Chris Buzelli at Drawger.com!

The Evolution of Fairy Tales

Tue, 15 May 2012 19:52:18 EDT

Sometimes a project comes where I connect immediately to the subject matter—fairy tales, wolves, and childhood with contemporary spin. This was for the cover of the University of Chicago Magazine. The article dealt with the evolution of fairy tales throughout history. It was basically how the original Grimm's stories have been retold, resimplified again and again by Disney and others—becoming thinner, simpler versions of the original. The orginal tales were more complex, magical and had a darker tone. The inside spread is beautifully illustrated by Jody Hewgill.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 04:18:44 EDT

This is my portrait of Laura Palmer for the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me group show. I was a bit young to fully digest the tv series when it first came out. But since then I've become fascinated by all things "Lynchian". His dream/nightmare sequences are so disturbing and beautiful.

Copro Gallery presents the group art exhibition, "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" curated by Rob Wilson in association with David Lynch. This exhibition will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of David Lynch’s film “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me” (the prequel to the landmark television series created by David Lynch and Mark Frost). This new exhibition will include all of the artists from the previous show, and will also expand it to a gallery setting with an artist reception featuring unreleased music from Twin Peaks and many suprise guests! The fact that the gallery is located in part of what used to be a train station, fits the theme of Fire Walk with Me particularly well since Laura Palmer was murdered in an abandoned train car by the tracks which became ground zero for the TWIN PEAKS franchise. At present, participating artists include: Josh Agle (Shag) - Brett Amory - Esao Andrews - Glenn Barr - Chris Berens - Ben Balistreri - Tim Biskup - Megan Brain - Andrew Brandou - Chris Buzelli - Scott C. - Amy Casey - Nicoletta Ceccoli - Paul Chatem - Sas Christian - Colin Christian - Albert Cuellar - Lori Earley - Meesha Goldberg - James Hahn - Ryan Heshka - Stella Im Hultberg - Jessica Joslin - Andy Kehoe - Frank Kozik - Alice Lodge - Ver Mar - Chris Mars - Dan May - Jeff McMillan - Tara McPherson - Margaret Meyer - Billy Norrby - Annie Owens - Chris Peters - Dan Quintana - Carlos Ramos - Matt Rota - Anna Skarbek - Owen Smith - Nathan Spoor - Brian M. Viveros - Keith Weesner - Eric White - Pamela Wilson - Martin Wittfooth - Chet Zar - Rick Zar & more "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" 20th anniversary group art exhibition Opening Reception, Saturday, April 21, 8:00 – 11:30 p.m. Dates: Exhibit runs; April 21 – May 12, 2012

Book Monster

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:57:41 EDT

Here are a few new pieces for Educational Leadership magazine. "Taming the Wild Text" was about children who struggle with reading and are afraid of the text itself. Huge thanks to Judi Connelly the art director, who also happens to be the mother of the young and very talented illustrator Sam Wolfe Connelly.

Strength In Numbers

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:46:44 EDT

This painting was originally commissioned by the one and only SooJin for PLANSPONSOR magazine. The article was about the benefits of employers joining multiple employer plans titled "Strength In Numbers". And I'm very flattered that it was chosen by the Society of Illustrators as one of the marquee posters to hang outside their door for the Editorial & Book Show. Thank you to SJ and SOI!

South Asia Union

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:00:47 EDT

This painting was for an article about the future of South Asia. The region is comprised of many countries, including India, Pakistan, Banghladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, etc... The writer sees this currently explosive region becoming a peaceful European-like Union in the future. Thanks once again to Louis Fishauf, the AD from Global Brief magazine.

The Sardonic Smile

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:54:24 EDT

It was a perfect way to start the New Year—with a package from Norway with issues of a recent cover that I worked on for The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association. The cover project was about "the sardonic smile" as a medical term. Art Director, Emma Dalby is always wonderful to work with and I look forward to her simple and elegant cover designs. I knew about the cynical/vengeful expression of a sardonic smile but I had no idea about it as a medical term. In medicine, it is defined as a smile-like facial expression induced by involuntary muscle spasms most often caused by toxins released by tetanus bacteria. However in folklore, the sardonic smile has a much more interesting past. It might have to do with the ingestion of the sardonion plant from Sardinia which cause muscle spasms, laughter and death.