http://studio805.com/index.php en brenden@studio805.com Copyright 2008 2008-05-10T16:16:00-05:00 http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/jerrry_needs_no_help_playing_ball/ http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/jerrry_needs_no_help_playing_ball/#When:16:16:00Z OK, this is just adorable. What a great way to give your puppy exercise when you aren’t home. I need one of these for my puppies!  2008-05-10T16:16:00-05:00 http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/aids_walk_20081/ http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/aids_walk_20081/#When:21:57:00Z I donate originals of my work each year to ARS (AIDS Response Seacoast) and have been doing so for about 5 years now. It means a lot to give back to the community and to help out those who are less fortunate. We all need love and kindness and support. Today I received a very touching email from a dear friend of mine and I wanted to share it with everyone. If at all possible it would mean a lot to me, as well as, Richard and everyone from ARS if you could join in on the walk, donate or both. Thanks for taking the time to read this great letter… Brenden, April 18th, 2008 “ I can still hear your raspy voice; Your humor I remembered, at odds with your beautiful giving spirit: Self sacrificing, in a solemn promise, never again, if in your power you can; and did rebel from norm, pained intrusions placed in your solitude.” This is an excerpt from Valentino Alba tribute to Richard Cotter II, who died recently at the young age of 40. Richard was full of life and Valentino captured Richard’s joie de vie, instantly. I miss Richard every day and have learned how much someone must endure living with HIV every waking moment in pain, like Richard. HIV is very close to my heart for many reasons. I advocate for those who are not so lucky and who struggle, like Richard, every day to access services like medical care, insurance, transportation and everyday tasks that we all take for granted. AIDS Response Seacoast (ARS), the Frannie Peabody Center in Maine and many other AIDS Service Organizations confront men like Richard, as well as women, children and young adults. As funding is cut dramatically each year, fund raising efforts, such as the AIDS Walk, help meet the goals of these life-saving agencies. This year, Maine and New Hampshire will walk together on May 4th. With your financial help, we all can give hope to those people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in the Seacoast area. I am once again asking you to sponsor me this year, as I have in the past. Whether it is $5, $50 or $500, every dollar counts. I hope that I can reach my goal this year with your help. You can either send me a check, payable to ARS, or donate on line at http://AIDSresponse.kintera.org/faf/home. All proceeds this year will be matched by the National AIDS Fund and the Elton John Foundation. This will increase our fund raising efforts. As I say each year, I will continue to walk for those who are unable and fight this virus until I can’t fight any longer. Thank you for your love and support. Richard Richard Leigh POB 573 York Harbor, ME 03911 2008-04-20T21:57:00-05:00 http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/whats_on_the_easel/ http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/whats_on_the_easel/#When:22:28:00Z Green Recliner is what’s currently on my easel. It’s a 18X24” oil on gallery stretched canvas. The piece reminds me a lot of how I used to bend perspectives in college. I always wanted to capture a unique angle that made the viewer think differently about the subject.  I normally don’t paint the penis only because I like to bring a clear sense of mystery and sensuality to my paintings without “giving it all away”. The imagination is very powerful and if I am able to give the viewer the opportunity to view my work and get them to think about what they were seeing, I feel I’ve given exactly what I intended to. 2008-04-19T22:28:00-05:00 http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/on_the_drawing_board1/ http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/on_the_drawing_board1/#When:21:24:00Z Inherent Existence is what’s on the drawing board. It’s another reflection on the power of how a look can make you feel. The piece of the soul and the energy that can’t lie; the eyes.  It’s a real passion of mine to capture the essence of a man with their eyes. It’s always been a soft spot of mine or a weakness per say but it’s a goal to always give tribute the passion behind the eyes. --- UPDATE ---- Here’s an update to how the watercolor is coming along. The hair is a bit longer with this guy and I’m having a blast weaving the deep rich indigo blue mixed with an Alizarin Crimson to give a perfect combination and overall mood of the piece. 2008-04-18T21:24:00-05:00 http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/there_are_way_too_many_distractions/ http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/there_are_way_too_many_distractions/#When:21:10:02Z I have to admit, I am so disappointed in the debate on ABC last night. I didn’t understand why the questions were being asked, were being asked. I felt that Moveon.org and I thought it was brilliant how they pulled the highlights together and captured the overall tone of the debate. Everything the two moderators said was a distraction from the REAL issues facing this country. This country is on a path of destruction and people are in need of leader who can bring hope for the future. I am not a fan of ABC anyways and think the Gibson should retire. He might be getting ratings, I just don’t like his style. Seriously. 