Yes, Christmas does come early to the good girls! In order to be good holidayizers, all Christmas stuff needs to happen in the summer with the end being the middle of September for all images, cards etc. because of printing and prep....my clients just need the time. So, HO Ho Ho. Here's a break from the routine!
It was a perfect evening with a sunset blazing and turning the water from a tropical blue to purple all in the span of about an hour. Fireworks to celebrate K.'s foot surgery which was done and over to all of our happiness.
I am getting fired up to be Manhattan Q.--take no prisoners, drill with constant phone calls--push,push, push. Need to. Being nice--you get 5 strikes before this clicks in. So, hello me, meet the tough me.
I spent a little time this morning with my Dover book on Kay Nielsen and feel that I will probably have that at my elbow, hoping if my brain can't absorb it, my elbow can. I love this guy. Talk about obsessive decoration...whimsy. And interestingly enough, from a theatrical family so I like to put that lens on looking at his work...because it makes more sense. I love the way Nielsen describes his foreground/ background as they are rendered as the layers or scenic flats are on a traditional stage. He will use drapery in the foreground to draw your eye, or just a a little detail to say, "I am the top of this illustration". The top illustration is one that we saw at the Eric Carle Museum's show "Flights of Fancy". This was a confection (in real life) of delicate color (which the photographic images lose to just gain color on press), tiny pen and brush work, an oriental rug of color, linework and pattern and the sheer imagination in creating such a work. The central female is exquisite..with her face overwhelmed by the design of her hair, her dress, her environment. An amusement, take a look at her foot, his foot and the Oriental man to the far right...check out their sizes...! And the black and white line image below is beautiful in it's restraint in the line and pattern. Almost a point/counterpoint to the image at the top. I am showing the king below for its symmetry, the use of black and the candles. Love the candles.
More great illustration news:
A wonderful story on Murray Tinkelman will be in the next http://www.illustration-magazine.com/http://www.illustration-magazine.com/ (Issue 23). You can see thumbnails of the publication in advance>>. I am subscribing today. Put it off for some reason, but now reason to get back into that.
The wonderbus is ready to go. K is out of bed and is clunking down the stairs.
Gotta go.
late summer morning
Beautiful morning. The day cleared yesterday from a stormy morning to a perfect day. I would say more of that today. It is cool..verging on cold and the light has shifted from that of summer to the redder light, lower on the horizon. The fragrant hosta in the front of the Luckystone is beginning to open up...large, white trumpets from which a high floral scent lingers on the cool air. This is always our September treat. I always forget they bloom and then, boom...a heavenly scent and bunches of white flowers. The leaves are going from green to olive...so we all know what is coming.
I cooked up another soup for today...leeks, new potatoes, cucumbers and a spare zucchini for fun. It is a simple vicysoisse that I will add a little whole milk/ no fat half and half for the team for lunch. They will be thrilled...they love soup when we have it. Considering the price of everything...Spending a little time peeling and coarsely chopping the night before, and pureeing in the morning makes a delicious lunch at a significantly lower price. I will need to think of rice dishes and the like for this winter as we are going to have 5-7 lunchers until January.
It was a hard day with all sorts of college tutors and college advisors yesterday. My head is spinning. I need a day or so to collect myself before I dive into the pile of books I was encouraged to buy from a directory of schools, to creative schools, to a vocabulary listing to prep for the PSAT tests. I need to get into the head of my girl maybe with some help from the school psychologist so I can sync better and not feel so off around her. I am a student too...but one that understands time and schedules...and honestly, fitting assignments into my life is not a biggie. But, this is not all about me.
Today, on to some illustration including the two holiday cards that have come to the fore. The Tsunami project is still not negotiated or handed over despite my efforts. A more strategic approach on my part to either have them engage or not might have to happen...I may need to force their hand as the sheer volume of work on top of the standard workload needs to be managed. My contacts are nonplussed, but saying stuff like "if this job doesnt deliver, I lose my job". Imagine where this puts me..new client that my work is well suited for, but put in a situation to deliver a credible job in an amazing time frame which was insane to begin with. Now, take two weeks out of that schedule. I think the boom is coming down today/tomorrow. If we cant have this that and the other thing by end of day tomorrow, we cannot do the job. There is too much in jeopardy relative to my reputation and the work we produce. I am not going to be put into this sort of situation. There is a lot of benefit insofar as having lots of road time because I have walked from bigger jobs/contracts and I know the repercussions in not delivering perfection despite the schedule and client fumblings. It is money that is a bitter pill.
More later. I hope to have a minute to draw a bit for me...? One can hope...
Preik!
interesting....
I was looking at my hits on Q. Cassetti illustraton and found a few coming from this site: Preik, which calls itself a "design aggregator"--culling work from all sorts of design and illustration sites in the world...They tapped LCSV4 (Little Chimp Society) and pulled my new entry over. Wow. When it's out there, it's out there.
Barometric shifts
A door banged closed and woke us up last night. R rolled over and was back in his dreams. I, however, had started the whirring gears...so I flipped and solved at least half of the world's problems. Shady and the cats were up, patrolling in the change in the air. Ticking claws on the wood floor. The wind kicked up putting white caps on the lake waves, with an ermine sky--with a tiny hope, a tiny peak of a blue sky and a rosy tinge to the clouds beyond. It was pouring early--but I hope it will stay for a while as A has training at Taughannock Park with running on the trails in nature. He was looking forward to it, so we can just hope its not in a downpour. According to A., this is not a problem...but as him mom, I don't love it.
