initial direction, and I got over drawing old man faces on the baby (scroll down for another chapter in the historical struggle artists face when trying to render a baby's face) I really tried to draw something that echoed the iconic Saturday Evening Post illustrations by JC Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell...but with leather. It felt good to be working on a poster for New Years again because after that one for 2020....well, ya know.

Old man #1

Old man #2

Now it's a baby.

after getting so wrapped up in the face I completely neglected the weird arm that was forming around the champagne bottle. Very happy this one didn't slip by me. It would have haunted me.

This one felt better.

 

Black Hearts Promo

Here is a semi-recent promo illustration I made for Black Hearts, a small, cannabis cookie business operating out of Oregon. The owners mentioned they are really into a lot of the monsters I insert into my work and being located in the Pacific Northwest, they are well aware of all the crypto creature folklore of that area and they were interested in incorporating some of that into the illustration. Never turning down an opportunity to draw Bigfoot, or one of the various lake monsters that reside in a large body of water around the country, I jumped right at the job. 

It was a smooth, straight-forward job and I had a blast drawing all the various characters and trying to create this soft, mellow atmosphere out in the woods by Crater Lake. A big thanks to Trish and Noah for asking me to help them with this project and our mutual friend, DJ extraordinaire, Jonathan Toubin for putting us in touch. If you live in the PNW be sure to check them out and see where you can get some of their treats.

Process pics below

 

Showtime at The Grayhaven Motel!

Ok, folks. My show is officially up at The Grayhaven Motel in Ithaca, NY from now until Nov. 30th! The actual opening night shindig will take place on Nov. 5th from 5-8pm. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend but please swing by anyways. Opening night will be in conjunction with First Fridays in Ithaca so there'll be plenty of other shows going on in the area for you to bounce around to. 

Masks will be required while you are in the building no matter your vaccination status so please be respectful and throw one on while you're there. There are some bonus viewing hours listed on the site as well in case you can't making the opening or the afternoon viewing times. Details on all that stuff right here --> Grayhaven Motel

 More glamour shots coming later.

 

The Return of the Haunted Hop!

Jonathan Toubin's Halloween party to end all Halloween parties has returned! I've been making these Haunted Hop posters for the last 4 years and was so bummed, for many reasons, that we weren't able to make one last year. Thankfully we are back at it, and with a little twist that surely will split you in two! This year's party is divided up between 2 amazing venues: TV EYE and Trans-Pecos. Both exist within a block of each other, hence "The Nightmare on Weirfield Street".  Check the gravestones to see which of your favorite bands will be playing as their favorite band. Tickets are $10 for each venue or $20 to move between both all night.

Grab yer tickets fast because I 100% expect this baby to sell out! Scope all the details below!

 

New Prints!

 Added a couple new prints to the WEBSITE. A few people have been asking about these as prints for a few months so I finally got around and had some made up. 

Prints measure 9 x 12" with a 3/8" bleed. Printed on 110lb uncoated matte card stock. Edition of 10 for each one.

Buy one here-----------> PRINTS!

Showtime!

After putting this thing off for 18 months I am finally getting my work back up on some walls. I'll be showing some pieces I've made in and around the pandemic at the beautiful GRAYHAVEN MOTEL in Ithaca, NY at the end of the month. I've had numerous friends tell me that my work hanging at a roadside motel is very "on brand" so hopefully you will come out to this fully realized show of mine while it is up. Details below:

Phil Ashworth at The Grayhaven Motel

Oct 26th - Nov 30th

On View Fri - Sun 3pm - 7pm

Tentative opening night Fri. Nov 5th 5 - 8pm

Masks must be worn while inside the show

 

Paris, Texas

Back in July while I was teaching at Touchstone Center for Crafts I started working on this Paris, Texas triptych during our nightly open studios. I would work on them during class hours as well which would help me better communicate and demonstrate some of the ideas I was trying to share with my students. I find it a lot easier to work with the same materials as my students, instead of sitting there with my pens and inks and attempting to switch gears in my brain when trying to describe value and shading with a pencil. The first 2 drawings were completed during my week at the school and I recently wrapped up the last one around my work schedule. 

I've really been itching to get working with other materials lately. I spent years studying oil painting and ceramics around the time I was focusing primarily on drawing and illustration. it felt really good to dive back into less line work and hopefully I will be able to experiment with these other mediums a little more in the future, and possibly incorporate them into the little world I'm trying to create with my illustration work.