Bernie Oldfield

Sorry for neglecting you OrDoodle but my other Blog ON BEING FRANK is really sapping my energy....I guess that's what subliminally inspired this post of this ol time Arizona Car racer...he was chasin the wind.....



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Astrapple

As you can see by the date on the page this sketchbook doodle was a combination of random elements done awhile ago. I remember seeing a documentary of John Lennon and some stoned out hippie asked him about a curious lyric passage in one of his songs. He asked Mr. Lennon...What did you intend to mean when you wrote........."

Lennon just looked at him and replied...I just put some silly words together and was amused by the odd combination ( something like that ) no more and no less. I guess that's where I was at with this sketch.....


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New West Magazine

After I graduated Art Center in 1980 I marched my little body over to see an Art Director at the now defunct New West Magazine in LA Ca. You could actually show your book to a real live person back then. I was actually in the office the same time Matt Groening of Simpson's Fame was there. He was starting out at that time as well. Man was he scary looking...but quite the imagination inside that brain. Anyway I got hired to freelance and this was my 1st job for them.

Studio

Remember the days when you just brought in a picnic table from outdoors and it was the coolest drawing table you ever had?


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Those Darn Cows

The age old question always comes up..." Do you like me just for my body?" ...Well honey...the good Lord really did a nice job on your packaging and I am just responding to a job well done. How's that!


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Felonius

Have you seen yourself as a fool? I do all the time. Taking myself too seriously is not a good thing. I developed my motley alter ego Felonious a while back and never totally developed his exploits and adventures...was I waiting to get married and have children?....hmmmmm

But someday I will return to this art clown who juggles ideas , work schedules , family and credit card interest rates.....


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The Churchy Chap

Christianity is serious business but I have met some Saints who take themselves a little too serious. I was thinking of the Church Chap. The busy body who is the self appointed guardian of all things true and virtuous.

A doodle in one of my sketchbooks


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Self Portrait and Faces

This is a college buddy of mine from Art Center in Pasadena. We ended up being room mates on Oakland St . We went with a group of friends to a football game and on the way home we discovered that we were both going to celebrate our birthdays on the SAME DAY. It kind of freaked us out and we have had a strange kinda bond ever since. He is 1 hour older that me , adjusting for Mountain Time. He is an Art Professor at a Community College around St. Louis.



















Its been awhile and I have put a little too much energy into " On Being Frank ". This was a sketch Doodle that I did for fun in my sketchbook back in my Pasadena Ca. days. By my head was ol Gus dusting the studio with a mask over his nose and mouth.

The rest of these pen and ink drawings are in my ol sketchbook. One of about 30 such books. Most are quick idea scribbles and others are more thought out such as the ones I have posted here.

I think I will change the name of this Blog again. Finding the right Name is kinda important to me and holds a spirit in the words. One of my close friends who is Irish has always called me OrDoodle...I think I will go with that as it has a playful jest and feel. And I am comfortable hearing it .


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Prophets

These two individuals were some of my favorite models. What just occurred to me as I posted these drawings for a client was that they are linked by a religion.

The man on top was a member of a Christian commune and somehow they stumbled upon some writings of some earlier Church fathers and they all decided to become Greek Orthodox. So, on the outskirts of Santa Rosa is a Greek Orthodox Commune and all the men have grown out their beards. This man is Irish and he is one of the leaders of the group. He posed for me 2 times.

The bottom fellow is my bud Steve who is also my Web Master. He did the Evangelical Christian routine until he gave up on the total lack of depth which he was experiencing. He tried to become an Anglican priest to now avail and now is also Greek Orthodox. The services are about 3 hrs long followed by a large communal meal. Good eats I might add.

