The cover art included, among other things, scans from very large existing paintings which I cannibalised [women foreground and policeman-rear] with dramatic effect. FYI 99% of all my work is made by hand and scanned. I love the background paintings and am encouraged to develop more like them for their own sake. It's weird how this business feeds off of itself. This business being art.
Had the good fortune to have some fun on a few cool projects recently. It's always nice to feel that groove. Groovin'!
Archways is the publication of Nebraska Wesleyan University and their Spring issue features the school's connection to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through two prominent former faculty members who influenced him.
The National is the international English language newspaper of the United Arab Emirates. In conjuction with the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the paper ran recent short stories from their annual writing competition and my images accompanied the winning essay. I kept thinking that if Michael Jackson hadn't died, he'd probably have looked at my work!
I think that this work represents some of my best ever efforts to date. I have many folks to thank for that but in memory of my late cat and 20 year studio assistant Iko, I'll just thank the Great Horned Owl outside the bedroom window, I know that she'd appreciate it! Man, I miss her help. I can remember, at one point, telling people that cat hair was part of my "technique"!
Interior spread illustration showing the young Dr. King's journey from Alabama to Boston and onward to Lincoln, Nebraska via Wesleyan faculty members Brightman and De Wolf.
The story for The National was called GONE and involved rehabilitation from PTSD through writing. The novelty of it was that the author never intended to become a writer and as it worked out the published book became a huge success which the author couldn't handle. The cure became a curse! Fantastic material for images.
Interior. The gist involved a fatal boating accident, avocados, papayas, pythons and words. I love this image. I rarely say things like that so pay me mind. I'd been developing water images for awhile so I had the perfect one for this already!
Just the back ground painting. Imagine 17 of them @ 5X6 feet! :)
I first heard about Charles-Édouard Jeanneret's [ Le Corbusier] little cabin about ten years ago and ever since I've been enchanted by it's exotic mystery. Built by the noted architectin 1951, it is the only place that Le Corbusier built for himself, legendarily designing it in 45 minutes. He called it the Cabanon. Mistakenly, I had thought it was on Capri but I was wrong - it is in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France between Menton [next to the Italian border] and Nice along the Cote d'azur Riviera. I got the best cup of coffee in all my travel in Frace in Menton - so good, I had to congratulate the barista!
Corbu's cabana esthetic seems to embody the very best of the very best in modern living. The whole idea of a world class getaway at it's most Joey Within Reach! Corbu built the minimalist cabin as an economical addition to a small bar/cafe -The Etoile de Mer [smart!] near the property designed by a friend, designer Eileen Gray. He spent every August here and it was at the cabin that he designed his most iconic image, The Ronchamp cathedral. The cabana had no kitchen as it was only a few steps to the cantina next door!! Corbu once joked with architect Jerzy Soltan "...how nice it would be to die swimming toward the sun." On August 27, 1965, against his doctor's orders, Le Corbusier went for a swim in the bay. His body was found by bathers and he was pronounced dead at 11 a.m. It was assumed that he may have suffered a heart attack. His death rites took place at the courtyard of the Louvre Palace on September 1, 1965, under the direction of writer and thinker André Malraux, who was at the time France's Minister of Culture. He was buried alongside his wife in the grave he had designated at Roquebrune. No senior care or hospice for my man Jeanneret! Honestly, I wonder what the real deal was.
Here are some pix and links. WIKI GUARDIAN GUARDIAN2 MORE PIX
The Cabin under a Carob tree. The "logs" are just unmilled pine boards. Corrugated tin roof.
Inside the cleverly designed "shack", the detached studio and cliff views. Some furnishings were reputedly designed by Jean Prouve. The "chair" was a whiskey crate.
The cafe interior and the "secret" door leading directly from the cabin to the cafe [a re-used ship's door].
The sea from Menton.
View from Cassis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassis
My own private Corbusian adobe cabana in New Mexico, 1999-2003. The grave of the Corbusiers.
BTW you can find Corbusier's specs@
http://www.maisonbonnet.com/en/designs/
15 influences, that stick with you, FOREVER in 15 minutes. It took longer to grab the images! I don't usually like to do these little exercises for the same reasons as Yuko but I figure if she can do it so can I! Fair enough? I'll be brief. The images are in no meaningful order. My first exposure to art was through the images of the Christian story as depicted in my grade school catechisms.
Norman Mingo
Ian Fleming
Giovanni Bellini. This was the cover of my Catholic Catechism. I loved to wander around the environs of this picture. Very kinesthetic experience for me.
Rudolph Zallinger, Peabody Murals. What can you say, I'm an American boy.
Frank Frazetta's Tarzan paperback series.
James Gordon Irving. The Golden Nature Guides! Wow!
Pablo Picasso, that wiley Spaniard!
2 in One, Modigliani and Cezanne. When I was 17, this looked do-able to me at my level of capability.
James Brown, that baddest philosopher on the set! This is one of the greatest album covers of all time.
Bradley. A couple of hours my eye! ;)
Heinze Edlemann. I was 20! Remember Dr. Martin's Dyes? In 1970, they were hipper than a Mercedes!
Chuck Close. The paradigm.
David Hockney. Great fun and great art. Art as subject just like Pablo!
The foundation. N.C. Wyeth. The house depicted was his own home as a child.
Martin Mull. I love EVERYTHING about it.
Gregory Gillespie. I learned about him from a guy who lived in his town, an illustrator working for Push Pin Studios. One night in NYC before I was 20 years old, I heard the concept of "secret recipes" from him. AND Gregory wasn't underground. He was BLUE CHIP all the way.
I just received this disturbing message. John is a friend of mine -we shared the same agent for nearly 15 years. I'm unable to help him myself but please consider. This may happen to any of us. JOEY
Le français suit ci-dessous
Greetings,
I'm writing to you with an urgent message regarding John Stewart. You may know him through family, friendship, as a colleague, through work, life, or art. I've called him friend for forty years. John needs our help now. His ongoing health challenges have seriously impacted his life and livelihood. John is on the verge of losing his studio. His artworks, illustrations, equipment, materials, and archives are in peril. He shares a small apartment with his 92-year-old mother. There’s simply no room to create art or store materials and work. As you may know John was diagnosed with throat cancer, which after grueling treatment was cured in 2008. Unfortunately his medical ordeal continues. John now goes for dialysis, three times a week for five hours each time. (For John’s complete medical narrative please click here.) <http://www.jwstewart.net/health/index.html>
John is in his studio every day. His will to create is as strong as ever. His work is more vital than ever. Please let’s help to ensure he can continue gifting the world with his rare artistic vision for many more years to come. More specifically, please help support the following fundraising plan.
Webpage Gallery & Donation Sites
John has created a webpage, which is a capsule Compendium of all the types of his artwork, his own personal art, commissioned pieces, illustration and design. See it here <http://www.jwstewart.net/compendium/index.html> .
