Resistance v2: 2020

I made an image a week for the first year Donald Trump was president. One image a week—which gave me a little space to think about the significant image/idea and make an illustration from it. It was not easy to pick sometimes, but more often than not, the idea bubbled up with a degree of clarity that I really did not have to think too hard. Those images became a show at Exhibit A Gallery in Corning and were also the fodder for my “guerilla” resistance. I printed each card and placed them in literature racks around town and made them available for free for postcard writers and others interested in protesting the obscenity that this administration represented. Here are the images for your review. A few got published in national shows—and they were a good release for me.

However, as things began to wind up, I couldn’t focus on the one crystalline idea a week. It was all too much, too fast, too overlapping—-and I was (and still am) trying to drink from the firehose of information, media, stories, web of people, past and paperwork to really stay abreast of making an image. I had to let it settle and see if the inspiration would hit again. After a prompt from a graduate school friend and the coaxing of my family, I have climbed back on and started making images starting in mid August of this year. There are some themes (need themes to give me a hook and a push)—1. Saints and Sinners; 2. 10,000 Novel Coronavirus 19. The first is what it is, Saints and Sinners…not just those who are malicious, but those people who hearten and raise our spirits, the Saints. The second is to recognize every 10,000. people killed by the virus. I started at 180,000, 190,000 and have 200,000 in the offing. The coronavirus is apolitical and is busy being the best virus it can be—and I figured instead of hating it, I would embrace it, honor it and depict it not as a threat, but something that is here and needs to be regarded in awe and frankly, wonder at it’s ability to expand it’s reach. In giving it color and texture and adding the virus to everyday things—it might help me to be less fearful but still be cautious around it.

I will be posting on Facebook, on Instagram and here—and when a new one happens, I will post here just to give it a little space before it is cojoined with the group.

Small Engine-Turned Passion

I learned about engine-turned objects when I worked at Tiffany & Co. in the late eighties. I was the manager of publications—with a team of people that reported to me, and responsibility to design and produce well on 20 catalogs a year (along with a big 100 pp glam book). It was a tough job as it was literally driving a publication machine from shooting the objects, through real/old fashioned retouching, to mechanical art and all that that entailed to printing. We went through so much paper, we bought it by the railroad car—but direct mail drove that business, and we were intregal to that effort. What we did rang cash registers—and knowing as much as I could about the customer, their taste and any information on possible upsells made the process fun for me. Additionally, it was at 57th and Fifth Avenue—in a headquarters that checked your pockets as you went in and out—and product was carried between floors by armed security in robin’s egg blue locked boxes.

Note all the craziness in the background, around the frame of the Annuit Coeptis, the frou-frou embracing the bits of text—that there is guilloche.

My time at Tiffany also taught me more about objects, jewelry, watches and the china/glass world and through that, I learned to love engine-turned objects— little boxes, belt buckles, men’s small goods. I look for it..in the lovely, over the top Faberge pieces. Another word for engine-turned is “guilloché ". Wikipedia says that Guilloché might have been derivative of M. Guillot, who invented the tool/or turning machine in and around the 1770s. One might see engine turning or guilloche in products particularly those more luxe…and it migh be in important collateral print like bank certificates, currency, diplomas, paper products also of great worth and honor. To put it mildly, I so so love this stuff. It “brings it” and by being clever with it, the designer/illustrator brings all the references of elegance, luxe, hand engraved to the design. So..with that in mind, I am on a course to learn how to fake guilloche in illustrator to possibly have the skills to apply it to wine/cider labels, to logotypes for products that might benefit from a little shine.

There are a lot of cool tutorials online to learn aspects of guilloche, but I think once you have the few tricks that are out there, then it really is honing in on the look and going rogue/creating a library of forms, brushes and textures. Illustrator does so much of this stuff anyway, that building a library with a little time/effort could be really fun to do. There are a few generators that you can download (one is $500. for the privilege) Excentro. Artlandia has one that is less expensive, but really with the tools in illustrator, why not give it a shot. This may force me to be a bit less wiggly and more precise, but why not?

Advent 2015: Day Twelve

I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade... And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.

Ron White

Something to Crow About!

Something to Crow About
Q. Cassetti 2015
Adobe Illustrator 2015

"Business is never so healthy as when, like a chicken, it must do a certain amount of scratching around for what it gets."

Henry Ford

Day 5: Portrait warmups.

The Donald
Portrait Warmups 2015
Q. Cassetti
Adobe Illustrator 2015

"Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you're generally better off sticking with what you know. And the third is that sometimes your best investments are the ones you don't make."

Donald Trump

You know, on a rare occasion this boob makes good sense. 

Off to meetings and projects. More later.

Love Stamp 2014

This little tiny poster of love is coming to market this week. I have been a bit overwhelmed by the public relations by the US Postal Service along with phone calls from the local press, the regional  press and sneaking around on the various stamp forums to see if anyone out there likes this little snip of cut paper to put on your envelope. Before I go any further, let me link you to some of the cool things out there.

First off, there is this sweet, sweet article by Hilary Oswald on the stamp. I have the most fun talking with Hilary about the stamp and inevitably, about a lot of stuff--and she took all of our verbal scraps and wrote this touching article that made me tear up (just a little). I was so thrilled to see her energy in the piece--which captured my thinking and emotions around getting this amazing project with such a kind >> generous art director, Antonio Alcala. I am not one to squeal, but it was close with this article (plus, look at what a bang up job they did with the layout of the article). Love all around!

Heart with a History by Hilary Oswald

There is a lovely overview on the stamp here:
Cut Paper Heart

And should you want to buy a sheet or a commemorative goody to fill those needs:
USPS Celebration of Love! Please note that they have  First Day of Issue programs, Covers, sheets of stamps, big collectible sheets of stamps..it is quite impressive. All are ready to buy in advance of the 21st. and will not be shipped out until then.

The first day of issue is going to be celebrated at the Time Warner Building in NYC. For more information and the invitation>>

Cut Paper Heart Digital Color Postmark

Cut Paper Heart Press Sheet with die cuts.

Wall Street Journal Holiday Gift Guide Illustration

I had the honor and privilege to create a little piece of wrapping paper for the Wall Street Journal Europe's Holiday Gift Guide's back cover. It was a treat of a project, and I got a full page, no copy no nothing just to let my illo shine. Thanks to EL, the remarkable art director who had me in her clipping file for "the right job"--and for her marrying me up with such a fun project. Here is the PDF of the Gift Guide --back page, please.

You will see many of these elements popping up in my Advent Calendar as I am loving these pieces and want to make little pretties to make your holidays a bit sweeter. You too, can print this out and wrap a little something in it, a jewel, a shiny rock, a shell, or an exotic tidbit from nearby or far away.

quietly, gently.

Not much to say. Lots going on. Some nice travel (Rochester for a Rob speech, Sagamore twice for Sagabusiness). Been keeping busy with illustration, work, and the burgeoning card and trinkets business (big time burgeoning with two outlets)...and a lot of thinking about how to spread my stationery wings. There have been questions insofar as my silence, so I will at least post pix, and when there are short things to say, I will say them. Sorry for the silence--but I have been busy trying to get my act together. 

This wreath is from the My America Series. I got going on a jag thanks to my lovely time in South Utah, the red rocks, the pictograms, the inspiration which took me to local food (duh) and the three sisters (the cornerstone to the Native American culinary palette) : squash, corn and beans--a symbiotic triad from how they grow to the nutritional support they provide. Then, I of course, segued to wheat and corn for the US diet--GMO and otherwise...and I couldnt resist the pull of Swedish wheat, and french wheat arrangements. These are my "takes" on them....with brushes and illustrator trickery to allow me to make things human hands only wish they could do.  There are squash, there are squash, squash blossoms, and corn galore. I havent had the patience to render beans yet--but it is coming....I promise.

Preparing

I am cranking away on this slide show. I lost the first go round when Powerpoint winked out...and left me nothing. Now, Lady Savalot is doing just that, and I have 200 slides needing to be edited and tightened and by so doing, I probably will take out entire chunks of ideas (which I have already) to just tell a tighter story.  Interestingly, I am talking about how last year's advent pictures happened prompted by Kitty's encouragement to look at how the process went, how my writing here influenced what happened with the work, and how the work fed the work. Then, as it happened, how this advent project influenced the few "Unicorn and Butterflies" images to then directly point at the current "My America" set. Same approach, same techniques, same established palettes with insane groups of brushes, symbols and swatches. Upside with this current set, new Creative Suite (cloud) has some sensational new patterning tools not only for background swatches, but for brushes (patterns on brushes you say? gradients on brushes?)....Yes...yes. and yes.  I just wish I had more time right now to focus on the America images as there are quite a few tumbling around in my brain, particularly after the past week of country fairs and small town parades. Beauty and machinery,  dog and pony acts, Freedom Festivals, and automotive heaven to inspire....but this can wait for now. Work, holiday cards, and getting die kinder all figured out, entertained and farewelled appropriately is foremost.

It is beets and kale for days from the CSA along with the most amazing eggplant I have ever had. Who would have guessed that I would rave about organic eggplant (and organic celery) as they are so significantly better from Sweetland than I have ever ever had.  It is slightly crazy when there is eggplant offered as I will forego almost everything else on the side that we can pick from just to load up as fast as possible with eggplant. The way this Nightshade fruit (just like tomatoes) cooks down to loveliness on the grill...not the usual stringy glop--is sublime and with lemon juice...is transcends all vegetables in that moment.  Unfortunately, there were no eggplants yesterday, so sweet red peppers, golden beets, and all sorts of leafiness were gathered--- A girl can hope for next week.

Grassroots Eve.

Well, I am starting the American journey. Just started making my "kit of parts", my mis en place to get the ball rolling from brushes with stripes and stars to the all seeing eye that protects us on our dollar bill. It is the beginning and I am stunned by the opportunity for images here--the juxtapostion of imagery--of icons, and color. The mash up of popular culture, masonic imagery, religious imagery and suggested ideas (such as the Tea Party) spurs me on.  The possible use of text to compliment and confuse....what with phrases out there speaking to how God legitimizes and approves of all things American--its pretty irresistible to me. I am pretty pissed off at a lot of things American these days...and this will be the spur to make the fury into something tangible. More as we go.

I have a new camera. Rob admonished me when I bought my last point and shoot, that I should check in with him as the world of point and shoots were getting more interesting...and that I could upgrade when the time was right. Seeing that I loaned Alex my big Canon EOS camera (which, unfortunately took a bath during a rainstorm this summer at a music venue that Alex was shooting), and seeing that Rob brought this camera up, I bought a Canon EOS-M--a tiny, mirrorless camera that can take all of the Canon EOS lens and has a limited number of EOS-M specific lens. I bought it with a fixed "Pancake" lens and have been really enjoying shooting in the RAW file format (another first)--and all that that entails with Photoshop and Lightroom.  I took a handful of photos at the community build (at GrassRoots) of our new Trumansburg Farmers' Market stage (see here)-- and was pleased with the sharpness, less parallax ( I think this is the term)-- and the work that I could get this camera to do. We will see. I am in love.

So, tonight it all begins.  It is the eve of the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival. The tents are all up. The ticket booths have been put in place. The community build  (our little stage for the Farmers' Market, and an adorable prep kitchen for the Ithaca's Childrens' Garden ) has happened. The massive kitchen is built. The stages are in place. The towers of beer and fruity alcoholic drinks are stacked to the ceilings at the dairy and grocery store.  The festival go-ers are beginning to trickle in--to take their places on Rabbit Run (yes, there is a place in Tburg with this sort of adorable, Beatrix Potter-y name) to wait patiently in line for well over a day to get dibs on a camping spot in the infield. We hope to capture some of these folks to invite them to come to the Farmers' Market tonight for music (Rockwood Ferry and Home Remedy) and for circus yoga ( a demonstration) and of course the general conviviality of food to eat, food to buy, crafts and products to buy. My back up team will be walking brochures down Rabbit Run tonight to get fliers out to promote the gig.

Rob and Mary are doing a round trip to NYC today to pick up Alex from his NYC/FIT foray this summer. I am pleased to have him home--and know that this time in the city has been a great adventure and good learning experience for him. We should see him by early evening. I am glad Rob and Mary are taking my car with good tires and functioning air conditioning given the sweltering day that is promised.

3x3 Professional Show Merit Winners.

This collection of five guys are from my annual (2012) Advent Calendar project, "Gingerbread Advent". They were, just today, accepted into the annual, juried competition that 3x3 Magazine has to celebrate illustration. They were accepted as a group. Hurray and Thank you to 3x3. It is wonderful to know that the freakish stuff that flows out of this brain onto digital paper has some bounce in the real world beyond the happy high (when I get the cogs and gears rolling) that this December project can give me. Double the holiday gifting for this girl. To see who else got in>>

Five Advent Guys from 2012 Advent Calendar project, "Gingerbread Advent", Q. Cassetti, 2012, Adobe Illustrator CS%

moment, just a moment

​Barn Owl, Q. Cassetti, 2013, Adobe Illustrator, CS5

It has been solid...and I have a minute to say hi. The past few weeks have been solid work with kids packed in (Spring Vacation for each), a funeral with out of towners, food planning and serving and more work. The work has been mammoth with both Rob and me working nights (seriously) and weekends with a window of a morning or an afternoon unprescribed/ unscheduled.​ It was quite a moment that we had to be able to get Rob a haircut last weekend. Monumental...a haircut, right?

It is still grey and rainy. My farmer friends are delighted in the mucky cold. Nothing is too hot, too fast so our lovely cherries and apples are going to have a slow birth this year to promise us buckets, bushels and barrels of fruit.  It was great to pick up our spring greens from Good Life Farm yesterday to watch sweet Melissa doing funny pet trick with her white goosy turkey, strutting about all rigid and shaking, clucking and chortling. This pet turkey is named, Bonecrusher...and to see the Bone being wrestled to the ground by bouncy Melissa was very cute and funny. She held him tight so that our friend Eric could touch Bonecrusher's (from Roald Dahl's BFG)​ wattles.

Rob is home. I have to go. Tomorrow, I will catch up more with you. He is working and so am I...but I will make a little time for us.​

Scary.

Glamour Girl, Q. Cassetti 2013, Adobe IllustratorIt was a mild spring day yesterday, but this morning snaps us back into winter on the first of February. All of our mounds of velvety moss had seized up into bright green patches by the side of the house. Shady romped while Mr. White wriggled on the pavement with feline delight. Today we will be running for the radiators and prime spots under the stove. Its frosty and white.

Love Leif Peng. Love Leif Peng’s “Today’s Inspiration” illustration history blog which surfaces people, time, projects, trends of illustration. Leif recently interviewed my mentor, Murray about Herb Lubalin and more broadly, on the ’70s. Take a look. Murray and Leif surface some lovely things and trends highlighting the amazing PushPin Studios along with the work of John Alcorn (wooooooweeee!!)

More pictures of percieved glamour… Here is a vintage Barbie with the half frisbee eyelash shelves, pouty lips and the tiniest pre-surgical nose in the universe. Freakolicious! Isnt she horrifying? Not surprising, even in her updates, she continues to be horrifying though her nose gets a scootch bigger, and her body a bit less atomic…its still pretty unreal. Good thing Barbie never gets old, gets pregnant or has gall bladder surgery. Middle age Barbie goes to the PTA meeting?  Colonoscopy Barbie? And its also good that Barbie is independently wealthy, so Barbie working at the Grocery Store or Walmart is out of the question. If she does work, she is a Vet or owner of a candy store…but never a window clerk at the DMV…though I am sure she has some rocking denim studded number that would really make folks sit up and take notice.

Sugar Coated Advent 2012: Day Three

Day three. The cookies are out of the oven and some invisible russian mouse got to making this on my countertop. So, here it is for you!

Sugar Coated Advent 2012: Day Two

Sugar Coated Advent 2012, Candy Corn Roof, Day Two, Q. Cassetti, 2012, vectorHere we go! Day two with 23 more to happen! Illustration with a bow, just for you.

The brooches, pins, pendants, bracelets and goodies are selling well along with cards (the holiday cards cleaned out…with the need for me to restock tomorrow). We will be showing the same goods to another store and possibly interesting a third in valentines cards. So this crazy scheme of going retail is moving albeit slowly, but I am learning a lot about cost of goods and living it…versus the talking that I am so good at.

I need to jump off to get back of picture making. I am a bit obsessive and on fire.

See you tomorrow!

Sugar Coated Advent 2012: Day One

Sugar Coated Advent 2012, Day One, Q. Cassetti 2012Well, its that time of year…and as I have been silent and bumbling around all year trying like hell to get a groove on, keeping on trying, keeping on reading, keeping on waiting to no result. However, after stuffing myself with Kawaii, decoden, Japanese Yokai tales, and making these tiny little  pins that have gone from little studies to outright psychodelia that are being sold now in soon to be two retail establishments— I am now ready to plunge back into the world of letting my illustration push me around a bit. I am pleased to say, that I have found my groove and it is in this candy coated advent calendar journey we will be taking together this month.

I must admit that the original intent of this project was to focus strictly on gingerbread houses—but as I have been working with this concept, I am finding it morphing into something else which I am just going to go with. We will keep the candy keep the pattern, keep the holiday themes but I am going to see where it goes.. There will be gingerbread houses and fantasy. There will be gingerbread men and ladies—but why limit it as the palette can become tedious and germanically tedious/ponderous. I hit a patch yesterday that had me silently squealing with delight and am in a race to find more time to whale on it. Lets just say, 25 days to jump start next year! Yippee!