Dollop Cafe Tribute

The image above is a mixed media tribute to Dollop Cafe in Chicago. It is 8" x 10" (ish) and was something of a quickie. Being a fan of the cafe myself, I wanted the colors to play up the uniqueness of the location. Working from a gloomy photo reference, I definitely pushed the color palette while maintaining a romantic realism. 

The inspiration for this was to give the original as a gift to my friend who spent most of his law school days studying there - now he can move-on-up into the loop but always remember where he came from.  

Smiles Boat Project - Boatscape

Exhibit Location: Lake Lawn, WI

For a private auction charity event I painted a 4' x 5' fiberglass boat with acrylic paint coated in weather proof sealer. With projects like these, I gravitate toward penguins and throwing in a handsome walrus never hurts.

*The image above shows the front and back placed side-by-side

Rogers Park Mural - Mayfly Mayhem

I am participating in a collaboration mural project in Rogers Park for 2012-2013. The artist I am partnering with is Andy Bellomo, a Chicago-based mixed media visual artist (www.andybartworks.com). Above is an image of the official proposal of our concept. The top image is full color; the bottom image shows the wing of the mayfly that will be treated with a mixture of stained glass and/or ceramic by Andy Bellomo (all line work and tile is subject to change when actually applied to the wall).

We call it Mayfly Mayhem.

Overview:

The mural subject matter is intended to be a (beautiful) bittersweet tribute to the life cycle that we are all part of. The Mayfly has a short lifespan and is called one-day fly in some languages. Typically, the generations of mayflies in a population mature all at once. Seasonally, it is common to see them everywhere; tango-ing around each other in swarms...covering every available surface...and then eventually dying together. It is common to see a layer of them—a full generation—floating in lakes and rivers. They feed fish and another cycle begins.

150 artists submitted proposals to the competition — 20 artists/collaborations were chosen. I'd like to give a huge thanks to the 49th Ward and Alderman Joe Moore for the consistently amazing support toward Chicago artists. To view the 19 other (inspiring) artists that will be dressing up Rogers Park, please visit this link: http://www.ward49.com/site/epage/136207_322.htm

Ryder Cup Golf Ball - Chicago Joy

I participated in the Tartan Art on the Avenue for the 2012 Ryder Cup - Find my golf ball September 13 through Wednesday, October 10, 2012 @ 625 North Michigan Ave in front of the Coach and Timberland stores.

Ronald McDonald House Charities® was a sponsor involved with the Golf Balls - so I went with a hyper child/family friendly theme that is a tribute to the two reasons many people love Chicago: art and sports.

The top of the golf ball is a baseball, the upper half is an interpretation of the sign above The Chicago Theaters marque...under that is a row of children holding up the "sign" doing the "the wave" for Chicago. 

Title of the piece is Chicago Joy and is sponsored by Fisher Nuts!

Personal Project - Bookbinding and FB Quotes

This book was created for a good friend who loves people, wine and updating his Favorite Quotations on Facebook. For his impending birthday, I flipped-the-script and sent a call out to over 20+ mutual friends (as well as his family) and asked for a favor.  I explained my intent to create a collection of favorite quotes, stories and inside jokes written by us and all of them revolving around our mutual friend.  I included a sample of quotes, stories and inside jokes that would be presented on "my page" in the book -- so it was clear that they knew what I was looking for; short and sweet tidbits.  I received an amazing response and creepy snippets of old gchat conversations that were q-u-i-t-e hilarious!! And made a note to myself that friends actually save gchat conversations.

The pride for this project is that no matter how many times my friend changes his facebook quotes - he will have a collection of his imprint on the people that love him in the form of a book. A book that he can't change and, in the end, will serve as a time capsule from 2012 into his network, life, and impact on others. 

I loved it so much - I want someone to make ME one!

Creative Overview: 

With full creative freedom (and mild obsession) I designed and constructed this book from concept through production. The cover and back mimic what a wine label would look like if it were designed/written to reflect the man (the back even includes warnings regarding how consumption of alcohol impairs your ability to understand his vocabulary). 

Some pages were paired with custom images (all by me); others were colorful enough with words alone. The book itself was hand stitched (by me after a week of baptism-by-fire research and improvisation). The color image (above) shows a custom illustration created in marker, printed on vellum for a transparent/ghosted effect.

There is nothing like having complete control over every element contributed to a project. I selected each type of paper, had a research phase involving glue, tape, silk paper, silk tape, and even obsessed over which chipboard thickness would fit this small type of project while not overwhelming it with "what is recommended" from bookbinding experts. I plan on pulling together a "Rebels Bookbinding Tutorial" and posting it later this year as a free PDF download. The PDF will highlight the choices I made and the logistics of binding a booklet (less than 50 pages) and making it look like a real book. That's right - I broke the rules and won! Um...that is...I won in the race against myself for my own definition of perfection within a project. ;)

Chicago Theater

I was asked to illustrate a Chicago landmark for a company card. I took a picture of the building during the day and then went back at night. I tried to convey a mood and ended up romanticizing the building a bit.

I have walked past this building so many times - I was amazed by the colors and beauty of the overall design when I was referencing the photos. I was very pleased with this -- I hope to do a few more landmarks this year since this one was such a pleasure to work on. Can't go wrong with something so classic! 
 
Medium: acrylic with colored pencil on bristol board

Christmas Hydrant

I actually created a Holiday Card this year...kinda silly, but those that know me get it. Maybe next time I will actually acheive mailing them? (I had a weird cold that threw me off schedule!)

The fun part was painting small, playing with color, experimenting a bit and enjoying some of the "mistakes" that come from working organically.
Medium: acrylic paint and color pencil on bristol board.