Matthew Kalamidas

Being Fearless at the Society of Illustrators

2013-05-04T20:38:00.000-04:00

Donato Giancola, Rebecca Guay, Sam Weber, Irene Gallo, Greg Manchess and Michael Whelan

Today, I attended a lecture at the Society of Illustrators in New York City concerning science fiction and fantasy art: What Lies Beyond: A Panel Discussion on Science Fiction and Fantasy Illustration.

It was an impressive panel of some of today's heavy hitters in illustration: Donato Giancola, Sam Weber, Rebecca Guay, Michael Whelan and Gregory Manchess, moderated by Tor creative director Irene Gallo. I'm conifdent that the annals of illustration history to be written will place these individulas on par with the giants of the past not only for their talent and inspiration they provide, but also for their willingness to share and mentor and instruct the next generation of illustrators. Institutions like Illustration Master Class and smArt School and lectures like these are proving to be a vital component to the circle of illustration life.

There were plenty of art students and aspiring illustrators in attendance as well as other illustration notables: Dan Dos Santos, Eric Wilkerson, Matt Stewart, Randy Gallegos, Dominick Saponaro and his lovely wife, Christina Hess as well as Kari Christensen and his wife Cambria Evans. Also in attendance was Orbit Art Director and my new friend who I've been bumping into everywhere, Lauren Panepinto. You probably have already heard this interview with her, but if you haven't, listen here.

I won't apologize for the blatant namedropping. If you're in the New York area, THIS is why you need to attend events at the Society. This is your chance to get the answers to the questions you have first-hand from these artists, both from those on the panel and those in attendance. These are the Rockwells, Leyendeckers, Pyles and Wyeths of today.

Plenty on process and inspiration was covered but if I was to sum up the single greatest piece of information from today it would be this: Be Fearless. Rebecca Guay shared an anecdotal story from the early years in her career when she had the fortune of meeting Frank Miller. Unfortunately, a terrible instance of shyness and nervousness resulted in her spilling her drink on his foot which caused her to hide away in embarassment. You need to learn to stop standing in your own way both in your social engagements as well as in the art you could and should be making. More often than not, we are our biggest obstacle.

May the Fourth be with You!

2013-05-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

I painted this Vader portrait for Vorpalizer.com as part of their ongoing 24 hours of May the Fourth be with You! They will publish 24 Star Wars related posts (one each hour, all day) containing videos, images, articles all in tribute and to mark the day. Total painting time on the Vader portrait was an hour, sped up to a convenient 3 minutes for your visual enjoyment.

Art Directing: Eric Wilkerson!

2013-03-25T08:36:00.000-04:00

Ender's Game by Eric Wilkerson

I recently completed the design of the SFBC's 60th Anniversary Edition of Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card. This omnibus of 2 of Card's novels in the Ender's Game Series has been a fan favorite since it's initial publishing in 1985. There's a movie adaptation of Ender's Game directed by Gavin Hood planned for release later this year starring Asa Butterfield as well as Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley. I knew that I needed to produce art that was conceptual in conveying both novels or at least can show Ender as a youth as well as a full-grown adult but, I also needed the art to be rich in details and have the depth that would be needed to compliment the movie. I needed someone who would approach this project with a world-building perspective: Eric Wilkerson.

I don't exactly recall how I first met Eric Wilkerson but I do remember bumping into him at various industry related events: a convention, a lecture, an open-studio day at Donato's, probably something at the Society of Illustrators, etc. Eric also tipped me off to the plein air paint-out events hosted by the Barrett Art Center in Poughkeepsie, NY which I've participated in. His website and blog are a testament to his passion for Science Fiction. His art often takes a cinematic turn in that Eric composes his backgrounds as if they were sets for his figures to live in. He pays close attention to lighting and costume.

I had a chance to catch up with Eric and find out a little more about him and his process:

MK: You’ve recently created a stunning image for the Science Fiction Book Club’s omnibus edition of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead. What research did you do for this illustration?

EW: First let me say how honored I am that you chose me for this assignment. I started off by listening to the audiobooks for both stories and taking extensive notes.