St. Malo

Assemblage






In the North of France is a fortified town accessed only by a draw bridge. St. Malo
( pronounced Ma -Lou ) was a pirate fortress until the French turned the town into a civilized village. One island , just a swim away, was used as a penitentiary for a short run. I stayed at a manor that was once a pirates home. The stoned walled structure had wonderful views of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Rocker

I recently saw the DVD "the Rocker" which featured the actor who plays Dwight Schroot in the Office. It was suprisingly funny. His character played the drums for a hair band . He was unceremoniously kicked off the band " Vesuvius ". The rest is history and the band then went Platinum. The movie picks up 10 years later.

It reminded me of a doodle I did who knows when. What if my desk were a drum set and my sticks power brushes?

The Doodle

Is it rude to Doodle while someone is saying something important? How about doodling while listening to a dull message?








Validation at Last. Blasting over the airwaves was a result of a "study" ( todays version of Holy Scripture ...don't get me started ) and the results proved that those that doodled while they listened to a lecture or talk actually retained more comprehension and memory of what was said.

One of the Research Professor said:

"This study suggests that in everyday life doodling may be something we do because it helps to keep us on track with a boring task, rather than being an unnecessary distraction that we should try to resist doing."









Could it be that there are separate programs in our brain designed to multitask? Can this operation be trained? I know for a fact that I have caught myself daydreaming while driving and have " awoken " myself to see that I still am driving between the stripped lines on the road. How could this be!








So for today, if your teacher, pastor, motivational speaker or boss catches you doodling while an important message is being delivered just say "Studies Now Prove" that doodling while listening to a lecture improves comprehension and attention.

The above doodles were done at different periods but all were done at a Christian Conference or while a sermon of profound importance was being delivered. I have to say that taking notes also helps!

Here is the link in Science Daily http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226210039.htm

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The Adventures of Spike and Dick

Just one of many ideas that I started to develop...

New Mexico Man

Oh to be Young and Carefree

Things were getting a little heavy at " On Being Frank ". So I posted this drawing to remind me that life can be simple and worry free.....as a child.

Carly was my friends daughter and she was hamming it up for me.

Drawing Class

prismacolor




30 second poses with a sharpie pen




Water color




Prismacolor





Charcoal




Vine Charcoal




pen and ink




prismacolors




prismacolors




Sharpie







When Sean Joyce and I started a drawing class at LucasFilm way back when, I realized how much I loved the immediate connection of drawing from a live model. We would draw after the day was ended every Thursday. Most of my drawings have somehow disappeared. I am uploading some that have survived.

I loved to experiment after a days painting in acrylics and oils and I tried as many mediums that I could handle....

Grandpa in Bernallio , New Mexico

My grandfather on my Mom's side was Ralph Rodriguez Sr. He raised a rather large family through the depression. He had a country store and sold groceries to the locals as well as to Hopi and Navaho Indians. I have many fond memories of traveling by train to Bernallio on the "El Capitan" Santa Fe train line. I did a drawing of him in front of a storage building on his ranch where they ground maize. He even had a Hopi oven on the property. It's on his ranch that I learned my fear and distrust of Turkeys. They are evil and vindictive critters . I have no problem eating them.

mixed media on vellum

Fairfax,Ca 1.2

This is a preliminary drawing on tracing paper for another drawing. I was heavily influenced by Chuck Close at this time. I think I was 23. I can't remember this designer but he graduated Art Center in Pasadena with me. He was in Advertising Design and he and his partner had a studio across from mine on Raymond Street. They hit it big time right away by designing the animated intro to Alex Haley's " Roots".

Drawing in Graphite. I started to do a series of friends of mine in this style. Then I got a call from Lucasfilm and started to work on " ET" and neglected the "FineArt" side of me for a long time.








I drew this on location in Guadalajara, Mexico . I was an exchange student as a senior in High School and I was representing the City of Rosemead Ca.














These were previously posted " On Being Frank". They have a new home.

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I also will be uploading a portfolio of old sketch book stuff here. Like really old. How old ? Some back to High School.....please suffer my vanity on this. If it was'nt for this blog...no one would see them. So what would be the point? Its a rhetorical question.

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