Burst Reach #39

Hi. It's August now, and here's where things stand as far as my life goes:

Tomorrow, August 9th, I'll be tabling at Mr. K’s Con in Johnson City at the Holiday Inn. Mr. K’s is a used bookstore, the source of a significant portion of my own library over the past 15+ years. I worked hard this week on a new Spider-Man print and a new Defining Bodies figure drawing zine that I'd meant to have finished back in June. And some sketch cards too!

On August 30th, a DIFFERENT used bookstore in Johnson City, the Book Lover’s Warehouse, is hosting a Books & Crafts Fair, and I'll be setting up there too. Proceeds from that event will be going toward a local women's organization, so it’s for a good cause!

Attending two events this month hosted by different bookstores, while working at a bookstore myself after getting let go from a printing company that I was cutting book pages for, is incredibly funny because what is this pattern my life has fallen into?

(all of this ignores the fact that my wife has been a librarian for longer than we've been together, which will be THIRTEEN YEARS later this month!)

A new Asada & Mischa strip goes up on Planet Nude this Sunday for paid subscribers, by the way. One panel includes a favorite nude photography book from my collection. Just felt like mentioning that. Non-paying folks will see it NEXT Sunday. Patreon subscribers at the $3 level or higher saw it…yesterday? Wednesday? Earlier this week, I forget.

For our anniversary, Ashley and I are seeing Clipping perform in Asheville. It'll be our third time seeing them. We'll see if I can stay chill around Daveed Diggs if I attempt to interact with him for a third time.

Oh, and I cannot forget: there's still space available for my figure drawing workshop at the Arts Depot on August 23rd! I need to go back and reread the feedback I got from my friends after Embodied Life Drawing at the library back in June to be better prepared to teach.

Speaking of figure drawing: a couple weekends back was Yard pARTy, hosted by Jocelyn Mathewes (whose Substack the tiny little high five is a lovely read!), and I hosted a short, single pose session there too! It was a delightful evening altogether, spent surrounded by other artists and people I know and love, a truly communal gathering and experience that left my heart feeling full.

A couple days later, my own figure drawing group met for our annual gathering on a private farm, and it too was a joy. I think I spent more time dancing than drawing, admittedly, but that's apparently what my body craves when nude outdoors with friends. Here’s a watercolor pen drawing of one of the farm’s owners though. I NEVER get to draw older models, so it’s always a treat when either of them pose for us!

After over a month away, I returned to my dance class this past weekend, and my schedule has worked out that I can attend next weekend as well. I am thrilled, I missed it a lot. There's talk of an upcoming show and, since I haven't performed in over a year now, I'd like to be a part of that, but we'll see how everything else falls.

I've skipped Digimon night twice in a row now, because working on art and other things I've been behind on meant having to drop SOMETHING, and well, a card game seemed like the one thing I could go without lately. What I’m more annoyed about is missing the weekly Sip & Sketch nights happening at a local cidery, hosted by another friend. The terrible storms stopped me last week and this week I was just too weary after work and had to do important adult things like switching my house insurance.

Oh yeah: Shin Godzilla is returning to theaters in 4K next week. My best friend and I just made plans to see it together. I am PUMPED for that.

And that’s it. I’m so tired and my head’s full of worries and other nonsense that I don’t feel like addressing in a newsletter right now. Take care, y’all.