After seeing all the past covers for the series I decided to treat mine more like a pre-production illustration for film rather than a stand alone book cover or theatre poster style image. Something I could hand off to a production designer. I really wanted to get in and play with a little environment design and costume design for Ender's flash suit as well. This however meant a ton more work than what would normally go into a sci-fi cover illustration.

The book really didn't portray the battle school as a positive place to be so I felt the corridor should lean more cold gritty gunmetal than porcelain white with lens flares. Knowing that some of the same designers from Avatar worked on the upcoming movie it's my guess that they'll take the same approach.

I tried to stay as true to the book as possible when it came to the flash suit. Even though it wasn't described in any heavy detail I wanted the Ender in my painting to represent Dragon Army. The suit colors and dragon logo had to be correct. This was so much more fun to design than sticking him in army fatigues. I imagined the suit to be a more high tech sports/laser tag outfit with appropriate padding for floating in Zero-G. The Chest would be the sensor hub for responding to gun blasts and would send a signal to compress the fibers of his clothing and restrict the movement of limbs when hit. Sensor nodes were placed on the hands, waist and back. No loose wiring or restrictive elements. He had to look like he could freely move his arms, so the chest padding couldn't be too bulky or loaded with chunky details. I really look forward to seeing what the film does with the suit.

The second book treats Andrew Wiggin with the same kind of authority and respect that a priest would receive so it made sense to have his costume or the hint of it in the painting have subtle nods to the clothing of a catholic priest. Further developing the look of the whole illustration I made a full body costume design for Ender and the Speaker.

MK: At what point in your life did you decide to pursue art? Can you tell us about the moment you realized that art would be your career choice?

EW: Anime and comics were my world as a kid and I knew for sure that I wanted to make art for a living after discovering the work of comic artists Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio in the early 90s. I’m sure there are countless fantasy and comic artists all over the world that share a similar path.

MK: Which artists inspire you?

EW: Too many to list but my favorites are definitely Jean-Léon Gérôme, Dean Cornwell, Manuel Sanjulian, Syd Mead, Andrew Probert, David Kassan and former painting instructors Marvin Mattelson, and Garin Baker.

MK: Can you describe your artistic process?

EW: My process for both traditional and digital painting starts like most illustrators, with rough sketches, followed by reference gathering/ sculpting maquettes (depending on the painting) then a final line drawing. In oil paint I work with a premixed palette developed by illustrator, Frank Reilly. For my digital work I made a PSD version of the Reilly palette that I use to mimic how I paint traditionally. It really comes in handy for me when painting a face. I have flesh tone and color wheel value string layers with an equivalent neutral gray string to control the chroma of my selected hue. The rest is pretty much the same. Moving background to foreground until the painting is complete. There are so many working methods for painting. This is what works for me.

Animated step-by-step of the hologram detail.

MK: You’ve created 2 amazing pieces of illustration for me in the past. Both were created digitally but, have an oil-painting appearance. I also know that in the past you painted using traditional media. Can you tell me where you are in terms of digital vs. traditional painting?

EW: Thanks, Matt. I still use traditional media but more for personal works and private commissions. I usually don’t push my digital art any further than what I could do in oils just to maintain consistency. I’m trying to do more oil painting now than I have in awhile. Going back to real paint is a joy. What I observe and practice in oils informs my decisions digitally so it’s good to keep it up.

MK: Where else can we see your art?

EW: For the past 3 years I’ve been working as lead concept designer and costume designer for Blue Man Productions, the creators of The Blue Man Group. My designs were being fabricated by WETA Workshop but are now being developed by Show Creators Inc. Some of what I’ve done can now be seen daily at the Blue Man Group show at the Monte Carlo Resort in Las Vegas.

I’ll be in a few group shows this year. One is the upcoming Zombie exhibition at Last Rites Gallery in NYC. I’m a finalist in the 2012/2013 Art Renewal Center Salon. I’ll also be showing original oil paintings at this year’s Illuxcon. If anyone out there is interested in knowing more, they can follow my blog. I try and keep it current.

MK: What do you do when you're not painting?

