
Just finsihed up a series of drawings for U.S. News & World Report, which will be on newsstands on Monday, Dec. 5th, in a special section titled “Teaching Your Kids About Money”. The above drawing is from an article in that section about when kids graduate college, then move back home, avoiding financial independence.
You can see the other drawings on my website here.

I was inspired by Kerry’s New Suffolk Road post, (grand little paintings), and wanted to post a special place of my own. I’ve spent a few summers in Alaska and this glacier is very accesible near the town of Juneau. And if the light is good you can get some nice shots of these traveling bergs.

Over Thanksgiving I was able to pick up two paintings I’d left drying at my parent’s home on the North Fork of Long Island. Both paintings were done on the same September day, at same New Suffolk Road location on Peconic Bay. The smaller one I did rather swiftly while facing south west as the sun shifted and illuminated the south easterly view seen in the wider painting. That painting took several hours to complete as I was attempting to capture a very specfic view that included the house on the left and the osprey nest on the right.
The wider painting is 8×16 inches. The smaller is 7×8 inches. Both are oil on canvas board. Click on either for a larger view.

Many of you may already be aware of Steve Mumford. Lately he has been getting a TON of press, both on TV and in print. Until this week I’d never heard of him.
As the Boston Globe reported:
“During 2003 and 2004, Mumford traveled on his own to occupied Iraq four times to chronicle military and civilian life. He made hundreds of sketches and kept a journal; entries were posted at Artnet.com, an online magazine. Now his writings and paintings have been collected in a book, Baghdad Journal, from Drawn and Quarterly publishers.”
I am VERY impressed. The skill Mr. Mumford displays across a diversity of mediums and scale of imagery is staggering. I long to see his work in person. Until then I’d happily settle for getting the “Baghdad Journal : An Artist in Occupied Iraq” for Christmas. Anyone feeling generous?

I’m working on a series of illustrations this week for US News & World Report. Here’s one of them in progress as seen from a Keegan’s-eye-view. I’m always amazed at the sensation of working on a high-resolution image at 100% on my 23″ Cinema Display. Based on this 300dpi piece of artwork, the size on my screen is the equivalent of working on a detail of a drawing that is 5 1/2″ feet tall! I cannot wait until we have drafting table-sized displays, that we can lean on…and draw directly upon…and spill our coffee upon…
Click to see a detail at 100%.

I drew President Jackson upside-down. Click above for a larger view.

New York Magazine has published a holiday shopping map of Brooklyn’s Fifth Avenue carefully compiled and playfully penned by MY invisibile woman, Corrie Pikul. The map is accompanied with wonderful illustrations by Steve Murray. Although his website does not reveal much (or even confirm that it’s the same guy) it appears that this Steve Murray contributes to a illustration and design blog very similar to our own. Check out the shopping then check out the sites. If you do end up buying gifts in the stores mentioned, please say you saw the piece in NY Magazine. Then maybe they’ll give Corrie some free stuff!

* it is so hard to photograph books… but here’s my somewhat distorted solution 🙂
* this is my 30th “official” sketchbook since starting count in 1995. the cover uses imagery inspired by my “5 senses” prints. for this image i just played around with the images on silkscreens and i only “registered” where i wanted to.
* the binding is a coptic binding / single needle link stitch.
* for the inside pages, i used a variety of graph papers as well as some english and japanese alphabet practice paper.