In the Show

I created this for SubTerrain magazine, artwork for a short story by Marni VanDyk titled 'The Red Mouths' . This piece will be hanging in the editorial show at the Society of Illustrators, NYC, which opens tomorrow night (Feb 1) and will be published in the SOI Annual #55. 

Excited to be a part of the show!

Wrapping Up, part 1

It's been a busy year, a lot of great projects completed. I thought I would share a few images from recent assignment work to tie things up.

But first, here is my dog, when he was a puppy, to get everyone warmed up and feel the joy of the season.

 He's the best.

I'll start off with the good news, let's keep our spirits up. I love book assignments. Here's a recent cover assignment for Anvil Press, featuring Albert Einstein. I have worked with them on a number of projects. I proposed a series of sketches, the publisher loved them so much they opted for 2 versions of the Atomic Storybook. Here's the first:

 

The plan during the Cold War by the U.S. to set off a nuclear explosion on the moon received some press last month, with a great segment by Colbert. Crazy, unbelievable stuff, but given the times, anything could have happened. I did an alternate version of Einstein for the other cover. Love that face. Here's a detail from the second cover

Enjoying some down time this month. Fixing up the house and getting ready for the Holidays. Had a great time at the Nook Holiday Sale a couple of weeks ago and spending time at the rink watching my son play hockey. Who needs the NHL?

Relaxing with some Holiday cheer. Thanks to Joel Kimmel, who gave me one of these this summer. My new favourite beer.

Strong Words for a Polite Nation

Creative freedom. I have worked on books, been handed manuscripts and have always made an effort to satisfy my creative abilities by initiating new projects. Back in 2008, I had the opportunity to illustrate an entire issue of In Character, the Grit issue. This past spring, I was contacted by publisher Brian Kauffman, who offered the chance to work on a cover-to-cover design of SubTerrain.

SubTerrain is a Canadian arts and literary review, offering short stories, poetry and art. Its tagline is 'Strong Words for a Polite Nation'. I haven't had the chance to work illustrate fiction and poetry very often. I reviewed the articles, scribbling down the images springing to mind. I wanted to create strong images to go with the words.

Working on this project was like an all-you-can-eat buffet, or a night at a gourmet restaurant. One tasty dish after another, each with a different flavour. Here are a few of the courses served up:

'Detachment' - a short story about a remote RCMP detachment, a stray dog, and the struggles of a young family, from the viewpoint of the oldest daughter.

'Beautiful Bratislava' relates the struggles of an aging poet, peddling his latest volume of collected works.

 

'Uncertainty Principle' - artwork to accompany a poem.

I was honoured to have my work regognized American Illustration jury. The following two pieces were chosen. Creative freedom and artistic affirmation. A great combination.

'The Red Mouths' - a coming-of-age story of an inner city girl, and the object of her affection.

'Passing' - finding a place in between high school and higher education, between two different countries and cultures.