Hey folks! You know, I don't think about this very often, but it's POSSIBLE that this is the very first bit of tomfoolery by me that YOU are encountering. (It's not impossible...) Therefore, I thought I'd make the rare effort and tell peeps who I am and what I'm ABOUT!
My name is Richard F. Yates (the "F" stands for "Franklin"), and I'm an artist/author/grandpa/former DJ/and Holy Fool. Does any of that mean anything? Probably not. I make what I like to call "BAD ART" because I'm trying to show folks that simple, unstudied, rough, ugly artwork can still be fun, entertaining, and enjoyable. The world, in my opinion, does not VALUE art enough. (I'm not talking about MONEY value, which I think is bullshit.)
Most of my art is released as cc0 ("Creative Commons") works, which means I'm cool with people remixing, reworking, continuing, reinterpreting, and even making cash out of my "intellectual property." (If you figure out how to do that, let me know!) I want people to laugh, be inspired, and feel free to run with an idea, so that's why I go #cc0.
In the past, I've done postal art (I still love postcards), published poems in literary journals, and sold paintings through galleries and shows, BUT postage costs became too expensive, literary journals take time and effort and rarely pay, and although I did sell some of my works through galleries, having to frame and transport a bunch of heavy paintings was a pain in the ass! (Especially if you took a bunch of art to a show, then had to go a few months later and carry it all home, if nothing sold!!!) Physical art is wonderful to make, but a terror to store, transport, and sell.
As such, I do a HUGE segment of my work as DIGITAL art now. I still draw most of my pieces using paper, cardboard, pens, and some collage. I photograph my sketches and drawings and such with my phone, and then I DIGITALLY MANIPULATE them in various ways, cropping and coloring and adding digital collage bits and layers. By the end, the project still LOOKS like a simple kid's drawing, but it's filtered thru my mystical voodoo punk personality. That's the process.
Because the finished artwork (plus the crazy text that I usually include with my drawings) is digital, and because I've become comfortable with electronic distribution of my creations via blog culture (I started blogging in 2004), the MAJORITY of my art sharing is ONLINE. I have blogs for days, web sites that I've started and abandoned, dozens of social media platforms that I've chewed on and (mostly) ignore now. My current favorite platform for sharing art is TEZOS, which (I'm not sorry) is a crypto chain. Unlike the FANCY cryptos, like Bitcoin and Ethereum, Tezos is still inexpensive. I can publish a piece for about ten cents (USD.) If you think about even just photocopying and paying for postage, making a ZINE is six to ten times more expensive (per human target) than publishing on an art platform. In addition, (and unlike the traditional blogging sites I've been using for 20 years, where I made NOTHING for two decades), I now put a silly, negligible price on my artwork (usually about a buck, USD), and sell quite a lot. (Like almost $20 a month sometimes! Gosh! That's a lot!!!) The POINT of my creations is FUN - fun for me to make and fun for folks to see, and the majority of the time, my art is #freetolookat for everyone! There are only a handful of weirdos out there that want to COLLECT what I've made, and they can do that for cheap. Anyone who wants to CREATE THEIR OWN stuff based on my art is free to do that as well!!!
If you're new to HOLY FOOL artz, that's the explanation for what I do. If you're a longtime visitor, thanks for the EYES! Hopefully, I've provided some entertainment value for the ATTENTION that I'm asking for... If you want MORE weird stuff, make sure to check out my Patreon, where I post new stuff just about every day!!!! We cool? Good!
https://www.patreon.com/richardfyates
Now let's see some ARTZ!
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11 Jan. 2024
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"Cat Car Era" by Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
[Liner pen on notebook page with digital embellishments, color, and drawing.] Is this a sigil? My goodness!? Where did it come from? What's it for? What is it supposed to do??? I don't know... (Sometimes the stuff just comes out...) ---Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
https://objkt.com/tokens/KT1T3ZVm8fTSSPi2joKDLaU1scVNFQcnGCA6/20
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12 Jan. 2024
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"You Can Do Magick" by Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
[Liner pen, gel pen, felt pen, and colored pencil on notebook page with digital embellishments and color.] Do you, DO?, you feel like we do? (Sorry. I own Frampton Comes Alive on record, so it pops up in the brain from time to time.) The power is available for those who don't want it!!! ---Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
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"Basic Deprogramming" by Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
[Digital drawing and typing created with a no-longer-supported, free app on my phone.] A million years ago, I used to make programs in BASIC on my Apple IIc portable computer. (It wasn't actually very portable...Big ass monitor.) I don't remember the ins & outs of BASIC anymore (or Pro-BASIC, which was the other language the Apple used back then), but I like the idea of just setting a number to introduce a line of code, and then a statement. Great stuff. What does it mean? It doesn't. ---Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
https://objkt.com/tokens/KT1T3ZVm8fTSSPi2joKDLaU1scVNFQcnGCA6/21
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"Notebook Sketch 11 Jan. 2024" by Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
[Liner pen and gel pen on notebook page with digital embellishments and minor color tweaking.] Meaning. What is the meaning of this drawing? It isn't a message that I'm trying to send OR a deep concept that I'm striving to express... It's a series of ACTIONS that I performed for the joy and satisfaction of having enacted them. And I think that's just fine.
