LarsenGeekery is Now Contrary Robot

Hey Geekery Fans!
Jay and Evelyn are still hard at work providing you with Geeky Good Art and Gear.  But we have rebranded from LarsenGeekery to Contrary Robot!

So join us at www.ContraryRobot.com for all our latest news, announcements, art and products.
We have a Contrary Robot Blog, an online store, and much, much more.

We are still doing live shows and custom commissions.
Evelyn has a new line of skirts and bags.
Jay is selling more Retro Robot Art than ever before.

We just outgrew the LarsenGeekery name and needed to make a branding change.  So join us as we embark on this Contrary Robot journey.
We are on Facebook too: Contrary Robot.

Update your bookmarks to www.ContraryRobot.com and that way you won't miss out on the fun, and we won't have to go searching for you.

Thanks everybody.
Jay & Evelyn Larsen
We will always be Geeky...

Rose City Location: D11&D12

Rose City Comic Con in Portland will be Sept 19-20.
Weekend passes are only $40, and day passes are less than that.

D11 & D12, LarsenGeekery at RCCC 2015

Evelyn will have her best Geekery Gear (bags, skirts, patches, etc.)
And Jay will have his best Contrary Robot Art (Originals, Posters, Prints, Greeting Cards).

Come to Artists Alley D11 and D12 and say, Hey!

Jay is debuting a new series of Greeting Cards and Prints at the Show.
You will not be able to purchase these online until after the show.
Come to Rose City Comic Con in Portland and see us and all the great guests and artists.

Motion and Emotion, the Energy in a Painting

I just finished two very different Robot paintings that have some less obvious things in common.  Yes, they both have Robots in them--That's obvious.  No, the less obvious thing is what I am learning about motion within a painting: Motion of the paintbrush, but also the Motion of the Energy and the Motion of the Emotion of the painting.

I have been discovering that my finished paintings feel more coherent and energetic if I can feel and visualize the movement before I start moving the brush.  For the children on the left I visualized dust and dirt slowly drifting down to settle and aggregate, almost creating the building and the characters as if by a slow geological/sedimentary process.   As I applied paint I kept feeling this slow fall and drift of the dust, slowly building up layer after layer until the canyon of buildings and the Robot appeared.  The result is a very deep but static formation.  Even the children, who have more energy than their environment, seem caked in the fall of dust.

After all those rocky grey tones, I needed a splash of color.  So I chose a black and white animal as my subject (ironic, I know!)  But I picked a brighter color triad and started sketching.  When I finished my sketch, I realized I had just drawn two characters sitting on their butts.  Not very dynamic.  So I decided to alter the sketch slightly to make it seem like they had suddenly come to a halt.  Like their obvious forward motion had been checked.  That gave me the idea of actually laying out the characters and my paint motion as a big checkmark: starting at the badger's nose, diagonal down to the bottom, and then up to the top-right of the paper.  Laying my paint in along these lines of motion added more interest and emotional energy to the characters.

I am learning so much as I work through these  paintings and the puzzles they create. When I have a positive image of how the energy will move, the paintings really seem to spring to life in ways that are surprising and interesting even to me.   I hope you enjoy them half as much as I enjoy the process of creating them.  I will be photographing these two additions to the Robot Art series and posting prints in the very near future.

Let me know what you think and keep your eyes open.  Robots are Everywhere!

-- Jay Larsen
    LarsenGeekery Labs

May Brings Geekery Robots to the Pacific Northwest

May is here and with all the spring flowers and grass (that grows too fast) comes some fun Pacific Northwest Shows:

May 2-3, 2015, Normandy Park Art Show and Festival, Normandy Park City Hall, WA
Jay has two paintings entered into the Art Show and he will also be vending his Robot Art and Prints both days of the Festival.  Come support local artists and craftspeople.

May 16, 2015, Bellingham Brick and Toy Fair, Ferndale Events Center, Bellingham, WA
Organised by the same fine folks that bring us the  Bellingham ComiCon  every year, the Brick and Toy Fair focuses on Geeky toys like Lego, Robots and more.  The Larsen's will be there with all the Geeky Goodness.

We hope to see you at one or both of these Western Washington events.
But if you can't make it to a live show, our online stores are always available for your shopping convenience.

Every Drop of Oil is Precious to a Retro Robot

Trying to move rusty old joints and bearings without lubricating oil can mean crippling pain, or worse, for a forgotten Retro Robot.  But you can help these classic science fiction creations move freely, so they can become meaningful members of society again.  And all it takes is pennies a day.

Show your support and feel the warmth that only comes from watching the twinkle in the visual receptors of a Retro Robot as he/she is able to man a communications panel, or drive a cargo loader, or any number of useful tasks.

