Painter, writer, editor, and voice actor: Doc Hammer

Ninja September 5th, 2008

painter-writer-editor-and-voice-actor-doc-hammer

Ah, I know I’ve been quiet for a bit. What was I doing all this time? Recovering from work. Reading comics in my bed. Hiding away from the internets and falling in love with painting again.

Speaking of painting and painters, I’m crushing on the painter, Doc Hammer (Penguin finds this very amusing). Doc Hammer (whose birth name is Eric) is probably best known as one of the creative forces behind The Venture Brothers. He is a co-writer, editor, and voice actor (Doctor GirlfriendHenchman #21, and Master Billy Quizboy) for this fine, animated television program.

For those not familiar with this boy-adventurer satire on Cartoon Network, it parodies the likes of the Tom Swift, Hardy Boys, Jonny Quest genre. But instead of the young boy adventurer protagonists being crafty and clever, Hank and Dean Venture are these ultra-cheesy, naïve, trapped-in-the-60s characters (Hank is even wearing an ascot) thrown into our modern world. And really, any show that manages to sneak in a Faulkner reference while making a fart joke and still come off funny has my vote.

Don’t wait for inspiration, it’s a myth. Painters paint, dancers dance, singers sing, and athletes… Okay, athletes don’t “athlete”… But you get the point.
– Doc Hammer

Doc Hammer

Saint No. 30

Saint No. 35

Saint No. 38

Saint No. 39

In addition to his beautiful, bra-clad figures, glowing lighting, and his Caravaggio/Titian interests, I love that Hammer is a self-taught painter (he went to SMFA to study art, but they taught him to BS instead, so he quit) who isn’t afraid to go out there, try his darnest, and FAIL. But hey, he’s learned from his mistakes and each painting has gotten better (and look, he’s gotten better at rendering flesh and has abandoned his brilliant Cadmiums from his earlier work).

The one thing that Jackson (creator, director, and co-writer of The Venture Brothers) and I are both very aware of and kind of in love with is failure. Failure is how you learn. Failure—it’s a beautiful, unavoidable flaw. And the minute you ignore failure, you’re an asshole. And the minute you embrace failure, you’re kind of charming.
– Doc Hammer

Related link
+ View Doc Hammer’s work from his exhibition at the Arcadia

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