SHOP TALK: Rob Schamberger Newsletter 01DEC24
What we don't know keeps the contracts alive and movin'.
Hi. My name's Rob Schamberger. I'm that guy who paints rasslers. And other stuff. They don't gotta burn the books they just remove 'em.
WORDS
Here’s a quick little 7x10 watercolor of the original It Girl, Clara Bow. I’m a silent era Hollywood fan, so she’s kind of always on my radar along with Greta Garbo. (It’s funny thinking about all of the people that just want that rasslin’ art from me and keep getting paintings of old movie stars and statues and stuff instead.) I like the color palette on this, as it’s something I’ve been working in for a few months now but this time around I added some Holbein shadow green for the darkest parts and it worked really nicely.
Kima wants you to see a preview of her new Takeshita painting.
Raw Hamburger
UPCOMING AEW/PWT PAINTINGS
Konosuke Takeshita - SIGNED
Hangman Adam Page - SIGNED
Jon Moxley
Jay White
Adam Cole
Card subject to change.
REMINDER: All prints and posters are 40% off right now. Sale ends TOMORROW at 12PM CST!
Rob’s Art on ShopAEW
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Rob and Jason Arnett's novella Rudow Can't Fail!
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Rob’s prints and shirts at Pro Wrestling Tees
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WHAT I LIKED THIS WEEK
Interior Chinatown is kind of impossible to describe but I was in awe the whole time. A Chinese man is tired of living the background of society and sets out to make himself a bigger part of his community. A background character in a detective show decides to become a main character to find justice for his brother. Overlooked segments of our society want a place at the table. The tropes of how various groups are portrayed in entertainment are examined in a biting satirical yet humanistic fashion. And it’s all the same story with the same characters and it’s simply brilliant.
A Man on the Inside is some sort of wonderful mix of Grace & Frankie, The Big Lebowski and Donnie Brasco where Ted Danson’s retired professor character is hired by a private eye to pose as a resident in a retirement home to find who stole a ruby necklace. The premise alone is endearing but the execution of it is exceptional.
On Friday I finished the audiobook for King Rat by James Clavell, part of the Asian Saga that Shogun came from. It’s a fictionalized tale of his own time in the Japanese-run Changi Prison camp in Singapore during World War II and while chronologically it’s the fourth book in the series it was actually the first one Clavell wrote. It’s a harrowing yet whimsical story about American, English and Australian soldiers trying to survive the camp while also setting up their own society within it. While Clavell may have been a Randian fiscal conservative, it has a remarkably progressive trans character not just for the time it was written but even for today. I was surprised and refreshed, honestly. There’s a humanity to his books that shines through.
I finished reading the first WildCATS Compendium a few days ago and it’s a fascinating thing. It’s gorgeous all the way through with the first part drawn, of course, by Jim Lee and then by Travis Charest. And while the first several issues are pretty to look at and seeing those pages again really took me back to the excitement of when they originally came out, boy howdy was the writing not for me. But I knew that going in as that’s what those early Image comics were notorious for. What was fascinating was first when Chris Claremont came in to write a short run, reuniting with Lee and setting up a lot of the mythology and characters that became central to the series. And THEN! Once James Robinson and Travis Charest take over it’s a seismic shift in look and feel.
Also, what a meteoric journey Charest’s art goes on in such a short period. He starts off heavily influenced by Lee and then KAPOW he’s his own artist in such a lush way. The closest example I can think of is how Bill Sienkiewicz started off with a heavy Neal Adams influence and then quickly became a unique artistic voice unto himself. I’m excited for when the second volume comes out next year (tariffs willing) for when Alan Moore took over writing and was paired with Travis. I remember that being incredible stuff.
Mahashmashana by Father John Misty is a lovely new album. Misty only came on my radar a few months back and I quickly found myself listening to his work a lot, especially the song Time Makes Fools of Us All. He’s got a smooth, full and eclectic sound that keeps me interested.
Hey, it’s December now so that means looking back at what I liked most over the year. Let’s start with books this week:
WHAT I LIKED THIS YEAR: BOOKS
Lost Man’s Lane by Scott Carson is a mix of Stand By Me and Stranger Things set in 1999, using so many of the events from that year as omens of the things to come in our society but viewing them all from the eyes of a young man living through it.
How it Unfolds, The Mercy of Gods and Livesuit by James SA Corey were a fantastic return by the creators of The Expanse books (and show). They have an incredible knack for world building and putting relatable characters into these fantastic and ever-escalating environments. Can’t wait to see where the Captive’s War series takes us next!
Owning Up by George Pelecanos is a wonderful collection of short stories by one of my very favorite writers examining the long reaches that even small crimes can have on an individual and those who follow them. Always a good thing when Pelecanos puts a new book out.
Here’s what I wrote about House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias a few months back and it’s still true: “It’s sort of like a supernatural Stand By Me revenger set in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria. Iglesias’ turns of phrase are gorgeously poetic without being too much, it’s one of those rare masteries of language that I’m so jealous of when I encounter it. Definitely worth your time.”
Ushers by Joe Hill is a new short story by another author that never disappoints me with his work. Without spoiling anything (because this is a hell of a journey), it’s captivating how Hill can weave the horrors of what’s happening outside our windows with the supernatural yet keep it all very human.
I also read Tai-Pan, Gai-Jin and the above-referenced King Rat by James Clavell, which vary from good to great and are good audiobook companions while I paint. Same goes for Blood Work, Void Moon, A Darkness More Than Night, City of Bones, Chasing the Dime, Lost Light and The Narrows by Michael Connelly. (Wow, I read way more of those than I thought this year!) Some are better than others but they’re all easy listening as audiobooks. Sometimes I want immersion or challenge and sometimes I just want to be along for a ride.
I can has stuffing waffle?
YOU GOOD?
I’m good and stuffed, that’s for sure.
In the early part of the week I worked on some AEW paintings while also preparing to have company over on Thursday. On Wednesday night Katy and I had our annual tradition of watching Planes, Trains, and Automobiles which in my opinion is the best Thanksgiving movie ever.
On Thursday we had my mom and stepdad over for Thanksgiving dinner. I made a breakfast casserole for Katy and I that morning and then she did the main event, along with my mom bringing our family green bean casserole and stuffing mix. The mix was of course cooked up for the pinnacle of human achievement known as stuffing waffles.
The green bean casserole was done by lunch the next day so I made a new batch with Velveeta, fresh minced garlic, and fresh chopped onion and mushroom. It was a VERY successful experiment.
Yesterday my friend and photographer Paul Andrews came over to shoot me for his portrait project and then we went over to another friend’s house to shoot the reference for the last of my Emotion Series paintings. I’m grateful to have such genuinely good people in my life.
And! This morning we’re finishing off the green bean casserole by making a quiche out of it. To quote my close personal friend Charlie Sheen, “Winning!”
Love you more,
Rob