Having useful tasks to do keeps these Retro Robots from falling into the Dark Underworld of Evil Geniuses and Mad Scientists who promise unlimited power and oil, but just end up corrupting the programming of these otherwise gentle robotic creatures.

You can give to Retro Robot Support at multiple levels and receive heart-warming gifts (Click on the Gift that interests you):

• $5: enjoy a 5x7 portrait of a thankful Retro Robot.
• $10: receive  an 8x10 portrait or a 4x5 Velcro Patch.
• $15: you get the glorious 12x18 poster of a lucky Retro Robot.
• $40-$50: get the premium Retro Robot Map or School Bag with a Velcro Patch. (These are the same bags our Sponsored Robots use to carry spare parts and floppy disks.)
• $100-$300: you can adopt an original watercolor and ink Retro Robot by Mad Scientist and Master Geek Jay Larsen.

Show your support for Classic Retro Robots by displaying your gifts proudly.  And remember every little bit helps a Retro Robot become a useful and vital part of society again.

Robots Invade Normandy Park

Don't worry, the Robots are friendly, non-threatening watercolor paintings, and they were invited to come to the Art Show and Festival.

Jay Larsen (LarsenGeekery.com)  will have 2 Robot Paintings featured in the Art Show and he will be selling his Robot Art watercolor originals and fine art prints as one of the festival's vendors.

Join the Normandy Park Arts Commission for the 17th annual Arts Festival! Artists, vendors, musical performances, interactive crafts and more, the festival really showcases the talent in our local arts community.  May 2nd and 3rd, 2015
www.normandyparkartsfestival.com

Normandy Park City Hall
801 SW 174th St
Normandy Park WA 98166

Artist Jay Larsen with one of his Retro Robot Watercolor Paintings.

Check out Jay's Paintings and Prints at the LarsenGeekery online Store.

Emerald City was Fantastic!

The Larsen's had a great time at Emerald City Comicon 2015 in Seattle.
ECCC has been our biggest show in recent years, and this year was no different.
We met lots of fantastic people and had a great time sharing our arts with everyone.

Thanks to everyone who bought paintings, prints, bags, skirts, or had their nails done by Siona.

We have more shows and stuff coming up in 2015.  Check out our Show Page.
But we are already looking forward to Emerald City 2016, which we hear will feature an extra day!

Thanks again for all the support!
We work hard to get ready for these events, and meeting so many appreciative fans, friends and fellow artists makes it all worthwhile.

-- The Larsens.

New Prints as we get ready for Emerald City Comicon 2015 in Seattle

Emerald City Comicon 2015 is coming up fast, March 27--29.

We are putting some new Robot Prints together for the show, but you can see many of them at our Etsy Store right now.

We will see you at the show or online.
Keep Geeking!

March 27-29th, 2015, EmeraldCityComiccon 15 - Seattle WA
Got any questions?  Contact Us.
Visit our LarsenGeekery Store. Geekery, It's what's for decor.  
Or Like us on Facebook. Like It, Like It, Like It!
And now on Fine Art America  So fine...

2014 Has been an amazing year!

We would like to thank everyone who has helped make 2014 such an amazing year for LarsenGeekery.  

It has been a pleasure sharing our geeky interests with so many enthusiastic people.  We have grown as artists and craftspeople and we are looking forward to growing and sharing even more Geekery in 2015.

This has been a busy time for us as we have relocated to a new town and a new house with a much bigger Geekery Lab for us to paint and sew in (once we get everything out of the cardboard boxes)!

We wish everyone out there a Happy Holiday Season.  And we will see you in 2015 with new and wonderful Geekery for all.

Got any questions?  Contact Us.
Visit our LarsenGeekery Store. Geekery delivered to your door.  
Or Like us on Facebook. Let the good time scroll!
And now on Fine Art America  The other FAA.

Rose City was a Blast. Now on to Geek Girl Con in Seattle

Rose City Comic Con in Portland was a ton of fun.
We were in a small space, but I think we maximized the Geekery per square inch.

The new Robot Prints were a big hit!

Evelyn in the booth. Selling bags and skirts!

Had to go to Portland to meet Capt Canada!

She was a Wonder!

Geekery Booth

Our next show is Geek Girl Con, October 11-12th in Seattle.  Booth 502.
One of our most favorite shows every year.
Geek Girl was our first Con, and still one of our favorites.

Show Schedule for 2014:
October 11-12, 2014, GeekGirlCon - Seattle WA
October 18th 2014, Bellingham ComiCon 14 - Bellingham WA
November 8nd 2014, Jet City Comic Show 14 - Tacoma WA

Catch the show closest to you, or go to them all.  I know we will.

