Back at the Headquarters


Back from Danville. Nice drive through the changing countryside with trees beginning to turn, and fog in the valleys. Little peeks of the sky, with sculpted clouds and turkeys in the field. There are some really cute little towns like Dushore with a big pond in the middle of town and a cluster of old buildings, agriculturally inspired real estate. Meetings were good yesterday--and am happy to back at the headquarters today. Farmer's Market here in Tburg--so maybe a little trip is in order later this afternoon.

Been sporadically reading bits and pieces of "Indian Painting from Cave Temples to the Colonial Period" by Joan Cummins, MFA Publications,©2006, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Its great--addressing this stylish art with the author getting into the various aspects of the Indian style, how it changes according to geographic area, the use of Hindu reference and symbols, and the sheer way the picture frame is used and described. The imagery of trees and flowers, fish and birds, beasts and gods (and snakes!) is a great reference for this Garden of Eden work. I love the palette and the use of white space. Sometimes its wall to wall decoration, others, its a figure in a color field with a top bar or a border. The figures are as styled as the Egyptians, with a treatment in profile, three quarters view and heads on, with a really great way of handling hands and feet. If you actually tried to stand as these Indian figures do, you might just fall down. Its important to be a paperdoll to be in this mode. Its a nice counterpoint to read how Cummins interprets the images and understand how she breaks the picture and style apart. It is a prompt for me to think about these ideas to impose on my emerging body of work. The indian work and the byzantine styles are beginning to fold into themselves in my head with shifts and changes in content, palette, line treatment. Keeping going for Vin. Color comp due Monday. I am going to take it until Monday to see what emerges.

Lunch is here. Its a Christmas afternoon.

Let there be illustration



Worked more on the Garden of Eden. I think the tree flatness is getting somewhere. Need to think about the snake. Output the complete Creation Myth and am thinking of how to play this out as a children's book. You have six days of God making and doing, a day off and then the next week his shenanigans with Adam and the troublemaker, Eve. So, out of 14 spreads--I think we can do this...and it can be lush and lovely. The kick in the booty is the Indian Art which I have glued to my elbow. Paulie Z recommended Persian painting as well..which is a bit different, but their trees are more sinuous...less symmetrical, winding and filling the frame...crowding the frame...less like wallpaper (which I adore).

Genesis Chapter 1 v.20-22:
20 ¶ And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

Think of that picture...

Genesis Chapter 1 v.24-26:
24 ¶ And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, 1 Cor. 11.7 after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

There's another--chock a block...pack in the animals...

Today more Christmas and prep for my trip to Danville. R and Bruce looked at real estate yesterday. Alex and I took naps. K. wrote a paper on David McCullough's 1776. Very quiet day.

Sent a note to the Society of Illustrators (NY) to find out how to submit work to their show. Cannot find the link, cannot find the application. As soon as I find out, you will know. Just got a note. They are doing it all online this year...but do not have it up.

Don Hair, the treeman is here for more cutting and grinding today. He is taking down half a tree that was struck by lightning...and dying. Should be interesting to see what happens. More work on the bathroom and laundry room.

I was listening to left wing talk radio on Friday. I love it that Sarah Palin has been crowned with the name, Caribou Barbie...which works for me. It was reassuring to listen to these people call in. Race is not an issue--but class is. Interesting that this poppedup. Leadership is assumed, but having aspirational people who have education and "class" was a thread that ran through many of the caller's commentary. I wish there was content with these Republicans--its more about finger pointing outward--in a cheerleadery way. Have we all become so dull to realize we are in the state we are in because of the Republicans and the numb house and senate (peopled by shills both democratic and republican). If we are taking change...lets talk intelligence and world status. Throw all the damned bums.

More later.

Thank you Google

Check this new nice freebie from Google again! First they give us Blogger, and now this simple RSS burner called Feedburner. This will allow people to subscribe to my posts along with flowing it directly to another audience, my friends,family and future friends (and family?) at Facebook. Feedburner also offers free site statistics and other goodies. Well worth the price?!

More Lorraine Fox illustrations






Hi. I found this cache of Lorraine Fox illustrations from Flickr from an individual called, JelloKitty, who scans in old cookbooks for the visuals and humor they have. These are the chapter section pages (there are quite a few). I love the pink and the way Lorraine handle line, texture and her drawings. They evoke a time in a very stylish and current way.

Am working away on more Trees of Life/Knowledge. Working on the snake. After reading a bit of interpretations of the Garden of Eden story--here are some things that jump out. One, the apple is a fabrication. The story talks about the fruit of the tree of knowledge. So how did the apple happen? Did the Greeks and Romans make that happen? Does this stem from the Renaissance? Hmmm.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ 2The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.” ’ Genesis Chapter 3, verses 1-3

The Book of Jubilees, Wiki describes as:

The Book of Jubilees (ספר היובלים), sometimes called the Lesser Genesis (Leptogenesis), is an ancient Jewish religious work, considered one of the Pseudepigrapha[1] by most Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Christians. It was well known to Early Christian writers in the East and the West, as well as by the Rabbis. Later it was so thoroughly suppressed that no complete Hebrew, Greek or Latin version has survived. It is considered canonical for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, where it is known as the Book of Division (Ge'ez: Mets'hafe Kufale). In the modern scholarly view, it reworks material found in the Biblical books of Genesis and Exodus in the light of concerns of some 2nd century BC Jews.
The Book of Jubilees claims to present "the history of the division of the days of the Law, of the events of the years, the year-weeks, and the jubilees of the world" as secretly revealed to Moses (in addition to the Torah or "Law") while Moses was on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights. The chronology given in Jubilees is based on multiples of seven; the jubilees are periods of 49 years, seven 'year-weeks', into which all of time has been divided. According to the author of Jubilees, all proper customs that mankind should follow are determined by God's decree.

The Book of Jubilees is more mythological in their stories and detail Adam's life, and the children of Adam as well. According to this book (Chapter 3), the animals spoke to Adam and Eve prior to their fall. Afterwards, they were silenced. God also got into the tailoring business post knowledge, making fur garments/coats for Adam and Eve. Do you think they were leopard skin?

Gold and Pink


Spent some time last night looking at Indian miniature paintings and then just plain Indian Painting. I was struck with the detail but simplicity of layout. The portraits often focused on a sharply drawn face with the body being less detailed on down to the architectural frames being simple line drawings. Love the random perspective with architecture. The palette is great (I should pull swatches from it for future reference in the photoshop/illustrator chip method). So the illustration at the top is an amalgam of just visual notes from the looking and interpreting. Am working on another image to get into the swing of things prior to laying down tracks for the Vin piece.

I am loving this Indian art. There is vegetation galore, snakes,very pattern driven images. I love the use of borders from an inset that looks like an embroidered ribbon, to simple line drawings reflecting architectural molding and ogees. They are not afraid of putting a figure dead smack in the middle of a page, subdividing the background almost in half and painting one part pink and the other gilded with gold leaf. No fear of flatness...no desire to render reality as the camera would.

Look at that Shakra picture below. It is pretty much a functional graphic that explains how the shakras work and flow. Love the new orientation of the teeth in the master's face to take the reader to another place> translating the points of import in flaming frames to point out the key information. Need to look at more of this stuff and try and press it on my brain.

We are having a weekend visitor, a designer friend who is very funny and talks about all sorts of things from engine block design, to hard coding, to his relationships with people to how he tries to change. K had a sleepover with the beautiful triplet sisters after attending their mother's painting show and regaling the audience with an impromptu K and the sisters song. A. had all sorts of activity around XC and a long run this morning in the Hector Land Use area in a misty humid morning.




IF: Clutter[ed Paradise]


This is the Tree of Knowledge from the Genesis story of Adam and Eve. As you can see, it was mighty tempting to touch the tree with all this insanity going on. After all, it was the beginning of things prior to Adam's sons and Eve's daughters were thrown out of paradise to toil and try to replicate that perfect experience--cluttering up the world with the fruit of that knowledge obtained in paradise.

jewels from ebay


Name: Doris Lee
Artist's Date: 1905-1983
Title: Blossom Time (Woodstock)
Medium: serigraph/trimmed margins
Signature Placement: Estate Stamp Verso
Size: 18x24

Name: Doris Lee
Artist's Date: 1905-1983
Title: Bird & Vine
Medium: serigrah
Signature Placement: LR
Size: 17.5x12.5
Reserved: No

Name: Doris Lee
Artist's Date: 1905-1983
Title: Reflections
Date of piece: n. d.
Medium: lithograph
Signature Placement: LR
Size: 21x17
Reserved: No
Condition: good

Name: Doris Lee
Artist's Date: 1905-1983
Title: Poster for Memorial Show at WAAM
Date of piece: 1984
Medium: commercial Lithograph
Signature Placement: Unsigned
Size: 28 x 16-1/2

Name: Doris Lee
Artist's Date: 1905-1983
Title: Fruits & Vegetables
Medium: lithograph
Signature Placement: Unsigned
Size: 17.5x23.5
Reserved: No

Name: Doris Lee
Artist's Date: 1905-1983
Title: Christmas Fruit
Medium: serigraph
Signature Placement: LR
Size: 24.25x30
Reserved: No

Name: Doris Lee
Artist's Date: 1905-1983
Title: River Bathers
Medium: lithograph
Signature Placement: LR
Size: 11x16
Reserved: No

Well, dang. We were talking about Doris Lee and her husband Arnold Blanch so I went to my favorite mall, bookstore and gallery and googled her. There is an auction of prints and originals that I gleaned these images from and wanted to share with you>> I can editorialize forever on this work--her primitive forms, simple color and the twisty twirly line work that gives it a sense of humor and charm. I love how shapey it all is. My next Garden is going to be inspired from these, these very images. This work speaks to me.

Recycled Soup


Sketch above a test for the possible Baker card. I was making this with all of the images reversed out of the colored shapes, but the beagle was missing a bit of snap, so I decided to plunk the line art into the mix (just a minute ago) and we have something going. So, the amalgam of animals that the Baker develops cures/vaccines etc. for range from foxes, llamas, horses, hinnies/donkeys, dogs, cats and mice. So, this approach will allow me to mess with the scale and relationships and give them a card that is counterpoint to last years's dachshund with a bow. Plus, this gives us some images to develop some thank you cards, tote bags etc. So, more today.

Working with the Vin picture. Got something going on...and going to burn through some tissue today.Possibly may not have to get out of town for a meeting. We may do it over the phone which would be great..so I can drill down on the work coming through here. Gotta print the Chokers poster today if the touchy Epson decides to cooperate this morning.

Bruce is coming today for a few days of hanging out, punctuated by the Vintage Car Races at Watkins Glen which the boys adore. Maybe go over to the Pourhouse for sandwiches tonight. Got a big pot of "Recycled Soup"(K's perfect name) with leftover grilled italian sausage, leftover rice pilaf, and about a cup of turkey left over from last night, and a cup of frozen peas. And the team will devour it as we have 3 carpenters, 2 tree men, Amanda and Erich for lunch...so reconfigured leftovers will be delightful.

All the dead stuff is being cut out of the trees. The tall pine tree we have that was struck by lightening is going to be cut in half to see if we can save part of the tree. And there a ton of limbing up from the branches that are over the house. I am going to direct in about 20 minutes before they get going. I am feeling better as the pound of prevention with trees is well worth it with the harsh spring and fall storms, and the ice damage will get in the Winter.

More today.

Remembering Mentors


Last night I woke up and was streaming all sorts of things. I figured out what to do with the Baker Holiday card (excited about it), what to do with the Baker Annual Report next year. I also thought and thought about illustration and just decided (as always) to relax. Just let it happen. What happens in the next month is a single step that will take a year to move and change. Instead of thinking of style...I should reflect on the credo of my college and high school mentor, Arnold Bank around what makes a complete design. He would describe it using the triangle of learning chart (shown above) saying that a design or piece of calligraphy would not be complete unless all of the elements are in balance and complete. One element cannot exist by itself...and form I use as Content as it applies to illustration. You cannot have an illustration without content, design and technique (style). I have got content and am struggling with technique and forgetting the design part. Design is easy, so I should get the tracing pad out and get that resolved--and then see what happens. Don't fight it. Plus, if I take Murray's advice and roll this Garden of Eden idea into the thesis which could be a children's book (16 spreads)--or spreads, spots and page illustration--then its a complete body of work in one hand. Best to focus on that...It's not forever. It's not critical...so maybe a more graphic/flat/ Provensen/ Doris Lee/Arnold Blanch/ Matisse cut paper/ indian miniatures/ egyptian and assiryian art combo. Just need to start designing and thumbnailing. I can get a hook into that.

Plus, lets not forget...decorative illustration doesnt mean it has to be a decoration. It can be sophisticated and elegant in very simple shapes--just flat. Hmmm.

More later. My head hurts with this Palin thing. I am fearing the lovefest tonight on the television. Maybe my head will be in the garden while I watch this stuff.

In a Twist


Doris Lee
Woman in a Garden
20 x 29 7/8 inches
framed: 27 x 36 inches
gouache and watercolor on board

Doris Lee (1905-1983)
Fruit with Bottle Still Life
13 3/4 x 18 3/4 inches, oil on canvas, signed lower left

Doris Lee
American (1905-1983)
Ladies' Luncheon Club
Oil on Canvas
50 1/2 x 20 inches

"Ms. Lee once said of her motive for art making, “What I feel is a sort of violence,” a quotation that was repeated in the press far more than she would have liked. I think this “violence” was simply ambition — lots of it."
from NY Times article by Roberta Smith

Murray talked about Doris Lee and her husband, Arnold Blanch as part of the group of painters/illustrators who were setting the stage for the storybook illustrators such as Alice and Martin Provensen, Mary Blair, Art Seiden, Jan Balet. Murray said that though Arnold Blanch and Doris Lee were lesser known painters of the time, but their circle which included Stuart Davis and Milton Avery which suggests their style and approach. The New York Times in April (2008) had an article that started with almost a warning and evolving to an embrace of Ms. Lee, her work and the show at the D. Wigmore Gallery that showcased many works from her estate.

Look at that palette. Look at these simple compositions. Her figures reference (in this group) Milton Avery and in some cases Morris Hirschfield. Her palette parallels Milton Avery's late work's palette. Look at how she handles the flowers in the composition with the woman. Look at how Arnold Blanch handles the same thing (below) And Arnold's women really are inspired by Picasso. Wow. I am going to explode!

I am spinning. My head is spinning. I am trying to figure out what I am. Topsy Turvey..but with Murray pointing to Doris Lee and the list of artists I need to see...there is something there...but I have this tree to do...and am going somewhere, but down the wrong alley. But, I like Leonard Baskin, Eleanor Ness, Harry Clark and a bunch of line folks too. However, I need to keep going and make some pictures to draw my way out of this one. Heck, I got through the whole mortality thing through 300 drawings about death and mortality. This should be a walk through the garden to partake of the Tree of Knowledge. At least, there is hope.

Arnold Blanch
Two Women

Arnold Blanch

Morris Hirschfield

milestone for a boy


Today A. is 15. It is another perfect day on the lake, cloudless with the water at a temperature that doesnt entirely freeze you to the bone and allows you to float and merge for quite a bit. He had a surprise run with his girl running partner who ran with him from clue to clue to find out that there was ice cream on the end. We are celebrating with a big homemade dinner: flank steak, fresh squash, fresh salsa and chips, and ice cream (in the churn) with raspberries and peaches on the top. I made peach pancakes by the stack...so at least this big boy (now topping his dad at 6'2.5" to his glee)will have an inkling of our love and esteem. There have been presents along with a drive with our neighbor in her amazing, big, mercedes (his idea of heaven) with a little roadtime at 90 mph. Yikes!

It seems like a wink of an eye since we were presented with this 21". 5 lb. 11 oz. commander--and he is as sweet and dear as day one. When you are a kid, birthdays are all about you. As you get a bit of life behind you, birthdays are days to celebrate births, entries, and memories of those people whose birthdays are being remembered. The presents of stuffed animals with funny names (SueBear and Simkin), the ice cream truck ambling down our alley with all the ice cream all the children (and parents) could eat, the games and goodie bags and my playing the fish...all stand out.

What is the fish? you ask? Well, this is a carryover from my childhood. The fish only comes on birthdays--and comes in through the basement, so you never see him. The children (with the other parent) file one by one into the hallway where the laundry chute is. They stand on a stool and let down a "fishing line" (read rope with a sock attached). The children talk to the fish and ask for a present which the fish (read all the spaghetti pots in the house filled with water along with a big pan of water and and a glass) gargle and splash and give a small trinket, toy or candy with a big tug...an expressive tug, to reinforce that this baby was real. And man, did they buy it...until about second grade...but we really had em going. And the fish ONLY came to our parties. Nice to have that sort of exclusivity. Do you think he would buy that tonight? If the fish put $20 bills in the sock, would they pretend to believe? Maybe like Santa, they might, just one more time to let the old girl get her kicks, but somehow, I doubt it.

The birthday celebration is morphing to Wednesday dinner with his grandparents and a bigger to do with both boys and girls HS XC teams. So lasagne for 50 is in order for this mom...and ultimate frisbee. I think I better check to see if we even have one. Make note, One frisbee.

Internet Piracy abounds. We found number one pirate standing on the property line again..and the absolute boldness as she asked us why the internet wasn't working (pulled the plug, right then and there) and R. made some odd statement about the connection being portable and how it has to go with the computer as we breezed down the driveway. She made a pouting moue, expecting us in her totally entitled way to jump out of the wonderbus and jiggle some cords to let her get her connection. No way. If there had been more sharing and less of our giving and their taking as much as they could, I might be a bit nicer--but this is something they can buy too. After all, they have such grand titles and are such important people. "Did you know", she asked me, "that you can use the internet to do research." No?! Imagine. If only I could read...!(they are always surprised when I mention a book or a publication because only special people are allowed that skill in the very refined academic world they inhabit.") Now, honey...where did I put that baseball bat?

I know, I know...that isn't very charitable or nice. But hey. I am just doing them a favor...after all today is labor day. Why work?!

Enough. Off to the Garden of Eden and then a bit more swimming before the great cooking of the birthday feast.

Jim O'Brien at the Republican National Convention

From his email:

Hey everyone,
The Republican Convention is happening in my backyard (I'm a short walk from downtown) so I'm documenting the local neighborhood transition during this historic event (or annoyance depending on your point of view).

The clampdown has begun. There is a red zone inaccessible by pedestrians close to the Excel Arena and a Yellow zone that we can wander through (as long as we are willing to id ourselves if asked, not be on bikes, and what-have-you).

CNN has taken over a couple of local bars, Budweiser nabbed another. My Starbucks in open from 4am to Midnight (I'm there!). Metal gates and fences galore (is this a great country or what!).

Big clampdowns on protesters, see here (http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/30/rnc.protest/index.html) and here (http://tc.indymedia.org/).

I proposed a blog to NYTimes about this but the editor said they had already shot their budget but she was interested. So I'm working on spec a bit, still just interested in documenting this for myself.

Check him out>>

I love Jim's perspective on everything and his sharp eyes on the Republicans should be the right kind of news, from my perch. Thank you, Jim for giving us a good lens on this world.

A perfect day in the sun


Our terrific neighbor took K and A to learn or attempt to waterski in his cute little boat. It was a good start. K said that she thought she at least "got the feeling" which is great. Lots of fumbling and tumbling.

We had a lovely afternoon at Wells College yesterday really surprised and delighted by the scale and beauty of the campus, the science building (posh seating areas, cool specimens on display, big and clean labs). We toured Main Street and bought some vintage costume jewelry at the Antique stop in town. And our great excitement, we visited the new and not so eccentric MacKenzie Childs. K and I went on a photoshoot...and I will post the images. Pleasant Rowland drew out all of the eccentricity--so the shop is very elegant and high end department store in feel. More later on that.

More later>>

Bizzy Buzz Buzz




The bees (above) were photographed at the lovely farm wedding we attended a few weekends past. I was charmed with the hive surrounded by queen anne's lace and grasses along with the actual bees--flying towards their home, ignoring us and happy to amongst themselves. I am a bee lover from way back...I love the way they look, the simplicity of keeping bees, and the symbolic aspect of bees. Napoleon represented himself with a bee as did royals. The bee is used by the mormons as a representative of their productivity and community with one of Brigham Young's houses called the Beehive. A member of the Freemasons in Mill Valley wrote a wonderful paper on bees and what they mean here>> Dig this:
"...the emblem of the bee hive is found in an Irish expose called The Early Masonic Catechisms printed in 1724:

"A bee has in all Ages and Nations been the Grand Hierogliphick of Masonry, because it excells all other living Creatures in the Contrivance and Commodiousness of its Habitation or combe; … nay Masonry or Building seems to be of the very Essence or Nature of the Bee, for her Building not the ordinary Way of all other living Creatures, is the Generative Cause which produces the Young ones. (you know I suppose that Bees are of Neither Sex.)

For this Reason the Kings of France both Pagans and Christians, always Eminent Free-Masons, carried three Bees for their Arms.

What Modern Masons call a Lodge was for the above Reasons by Antiquity call'd a HIVE of Free-Masons, and for the same Reasons when a Dissention happens in a Lodge the going off and forming another Lodge is to this Day call'd SWARMING. (wording and spelling of 1724)" (Roberts, The Craft and Its Symbols, p. 73)

I was at our local Farmers Market and found the Bee man, Mr. Waid from Interlaken who had big beeswax pillar candles and bee pollen for sale. Of course, I had to buy it...and spent some time talking bees with him. He and his wife told me that they rent their bees to farmers for $70. Mr. Waid puts them in his truck (?moving the hive?) and takes them gently down the road. Unloads them and allows them to help pollinate the farmer's field and then, brings them back to his place. Then they exolled the virtues and values of bee pollen when you ingest it...preventing or mollifying allergens in the air. Local pollen and honey> Local bees> Local environment that we are part of . Nice understandable cycle that makes sense to me. Anything to reduce the need for seldane or any of the other magic drugs that are almost necessary on the shoulder seasons.

So, bees are deep, cool and beautiful. Hold that thought for some pictures.

I am very pleased to have gotten 12 pieces out to the Society of Illustrators LA show yesterday. It takes a bit of time to get the files all right and tight. I had a nice chat with Alice from SILA who was helpful in explaining work arounds in getting the files to them for the show. Its a bit hinky with their new tool, but the thought and intent is good. It will be better, I am sure, next year. But hey you guys, if you are entering, the last day is September 19th....and we should know who is in, and who isn't by Thanksgiving! SOI NYC is coming up too, so the SILA prep will get you ready for the New York show.

Murray pulled me out of the mud yesterday...pointing, nudging and guiding. He was talking about the topic of Adam and Eve/Garden of Eden saying that this here was something to get my teeth into. He thought the monkeys needed a rest. He suggested I look at Today's Inspiration for the new writing and images of Jan Balet.


Jan Balet from Today's Inspiration
Also to read up on Doris Lee, her husband Arnold Blanch, Milton Avery and others who really set the stage for some of the storybookartists such as the Provensens. There is a lovely exhibit of Doris Lee's work at the D. Wigmore Fine Art site>> Okay, Murray--I am beginning to see it...

Doris Lee (1905-1983)
Woman in a Garden
20 x 29 7/8 inches, gouache and watercolor on board, signed lower right

I got off the phone feeling the rock off my shoulders and fired up to learn about these artists and two, to get going on some pictures to do with the Garden Story. I am shifting gears and will present this as a slick cover for a children's religious magazine..or myths and legends thing. Murray suggested (as I will chase this for my thesis) that this become a children's book. As usual, I was negative, but after a night's sleep and a bit of thinking...this is probably a good idea. I think I do not worry about making is super sweet...just in doing a bang up job. Maybe R. can help me with the simplifying of the story. This is great. Simply great. I can draw this stuff for a year, no problem.

We also talked about drawing and the computer. My thinking is that the computer freezes an illustrator because making perfect curves and flat shapes has a draw for an artist as the appeal for perfect is alluring. I have been sucked in by this. However in losing the drawn line, the quirkiness of the hand of the illustrator, the errors and wobbles, the life is gone from the drawing and becomes perfect shapes, logotypes without a soul. I think if I can come up with a working method paralleling the Ron Mazellen approach, where the computer helps to refine, becomes a method of hastening the mid steps and becoming invisable in the final product this shold be my goal. I know in the vector approach I started at Syracuse, there is the intent to have the work look like screenprints and actually reduced the process down to working in vectors and the pathfinder tools to hasten the process along. Only flat color (like screen prints) reduced palette (the now thinking) and shape reduction...breaking it out like circus posters or prints...that the imprint of the computer was diminished. Now the challenge is to do the same with the hand drawn image. I think there are some tricks here....

Gotta go. Like I said the other day, there may be a trip to Aurora today! I'll take my picture machine! More later.