Saturday, July 18, 2015

Life as I See It


I was fortunate to spend a few days at Bethany Beach, Delaware this week. When I wasn't boogie-boarding (or getting swallowed by waves),  I was soaking in a glorious mix of sand, sky and ocean.

Bethany Beach, Delaware 7.15.15
Bethany Beach, DE   7.14.15
July 4th weekend was spent in my hometown of Buffalo. Between a Independence Day cookout and an outdoor service at St. Paul's Cathedral - it was a peaceful weekend.

Buffalo Harbor - Water Intake Station and break wall - July 4th cookout



Sometimes unrelated observations meld together, as in the case below...

sketch mash-up of Rhinecliff Train Station and life drawing...

These quick gestures are from a life drawing class I teach at on Thursdays, 6:00-8:30 PM, Atwater Gallery, Rhinebeck, NY. The model is the amazing Vera...

2 minute gesture drawings, Atwater Gallery, Rhinebeck, NY

This final sketch is from my daughter Abigail's high school commencement. She graduated with an IB Diploma, and won the Bard College Prize in Humanities. I'm a proud father.

Red Hook High School Graduation - 6.27.15




Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Pass the Journal


I was honored to participate in Strathmore Paper's Pass the Journal project. In this promotion, Strathmore mails one in their quality line of sketchbooks to an artist. The artist has two weeks to draw or paint a fun spread within it's pages. Once complete, the artist uploads their artwork to the Pass the Journal site for all to see. The artist then mails the journal to a new artist - who is to create their own fun spread. This process keeps going until the sketchbook is full of original art. It's a great way for Strathmore to showcase their quality paper - and collaborate with artists.  This particular journal is called the Wyeth, after the legendary painter, Andrew Wyeth.



Artists are allowed to choose any theme which inspires them. Hopefully this piece is self-explanatory. I did it simply for the love of dogs. My Cretacolor Nero soft black pencil went down so smoothly on this quality paper.


If you visit Pass the Journal, you can view artists submissions, and can track these journals as they crisscross North America (and the world).  Once complete, this journal will find a permanent home at the Paine Art Center.


A special thanks to a master illustrator, Graham Smith, for passing the journal to me.  Good luck to another of my favorite illustrators, David Gordon, who I've passed the journal on to!


"Artists today think of everything they do as a work of art. It is important 
to forget about what you are doing - then a work of art may happen."

~ Andrew Wyeth (whom this Strathmore journal is named after)

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Little Pickles Signage


I had the privilege of designing the logo and signage for Little Pickles, a fantastic new candy & toy store in Red Hook, NY.  It was gratifying to see my work up outside and inside of the store.


The logo was created in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
A view inside Little Pickles


Below are a few of the original ideas submitted for this design, in which my clients 
were looking for a fun circus/carnival theme...

A special thanks to my friends at Little Pickles 
for a very fun (and sweet) project.