<![CDATA[THE INFILTRATED EYE

<![CDATA[THE INFILTRATED EYE - Blog]]>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 21:36:19 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[June 2014 and sanding some face]]>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:55:19 GMThttps://www.theinfiltratedeye.com/blog/june-2014-and-sanding-some-faceHere I am twelve years ago, in Hjylimar Hinn's studio in Seattle, sanding a large double panel displaying braille text on its right side and, in the center panel, a 3D sculpted self portrait, created originally in clay by one of the blind artists with The Tactile Arts Club.
The Tactile Arts Club branched out from the non profit organization Vision Loss Connections. The group used to meet weekly in the classroom at Artist & Craftsman Supply at 8th Avenue NE and 45th NE in the University District.
Hjylimar, working with VLC Founder Patt Copeland and volunteer Tony Brown, helped organize and host the most ambitious group art activity the space ever saw. Hjylimar cast the club's work in fiberglass boat resin and they are all now installed at the Mount Baker Light Rail Station. Hop the train sometime, get off at Mt. Baker station and check 'em out!

https://www.soundtransit.org/blog/lifestyle/hop-mount-baker-station-art-music-community-vibes

]]><![CDATA["GOONS" by Dad]]>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:07:48 GMThttps://www.theinfiltratedeye.com/blog/goons-by-dadThis is a page from my father's scrapbook. He was Bruce Howard Griffin Senior and was born in 1934 and died in 1983 at the age of 49. He was a career Navy cat and our relationship endured many long interruptions during which he was out in the middle of the ocean somewhere or, frequently, in Japan. In his absence I would dig through his stuff and my favorite item in his closet was his childhood scrapbook which contains amazing artwork he created when he was a kid. There's no date on this but it's probably from the 1940s.

]]><![CDATA[On Commissions:]]>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:43:36 GMThttps://www.theinfiltratedeye.com/blog/on-commissionsSince Time Immemorial artists have had to fight for straightforward, fair payment for their time and effort.
What is the origin of this hiccup in basic respectful relationships? I look at present day social habits and notice that many people have difficulty distinguishing the professional from the recreational. And there are so many other contributing factors which I am going to skip whining about.
Fiverr,...A.I....ugh.

Am I any different from a plumber or electrician or the person replacing your windshield on your car, the person styling your hair, landscaping your yard, etc? There are parallels in what we do. We spend time from our day providing a service physically, manually, with our hands and our time.
Gallery owners will want to kibosh the following should I attempt to include it in an artist’s statement but I tend to view myself as a manual laborer.

Consider a barista working at minimum wage which, right now, here in Seattle, is $21.30 an hour.
After taxes, knock that down to $17.00 or so. If this barista is working a forty hour week, they’re taking home approximately $680. This is someone who has undergone training, knows the steps to fulfill a client's request and repeats that task multiple times a day.
I have steps: meeting to discuss the image and what medium it is to be created in, options, colors, size, style, if and how the work will be printed or otherwise finally presented, obtaining materials from the art supply store or online... all before I can get to work.

By that time our barista has made a few hundred short double lattes and completed a day's worth of other coffeehouse tasks.
If an average minimum wage employee is taking home $680 a week, they’re making a little over $130 a day depending on their scheduling. With my expenses and responsibilities, I need to be earning equivalently.
My average time for completing an illustration assignment is between a week to two weeks. Does that mean you cannot hire me for less than $1300.00? Well, maybe if you're asking for a wall mural or oil painting or something else more expensive and time consuming...yes, that would take the price considerably upward, naturally.

Meanwhile, I am unlikely to agree to an illustration job, black and white or color, unless it puts 600$ or so in my wallet. Seems reasonable.

]]><![CDATA[Doing some painting]]>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 19:09:50 GMThttps://www.theinfiltratedeye.com/blog/doing-some-paintingAnother thing I did in December was push some acrylic paint around. Here are three results which I feel were somewhat successful. All three are on paper and the titles, in order, are CONVERSATION, DEPARTURE and EVENING. They're small, aproximately 4.25" X 5.25".

]]><![CDATA[Christmas Despite It All]]>Wed, 24 Dec 2025 02:10:48 GMThttps://www.theinfiltratedeye.com/blog/christmas-despite-it-allI am wishing everyone peace this Christmas because I still believe in putting the positive vibes out there. I remain optimistic despite it all, after getting ultrasound results back from the hospital and learning that I have what are likely cancerous growths on my liver, a not uncommon development following colon cancer, which I very much had.
Here we go again.
I meet with my oncologist the day after Christmas and shall proceed from there. Hey, I'm glad to be here and here is a little gouache painting I did over the last couple days. I suppose it's my Christmas card to everybody.

]]><![CDATA[Inky Wanderings]]>Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:10:23 GMThttps://www.theinfiltratedeye.com/blog/inky-wanderingsThe rich endless tonal variation you can achieve with ink and the lines which gravity and capillary action cause ...so much better than television.

]]><![CDATA[JAM COMIC NIGHT]]>Tue, 21 Oct 2025 04:37:46 GMThttps://www.theinfiltratedeye.com/blog/jam-comic-nightKenyon, Lyric, Asher, Stephen and I jammed out on the 19th, for the final meetup of the summer/fall comic art class series. Here are some of the results:

]]><![CDATA[ANOTHER CLASS SERIES?]]>Mon, 22 Sep 2025 04:41:24 GMThttps://www.theinfiltratedeye.com/blog/another-class-series

I have learned a lot teaching cartooning once again, over the last few months at Willard Art & Frame and look forward to doing so again - with some changes. I might rearrange the sessions as well as hold off doing a series for a few months since Fall is here and the holidays will be on everyone's minds. I might host individual workshops. I am very fond of old school valentines and am wondering if a valentine making event would be interesting and fun for people.

]]><![CDATA[DUNE 92]]>Wed, 23 Jul 2025 06:04:34 GMThttps://www.theinfiltratedeye.com/blog/dune-92I attended DUNE this evening, once again at Hugo House. I spent the first hour staring at my blank piece of paper, really just letting my mind reset after a very hectic day at the pawn shop and finally saw this brief scene play out in my imagination. With only three hours to draw it and hand it in, I went to it and, at about 8:00pm, decided it was finished. I did not intend it to be quite so Vaughn Bode meets Winsor McCay but there it is.

]]><![CDATA[Okay So I guess I'm actually NOT alone in wanting to BRING ZINES BACK!!]]>Fri, 04 Jul 2025 06:18:03 GMThttps://www.theinfiltratedeye.com/blog/okay-so-i-guess-im-actually-not-alone-in-wanting-to-bring-zines-backFrom Wired.com:

https://www.wired.com/story/zines-social-media-power/

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