The Weight of Light

Dying Interest

2010-09-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

It happens naturally, losing interest in something. I used to use this to share projects, ideas, writings, but never was quite happy with it. It's format is almost too official for my process right now.

I've switched to using Tumblr to record my findings and thoughts and Flickr to show my own images.

2010-07-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

Back in San Francisco. I've started to go through all the photos and map out the route. We rode over 1200 miles in 21 days. While we were rained and snowed on through mountain passes, we saw some sun in between. Riding my bicycle as a mode of travel was the most freeing experience of my life.

2010-05-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

2010-05-15T00:33:00.000-07:00

2010-05-15T00:22:00.000-07:00

Where are we now?

2010-04-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

I'm learning to sew. I see so many little useful things that are being sold around town that I feel like I could just make myself. So here we go. Next, camera hip pouch for bike riding, flick catchin'!

out to sea...

2010-04-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

...with no paddle or sail.

2010-03-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

Star

2010-03-12T09:54:00.000-08:00

Wood

2010-03-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

summer dreams iii & iv

2010-03-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

Pathways

2010-02-23T14:11:00.001-08:00

A fire touched hill in Yellowstone during a blizzard. Transform.

3rd Annual Plastic Camera Show

2010-02-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

Ah, it's that time again for Rayko's plastic camera show. My image of a corn field in South Dakota, entitled "Our Crop", was chosen for the show. If you were able to check out last year's exhibition, this year's will be much different. Please come out! I'll be pouring wine from 6-9pm at 3rd and Harrison on Friday, February 26th.

Sassy in the Backseat

2010-02-18T13:49:00.000-08:00

I keep going back to this photo of Lucius when I'm sifting through my 35mm scans. Maybe it's his expression and the rain soaked window, or just the t-shirt, I'm not quite sure. Taken with the a Nikon FunTouch that Matt found on the street a few months ago.

Landslides Contd.

2010-02-18T00:23:00.000-08:00

Deep in the Pakistani mountains. I'm realizing I'm finding all these images and not noting source, I promise to get better at that, sorry internet.

Evidence of Modernity

2010-02-17T01:29:00.000-08:00

Landslides

2010-02-17T01:17:00.000-08:00

Unknown source. See also: predicted landslide in Japan.

2010-02-16T01:29:00.000-08:00

Bill Wild and Co

2010-02-16T00:39:00.001-08:00

Corey Riddell on the saw.

We Hold This Earth

2010-02-14T01:05:00.000-08:00

2010-02-06T01:33:00.000-08:00

Loving every part of this photograph. I've had it sitting on my desktop for a while now and can't seem to part with it. The care with which it was printed, his dress and styling of his hair. Despite all the negative, I wish I could be apart of this time, even for a day.

Basics of Film Photography Tutorial

2010-02-06T01:25:00.000-08:00

Grab your camera and come over! We're going to spend some time walking around my neighborhood shooting and a little bit of time on the deck (weather permitting) talking. I'm going to be covering the basic concepts of exposure, including aperture, shutter speed, depth of field/focusing, and loading/unloading your camera.

Film is preferred, but if all you've got is a digi and want to learn a little more about photography, please come by. Invite your friends!

New Landscapes

2010-02-05T11:18:00.001-08:00

Simple Changes

2010-02-05T11:12:00.001-08:00

Installed some shelves in Tiff and I's room this week. Thanks to Scrap and Building Resources, the whole project only cost me about $11.

Stay tuned for a custom chalk board I'm making for Hot Lunch.

Industry Cont'd.

2010-02-05T11:04:00.001-08:00

Seattle

2010-02-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

Moving

2010-01-26T00:21:00.000-08:00

Recycling a Legacy

2010-01-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

Erecting/Erected Faith

2010-01-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

End of an Era

2010-01-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

It's come time to part ways with my legendary van. It served me well through 28 states and nearly 11,000 miles of travel. If you know anyone that is looking for a van, point em my way. Visit the Craigslist ad or give me a shout through the blog.

