California Academy Of Sciences

   I finally got a chance to visit the newly remodeled and revitalized CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES in Golden Gate Park over the weekend....and it was great!  My mom was up visiting from San Diego and she joined Nina and I as we finally made the effort to check out the new Museum.  The crowds were reasonable ( apparently it's been an INSANE wait to get in for months and months... ) The architecture and design of the place struck us right away...very modern, green, and cool. 

 Right away we saw the resident Albino Alligator who lives in a big swamp pit there along with giant snapping turtles.  Wandering through the beautifully designed and multi-leveled RAINFOREST was particularly exciting.

 In it, one is surrounded by butterflies, birds and amphibians of all sorts...it had a very magical and ethereal effect, although the heat and humidity combined with the crowds made it a little more challenging...

  We cooled off,  though,  as we descended beneath the enclosure into a vast web of aquariums, which were populated by all kinds of strange fishes, amphibians and reptiles...tons of great reference for my upcoming DerekMonster Annual 2009... 

  Afterwards, we climbed to the beautiful Living Roof and enjoyed the views of the park and of the neighboring and recently rebuilt De Young Museum...

  The Academy is a great spot to visit if you're in the Bay Area, and it was well worth the $25 price of admission....I'll be going back there for sure.

1906 Anniversary Photos and Event!

Cool item from SFGATE today...On the eve of the 103rd anniversary of the Great Earthquake and Fires of 1906, some RARE PHOTOS have been released...

  And if you're in San Francisco this Saturday, you can gather at a 1906 themed celebration at the CASTRO THEATER, featuring live Barbary Coast Music and culminating in a screening of the 1936 classic SAN FRANCISCO!

The WARREN Influence

   I spent a good deal of my childhood reading and enjoying the magazines of WARREN PUBLISHING.  In CREEPY and EERIE  I found and  devoured fantastic and macabre horror and monster stories.  My first ever magazine subscription was to FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, which, under the guidance of the late, great Forrest J. Ackerman, introduced me to a wealth of genre movies.  Many of the FMOF covers were painted by the amazing Basil Gogos, who was a huge influence that fed my early desire to learn how to paint. 

  Click HERE to enjoy a massive treasure trove of cover artwork from the Warren Magazines, which includes many pieces by two of my other painting heroes, Frank Frazetta and Richard Corben ...

Japanese Monster Mummies

Check out this survey of the MUMMIFIED MONSTER REMAINS of demons, mermaids, kappa, tengu,  and other japanese creatures that are on display throughout Japan....

Thanks to BKO for bringing this to my attention, and to the Pink Tentacle for continuing to post so much cool stuff...!

Where The Wild Things Are

One of my favorite books growing up was WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, the beloved children's classic by Maurice Sendak.

  I couldn't be more excited about the upcoming film adaptation by Spike Jonez...especially in light of the images that have been released along with this magical TRAILER.  

EMERALD CITY CON: APRIL 4-5

Convention Season keeps on rolling as we exhibit in Seattle this weekend for the EMERALD CITY COMICON!!  

Ted Mathot and I will be there with our Books,  DVD's and Original Art...so come on by and say hello if you're in the area! Booth # 606