In this dream, he would roam the corridors of his mansion, proud of all that he had built. His fortress of security and strength protected him from the dangers of the outside world. In the dream, time started to move faster. Years passed in seconds and eventually the bird dreamed that as a person, he died. He dreamed that the palace, left unattended for months then years, then decades, eventually crumbled… ground back into the earth by the relentless cycles of wind and rain.

Free of the palace walls, the awareness of the dreamer looked out into the world. He imagined that the mansion had been but a tiny cage. The harmony of the stars, the sun, the moon and the planets were all acting in concert to make the world a garden. He saw the true palace was really the universe in which the temporary little mansion had been built.

When the little bird woke up, the dream of being a person soon started to fade. He sang a bright cheerful song, simply glad to be a bird again.

He spread his wings and jumped out into the sky. He flew out into a world of impossible beauty. A world that was bursting with variety and self expression. Despite the danger of serpents… the garden was full of gifts.

After singing many bright songs and flying to many extraordinary places, the little bird died.

Just then… the garden woke up from its dream of being a little bird.

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Q: Could you explain your fascination with devils and angels?

A: Devils and angels have become the symbolic embodiment of good and evil. They haunt us as reflections of our selves. They represent the opposite extremes in human behavior and nature and have become part of a contemporary mythology of good and evil. Even outside of Christian influenced imagery there are examples of demons, devils, angels and avatars in all of the worlds great religions. In each of us is the capacity to do good as well as the capacity to do evil. We sometimes mistake our own impulses for the voices of Devils and Angels over our shoulders, as if we are not responsible for our actions. We are torn between our selfishness and our compassion. We struggle with our weaknesses, even as we search for redemption. I wrestle with these things as an artist as I wrestle with them as a person.

Q: Some of your creations possess characteristics of both devil and angels. Where did this come from and what does it represent?

A: At some point the images started to look more and more alike. Both the devils and the angels seemed to me to be like elemental sprits that exist in nature, neither good or evil. Within nature is both beauty and pain, birth and destruction. Many nobel creatures live and care for their young by feeding on the weak and the sick. The forces of good and evil combine to create a natural order that does not separate these things but embraces them both.

I was trying with these images, to express a harmony and a balance that was missing in my earlier representations of the more traditional devils and angels. Some of these new pictures are an attempt for me to find that harmony in my self. Now when I look at some of the older paintings that portray a devil I sometimes see good. In the angels I sometimes see evil. It’s a strange thing.

Q: At your website your referred to some of this work as a goddess series. Could you elaborate on this?

A: I think of the goddess as the embodiment of desire and the source of life. She is a force of nature, beautiful and mysterious to man. When the devils and angels merged they formed a new goddess, one that is cold and cruel while at the same time warm and sweet. These images have been inspired by love, pain, fear and wonder.

Q: There is a distinct erotic quality to a lot of this work. Is that part of the symbolism or is it more a matter of style?

A: On a more basic and playful level, devils and angels are the subject of many peoples sexual fantasies. We are attracted to both. Some of these images are an exploration of these fantasies and an attempt to capture the essence of their attraction.

Q: How have you incorporated these ideas into your tattoo work?

A: I first started working with Devil and Angel imagery as the subject of tattoo work. I found a lot of clients wanted their tattoos to express their own struggles with good and evil, right and wrong. The devils and angels are powerful symbols in the skin. They act as talismans of repentance, or malevolence. Tattoos have a lot of power to transform people by changing how they see themselves. I have worked with clients who have used their tattoos to explore the dark and light aspects of their personalities by developing an elaborate narrative of images for their bodies. For me Devils and Angels will be an unending source of imagery and inspiration for tattoo art.

Q: What are you working on now and what can we expect to see from you in the near future?

A: I have been working on a series of backpeice and body suit designs which explore a range of surreal, mythological and horror themes. There is also a deck of Tarot cards in the works as well as a new flash set of fully painted skulls. I have had the pleasure of working with a bunch of really talented artists on a wide range of flash projects. Our goal was to put together a comprehensive collection of flash that would represent the best of today’s cutting edge styles.

My personal work has been changing a lot and has been turning into some strange kind of universal mythology that draws on a wide variety of cultures and influences.

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Along this surface of infinite eyes, I came across my own looking right back at me. I hovered closer and closer until finally, I fell into them. I swam through the depths of my self until I came out on the other side. From here, the sphere was no more than a singularity… the tiniest of points hovering in an ocean of the brightest light. I opened my entire being into the blank canvas upon which creation is painted. I examined the tiny sphere and looked into the world through millions of little windows, seeing creation through a million unique pairs of eyes, each with a different view, each with a different dream of self. As I awoke, I passed back through the window of my eyes and heard a voice whisper, “let there be light”.

