Several weeks ago I began taking a lithography class at the Manhattan Graphics Center. This image is my first lithograph ever. I am pleased with it. I consider it an experiment in which I got to know the materials, the crayons, the pencils, the metal plates involved with the process. My next experiment? Liquid Tusche.
The story for this month’s Soapbox in Publisher’s Weekly was a pretty fascinating one. Ben Cheever (son of John Cheever) writes about two seemingly unrelated topics: running and seeking the truth. Yet they come together in a most interesting way in his life.
Having just written a book about running (“Strides“), Cheever talks about how in his family of runners, running together lead to moments of surprising honesty because “the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen to support a falsehood”.
I was struck by the mention of his family’s deepest secret, his father’s bisexuality (thus the closet imagery) which lead to the idea for the illustration.
You can see more of my work for Publisher’s Weekly here.
This is the first true scale study for a larger piece I am working on. This part is about 24 inches by 20 inches.
Like the other study, it is silk screen on mulitple layers of jewel cases, but it is twice the size. I’ve also started playing with leaving some of the areas black and others completely transparent.
Click on the image to see a detail.
This is another illo created for the Stowe Guide, a magazine in Stowe Vermont. The humorous article deals with the phenomenon referred to as the ‘Dude Patch’ in which a group of snowboarders move about a mountain in a tightly packed posse. Click the image to view a larger version.
Recently Corrie and I climbed Kaaterskill High Peak. The day was gorgeous and the hike was exciting, with steep sections, several scrambles, and two plane wrecks! Although the actual summit is wooded, wonderful views can be seen from Hurricane Ledge on the south side. This watercolor sketch depicts the view looking southeast over Platte Clove and towards the Hudson River. More images from our hike can be seen here.
This is the invite i quickly designed for my nieces upcoming 4th birthday party. Unfortunately the invites never made it to her friends school mailboxes, as her school was closed on Monday (and has been ever since) as the school is located near where the fires are burning in San Diego, and all the roads are closed. I am supposed to fly out there next friday… I guess we’ll see how it goes. She was so excited to see herself on an invite. (Her actual quote: “I AM SO EXCITED!”) Btw, she really is that cute and sweet and blonde. 🙂
Also – this weekend (and last weekend) was POST (Philadelphia Open Studios). Brian and I participated from 12-6 on Satuday. It was busy and fun. (So busy and fun that i didnt get to take any photographs!) Anyway we got some great feedback and I even got a lovely mention on a local design blog: design-phan. Thanks Caroline!
Also – i have 2 pieces in this toy art show at philadelphia’s city hall. The opening reception is next Thursday from 5-7pm. I’m not sure if NY has something like this, but in Philly, it’s a great opportunity for artists. (Especially since Philadelphia closed it’s Office of Arts and Culture in 2004!) How crazy is that?!?
If you didn’t figure it out already, a disproportionate share of the Invisibleman crew met each other at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, back in the early 90’s. In my last year in the illustration program, I was lucky enough to land in Roger DeMuth’s class, which set me on the course I am now traveling.
Roger is a man who has abundant shares of talent, craft and shrewd promotional savvy. These of course are the skills a freelance illustrator needs to be successful, and they have served Roger well.
This summer my wife and I dropped in for a visit at Roger’s house in Cazenovia, NY where you’ll find his enviable art-filled studio attached to a beautiful home nestled in a lush garden of his own design.
Roger binds his own miniature sketchbooks (painted with equally small watercolor sets, usually using a bottle cap with a little orange juice as the medium). He also builds precision custom drawing travel kits that tuck away all the required implements for drawing in a handsome case, replete with handsome stamped leather detailing. Tucked into shelves you’ll see hilariously cheap chinese novelty toys, frog popup books (lots of frogs), a sizeable stash of antique pen nibs collected from ebay, and dozens of clever mockups for toys and such delights as the Kitty Condom.
Read on to see a slideshow of our visit.
This is a photo of an advertisement, something I’ve always enjoyed doing. A must-see show is “Richard Prince: Spiritual America.” He did a Marlboro cowboy Ad series, (and many others). This highly anticipated survey features a wealth of Prince’s photos, paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from the last thirty years. A fun filled show for all ages. It’s at the Guggenheim till January 9.
The Clown Olympics hosted by The Brick Theatre in Williamsburg last night. Events ranged from ‘Solo Trips and Falls’ to ‘Kiddie Pool Synchronized Swimming’.
