Apache Spirit Dancers

This depiction of Apache Spirit Dancers is one of many portraits included in my upcoming exhibit at the Starr Library in Rhinebeck NY, February 1st - 29th. I’ll be having an opening party on Feb 15th, 5-7 PM (more on that soon).  If you live locally, please check it out. Thanks!

Martha's Vineyard

Vineyard and vine, encompassed by bluefish and brine.

A piscine emblem framed by the sea, ivy leagues wave at me. 

Crosstown traffic hums below, deaf to summer’s calypso. 

detail of this drawing

In 1970, my family vacationed in beautiful Martha's Vineyard.  A few months ago,

my father gave me the original map we used to navigate the island. I used it as a

canvas to paint this ode to our fishing friends.

Prints of this piece are available here!

ink and gauche on a map, 22" by 35"

Bernie Sanders

Here's a portrait of a powerful advocate for Vermont, Senator Bernie Sanders. Prints of this piece are available here!

Donna Tartt

Here's a portrait of one of my favorite authors, Donna Tartt. Born and raised in Mississippi, she went on to write three superb novels, The Secret History, The Little Friend, and The Goldfinch.

You can view a complete collection of my map drawings here.

Pileated Woodpecker

Here's a new 34" by 20" drawing of Pileated Woodpeckers, drawn directly on a map of the Eastern Adirondacks. No doubt, these beautiful creatures add much character to the fabric of this region. You can view my collection of map drawings here.

Prints of this piece are available here!

Hudson Valley Maps

I've been sketching ideas for an exciting new project for a local client. The themes of these sketches represent various towns, people and landmarks of the Hudson Valley. Local maps are used as canvases. I'll be posting a lot more about this project (which has a very large scope) and my client very soon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these images...

Pete Seeger, Hudson Valley

Fire Tower, Stissing Mountain

Bob Dylan, Woodstock

Colombian Carving

 

Stephen King compares the process of writing to digging up a fossil.  You use your writing to dig around an idea, and eventually your story is revealed. I'm fascinated by stone carvings, so I decided to draw this ancient sculpture from San Agustin, Colombia. I had fun building up the textures with dry brush, which eventually brought out the details. It wasn't until I completed the drawing that I noticed the prominent phallic symbol on this guy! Drawing reveals some potent surprises.

A print of this piece is available here.

 

Hawaiian Ink

Here's a drawing I started two years ago - which was originally a straightforward portrait of this tattooed 19th century Polynesian. The composition looked a bit stagnant, so I added the Hawaiian palms trees today - which hopefully makes this picture more dynamic. This is part of my series drawn on old maps. You can view the whole map collection here!

Prints of all pieces from this series are available here!

Thanks for visiting!

Australian Elder

 

I'm so happy this piece has found a new home with a true-blue Australian (who hails from Brisbane). It seems my series (drawn on world maps) has attracted people from all ends of the globe. Regardless of your homeland, you can view more of my original pieces available here.

Thanks for visiting, and g'day mate!

Wrestlers, Mexico

Here's a new piece in my series called World Tour - drawn on old maps. This one was inspired by the proud tradition of Lucha libre wrestling in Mexico. I'm thrilled to be offering beautifully reproduced prints of this map series at my Etsy shop. Your can see them here!

Scottish Pictish

This piece is part of a series called World Tour; drawings which utilize old maps as canvases. It was inspired by mysterious Scottish carvings called pictish stones - which date back to the 10th century.  I'm thrilled that the drawing has found a new home here in the Hudson Valley. Fittingly, the new owner is a Scotsman who grew up in Inverness. Hopefully this piece will be a nice reminder of his heritage - and of Scotland's rich history. You can view my whole map collection here!

Thanks for visiting. You can purchase a beautiful print of this piece here!

World Tour Exhibit

I'm thrilled to be exhibiting my map-drawings at Taste Budd's Cafe, Dec. 1st - Jan. 31st. These pictures were inspired by a dusty old atlas which sat in my studio for years. I contemplated taking this dilapidated book to my local recycling center, but thought better of it. Instead, I decided to explore my lifelong  fascination with maps, by turning the pages into canvases. The result is an ongoing journey around the world (through drawings). You can view much of this series, as well as other personal projects, here.

My day job is that of a freelance illustrator. I provide creative content for newspapers, magazines, books, etc. It's a rewarding challenge; solving visual problems for a wide range of clients (You can see examples of my illustrations here, here, here, or throughout this blog). But it's also important to honor personal ideas through art. Projects such as this make me more curious about this enormous world we live in. My goal is to keep exploring these ideas and find an audience to share them with.

I used Sumi ink to draw these pictures. It has a very bold confident stroke, and dries thicker and darker than india ink. Instead of using washes to create the lighter tones, I used a dry-brush technique (literally painting as the brush is drying out).

 

I had fun creating this promotion for the exhibit:

My World Tour will be up until January 31st. 

If you're in Red Hook, I hope you'll take a peek.

Maori Rock Carving, New Zealand

A special thanks to Dan Budd and Taste Budd's Cafe
for providing such a wonderful exhibit space.

Budd's Buzz is my favorite coffee in the world.

Thanks for viewing, and happy travels!

Tribal World Tour

Pinokiminush - Piegan Tribe - Montana

A world tour would devoid of meaning without exploring indigenous cultures. These drawings are based on photos by Edward Curtis, who documented North American Indian tribes in the early 20th Century. His work reminds us of rich cultures which once thrived on this continent.

Nuhlimala Qagyuhl - British Columbia

You can view my whole map collection here!
You can purchase prints of these pieces here.