Bittersweet...

The bitter: Ralphie's moving to NYC right after the New Year and we are really going to miss him and his happy little dance moves.

The sweet: My daughter's moving into a real dog friendly apartment and little is sweeter than your kid reuniting with their dog after spending over a year apart.



(I drew this cartoon of Ralphie which does capture his always worried look and wagging anticipation. There really should be a slight jiggle in there somewhere in the hindquarters. I actually had a vintage overnight case that I painted "Brooklyn" on, just like in the drawing. Then I packed it well with his stuff and he was ready for his first big road trip.)

Let the Holidays Begin...

Thanksgiving was nice. My favorite part is the kids. This year I let my three-year-old nephew take the photos. Here's his shot of the table that his older brother properly set for dinner, from the perspective of a three year old...



Two days later there was a surprise 50th birthday party. It was a success. Valerie was horrified as she walked into her kitchen to find people screaming at her from every dark corner. SURPRISE!...!! Seriously, once she settled into the idea, she had a great time and I’m certain she felt older the next day.

I helped with the invitations. I decided we should celebrate turning 50 with the color blue rather than that trite, black "over-the-hill" attitude (I think a really mean person came up with that theme). It’s really cool to feel the "getting older” blues - it brings on introspective thought while considering your options, then you smile and get on with your life. Turning 50 is just a really cool shade of blue.



Of course, the next morning came too soon. There was still another party to attend! We drove out to the country for Linda & Joe’s Annual Christmas Open House. Everyone raves about Joe’s great gumbo and then there’s Linda’s amazing art glass. Quite a variety of shiny and bright pretty objects for sale, I felt like a little bird being drawn to this, this, this, and... that!

This is just one of many interesting things Linda creates with glass. (See more at http://glasscompositions.com)




All together a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.
(Only five things would have made it perfect... visits by my two brothers, sister-in-law, nephew and of course, my daughter.)

And The Winning Poster Is...

Not mine.

Well, word's out on the streets as to the winner of the 2009 Soulard Mardi Gras poster contest and I don't mind sharing my place here to show that winning poster. The story I got is that the artist is a young woman bartender, working in Soulard, with many fans. Hey, it's pretty good and sexy pinup girls are in right now...



So this was my first art contest and I enjoyed the experience. Besides, I met another artist through this event, an illustrator with a charming style and shared concerns for our now kinder, gentler world. You can see her work here: http://redheadedstepchildblog.blogspot.com


Oh, and watch for my poster available as refrigerator magnets someday soon!

A Promise...

A promise is a promise, especially when made to your child. The most recent made to my daughter, was that I would post something each week on this blog site, which didn't seem to be asking too much. She simply supports my creative side.

But I am just too busy right now.

In the blink of an eye, my dance card is so full with work that I may not sleep again until January 8th. Work is coming in from all directions with no regards to the holiday season, but that's the publishing business. Besides, these are the days where no one turns down work.

So there's no time for creating blogable art this week. But with regards to my promise - I quickly pulled something from the past. I found these photos of some boxes we decorated that'll work. Looking at these takes me back to roughly this time last year. My daughter and I had spent many days with cheap wine, good music and shared stories as we decorated several wooden boxes with scraps from 50's & 60's encyclopedias and magazines. And glitter. Don't forget that glitter! The boxes were later sold in the 4th Annual Rock 'n Roll Craft Show. Well, most of them sold.


My promise is kept with recalling good times shared with my kid. Perfect.

MY BROTHER MATT...

My youngest brother is more powerful than Superman. He uses words to conquer the evils of our world!


Keep your eyes open for this guy. Seriously. (I drew him here, as he hovers outside his NYC apt.)

HE'S SO COOL AND JUST 35 YEARS OLD TODAY!!!

Love ya!!!
xoxoxox

"My turn..."

Well, it's my turn to become unemployed again as my steady gig has gone south for the winter. Looking for a real job is sad as the ones that interest me just aren't interested in me.

Don't you wish you could just walk up to someone who seems a bit burnt out with their job, tap them on the shoulder and say "My turn!". This always crossed my mind each morning as I drove to my former corporate job by way of the park. I would pass by two museums each morning where their employees frowned sadly as they shuffled through the doors. I would think, "Trade places or retire to Florida!".



So yesterday, while multi-tasking through the classifieds, looping through telephone voice prompts, and revising the ol' resume - I doodled this duck. Then borrowed a clip from one of my vintage souvenir scarves to make this stamp. It's my attempt to channel in on some sample braille art I recently did for a job bid. Simple, strong vectored lineart for children's braille textbooks. I really would love to get that project.... and soon please!

We Choose the American Dream...

A brave and good man who will lead by example with hard work and integrity. Today, he's made us proud to be Americans again.



(This art is linked to that created and posted in Sept'08, titled as "A Perfect Fit...". This mask, "The American Dream On a Stick", was created back in 1991, while our bombs burst over the Gulf War. It's taken over 17 years to find it's perfect fit.)