A New Piece

A new piece, but I'll write about it later...

Cedar Lake Dance

Last month, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend some time in the dance studio of Cedar Lake Dance, a contemporary ballet company, here in NYC. Everyone was uber-welcoming and I really had fun and got to know some of the dancers.

My mission while I was there was to make a record of the motion within. I draw athletes all the time and I'm fascinated by the body. Often I'm forced to work from photography or imagination, though, when it comes to representing motion. Drawing at Cedar Lake, though, was an amazing experience and it truly gave me a lesson on motion. These guys don't stay still!

By the of three days, I had a filled an entire sketchbook! I don't think my images captured the grace of the dancers, but there was at least motion.

I guess they didn't mind having me there either, because they decided to use some of my images in their weekly newsletter for March 17th. You can check it out here.

Currently they're dancing with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and you can see their next performance April 24th in New Brunswick, NJ.

What is Illustration?

Believe it or not, this is a question I get asked all the time. I've just finally accepted that the general public has absolutely no idea what illustration is or where it can be found. When asked, my general answer is that I want to do editorial illustration you might see in Runner's World Magazine or the New York Times, cause this seems like the easiest thing to explain. Even this gets the surprised response (from avid runners/readers) "Runner's World has illustration?" Yes, as a matter of fact, it does. Last month's issue had over 20!

Anyway, my interests stretch much further than that. I have interests in seeing my illustrations anywhere from the newspaper page, to billboards, subway stations, sneakers, bedsheets, and yes even to the children's book page. And as I think of it, my list will keep growing.

It's always nice to find illustration inspiring a new generation (Hopefully, one that will know what it is). A friend (Thanks Anna!) forwarded me this article "A Is for Artwork That Lures Bronx Schoolchildren to New Libraries" from the New York Times about illustration showing up in the classroom. One of the main dreams I could have for my work would be that it would inspire and stimulate. These illustrators including Maira Kalman, Christoph Niemann, and Yuko Shimizu can be assured their's will. The Robin Hood Foundation has been raising money and support to build new libraries for the public schools of New York City. Sadly, here they're a luxury for a school and not a staple. 

These illustrator were able to help out by contributing their hand by creating murals for each of these libraries. The murals are both beautiful and thought provoking. I would love to be a part of this. This is the kind of illustration I want to do. This is what illustration is.

Yay illustration!

MFA Illustration as Visual Essay Thesis Exhibition 2009!

Mark your calendar folks! The show exhibiting my work from the past year is beginning to take shape and the dates are set for May 5 -15th at the SVA Visual Arts Gallery. Closer to the show I will post dates/times for the show opening. Also look out for a sneak peak into the work you'll see from myself and fellow artist!

Here is the postcard for the show. Each of us has created a portrait of each other. It was pretty fun and I think the results are fantastic. I got to draw my friend Ray Jones (bottom center). Can you find me? These drawings are cropped images that are going to be silkscreened into a limited edition poster. More details later. Stay tuned, true believers!