Little TV screens were recently installed in the elevators where I work. The company that programs them has their name proudly displayed: “Captivate TV”. I call it “Captive TV.” The programming includes snippets of news, bits of celebrity gossip, and advertising for stockbrokers and lawyers.
I always liked elevators as a place to have a few moments of peaceful empty time. I also enjoyed observing the interesting ways people behave socially (or anti-socially) on elevators. Sometimes I like to start a conversation and briefly get to know other humans who work in the giant hive called the Kaiser Building in Oakland. Now everyone stupidly stares at Captive TV.
What really irks me is that half the screen has the supposed news and the other half has advertising which always has something bouncing, moving, flashing. It’s almost impossible not to look at it. If you try to ionly read the news, it stays on the screen so long that you naturally continue to your right to read the blinking ad. So I try not to look at the screen at all. Now instead of peacefully taking a few quiet breaths as I transition from one part of my day to another, I spend my elevator time annoyed.
This was drawn on Canson Extra Heavy Vidalon tracing paper. I started with pencil first since I was composing an idea from my head and wasn’t quite sure what I was doing. I inked it with a Micron Pigma and erased the pencil. Some of the ink came off and smeared so I decided to color it with colored pencil to hide the slight smears. My watercolor pencils were handy so I used those. Then I tried adding water. Ooops. This paper isn’t designed for water. When I was done I realized I should have scanned the drawing and colored it in Photoshop. Oh well. Still no sign of stopping at 75% finished. There’s always the next drawing.
Jana Bouc, Artist 
23 replies on “Captured: Illustration Friday”
I usually don’t know what I’m doing from start to finish. I’m told that shows in my work.
Not yours, though. Wrong paper or not, it still is a cool image. And this is coming from someone who loves TV.
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One of the service stations in our town has those annoying T.Vs right on the gas pumps. I can only assume that they hope you get engrossed in the news or Entertainment TV and keep on pumping! I never look either.
I loved your moms’ fifties paintings!
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That’s a very apt image for the power of media – whether we want it or not!
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That’s funny!
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Great illustration! My husband and I do not have TV at all (yes – it was a concious choice…we’ve been without for over 5 years now) so I really appreciate where you’re coming from.
TV has a ridiculous power over people…here’s a toast that the elevator TVs at your workplace (and across the world) show no profits for their sponsors and fade quicker than red paint on a sunny day!
Your technique was neat to read. Great post to accompany your work!
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Ha! Great illo and story. Great work.
love
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MERCY!! I TOTALLY AGREE!! Great illustration and commentary … I see these wee things now at some gas pumps! YUCK!
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I love your illo–wrong paper or not. Have you tried water color crayons too? My preivous job had that annoying captivate tv in the elevators and it was so hypnotic/annoying.
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Hilarious! I love the curly body hair on the man. I think stopping at 75% finished is like stopping at 75% finished eating from being full. It takes practice and mindfulness but the results are worthwhile. I often zone out when both painting and eating so I should learn to be more zen when doing both I guess! Good luck.
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This is a KICK! To true a lot of the time, also! Great interpretation
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Yes it’ll getcha.
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Oh, you poor thing! It’s like living in science fiction!
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Sigh! My family always teases me that I can’t help being caught by moving images…for this reason, I usually leave the TV off because otherwise it pulls me in with its evil tractor beam. I know exactly how that couple feels. Great drawing.
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But the TV is my friend.
It would never harm me.
Or tell me things that are untrue.
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Aaargh!!!!
Capture indeed. TV is the bane of my existence,I think…
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Heh. That is a great interpretation of capture! I don’t watch much tv anymore, but I shudder to think of the number of hours I spent chained to the tv when I was younger!
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excellent take on the subject!
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That’s funny (and NOT funny; becouse of the fact that I recognise myself in that position sometimes in the late evenings…). I also like your cactusketches above (at most the bigger one, the one wich color is lighter). On my blog you asked me a question so, the answer: I paint with watercolor only. No photoshop, except the one named “about flying” (done in june) wich is painted in Corel Painter. These are photos taken with a digital camera (will be fixed as soon as the scanner is ok)!
Take care!
/M
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I guess it was only a matter of time until this happened. Bad enough that there are TVs everywhere including the grocery isle. I really enjoyed seeing this piece, Jana ~ excellent work. It says so much.
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Wonderful capture of capture!!
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What a great statement your painting makes…so true! When I was a child, my mother called the TV the “idiot box.” It has certainly gotten more and more idiotic since then, and it’s everywhere. Either you’re stuck watching one or being watched by a camera, or both… oh well. I love how you’ve renamed the elevator TV. It’s perfect.
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what an interesting take on this weeks subject!! clever!
what a sad society we live in
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Reminds me of a situation where I was trapped on an elevator with TWO guys on cell phones at the same time. I’d reached my limit I guess so I took sweet revenge by deciding to practice opera then and there at the top of my voice! They readily scurried out of the elevator and I felt refreshed and like I expressed myself.
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