Buggies: Insects on the go!

i've been taking my "Intro to Toy Design" class at F.I.T. for a few weeks now. this is the first time in the history of the school that they've offered toy design as a continuing ed class and that's clearly a casualty of the exclusivity of the program. i briefly entertained the notion of applying but decided it would get in the way of all my other projects. so i get to play the "art student" i never was with a little first hand perspective of the world i've worked in.

the drawing regiment has actually been pretty demanding but it's great practice. i'm picturing a lot of my characters three-dimensionally and it's helping flesh out their worlds. and now i can add "toy designer" to the rotating congolmeration of kid media skills i'm honing for full scale deployment any day now.

our first project was designing a vehicle. here's my rendering of a concept for a pre-school pull-toy line called "Buggies":

is experience really everything?

i love this one. it's like a big "nyahh nyahh" (tongue exposed) to all those hyper-academic pretentious artist types.
the following is a brilliant painting. (frankly, i wish i had done it):

"Asian Sun" by Marla Olmstead. (acrylic on canvas)

her name is Marla Olmstead. she's a new artist who works out of a studio in Binghampton, NY. a year ago her paintings went for $250 now it's $6000. i don't usually get this excited by new visonaries on the contemporary art scene but Marla Olmstead is 4 years old. (when somebody takes more interest in bouncing a superball or eating a bowl of cereal than whether or not they're stuff is hanging in a gallery, take notice. they're the ones who have the healthier perspective of the world). frankly she puts most of us to shame. read the article here.(you'll have to sign up for nytimes.com but it's free.)

here's what i was doing at age 4:
"Eye Creature with Electrical Atennae"
(crayon on vintage Manila drawing paper)

i'd be willing to pretend i'm in kindergarten again if an agent is interested.

artwork from the show

for those of you who didn't have a chance to attend my recent Housewarming Art Show at my new pad in Brooklyn, i thought i'd post all my new work here. this collection represents 2 different directions for me artistically, one being a character-driven illustrative path, and the other a graphic style painting approach to abstract objects and environments. since i moved to nyc 2 years ago and have been striving to find my artistic place, i'm really proud of this work in showing how far i've come and hinting at the beginning of where this will all lead.

as i mentioned in the last post, a few of the pieces are sold but many are still available for purchase. if anyone is interested, just shoot me an email. (i've tried hard to create prices i think are accessible to the general public and still represent an accurate reflection of the amount of time and energy i've put into each piece. i do offer payment plans and can be commissioned for original work.) all pieces come with handmade rough wood-frames.
thank you for all your support. enjoy!

"Twirl Fern" 2004 Ink on watercolor paper. 9" W x 12" H framed - $65


"Connection" 2004 Ink on watercolor paper. 12 3/4" W x 12" H framed
$50 *SOLD* (this was a dark-horse favorite)


"Central Park Bug Band" 2004 Ink and watercolor.
11" W x 10 1/2" H framed - $250


"This is it." 2004 Ink and watercolor. 13" W x 10 3/4" H framed - $75 *SOLD*


"Ladder and Vines." 2004 Ink and watercolor. 7 1/2" W x 9 1/2" H framed - $85


"Ladders in the Ocean" 2004 Latex house paint on canvas.
20 1/4" W x 16 1/4" H framed - $275 *SOLD*

"Autumn Ladder" 2004 Latex house paint on canvas.
16 1/2" W x 20 1/2" H framed - $275 *SOLD*

"Ladder Triptych" 2004 Latex house paint on canvas.
80" W x 83" H framed - $900 *SOLD*

nursing an art hangover

feel like it's been forever since i posted. usually that's a sign of sheer laziness or extreme activity. fortunately it's the latter. Saturday was the much awaited housewarming/art show and in every aspect it was a success. i got 9 new pieces done, framed, and hung just before 7 pm on Saturday. (without my brother's energy and support this would never have happened. thanks bro.)

interestingly, i sold the largest (and also most expensive piece) and the smallest (and most affordable) piece. both went to good friends and good homes and that's all you can ask for. (Thank you Dave and Candy.)

i'll be posting pics of the pieces i created in the next few days. and if anyone is interested, there are several pieces still available for purchase.

and there's nothing better to ward off the effects of a bad art hangover than to pick up the pen and dive right back in. last night i stayed up until 2 finishing a marker rendering of a "bumble-bee pull-toy" for my toy design class.

ladders, monsters, and bugs...oh my

entering the final sprint before next weekend's art show.

here's a color study for The Central Park Bug Band.
that's "Stickbug" on bass. dig that buggy rhythm.

the power of pictures II: even Jesus uses comics

on one of my mindless wanderings through the streets of the city, i found a soot covered religious tract entitled "What is Your Life?" i picked it up and flipped through it noting the composition, pacing and layout. not a bad little comic. it tells the story of man upon his death given the choice to redeem his life, embrace Jesus Christ and avoid the lake of fire. if somebody had given me this at the age of eight it would have scared me into the faith. it made me think about the power of the pictures to tell a story and how effective that can be. sure it's creepy and i don't agree with it's message but in it's simplest form it works.

a few of my favorite frames:




This was published by an organization out of Beckley, WV called Operation Somebody Cares. I'm thinking of asking them who does their printing.