Friday, December 13th, 2013
Busy and... COLD!
Things got a bit busy here for a while. I was in Ames, Iowa in early November to receive the Design Achievement Award from the College of Design at Iowa State University. Huge thanks to the Dean, Luis Rico-Gutierrez and the terrific faculty there for this great honor. I've been out at speaking engagements as well, and I've been working nearly non-stop on sketches for a brand new book. I'll tell you more about that later. But I have something else coming sooner than soon!
A new book is coming in March! Hot Rod Hamster: Monster Truck Mania was written by the always amazing Cynthia Lord (I illustrated) and it will be published by Scholastic Press. I'll be posting much more about it very soon, including a sneak peek at sketches, finished artwork and the cover.
Finally, old man winter has stepped right into our year and made himself at home. We had one day this week where the thermometer never got up to zero. It's a little early for those temperatures! Even the snowmen are cold here, hence the picture above.
Stay warm, wherever you are!
Friday, October 25th, 2013
It's a tasty world!
As I've said before, I believe artwork is largely autobiographical. It makes sense that we would write, draw and paint the world as we see it. We're all influenced, in some way, by what's going on around us.
So what's this piece about? I have no idea. While I set out after some artwork with very specific intent and purpose, others are random ruminations on life that grow out of all sorts of moods, thoughts and ideas. My sketchbooks are full of these things. This piece could be interpreted in many different ways. Is this guy hungry- is he trying to take a bite out of the world? Or is he mad? Or does it run deeper than that? Does he want to take over the planet?
My job is to make interesting things, not to judge them or make sense of them. The rest has to be left to the viewer.
Friday, October 18th, 2013
"Deciduous Dreams" Acrylic on paper, 2011
Deciduous Dreams
I first sketched Deciduous Dreams in my sketchbook in January 2011. I was exploring the world of this deciduous tree at the time and wasn't yet sure who he was or what he wanted from me. If a tree could be free, where would he go and what would he do? What would he hope for? What would he dream about? These are deep, existential questions that have very little to do with trees and everything to do with this life we are living.
It didn't take long to discover what this tree was after. It's what all of us want- freedom to be ourselves. This wasn't intended to be a heavy piece. It's pure joy mixed with the randomness of the dream world. Sometimes a tree just wants to dance.
I later stumbled on this quote by Albert Einstein. It's a perfect accompaniment to this painting...
We dance for laughter, we dance for tears,
we dance for madness, we dance for fears,
we dance for hopes, we dance for screams,
we are the dancers, we create the dreams.
Dream on!
Friday, October 11th, 2013
The lottery of the apple
I eat a lot of apples, usually two a day. And when you eat that much of anything that's natural, you're going to get a bad one from time to time. I've bitten into some pretty ugly apples in my lifetime. I'll spare you the details, but let me just say you know almost instantly when you're into a bad one.
I could stop eating apples. After all, there's a small risk every time I bite into one. But if I gave them up, I wouldn't get the benefits they provide. The health benefits of snacking on apples are much greater than candy bars or some other processed nothing. With candy bars, there's no risk that you're going to get a rotten one and, consequently, no benefit. It's the lottery of risk versus reward.
There is some kind of risk in every worthwhile pursuit. It's unavoidable. If you try something new- a relationship, a business venture, a job, creating a painting or writing a story, it might not work out. You could fail. But so what? Whether you succeed or not, you'll almost certainly be rewarded for taking the chance. You might learn you can do something you didn't know you could do. Or you could discover a new way of doing it. Or maybe your first idea won't work out but it will lead you to a much bigger idea. You can't know until you give it a try. Put your dreams to the test. At the very least, you might learn something new about yourself.
Friday, October 4th, 2013
WAKING DRAGONS isScholastic Reading Club's
Book of the Month!
Look who has the "Book of the Month" at Scholastic Reading Club this month! A big dragony thanks to those champions of reading at Scholastic. To add to the dragony fun, I've posted a free, downloadable activity sheet below. This is for all of you young creators who want to draw a dragon of your own. Is your dragon grumpy or happy? Does he have big teeth? Or maybe your dragon is a girl. You get to decide!
To download, simply click on the picture and print!
To learn more about Scholastic Reading Club, click HERE.
Friday, September 27th, 2013
"Putting Down Roots" Acrylic on paper, 2011 Putting Down Roots
An art series always seems to grow out of a need. It might begin with a simple inspiration- but when that inspiration won't leave me alone after finishing a painting or two, I know I'm in for a ride. That world wants life and it will consume me until it gets what it wants.
My series of trees (called the Deciduous series) quickly grew into that when I began drawing and painting them a few years ago. This picture, called Putting Down Roots, was painted in 2011. It's a tree who's really just looking for a place to call home. He stops to ponder the idea, decides that this is as good of a place as any and puts down his roots.
As artists, we don't always get to decide what we draw and paint. Sometimes that spark of inspiration mixes with our inner world and our job is simply to get out of the way and let that world out onto the page.
Friday, September 20th, 2013
"Searching for Sleep" Graphite on Bristol, 2013
The nature of artwork
Every work of art, if it's honest, is autobiographical to a degree. The experiences we have seep into the things we make. That's just how it works. I wouldn't call myself an insomniac by any means, but I gave this piece the title Searching for Sleep because I seem to be doing that a lot lately.
