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Circa 313 A.D.

Josh Rose — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:30:37 +0000

Yet another in my series of proficiently artless photographs, taken with the camera on my Backflip. Came across this scene while on a dusk walk with the wife and kiddo, acting the flânuer, and felt this scene rather nicely encapsulated the end of the Roman empire -- via the crumbling rectangular columns -- with neatly stacked bricks in the foreground foreshadowing the use of brickwork in the late medieval era after the knowledge of concrete from ancient Rome was forgotten. The specter of Constantine haunts this scene, as if that Roman propensity for quick resolution and pragmatism has kicked in and he barks orders: "Roman empire is done! Move that old Imperial stuff out and make way for Christendom!" (This is, of course, woefully anachronistic, since Constantine rather proficiently balanced his sponsorship of Christianity by legalizing all mystery cults in Rome, and did not even become baptized until he lay dying.)

Turning Life Drawing Into Burlesque

Josh Rose — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:30:17 +0000

The first night Jen and I went to Dr. Sketchy’s monthly life drawing class, we were much more elated to be having a date, being out of the house as two adults, and perhaps drank too much and laughed a lot. Yet, the beauty of Dr. Sketchy’s is that it combines the joy of life drawing with the raucous, insouciant nature of burlesque performance. The models all hail from local burlesque communites, and Dr. Sketchy programs have been established in multiple cities around the U.S.

I had not drawn –period—in a long time when Jen and I started attending, and it took me a few months to loosen up enough to feel I was comfortable having others see my drawings (including Jen). I was going back through my sketchbooks from these sessions and felt like posting some of the better examples.

As I stumble my way back into this whole “art making” thing, events like Dr. Sketchy’s are crucial to me: they are laid back, tongue-in-cheek, even, and therefore the perfect environment in which to get some chops back. And, for those who have attended art school and the more traditional setting of a life drawing class, there is something rather risqué in putting a bit of sex back into the life drawing model.

It has been some time since Jen and I last attended. We have been far too busy to be able to go, but I hope sometime in the future we can make it out. If you are interested, the two Dr. Sketchy’s in the Dallas/Fort Worth area I know of are the Dallas contingent (http://www.myspace.com/dallassketchy) and a newer Denton Dr. Sketchy’s (http://www.myspace.com/drsketchysdenton).

When Bad Cartooning Attacks! (No.1)

Josh Rose — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:15:53 +0000

Detail of anonymous mailer advertising wire ties

We found this on the floor while cleaning tonight. Apart from the mystery of how it ended up on our floor (random mail falling off the kitchen table? desparate marketers breaking into homes to leave crudely printed adverts in odd places?), I was struck by the pure, sheer awfulness of the little cartoon used to illustrate an advertisement for wire ties.

I mean, if I did not know what wire ties could be used for, based on the cartoon alone, I would harbor a guess they were used for one thing and one thing only: strangling people who wear bow ties.

Thus, this terrible bit of random cartooning has spawned a new series here on the blog: "When Bad Cartooning Attacks!" Share your own "bad cartooning" discoveries in the comments below. And, rest assured, I will post more as I find them.

Reports of My Death Are Greatly Exonerated…

Josh Rose — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:54:14 +0000

So, I was up late last night when the sad news of Ted Kennedy's passing away hit the newsfeeds. Almost twenty-four hours later, and as my wife mentioned the overview of Kennedy's life that NPR offered (adding how surprised she was - as was I when she told me - how many key works of legislation he had spearheaded), it got me wondering how his death was being reported. On a whim, I went to three sites to check out the homepage headlines: NPR, the New York Times, and Fox News. I chose those three because NPR is often viewed as leaning towards the left, the Gray Lady is ostensibly as mediated as possible, and Fox News is, well, you know. Their guns pried from their cold, dead fingers and all of that (apologies to Charlton Heston).

Here is what I found:

SAMPLE #1: NPR:

I was not surprised, after my wife's discussion the coverage she heard on our local NPR station, to find NPR's headlines focused more on Kennedy the man: his life and his impact. Note the photograph chosen: chin upright, held by hand...this is Kennedy the statesman.

NPR.com homepage, August 27, 2009 at approximately 10:30 PM

**SAMPLE #2: The New York Times:**

The Gray Lady takes a more even-handed approach, as expected, perhaps. On the left is a headline noting the void left in the Senate by Kennedy's death, and the questions raised by whom might possibly be his successor. Beneath the photo his a headline about Kennedy the person, determined to live out his remaining days filled with life and verve, an idea wonderfully supported by the photograph of Kennedy sailing - personable, fun, smiling. Beneath this is a link to the Times' obit on Kennedy, fulfilling much of the same role as that offered by NPR.

New York Times hompage, August 27, 2009 at approximately 10:30 PM

SAMPLE #3: Fox News:

Sure, the tiny links beneath the photo and eye-catching headline offer an overview of Kennedy and his legacy ("Kennedy Through the Years") and, oddly, a statement from Obama's doctor about his high quality of life (I haven't read this particular link, but the choice of taking a statement from Kennedy's doctor smacks of the healthcare debate...I could be wrong though, and simply assuming too much, I confess). Yet, the large, bold headline does not offer a tribute to Kennedy the man...fine...but instead drums up the chance that his Democratic senatorial seat may be taken by a Republican (see Romney at the top of the replacement short-list?). And, as I am always inclined to focus on and (probably) over read the choice of images, a photo of Kennedy casually gesticulating, hand raised, as if...waving goodbye? Sheesh. Really, Fox News? Pedantic much?

Fox News homepage, August 27, 2009 at approximately 10:30 PM

So, yeah, I figured this is what I would find on each of the sites. And full disclosure, as I am sure this comes as no surprise to anyone, I am a fan of NPR and read the NY Times almost daily (albeit mostly for the arts reporting). But as interested as I am in not only how editorial mandates translate as news, but in particular, how images evoke and crystallize such views dramatically, these three pictures on three separate news homepage sites is really, really telling.

What the?!…a new site?

Josh Rose — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 21:33:44 +0000

Greetings, all. For those of you familiar with the former purpose/appearance of this site, it was dedicated to the comic strip, Cosmo, by Josh Rose. That's me, your intrepid host. However, after numerous years, I realized that the strip was no longer in "hiatus" but officially "over." To learn more about the strip, it's origins, and view the comics, click the link at the top labeled "Comic Archive."

Now, however, I have decided to turn this site and URL into a new portal for both my current comic interests, as well as a place to focus on unfinished art and writing projects, ideas in flux, a place to pontificate on my interests (see "About" above), or other assorted randomness. The word "pontificate" may, in fact, show up again, but I hope to keep this to a bare minimum.

Another reason for the re-design, using WordPress, was to have a better portal for my varied interests and endeavors now - be it my comic interests, my academic interests in art history, or my technical/geeky interests.

Let me know what you think. As usual, I tend to come to things about a decade after they first come into fashion (hence, establishing a "web-log," or BLOG as the kids call it), but I hope this will become a viable point of departure for my varied pursuits.