EW: I should say “I’m always painting” but honestly, I just got Netflix so I do marathons of Power Rangers, Futurama and every other show I missed out on while learning to paint. It’s really unhealthy.

Final jacket design.

Now as the weather improves, I'm looking forward to joining Eric for some plein air painting!

Florida Retreat

2013-02-06T09:15:00.002-05:00

Everglades wildlife, marker and watercolor

Taking a break from the bitter cold Northeast weather, my wife and I headed to Florida for a quick escape. We spent an extended weekend in the Naples area relaxing and had the opportunity to explore the Everglades on an hour long air boat tour into the Mangrove forests. While we didn't see any alligators in the waters or manatees in the river, I did see the boat tour's pet 3-year old baby alligator at the dock.

I traveled with my Moleskine watercolor notebook with my homemade watercolor pencil palette and a Niji Waterbrush. More about the palette here. I also brought a small set of gouache paints and some travel brushes for longer studies.

Twins, gouache study

Poolside, gouache study

Paperman

2013-01-31T11:04:00.000-05:00

You may not have seen Paperman, unless you saw Wreck-It Ralph in theatres this past fall. Paperman is the animated short from Walt Disney Animation that ran before the feature film. Yesterday, Disney made this available for all to watch through YouTube.

This is an amazing little film. It is a successful blending of the hand-drawn animation and CG animation techniques. Personally, the novelty of the stylized hyper-realized CG look of animated films has started to fade. It was important for a film to emerge without that plastic look. One that utilized the technology but didn't sacrifice the integrity of the story or the overall styling.

Paperman is set in the 40s or 50s in Manhattan. Besides the excellent story-telling, the camera angles are inventive and dynamic and the lighting really helps to create an atmosphere which allows the viewers to immerse themselves wholly in the film. The setting, while at times being dramatic or exaggerated is still believable. I was always hoping to see more of an animator's drawing in the final look of the film. And now, here it is:

New Year, New View

2013-01-29T13:39:00.000-05:00

New Year, New View digital sketch

Since it is still January, I can get away with a headline like that. We spend so much time at work, we may as well live here. I've recently moved my seat at work and this is my new view—well, sort of...

An Intermission of Expedition & Composition

2013-01-28T16:30:00.000-05:00

The Metropolitan Opera House's stage and proscenium in the Turandot playbill during intermission.

A few weeks back, my wife and I attended the Metropolitan Opera's final performance of Puccini's Turandot.

Intricate sets, which, in some instances, recreate entire towns always make me wish I had drawing materials with me. Of course, it's usually too dark to be able to actually see what you're drawing which is why I never bring anything with me.

When I learned that the first of 2 intermissions that night would be 45 minutes long, I wish I had gone against my earlier logic. Instead, during that lengthy break, I found myself wandering into the lobby looking for someplace to buy mints. The bar lines were packed and wine and champagne were the only things being served. Before long, I had walked out of the lobby and into the cold night air walking past Lincoln Center's FAMEous water fountain, through the plaza and out onto Broadway. I walked a few blocks until I found a newstand and bought the mints. Now, with mission accomplished, I head back to the Opera House and into my seat.

Of course, there was still plenty of time left but, still no materials. So, with a ballpoint pen and on the evening's playbill, I turned to the story's synopsis and began.

Art Directing: Dominick Saponaro!

2013-01-27T18:20:00.001-05:00

Art for Unknown Seas

Art for Fire on the Water

Art for Rising Storm

There was probably only a few days overlap from when I received the details on a new series of omnibus jacket designs for Taylor Anderson's Destroyermen series and receiving a handsome promotional package from Dominick Saponaro with examples of his illustrations. It was almost like it was meant to be.

The Books
The Destroyermen series is alternate history chronicling the adventures of the crews of the USS Walker (a U.S. Destroyer) and the Japanese battlecruiser Amagi during the War in the Pacific of WWII. Besides combating each other, these crews are transported to an alternate Earth which is the same geographically but not evolutionary. Now, there are dinosaurs and other species to deal with! I knew I needed illustration that would fit the epic scope of the story but also extremely grounded. Something with boldness and determined expression.

The Illustrator
As I mentioned, I received this very nice and very professional packet from Dominick Saponaro. I don't get many that are sci-fi or fantasy appropriate these days. When I do receive one, they instantly get my interest and the level of care in this package actually arrested me from my work. Here was the bold, grounded and determined work that would fit. Dominick possesses a quality to his brushwork which reminds me of Leyendecker—boldly placing his strokes on the canvas. Some areas are left chunky and unrefined and there are pure blocks of color and this creates a realness in the viewer's experience.

Now, after working on 3 Destroyermen books, I have come to learn that he is very conscious of design and composition and spends an equal amount of time creating an almost infinite amount of fully-formed thumbnails.

Dominick is another illustrator to remember and watch. ImagineFX has recognized his work with an honorable mention in the illustration category for their 2012 Rising Stars Competition. His work on Destroyermen has been selected to appear in the prestigious illustration annuals, Spectrum 19 and Expose 10.

A typical array of thumbnails from Dominick with various elements, compositions and color ideas.

Here's an early sketch from Dominick where we were considering adding in some Brontosaurs in the distance.

Very concerned with color, Dominick and I carefully planned out the color schemes for each cover to ensure that there was great variety from cover to cover. A series of maritime themed books could easily fall into a monotonous rut. With the latest cover, he actually provided me with two fully complete images and the choice.

The Destroyermen Omnibus Series available from The Science Fiction Book Club.

Art Directing: Karla Ortiz!

2012-12-12T15:11:00.000-05:00

Being able to commission illustration depicting rich and lush fantasy is a real joy. The costuming and settings described are usually extremely visual and are wonderful starting points for the artist. Fantasy art can be like building a whole new world, whereas science fiction art tends to be slightly more on the conceptual side or pushing the contrasts of the scale of things.

The omnibus project for Philippa Ballantine's Book of the Order series was exactly this type of fantasy cover. My initial action was to contact Jason Chan, the illustrator of the trade version of the individual books. My intent was to not break continuity in the look of the series. Unfortunately, Jason was unavailable to our schedule but, he was gracious enough to make a suggestion: Karla Ortiz.

I had never worked with Karla before and knew very little of her work. I had seen some of her work years ago on a collaborative blog which was most likely the reason I couldn't recall a name. I don't usually work with someone who I am not familiar with. In fact, this has only happened twice. But both times, the quality seen in the portfolio of the suggested artist supported the advice. It goes without saying that I valued the opinion of the suggester to begin with.

Working with Karla is what I love about what I do. I shared some brief suggestions with her and she provided me with small glimpses into this world. As an artist for a gaming company, she understood the need for continuity in the look and feel of the series. While her initial sketch was rough, it provided just enough information about lighting, setting, characters, etc.

Of course, her stunning final is something you just want to stare at and absorb. Choosing to widen the illustration was a good move if only to satisfy the viewer's urge to look beyond in an attempt to see further into this new world.

Remember Karla's name. I predict a long and successful career. Visit her website at karlaortizart.com Karla tells me a new, updated, fancy website is in the works for a Feb. 2013 launch. Of course, for more recent work and updates visit her blog: Karla Ortiz.

Charcoal-Filtered Life Drawing

2012-12-07T09:47:00.000-05:00

I took advantage of a Open Studio Life Drawing session held by a local university this week. I haven't worked in a figure drawing studio session like this in many, many years. While this drawing does not come from this week's session, it does stand out to me from the hundreds of figure drawings I've done because of how it was drawn.

In order to filter out the detail and avoid working in small areas, the 18x24 newsprint pad was placed on the floor. Standing, I used a found branch from a tree with the charcoal taped to the end of it. I was remarkably surprised with the result. I don't remember exactly but, I'm guessing some shading was done after without the branch but at that point, the big, bold, fluid lines were already established.

