This was a very dark painting for me, and also a lot of fun.

I loved comic books as a kid, and they greatly influence my art. In my one semester of art school, my painting instructor told me to stop outlining everything. I didn't listen, and I still do it.

I also loved comic book ads and have painted other works about them, like Make Money, Get Prizes. Coincidentally, that is another autobiographical piece.

Probably no comic book ad is more famous than the Sea Monkeys. My brother ordered them, and they sucked. They were nothing like advertised.

I really enjoyed painting the junkies and writing the text on this one. I am long clean, but I revisited some dark days in my past with this one. I like to use humor in my art to push into places that make people uncomfortable.

I also like to pay tribute to the musicians and artists who helped shape me, so I gave a shout-out to those who were heroin addicts along the way.

Acrylic, Posca, coffee, paper, syringes, garbage, and blood on canvas. Measures 12” x 16”.