Got any questions?  Contact Us.
Visit our LarsenGeekery Store. Geeky Stuff.  Great Prices.  
Or Like us on Facebook. Facebook em, Danno!
And now on Fine Art America  Where you can have it your way.

Wewease the Wobots! and Go to a Show!

Let's try that again: Release the Robots!

This year's show schedule features Jay Larsen's 2014 Robot Art and Evelyn Larsen's Geekery Gear.

We will have prints, posters, patches, and so much more at all these shows:

September 20-21, 2014, Rose City Comic Con - Portland OR
October 11-12, 2014, GeekGirlCon - Seattle WA
October 18th 2014, Bellingham ComiCon 14 - Bellingham WA
November 8nd 2014, Jet City Comic Show 14 - Tacoma WA

Catch the show closest to you, or go to them all.  I know we will.

Got any questions?  Contact Us.
Visit our LarsenGeekery Store. Geeky Stuff.  Great Prices.  
Or Like us on Facebook. Facebook em, Danno!
And now on Fine Art America  Where you can have it your way.

Resist the Bad News and Keep the Geekery Going.

With all the bad news these days, a Geeky Attitude is more important than ever. Share something you love with someone who needs it--enthusiasm is contagious. Play, dance, sing, and make at least some of your day about the the things you cherish most. Geeky pluck can help us all resist the dark side. Go forth and Geek!

A Fantastic Time to be a Geek

When Evelyn and I started LarsenGeekery we decided we had done enough things because other people wanted us to do them and we needed to fill more of our time with things that we genuinely liked doing.  It was a gamble and a risk, but I am very glad we took that risk.

We have met sooooo many cool new friends and attended some fabulous events.  And I have done something I have wanted to do my entire life, focus on making art.  And I have grown so much as an artist in just the last few years.

I have been doing commissions for people and selling paintings almost as fast as I can make them.
I am positive that my best work is still in the future.  But I want to thank everyone who has participated in this adventure so far, customers, friends, family and especially my one-and-only Evelyn.

This is a great time to be a Geek!

Thanks,
Jay Larsen

Got any questions?  Contact Us.
In the meantime, Sign Up for our LarsenGeekery Mailing List.
Visit our LarsenGeekery Store. Geeky Stuff.  Great Prices.  
Or Like us on Facebook.
And now on Fine Art America  where you can get prints and canvases and other fine art.

Retro Robot Geekery to Rock the House

Jay just finished a Retro Robot Watercolor:

It is pretty sweet!

You can get Prints and Greeting Cards at our Etsy Store.

And the original 18x24" watercolor is available if you are interested.

There is only one original...

Evelyn has been working on some fantastic corsets and skirts.

Evelyn and Jay will be at the Fremont Solstice Festival in the Parking Garage Craft Fair.
June 21-22, 2014, Fremont Solstice Festival, I Heart Rummage Garage - Fremont WA

And I guess its not too early to mark your calendar for these fall shows:
September 20-21, 2014, Rose City Comic Con - Portland OR
October 11-12, 2014, GeekGirlCon - Seattle WA
October 18th 2014, Bellingham ComiCon 14 - Bellingham WA
November 8nd 2014, Jet City Comic Show 14 - Tacoma WA

Got any questions?  Contact Us.
Visit our LarsenGeekery Store. Geeky Stuff.  Great Prices.  
Or Like us on Facebook. Facebook, way more fun than a Westeros wedding!

3 Weeks to Emerald City Comicon in Seattle

March 28-30th 2014, is Emerald City Comicon 2014 in Seattle WA.  It is one of the biggest Comic Book Conventions in the world and the biggest show LarsenGeekery is doing this year.

We are pretty excited.  We will be in Artists Alley Table E-10. 

So we have been hustling around the Geekery Lab cooking up some great gear: Patches, Bags, Greeting Cards, Prints and Posters.  So if you are going to the show, be sure and stop by and say, Hey!  We will be right next to the Elf Quest Team!

See us March 28-30th 2014, Emerald City Comicon 14 - Seattle WA

We will be in Artist Alley E-10 with lots of great stuff (and lots of stuff that's not available online).

In the meantime, Sign Up for our LarsenGeekery Mailing List.
Visit our LarsenGeekery Store. Buy Geeky Stuff.  It will scratch that itch.
Or Like us on Facebook. Book 'em, Face-O!.

New Ads Reveal Larsen Duo's True Colors

That's right, we here at the LarsenGeekery Labs are really Superheroes!

Getting some new posters and advertisements ready for Emerald City in 4 weeks.  We are pretty excited.  You should Come See us March 28-30th 2014, Emerald City Comicon 14 - Seattle WA

We will be in Artist Alley with lots of great stuff (lots of stuff not available online).

