Presidential Chess

If President Obama was a board-game, which one would he be? Given all the strategic moves which must be weighed in the complex Middle East, I imagine he'd be Chess. There can be unintended consequences to any action our president takes - so I don't envy his responsibilities. But I admire Mr. Obama greatly for his keen intellect and steady leadership.

"In a world of complex threats, our security and leadership depends on 

all elements of our power - including strong and principled diplomacy."

- President Barack Obama

Dick Cheney

There's a TV show about a ruthless, manipulative, power-hungry politician named Frank Underwood. He's a scary guy, but the story is pure fiction. Here's my attempt to capture one former occupant of a real-life House of Cards, Dick Cheney.

I used 81 playing cards to paint this ink portrait, which measures  22" by 32"

Prints of this portrait are available here!


"We will, in fact, be greeted as liberators."

- Vice President Dick Cheney (before the 2003 invasion of Iraq)

You can view a big gallery of my personal projects here!

From Rags to Riches

Born into a rough-and-tumble life at the Marcy Projects of Brooklyn - this rap mogul hustled his way up to a penthouse in Tribeca, Manhattan. As a young man, he sold crack. But these days, he sings a very different tune. Jay Z's songs sell everything from Burberry to Hermes. It's a true rags to riches story.

Detail of Jay Z portrait

This is part of a new series of portraits called frabic, and it measures 16" by 20".
Please visit again soon.

"I keep you workin' at Hermes,
Burkin bag 
Manolo Blahnik Tim's,
 aviator lens
 600 drops, Mercedes Benz
The only time you wear Burberry to swim

And I don't have to worry, only worry is him."

- Jay Z  (lyrics from Bonnie and Clyde)

You can view a big gallery of my personal projects here!

From E-tail to Retail

Here's cover art for a great new client, Shopping Centers Today. Art director John Lewis gave me very straightforward instructions; draw a hand coming out of an ipad - shaking another hand. Sometimes, the simplest of ideas can be the trickiest to execute. In this case, I think I did OK (whew!). Thanks to John for making this such a fun and easy experience! Below are a few color comps for this piece...

Sarah Palin Scabble

If Sarah Palin was a board-game, what kind would she be? With her colorful use of words, I imagine she'd be Scrabble. I drew this portrait directly on a scrabble board. It's fun to think of all the words associated with this iconic public figure.

"Polls? Nah... they're for strippers and cross country skiers."  ~ Sarah Palin

There are so many fun words associated with Sarah Palin. 

What's your favorite Palinism?

You can view a big gallery of my personal projects here!

Trumpopoly

If Donald Trump was a board-game, what kind would he be? Given this real-estate tycoon's dominance in our media landscape, it's gotta Monopoly, right?  I drew this portrait directly on a Monopoly board - which is prime real estate for the Donald's larger-than-life personality.

"Well, real estate is always good, as far as I'm concerned."  ~ Donald Trump

"I'm worth far too much money. I don't need anybody's money."  ~ Donald Trump

"I don't like losers."  ~ Donald Trump

Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve

Here's a drawing commissioned by the Friends of the Great Salt Lake. This conservation group asked me to depict the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve. The drawing is a gift to the outgoing president of the organization. I used an 1885 US Geological Survey map as canvas backdrop. Prints of this piece are available here!

This commissioned project came about after the organization purchased an original piece of mine last year - a depiction of Robert Smithson's earth art masterpiece, "Spiral Jetty", which also sits on the Great Salt Lake. You can view my entire collection of map drawings here!

Prints of Spiral Jetty are available here!