The Meat of Advertising

2010-01-09T21:39:00.000-08:00

Development Rodeo

2010-01-09T21:37:00.000-08:00

Grains

2010-01-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

Alterations Under Snow

2010-01-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

Our Crop, Cont.

2010-01-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

Comin' Up Short

2010-01-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

Remembering Our Goodyears

2010-01-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

It's not a pun, I swear.

Our Crop

2010-01-03T23:21:00.001-08:00

Taking and Using

2009-12-31T00:03:00.000-08:00

Roads

2009-12-30T01:28:00.000-08:00

Delray Hilltops

2009-12-22T23:36:00.000-08:00

In Time, We'll Be Taken Over

2009-12-22T18:07:00.000-08:00

Summer Dreams

2009-12-20T21:14:00.000-08:00

Red Earth

2009-12-20T01:44:00.001-08:00

Nothern Nevada

2009-12-18T23:55:00.001-08:00

Oil Disposal Site

2009-12-14T11:24:00.000-08:00

Tons of sludge and nearly three million gallons of oil in Bridgeport, NJ ca. 1985. Found in National Geographic.

Got An Ear Open For You

2009-12-13T10:51:00.000-08:00

Listening for a possible airborne enemies parked in Chrissy Field ca. 1944. Found in San Francisco Magazine.

The Dumpsters of a Cement Factory

2009-12-10T23:53:00.000-08:00

Mt St Helens Eruption

2009-12-09T17:13:00.000-08:00

I can credit this buzz in my life completely to Scrap's out of control collection of old National Geographics. I'm not much for words, but I appreciate how natural disasters tend to serve as our planet's way of response to our culture. The shear power of nature goes unappreciated too often. A result of a massive, underground earthquake, the eruption also cause a large portion of the mountain to slide over 10 miles and mud to flow over 30 miles. Ash could be seen throughout the country due to high speed, coastal winds.

All three of these images were shot by Ralph Perry. Reid Blackburn, a photographer for the Vancouver Columbian died in the aftermath of the eruption. He had been camping in the back country nearby and was found in his car near his campsite, buried in ash (below). There is also an article detailing a man, Harry Truman, who had grown up in the area. He had made a small cabin to share for his wife on the shores of Lake Spirit, just north of the mountain and in the path of the main flow of debris. He swore off the evacuation efforts, claiming he had plenty of whiskey and food to last him.

Mt. St. Helens is still classified as an active. Super up to date and scientific info can be found at the Cascades Volcano Observatory's website.

Three Shots From Columbus, OH

2009-12-03T19:29:00.001-08:00

It's cold outside.

Back in San Francisco

2009-11-15T16:27:00.000-08:00

After nearly two months of driving, I've found my way back home. I traveled a little over 10,000 miles and passed through 28 states, shooting around 120 rolls of film. I can't even count how many great people I met on this trip. Thank you so much to everyone that was able to extend some hospitality my way, your love and support enriched this entire experience. I am ecstatic to see and share the photographs I made. It'll be some time until even I see them all: getting color film developed isn't cheap. I'm going to take a few tomorrow just to give me something to start with. I saw so many amazing sites on my journey, it's overwhelming to even think about.

I want to tell you everything little detail because it was all just so amazing--the country diners, the blown, rolling plains, the handmade old billboards and signage in dying towns, and all the different people--but I'm at a loss for words. We have such a diverse and complex social system at work. There are so many walks of life in this nation. I have not begun to completely absorb all the different cultures, climates, and landscapes I've seen over the last two months. Hopefully, my photographs will be able to bring my thoughts to life and show the nation that we have created from my perspective.

All said, it is good to be home. I missed the city bike rides, bustling streets outside a milling stew of housemates, and all my great friends. I've got a lot motivating me now and all my time to reflect has really strengthened the legs I walk on.

It's Begun

2009-09-17T21:05:00.001-07:00

Welp, the trip has begun. I'm reporting from an RV park in Winnemucca, NV right now.

The first few days have been emotionally rocky, I won't lie. Losing the stability of a home base is shaking me a bit more than I had anticipated. Saying goodbye to my girl was one of the hardest damn things I've ever done. Being so alone has made the few interactions I've had awkward. I forget the volume of my voice if I don't talk out loud for a while. But this is half the reason I'm doing this, to figure all this out, as corny as that may be.

