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The Uphill Climb From Robert Hunt In which Brian Stauffer and Robert Hunt decide it's a fine idea to climb Mount Everest and do some art along the way. Hello up there? Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!  

The Embed in the Stan From Victor Juhasz Victor determines that it's an excellent plan to go to Afganistan and embed with troops to do art.  Compelling to the point of no return. I have no words to describe how meaningful this is to me and others I have shared this remarkable story with.  

Teaching in Mexico and Dia de los Muertos From Ellen Weinstein Okay, I'm a sucker for pictures of  people and places I don't know about. Ellen flew me to the moon and back with this one.  

Hello... from Marcos Chin I dearly love how Marcos can devine an image, but his prose is perhaps even more sublime. I've read this post  from him dozens of times and always walked away better for it. I'm glad he persued illustration, but if he ever decides to write, I'll follow him there any time.  

"I told them ... I love you all very much" from Ross Mac Donald I rarely cry. Ross brought tears rolling down my face with this personal and heart-felt message. I sense he brought this terrible tragedy home for all of us.  

What I did on my summer vacation... from Bill Mayer Bill has astounded me over and over in 2012, but his deft writing and images surrounding a simple family vacation with this one really stuck with me, Not many people commented on it at the time, but I enjoyed it a lot and continue to do so. Posted to his The Lab area, which I follow like a hungry dog looking for treats.  

Mitt Romney for GQ from Tim O'Brien Tim posts some of my favorite articles here. They're always full of unexpected detail and reliable fun. I loved this one so much because he delivered up something somehow exactly right for the long days of a presidential campaign summer. I'm not a political person at all, but he captured all my personal misgivings about a popular candidate with one shot, one image. Also from Tim in 2012 was Illustrations from my students 2011-2012, which Robert Neubecker rightly commented was 'a very humble and honest summation of the teaching experience'. Enjoyed this look at his students work a lot as well.  

The Obama Conquest from Roberto Parada One of the last Newsweek covers we'll see in print, hateful comments that Roberto allowed as part of the conversation, this post had a lot to offer, wrapped neatly and with care like a perfect gift. I for one am so happy I got to open and enjoy it. As with many posts here, the comment area was just as powerful as the article.  

My first piece for The New Yorker from Leo Espinosa I always imagined a community that supports and encourages it's own. I love this post for the comment thread that follows it so much. It's exactly what I hoped for when I started this crazy joint.  

There were many many more favorites for me, but I'll stop here. Have admittedly left out Kroniger's sublime series under A Box of Magazines, which I looked at again and again and enjoyed so much, along with many others who make this place amazing. Have a lucky and prosperous 13. Many thanks to all who are here and inspire and to those who are watching and care about this crazy illustration racket.

]]> Sun, 30 Dec 2012 03:32:43 EST http://drawger.com/zimm/index.php?section=articles&article_id=13811

Back by popular demand, the Drawger Annual! Many thanks to the remarkable Walter Vasconcelos for busting out a great poster image for 2012! An amazing collection of work from the good people of Drawger. Hope you enjoy!

]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:32:19 EST http://drawger.com/zimm/index.php?section=articles&article_id=13687

Say hello to the illoz Orioles! Each year, illoz.com sponsors a team for WNC Fall Baseball, and this year, it's an irresistible group of four to six year olds playing the great game of T-Ball. For those unfamiliar with the game of T-Ball, it's basically baseball except that there's never a dull moment and the players may from time-to-time chase the ball into the outfield after hitting it  instead of going to first base. Also, outfielders may opt to have a tea party in the grass, ignoring balls that may be rolling by at any given time.

One other difference between T-Ball and the game of baseball you might watch on TV or take in at the ball park is that parents of the players can sometimes have mental break-downs or begin to show signs similar to that of contracting a nasty case of Rabies in which foaming at the mouth can be seen, and in worst case scenarios, symptoms of Tourretes syndrome can also be detected in which uncontrolled vocalizations can occur. Since  I can not afford to build my own ball park in which parents are not allowed, for the past six years or so I've volunteered to be commissioner of the league, which means I'm at the ball park each night and all day on Saturday, kindly reminding parents who are suffering from the afore mentioned afflictions that they are not adding to the fun and they need to shut up, sit down and let the kids play.

Sometimes the coaches forget about that word 'play' as well and misinterpret the team as a miniature army that needs to be marched into battle. From time-to-time it's necessary to remind coaches that the game could just as easily go on without them. Fortunately, this doesn't happen very often. I hand-pick all coaches based on one thing: If I like them. Happy to report that the Orioles won exactly ONE game in twelve this season and the kids didn't even know the difference. Thanks to everyone at illoz who make this happen!

Past Teams Proudly Sponsored By illoz The illoz Angels, 2008 The illoz Orioles, 2009 The illoz MudCats, 2010 The illoz LugNuts, 2011  

]]> Sun, 14 Oct 2012 14:41:16 EST http://zimm.net/monkeys My first app for ipad! And it's 100% FREE! Monkeys in a Boat, in which a little red boat is put to the test by five adventurous monkeys... If you have own an ipad and also own one or two little people, I hope you'll download and enjoy!

]]> Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:36:45 EST http://drawger.com/zimm/index.php?section=articles&article_id=12841 One of the cool things about being me is that every year I get to have the Drawger Annual all to myself for a while. It's like my own private show. I get to sit here and watch all the good stuff arrive and for a short while, it's all mine! Eventually, I have to share it with everyone else. It's a bit sad, but I have to let it go. Actually, this privileged position is probably the only thing that's cool about me, come to think about it. But still I still think it makes me pretty darn cool. This year I worked with the remarkable Katherine Streeter on the poster. She gave me all these amazing options and then left it up to me to decide which one to use! I think she's a bit cruel like that, to tell the truth. It really wasn't fair, I tell ya! How do art directors even work with this woman? It was like trying to pick a perfect apple from a tree of perfect apples!



I hope everyone enjoys the show this year as much as I have already! I really hate to let this one go, it was so nice to have it all to myself. Drawger Annual 2011

]]> Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:33:48 EST http://drawger.com/zimm/index.php?section=articles&article_id=12809

Once hosted here at Drawger, Lou Brooks (with a bit of help from me doing some weekend and after-hours programming) has brought The Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies back! Do the right thing: Here it is

]]> Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:18:35 EST http://drawger.com/zimm/index.php?section=articles&article_id=12655 Every year, illoz sponsors a fall baseball team and this year, it's the T-Ball (ages four through seven) LUGNUTS! Woo hoo! I didn't get the official illoz logo in on time for the shirts, but what the heck do the kids care? They don't give a whip about no logo! They just wanna play ball! The fall baseball season here in Western North Carolina is a big deal, folks! In just the age-group of four through ten there are almost 300 players! That's a lot of kids getting remarkably dirty!



I can't stand for stoic team photographs. Baseball is a kids game and the only point is to have way too much fun, as far as I'm concerned. They've got plenty of time to look serious later. At this age, it's just the coaches that shouldn't look exactly normal.  

Why I'm involved in this:  Adults have an uncanny ability to ruin a good time for kids, especially when it comes to sports. Looking to have the fun sucked out of something like baseball? Invite an adult, for sure. If I had the money to build a baseball park where adults where not allowed, I would build it immediately. Adults, let it be said, are the worst thing that ever happened to the great game of baseball, so says me.

When kids are young, the crowds are huge. The player pictured left had his entire extended family show up for his season opener. Aunts, uncles, grandma and grandad, sisters and brothers all attended and cheered him on as he proceeded to hit no balls and never reach base. But, he had the crowd on his side, cheering him and his team on at all times! It's an odd and rather sad state of affairs, but as they grow older, they're lucky to have one parent, or even a best friend show up to cheer for their team. The kid in the picture (left) seems to know this sad truth already... or else he just doesn't like me!



Close to the LUGNUTS field is a hill where the team likes to assemble and collectively stare into space. Once there is enough of them on the hill, they  seem to spontaniously decide to run down that hill together, with complete abandon. Remember when running down a hill was the best fun ever? That's why the illoz  name is on the shirt! I had to be quick to get the photo above. The LUGNUTS don't waste any time when fun is to be had!



Thanks to everyone at ILLOZ for helping to cheer on the fabulous LUGNUTS this fall season! Above pictured is the true field of dreams, as far as I know. Backwards in illoz baseball time: The illoz Angels, 2008 The illoz Orioles, 2009 The illoz MudCats 2010  

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