posted: May 15, 2012

The Crocker art museum in Sacramento California holds one art auction every year. This is a juried event and for Northern California artists it is the annual competition not to miss. This will be the first year that my work has been selected and I am honored and thrilled to have the Crocker acknowledge my work. This year 130 works and artists were selected for the art auction 2012 and 100 of those pieces came from artists and estates that are in the permanent museum collection. The 130 pieces will be divided into 2 silent auctions and 1 live auction. My piece was fortunate enough to make the live auction and although it has the lowest starting bid of all of the work I would like to use this analogy to talk it up, "Always buy the cheapest house in the best neighborhood!".

The auction is described as:
"The Crocker Art Auction is the best opportunity of the year to collect works of art by the region's most distinguished artists. The casually elegant evening begins with a silent auction in the second floor galleries, followed by a gourmet dinner and an exciting live auction."

Gwyn Stramler was also selected for the auction with one of her multi-dimensional works and it will be fun showing together at the same event.
Big thanks from both of us to Museum Director Lial A. Jones and Chief Curator Scott A. Shields.
 

Both Gwyn and myself will be donating works to another event at the Crocker called, "Big Names, Small Art". This silent auction will kick off the auction season a week earlier. This has become the party of the year with art, music, food and a fun night out. Proceeds support the exhibitions and education programs of the Crocker Art Museum. We both will be going to this event and we hope to see you there!
Thu, May 24, 2012  6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
 

posted: May 1, 2012

Here are some recent DVD covers that I have created for Lynda.com. These pieces are always a fun challenge to design and graphically portray a software program with elegance. These assignments give me the opportunity to explore my personal interest in both Architecture, Industrial Design and M.C. Escher. This art will be used both as banners for the website and  printed covers for the DVD's. It was great to see Lynda.com as an event sponsor for the upcoming ICON7 The Illustration Conference, good job!. Big thanks to art director Heather Stallings.
 

posted: April 13, 2012

"Memory"   group show
Sacramento Temporary Contemporary
May 10, 2012 - Preview Opening 6-9pm
May 12, 2012 - Saturday Opening 6-9pm
Exhibit May 4 - May 27, 2012
 
I will be part of this fun little group show. If you are in the area please drop on by!

I have moved my studio and I am thrilled with my new space. No longer will I be backing into walls or bumping my paintings against studio cabinets. Just in time with my new studio move is a new private commission for a large scale oil painting. The sketches above were the final favorites with the client picking #3 titled, "Cooking with Spices". The final  painting will be installed in the dinning area of a So Cal collector. I haven't started the piece yet but, hey! I have a nice space to paint it out in.
 

Creating my piece for the "Memory" show I pulled some extra time to make some new Monotypes to add to my "Couples" series. I can't believe that I hadn't done a new "Couples" piece since 2011. All of these pieces will be placed into different galleries.

 
On a professional illustration note I was honored to receive word that these 2 pieces have been selected for American Illustration 31.Thank you, to all of the judges!

posted: March 19, 2012

This is a recent assignment for Steven Banks, Design Director at Los Angeles Magazine. Steve called me and some other illustrators to create the art for a special issue of essays exploring race relations in Los Angeles since the Los Angeles riots 20 years ago this month. Steve has been a big supporter of my work for the last 20 years and took notice of my recent acrylic and oil paintings and called for a painting for this special issue. Steve wanted to show a different side of my work and I was a very enthusiastic, "Right on!" 

This is an illustrated essay by writer, Erin Aubry Kaplan. Erin reflected on her childhood in 1972 while being bused to a very white school in Westchester from her home in very black South Central Los Angeles, it was a touching and unique perspective from this very successful contemporary writer.

Steve mentioned that the section opener had not been assigned yet so I took the opportunity  to create some designs that spoke to race relations in Los Angeles, I didn't get the cover so it will be fun to see who landed it! 
 
Thank you for the fun assignment, Steve!