Oh when I was a kid I used to write children's books for myself.
They would typically go something like:
"Ralph woke up and looked out the window. It was a beautiful day. The birds were singing, tweet tweet, the dogs were warbling, the cows were mooing. All of nature, in fact was at one and at peace with itself.
So Ralph, realising that it was the day before his birthday, decided to wear his prettitest jeans and tightest denim shirt to celebrate. He washed himself even better than usual (using his best pink lavender soap) dressed quickly in excietment while outside the beautiful day beckoned him like voluptuous starry kissed dew dropped never-been-touched virgin.
Skipping breakfast, he opened his front door, danced down the steps, took one big breath of crisp spring air and stepped, without glancing right nor left, out onto the highway.
And so I could never write children's stories because the existential protagonist was always run over in the fourth paragraph. By the time I'd turned eleven I'd given up sending my work away to New York publishers and instead decided to be a brain surgeon.
So in the same manner I started this illustration trying to be cute. And ended up with a fat man in a tutu with the words "Sissy Boy" tatooed on his chest. He is mirrored by two girls, one who appears to be a 'mono' - as we say in the surfing game for people whose legs have been gnawed off by denizens of the deep (dod's for short). Of course only having one leg is not funny. It would make you hopping mad a lot of the time. And make being an acrobatess reasonably difficult.
And so my attempt to be unobnoxious had misbackfired. Sorry about that.
Oh the fellows in the background? They are out of "Horror of Horrors."
And a big thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou to everyone who was kind enough to comment on that last post. Tommorrow is my visiting day.
Watch out! :)
Grandes disculpas por esta traducción. No es nada, como he escrito en Inglés, pero me admit, es más divertido!
Oh, cuando yo era un niño solía escribir libros para niños para mí.
Normalmente sería algo como:
"Ralph se despertó y miró por la ventana. Era un día hermoso. Los pájaros cantaban, pío pío, los perros fueron trinos, las vacas se mugido. Toda la naturaleza, de hecho estaba en uno y en paz consigo mismo.
Así que Ralph, al darse cuenta de que era la víspera de su cumpleaños, decidió llevar su prettitest vaqueros y camisa de mezclilla más ajustados para celebrar. Él se lavó incluso mejor de lo habitual (con su jabón de lavanda mejor rosa) se vistió rápidamente en excietment mientras que fuera el hermoso día le hizo señas como estrellada voluptuosa besado el rocío caído virgen que nunca ha tocado-.
Saltarse el desayuno, abrió su puerta principal, bailaron por las escaleras, tomó un respiró profundo de amortiguación de aire fresco y dio un paso, sin mirar a derecha ni a izquierda, a la carretera.
Una manera que nunca podría escribir cuentos infantiles porque el protagonista siempre fue atropellado en el segundo párrafo. En el momento en que había de cumplir once años ya había renunciado a enviar mi trabajo lejos de editores de Nueva York y en su lugar decidió ser una cirugía cerebral.
Así que de la misma manera que empecé esta ilustración tratando de ser gracioso. Y terminó con un hombre gordo con un tutú con las palabras "Sissy Boy" tatuado en su pecho. Él se refleja en dos niñas, una que parece ser un «mono» - como se dice en el juego de surf para las personas cuyas piernas han sido roído por los habitantes de las profundidades (Departamento de Defensa para abreviar). Por supuesto, sólo tiene una pierna no es divertido. Tendría que saltar un loco gran parte del tiempo. Y que siendo un acrobatess razonablemente difícil.
Y por lo que mi intento de ser unobnoxious había misbackfired. Lo siento.
¡Oh los becarios en el fondo? Están fuera de "Horror de los horrores".
Y un gran agradecimiento thankyou thankyou thankyou a todos los que ha tenido la amabilidad de comentar que el último puesto. Mañana es mi día de visita.
¡Cuidado! :) Especiallyy my friend Roberto who is very talented I see.
I find you a genial, it is a other world, a other dimension, genial
ReplyDeleteSissy boy. What can I say?
ReplyDeleteWell, he´s got a lovely umbrella! And a sweet tutu :-) He does look a bit scary, what if he looses his balance? No wonder the audience is enjoying it with fear and excitement! Although horror of horror might be stretching it a bit, don´t you think?