2008-04-18T21:10:02-05:00 http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/on_the_drawing_board/ http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/on_the_drawing_board/#When:18:30:01Z Misconception is my latest watercolor on the drawing table. Ever had a moment where you felt that everything you did meant nothing? Or those times when a wrong look might mean the end of a conversation? How about the look that captures every molecule of your senses and you aren’t able to think of anything else? We’ve all had one or all of these types of moments. Care to share? Here’s an update. The piece is coming along just the way I expected and wanted. Deep, rich entrancing eyes with a thousand thoughts behind them. 2008-04-17T18:30:01-05:00 http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/apple_makes_it_to_maine/ http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/apple_makes_it_to_maine/#When:17:17:00Z If you are an Apple fanatic as I am and you live in Maine, you will be very excited to know that Mac is prepping to open it’s first store in the state! Even though I buy all my equipment online, I love visiting Mac stores and actually getting to touch all their products. The stores and more importantly Apple products are incredible and PC can’t hold a candle to the quality. Mac rocks! “Now Mainers should prepare to get in line. Apple appears to be on the verge of opening its first retail store in Maine this year,” Ellis reports. I am so excited! YAY! Report taken from: http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/17008/ 2008-04-17T17:17:00-05:00 http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/redneck_outfit/ http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/redneck_outfit/#When:14:58:00Z FINALLY, OVERALLS THAT FIT! Just ask for the ‘ TENNESSEE CUT’ From time to time I still get forwarded emails. ug. 9 times out of 10 I just delete them and wonder why people STILL do that! Most of my friends know not to send me forwarded jokes and luckily I have friends that don’t like forwarded emails as well. The couple that I do read sometimes make me laugh, but most just make me think, “Why is this funny?” or “This person has way too much time on their hands.” So, with that said, I got forwarded this email today and decided to ask, “Do you think is funny?” and if so, why? I personally don’t find most of it funny and even think that it’s a bit offensive. I suppose some might think that I might even be a redneck since I live in rural Maine. Although, if people really knew where I lived, they would know that I have everything that I need. The gym, fast food, good grocery stores even a Starbucks! Look in my back yard or just down the street and you’ll find acres and acres of farm land with grazing cows, wandering chickens and working horses are steps away. So I have the best of all worlds. Brand new edition of...’You know you’re a redneck when...... You take your dog for a walk and you both use the same tree. You can entertain yourself for more than 15 minutes with a fly swatter. Your boat has not left the driveway in 15 years. You burn your yard rather than mow it. You think ‘The Nutcracker’ is a vice on the work bench. The Salvation Army declines your furniture. You offer to give someone the shirt off your back and they don’t want it. You have the local taxidermist on speed dial. You come back from the dump with more than you took. You keep a can of Raid on the kitchen table. Your wife can climb a tree faster than your cat. Your grandmother has ‘ammo’ on her Christmas list. You keep flea and tick soap in the shower. You’ve been involved in a custody fight over a hunting dog. You go to the stock car races and don’t need a program. You know how many bales of hay your car will hold. You have a rag for a gas cap. Your house doesn’t have curtains, but your truck does. You wonder how service stations keep their rest-rooms so clean. You can spit without opening your mouth. You consider your license plate personalized because your father made it. Your lifetime goal is to own a fireworks stand. You have a complete set of salad bowls and they all say ‘Cool Whip’ on the side. The biggest city you’ve ever been to is Wal-Mart. Your working TV sits on top of your non-working TV. You’ve used your ironing board as a buffet table. A tornado hits your neighborhood and does $100,000 worth of improvements. You’ve used a toilet brush to scratch your back. You missed your 5th grade graduation because you were on jury duty. You think fast food is hitting a deer at 65. What are your thoughts? 2008-04-17T14:58:00-05:00 http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/john_mccain_is_just_another_bush/ http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/john_mccain_is_just_another_bush/#When:11:26:00Z Courtesy of Moveon.org I can’t ponder the thought of another four to eight to who knows how many years of war. It’s heartbreaking to hear the news every day and seeing the death count increase one by one. It’s almost as if most reporters have become complacent to death. It’s really taken it’s toll on this country and the world. To know all that we do and to keep the killing and violence going is such an insult to those who know that we are there on false pretenses and lies. Protests give us the legal right to speak our minds and to allow us the opportunity for our voices to be heard. Now even that is restricted by “allowing” us protest free zones.  There are a lot of political ads running out there but very few actually make it to television. I have found that the best ads are found on the web and ones that really show a different and objective side to what is censored station by station. The ad below is one that recently caught my attention. It clearly shows that McCain plans to keep the war going. Electing him is a scary thought I believe in self-defense, but not based on lies. I firmly believe in diplomatic actions over and over again before any physical defense is shown. Violence breeds violence. What are your thoughts? 2008-04-17T11:26:00-05:00 http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/weekend_with_my_nieces/ http://studio805.com/index.php/newsite/weekend_with_my_nieces/#When:13:22:00Z It’s always a blast to have my two nieces over. They refresh my creativity in ways that no book, model or school could ever. They have such joy in expression and bring a sense of happiness when I am around them that translates to my work. We paint, craft and make silly movies that for Christmas we use to make a DVD for the family. It always brings smiles to my family’s face and it’s a real treasure to look back years from now to see how much they’ve grown. The next big move is to publish the movies on YOUTUBE. Our favorite genre is comedy/horror. They love creating characters with costumes and sometimes make-up. Both at this point want to be artists when they grow up. I think I had a little to do with that. It may be a sign of favoritism but both are very talented in drawing. 2008-04-13T13:22:00-05:00