It was not that long ago that a certain Marine named Lee Harvey Oswald was buried near Lake Arlington. Oswald is the official font of the Department of Defense because I am also from Fort Worth, Texas and we thought it would be ironic. It is a nice san-serif font with a slender poise and balanced strength, which projects the corporate sleekness of the 21st-century Pentagon.
I was upset to see that the war in Eastern Europe has resumed, yet I am not surprised. I think I will keep my thoughts to myself since I have apprehensions that any more of my correct predictions or negative views might hinder future diplomatic relations.
I have been fine-tuning my 32-bit and Game Boy Advance (GBA) aesthetic in my graphic design work. I learned to make animations with Photoshop at Pratt in 2010 and still like to use the old-school legacy techniques. The person above is Xi Mingze, the daughter of Xi Jinping. I hope this image of his daughter in America makes the Chinese troops return to China from Eastern Europe, yet I would not hold my breath by any means.
Next, we have the house in Ohio where Vice President JD Vance lived as a boy. I usually put my signature violet-haze on my animations, yet since JD Vance was in the Marine Corps. I decided to use a green haze. This is dedicated to Public Affairs Officer Hamel.
Every great graphic designer must be a great meme-person…
I was distraught to hear that President Xi of China has been sending troops to Ukraine. Volo has expressed his concerns in this press conference. The new tariffs with China could cause a crash in the American Stock Market, 2008-style, this summer. I have also decided to work on drawings and watercolors around NYC until my inspiration to continue the Presidential Portraits returns. I have also contacted the White House about becoming the next UN Ambassador since Elise Stefanik will no longer be able to represent the United States. I have a few favors to call in to Senators I have done design work for, like Cruz and Pelosi.
I also want to quash all these rumors about me getting laid off from the CIA. I was never in the CIA and have only ever done graphic design/I.T. work for the U.S. military as a sub-contractor. I lost my security clearance after I was in a HAZMAT accident while working at GC in Austin during COVID-19 times. Please do not read into any 6-page articles you might have read about me in Eastern Europe or the Middle East.
After traveling around Vermont and Cape Cod, I returned to New York City and signed a lease on an apartment in Queens. I also found that Xi Jinping, Waylon Jennings and my son Roman all have the same birthday – June 15th, the zodiac of Gemini. So, Roman and I have started learning Chinese. Chinese is very similar to Kanji in Japanese; for example, the Kanji and Hanzi for water are both 水. This 水 symbol is also on the dials on the Japanese Submarines in one of my favorite Burt Lancaster movies, Run Silent Run Deep.
I have been talking to several card store owners in New York City about selling my deck of cards. Instead of calling the deck “The American Game” – I may switch the name to “Emblem Cards”. I was sad to leave Capitaland, yet I needed some space from my family. My New York family members have all been so disruptive to my graphic design work and my car mechanic/Art Conservation practice that a few hours of space as become preferable. I pray will be good for all of us. I have missed living in NYC, yet the city has changed a lot from when I lived here in 2010 and 2011. I liked living near my mother, yet Upstate New York makes one yearn for the city. I lasted about a year in Schenectady.
I have been missing my pet bunny rabbit, Mugs Bunny. Easter was always our special day. Yet, I found a famous rabbit sculpture by Jeff Koons in Manhattan, which took some of the pain away from our seperation. Stay tuned to the blog for more Queens and New York City updates. Ciao!
I have decided to show my true colors and take apart my toolbox so I can repaint it. I selected a deep violet color because my mother worked at Texas Christian University’s (TCU) psychology department for over 25 years. I also attended TCU in 2013-14 between Pratt and the University of South Carolina. I also worked in the Art History Department and created a dossier that cataloged more than 20 paintings by Bror Utter, one of my favorite Fort Worth Circle artists.
My son is named Roman, and I also like purple/violet because the emperor wore that color in antiquity. I enjoy doing crafty things, and refinishing furniture is one hobby that comes in handy with projects like these images.
