Keep Your Enemies Closer

This is from my thesis also. It has a couple different directions. Ask if you're curious.

the Labyrinth

A piece from my thesis.

Snap Crackle & Pop

This piece strangely seemed appropriate to post today. I actually created this over the summer when I was having problems with my knee. Whenever I take time off from running, the tendonitis seems to flare up as I begin to build up my miles. It's quite frustrating because the only thing that seems to help is lots of ice, Advil, and patience.

So, I'm definitely not a stranger to injury. I've injured/had problems with nearly every bone, muscle, tendon, and joint from the 5th metatarsal to the groin in my ten years of running. Today is a big day, actually. It is the first day I'm allowed to be off my crutches from my current stress fracture. Assuming today is pain-free, I only have four short weeks until I'm on the roads running again. Let's  just hope the knee doesn't act up again... 

It Runs in the Family

15: Kristen from Caleb Custer on Vimeo.
I happen to not be the only artist, or athlete (as this seem to border both), in the family. My cousin Kristen Weiser is also an fantastically talented artist. She is dances for Cedar Lake Dance a contemporary ballet studio, here in New York. She was recently featured in a video by project52, a collaboration with Cedar Lake to highlight the dancers' intersections of life and dance.

I am especially proud and excited to introduce my cousin because she is one of the reasons I am an artist today. Her drive and willingness to dream has given me the confidence to pursue my own goals. If she hadn't been willing to take the hard, and certainly painful, road to become a "rockstar" in the dance world, I don't know if I would have been willing to take such a leap into the art world as well.

If you're interested in seeing more of Kristen and Cedar Lake, and I highly recommend it, their next performances are January 8-18th. They are located at 547 West 26th St, New York, NY 10001.

The Stress of a Fracture

What I failed to mention in my post about the New York City Marathon and my race, was that post race I was achy all over and began getting sharp pains on the outside of my right foot. Some aches and pains are expected post marathon, so I decided to give them a few days to take care of themselves. After three days of icing, wrapping, medicating, and limping, I went to the doctor and got x rays. After a weekend on crutches, I met with the orthopedic surgeon, today, to find out the verdict.

At the orthopedists, I learned that you can develop a stress fracture anytime within two weeks of the initial impact. From my x rays the doctor determined that if I didn't have a stress fracture already, I was on the verge of developing one in the near future. Either way, the treatment is the same. So I will be on crutches for the next two weeks followed by another four of low impact living. Meaning I cannot run for six weeks. :(

These are the my x rays. The doctor said an MRI or bone scan would be able to give a clearer picture, but you can tell where there is stress on the bone by the darker spots. Even without a break, I think these pictures are pretty cool.

The Bookshow

Opening Reception: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 from 6-8pm, Visual Arts Gallery.

In the Main Gallery, The Book Show is an exhibition of 20 books, curated by Marshall Arisman and Carl Titolo, including mine Living Dying. Living Dying is my final project from my first year in the MFA program of SVA. The narrative follows life from conception to death and shows the glories and defeats a full life brings. Copies of the book will be for sale at the event. Editions are limited so if you want one let me know and I'll reserve you one (two or three!).

Also opening in Project Room 3 is The Call of Cthulhu, curated by Viktor Koen. The show features a selection of narratives based upon the short story by H. P. Lovecraft. The shows are brought to you by the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay Department of the School of Visuals Arts.

The Visual Arts Gallery is located at 601 West 26 Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10001. 212.592.2145. Gallery hours are Monday - Saturday 10am - 6 pm.

For more information call the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay Department at 212.592.2210.

ING New York City Marathon 2008

On November 2, 2008 the 2008 ING New York City Marathon took place, spanning the five boroughs of New York City. As part of the World Marathon Majors, the New York City Marathon bring over 90,000 applicants and 39,000 entrants. It was a beautiful day for the race and the elite Men's race, along with the first wave of the race, started promptly at 9:40.


Yours truly competed this year placing 411th with a time of 2:50:31. My first NY Marathon, it was quite the amazing experience. The fans are what make this such an amazing race. After mile 15 I was ready to drop, but the fans' wild screaming is what kept me going. I finished only 10 minutes short of my goal, a miracle, based on the way I was feeling. Here is a picture of me at mile 11 on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (before I was feeling like death). A special thanks to You Jung Byun for taking the photo. This race is sure to inspire some new work. Don't be surprised to find some work with the themes of pain, exhaustion, defeat, and maybe exhilaration in the near future.

Thesis

Here is an image I have created for my Grad Thesis at SVA. I'm not entirely clear on what my thesis is right now, but it definitely has something to do with running. This piece is greatly inspired by poster design and might be the beginning of my work taking a more graphic twist. Let me know what you think.

When I Grow Up, I Wanna be Famous...

I've been doing a lot of drawing lately. I've recently was given a really nice brush pen and it has inspired me to get into my sketchbook more often. It is taking a little to get used to, but I think I'm starting to see some really nice results.