Awake in the world… I greet the people I encounter and see them looking back at me. I say hello to my dog. I watch a dragonfly navigate the air. I see a goldfish in a tank. In every pair of eyes, all I can see is a glittering wall of gem stones, a deep shiny collection of windows looking in upon the world, from the very edges of creation. I look in upon the world myself and contemplate the light that I can barely remember, even as it dwells deep in my being… surrounding all that is… shared by us all… we behold the world, so that the light can see… I wait patiently to let go and one day return to the source.

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There have been times when I did not have much faith in my own potential. A few very special people in my life helped me believe. Belief makes all the difference.

So whatever you want to do, and whoever you think you can become… go for it! Find the way and then show it to someone else.

The post Raising the Water appeared first on David Bollt.

David’s unique style is apparent regardless of his means of application and the airbrush is a tried and true method which has been a large part in the evolution of his accomplishments. When asked to elaborate David said, “These days I’m doing a lot of digital work but it’s only because I have been moving and don’t have a suitable studio space for airbrush. For many years the airbrush was my tool of choice. It’s so fluid and natural. I feel like the color is being directed straight from my finger to the canvas. It’s like my mind has a direct link to the tool. Just like you don’t have to think about riding a bike, I don’t have to think about having an airbrush in my hand. It’s a direct extension of my body.”

Born in New York in 1971, David’s father lent his creative nature to his young son. “There are no other artists in my family, but my father is very creative. Growing up I was exposed to his active imagination and sparkling sense of humor. I remember him sitting with my brother and me to tell us amazing stories. I realized later he was just making them up as he went along. My family always encouraged me and had faith in what I chose to do. I remember people outside of the family (teachers or friends of the family) would sometimes discourage art as not being a practical life choice. I felt a determination early on to prove these people wrong and justify my family’s faith in my choices.”

While David does have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, he first discovered his ability to capture his imagination as a young boy. He recalls, “I had always been tortured by my own over active imagination when I was a child, seeing things in the dark and feeling the presence of all kinds of spirits and creatures all around me. There was also another kid in the neighborhood who was very different then the others. He would talk to people who were not there, and seemed to live in a world that was more fantasy than reality. It was almost like he lived in a state of waking REM sleep. One day we were playing and he wanted to draw. Although this was something he seemed to do often, I had never done it before. He exploded into his drawing and it was not so much a picture but an event, an adventure. While he drew a story unfolded. Wars were waged, lives were lost and heroes emerged. For me, that day, a whole new world opened up. I found a channel for my imagination. I found the paper to be a place to safely manifest all the spirits and creatures that lived in my heart. I was able to explore my darkness and my fears. I learned to relate to them in a way I could manage. Giving monsters and spirits form on paper had them occur to me as something I could live with. I remember that first drawing as an important turning point in my life. I felt empowered and I loved the process of creating something. I knew from that first time I touched pencil to paper that I would spend the rest of my life making art.”

The airbrush was introduced to David in his teen age years. “When I first bought an airbrush I was still in high school and it was terrible. I had no idea what I was doing. Then in art-school a couple of years later, I watched a friend paint who was a mad genius. This was the first time I saw what the airbrush was for. This was the first time I saw it’s potential as an expressive tool. He was aggressive, loose and natural in his use of it. I went back to my dorm room that night and fired up my airbrush for hours… from that time on it all made sense. It took a while to build up the finesse and dexterity to really get it sync with it, but from that time on I loved it and it served me well.”

When asked about outside influences regarding the use of the airbrush and development of his style, David’s thoughts turn to H R Giger. “Aside from his mind bending and incredibly powerful images, I was inspired by HR Giger’s ability to harness the power of the airbrush as a serious fine art media. There seems to be a bias against airbrush as a tool for fine art.” David dismisses these biases, “I take every image and every individual expression on its own merits. I applaud ground breaking artists and people in general who pop others out of their stereotypes and make them take a second look at the world.”

We asked David to compare the use of the airbrush to some of the other media he uses. “I prefer to do black and gray tattoo work as opposed to color. I have adopted a tattoo technique that is very much like the way I approach an airbrush piece. I like to build the pigment slowly and let organic patterns emerge from the image and surprise me. I think my tattoo work has found it’s own unique identity as a direct result of my experience with the airbrush.

