CULT OF DEATH!

Cover art that I did for Jason Thummel's THE CULT OF DEATH. It's the latest in his Lance Chambers occult mystery series.

They're great books and this one is a doozy! It has demonic possession, secret cults, guns, Federal agents, and Lance Chambers, Occult Detective, right in the middle as usual.

You can buy The Cult of Death at Amazon.com.

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

ELEMENTARY (NOT SHERLOCK)

So after some consideration I am really not impressed with ELEMENTARY, mainly because it doesn't "feel" like a Sherlock Holmes story the way that the BBC's SHERLOCK does. In many way, despite it being updated to modern times, SHERLOCK feels more authentic than, say, Guy Ritchie's big screen adaptation with Robert Downey Jr as Holmes. Even that version felt more authentic than ELEMENTARY does.

ELEMENTARY is just another US mystery/procedural. Nothing special about it. If this is Sherlock Holmes, then there really needs to be something special about him and there really isn't. Recovering addict? Meh. Seen it. The potential for sexual tension between the two leads? Obvious and old hat.

The mystery itself was a cheat. Conan Doyle's Holmes mysteries give you all the clues. If you're clever you could figure it out. The first episode cheated. The one vital clue was kept hidden until nearly the end.

Also Holmes' deductive capabilities seemed to range from elementary (pardon the pun) to supernatural. He overlooked the one vital clue that solved the mystery, but Watson spotted it. One observation that could have been deducible he admitted that he learned it from Google. Conversely his deductions about how the baseball game will turn out... sorry, bullshit unless you're psychic.

ELEMENTARY has a very high bar set for it by the BBC. I know it's only the first one out of the gate, but I'm afraid this US version doesn't come close, nor does it seem to even be trying hard enough.


I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

NOT SHERLOCK

Didn't hate it as much as I thought I would. not overly impressed. Don't care much for Lucy Liu (never did. This hasn't changed my mind).

More later. It's ice cream time.

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

ELUSIVEZOMBIE SURROUNDED!

Here's a commission I did recently for a tumblr blogger, elusivezombie. She was great to work with and was quite happy with the way it turned out and I was rather pleased with it myself. I've not had much call to paint zombies so this one was fun.

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

THE GANTLET BROTHERS

I don't think I've posted this before. It's the cover for Joel Jenkins' collection of Gantlet Brothers stories, The Gantlet Brother's Greatest Hits. I did the painting of the brothers and the very talented Damon Orrell put the broken record behind it and did the lettering. Damon's contribution made my so-so cover into something really special.

You can buy the book here. It's really good!

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

A LESSON IN SUSPENSE

Portrait of Madame X, painted in 1884, is the informal title of a portrait by John Singer Sargent of a young socialite named Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau. Madame Gautreau was an American expatriate who married a French banker, and became notorious in Parisian high society for her beauty and rumored infidelities.

As it was originally painted the portrait caused a scandal because of one shoulder strap that was off the subject's shoulder. The portrait, which, you must remember, was merely canvas and paint, was the cause of much consternation among Paris society. There were calls for Sargent to remove the painting from the exhibition.

Imagine crowds of young Parisian men gathered around the canvas in breathless anticipation of the moment when gravity does it's thing and causes Madame X's dress to fall to the floor. Of the painting one critic wrote: "One more struggle and the lady will be free". It is sexual titillation at it's most piquant and it all happens in the mind of the viewer.

Above you see the painting as it was repainted by Sargent with the strap back in its safer position. Here a photo shows the painting as it hung at the salon of '84 with the strap off her shoulder:

With Sargent repainting the strap, he successfully took much of the sting out of the painting.
To see how the painting might have looked, take a look at an altered image done by Mike Pieczonka:

To me, the whole incident is amazing and shows just how powerful a painting can be. How provocative are these images made up of an arrangement of pigments! In and of itself the object is harmless, yet what it depicts enflames desire or outrage. Whether it is a Sargent portrait or a controversial comic in a French newspaper, images have amazing power.

And yet, as Robert Crumb observed almost 100 years later "It's only lines on paper, folks!"


I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME

...so the Simple Minds sing. I have more in common with that band than just the name. Actually, no, I don't. Just the name. Never mind.

I'm still here just in case you were wondering or, more likely, had begun to forget who I was. Such is the fate of an internet presence. If it isn't updated once in a while the presence begins to fade like a ghost -- like the afterimage you get when you close your eyes.

Commissions are up, which is why you haven't seen much work here. I've produced lots of neat images, none of which I can show you just yet. I can tell you a bit about them, though. I have one which is jam packed with guns and interesting characters and arcane, occult-like symbols. I have another that features green Martian women standing off against a... well, it's big, white and covered with hair. That's all I can say. I've also done one involving armor, big guns and a... well, it's kind of a "teleport bubble" thingy... wait till you see it. It'll make sense.

I'm working on a piece right now that I will hopefully be able to show off soon if the client is happy with it. This one is fun. It's got lots of zombies in it. After that I have another action-packed cover to do. This one will be different for me as it involves a motorcycle and a train. Very exciting!

Oh! And I've joined Becca Whitaker's Happy Little Art Challenge Tumblr. My first effort is a little lame -- it's a self portrait, so what would you expect -- the subject isn't exactly riveting. But I hope to stretch some artistic muscles with future challenges. It promises to be a lot of fun and there are some fabulous artists involved, including the lovely Becca whose work I absolutely adore (and she's pretty shiny herself). You should go check it out.

And, since you've probably got the song going through your head right now (I know I do), here's Simple Minds...

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

MISCELLANEA

It's been a bit of a rough week. We've been short staffed at work and have had to step up to fill in, our internet was down for four days and now I think our fridge has quit working.

And it's only Tuesday...

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

SCREAMING METAL

So where is this series, huh? Why am I not watching this right now? When do I get to see it?

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

I LOVE THIS

Thank you, Internet. You really love me.

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

HOLLYWOOD? WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' HOLLYWOOD!

Hollywood not giving you what you want? Forget about it! Do it yourself!

Fans seem to be doing it for themselves.

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

ASYLUM OF THE DALEKS

I've come a bit late to this. I spent the weekend getting my daughter settled into University (and then trying to deal with the resultant "empty nest") that I didn't get a chance to sit down and watch the first episode of the new season until Monday night.

So many others have reviewed it so I'll just say that I mostly liked it but had some quibbles. First off, for a planet that was supposedly populated by the most wacked out, crazy Daleks filled with "such divine hatred", it seemed pretty lame. I expected a full-on Dalek madhouse but all I got was a few run down Daleks in a basement and a few in chains. I know there's only so much you can do in such a short time and the episode was pretty full, but still it was a bit of a disappointment.

Also, and this is my biggest quibble,: How did the TARDIS get into the Dalek ship at the end for the Doctor to teleport into? That whole thing wasn't explained very well at all.

I liked Oswin but I knew there would be something up with her as soon as the Doctor asked how she got the milk. The reveal at the end was not unexpected but still satisfying.

Looking forward to the next episode, as always.

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio