Posts in celebrity
BeastMaster
Available as prints: http://www.redbubble.com/people/raycaspio/art/6684227-2-dar BeastMaster was a syndicated television series aired originally from 1999 to 2002. It was based on a film called The Beastmaster, which I can't remember ever watching, but I probably did...maybe. While BeastMaster aired as a series, I watched an episode here and there on Saturdays if I wasn't doing anything. However, when it was released on DVD (in very expensive season sets shortly after the cancelation), I became an avid viewer. What sold me on the show was Daniel Goddard's characterization of Dar, which took a few episodes to really develop the appropriate tone. Daniel Goddard's Dar is the last survivor of his tribe, gifted by the demon Curupira (Emilie de Ravin, later of Lost) with the power to communicate with animals (if ever there was an ultimate superpower for me, it's this one). He became the living link between the human and animal world and Dar did not take his responsibility lightly. Ultimately, though, it was Dar's peaceful nature that drew me in...it also didn't hurt that Daniel Goddard is easy on the eyes. Violence could have easily been Dar's main tactic but he took the high road, resorting to fighting only when necessary and never as the aggressor. In a time where heroes and superheroes are honored for how "badass" they are, Dar is the antithesis of that. He prefers to fight with a blunt club and is horrified when he discovers that his club can transform into his father's sword. What makes Dar is his nobility, intelligence, and his love and reverence for peace, nature, and life, above all else. He was hated by his enemies because of his values. Daniel Goddard portrayed all of that with sensitivity, intelligence, grace, and fierceness (only when necessary). I wish there were more superheroes like Dar in the world today instead of making them a thing of the past. He was the light in a dark world, which is how I like my heroes. Heroes presented today, in comic books and media, are just as dark as the world around us; indistinguishable from those they fight against. What is there for us to strive for in that? Here is Dar, his tiger friend Ruh, Sharak the eagle, and Kodo and Podo: the ferrets. BeastMaster BeastMaster On a sidenote, I used to watch this series when I began working out six years ago for fitness inspiration. It worked! Perhaps I should start again.
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Wonder Woman Day V
I've been contributing art to Wonder Woman Day, a benefit for women's charities, since Wonder Woman Day II, and this year is no exception. Here's my piece, inspired by the art of H.G. Peter, Wonder Woman's original artist, and Lynda Carter, who portrayed her on television. The final print will measure 11"x17" and the words will be handwritten to fit with art donation guidlines instead of printed. Check out http://wonderwomanmuseum.com/WWDay5/WWDay5.html for more information on how to bid on this piece, beginning October 16th online.

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The Carol Burnett Show & Mama's Family: Bless Our Happy Home
Bless Our Happy Home
Also available as t-shirts on RedBubble: Mama: http://www.redbubble.com/people/raycaspio/t-shirts/5047559-1-mama-thelma-harper Eunice: http://www.redbubble.com/people/raycaspio/t-shirts/5047542-1-eunice

This is my new illustration based on the Family sketches from The Carol Burnett Show and the Mama's Family series. The relationship between Mama and Eunice has fascinated me since childhood so I wanted to explore it a bit in this piece.  I'm finding that a lot of the illustrations I have done or want to do deal with relationships.

On both shows, Thelma Harper (Mama) was played by Vicki Lawrence and Eunice Higgins, Mama's daughter, was played by Carol Burnett. Both women are comedy gods to me. The sketches and series featured Betty White as Ellen, Mama's eldest daughter, and Harvey Korman as Ed Higgins, Eunice's husband.  Check out YouTube for some great classic clips of these two ladies at work!
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