A Tree For Midnight Dreamers

On a hillside, near a village, there grows a tree. A shimmering witness to all that transpires, and judge to none. Its grace, shade, and oxygen are freely given. Its branches welcome nest builders from every land.

Christmas Joy!

Vegan Figgy Pudding Rocks!

Drifting, Dreaming

sailing away...

Familiar Sights With New Eyes

This new artwork (created today) is based on one of the earliest Challis & Roos creations. A few decades ago, in the attic bedroom of a quirky boarding house on Seattle's famed 18th Ave NE, a couple of newly-acquainted artists captured the nighttime alleyway shadows cast on their rented wall. That initial artwork (3 feet by 9 feet--done on bargain basement butcher paper with crumbling, flaky sticks of pastel and charcoal) has been recently unrolled, and is currently hanging on Ian and David's studio wall. It serves as a direct inspiration for today's version of "Asher's Wall."

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

Weekend Sketchbook Art...

Wall Of Sound

I want to continue
continue to make some noise tonight
I want to continue
continue to raise my voice in spite
of circumstances
these common things beyond our control
the eventual outcome
these common things that we can't know

I want to just bang on things good
take a stick in each hand and just pound
stretched skin, then metal, then wood
take a stick in each hand, create some sound
without really planning it out
without really knowing where this all will land
I want to just bang on things good
take a stick in each hand, create some sound

(lyrics from the song "Wall Of Sound" by David)
see the Challis & Roos-illustrated music video here

Alive In The Desert

Zigzagging jackrabbits, lumbering desert tortoises, armies of armadillos, clouds of coyotes, lithe snakes, alert lizards, predictable roadrunners...
Massive saguaros, giant Joshua trees, expressive yuccas, awesome ocotillos...
So much life in the desert!

Loose & Chalky Summertime, too...

Another new one:

A Loose & Chalky Summertime

Some brand new pastel artwork from today. Sitting outside in the 110° heat, alongside the hummingbirds, ocotillos, and palms.

Interpreter Of Dreams

It was 1956 when he drove west. "I wanted to have something. He asked me to build a tepee. I knew exactly where the tepee should go."

A premier sex symbol of the day, he was a man of vast erudition. "I bill myself as an interpreter of dreams... Serendipity has played its part."

As he sat under a tree he heard, "I am on holiday. Je suis en vacances."

*These are a few of the nine recently-unearthed Challis & Roos original paper collage works (under glass) created almost 21 years ago...

Mandalas In The Sky

Improvisational sketchbook drawing done aboard a very recent British Airways flight. (en route from LHR to DFW)

A Quartet Of Musicians

Ramsey Lewis

Miles Davis

Alice Coltrane

Kamasi Washington

Brand new artwork! These four pieces are studies for a new series of paintings-- acrylic on canvas...

And All Of A Sudden, The Conversation Turned Into A Dance

Some brand new artwork from this week...

She Persisted!

Typically, whenever I've illustrated quotes, they've consisted of words by people I admire. People like Thich Nhat Hanh, Maya Angelou, Lou Reed... Who in the world would have guessed that I'd spend this morning working on artwork that had been "inspired" by (or more likely, just a reaction to) the poetic musings of Mitch McConnell, of all people. These are weird times indeed.  #shepersisted #elizabethwarren

It's Here...!

David's novel is now available on Amazon! Please check it out here