“I love the immediacy of the airbrush. I love the fluid nature of it. To me, my airbrush work is reminiscent of liquids and gas. The creatures I create with the airbrush seem to me like they are held together by spirit rather then bound by matter. There is a sense that the paintings are moving through time and leaving vapor trials as they go. There is a softness and smokiness in my airbrush work that is not present in any of my other artistic efforts. I feel like the airbrush was the tool that really taught me to fully express myself as an artist. My accomplishments in other media are built on the things I learned about myself with an airbrush in my hand. Although airbrush is my favorite I really enjoy just about any vehicle for artistic expression and I have a deep love for painting with a brush. My favorite thing about brush painting is the way brush strokes can almost fool the mind. They can be wildly gestured and yet at a glance they appear almost photographic. The way that a bold smear of color from the tip of a brush can appear as highlight on someone’s hair, the texture of satin fabric, or the reflection of sunlight on the water will always seem like magic to me.

David had the following advice for those trying to break into the professional side of the artist world, “Do your best with each and every project. No matter what you are being paid (or even if you are not being paid) do your very best work and treat every opportunity like it’s going to be seen by the whole world. You never know who will see the fruits of your efforts. Also these things build a momentum over time that can reward you in ways you might never expect. To this day I still sell prints of paintings that I did back in art school (many of which I got bad grade on).

“Also I have to say that you must believe in yourself and be self validated. The world will tell you that you suck and that you can’t do it. Don’t think of it as the truth, think of it as a test. The world will never make things easy for you, but if you believe in yourself and your own value it won’t matter what the world has to say about it. Your rewards and your treasures are in your hands, your eyes and your spirit. If you can become the artist on the inside that you want to be, there are no rewards that the world can give you that will match that lifetime of gold. It’s a gift to you and the world every time you imagine something new and bring a new image out from your imagination and into the light for all to see.”

We thank David for his insight, his time and sharing a glimpse of his wonderfully imaginative and original art. For more incredible work from David Bolt, be sure to visit his web site at www.DavidBolt.com.

The post Interview with Airbrush Magazine appeared first on David Bollt.

Reflecting on some of the times when being together mattered the most…

Through these last few months as Arlene’s cancer has taken everything from her one step at a time. Durning long nights on baby monitor duty to keep her safe, when she would get up 5 or 6 times a night to make a grueling 10 minute journey 15 feet to the bathroom. Shadowing every painful step she made with the walker because she had become a terrible fall risk. Never to make it in time, but to take the journey anyway. Being with her in the face of miserable agony, and her experience of loosing independence and dignity. Helping her change her soaked diaper while she cried on the toilet and told me I would be a good father because I was patient and calm.

When she was finally bed ridden, all the nights I stayed up with her so Mark could finally get some rest… Holding her so the aids could change her and make sure she was clean and dry. She was miserable, indignant and sometimes delirious… sometimes I could be with it. Sometimes I could hold her and her suffering as perfect. Sometimes loving her, god and the universe exactly as we were unfolding in those precious moments… and then we would laugh. We would laugh while we changed her diaper.

There are a hundred other stories of Arlene Bollt from these last many months, and a thousand from all the years before of how she has suffered. As I got closer to her I became present to a degree of emotional distress I did not know was possible. While being with my mother in her agony for months… really being with her… time and again laughter and tenderness would break through. The three of us laughed a lot through all this pain and cancer and diapers and drugs. We laughed, and it was like light through a window in a dark room… enough light to keep one precious flower in bloom.

Sitting next to Arlene in hospice right now. Just a few days ago the whole world changed. She’s not waking up or eating anymore. I didn’t see it coming. I wanted this, for her to stop suffering. Mark and I helped make it happen… I still did not see it coming. Suddenly in a flash (of horrible emptiness) I see how I could have loved Arlene better and more fully. I see how simple that would have been. I see how I could have reached out more and shared the light of my world. I thought I was open and loving. Only now that it’s breaking, do I see how much more heart I have to give. Death is permission to open completely and to love fully.

These last few months I have been closer to my Arlene and Mark than since we were kids. These months of suffering have been a gift. I would give anything to be chasing her around on her walker and changing her diapers again.

Recently Arlene taught me some of the most valuable lessons I have ever learned. I’m realizing that even our suffering is a gift… when we experience it together. Our suffering is wrapped around this miraculous gift of being.

I’m deeply grateful to all of you who have loved Arlene, who have known her, who have laughed with her, and cried with her. Thank you for being part of her life journey.

