Gopher Snake HOT 100: Omnicords, Alcorns and mud huts.

Some stuff to stuff into your brain.

Snakeskins,

New art will be on the way soon, (I’m in the middle of a move and shuttling my kids to soccer practice and drum lessons). Until then, here’s some interesting stuff to stuff into your brain.

1. John Alcorn

John Alcorn was an illustrator and ad designer in the 60’s and 70’s, I find myself referencing his work for layout and color A LOT. Look him up, or read about some of his work in this article from Print Magazine from 2022.

2. Philosopher’s web

An interactive web of how every philosopher is related to other philosophers; where you can track the progression of ideas through history, you say? Sign me up! Marry me! Oh, I don’t have to sign up, because its free? Holy useless knowledge!

Play with it here, and question the meaning of existence, or, get confused and stressed out.

3. Musgum Mud Huts

At some point in my life, I was writing an animation pitch about people that lived on another planet, RIP IDEA! I used these Musgum Mudhuts as inspiration. They’re the traditional housing unit of the Musgum people of Cameroon. I like buildings that come in this shape. I want a house like this. They remind me of a building in the San Fernando Valley called, “The Onion,” which used to be home to the Sepulveda Unitarian Society - which is also, incidentally, is a really cool religion. Nice people. Very humanist. Very demure.

4. Online Omnicord

A very long time ago I saw Jemaine Clement playing an omnicord in this trailer for Gentlemen Broncos (Jared Hess movies are my favorite thing):

Ever since then, I’ve been like, “I NEED ONE,” but then I’m like, “No, no, that’s not a good choice, they’re expensive and you won’t use it,” and then I’m like, “What does it all mean? Who am I, really, at my core? How can anyone truly know the self? Is the self a construct? If the self is a construct than what exactly is the word selfie referring to?”

I haven’t pulled the trigger, but until then, here’s The Online Omnicord.

5. WPA poster archive

I’m a big ‘FDR-era-WPA-art' nerd, relatable content alert! Hey, call me a romantic, but I like the idea of the government hiring unemployed artists because they are an integral part of the culture of our society, so sue me! Did you know that the Library of Congress has the entire collection online? A good amount of it is in the Creative Commons and public domain too. PRETTY NEAT.

Welp, thats it.

May you stay curious, stay creative, keep learning, keep doing, keep being, keep tryin’.

Zach