Today I'm bringing you something else. As you may have noticed, these are not done with a brush pen. These are done by an 9(?) year old. These are from a sketchbook of mine from elementary school. I can't take responsibility for the compositions. They've been lifted straight from a pack of Fleer Ultra cards. I recently found this sketchbook and thought it best to share it with the world because of their great significance to me. This is how I got into art. These are the first drawings that I did and really cared about. I've got a ton of these. I'll probably post another few later. Let me know if you like them. Maybe I'll publish the whole book.

And oh yeah, I'll post some of those brush pen drawings soon, too.

Random Works on Paper

A lot of things have been going on, lately. I began my final year of grad school in SVA's MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay two weeks ago. Later there will be a post outlining the thesis that will be dominating my life for the months to come. Also, I been working on building a website for a lighting designer that work on television, fashion, and documentary shows, and also on other events and opening. On top of that, this weekend I ran a race called Reach the Beach in New Hampshire. It was a 208 mile relay, beginning in the mountains and ending at the Atlantic Ocean. It was really a beautiful run. An my team managed to take home a third over all finish (out of 355), second in our division.
These are just some random sketches that have happened over these past few weeks, some related to those events, others, not. Once the website is complete I'll post the link for everyone to check out.

Mr September

Apparently, this is my month of stardom. I've been featured as the Profile of the Month on the Front Runners New York website. Check it out by clicking here.

This comes after being shown running on the History Channel's show EVOLVE, last week. I've also just gotten word that I will be shown again on the series. This past episode was about the evolution of skin and how the human's skin allows humans to be more efficient at running than other creatures. I will also be appearing in a few weeks (still awaiting a date, check back soon) on Speed. So if you missed the last one, here's another chance. Don't miss out!

EVOLVE

The time has come! Tomorrow night is my debut as a television star. Be sure to tune in tomorrow night to the History Channel series, EVOLVE. The episode is on Skin and yours truly will be featured. This is what they have to say about the Episode,

"It makes up 16% of your body weight, is the largest organ in the human body, allows birds to fly, mammals to nurse their young, and provides a lifelong defense against predators and parasites alike. What is it? Skin. From the delicate membranes that encased the earliest animals to the leathery hides that protected the dinosaurs, this episode looks at how skin has changed and adapted to virtually any challenge it has faced throughout history."

So watch me sweat and learn something new. The show is airing at the following times:

Tuesday, August 26 @ 10pm
Wednesday, August 27 @ 2am
Sunday, August 31 @ 11pm
Monday, September 1 @ 3am
Saturday, Septmber 13 @ 2pm

Honestly, I haven't seen it yet, and I could be horribly embarrassed. So, tune in, and let me know what you think!

I Should Travel More!

Last weekend I took a trip down into Pennsylvania to visit the family. Time, on the way down, was spent preparing materials for my upcoming book show and my book Living Dying. (Stay tuned for it to go on sale!) The trip back was much more relaxed, and I was able to spend some time just drawing. I'm learning I really love to draw the tight interiors of buses, trains, and planes.

Oh Deer!

This is also from the beach. Let's just say I have plenty of reference photos should any deer projects come up.

A Trip to the Beach

This past weekend, I took and afternoon and went to the beach with some friends. It was really a lovely day. Sunny but not too hot. This trip actually replaced a long run I was supposed to do.

The water was a little chilly, but I still got in a few times. I even got to play frisbee a little. I think with those two things I'll consider it a cross-training day. Of course there was lots of laying in the sun, also, and even a little drawing.

Bicycle

I've been thinking about getting a bicycle. It would be a lot more efficient to get around the city. Also I wouldn't mind getting into bike races. Soon, I might have to change the name of this to "IT'S A TRIATHLON."

I Love Drawing

I have been working a lot lately and haven't be able to find much time to spend in my sketchbook. Here's a little something from the last few weeks. The first image was created during some down time at work, and the second was created as I waited for some friends uptown at 73rd St. and Amsterdam Ave.

Illustrator/Designer/ACTOR?!

The History Channel is beginning a new series in the next few months. Part of the series discusses the human body and it's functions. I spent the day yesterday being filmed for this series. I will be in the episode that discusses skin and sweating. Check back often for the update of my debut on screen. I'll post dates and links as soon as I have them.

Fountain

Yesterday I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to check out the SUPERHEROES: Fashion and Fantasy exhibition with a friend. The show is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it.

Before the visit I ran 9 miles with my running club. My club meets in Central Park which is right next to the MET. Well, I was done with the run by noon and I wasn't meeting my friend until 2. I spent the two hours walking around the park and was able to sit down and get a nice (not quite finished) drawing done. All-in-all, it was a lovely afternoon.

Rooftop Sketch

Here is the second installation of my weekly entries. It was really difficult to not put a UFO or a monster ravaging the landscape in this one. Enjoy!

Sketchbook

This is the beginning of what will hopefully be a new thing. I want to try to post at least one thing, a sketchbook entry, something in progress, inspiration, my grocery list, or whatever, a week.

This week is a sketch that I did at the track at the local park. It's very rough, but that is because runners in motion are very difficult to draw.

New Website!

My new website is finally up and running. Check it out and leave me suggestions!

JohnMacConnell.com