The other half of this trip is going splendidly. I've already shot a good amount. This makes the driving time a hell of lot longer, but that's okay. Not being able to stop on previous "Point A to Point B" trips is what really inspired this whole thing in the beginning.

So ways to follow me. I don't shoot too much digitally, so you won't see many Flickr updates or shots here on the blog, but I am keeping a camera phone journal on my website.

See you all in a few months.

Young Suns, Cont'd.

2009-09-14T00:19:00.000-07:00

Leaving

2009-09-14T00:05:00.000-07:00

I'm shoving off Wednesday. It's all so surreal to me. I'll be keeping in touch a couple different ways. I'll either be updating my photo journal, flickr, and this here blog.

I've been spending some of my time since my last day at work refining my website, as well as updating it.

The Young Suns

2009-09-06T01:07:00.000-07:00

First Art Show

2009-08-25T09:05:00.001-07:00

Ah! We had an art show, I moved out of my room, and I'm down to one job for the next two weeks. A lot of changes. See photos from the show here.

Port O'Brien for Nylon Magazine

2009-08-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

This will be my second published photo shoot for a magazine, I'm really excited about it. Thanks to Tim McSweeney for hooking me up with the folks over at Nylon. The people of Port O'Brien were super nice and easy to work with. They were so casual about it all that I couldn't help but let the images be casual as well. Good energy coming from these guys. Check out their music here.

Summer Dreams

2009-08-10T09:15:00.001-07:00

Connected

2009-08-07T15:44:00.001-07:00

Uninteresting but Interesting

2009-08-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

Neither of these images are particularly striking, contain anything interesting, or are even composed well. But, I still like them. It's okay, I'll continue to feed my obsession with other people's past.

Family

2009-08-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

Room for Rent

2009-07-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

So it's that time, I'm headed out on the road for a few months. I need someone to sublet my room while I'm gone. Do you wanna try to the city out for a few months? Or are you in between places? Or maybe you know someone who is?

The room is $700 a month. It has a twin platform bed (that means you can store stuff underneath), rockin' stereo with a turntable, a drafting table, huge closet, a nice chair for your visitors, and an amazing view. There is also a small stoop outside the window that you and a friend can chill on and enjoy a nice view of San Francisco and Oakland from. You'd share a bathroom with an awesome lady named Lana who likes to make collages, paint, and has a huge chalkboard painted on her wall for you to leave funny notes and doodles on. Josh lives above you and shares that bathroom as well, but isn't home much.

The best part about this situation for you or your friend is that I'm totally flexible on when I come and go. I want to ideally leave sometime in August and be gone for about 3 months. I really just need to find someone awesome for this couple of months, so I'm kinda flexible on everything (including rent). You name the dates!

Please let me know if you or someone you know (and trust) is interested!

Rain in the Distance

2009-07-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

To Be Eatin

2009-07-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Right Under My Nose

2009-06-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

There is so much out in the Ocean Beach area that I need to explore. I was guided on by a friend on a 19 mile loop from the Mission, out to Ocean Beach via the wiggle and Golden Gate Park, then back through the Excelsior and Outer Mission. Next time I'm waiting for the right lighting and lugging my 6x6 for sure.

Moving Out

2009-06-07T18:32:00.001-07:00

The weirdest part about moving to me is erasing yourself from the place you're leaving. All the history the could be left, marks on the walls and floors, are cleaned and painted over. But I can't deny the allure of freshness when looking for a new place of my own; painted walls are never frowned upon. It's the whole process that really gets me.

Blue Rock Springs Mine

2009-05-19T11:52:00.001-07:00

I've been working on a small series surrounding this mine, as part of Land & Sea. Here are the first two images I've completed.

Narvell Mattison

2009-05-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

Power

2009-05-16T16:51:00.001-07:00

Dotted Horizon

2009-05-15T16:44:00.001-07:00

Film Older than Me

2009-05-14T23:40:00.000-07:00

There is something about it's age and grain.

