Night Fall with Snow Fall

This is my front porch at 10:00 o'clock last night. I had to push the door open against the snow piled in front of it to take this photo. (I forgot to adjust the camera, the night and the snow were not this yellow!) Somewhere there are steps winding down to the street. Maybe by spring I will find them. The snow is almost to the top of the porch railing!

I would complain, but aside from the hassle factor, it is a beautiful sight.

Silent Night

As I mentioned in the previous post, I had the opportunity to work on some concepts for the Minnesota Opera, with Amy Kirkpatrick of Kirkpatrick Design, and here is the second opera visual concept in progress, "Silent Night". This World Premiere opera depicts the true story of a Christmas Eve truce in the trenches of the Western Front during World War I. Such a poignant tale - it began with the Germans lining their trenches with tiny Christmas trees and progressed to the soldiers exchanging chocolates, cigarettes and other token gifts in No Man's Land. Apparently they partied all night long, showing off pictures of their loved ones back home, sharing whatever liquor was to be had, and even playing a game of soccer. When the next day came, the war resumed, but with such reluctance on the part of the soldiers that they had to be stationed elsewhere in order to continue to fight.

This is one of the cut-and-paste thumbnails that I submitted.



Another thumbnail, with postcards fortifying the trenches.




A third version, featuring the soldier in a more prominent position.


In the end, the last version was chosen, and I'll show you the finished result tomorrow.

Madame Butterfly

detail



detail


Here's the final version - Madame Butterfly awaits the return of her lover.

The Minnesota Opera Project

A while back I had the good fortune to work with the very talented graphic designer Amy Kirkpatrick of Kirkpatrick Design on concepts for the one of Amy's many clients, the Minnesota Opera. Amy thought my collage style of illustration might be a good choice for the upcoming season's brochure and marketing materials, and invited me to submit concepts for consideration. I worked on two of the season's upcoming operas, the well-loved classic, "Madame Butterfly" and "Silent Night", a world premiere libretto based on the true story of the World War I Christmas Eve truce in the trenches of the western front.

In the end, the Opera folks opted to go with photography instead of collage and my fun came to an end, but I really had a good time working with Amy on the preliminary concepts. Speaking of which:


I began with this photo of Kelly Kaduce of Madame Butterfly. With a little Photoshop magic, I reduced those worried lines in her forehead, (if only I could do that with myself) and I reduced the blue hue.


before


and after

Next I took out my scissors and found my glue stick and created some rough thumbnails with a cut and paste routine. Here's what I sent to Amy, and she decided to go with the last version, which will show in my next post:

Cowgirls on Vacation

(DETAIL)


A while back (May 5th - OK, QUITE a while back) I posted a postcard photo of three cowgirls, Mabel, May and Myrtle. It was my intention to create a collage with their sassy images, and I finally accomplished my goal. Here they are. As I mentioned in my previous post, they were known throughout Montana as the "Red Yearlings" because of their red-blond hair and horsemanship. They were so accomplished that they were sought for hire by the Wild West shows, which they declined. Instead they went to Paris. (I just made up the Paris part, but the rest is true).

Driven Mad By Love

The title of this collage was taken from Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, one of my favorite sources of inspiration. Who hasn't been pushed over the brink by Love?

Minnesota Magaine Cover

This December cover (and inside illustration) for Minnesota Medicine was entirely an exercise in Photoshop, beginning with bodies found in the wonderful image resource site istockphoto.com. It was like playing Mr. Potato Head, that 50's toy where you got to add body parts to make a new person from scratch.

The illustrated feature article will address the issue of the huge number of baby boomers that are showing up for medical care due to professional sports injuries. You're never to old to go out for a rowdy game of ice hocky, apparently. I'll just sit on the side and cheer them on with my mug of hot chocolate thank you very much.

Here are the bodies that I started with:

Art Attack!

Yes, another year has passed, and once again it is Fall. This means that "Art Attack" is about to begin in the historic Northrup King Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, home of my studio, as well as the studios of nearly 175 other artists. Our doors are open, are creations are displayed, c'mon down!

The hours are:

Friday, November 5th - 5 pm to 10 pm
Saturday, November 6th - Noon to 8 pm
Sunday, November 7th - Noon to 5 pm

For more information about the event, check out the building's website.

Hope to see you!

The Artist

Oh, to be an artist who earns much more than he/she needs!

This is another quotation from Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, one of my favorite sources of inspiration. Each sentence seems to conjure up a visual image of surrealistic delight.

Old Cars

Collage detail


Farrah look-alike



Farrah look-alike - rear end


I found this vintage postcard in an antique store, and you will soon see this old Ford in the collage that I'm working on. I just love old cars, and I'm not sure why. When I lived in LA, I used to careen around in a 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 that I bought for $400. I named her "Farrah Ford Fairlane 500". I adored her sleek baby blue and white exterior and her shiny chrome dashboard that looked like a cockpit. She was so big you had to plan your turns a block in advance. The only let down I experienced was when I was on the freeway and it began to pour, and I discovered that the windshield wipers didn't work. When she finally fell apart, I realized it was probably for the betterment of my pocketbook and the environment.

Unfortunately, I can't find a photo of Farrah, but I did find a red one on the Internet that is of the same year, courtesy of American Dream Cars.

As you can see, driving Farrah was the closest I'll ever get to being an astronaut.