In the meantime, Sign Up for our LarsenGeekery Mailing List.
Visit our LarsenGeekery Store. Buy Geeky Stuff.  You'll feel better.  We'll feel better.
Or Like us on Facebook. Face the Book.

Lucky for You, He Eats Bamboo! Now Available

Lucky for you, Jay's latest watercolor painting is available on Etsy--CLICK NOW.
It's a beauty and tells a tale of fairy warriors and good natured pandas.

There is only one original, but Lucky for You there are lots of greeting cards.

They are smaller than the Giant Panda original.
And they won't impress nearly as much as hanging a LarsenGeekery original on your walls.
But they are easier to pop into the mail.

Go get a Card or two!

There are lots of Cards, Original Art, Posters, Bags and more, all on the LarsenGeekery Etsy Store.

And don't forget:

Come See us March 28-30th 2014, Emerald City Comicon 14 - Seattle WA

We will be in Artist Alley with lots of great stuff (lots of stuff not available online).

In the meantime, Sign Up for our LarsenGeekery Mailing List.
Visit our LarsenGeekery Store. Buy Geeky Stuff.  You'll feel better.  We'll feel better.
Or Like us on Facebook. Face it, it's not a Book.  But we Like it anyway.

Capitalism: The Ocean in which We ALL Swim

Revel in it or Rebel against it, Capitalism is the Cultural Ocean in which we all swim.

I'm trying to decide if I actually came up with that line or if I heard it somewhere and forgot where I heard it.  If it sounds like somebody else's line, let me know.  I'm all for giving credit where credit is due.

I know people that LOVE Capitalism and all the different ways it makes it possible for people to make money.  I know people who HATE Capitalism and wish they could just do whatever they want and not worry about having enough cash.

Me, I swing back and forth like a bi-polar monkey: grabbing bananas and then flinging poo.
What I do know is that Capitalism is pervasive in America right now.  We can all dream about how things should be and fight and work to make them different.  But you can't turn your back on this beast and more than you can turn your back on a charging bull (or bear).  You have to pay attention despite your personal feelings and wishes or this system will leave you destitute.

I know, I know!  I started with Oceans and then went to monkeys and bears and bulls.  I should make up my mind and stick to a metaphor already.  But I don't want to.

I don't want money to be the measure of everything in my life.  Some things are more important to me than money.  But with no money, it is hard to survive, let alone thrive, in a America.  So I try to balance my money making with the other things in my life.  I try to do without some things that would be nice, because I don't want to spend the money-making time on them and take that time away from the things that are super important to me: like my girls and my art.

Switching metaphors back to oceans again: So what do you do to ride the waves of Capitalism?  Do you struggle just to keep your head above water?  Can you manage to surf the waves and ride out the storms with style and your dignity intact?  Do we all have to become sharks just to survive?

I've got no solid answers.  But I'd like to believe we can use money as a measure for somethings and make fair exchanges, while recognizing that many things that are vital and important should never be measured in terms of dollars and therefor should never be sold for dollars.

Good luck and fair sailing to us all.
--Jay Larsen

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My Painting "Deep Dive" is available for Capitalistic Sale at our Etsy Store.
In the meantime, Sign Up for our LarsenGeekery Mailing List.
Visit our LarsenGeekery Store. Buy Geeky Stuff and support local artists trying to make money.
Or Like us on Facebook. And share and like things.
Come See us March 28-30th 2014, Emerald City Comicon 14 - Seattle WA

Art is not a Science, but Science can be Art

Just a friendly reminder for our friends, and if you are reading this page you qualify, that
Jay Makes Geeky Good Paintings, and
You Can Own The Originals.
But you've got to be fast, because there is only one original of each piece.

Check out the Original Art Tab at the top of this page to see new paintings.
And then visit the LarsenGeekery Etsy Store and click Original Art to see paintings that are still available for purchase.

I hope you will enjoy owning fine Geekery Art as much as I enjoy creating it.
If you purchase an original painting, rest assured you will be receiving a quality work of art hand crafted with care and enthusiasm.  These are not mass produced copies made by a machine, but the ultimate in Geekery, original art.  And you will be helping to support a living artist during the period of time that he needs that support the most--while he's still alive!

For example, please enjoy "Science Corp" by Jay Larsen

Title: Science Corp
Description: Prepare to be blinded by science! This retro scifi geek is ready to go where no man has gone before.
Format: Watercolor 16"x12"h 300lb paper
Available: Yes, on Etsy--Buy Now!








If you have any questions about Jay's art, please feel to Contact Us.

In the meantime, Sign Up for our LarsenGeekery Mailing List.  It's an email list.
Visit our LarsenGeekery Store. But you know about that already.
Or Like us on Facebook. Books are good.  Books in your Face, even better.