Loving all the details, as usual :-)
Really impressive!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why,but I cannot stop giggling! I love seeing the little girls again. How young of them to be exposed to such a crowd and fellow performer - child labour indeed! As for the illustration, after having read your interview, I just shake my head in amazement at its execution.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew!
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful. I fully understand everything that is written in Spanish, thanks!
I realize what happens in your brain. because I do, too. Start with one intention and ended with another.
Not bad, eh? goes away, taking the ideas in the sun, we must not let them inside.
Ah when I saw the girl on the circus elephant. the first thing that came to my head was Cesi Jupe, the circus girl in the book of Charles Dickens.(Hard Times) is she! perfect! the drawing nobody better than you!
I studied elephant wrinkles one by one, because I told myself. "Ah, Andrew drew one elephant and gave it back, but I realized that there are two elephants that you have drawn!
Well, everything is beautiful. but it will take several secion of observation to see well.
I have my Chardonnay in the fridge awaiting your visit!
Hugs from the Circus!!! (I am the bear, not the walrus )
Yes, but who sweeps up the elephant poop? I'm as equally concerned about the little man as I am about the headliners.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely more story there, you can bet your boots (or boot if you are hopping mad and only have one leg--brave girl!)
Entertaining as always--oh,yeah...who's the big, murky dude lurking in the back?
I've always found the circus kind of disturbing and scary. Always liked the elephants though. I'm not sure the world is really ready for you as a brain surgeon. Better stick with your stories and art. This piece makes me laugh in spite of myself.
ReplyDeleteOooh ooh ooh! You are SO fun. I just love this post...the illustrations are awesome, as per usual, Andrew, and your wit and story of Ralph (my hubby is named Ralph..oh my!)..just cracked me up. Each time, he gets wiped out huh? Wow. And that poor acrobatess..my goodness, she fits right in though.
ReplyDeleteAs for Horror of Horrors, and your week ahead/visits etc...I wish you ALL THE BEST. Your hard work shows..your artwork (love, love the b&w works) will shine, as well as your squeaky, shiney, fun personality. Best of luck. And many thanks for informing me of my EFII win! Who knew?!! Thank you, Andrew!!
Andrew, that's quite a show! I like seeing pink your work! xxoo
ReplyDeleteHooray!!! Now when I threaten to send my kids off to the circus, they might think twice! Thanks for helping me improve my parenting skills!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the article! Excellent job!!!
ReplyDeleteThe pink tutu...i love that pink tutu! It is the cherry on top! ^__^ *says in ultrafeminine voice*.....Ohh it just brings out his eyes!
ReplyDeleteWhat? WHAT? I say, please do tell those gentlemen in the back to quiet down. I cannot hear what you are saying. It's louder in here than a stadium full of vuvuzelas. Something about pretty jeans and tight shirts and virgins...hmmmmm. You make my imagination spin!
ReplyDeleteYou are marvelously bizarre and mad in your talents. Honestly! Sissy Boy tattoos? One legged girls? This is surely an illegal amount of fun. Okay. I'm going to make a bag of popcorn and return. A circus is not a circus without the popcorn, after all.
I love the giant Aztec looking head in the background. I didn't notice it until the two pictures were put together. I was too engrossed in the foreground shenanigans. Your pictures tend to reveal themselves little by little.
ReplyDeleteI hope the acrobats aren't doomed to balance like that for all of eternity!
Mmmmmmm. this picture is driving me crazy!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOverlap and duplication, and overlap!
and more repetitions!
Symmetry and asymmetry
All this was in your head?
You do not want to try again with the fairy tales?
I'm intrigued by the stairs ...
good element to break with the "no reasonable" of the work!!!.
Andrew Finnie, Grand Master of the absurd!
Well, you tried, huh? I guess you just gotta go where you gotta go, and yes, this is unbelievably creepy. When I was a kid I wrote a lot of picture book stories, but nobody ever got run over (or died in any other way too). There were a lot of puppies and kittens, and they were all so sweet, it makes me want to gag just thinking about it. These are a lot more interesting. I'm not sure which would be worse--to be one of the zombies (or near zombies) in the audience, or to be one of the performers performing for them, with the very real danger of sinking into that kind of anonymity. Actually, it's a really powerful image. It seems part of a book that I wouldn't want to read, but couldn't put down either.
ReplyDeleteYou keep telling me that you're a sick man. I never buy that of course, not even after the hoard of morphed bellies roaming your blog.
