Rob Dunlavey - The Situation Room

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The Situation Room

posted:May 9, 2011

Here is the reverse side view of a painting in my sketchbook. I persevered or persevorated and finally perforated the paper to try to breath a little life into it. (I think I originally painted it in front of the TV while watching the Red Sox in their glory early this season). It just sat there like an indifferent lump. It nagged me. I can't just let crap sit there sucking the life out of the sketchbook. I will obliterate something to transfuse some life into the paper. In this case, I pumped up the black and then cut holes in it and was marveling at the effect when it was backlit. It sort of faded in and out. Cool!

Here's the front side with windows cut out and light from behind. It's like a paper theater now or an Advent calendar.

Whose window is that? Sleeping Beauty? Osama bin Laden?

I like the theatrical quality that is suddenly in the building. Can lover boy or the Navy SEALs be far away?

A prosperous pointy prince seeks his beloved and bewitching Princess Pat 'neath her stately pleasure dome!

But why the title "The Situation Room"? Well, I am artist and I make pictures. Lately, I've not been a good illustrator. Why this heresy? Because right now, the pictures come first. This is what matters the absolute most to me. But, to confuse things somewhat, my Art look a whole lot like Illustration. Illustrations for children's books. And these beguiling projects have Beginnings, Middles, and Ends. But alas, I have only Middles. Rather, I have a lot of suggestive situations and stories made of captions.
I do have some picture book dummies and they are circulating (or twiddling their thumbs probably ) within the palaces of publishing. But what I have in abundance are situations. Every day: more lovely Situations! Lots of Middles but fewer Beginnings and Endings. So there you have it (not that you asked!)
Back to work!