Gold Digging

2009-05-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

View Destinations in a larger map

It's real. Nearly 82% of the gold mining in the United States happens in this area. It is land that is sacred of the Shoshone tribe. They have been trying to fight against companies like Newmont Mining for nearly a century in order to prevent further development of mining. The tribe signed a treaty in the late 1800's in order to share the land with the US government as a form of peace keeping. Apart of this treaty said that mining would be allowed, as the US government viewed this the most important use of the western land. At the time, mining was performed by hand, with a pick axe. Nearly 150 years later, companies like Newmont, have adopted the open pit mining and cyanide heap leaching techniques to obtain their gold. Environmental affects are vast, causing contamination of drinking water and acid rain. The mines themselves are a couple miles wide and over 1,000ft deep. I have a feeling it will be really difficult to see them close up, but I have to try.

New Places Nearby

2009-04-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a good day of adventure. I wandered to the East Bay and ended up at the coast near the Richmond Bridge, then heading to the Albany Landfill. There are some things to be discovered in these parts. The Richmond coastline is mostly own by Chevron, but there is public fishing allowed on certain spots of the coastline. It's patrolled by security day and night, and there are tons of gates with odd numbers guarding seemingly nothing. Some of the architecture is from WWII, including a small row of family housing across the street from a large armory equipped with castle-like openings for infantry gunning. Definitely a lot to photo out there.

1991 Chevrolet G20

2009-04-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

It's got a little over 84k miles on it, a few wiring issues, but a great motor and new transmission. I've already driven it from Valencia, CA back up to San Francisco, down to Santa Cruz packed full of people, and home to Petaluma a few times. It's a tank! The V8 definitely loves to guzzle gas. But it's roomy, with 4 captains chairs and a nice bed in the back. This will definitely work.

Layout Changes

2009-04-18T16:13:00.001-07:00

Not sure if I'm totally into them yet, but I made some layout changes. Mostly just made the post wrapper wider. Some of the auto-image uploading stuff is not working as well as I would like, but I do love being able to post huge images. But don't steal them, okay?

Reflected Light

2009-04-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

I've been really interested in reflected light lately. Following where the sun bounces of our metal objects is somewhat curious. So many man made things. Also, check out Forest Bound. Inspiring creations and lifestyle from this lady.

Top 3 Matches: A Person

2009-04-13T18:24:00.001-07:00

When you search for "a person" with Google, these are the top three matches. We're all doomed.

MFA Thesis Exhibition

2009-04-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

I helped Wendy Anne Crittenden install her work at SFSU over the last few days. It was an intense job. We put up a total of 32 panels of wallpaper with wheat paste to form four 10 ft x 10 ft photographs. I'm not only impressed by the scale of the work, but the power. So many possibilities.

The show is opening next Friday, April 17th, at 1pm. Check it out if you're in the area!

Monopolies

2009-04-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

I've been playing Monopoly lately. We all know the idea of the game and how closely it mimics the principles of our economic system. It's so clear and concise, clean. There was a San Francisco edition of Monopoly created in the mid 90's. The properties are listed on this website. The original concept I had was to photograph those places now. But after reviewing the list, that seems dry, devoid of any real meaning. All these locations are fluff, tourist spots. The game's simplicity could be coupled with something so much more powerful.

Now to come up with locations that actually belong on this game board from the Bay Area. Is jail poverty? The power company PG&E? I'd say the lesser worth properties are definitely in West Oakland, the TL, and Bayview/Hunter's Point.

This is going to take some real research and time, but I'm up to such a project to focus on. I'm open to any comments/suggestions any of you may have. Please leave me some words on this one!

New Ideas

2009-04-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

I'm coming out of a slump, finally. I've got some hop to my step again and I'm venturing out into the sun. Caring a camera everywhere has helped quite a bit. Nothing like a light meter and little TLR friend to help you out.

The combination of my Yashica Mat and some expired chrome really brought these scenes to life for me. They've sparked some ideas of following the business world's affect on my city. While I was scanning these negatives, I was checking my email. Gmail wanted me to know about this cool new feature, called "Auto-pilot". Basically, Gmail will detect and automatically formulate a response to certain types of emails. It made me realize what a monopoly Gmail. There is a lot of good that has come out of their innovations, but some seem invasive and damaging. What kind of culture will we have when robots live our lives for us?

