Quite a weekend

Last weekend was very involved for me. I had some artwork as part of Loveart University of the Arts London's exhibition at Lovebox, one of London's biggest summer music festivals featuring musicians like Groove Armada, Goldfrapp, and Flaming Lips.

Last Friday I also had artwork on display as part of a visual show and backdrop for close friend and talented songstress extraordinaire, Katy Carr, who put on a wonderful show at the Royal Opera House. I have done the artwork for her upcoming album, Coquette.



Later on this fall I will have some work as part of an exhibition being put on by my agent, CIA (Central Illustration Agency). They recently moved and now are located right next to Piccadilly Circus right off of Regent Street in just about the coolest area ever. Literally. Just a floor or two above the famous Absolute Ice Bar. Where you can hang out in a bar that is completely housed in and made of Swedish ice. And it's right down the street from Liberty! Mmmmm. Liberty.

Here's some more information about LoveBox:

LoveArt will be a visualization of LoveBox itself. It will connect the performance element of the festival to the arts element. For its first year, LoveArt have commissioned 21 of the very best emerging artists to create works inspired by the festival. This could be a particular song, a lyric, an artist's performance or indeed, the overall Lovebox experience. The artworks will be completely individual but unified by their shared subject matter, the medium upon which they are printed and their size, which will be A2. Each piece will be available for purchase in a strictly limited edition
print run of 25 and will be sold for £195.00, unframed, each.

LoveArt has been put together by three key curators; Alex Watt, a media lawyer who works regularly with fine artists. Over the past year has been working with MurderMe (Damian Hirst's company). Before working as a lawyer he set up UrbanScrawl a company to create and promote graffiti art within advertising and media. Justin Hammond, Director of My Life In Art www.mylifeinart.com, a contemporary art gallery in Broadway Market, East London. The gallery is devoted to exhibiting emerging artists and hosts The Catlin Art Prize, an annual event showcasing the pick of recent art school graduates. Medeia Cohan-Petrolino is Assistant Curator for the University of the ArtsLondon where she collaborates on exhibitions in the University's Mayfair gallery space, manages the University's 600 plus piece collection and advises for many of the UK's top collectors.

The works will be mounted, framed and hung within the LoveArt Arena and will form the exhibition itself. This will be the perfect opportunity for all budding art collectors and Lovebox fans to be able to buy works by some of the UK's finest up and coming artists and in doing so take a bit of Lovebox home with them. This is set to be an annual event, to support and highlight some of the art world's top emerging talents.

Featured Artists: Ben Backhouse, Mike Ballard, Adam Brigland, Susan Burghart, Chu, Chuck Elliot, Stevie Gee, Angelique Houtkamp, Helen Ingham, Nathan James, Alex Latsis, Ben Long, Kate Marshall, Ashley Miller, James Musgrave, Christian Newton, Edd Pearman, Rai Royal, Christian Statham, Shok1, Snug.

EDTN. GOLDEN BROWN SHOW IN LONDON

I have some artwork that is going to be in a show on Brick Lane if anyone is in that neck of the woods. I should come up with some kind of "cool" short nickname...my regular name sort of sticks out like a sore thumb. Hee hee.



About:
A group exhibtion to celebrate and showcase the artists that have graced the pages of edtn. so far, and to launch our Summer issue (Issue 03).

Artists include:
Adolfo Serra, Beastman, Susan Burghart, Cultural Urge, Fidia, Haw, Christey Joh, Jumbo, Junior, Kronk, Miss Led, McBess, Mephisto Jones, Drew Millward, Mr Penfold, Pit, Skaffs, Reka, Teck 1, Yok

Location:
Bodhi Gallery, 214 Brick Lane, London, E1 6SA, UK. (map)

Dates:
13th - 18th of June 2008 (11am - 5pm)

Opening Night:
12 June 2008 (6-9pm)

For more, visit the EDTN. website.

It's a great day for hockey.

I have a confession to make. Okay, it isn't much of one to anyone who knows me. But... I love hockey.

Yes. I love hockey.

I can't really explain how I came about getting into hockey. (Ice hockey, to be specific.) I didn't grow up in a hockey dominated area, though I did drag my friends and family to a lot of Western Hockey League games. I like the sport because it's still got a bit of a misfit underground feel to it, at least in America. It is an exciting, faced paced game, and the sounds of the sticks, skates and the smell of the ice just make it awesome. Not to mention those spooky-ass goalie masks, especially the old school ones. Every year, I try to make a point of seeing at least one live hockey game, be it major league or minor league. Now that I'm permanently living in Europe, I catch them when visiting my fiance's family in Sweden.