I wanted to pay homage on my toolbox to some of my favorite painters – such as Raphael, Caravaggio and Vermeer – who I picked up the brush for so many years ago…
I have finally completed my first of the Presidential Portrait series. After about six weeks of working on a painting, I begin to worry that I have over-done it and thus ruined the painting. I had a drawing teacher at Pratt who used to tell us to stop at 96% and leave a touch for the viewer to fill in with their imagination. If someone works a piece of art even past the threshold of 101%, it destroys that remarkable quality.
detail of the cherries – hands and an object are a common way to add a personal vibe to a portrait
It is so nice to have so many resources to study to try to learn about a person who you are trying to paint in a way that captures more than just a physical description of the person. It is essential to capture the “essence” of a person, and I thought the story of young Washington admitting he cropped down the cherry tree to his father would be interesting. The cherries also have a sexual reference that speaks to our nation’s birth in blood and war through Washington’s deeds.
My uncle, John Szal, was a captain in the Marine Corps. and he asks me not to join the Marines. I thought joining the Army would be a perfect solution as a loophole to get around this. I can enlist at a higher rank with ASE tests and hopefully work on vehicles and/or helicopters. However, several things might disqualify me or limit my options in the military from my past. Also, in the Army, you do not get to pick what you do and are obliged to follow your orders, so I could do graphic design again.
He who lives by the pen shall die by the pen – no force of arms can resist my ink…
Capitaland has a policy of letting people leave for military service. Yet, I do not expect them to have a job waiting for me in four years, so I will be leaving Capitaland. I will miss my new manager, Brian Hansbury, and his dog Bandit (my favorite part of Capitaland). I will no longer be around to receive any commission from someone purchasing a car, so no more pressure on anyone to buy a vehicle to help me.
After several stressful weeks dealing with my court cases in Texas, I have been able to smooth things over with my lawyer, Miles Brissette. I wrote some things about Miles when I was frustrated with the court, yet he is an excellent lawyer and I would recommend him to anyone.
I ordered a new batch of my cards, which will be for sale again on my website on the Ides of March (3/15). I have been busy with my GMC training, so I have not yet been able to finish my George Washington portrait. I plan to finish by next week so I can start working on John Adams’ portrait earnestly.
My first week at Capitaland was excellent and I was very happy to be placed as a GMC mechanic. I had initially wanted to work on Subarus, yet Capitaland offers the chance for a person to master both with time. My first car was a ‘98 Subaru Impreza that I bought with money saved by working as a lifeguard at Caroll Aquatics Center (my high school pool). However, my second car was a ‘03 Buick Century(in the GM family), like Chevy and GMC(my current focus). I also signed the title of a Subaru Forester to Cheyenne before she left me and took Roman from Fort Worth to South Carolina without my permission.
A year later, the plot of my life started to thicken when my personage felt it necessary to relocate to South Carolina. Columbia was tough to adjust and yet I met a rich heiress (15 years my senior) named Leigh Ellen Kersting. Her dad owned a chain of grocery stores called Mr.K’s and we fell in love.
Scott Jaco has not been the best either for anyone, and yet, since he is Roman’s stepfather, I have to keep up the appearance of cordiality. Scott made Cheyenne have a medical condition (he was a male entertainer in SC), which made it impossible for us ever to date or discuss marriage further. He also was abusive to the point I thought Roman’s safety was in danger. After my parents got divorced, I was on my own, and I had no one to assist with such a terrible situation. I was placed as a teen parent trying to finish college.
Thankfully, Tim has decided to drop the charges now that I have a good job and want to start a family. I have decided not to say anything bad about him on the blog.
I have evolved from a tire shop mechanic into a dealership mechanic. I was very sad to leave Larry O’Shea, yet Capitaland made me such a good offer that I could not refuse. I have also decided to stay on probation here in New York and not pursue a trial by jury for the cases in Texas. I have wanted to focus on improving my mechanic skills and Subaru/GMC are both brands that I really enjoy servicing.
My grandfather died before I was born, yet he fought in the war with Japan and so I like to work on Japanese cars. I was also named after him and the original “Matthew Szal” grew up in Brooklyn. This is another reason I wanted to go to Pratt so much was on account of him. I also like GMC vehicles, which are really good American family vehicles, and utility cars/trucks.
I may still do graphic design work for Adirondack Tire, yet I may have to stop working for them entirely and stop running Magick Mechanic. I hope to start a family soon now that I can support one and I have never been more hopefully for the future.
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