Art Directing 2065

2012-12-06T09:44:00.001-05:00

A tale of an Art Director, a roving Illustrator and Vampire Aliens

I recently produced a book jacket for a Science Fiction series set in 2065: E.E. Knight's Vampire Earth series. I was given a list of expected and required elements for the cover: A road warrior type figure placed in a post-apocalyptic mid-American setting with remnants of our civilization present but showing our demise. Perhaps a landmark or something commonplace like a service station or strip mall. Symbols of mass consumption without being too specific. Oh yeah, vampire aliens off in the distance chasing him would be cool too! What?! I know.

Because this would be the first in a series, I didn't want to focus in on all of the details at once. I needed to pace the storytelling that would unfold on several covers. Besides, composing all of those elements in a single cover would be tricky considering there would also be type as well. It seemed to me that I needed to find an illustrator that could depict the tension of this future scenario through lighting and atmosphere and not necessarily in the details and rendering of objects since we needed to remain somewhat vague. My choice? Gregory Manchess.

Greg Manchess caught my attention while I was at Music & Art High School, although I didn't know it at the time. As an Art Major student, I was provided with a very affordable and attractive subscription rate to Communication Arts magazine. After collecting a few years of issues, I resorted to tossing old issues but tearing out the things which inspired me. I didn't realize at the time, but quite a few were paintings that Greg had done.

The first set of thumbnails

About 5 years ago, Vincent Di Fate (a giant in Science Fiction illustration, himself) offered me the opportunity to audit a class in the Illustration Masters Degree program at FIT. I would be sitting in on a class taught by a working illustrator to provide the students with the perspective of how an illustrator works with an Art Director. A fitting place for me as I seemed to bridge both areas and an interesting spin for the class to have an Art Director present to also provide that perspective. The instructor happened to be Greg Manchess!

Since then, Greg and I have tried to work together but our timing never synched up. Until now, that is. Greg was available and was up to the challenge. There was quite a bit of back and forth to fine tune what we were looking for. We reviewed his sketches at various stages getting it closer and closer to the finish. Mind you, all of this was taking place while Greg was criss-crossing the country. Each time we spoke, he was either on the West Coast or in Chicago or New York, Canada or Atlanta and either catching a plane or a train or searching for an internet connection in Starbucks. Despite all of this, there was never a lapse of his professionalism. Each date was met and met with exhibited results.

Read Greg's version of the project over at the Muddy Colors blog.

Revised thumbnails

Refined pencil drawing dropped into a layout. I shared this with Greg prior to the
painting stage as it provided him with type placement.

Living without the Light

2012-11-05T16:04:00.001-05:00

Moonlight After Storm, gouache on watercolor paper, 12x13 (click to zoom)

Last weekend we met Hurricane Sandy and now a week later we still sit in darkness. Sandy's wrath was magnified by the full moon and the Tuesday night after the storm, I looked out of my bedroom window into the darkness and as my eyes adjusted I saw this view of my neighbor's house.

I painted it in the coming days in daylight and from memory.

This storm has taught me to be patient.
This storm has forced me to live simple.
This storm has focused me on family.
This storm has reminded me that gouache is amazing!

Mighty Mutts: Meet Mr. December!

2012-10-09T12:17:00.000-04:00

Geo, oil on canvas. Available for sale. (click to zoom)

Earlier this year, I was asked to providing artwork for the 2013 Portraits of Hope wall calendar by Mighty Mutts Animal Rescue. Calendar sales directly benefit this all-volunteer no-kill organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating the strays of New York City.

The calendar's designer, Denis Kohler, asked me if I was interested. How could I not be? He provided me with several shots of Geo and told me that my image would be for the month of December. It seemed only natural that Geo be in a snowscape, kept warm with a festive scarf wrapped round his neck.

The calendar features a different dog on each page with portraits in various styles. Each portrait is accompanied with the story of each particular dog. Here's Geo's inspiring story:

Geo was abandoned in a dog run on the night before New Year's Eve. Mighty Mutts had only five hours to show him the next day. The people of the city were abuzz with their plans for New Year's, and a foster possibility seemed impossible. Then, a miracle occurred. A kind man named George agreed to take him for a few days. Well... those few days turned into a lifetime. George and Geo are quite the pair. While George cooks him marrow bones, Geo steals his socks. It's a good deal, and they have lots of fun to look forward to. A relationship like that is the greatest gift of all.