I have followed Pittsburgh Penguin hockey for years now. In fact, I will own up to my past of teenage fan art, courtesy of the awesome RJ Ackerman at letsgopens.com -- he still keeps up some artwork that I did when I was about 19 years old. It does support the theory that artists DO get better at their craft with age. Mario or Jaromir (back when he was in Pittsburgh and had that awesome mullet...) ASCII art anyone? In my defense, I was practically a kid and it was the mid 90s. I think they were meant to be tongue in cheek, though I did have someone actually email me and tell me that those pictures were an embarrassment to Penguins hockey.

Things seem more upbeat this year, just a couple of days before the Pens were on the verge of sweeping the Ottawa Senators, I made a spoof logo with the Penguins classic logo...(SO glad they got rid of the Bank Penguin Logo...that was just bad news) but instead of the hockey stick, I gave the penguin a broom. I posted it on myspace and sent it along to some other fellow Penguin fans.

This is the thing that really freaks me out about the internet.

This:


Became THIS.


A getty images news photograph posted on Yahoo news. So, to the random Penguins fan in Ottawa that used my little spoof artwork, thanks for the laugh and rock on, dude. It's like I was there in spirit.





P.S. And if anyone has spare tickets to the fall game in Stockholm, email me!!!

Mastercard Seven Wonders of the World

I recently was commissioned to artwork for Mastercard and part of their promotion offering a trip for two to see seven wonders of the world. Print ads for this will be in select April issues of Condé Nast magazines: Condé Nast Traveler, Wired, GQ and Vanity Fair.

So be sure to check it out... you may even win a trip in the process!

In other news, you can see I've updated my site with some new work, a new and improved logo, and a FAQ section. I was determined to update everything TODAY even if it meant staying up all night, by golly.

I am gradually chipping away at a new site, as I realize this current site has plenty of room for improvement. Too bad! This will have to do for now! I'm moving to the U.K. permanently next month and those of you who know me personally also know that I also have a September wedding to plan. Life is just one big barrel of monkeys, isn't it?

Christmas Cards

I have been really, really REALLY busy with work. When I mean really busy, I mean busy as in "worried about this kind of work schedule and the long term effect on your health" busy. I'm really just thinking it's just a holiday rush though. In addition to doing some magazine and wine label work, I recently have been working with Mastercard, and McDonald's.

Salford University Design Department is involved in a project raising money to fund their graduate exhibition and created several packs of 5 Christmas cards (2 of which would be designed by the students). They have several outlets selling the packs at no commission including high profile outlets in Manchester: Magma, Night & Day Café/bar, Cornerhouse and URBIS art gallery. So if you're in the U.K. you can purchase some cards that have artwork from participating artists, such as myself and the following:

Parra
Jeremyville
Jo Ratcliffe
Matt Sewell
Supermundane
Marcus Walters
Paul Davis
Jon Burgerman
Kev Grey
Alan Heighton
Peter Arkle
Patrick Thomas
Jimtheillustrator
Gary Taxali
Ollie at McFaul stuio
Lee Ford
Andrew Rae
Laurie
Izzie Klingels

Here is my card (except the printed version doesn't have the stuff along the bottom.) I hope you all have a very nice Christmas and happy new year!

Portfolio update!

I used to wonder why only a small handful of artists out there had really cool, elaborate websites -- or why some artists had a site but it was really simple or never updated. Now I understand why -- because they DON'T HAVE TIME!

The time has come for me to start thinking about a new website and I'm trying to plan accordingly -- I build my own site -- and my sites have become more simple over the years because I don't have the same kind of time to build sites like I used to. Now the bottom line is getting the actual work that occupies a lot of my time online! I've had people ask me if I had copies of my older site available -- one that was probably "flashier" and had more animation. I don't, because I don't have enough host space.

I have updated my online portfolio with some new work, so be sure to check out the portfolio section on the site. Enjoy!

CIA Consequences/Computer Arts Inspiration Issue

I have felt so distracted by my trip to the U.K. that I haven't realized how long it has been since I have updated my blog. Last month was the CIA Consequences show in London's Covent Garden. See pictures from the show, including the dork-in-chief artiste with created image (above.) My panel was number 13 -- so a superstition theme was appropriate. I really enjoyed seeing friends and meeting some other artists at the show and not being so jetlagged this time around.




I am in this month's issue of Computer Arts magazine and their "Book of Inspiration." I felt honored to be involved and published with so many other fantastic artists.

Be on the lookout for Penguin Books' Pears Cyclopedia (if you are in the U.K.) -- I will post some pictures of the cover illustration that I did when the books arrive at my doorstep.

I have been doing quite a bit of magazine work and am currently working on some album art for some independant musicians. I also have been collecting additional images from the London Hippodrome. I hope to continue with my Box of Tricks works and eventually have a show in the U.S. and the U.K.