posted: October 4, 2008

    When Sara Palin  gave her first introduction speech in the Republican convention, she told her hockey mom , pit-bull, lipstick joke. This inspired one of the fastest  sketches  that I've ever done. Less than a minute . It might even have be a telephone doodle.
     Almost as another joke, I sent it to my friend, Martin  Kozlowski , He wanted it for that week's INX package.  We discussed how graphic the original sketch was . However, I still redrew  it and photoshopped and it was published <INXart.com>
      A few days passed and I started working on a promotion, using this art. I called a designer friend and  downstairs neighbour, Kim Grover, to help me with the layout. She came across the original  "minute sketch", almost teetering in my trash can. She quickly built another card with the original sketch.
  It was a beautiful fall afternoon, and I needed a walk. so, I put both versions in a plastic sleeve and went for an East Village  walkabout . I would stop friends and total strangers  and showed my  two versions of my mailings. Each person responded with a healthy belly laugh.
      That determined that the concept was good. But , should I send the first "telephone doodle " drawing, or the photoshop colour art.
     I was out there a good two hours. The test marketing was split down the middle.   When I returned, I  sent E-mails to some friends and it was still even.
   I opted for the colour version only because it had Barack's skin colour. Someone also commented that McCain looked like Don Rickles. I liked that and I would rather vote for Rickles.

It was a  total waste of a perfectly beautiful fall afternoon, but, I enjoyed it.
I'll probably never test market any of  my drawings again. It's too democratic. However, I might think to publish more   telephone doodles .



I've got an opening at the Brooklyn Public Library at the  Grand Army Plaza main entrance on November 4, election day called" The Art of Politics". I've decided to use this image for my main banner.
The opening reception will be on Thursday, November 6th. It'll either a party or a wake depending on the outcome of the election.
I'll be showing all the drawings I've had published during the last two years of the presidential campaign, in chronological order.

More to come