At any rate, these ideas have ingited my spark again. Stay tuned for more.

Edit: I got fooled! Autopilot was Google's April Fool's joke this year. God damnit. So much misdirected hatred.

Camera Obscura

2009-03-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

It's how all cameras work. A hole made in a light safe box projects the image directly in front of the hole. Cameras use film/light sensors to capture the image. But if you use some construction grade trash bags to block out all the light in your apartment and well, in my case, a 3/4" glass plug (yes from my earlobe), it projects the image outside of your home on the inside. It's amazingly soothing and mystical, yet so simple. Anyone can do this, and I encourage you to try.

Be sure you've got a few hours to spend on this, because it takes some time getting your place light tight. Cover the windows with anything light tight. Trash bags were the easiest thing for me. I used painters tape (that blue stuff) to tape the bags up. I then took a ballpoint pin and poked a hole in the bag. A dim image appeared on the opposite wall At first it was too dark, so I open it up more and viola, a full image.

Bouquets for Art Winner!

2009-03-20T19:17:00.000-07:00

I snapped some photos of this winning design from this years "Bouquets to Art" fashion show that was held this past Monday. It will be featured in this Sunday's SF Chronicle as well as the next issue of 7x7.

Joliet, IL

2009-03-16T15:24:00.001-07:00

From "Disarming the Prairie" by Terry Evans. This is a must see place. I can't find any more info on it then what I quickly read in the book of the same title that I saw yesterday. I wanted to buy it, but I had ran out of money. The outskirts of the mid-size town Joliet, IL are littered with ruins of old WWII facilities. Most of them have burnt down or fallen down, but some remain. Thinking of these landscapes in cloudy weather makes me tingle a bit.

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2nd Annual International Juried Plastic Camera Show, Part II

2009-02-27T11:47:00.001-08:00

Thanks for to the few that came out! It was a pretty packed show and I had a good time. I'm really glad I was apart of it all. Also glad that everything got finished, it was a lot of work. I also intern at RayKo and helped hang the show.

PS. That's my image in the top right of this photo. It was the biggest image of the show, that's for sure.

Land & Sea

2009-02-17T23:46:00.001-08:00

sharks turn to minnows

radio peaks

Numbers

2009-02-11T01:28:00.001-08:00

2nd Annual International Juried Plastic Camera Show

2009-02-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

"Us and Them" has been included in the 2nd Annual International Juried Plastic Camera Show at RayKo Photo Center.

Opening: Thursday, February 26th, 6-8p
Exhibition: February 26, 2009 - April 1, 2009

Portland is Good

2009-02-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

Portland has a lot to offer. Tons of local friendly, vegan eateries. Lots of good bars, good pub food, and interesting beer. There always seems to be something going on around town and it's damn fun to ride your bike to get there. It's always refreshing and inspiring to visit that town for some reason. I want to live there someday. They aren't very interesting, but I have some more snaps up on my flickr.

Vacation

2009-02-01T07:48:00.000-08:00

Off to Portland today to hang out with my buddy Dan and a few others. I'll leave you this.

Flint and Detroit, MI

2009-01-29T11:10:00.000-08:00

View Larger Map

Flint and Detroit are both in Michigan. When I hear about Michigan, I think about closed factories and abandoned buildings. This is how the media, throughout my life, has portrayed it. I've heard crazy things about nature taking over abandoned buildings in Detroit. That damn Michael Moore has got so much to say about Flint. Oh, and it's weird to me that California and Michigan are the only two states with two cities in The Top 10 List. Richmond and Oakland are a lot closer to each other, but Flint and Detroit are also close. Okay, maybe it's a looser connection that I thought. I need to get out of bed.