You can help this great cause by ordering your own copy of the calendar by clicking here.

Country Road

2012-08-15T10:32:00.000-04:00

Country Road, oil on panel, 8x8

The summer has provided some nice painting weather. I set out to paint one recent morning but didn't have a specific location in mind. I settled on a spot on a country dirt road and thought the foliage would be a good challenge. The dirt road intrigued me the way that doors do. Besides being interesting focal points, they all lead somewhere and that must be the attraction.

I try to keep true to plein air painting principles in that the objective is to capture the light and atmosphere of the scene in one sitting. I don't like to retouch or finish this type of painting in the studio or in a second session. My experience has taught me to settle on a scene quickly, be fairly accurate in color and form and work for 2 or 3 hours only. Any more time and I begin to settle on the details and overwork the painting. Lately, I've been conscious to vary my brushwork and my brush sizes.

Here's a shot of the panel on the easel with my subject in the background.

Once completed, I thought this would be a fun shot where the painting is placed to cover the exact spot that was painted.

Olympic Fever

2012-08-03T08:30:00.000-04:00

Digital, click to zoom

Detail

Winner of Distinguished Merit!

2012-07-30T08:10:00.000-04:00

Treasure Island, digital
3x3 Winner of Distinguished Merit

I just received notice that my piece for Treasure Island is a winner of Distinguished Merit in the Book category in this year's 3x3 Children's Show. According to 3x3's blog, entries were up this year for the children's show with over 1,700 entries from 35 countries. Forty percent of the entires were from outside the U.S., making it truly an international competition.

3x3 is the magazine of contemporary illustration. In addition to their regular magazine, they hold juried competitions in illustration for advertising, books, editorial, sci-fi, institutional, gallery, unpublished, children's books as well as a section for student entries. Winners are published in an annual sold on newsstands and bookstores and mailed to Art Directors internationally.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Click here for a complete list of winners.
Click here for 3x3's blog posting of the announcement.

At a Crossroads

2012-07-21T17:48:00.003-04:00

Crossroads, oil on panel 12x6

It was too nice of a Saturday to not paint.

I wasn't really prepared. I didn't have a location in mind and only had this small, narrow panel to paint on. I headed to the Old Bethpage Restoration Village and chose this interesting spot looking at the Cooper House (home of Peter Cooper of Cooper Union fame) and the Powell Farm at the end of the road.

The Dog Days of Summer

2012-07-13T08:55:00.000-04:00

According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, the Dog Days of Summer is the 40 day period beginning on July 3rd through August 23rd. The Romans marked a similar period where the weather became hot and rainfall was at its lowest levels of the year. They associated this occurrence with the timely sighting of the "Dog Star", named Sirius, because it was the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog). It is also the brightest star in the night sky.

Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "the Sea boiled, the Wine turned sour, Dogs grew mad, and all other creatures became languid; causing to man, among other diseases, burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies." according to Brady’s Clavis Calendaria, 1813.

Enough doom and gloom! Today, we think of man's best friend and man indulging in the leisure of summer. Here are 3 trendy ladies taking their 'babies' on a stroll along Central Park West.

Lord of the Rings

2012-07-12T15:22:00.000-04:00

'Lord of the Rings' oil sketch on panel, 5x7

You spent Saturday all day painting en plein air. On Sunday, your brushes need cleaning to avoid discarding them on Monday.

But wait! You catch your son deep in concentration during the last hour that he is watching all 3 Lord of the Rings movies. (That's a little over 9 hours!) Since the brushes are already dirty and the palette is still fresh, a quick oil sketch!

Lunch Lines

2012-07-05T08:59:00.000-04:00

Would Automats look like this today or is it these brands which have taken their place?
Digital (click to zoom)

Iconic NYC foods. After completing this, I went back in a revised it to show the black and white cookie with a bite mark. It's all I could do to satisfy the urge to actually eat one when I didn't have one near. Digital (click to zoom)

We Met for Lunch. Anyone in NY would have come across this scene at the Met, St. Patrick's Cathedral, 42nd Street Library, Post Office on 8th Ave, Lincoln Center... really anywhere with steps.
Digital (click to zoom)

Last week's contest theme was Food and coincidentally, the New York Public Library on 42nd Street and 5th Avenue opened a new exhibit called Lunch Hour: From Pushcart to Power Lunch.

