Pasque

Pasque is a tiny island off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. I had the good fortune of spending a week there in 2001 - fishing with my former father-in-law. His daughter asked me to create prints which chronicle family adventures on Pasque. The waters around this island are abundant with striped bass, blue fish and lobster. Pasque is not only a fisherman's paradise, it's a beautiful state of mind.

In memory of Alex

There are two houses on the island - one for the caretaker, and one for renters.

John with a very big striped bass.

That's me with a really big fish, caught surf-casting on Pasque, September 2001

Thanks to Ellen for an amazing and personal project.

You can purchase a beautiful print of this piece here.

I Do at Rutgers U.

I'm a regular contributor to the Rutgers Magazine. This drawing accompanies a story about the many marriage proposals which have taken place on campus. The backdrop here is Old Queens, one of the most iconic buildings at Rutgers - built in 1809. My inner-romantic was thoroughly 'engaged' in brainstorming ideas for this piece...

Thanks to Michelle Cody for proposing another fun assignment to me.
 You can see more recent Rutgers pieces here.

Dining Doodles...

Restaurants are usually full of people - which makes them great places to draw. It's interesting to observe patrons, and even more fun to draw them. Here are a few recent excerpts from my sketchbook...

Thanks for viewing. 

You can see more sketchbook excerpts here.

Emergency Funds

This piece from today's Wall Street Journal addresses where you should stash your emergency funds.  Financial experts recommend that you keep three to six months worth of savings on hand in case of a catastrophic event. One new study suggests that you may be better off investing this money, as opposed to holding it as cash. The article, which you can read here, looks at the pros and cons of using emergency funds in this manner.  Thanks to Orlie Kraus and Sheryl Dermawan for another fun assignment (which I was very bullish on).

I always try to supply the Wall Street Journal editors with a variety of solutions....

Thanks for viewing. You can see
more fun Wall Street Journal projects here, here, here, and here.

Herbal Pet Cures

Here's a piece for Organic Gardening, about herbal pet cures. The article highlights various remedies for treating your pet's ailments - all made with herbs from your garden. My dog Lily could certainly benefit from treatments in this story. I'll post a link soon. Below are ideas I submitted...

Healthy Pets prance through herb garden...

Healthy pets surrounded by healing herbs...

Cozy pets surrounded by potted herbs...

Thanks to art director, Susan Eugster for a really fun assignment.
Those of you who are gardeners or foodies may also enjoy this post about garlic.

10% Challenge

These lawn signs can be seen throughout my town. Homeowners displaying them are participating in a local program designed to reduce their energy-use by 10 % over the next year. Partners in this project include the town of Red Hook, Bard College, and Central Hudson Power. Homeowners like myself learn great tips about saving energy - and money. A few years back, I contributed illustrations for this worthy endeavor. Here's a little retrospective...

Carpools are cool...

Trees can keep your home warmer in the winter, and cooler in the summer.

biking is great exercise, and it saves money...

Laundry lines help you save on your bottom-line...

Walking is cool...

You can learn more about Red Hook 10 % Challenge here.

Government Shutdown

This drawing accompanies an About Town article about one group of people who felt the weight of the government shutdown - single mothers. The author highlights the plight of one mother of four - who's ex-husband could not pay child support because he was a furloughed government worker. This piece was greatly influenced by one of my favorite illustrators, David Suter - who's a master of transformational images.

A few ideas I submitted...

Thanks to Paul De Angelis for another compelling assignment. 

You can see another example of transformational art here.