Smithfield Packing Company

2009-01-26T09:40:00.000-08:00

View Larger Map

Located in Tar Heel, NC on Highway 87, the Smithfield Packing Company is capable of slaughtering an estimated 32,000 pigs a day. It is the largest slaughterhouse in the world. There are a few facilities within a few miles of each other, so I decided to show the satellite map. I can't imagine the smell. I'm on a hunt looking for slaughterhouses right now. They have an enormous ecological and environmental impact. It may provide jobs, but it fuels a disgusting and an unnecessary industry. The length of the Wikipedia page on the company is weird too.

I've also added a full map of the trip at the foot of this here blog.

Machines, Magical Underpants

2009-01-25T00:26:00.000-08:00

1950's Dodge Pick up with Step Sides
The rest of the site is worth a look too. I love old machines. Oh also...

A must see video about magical underpants that Mormons wear.

Edit: I believe this magical underpants thing is very real. It was given a silly name by that video though. They are actually called Temple Garments. It was even on 60 Minutes once. This is all becoming extremely interesting to me. I think I'm going to need to go to Park City, Utah.

Dreams II

2009-01-24T16:41:00.000-08:00

Coming to the end of double hell for this week. More to come.

Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities

2009-01-21T15:53:00.001-08:00

Congressional Quarterly Press has released their rankings for 2008:

New Orleans
Camden, NJ
Detroit
St. Louis
Oakland
Flint, Mich.
Gary, Ind.
Birmingham, Ala.
Richmond, Calif.
North Charleston, SC

I wanted to make all of these places destinations of mine, but I'm not sure about that. Two of these places are across the bay from me as well. I highlighted in red the places that I know I do want to go. I'll do separate posts on them some other time though, three in one day is a lot of me. It's kind of exhausting..

The Salton Sea

2009-01-21T10:44:00.000-08:00

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This lake is barely over 100 years old and was created as a result of an unusually large snow melt from Colorado and high rates of precipitation in a single winter season. So why the salt? Salton was a salt mining town until it's flooding in 1905. High levels of bacteria created infections that would wipe out large number of fish in the 1980s and 1990s. This eventually caused botulism to become rampant in the area and began killing off birds as well. It's now littered with abandoned shelters, including a hotel/resort that was built in the 50s or so and failed, and corpses of countless animals.

Caves II

2009-01-21T10:23:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure what to do with this at first. I came to the conclusion that we all belonged together; linked to one another by some kind of brotherhood. I couldn't find myself in the middle. I saw it as a linear progression and wanted to keep it that way.

Deaths, Caves

2009-01-18T11:11:00.000-08:00

I'm going to a funeral today. I haven't been to one since I was seven. My grandpa had died of cancer. He worked for the military most of his life, designing anti-air missiles. You know Nike? Nike was first a missile, he helped design it. It was pouring that day. I sat under a canopy with my mourning family, the only one still young enough to not understand what was happening. Today I'm very aware.

But not of everything. I'm not giving up though; not yet. I can see the light.

Balitmore

2009-01-16T23:37:00.000-08:00

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I looked at a van today for the trip. It was a 1991 Chevy G20 Conversion. It seemed to run well, but's definitely got a few isssues. I'm not sure I'll end up buying it. Although, the current owner did send me some photos of a his road trip to Mexico that he made in a few months ago. I can't tell if he's being serious or just wants to get rid of the van.

Anyways, back to Baltimore. I meet a gobs of kids from this place here on the west coast. They all seem to be great people. I need to see what has sparked a desire to move all the way across the United States to get away from it.

Gilrich, TX

2009-01-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

View Larger Map

When hurricane Ike ravaged Southeast Texas in the fall months of 2008, the peninusulas that hug the West and East Bay that surround the larger Galveston Bay were nearly wiped clean. At some points the land on the eastern Bolivar Peninsula is less than 2 miles wide, leaving it no match for the super charged sea and fierce storms. Destroyed ports, docks, beach house, small store fronts, and sea side restaurants. A must see.

From the series "And Jeopardize the Integrity of the Hull"

2008-12-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

She's confused, possibly scared, and definitely alone. The little green dude is running away like a coward. The entire series is super intriguing. A surreal, ambiguous tale starts to unfold in the entire series by Charlie White. Be sure to check out the rest, it's well worth a look.