The Red Paintings

I went to see the Red Paintings last night, for the third time. The show was part of their "Destroy the Robots" trilogy tour (I think this was the second part). As such, they all entered the stage wearing metallic helmets, and various robotic-looking contraptions were placed around the venue, including a robot on a crucifix either side of the stage. Fittingly, the technology was not cooperating, and there were troubles with the rear projections and sound levels all night. Nevertheless, the Red Paintings put as much into their visual production as they do into their music and it's earned them a real following here in Brisbane. The biblical allusions are overt, and sit awkwardly with the usual practice of dressing band members up as geisha girls. But, the Red Paintings are all about aesthetics, and it's always best just to stand back and enjoy the spectacle. The photo below is from their Robot Uprising at Queen Street Mall in Brisbane - they have done one in most major cities recently to coincide with the tour and album release. See the website for many many more pictures. Link: http://www.theredpaintings.com

T. S. Sullivant

I have stumbled upon this classical cartoonist only in the last 20 minutes or so, via Drawn.ca. Initially my curiosity was piqued only because of the striking similarity between his name and mine. But the American-German T. S. Sullivant used to draw for early 20th century humour rags, back when printing was expensive, and so his drawings had to be worth the publishing costs. There's nothing particularly unique about his style, but I love the era that it comes from, and I always associate it with Coles Funny Picture Books that used to be so popular in Australia (sorry, there's not much available online - I have this same picture in an educational psychology textbook). The link below is to a neat little Sullivant tribute, and the best drawings are found via "Gallery". Actually, this picture looks a bit like a Jack Davis drawing, so maybe Sullivant was ahead of his time. Link: http://www.coconino-world.com/sites_auteurs/sullivant/menu.htm