ReplyDeleteNow. This man I too can take. The pink tutu, the (again) sickly twisted belly. And the...hey! What do I see there? A checker bicycle pants??? Are you kidding me??? Eeewwwwww.
Huh. You're right. Maybe I don't listen.
Heheh. (^_^)
But then again, only a sick and brilliant artist can think of an idea like this.
ReplyDeleteSo you win. :)
Très émouvant que le travail des acrobates... Après tout, ne sommes-nous pas les acrobates de la vie ? Bises
ReplyDeleteAndrew,
ReplyDeletethis is undoubtedly a beautiful burlesque show! and the people are delusional!
the characters have been described so well by you,
that we can only congratulate you for the great production!
is serious, very good this art! genial!
I loved it!
cheers of São Paulo!
Andrew, thanks for stopping by. but I was sleeping. and my servant woke me no, I will fire him immediately. (Or maybe I can send it to one of your paintings where people are suffering a lot)
ReplyDeleteI'm not really a bad guy, but this is inexcusable!
I think I shall force him to listen to Phil Colinns 10 times, shouting a song.
Well, now I will speak in jest, thanks for your kind concepts. are you trying to seduce me? so I send you a picture of a gift?
I am a married man!
JA JA. (Stupid joke)
What bothered me most about the attitude of my servant, I was unable to share a glass of Chardonnay with you!
(I think there is a girl with a beard who consider also want to take a glass of white wine)
Ah haha hahaha, I have seen that there is a football player named Otrebor Niram! (He is not as good as Ogeid Anodaram drawing)
ReplyDeleteSo.... this creative box of twisted characters has been in your head since childhood? Hmmmm ... if I were a psychologist.. (or is it psychitrist, I always get them mixed up) I'd find you a very interesting case. But since I am a mere keyboerd tapping scribe... I find you extremeley interesting and entertaining! Thanks for a peek into the Finnie box! Tuesday is my visiting day too!
ReplyDeleteYou know, Mr, Finnie. The more I come here, the more I adore that pink tutued man. He certainly is secure. And well balanced. That's gotta account for something.
ReplyDeleteAah, you honor me with your visits and make me blush with your comments. Domo arigatou gozaimasu.
Ohh guud hevens. Itz da attaque ov da redd squigglys! Halp!
These are great Andrew! You'd better find your whip, I may have to break down and post an old image! Eeeeek! I can't seem to get caught up right now. It's already Wednesday night and I still haven't painted a thing! Well, at least I can find time to stop by and marvel at the work of a creative genius. checkered bike shorts and a tutu? really? Where do you come up with these things?! lol
ReplyDeleteSay what? Are you speaking in riddles? Did you receive your nut yet?
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHAHHAHA! That was funny. Thank you very much! See? I laughed and I am not even a little boy. Hehehehehe. Thank you!
ReplyDeletehello Andrew Finnie, i think you look pretty good in a tutu doing arabesque...
ReplyDeletebut did you know that pas de deux is a duet usually performed by a male and a female dancer?
oh of course, i forgot that you're a nun :D
okay, i like your pas de deux in the first pic!!!
(actually i didnt know that you're a nun i thought you were a poker player)
*you are incredible as your work, i really mean it!!!!!*
Spinner, wienner
ReplyDeletePutsa lala
Coo coo
Whaddat? Kew kew?
No, Coo coo
Ja, ja, kew kew.
*Smirk*
Bet you never heard that kind of poetry before.
Andrew, please take a look on my blog that you are with the big boys!
ReplyDeleteAndrew!!
ReplyDeletethanks for stopping by, you deserve to be there!
I was going to place you next to the girl with a beard, but really she does not want anyone near JL. you know. is better, go along, because otherwise, she may get angry.
Well, here has passed a flock of cormorants westbound. I guess they were going in the direction of OZ. so within a week if you see them pass over your head, remember that I saw them and told them to greet you.
Do not shoot him with a shotgun, please.
Oh, thanks for writing in my language, I understood everything perfectly!
Well, I hope you spend a good Astronaut's Day, and that you celebrate with a nice glass of cabernet sauvignon from the region of New South of Wales.
Toast!!!!
tu trabajo siempre deja una sensacion de misterio, me hace volver a otras epocas, para mi es muy gratificante y evocador, un fuerte abrazo
ReplyDelete