The Atlanta Prison Farm, haunted?

A group of friends and myself went to The Atlanta Prison Farm a month or so ago to shoot photos.

Inmates at this facility, who served sentences for ordinance and traffic offenses, were routinely assigned to farming, livestock, cannery and dairy operation details. This enabled the detainees to benefit from vocational training and contribute to their sustenance. The 77-year old prison farm, though effective in the past, became too inefficient to manage the change in the detainee population and was consequently closed forever in 1985.

I ran across a group of folks called The Lost Research Society. They went to the prison at night to measure paranormal activity. Is it haunted? You tell me.

Help others

I grew up kinda poor, but this young woman gives that a whole new meaning.

"Her eyes well up with tears, but she doesn't allow them to fall, quickly wiping them away and biting her thumb like the vulnerable child that she is.

She prays everyday, I say 'God take me out of this poverty and have my father go work so I can go to school.

She dreams of being a teacher and for three hours a day she gets to be a little girl with big dreams."

Reading things like this make me realize how great I have it. Remember to help others as much as you can.

ObamaBats

ObamaBats: A collection of 24 high-quality dingbats featuring Barack Obama and various design elements! This collection is completely free for download, upload, distribution, use and modification. Use these dingbats to start creating your own Obama paraphernalia today!

The Moment Obama was Elected

This is the moment that Barack Obama was declared the winner of the 2008 US Presidential Election by CNN, at his rally in Grant Park, Chicago.

Awesome!

OBAMA!

CHANGE!

A few of my favorite quotes from last night:

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."

"I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause."

"To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow."

"This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can."

I am so excited..

Etsy + Me = Painting for sale!

I just listed one of my paintings for sale on Etsy.

Description

36" x 36", oil + spray paint on canvas
1.5" thick frame (edges are painted red, so it looks really nice from all sides)
Very good quality frame

This painting is in perfect shape. I am selling to make space for new things I am working on.

This is an original painting of mine.

Check it out.

Interested? Email me.

Obama

Obama doubles lead in Colorado! Educate yourself. Vote for OBAMA! We need change.

Less is more

I ran across this today. I do agree that people don't need to be so caught up over the idea of "bigger is better".

Downsizing to 100 square feet of bliss.

What do you think?

Jay Buck

There is some great old footage on AHS of Jay Buck. I remember when they were filming this. RIP my friend.

The secret’s out — East Point is in!

A really interesting article about my ATL hood.. Here are a few quotes..

"There’s a common thread to the stories of how many homeowners came to live in East Point, inside the Perimeter on Atlanta’s southside. Many discover it by accident and report a happy ending that includes affordable homes, friendly neighbors and a convenient location.

The biggest change is that the town of about 42,000 was discovered by folks such as the Bennetts, who wanted to be inside the Perimeter but couldn’t afford an intown ZIP code. East Point’s established neighborhoods, sturdy housing stock and location at the end of the MARTA line made it a mecca for many buyers.

East Point is where Midtown and [Virginia] Highland were two years ago,” said Bennett. “Even in the two years we’ve been here, there are more restaurants, more middle-income people moving in. We can walk to a bar or restaurant and run into somebody we know. And most weekends are spent on somebody’s front porch.”

SPRINKLE BRIGADE!

If you need a good laugh, this is the place for you. Happy Friday!

OBAMA!

3 reasons that Obama needs to become president:

Presidential debate Part 1
Presidential debate Part 2
Presidential debate Part 3

Make sure to vote!

"b-boy" — Ward Jenkins

My buddy Ward is having an art show tonight. If you are in the Portland area, you need to check it out!

"b-boy is a tribute to the early boogie boys of the Bronx, the original poppin’ & lockin’ dancers who kept the parties live back in the day, back when hip-hop was in its golden, embryonic stage. Using various ‘lo-fi’ materials and surfaces, such as found cardboard, wood, and linoleum, Ward harks back to the essence of the early ingenuity and innovation of hip hop. During the 70’s and early 80’s, kids used a wide variety of surfaces to dance on and perform stylized acrobatic moves. Using what was available, they proved again and again that the brightest sources of creativity often come from the most humble of places. “b-boy”is a tribute to the beginnings of that movement, before the uninformed media brought it to near-fad status.

Ward is an animator and director currently living in Portland, Oregon with his wife and two kids. Originally from Atlanta, he has worked at several award-winning studios such as LAIKA/house and Primal Screen and over the past 12 years, has integrated his quirky style into many broadcast elements and commercials. Graduating with a BFA in Illustration at Georgia State University in 1995, Ward immediately sought work in the animation field. While doing research for a personal project in 2000, he caught the graffiti bug which forever changed his approach in creating his figures and characters. The experience of working larger and on different surfaces terrifically flavored his graphic work and profoundly changed his artistic identity.

In addition to being an animator, Ward is a designer, illustrator, graffiti writer and painter. He authors The Ward-O-Matic, a blog about “art, animation and anything aesthetically pleasing to the eye” and contributes to the highly successful illustration blog, Drawn! He is influenced to varying degrees by Jack Davis, Freddie Moore, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Rauschenberg, Aurelius Battaglia, Alice & Martin Provensen, Jim Flora, Charley Harper, old school hip-hop, mid-century art & design, vintage children’s books and the vast multitude of uncredited illustrators found throughout the pages of vintage cookbooks and ephemera everywhere."

Old friends

It's cool to see old friends doing good work. The five mile grace - a matthew miller photography joint.

1000 FPS

People getting punched at 1000 FPS!

Wear a condom!

This site is awesome.

Beautiful losers, my thoughts...

I really enjoyed seeing Beautiful losers last night.

To sum it up.. "The greatest cultural accomplishments in history have never been the result of the brainstorms of marketing men, corporate focus groups, or any homogenized methods; they have always happened organically. More often than not, these manifestations have been the result of a few like-minded people coming together to create something new and original for no other purpose than a common love of doing it."

It also makes me really proud of everything I experienced growing up.

What did you think?

Beautiful Losers

Some great clips from Beautiful Losers:

The Independents Show
The Price of Success

I am really excited to see this film!

Amazing Downhill Skateboarding

This really makes me want to get a long board and find a good hill. Who is with me?

A Film by: Ari Marcopoulos
Director of Photography: Colin Blackshear
Producer: Neville Wakefield

erokCom and Twitter

Someone asked me yesterday if I use Twitter.. Yes, I do...