Nature Lady

This is the special project I have referred to several times. I volunteered my services to a company called Terressentials, a wonderful USDA certified organic and all natural body care product company. I learned a lot working with the kind people there - they are SO PASSIONATE about having products that are healthy for the soul, body, and environment. Diana, one of the founders, believes so strongly in her products that she ATE some of their body cream to prove to the government that their product was deserving of the elusive USDA certification for organic goods. I encourage you to go to the Terressentials website to read a bit more about them.

Unfortunately, the packaging-redesign project was put on hold, so they are unsure if they will be using my art (originally intended for shampoo, which I hear is to die for - I am ordering a couple bottles myself). But it was still a really cool project and I was very lucky to be able to learn a lot about organic products from these super cool people. And I get a lot of great body care products to boot - you have to try their body oils! They leave your skin silky, smooth, and subtly scented all day long.

La Fin du Monde

My brother asked me to send him a test mail piece because he doesn't think his mail is working. I decided to personalize a postcard with a little sketch of his favorite beer, La Fin du Monde, made by the same folks at Unibroque who make Don de Dieu. Sharpie on MOMA postcard (Francis Picabia's La Source ("The Spring"))

self portrait

I started a self portrait in my oil painting class last night. I hate self portraits - I always look like I am surprised, pissed off, and/or really REALLY tired. I guess that's what I always look like when I concentrate.

This is about one and a half hours of painting. Now that I have it hanging out in my living room, all I can think of is the things that need some serious fixing. Improvements will be made in the next class. The good news is that I am finally learning how to oil paint the "right way." This is 16"x20."

Working on 2 more beer paintings right now - Stella and "Spotted Cow" - a Sconnie* brew. Plus I have another illustration for Louisville Magazine I should be able to post soon, and potentially the other special project that I have been alluding to for months now... Just keeping you on your toes.

*Sconnie = Wisconscin, so I hear

Heine Brothers centerpiece

Relaxing at the Frankfort Ave Heine Brothers when I was back in Louisville a few weeks ago. They had lovely centerpieces... a creative way to recycle an old glass bottle. If you are ever in Louisville, spend some time on Frankfort Ave - great restaurants, shopping, and fair-trade coffee at Heine Bros.

Rainy Silver Bay Day

This is something I sketched from a snapshot my dad sent me. On rainy days in Silver Bay, NY, you get out the board games, books, and puzzles and settle down in the lobby of the Inn. Nowadays they have a Wi-Fi connection so you see a lot more laptops than you used to.

Don de Dieu

My 3rd beer painting. Head over to the beer blog to read more.

Rachel reading

I sketched my good friend and co-worker Rachel while she read on our break today. This is in the moleskin. At first I just used a hi-tec C pen (sepia, which turns purple-ish when wet), but tonight I added some acrylic to it. I think I liked it better before the paint, but what are you going to do? That's why this is a sketchbook and not a final illo.

Rachel is an excellent graphic designer, a devout yogi, a generous carpooler, and one of the wisest people I have ever met. I'm very lucky to be 3 feet from her 9 hours a day.

Easles

I am taking an oil painting class at UCLA this fall. My college instructor was an excellent painter and taught me what a good painting is supposed to look like, but he failed to teach me the mechanics of oil painting. One summer he handed me some old brushes and oil paints and said "go." I would slap thick paint down on the canvas and never work on them after one session because I didn't really know what to do. After one quick "sylabus day" I learned about 8 things I have been doing wrong with oil paints so far.

I sketched this view of some easels with an HB pencil in my trusty moleskin.

White Castle mug

My faithful White Castle mug. This mug does several things for me in the morning. First and foremost, it provides me with caffeine that perks me up and makes the morning tolerable (I am a night owl - mornings are rough for me). Second, it allows me a chance to not waste a paper cup when I have said caffeine, thus making my day a bit greener. And finally, it reminds me of my old stomping grounds, Louisville, Ky, where the White Castle on the corner of Chenoweth Lane and Shelbyville Road held so many fond memories of tiny hamburgers and Big Red sodas. That White Castle is no longer with us.... *tear

This is done with a regular old "Pen-I-use-at-work" with the "Lick-Your-FInger-and-Smear-the-ink-around" technique. Patent pending.

Blue Moon

What's this? 2 posts in one night?

Here is the glorious Blue Moon, the 2nd in my series of beer paintings... yeah, I know, it took a while to take off. Patience, grasshoppers. I have a lot of delicious beers in my fridge that I need to paint before i can drink - how's that for incentive? I even started a new blog just for this project because I am so excited about it!