Naturally, I visited the exhibit on my lunch break for some inspiration. The exhibit is really well put together. My initial idea was a take on the iconic NYC automats and what they might be like today so I spent most of my time looking at a recreation of an automat wall. I need to get back to enjoy the rest of the exhibit. Above are the resulting sketches.

Plein-Air Paintout, Walkway over the Hudson

2012-07-02T09:03:00.000-04:00

My completed painting, oil on panel

On Saturday of this past weekend, I participated in the Barrett Art Center's annual plein-air paint out and auction. The benefit was for the Barrett Art Center and the Walkway over the Hudson Park.

The Walkway is the result of the community's efforts to preserve the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge, an old railroad bridge from 1888, crossing the Hudson River at 212 feet above the river. It was built at that height to not interrupt the flow of river traffic which in those days still contained ships with tall masts. Today, the Walkway attracts people to take in the views of the Hudson as they walk, jog or bike-ride.

At about 8:30 am, I set-up near the Poughkeepsie side of the bridge and found a view of the Little Italy section with the river and Mid-Hudson bridge in the background. The Walkway was dotted every so often with artists working on their pieces. It was hot but there was a good breeze every now and then. The Walkway staff had a sign out for dog-walkers that the ground temperature was 100º. I was prepared with several frozen bottles of water. I wrapped things up at about noon ready for lunch and some a/c.

Below are some shots from the day, taken by cellphone camera as I forgot to pack a decent camera. I never got a good shot of my painting either before it was sold.

My setup on the Walkway over the Hudson.

View of Poughkeepsie's Little Italy section and the Mid-Hudson Bridge in the distance.

Hard at work beneath an umbrella designed to diffuse the sunlight hitting the wet oil paint on my panel and eliminate glare. Oh, it provides some shade too! My sons are beside me working on their own interpretations.

Chuck Fulkerson's watercolor painting. Chuck was setup just behind me and included me in his composition.

WINNER!: New York Style

2012-06-22T14:01:00.000-04:00

New York Style, digital (click to zoom)

On good days I take a nice long walk through the city during my lunch hour. I cover a lot of ground and go through different neighborhoods and I've noticed that each area has it's own unofficial dress code.

Here is this week's theme: Fashion

Each week, Françoise Mouly, the art editor for The New Yorker magazine, hosts a contest on her blog, Blown Covers. The theme is revealed on Mondays and entries for ideas are submitted by Thursday at noon. On Fridays, the lot of entries is shared along with 12 runners-up and one winner. This week, I have the honor of taking the top spot as my sketch, "New York Style", has been picked as the winner!

Click here to read more.

Click here to see my winning cover and the other runners-up.

NEW YORKER: from contest to cover

2012-06-18T11:04:00.000-04:00

My cover idea sketch, picked as a runner-up.
Françoise Mouly's commentary on my idea: "A simple idea, rendered efficiently. Not the first thing one wants to think about at the word 'wedding,' but it's undeniably a real part of it."

The New Yorker Magazine's cover this week was chosen from the weekly cover contest that the art editor, Françoise Mouly, runs on her Blown Covers blog. Gayle Kabaker is the first artist to make the leap from blog to cover. My cover along with the other runners-up are featured on The New Yorker's website. Follow the link below.

CELLabration!

2012-06-08T13:10:00.002-04:00

CELLabration! digital (Click to zoom)

Here's my sketch submission for a New Yorker cover with this week's theme: Independence Day

Duck lips seemed appropriate here but I thought that it may not come across well and may be one gag too many.

Marriage Values

2012-06-01T09:43:00.002-04:00

Marriage Values, digital (click to zoom)

Here's my sketch submission for a New Yorker cover with this week's theme: Weddings.

Weddings can cost a lot of money and the wedding industry is one of several which is virtually recession-proof. I'm attempting to convey this with my illustration.