Love always, David

The post From Hospice on the Eve of Arlene’s Passing appeared first on David Bollt.

Tonight with tears in my eyes I kissed the forehead of the woman who brought me into this world, and whispered a thank you in her ear. She had a rough day. She was sleeping. I watched her sleep. Her brow was troubled and only sometimes would it soften and relax.

Arlene Bollt, my mother, has been living with cancer for a long time. Her steady decline over these last few years has recently become much more steep. She is starting to let go… of everything. I see the sands flowing through the hourglass. I have no way of knowing how many precious grains remain.

Sometimes it has me feel as awake as I have ever been, naked in this moment with nothing to hide, nothing to loose and nothing to gain. I’m free to play in the garden until I too am crushed back into the soil. It feels like I’m being ripped to pieces sometimes… and then I think that’s just my armor being taken from me. I will surrender it all in the end anyway. Might as well let it go.

This burning fire that is life itself draws matter into it’s beautiful machinery and blossoms as consciousness. I see the clouds form even as they evaporate. I see the flowers rise in the field as others fall back into the soil. Upon the blank canvas of my awareness the universe paints itself as a beautiful garden.

I own nothing… no more than I own the sky.
I own everything… every bit as much as I own the sky.

I’m spending the day in silence and solitude. To my family, my friends, my fans… and to every random stranger who has ever crossed my path… thank you. I would not trade this perspective of mine for anything. Thank you for the birthday wishes. I’m honored and deeply moved by so many wonderful people. I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams.

Arlene Bollt… thank you for everything.
I am deeply grateful.

I love you all…!

David

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So who is David Bollt? He is widely recognized one of the most famous tattoo artists in the world. It’s hard to find a tattoo studio anywhere that does not have his art on it’s walls. His airbrush work has appeared in countless magazines and on lots of CD covers. For years David has been an underground legend until his unique style and unmatched rendering ability pushed him over the top. We took some time after the show to talk to David about his artwork and these new motorcycle tanks.

Tell us something about your airbrush work and career as an illustrator?

I started airbrushing around 18 years ago. Working with the airbrush helped me cut loose and do the kind of artwork I had always dreamed of. When I airbrush, images pour out of me. It’s like i get flashes of visions in perfect detail. I have to paint as fast as I can before it fades away. People liked the work I was doing and before I knew it I was doing all kinds of magazine illustrations. From there my work started appearing in galleries and museums.

How did you get in to doing Motorcycle tanks?

People have been asking me for years to paint tanks. I always wanted to but, I was not familiar with the chemistry and materials that make a show quality custom motorcycle tank. I could do the artwork, but you have to understand a lot more then airbrushing. About a year ago I met the expert, Chester Hamblin from Custom World in Tampa, FL. Chester is an accomplished airbrush artist in his own right, but his real genius is in his deep understanding of the science involved in top quality paint jobs. We decided to combine our talents, and together we have been able to produce some exciting results. Chester makes sure that everything from the base coat to the clear coat comes out perfect. His experience with celebrity projects and show work has been invaluable. His technical knowledge lets me focus on artwork and design. Together we have been pushing the envelope of what is possible.

Your tank and fender graphics are incredibly detailed and precise. What’s the secret?

Chester and I have been dissecting the whole painting process. We have taken a good look at how custom paint jobs are traditionally done and compared that to the illustration techniques I have developed for CD and magazine covers. We are taking the best of both worlds to come up with some really innovative methods. Our combined approach is helping us achieve a level of accuracy and detail that was previously unavailable.

You have been tattooing for a long time. How has that effected the work you do for motorcycle tanks?

Both art-forms actually have a lot in common. Each one requires a lot of technical skill and a steady hand. Each client has a different need. Each body part requires a special approach. The trick with tattooing, just like with paint jobs, is to do something that the client will always be happy with. When you get the right tattoo it feels like you were born to wear it. I take the same approach with tank and fender designs.

What are you going to paint next? What can we look forward to seeing from you in the near future?

People really liked the “Beauty and the Beast” poster that I painted for the Liquid Steel show. To have thousands of people want me to sign one for them was a great honor. I’m planning on doing a series of fantasy bike paintings that will be similar, including a fresh image for next years poster. The most exciting thing for me has been working with the builders. It’s rewarding to work with such dedicated and talented people. We have some interesting collaborations going on and the results are going to be unlike anything people have seen before. I don’t know where it’s all going but I’m looking forward to finding out.

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