For the past few years we’ve put out our annual Christmas letter digitally, and this year it’s capital E. Click here to see small t and h. We like to keep’em short.
Paper 53, Procreate, iColorama
Annual Christmas Letter
6
Ps. 23
Originally, I entitled this image Psalm 23 or as it is written: 23rd Psalm, partially because of the Shepherd reference, but mainly because I painted it in an iPad drawing app called Paper 53. I thought it was kinda’ funny.
In March of 2025 I decided to modify the original image, straightening and adding to the right side, removing the inscription, and I renamed it, simply Sheep. I hope the image conveys the original innocence and vulnerability of “the flock” that the psalmist intended; however, I want to lift it out of the Hebrew Scriptures and place it into a more contemporary political context without judgmentally crossing over any lines that might conjure up notion of sheeple and related nightmare scenarios. We’re much more likely to fulfill our dreams if we do so collectively and as a community.
Renamed: Sheep
Cinema Cafe
I agree with the Trip Advisor reviewers, Cinema Cafe is a gem. Everything’s fresh, even the banana trees. Done (very quickly) on an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil in Paper 53 and iColorama.
Click on image to enlarge.
Cat
Something happened the other day in one of my cat poses. I had a nasal breakthrough. Related yoga posts.
Marjaryasana
Tayasui Sketches, iColorama
If the linguist in Arrival spoke Pittsburghese
I never ever thought I’d hear anyone say “Sapir-Whorf hypothesis” in a movie, but I heard it in Arrival! Ok, it was a science fiction film. See trailer here. Linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is asked to help the United States communicate with aliens, and she’s the one who talks about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.
I liked the movie, but something inside me made me wonder how it would have been different if Professor Banks had been fluent in Pittsburghese. See yinz.
Tayasui Sketches, iPad Pro, Apple Pencil
not normal, never will be
Image
Step Right Up
I reversed the order of the lines in this quote from theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr to dramatize the crescendo of his interpretation and the structure of the effort implied. Please click here to see the quote in its original sequence.
Out There In Here
iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Procreate
Progress video (7 seconds) in Videoshop:
Temporarily Functional
This is a bit misleading. The system is already broken. I should have entitled this Barely Functional.
temporarily functional
Tayasui Sketches, Procreate, iColorama, iPad Pro, Apple Pencil,
Eating Crow: When the Moment’s Right
According to this 2009 report from National Geographic, there is cross cultural evidence that eating crow packs unexpected nutritional benefits that may come in handy in the Great Resistance.
portfoliolongo 