Mary Ogle: Artist - Illustrator - Designer - Working in the Digital Medium

Honey Bee by Mary Ogle - Digital Painting - May 2012

I used to be deathly afraid of insects and arachnids of pretty much any kind. When you're a little kid in Florida the bugs are bigger than you for most of your formative years. I'm much better about it now but I still feel a little shiver of fear every time a creepy crawly crosses my path. So I draw them a lot to try and get over that. I've been drawing them for 40 years so I'm not sure how well that's working out.

BUY HONEY BEE PRINTS from one of our online partners:

BUY HONEY BEE T-SHIRTS AND GIFTS from our online partners:

Kangaroo Joey by Mary Ogle - Digital Painting - April 2012

When I was 4 I was in a car accident where I cracked my head and had to be given several stitches. What I remember most about the whole experience is the plush kangaroo and joey I was given for comfort. Kangaroos have been special to me ever since. I'm 47 now and I still have "Kangy". Though to be honest she's a little worse for wear.

BUY KANGAROO JOEY PRINTS from one of our online partners:

BUY KANGAROO JOEY T-SHIRTS AND GIFTS from our online partner:

Well Dressed Raven by Mary Ogle - Digital Painting - April 2012

You know I had no intention of painting a raven wearing a top hat and waistcoat. Seriously I just wanted to paint the bird au naturel. But then he insisted on perching on this weird looking ottoman thing in front of a bunch of arches wearing a hat and a floral vest thingy. Well alrighty then. Who am I to question.

BUY WELL DRESSED RAVEN PRINTS from one of our online partners:

BUY WELL DRESSED RAVEN T-SHIRTS AND GIFTS from our online partner:

Fat Cat by Mary Ogle - Digital Painting - March 2012

And now for something completely different. Moving on from creepy to cute we have "Fat Cat" a piece I started over a year ago and only now got around to finishing. The pug was still alive when I first did this drawing and after losing him I had a hard time going back to this. But Fat Cat got tired of waiting and eventually let me know he was ready to be born.

Why I paint in different styles and subjects:

1. I get bored. Who wants to do the same thing all the time. I never understood why artists were supposed to limit themselves to one facet of their personalities. It's ridiculous and unrealistic. For everyone, not just artists. We're all made up of different aspects that unite to make a whole. It's awesome. We should celebrate that, not try to hide it.
   
2. I like cute. I like creepy. I like animals. I like people. I like architecture. Amazingly I even like painting landscapes now and I used to hate that. Thank (insert diety or philosophy of choice here) we grow and change.
   
3. The weirdest things will inspire me. I'll be walking along minding my own business and I'll see some seemingly innocuous interaction on the street and wham! - next painting is born.
   
4. Versatility is good, especially in this day and age. It's hard to make a living any more doing only one thing. You need to branch out and do all sorts of different things - make a little here - a little there - and eventually (hopefully) - it all adds up.
   
5. I fought making products (like t-shirts and mugs and stuff) for a long time because darn it I was an artiste! Then I discovered I really liked making t-shirts and mugs and stuff and all that elitist crap went right out the window. Where it should have gone a long time ago.
   

BUY FAT CAT PRINTS from one of our online partners:

BUY FAT CAT T-SHIRTS AND GIFTS from our online partner:

Dairy Cow by Mary Ogle - Digital Painting - March 2012

I like cows. And not just because they remind me of Ben and Jerry's. They have a kind of a zen quality that's very appealing. Sometimes I like to work in a more graphic style and cows just seem to lend themselves to that.

BUY DAIRY COW PRINTS from one of our online partners:

BUY DAIRY COW T-SHIRTS AND GIFTS from our online partner:

Giving Back to Nerdist by Mary Ogle featured on the Nerdist Podcast show page

How cool is this - my steampunkian/cyborgian illustration of Chris Hardwick, Matt Mira and Jonah Ray is featured on the Nerdist Podcast: Who Said That show page. My birthday is tomorrow and this is the best gift I could have ever hoped to receive. Thanks guys!

