Archival Footage Project: The Land Of Oz
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I used footage that I had shot in Chittenango, NY and created a short video experiment. The goal of the film was to explore different editing possibilities with static shots to determine what types of movement can be created through alternative editing. As Chittenango, NY is the birthplace of L. Frank Baum the author of The Wizard Of Oz I used a sound clip from a public domain version of the audio book to provide the sound track. I really enjoyed the way in which the calm audio conflicted with the sporadic visuals and thus made the visual that much more jarring toward the end of the piece.

Final Project: An Invisible Idol Alternative Edit
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Previous to taking this class I had started to edit what I had filmed for An Invisible Idol. Once I completed The Land Of Oz I used the remaining editing days to experiment with different introductions to An Invisible Idol. I wrote and recorded a different, more personalized, introduction and edited new images to coordinate with that introduction. After that I went through and started to piece together a biography about Curtis Richter which can be seen here.

Remix Culture Seminar
[See post to watch Flash video]
Within the Remix Culture Seminar we were required to create a piece of remix art incorporating other arts that had been created previously. I developed a silent abstract film that was created by re-filming different horror movie segments. Instead of combining the scenes verbatim and editing them together I only filmed specific parts of the screen which were chosen at random to see what sort of effect the images had on the viewer. After the screening I lead a discussion about remix art and what should be qualified as remix based on what part of the original piece is understood by the viewer. The main discussion point with my film was whether or not copyright law is even a factor for a piece like the one I created as the original imagery is indecipherable.

Stay Updated,
Ryan

P.S. If you notice any issues with the updates or feel there is anything that needs heavy maintenance please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at ryan@ryanzlomek.com. I always appreciate the feedback.

BUT, I now have my studio set up so I can crank out images like this:

to satisfy my artistic cravings and perhaps even learn how to draw at the same time.

Expect more ridiculousness, more often, now that I have space to work and time to create!

Stay Excitable,
Ryan Zlomek

P.S. All drawings created in my studio space will occur while listening to vinyl (none of that there digital stuff). Give your record player some love and see if can help bring out your creative side. That Is An Order!

My most recent addiction has related to the writings and performances of Harlan Ellison. He has been writing professionally in a variety of forms from political essays to science fictions short stories since 1955 and is still going strong at the age of 76.

Other than being a great writer, Harlan Ellison also is quite the unique personality. Similar to some of my other favorite artists he is also a negative unpredictable cynical old man. Notorious for saying things and acting in ways that make others uncomfortable he truly is a character. He mailed a dead gopher to his publisher when he felt they were trying to screw him financially (this end in a $35,000 fumigation bill), he successfully sued James Cameron for stealing some of his ideas for the famous movie The Terminator, and managed to obtain pneumonia while writing his story Pretty Maggie Money eyes naked sitting next to an air conditioner.

Last night I watched a documentary about Harlan entitled Dreams With Sharp Teeth for a second time. After the film’s completion we watched the extra features in which the director filmed Harlan Ellison and Neil Gaiman (writer of Sandman, American Gods, and Coraline) eating pizza together. At one point Neil Gaiman discusses the smile that appears on his face whenever Harlan does something absurd and antisocial. At that point my buddy turned to me said “Ryan, you’re my Harlan Ellison.” It’s good to know I have the power to make people as comfortably uncomfortable as an angry 76 year old yiddish man from Ohio.

When I first started absorbing his material a few weeks ago I sat down on my couch and started unconsciously sketching with my Pilot V7 as I often do. After the picture was completed it seemed to have the same type of gritty feel that Harlan Ellison’s work gives me.

If you’re interested in reading or listening to anything by Harlan Ellison I highly suggest his stories I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream, The Discarded, Pretty Maggie Money Eyes, and The Prowler In The City At The Edge Of The World. You can find an assortment of his short story collections and books at your local book store.

Stay Knowledgeable,
Ryan Zlomek

For whatever reason this
One marks the year when I truly
Understand how to balance my hopes and relationships
Responsibly

Happy Birthday To Me!

Expect more absurd creations as my maturity pulls a Benjamin Button and decreases with age (that’s what the movie was about right?).

Today another one of my media idols has passed away. Harvey Pekar was a blue collar guy from Cleveland, OH that believed comic books could be more than men in tights and talking animals. In the 1970s, along with Robert Crumb, he created American Splendor which documented Harvey’s life in comic book form. These stories transformed the comics world and opened up new venues for independent comic artists to use their own lives as the main content for their sequential creations.

Harvey’s work helped shed light on the absurdity of daily routines. Simple conversations and observations he witnessed would be transformed on the comic page into humorous and sometimes melodramatic panels that helped readers better find humor in their own lives. I had always considered myself to be the king of the pessimists until I experienced my first Harvey Pekar comic.

The work Harvey created is something that we take for granted in modern comics. Creating comics that were cynical of daily living didn’t exist in the 1970s. Now, the paper boy/girl delivers Scott Adams commercial success Dilbert which draws parallels between Scott’s old white collar life and the way his mouth-less character views the working world. Every major book store in America carries the Eisner Award winning graphic novel Blankets by Craig Thompson which is the story of his qualms with religion as he was growing up in Wisconsin. Each of these creations can tip their hats to Harvey Pekar who truly paved the way for the slice-of-life mediums we are surrounded by today.

Unlike my other media idols, I had the pleasure of meeting Harvey Pekar at a speaking engagement he had in Buffalo, NY. After his talk I was able to ask him questions about his work and how he felt about the documentary, cleverly entitled American Splendor, that had been made about him. We had a nice chat and I mentioned a film project I was hoping to get going in which I’d have liked to interview him. He told me that he wouldn’t mind being interviewed and that all I had to do was contact him. I paused for a moment awaiting his preferred method of contact. When he never answered I simply asked “How should I contact you?” Without a hesitation he answered in a matter-of-fact tone by saying “I’m in the phone book.”

Rest In Peace Harvey. You may not have realized it, but you taught me a lot about being an artist.

Stay Matter-Of-Fact,
Ryan Zlomek

I have a lot to talk about and no time to write about it. Expect big news and drawn out explanations in the near future. In the mean time go eat a soydog, vegan burger, a large portion of fruit salad, and drink at least one can of Moxie.

Stay Patriotic,
Ryan

I’m pretty sure I worked on this while I watched SU lose their final NCAA game of the season. What a bummer that night was. Maybe that’s why I chose to displace this little gem from my artistic long term memory.

Stay Forgetful,
Ryan Zlomek

Congrats to all of my seniors who graduated yesterday. I celebrated by drawing this picture on our half day schedule in honor of you…..sort of.

Stay Rhythmic,
Ryan Zlomek

P.S. To get the full of effect I suggest listening to Killing The Dream while criticizing the picture above.

For the entire month of May I’ve been attempting to grow a mustache. Every year in Syracuse the local punk and hardcore kids challenge each other to grow obscene mustaches throughout the month. There is nothing more comical than seeing some of your favorite friends and bands moshing with their handle bars floating in the air.

This year I decided I was going to make a solid attempt to participate, despite living ten and a half hours away, and I have to say I was quite successful. Though no one really noticed until the last few days I have to say I’m quite proud of my ability to transition from looking like a prepubescent male to the lost henchman from Starsky And Hutch.

Sadly this mustache mayhem ends tonight as I have to drive back to Syracuse for a close friend’s wedding tomorrow after school lets out.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IMAGE MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ANYONE UNABLE TO GROW HAIR ON THEIR UPPER LIP

Stay Well Groomed,
Ryan Zlomek