Backyard Discoveries

Look what I found in the shady part of my backyard. Huge mushrooms! No, the pear was not sprouting, too, I set it there for comparison purposes, so you could see how big those umbrellas are!

And the dahlias. What can I say. They are always the regal show-offs of the garden, lasting until the frost comes.

Stepping away from my drawing board and computer for a moment to see the little wonders of nature does wonders for my nature!

A Digital Sketch

I got so confused and frustrated working with all the elements that may go into this collage that I wanted to pick up the panel with all the cut out pieces resting on top of it and throw the whole mess out the window. But then I decided to use my computer and do a digital rendition as a "rough sketch" and play with the sizing and the colors and elements in this manner.

Oddly enough, my initial idea was of simplicity. But I can't seem to stay austere, since the theme is one of excess! Hmmmm. Still haven't resolved it. It looks so prim and precise. Need to wrestle with it some more. Maybe instead of trying to wrestle it to the ground, I should just turn and walk away. Do something else. Then maybe it would come creeping back to me with a resolution in hand.....

The Successful Artist

vintage photo



detail




successful artist

I'm working on a new collage, inspired by a line in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's book Love in the Time of Cholera: "He earned much more with his art than he needed." Ha!

I'm starting with a lovely old photo of two brothers who look to be working class peasant stock (just like me). I'm transforming the younger one into a successful insolent artist (just like me). Apparently all one needs is a pair of sun glasses. How fun is this?

Labor Day, Almost

The State Fair is the official reminder that summer is ending and we are headed into our long dark frigid winter BOO HOOOOOO. So the State Fair is our last chance to celebrate summer and enjoy our fellow Minnesotans and all the fun and food the Fair provides. This year I really had a hankering to undergo the rituals and trials of the Fair. It's always insanely hot and humid, in the 90's, with the paramedics routinely reviving people who have passed out from heat stroke. And it's always insanely crowded with merrymakers who don't give a second thought about heat stroke!

The first photo is our arrival view, and the last is the departure: a sea of people. There is an unspoken rivalry amongst the vendors as to who can produce the most unhealthy (but delicious) food, and kudos if it is on a stick or deep-fried or both.(alligator-on-a-stick, deep-fried bologna and corn dog pizzas for example)

This year the heat was so intense that we didn't even make it to the animal barns or the Midway. The Horticulture Building was fun (did you know that a stalk of corn only produces one ear? Think how much land is needed to produce corn!) Of course we went to the Dairy Building to watch the sweet State Fair Princess having her portrait sculpted out of butter in a refrigerated "studio". Her attendants also will have their likenesses carved. After the Fair ends, they can take their heads home. What a lovely addition to a future brunch, the hostess's head carved in butter next to the croissants and jelly!

Illustration Friday - "Artificial"

Are we frying our eyes? In sunglasses, plastic is artificial glass. I've been thinking about all the latest news about plastics and the harm than comes from the fumes or the chemicals that leach out over time. We're not supposed to store clothes in plastic bags, or use shower curtains that that emit PVC fumes, or drink water out of plastic bottles or cook with Teflon pans.

What about the plastic lens in sunglasses? What are they doing to our eyesight, especially when they are warm from being left in a hot car?

Mr. McGuire may have been wrong in "The Graduate" - our future may not lay in plastics. Or it may, but if we ruin our eyesight, we won't be able to see it.

Madonna Doggy

TIME FOR ANOTHER PET PORTRAIT!

This portrait of my darling Suzi-Q was taken by my out-of-town friend Marilyn while she was visiting me last week. On their journey here, she and her daughter Genna had to pull over and huddle in their car while a tornado passed overhead (seriously, I kid you not). Then, on the evening before they drove back to Chicago, we had to run to the basement for cover while sirens sounded for yet another tornado and stormy night! In between we had a fun week of shopping, eating, swimming, drinking and running amok.

Suzi Q is a cross between a Chihuahua and a Pug, which according to Marilyn, makes her a "Chuggle". We did not pose her, this is how she likes to sleep - under the covers in her doggie bed.

Health Care Reform Magazine Cover

I haven't had time to post since I've had a flurry of assignments this week - hoo hah!

This assignment is for a supplement that will publish this month with the regular edition of Minnesota Medicine Magazine. The theme is health care reform, with the general focus on Minnesota leading the nation in working with the federal government to examine changes in the health care system.

I submitted these two sketches and Janna, Graphic Designer Extraordinaire, selected the magnifying glass sketch. Here's something I learned - I drew the wrong icon for the medical industry. Initially, I looked it up for reference in various websites, and most of the reference sites got it wrong! The two snakes entwined around the staff (which as you can see is what I drew) is called the "caduceus", whereas what I should have drawn is the "asclepius", the single snake entwined around a staff. Caduceus is the symbol of Hermes, the ancient Roman messenger of commerce, and Aclepius was a Greek god who whose specialty was his healing powers. So you can see how these descriptions can make quite a different impression in regard to the medical profession! The snake shedding its skin symbolizes renewal and vigor, the aim of medicine. Now aren't you glad you learned something new today?

I've been wanting to incorporate textures and drawing into my illustration in a more prominent way, and this is the first time I've been able to mix them all together. It was challenging for me, but I loved the process and can't wait to continue along this road. All the elements are on separate layers in Photoshop, so Janna will be able to use them for spot illustrations throughout the publication. The arms of Uncle Sam and Minnesota make a respectable handshake when used without the rest of the illustration.