Digging around because I’m working on setting up a new studio. Found this…
It is a stylized NW Native theme design. The design itself is not the point, it is that the thing was actually dated. 1994… I remember that time pretty well as far as my tattoo work went in relation to this one. I usually had about a half dozen designs up on the wall framed of this style which I had drawn. After tattooing them I’d take them out of the frame and crinkle them up before tossing them into the trash. One-offs… Each hand drawn with ink, tattooed, then the drawing was tossed. My clientele when in my studio was I’d guess about 30% Native American overall at the time average. I’d get streaks where it was more than 90% for a month or two. These clients came primarily from just a few tribes. I who am white I’d guess to have been one of the more knowledgable historians of art indigenous art styles and meanings throughout the pacific northwest. It was accidental, it all came from tattooing and my obsessive personality. I worked with a lot of artists from those tribes too in creating things. It was a fun time. I no longer draw anything of this style unless requested by a client. My clientele for tattooing still is probably around 20% overall. 35 plus years of tattooing, lots of drawing in this style, some of the common themes I can really whip out quickly. Still like the look of the stuff too.
You can get a shirt with this design here if you like.
A true artist is an escapist. The best art is always made when we immerse ourselves fully into our art.
You probably wanna get this sticker as a gift for one of the artists in your life I’d guess. You can do that right HERE. Or maybe you want a magnet? That is right HERE. Or maybe you don’t want to get it for anybody at all. That is cool too. Carry on reading my art blog in that case.
So… before you go ordering it because you just think it looks way pimp and you dig male deer, or maybe think it is like an old-school “I.m a single dude forever” type statement, you should know that “STAG” has another meaning in our current culture.
A stag is a slang term in certain circles for a married man who digs watching and or participating in extracurricular activities of the sexual kind involving other males. In other words, he likes to watch his wife have sex with others and sometimes likes to participate. He does this from a place of pride and power, relishing the sexiness of his spouse who in such a scenario is usually referred to as a vixen and or hotwife. Many don’t like the hotwife term because it is also used in cuckolding, which btw has a completely different dynamic that often neither vixens or stags like.
I did a cool painting called The Chary Vixen where I talk more about this. Check it out HERE.
Anyways, if you are a stag married to a vixen then this is the shirt for you. Get it HERE.
With all that said… If you just dig it because it is a cool male deer image, like nature, etc. then it is still just that. I could totally see a woodsy sort of person sporting this that had no idea about any of that vixen/hotwife stuff. It is after all just a stag image with the word stag. The babble above was because the making of it had to do with that, rather than the more common usage of the word “Stag.”
Well, it has been a harsh few years for me and my art projects.
I was midway through the tattoo portion of my botanical project when covid hit and the government shut down pretty much everything. Art galleries and tattoo studios were some of the first on the list. They were like “Hey man, you can’t work, F off and starve to death.” Everything else went south too… It blew in a bad way. Someday I hope to financially recover, but who knows? I was never able to catch up on client work, and the building which I worked in was a lease, so when the owner decided to sell it made stuff extra messy. I’m just now settling into new digs, and just now finally headed back into serious work mode. Part of that is picking up where I left off and getting back to my projects. First on the list is my botanical tattoo project. I’m writing a book filled with awesome stories based on mythology attached to plants. The original mythologies will be referenced in fun ways and explained. The significance of the plants within the mythologies will be examined. Since I seem to never want to do anything the easy way I decided to illustrate the book with tattoos. Since even that seemed not enough of a challenge I picked a very specific art style and design criteria for the tattoos which play on old book printing done with hand-made copper plates. I’m a glutton for punishment it seems.
I’m now moving into phase two finally (years later) of my tattoo project.
Here is a link to a temp FAQ I made a long time ago about it.
and here is an example of the style phase 2 is done in.
I’m also back to taking on more tattoo work, but not new clients still except for my projects… and yes project tattoos get you on the client list.
As for paintings, illustrations, etc. (things where I can work at odd hours without scheduling with people), I’m taking commissions again. So if you’re looking for some art in one of my styles give me a holler.
For now I’m calling it an untitled abstruse scene because it was a commission, and the recipient of the artwork has not titled it yet.
(Remember you can click images on my art blog to see them bigger)
This painting was a commission of a personal nature, so I’m going to skip over parts of the symbolism in it, but I will point out the existence of certain elements.
The figure walks a path towards the huge ash tree known as Yggdrasil. This tree reaches to the heavens. There are many smaller roots to this tree which compared to the figure seem large, but the world tree has three huge roots which support it that run deep. One root goes to the well Urðarbrunnr, one to the spring Hvergelmir, and another to the well Mímisbrunnr. The spring is magical and within it live magical things, but our figure holds no fear of those things now. The Yggdrasil sits at the center of the nine realms, so from there, one may journey anywhere. Odin’s ravens fly above. They head in different directions, and those directions tell which is which. I’ve spoken of these ravens recently HERE in a post about another painting. Behind the very surrealistic and dreamy landscape where the tree seems to rise from you will see a mountain range. It is the view of the mountains one finds in the Northwest corner of the USA when chill’n on the Olympic Peninsula. I’ve also included some little evergreen trees to drive that location home. There is even more, but I’m done with that…
So, the painting itself is a blend, as I thought for various reasons I could only portray what I wanted by blending together many styles. Expressionism, impressionism, surrealism, abstraction, and illustrative visuals and techniques all collide on this one which made it an extremely unique bit of work to undertake. Some areas are formed with loose strokes that only imply things, while other things are done with obvious purpose. The entire painting was built in layers so that it would have coherence to it even with the multitude of styles.
I used Acrylic paints throughout and about 20 different brushes. The painting measures 48″ wide x 30″ high on stretched canvas.
Anyways, this was one of those projects that really sucked me in. A lot of thought and feelings went into it’s creation. I’m happy with the outcome.
I say “Pah Dee Dah” instead of pas de deux [pɑ d(ə) dø] to annoy the heck out of my daughter. She is an amazing dancer. I enjoy watching her greatly.
She has been dancing now for over 10 years. It shows, she’s at that point where sometimes I’m like “Wow, look at how frigg’n great she does that.” when she is doing certain things and it isn’t because I’m her dad. She’s just really amazing. I can’t wait to see where she is in a few years with it. Dancers have always been special in my mind. It is (when done well by the truly dedicated) moving art.
Anyways, this was a loose ink sketch I threw some watercolor at.
The sketch is of her (my daughter) and her partner in a recent performance.
You can get some sweet stickers of this via RedBubble.
Artistic Flow is my (Aarron Laidig's) personal art blog. This is not my catalog or one of my studio pages.
If you are seeking my art catalog it is located here.
I no longer maintain a section or site devoted to my photography, but if you know my work and wish to inquire please feel free to contact me via my contact form.