Giving Back to Nerdist by Mary Ogle - Digital Sketch Type Thingy

I'm really sorry this is done because it was so much fun creating something for the Nerdist Podcast. I've just started experimenting with a steampunky/cyborgy type style and this was a wonderful way to practice a new way of seeing things.

Giving Back to Nerdist by Mary Ogle - Draft

Moving right along with my salute to the Nerdist Podcast. Now I'm incorporating some organic elements to give the illustration a more "cyborgy" (yes I made that word up lol) feel. I was going to do a full painting but I'm really liking the sketchy quality here so I think I'm going to head in that direction instead. Artwork pretty much tells you where it wants to go. You're next Jonah Ray!

Giving Back to Nerdist by Mary Ogle - Draft

My very favorite podcast in the whole, wide intergalatic sphere of things is the Nerdist Podcast. If you're feeling like crap you go listen to them and they are guaranteed to lift your (well at least my) spirits. If you're not feeling like crap it's even better.

Recently the guys asked if people wanted to share some artwork to appear along with their "Hostful" (the best episodes of all - Chris Hardwick, Jonah Ray and Matt Mira riffing on life, the universe and every little thing) podcast posts. There was some discussion in the comments about whether this was an ethical thing to ask for as, let's face it, artists get asked to "donate" free work all the time and then sit back and watch some "oh no we swear we'll never ever do any evil type stuff ever" types laugh and profit off our hard labor. I've spoken out against this type of exploitation myself.

I don't believe this is the case with nerdist however because 1) they weren't asking for free branding (they've got a cool logo already) 2)they aren't intending to sell this work and 3)they've been providing a free service for quite a while now and were basically asking for a trade. I like trades.

So in the spirit of giving back for all those free hours of nerdist joy, here is a sneak peek of something I've been working on to honor their request. I have no idea if they will use it or not but it doesn't really matter because the journey of its creation has been spectacularly fun so far. Thanks nerdist!

Charleston Mermaid by Mary Ogle - Digital Painting - February 2012

I visited Charleston on a business trip a few years ago and two things about it struck me the most - water and graveyards. I spent a long time wandering through an old graveyard reading the inscriptions on the stones and making up stories about the lives of the people who had died so long ago. It was sad but also calming and even serene.

What I remember about Charleston:

1. I am from the south originally and I never felt more southern that when I was there.
   
2. I am convinced ghosts walk the streets. I did not see them but you could feel them everywhere.
   
3. It was easy to slip back in time and feel as if you walked with shadows of the past.
   
4. It was a sad city though it still maintained a certain aging grandeur. The misery that had been visited on so many people there had soaked into the streets and not yet been released.
   
5. It was beautiful and complicated.
   

BUY CHARLESTON MERMAID PRINTS from one of our online partners:

Horse Head by Mary Ogle - Digital Painting - February 2012

This guy came out looking a bit distressed. I'm never sure what mood I'm going to get - the painting pretty much decides that itself. This horse wasn't happy and he resisted all attempts to make him look more cheerful. And who can blame him? Sometimes you just have to scream.

Do you have to suffer to be a good artist?

1. Let's put it this way - life experience gives you something to talk about.
   
2. I hate to say this but pain is a great motivator lol. If screaming doesn't help, painting usually does.
   
3. Maybe you don't have to suffer - but I think you have to be willing to deal with emotional extremes. And then you have to be willing to share that feeling.
   
4. Even if you have to suffer a little bit you don't have to starve. That whole "romantic" starving artist thing? Total crap.
   
5. I think people may somtimes confuse suffering with working hard. You definitely have to work hard.
   

BUY HORSE HEAD PRINTS from one of our online partners:

Baby Horse of the Apocalypse by Mary Ogle - Digital Painting - February 2012

OK it's a silly title. But I make up stories in my head when I paint and this one turned into the life of the four horses of the apocalypse before they gave up hope. Maybe this time it will have a better ending.

Why paint digitally:

1. Well frankly it's easier. I'm blind in one eye and I have trouble seeing detail. Computers are great because you can zoom in.
   
