Behind the Statue of St. Peter

(A facetious fable on the fictitious hope of the future)




I just finished my latest book in the Borowsky Center for Publication Arts at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. "Behind the Statue of St. Peter" is a macabre story of a can do town that must may not. A satirical look at a group of people with such a loss of hope that they've turned self-destructive and cannibalistic. A 36 page hand, illustrated book, drawn with rapidographs and then transformed into film-litho plates- and finally printed offset on Mowhawk Superfine (100 pound text weight) in the Borrowsky center. The book was an excuse to draw more than anything else, but was also inspired by the work of Edward Gorey (you may also notice that I quote a few other artists as well).

Here's a peek at a few of the spreads, to get the full story you'll either need to track me down, or buy one! It was produced in an edition of 100, concertina binding with a false spine.

happy holidays!






(click image to enlarge)









production...

Letterpressed Christmas Cards!!!!

The green swirly things are letter forms in Edwardian Script that have been twisted and turned around (in InDesign) to make a graphic pattern. They were printed with a Polymer Plate on a Vandercook SP15 Letterpress, the text is an iron cast block, as are the reindeer which were foil-stamped onto the envelopes. I hope to sell some of these, along with some other work, at an art fair in New Hampshire this weekend as well as at the annual UArts book fair on Dec. 18... wish me luck! or better yet, come and buy stuff! (Etsy site coming soonish)







click image to enlarge

More Design Work for THE INSTITUTE

THE INSTITUTE on Religion and Public Policy hired me to do some more design work for an upcoming conference they are holding in Scranton PA. The Institute on Religion and Public Policy is an international, inter-religious non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring freedom of religion as the foundation for security, stability, and democracy.
They're good people, with good aspirations.
You should check them out.

Here is the cover for the brochure:

New Book Coming Soon!

Behind the Statue of St. Peter:
A Facetious Fable on the Fictitous Hope of the Future

Here is a quick preview of some sketches I did for my latest book. It's macabre story of a can-do town that just may not; inspired by the illustration and story-telling style of Edward Gorey. Behind the Statue of St. Peter takes a satirical look at a group of people with such a loss of hope that they’ve turned self-destructive and cannibalistic.

"First it was Larry who drove off the mountain,
then little Sally-Mae who drowned in the fountain."

Will the Mayor of Port Grimswater be able to convince the townspeople that their troubles and misfortunes are all in their head? Or will the rest of the town throw in the towel and also end up dead? You'll have to read it to find out, either way it's sure to be a killer ending (no pun intended) ;)



Within the next couple of weeks I'll be printing this book in the Borrowsky Center for Publication Arts at the University of the Arts, in Philadelphia PA. I'll end up with an edition of 100, printed and bound by mid-December. I'm working on developing an Etsy site so people can actually buy these lovely things that I'm making, instead of having them stowed up in my studio where noone ever sees them. It will be up and running shortly, I will keep you updated. :)











(click to enlarge images)
more images to come once book has been printed

Doodle

This is the doodle that started the whole lace obsession. I started drawing this while I was on the phone with a friend and it progressed from there...




I'm finishing up my last couple of spreads for book I'll be printing at the Borowsky Center for Publication Arts here at school. I'm very excited about it. I'll post some sketches soon.

Obsession

About 200 hours later and it's finally done... the hardest part was making myself stop (an obsession indeed). The photos give it an angelic look because of the lighting, it's much better seen in person.

come. to. the. show. :)

A Labor of Love

I just finished installing my drawing for the show that my fellow classmates and I are in titled: "Are We There Yet?" The show will be up through November 9th, with an opening reception on October 31st.

I will be posting images of the final installation soon, until then you can check out this video I made to accompany the drawing in the show. I'm sorry it's so small...it is the largest file size this blog will allow. The scrolling text at the beginning of the vid is my artist statement for this piece and is a little hard to read so I'll post that here:

To the observer, this drawing may be viewed as “obsessive,” especially since we live in a culture that glorifies the opposite of obsession – distraction. My motivation to make art is often married to the desire to overcome anxiety. Inevitably, the process of drawing eventually dominates that motivation, and making marks on a page becomes so captivating, that the act of drawing is now the obsession. Once I start to draw, anxiety is lifted and relief arrives as a state of entrancement. Drawing becomes a necessity and my infatuation with line trumps everything.

What interests me is my inability to process everything I’m confronted with and the idea of the whole – understanding is usually achieved through repetition. This piece of work explores the material transformation of a piece of lace through focused, repetitive, and habitual behavior.

*side note: I did not do anything to my wrist, the brace that I'm wearing is for preventative measures. It's a 40ft double-sided drawing, causing my hand to cramp up and slide into uncomfortable/unhealthy positions... the brace helps to alleviate that and allow me to draw for hours and hours!!! enjoy :)

Feeling Zen-Like

I'm feeling very Zen-like these days. Today I took a trip to a Japanese garden and Tea House, I'm studying the concepts of Wabi-Sabi in my seminar class, I practice yoga with a group of friends at least once a week, I just finished a 40 ft double sided drawing where I would sit for hours at a time making the same meticulous marks over and over again in a very meditative trance, we just finished making a collection of Japanese Stab Bindings with a very lovely Wrap Around Case, and I'm currently sipping on a steaming hot Chai Tea Latte. Anyone for Sushi?

At any rate...I hadn't made a post in while (dually noted by D. Huth) and was particuarly inspired by these bindings. I'll post pics of the drawing soon (we install the show this weekend; the opening is Oct. 31st....come! come!) and I'm also working on a book, inspired by the work of Edward Gorey, that I'm very excited about... So stayed tuned.

Huth - I'm not lying about the vlog thing, Andrew and I stayed up on our part of the bargain, get on it man!


be well and,
namaste.