Remember

“Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”

-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Government Cartoons

I was hoping to have been a little more on top of blog posts for the end of 2011/beginning of 2012, but I ended up spending most of those days finishing off a huge print marathon, which included a set of four posters for Tomorrow Never Knows 2012, not taking a day off in over two weeks, and preparing to move to a new apartment. I have also done a second edition of an art print from last year (stay tuned to find out which one!) in a new colorway.
2012 is off to a busy start. I recently turned 28, and I'm doing my best keep the momentum generated last year in full swing. Today is full of lots of sketching, listening to Propagandhi, blowing my runny nose, playing with the cat, and probably eating vegetable sandwiches on bagels while I think about skateboarding.
Anyway, to the left is one of the Tomorrow Never Knows 2012 posters. I chose to do a sort of architectural portrait of each of the four Chicago venues at which TNK shows are being held. This one is of The Hideout. I rode my bike to each of the four venues (Metro, Schubas, Lincoln Hall, and the Hideout) and took several pictures of each. Then I sat down and did my best architect impression (meaning I used a ruler for a change) and drew each building. I had fun trying to keep all four of these posters only three colors, and I'm happy to say I actually had the foresight to mix enough of all the colors have chromatic uniformity. Anyway, they're available at the aforementioned venues for TNK, and they'll be posted for sale on my site, along with a (sort of) new art print early next week.

2012 Subscription and more!

Hi! A few items for you today: First, I recently designed a shirt for the band Ween, which is available on their website. I had to scan the original drawing and complete a simplified color scheme in Photoshop, which for those of you who know how I work, was a bit challenging for me. Nevertheless, I seem to have used a computer correctly and their printer did an excellent job with them.

Also, about two years ago, I made an exclusive art print for Pandora's Prints. Due to a series of delays, it is just now available on their site. I drew and printed this while I was living in Montreal in the fall of 2009. Check it out here: http://www.pandorasprints.com/exclusives-c-38.html

The 2012 print subscription is now open. I have produced close to fifty different prints this year between rock posters and art prints, and I have every intention of continuing with a similar rate of output for 2012. Subscribers will receive (matching edition numbers of) one of everything I print from January 1st, 2012 through December 31st, 2012 along with other various extras like a one of a kind test print, an original sketch, and a closed special edition. Prints will be shipped out in a large mailing tube twice a year.

2012 SUBSCRIPTION PRICING
US & Canada : $475/year
International : $535/year (please note that price difference is only to cover overseas postage)

I am flexible on payment, and payment for the subscription can be made in installments. A personal check or money order is preferred, but paypal is also acceptable. If interested in becoming a subscriber, please get in touch with any questions or to reserve a spot.

Snow, candles, oatmeal, sweaters, old films, and one-eyed rats

Yesterday, I rode my bike in below freezing weather, drew buildings for hours, went to a party where I hung out with some rad people who fed me cake, and met some adorable rodents.
Today, I'm eating grapes and hanging out with the cat as I wait for my friend Femi to come by so we can bundle up and go skateboarding under a bridge in Logan Square. I've known Femi since we were teenagers, and now he's a lawyer. When he started law school a few years ago, we used to joke about how he'd be a practicing attorney who still rides a skateboard. Adulthood is pretty much going better than I could have expected.

I've been contacted by a few people regarding a Secret Santa print exchange going on at expresso beans. To the right is a quick little drawing I did this week as a gift for someone from a subscriber of mine. I was asked to include something that is pertinent to Australia in some way, so I chose to try my hand at drawing a eucalyptus tree. They're pretty fun to draw, and I got to use my new brush pen for the branches. I still struggle with drawing trees, but it's getting a little easier. The house in this drawing is loosely based on a little structure right across the street from our apartment. I added the porch (front stairs going to nowhere seemed kind of silly).
One last little thing: before I finally announce details for the 2012 print subscription, feel free to contact me early to reserve a spot (or with any questions). Spots will officially be open next week.

Chips, salsa, hair dye, christmas trees, and sleepy cats

Over the weekend, I finished printing my edition of prints for the TEN x TEN project. It's an edition of 200, all of which will be going to the TEN x TEN print sets. Subscribers from this year will be receiving prints from a hand-embellished A/P edition (pictured to the left).
It's a quiet evening here in Chicago. My girlfriend is hard at work on a final paper for grad school, and I'm eating chips and salsa and trying to come up with ideas for an upcoming series of posters.
This has been a pretty mellow week, as I've mostly just been working on a commissioned painting. The last half of this month should prove to be rather busy, so it's nice to take it relatively easy for a week. It feels great to work on a painting again, and I'm definitely hoping to do some more in the coming year.
It always seems like the last couple weeks of December are full of reflection and anticipation. Not that a numerical change to our calendars really affects much in our day to day lives, but for artists, it's kind of nice to use the new year as the start of a new body of work. 2011 has been an eventful year for me. I moved apartments three times, spent almost a month in Europe, discovered plantain enchiladas, learned how to use an auto press, and at one point I was drawing and printing so much that I was unable to coat screens without feeling a sharp pain in my wrist. The year's not over, though! I'm already looking forward to 2012.

New prints available

Good morning! I just posted four new prints in the store on my site. Check it out if you feel so inclined.
Also, Art of Musical Maintenance 8 is open in Portland. Work from each artist can be viewed here.

Winter jackets, squash soup, inverted flags, and rescued kittens

I cannot believe it's December already. With only four weeks to go in 2011, there's still plenty to work on. To the right are films for my contribution to the upcoming issue of TEN x TEN, a collaborative effort between various Chicago print artists and musicians organized through Spudnik Press. My contribution is a print based on a new song by Tomorrow Kings. Each print in the set will be ten inches by inches (hence the name), and printers are typically printing two at once and cutting them down to size after printing. Since none of my films are printed from a computer, I had to keep my seps pretty simple as to be able to cut the same color twice. I xeroxed the ink drawing twice and ran the two copies through a blueprint printer to make the keyplate. I was able to use little reference points in the keyplate to make sure the two are consistent with each other.
These prints will eventually be available through Spudnik Press as part of the complete TEN x TEN set. There will also be a special A/P edition for my print subscription.

Devil Town opened last night at Gallery 1988 in LA. The work can be viewed (and purchased) here. There are some truly amazing pieces in this show, and I'm really stoked to be a part of it. I unfortunately missed the opening last night, as I stayed back in Chicago to attend a couple of local art events, including a group print exhibition that I had prints in at Black Cloud Gallery. I opted to get to this opening (along with Crosshair's show at Saki Records) on my bike, which by the end of the day, put my accumulated riding distance at almost twenty-five miles (this is including my commute to and from the studio earlier, as well as a short grocery run and a detour up to the North Side to see some friends). This would explain why I was so hungry when I finally got home.