2. I'm a computer geek anyway. Might as well combine the two halves of the poor, old, confused brain.
   
3. No matter how long you've used photoshop (think I started on 2.0 - maybe 1.0 not sure anymore) you never seem to discover its limits. It's like the mafia - you can't leave.
   
4. I REALLY like undo.
   
5. My place is 500 square feet. Where do you store artwork? Though to be honest it's all over the place anyway - under the bed, on top of the fridge, behind the couch ...
   

BUY BABY HORSE PRINTS from one of our online partners:

BUY BABY HORSE T-SHIRTS AND GIFTS from our online partner:

Castle of the Celtic Sea by Mary Ogle - Digital Painting - October 2011

Growing up, I was a girl who loved horses though I didn't get to be around them that much. In my eyes, "sea" horses were  made of a special kind of magic.  They seemed to exist between the planes of reality and fantasy. I felt they would be as comfortable guarding glittering clam shell castles in coral seas as they were gliding serenely by a small awe-struck face pressed against the aquarium glass.

Why I love seahorses:

1. The males birth the babies. How cool is that?
   
2. That as tiny as they are they can still utterly captivate us.
   
3. Their shape is rather ungainly and yet they always manage to look graceful.
   
4. They live in the sea. For me the sea is filled with mystery and wonder.
   
5. They are fish. And they don't look anything at all like fish.
   

BUY SEA HORSE PRINTS from one of our online partners:

BUY SEA HORSE T-SHIRTS AND GIFTS from our online partner:

Lavender Bistro by Mary Ogle - Digital Painting - December 2011

I live in Ojai, California - home to gorgeous fields of glowing lavender. Farmers are an important part of our small-town culture and they are constantly trying to reinvent themselves in our uncertain economy. Some of them have expanded into growing this fragrant plant for use in culinary endeavors, soaps, lotions and sachets. There are few things more peaceful than gazing out upon row upon row of healthy lavender waving in the sweet summer wind.

What I like about lavender:

1. It's purple and green. I love that color combination. It says nature to me.
   
2. The scent calms, soothes and comforts. My dear friend gave me a lavender sachet once and it lasted for years. It always made me think of her.
   
3. It's easy to grow. And for me that's very, very important.
   
4. Lavender attracts birds and bees to your garden. The cat and I love to watch them.
   
5. Lavender is very versatile - it can used for culinary, medicinal, beauty and more. I'll be honest. I don't like it in food. But I love lavender sachets and soaps.
   

BUY LAVENDER BISTRO PRINTS from one of our online partners:

Sea Dream by Mary Ogle - Digital Painting - October 2011

I lost my pug - Hugo - last August at age 17. He came to me as a crazy, adorable, 12 week old butterball who chewed on everything that didn't move and a few things that did. I loved him instantly. Sometimes I still hear him as if from far away - woofing and snoring and tearing happily around the house. I dream of him on a golden sea - guided by the strong, clear light of an ancient moon.

Things I learned from the pug:

1. There is nothing good food cannot fix.
   
2. What matters is what is happening now.
   
3. Play hard - sleep hard.
   
4. There's always time for a cuddle.
   
5. Always greet the person you love as if you haven't seen them for a million years.
   

BUY SEA DREAM PRINTS from one of our online partners:

Sea Turtle Over Atlantis by Mary Ogle - Digital Painting - October 2011

Growing up on the Gulf Coast of Florida is a salty, sandy, stormy affair. You learn to swim early and you learn to swim hard - for hours on end in emerald bays - emerging from the waves with stinging eyes and roughened skin, dripping with happy exhaustion.

Things I learned as a child in the warm waters of the Gulf:

1. The underwater world has no end.
2. Mysterious things lurk beneath the ever changing surface.
3. You will never be sure what just brushed against your skin.
4. You can never dive deep enough to find what you are truly looking for.
5. Jellyfish are beautiful and dangerous. And that makes them more beautiful.

BUY SEA TURTLE PRINTS from one of our online partners:

BUY SEA TURTLE T-SHIRTS AND GIFTS from our online partner: