A large coffee at the Library

I have a few pieces in the Children's Book Illustrators Guild (CBIG) Exhibit at Penn Lake Library. One of the pieces is a new paper cut based o a previous design.

March 1st, 2012 to April 30, 2012

Penn Lake Library

8800 Penn Ave South

Bloomington, MN 55431

612-543-5800

SWEET MARTHA!!!

This weekend I went to the Minnesota State Fair and sampled the sweet corn ice cream (with bacon toffee sauce), deep fried cookie dough, Beer Margarita, Pork Chop on a stick and I may never eat again. In the salt/sugar hang over I was reminded that I actually submitted a piece to the State Fair Gallery earlier in the year.....it wasn't selected but is currently on display at their overflow show at the excellent space at Hopkins Center for the Arts.

Having a piece rejected or not accepted is pretty tough especially when you think of the time spent on it. At first I was disappointed, the traffic flowing through the Minnesota State Fair is pretty epic, but then most people don't really go to the fair for the art, right? Right? Say "right"! RIGHT!
The Hopkins Center for the Arts on the other hand? All about the Art lovers 100%....right?
The piece I did showing the building of a fair favorite, Sweet Martha's Cookies sold on the opening night of the exhibition.

REVERSE!!!

Who here hasn't driven their tiny car into a dark villain and monster filled bar and just needed to...........reverse? Nobody! Exactly, we've all done it! Everyone has.

This wasn't the first thought I had for this week's Illustration Friday topic. Actually I had seen something a good few days before the topic of "Reverse" was revealed and I was determined to shoe horn in a picture of a baby monkey riding backwards on a pig......Luckily for me (and you....just wait!) "Reverse" sort of fit with the baby monkey. Why the topic though? It is because my good friend and Athlete, Adventurer, Designer, Mr Alex McCormick brought something into my life. Something that gave me words to live my life by.....

"You got to keep on keeping on,
get on that pig and hold on tight"

It was the greatest 59 second clip I have ever seen. You would not believe how happy this makes me. Just watch it, smile and understand....

The Nature of the Heart...or something.

Here is something I just finished last week to submit to a gallery in February for their Valentine's show. The theme was "Open Heart", then the gallery extended the submission date and changed the theme to "The Nature of The Heart" or something so the theme now fitted work they had selected. I wasn't selected.
Just goes to show that even in this day and age, some people still can't accept the love between a giant lizard and a building climbing gorilla. Maybe one day.

Maybe one day.

Illustration Friday - Afterwards

This week my scanner has joined the ranks of gadgets and technology that continues to wage war on me on an almost daily basis and refuse to work when I want them to. Damn you scanner, damn you.

After wrecking a city you just gotta rock (Acrylic on canvas)

So I couldn't scan any illustrations this week, instead here are things I have been working on that fit the subject matter.

Taking a break after climbing buildings (paper cut in shadow box)

I tell myself every week to update this blog with more than just Illustration Friday sketches but looking over the last couple of weeks, like the old blues song goes, "if I didn't have IF updates, I wouldn't have no updates at all"

Illustration Friday - Beneath

Two drawings for this weeks Illustration Friday topic "Beneath".

Beneath the bed

Beneath the earth