In May, I took a trip to New York City with my Mother-in-Law, Sheri for the
SURTEX 2008 show.
This was my first trip to the Big Apple, and I was in complete awe at everything I saw.
The SURTEX show is a Licensing show for artists who want to see their work applied to surfaces and textiles, such as: gift wrap, stationary, cards, wall hangings, etc. It is held at the
Javits Center. The first day we attended the show and viewed so much artwork, it was head-spinning. It was self validating as an artist to see the range of talents that are producing art and w
hat age they are. We also attended seminars on licensing agreements, copyright, and trends.
After the show our first day, Sheri and I took a walk into the city, no real direction, just wandering. All along the way I was taking photos and trying to take in this incredible place. Just as we were walking, things started to look strangely familiar... Times Square, I have seen this before, but now I
was in the middle of it!
The feeling was electric, there was an unexplainable buzz of energy from all the people, lights, images, and size.
Day 2 of the show we viewed the Stationary portion of the show, then afterward we took a shuttle bus partway toward the financial district. The people in New York that provide public service are very helpful, they will tell you as many different combination of ways to get to where you want to go as possible. Sheri and I found that if you overshoot or undershoot a destination, your b
est bet is to walk. So, we walked into the financial district and to Ground Zero of the World Trade Center disaster. We timed our trip perfectly, as we walked into a flood of people getting off work and heading toward the subway station. That experience alone was breathtaking.
Day 3 was our last day. We decided to go to the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Getting there was a trip, and we learned about the subway! The Met was having a Super-Hero Fashion and Fantasy show. It was really impressive seeing the costumes like SpiderMan, Wonder-Woman, Batman, but the coolest was a high polished silver IronMan. The eyes were so bright, like xenon headlights, almost hard to look at. They also had the Mystique body suit on a life like casting worn by Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in the X-Men movie...WOW.
After we viewed that exhibit, we saw sculpture, painting, ancient artifact
, a lot of gold, but my favorite was the painting by Salvidor Da
li of the Crucifixion (Hypercubic Body). Being able to stand in front of this painting was a complete dream. The folds of skin, and fluidity of markings are awesome. The edges are not as picture perfect as a small reproduction would suggest, this is really a painting, and there is a painterly quality that is lost when viewed from afar.
After leaving the Museum, we walked down a few blocks and took the subway back toward the south end of the city. Being underground really screws with your sense of direction, and we went on a fun filled adventure through the tunnels of New York and landed safely back on the streets.
A trip I will always remember, a wonderful experience filled with art, sites, and exercise. Thank you Sheri.
Here are a few of the color comps I have done for "Copper Pots and Chicken Poppycosh" By Jason Hooker. The elements from each illustration are working well and they unify great alongside one another. The POV for the garden illustration is a lot of fun...Look for more to come!
I have submitted a few designs to patchtogether.com that could become part of the production line there with your help....If you go to the links for each design, sign up, and vote, there is a good chance that these designs could become toys.
At the end of October I answered an ad for a children's book illustrator and had the pleasure to be selected as the artist for "Copper Pots and Chicken Poppycosh" by Jason Hooker. The story is about a young boy and his Grandfather making "Pop Pop's" signature dish, Chicken Poppycosh. Here are a few of my favorite pencil compositions that will be done in watercolor and brush tip pen.
I have been listening to a lot of Hip Hop lately, good stories and good beats. There's a real good free download from 8bit Cynics on FRESHERTHAN , I am an Okie, so it's nice to hear what's going on down there.
out of my fingers while mating.
Art Therapist, I was fortu
nate enough to spend some quality time with
the 
folks there. Some of the residents were confined to wheelchairs, 
others were just eager to talk to someone who 
would listen... I thought the families of the residents might enjoy having a 
drawing of their loved ones, and residents could tell me about their lives, and I could do some life drawing...it was a win for everyone.
original went to the reside
nts and families. These were done in 2004, graphite on bristol vellum. There are many more drawings floating around, some I didn't get photocopies of at the time, but these are some of my favorite.
soul. I could approach him and ask him to come paint and he would reply."Paint..., Well I don't paint". I would tell him "Sure you do, you painted with me last week." And to that he would say, "Well..., Alright then."
....On this morning I was thinking about how a sunrise could be considered an event worthy enough to be captured by camera, and how petty that frame of mind is.
king on a project for Designs By Ricker of motorcycle fender ornaments. Here are a few of the most recently completed designs. They will be molded and cast with resin and chrome plated. The designs will eventually be for sale through 
t
he Ricker website.
f cigarettes, and placed it in my paint case...When I got back to my house I put the bee in the window near a plant bowl, and it rested paying homage to the sun...This piece was made using two part mix for clear resin, a light bulb carefully cut open, and sculpey forming a sunflower. The bee rests on the glass fuse enclosure of the bulb, and the bulb was filled with the resin, and then glued into the center of the flower.
elves enough so our end of the street does not feel left out.
eat satisfaction in creating something beautiful, and finding out the meaning when the time is right....This is one of those pieces, a stream of conscious doodle.
hat age they are. We also attended seminars on licensing agreements, copyright, and trends.
was in the middle of it!
est bet is to walk. So, we walked into the financial district and to Ground Zero of the World Trade Center disaster. We timed our trip perfectly, as we walked into a flood of people getting off work and heading toward the subway station. That experience alone was breathtaking.
, a lot of gold, but my favorite was the painting by Salvidor Da
li of the Crucifixion (Hypercubic Body). Being able to stand in front of this painting was a complete dream. The folds of skin, and fluidity of markings are awesome. The edges are not as picture perfect as a small reproduction would suggest, this is really a painting, and there is a painterly quality that is lost when viewed from afar.