I like how the image looks. I like how it fits into the book where I drew it. I like how that book fits with all the other books that I've filled up. Again - not for money or historical integrity or any of that hip jazz... I just like to make silly, little, ephemeral, unimportant things... ---Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
https://objkt.com/tokens/KT1T3ZVm8fTSSPi2joKDLaU1scVNFQcnGCA6/22
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"EEP..." by Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
[Digital drawing created on my ancient laptop in MS Paint.] The world is a strange place, and sometimes only a cool glass of EEP can get us through the day! ---Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
https://objkt.com/tokens/KT1T3ZVm8fTSSPi2joKDLaU1scVNFQcnGCA6/23
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MUSIC SHOW! (12 Jan. 2024)
Music is what we want. Music is what we need. (I'd LIKE a chocolate shake, but I probably shouldn't have one...) Music is okay for me to consume!
PLAYLIST for MUSIC SHOW!
Approx. 31 minutes
---Intro by RFY
---Roky Erickson and The Aliens - "I Walked with a Zombie" (1980)
---Consolidated - "Butyric Acid" (1994)
---George Kranz - "Din Daa Daa" (1983)
---Plastilina Mosh - "Let the Speaker Speak" (2000)
---Tiny Tim - "The Other Side" (1968)
---Stereo MCs - "City Lights" (2008)
---Bauhaus - "Third Uncle (BBC Sessions)" (1982)
---Outro by RFY
If you enjoyed any of these songs, please consider PURCHASING a copy (physical or digital), particularly if the performers are still alive and need to eat! The streaming services are totally convenient, but the artists get next to NOTHING for peeps just listening. We've got to make sure we support the ARTISTS!!!
Speaking of support, don't forget to check out my PATREON page!
https://www.patreon.com/richardfyates
I have tons of art and writing up there that you can enjoy for FREE, but if you want to drop a couple bux in support, I won't be mad! Ha!
Later skaters!!!
---Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
P.S. - My portions of this piece, including the vocal recordings, artwork, and text, are cc0. The audio collaged elements that I stole from others are THEIRS, and I don't have the right to sell those. Therefore, this piece is being released for educational purposes only and is not for sale...
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13 Jan. 2024
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"Skully Man" by Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
[Liner pen on notebook page with digital embellishments and color.] Now that the holidays are over, it's time to start building up to Halloween again!!! (As I type this, there's a blizzard outside. Not sure if that has anything to do with the drawing, except maybe the cool blue...) LONG LIVE THE NEW FLEECE!!! ---Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
https://objkt.com/tokens/KT1T3ZVm8fTSSPi2joKDLaU1scVNFQcnGCA6/25
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"Go Make Hills" by Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
[Liner pen on notebook page with digital embellishments and color.] Big lizards know the score. THEY know what's going on... And if a big lizard tells you to GO MAKE HILLS, you know what? YOU BETTER GO MAKE HILLS!!!! ---Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
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"Reusable Paper (With Snake)" by Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
[Felt pen, paint pen, glitter pen, and metallic marker on reclaimed paper bag with digital embellishments and color tweaking.] The snake shows us how to recycle. The snake is cool. We (humans) are not as cool as snake, but we're trying... Right? ---Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
https://objkt.com/tokens/KT1T3ZVm8fTSSPi2joKDLaU1scVNFQcnGCA6/26
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"Imp (Self Portrait?)" by Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
[Digital drawing created with a no-longer-supported, free app on my phone.] At this point, I don't remember why I thought this might be a self portrait. I must have been feeling weird. It has my bad eye, but there's no beard... Actually, not even a mouth... So... Maybe I felt impish when I drew it? Psychology is funny... ---Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
https://objkt.com/tokens/KT1T3ZVm8fTSSPi2joKDLaU1scVNFQcnGCA6/27
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Later skaters!!!
---Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
https://www.patreon.com/richardfyates