However, I did get my iPhone to sync with my calendar, so that is really good and very exciting. More bang for my iPhone buck. I also posted a link to my illustration site with the Fort Worth Buffalo to Little Chimp Society (a European illustration networking/ promotion site). I have put some of the recent music related work and a button for decorative illustration on the qcassetti.com site.. I think this decorative illustration should, instead of just being a category, should open onto a decorative page where the Memento Mori work can migrate along with the little things I seem to be doing. As this is the thrust of the next year, I should give it a real home versus just a click.
And, we all need to think (soon) about the Society of Illustrators LA show entries due mid September. I think the Buffalo, Carol Elizabeth Jones CD, and some selections from Memento Mori. I really did put quite a bit of time in that pursuit...so I should see if there is some traction. One of the shows selected one of them...so its a new year...and a chance to see. By next year, I will have thesis work and probably a good 12 other images ready to submit. I just need to breathe and put my head down.
While I was trying to stop my brain last night, I read a week or two of Today's Inspiration following the life and work of Robert Fawcett and followed an interesting link to the CAW blog Charlie Allen's Weekly Scan. Charlie is very funny in his observations and collection of images (today its the woman of steel, further down is a nice study on hands...and so on). Take a look. Thanks to Charlie and the discussion of hands, I was able to still the whirring gears...and dreamland welcomed.
Today is a panoply of stuff to do: there is the chauffeur service, work, meeting with the college counselor, and moving one kid, picking up the other and working work and phone calls into the mix. Thank goodness tomorrow just has one kid activity...as the tsunami project looms.
More later>>
Pirate sighting
The pirate is back --lurking under the freaking bushes scarfing up a signal without a by your leave, or please?Ratlike in her demeanorr just like the vermin that chewed up all of their woodwork in their cottage.And the world continues to spin on axis...and I simmer......low, not quite, not quite at a boil.
simian thoughts
Monday perfection
More monkeys. Decided to get out of the rhesus monkeys and start working with spider monkeys. This is evolving. I re-read what Vin is looking for and the poster was not part of the mix. Magazine cover (pulp or slick) or paperback cover. So, slick magazine it is (fanasy...as this guy fits into that category). Need to work 9"x12", which is excellent and I can do a border thing that would work nicely....with peaches and clouds, maybe his magic staff...Good to review what the expectation is again.
Yesterday we swam in the perfect water despite it being a bit brisk. The cloud bowl was beautiful...and t We went to a nice neighborhood party--music, drinks,barbeque overlooking the lake.
Today is block and tackle day...getting little stuff done, completed and billed before the big one happens. A. just came back from the first day of Cross Country training (read boys camp) and he is ecstatic. He has a new funny group of big guys to relate to and he is in heaven. So much so, that he is going to run 5K just as a "cooldown" run. This might just be the right nudge to get him going on all fronts. I can hope, at least. More nudging with K. Lots on her plate this week.
More later.
perfect morning
It was a beautiful, warm and perfect wedding. The rain didn't happen, but the landscape of dramatic clouds only enhanced the day...floating as large ships in the brilliant blue sky. The bride was beaming and absolutely stunning. The groom exuded happiness. The best man read poetry, particularly one about New York State and marriage which was a life travelogue combined with the best writing onf the region I've ever heard. There was reading and poetry, singing and the processional/ recessional duet of violin and guitar.
After sniffling and tearing up, we had the afternoon to gather. There were lots of babies and little children who behaved --and were a source of amusement and added to the happy environment. There was a tent with tables/tablecloths and lovely arrangements of farmers market fresh flowers with bright pink napkins embracing a pair of white cookies for a favor. Friends brought salads, and there was barbeque and hot sides too. Long John and the Tights played. Later in the afternoon, a game called cube (quebe?) was brought out and 4-5 games were started where people toss 2"x2"9" pieces of wood to try and knock stakes down. There were lots of grand people in their finery with their shoes off...heavily engaged in this.
I took a zillion pictures and loved talking to the tribe. It was great.
We came back and monkey-itis happened. About an hour on that and it was time to sleep.
I just got up (late!) to see our friend Peter has arrived as his herreshoff boat is tied to our dock.
Gotta go
Viral Marketing: You Suck at Photoshop
My Big Fat Brain, an agency in Kentucky, has created this erzatz character, Donnie Hoyle, who teaches photoshop and gives you a window into his life on MyDamn Channel. You can see these clips here>. Donnie has a mySpace page. Donnie also sold his wedding ring on ebay (giving bidders a limited time talk with Donnie himself). Funny and def has hooks. I wonder where this will go in 5 years.
patchwork
We attended the big cd release party for Toivo at Felicia's. The music was great and the sales, hopefully, better. We had nice drinks (a mojito for one, and a Trumansburg Lemonade for the other, kids had cokes) and were struck with the crazy offerings Felicia's has...a beet martini, a ginger margarita and much more. It was a brief stay with a chance to say hi to all the band members and survey the some of the old time music nobility in place to launch this nice new collection of songs. Take a listen>>
We had a nice dinner at Bluestone--with it feeling like vacation with everyone diving on their food as if they had never seen it.
There was lots of fun as the tabletops have been painted with chalkboard paint..so K and A went at it and I drew a monkey that inspired me to think about Alexander Calder and his wonderful bent wire animals. I am doing to do a wire drawing of a monkey this weekend with the computer screen up and pointed at some Calder animals for clues.
Today is the wedding at the farm in the afternoon. I am hoping that the tradition of a big rain may not happen today to give these sweet people a chance to start their marriage with sunshine. If not, they both have enough sunshine inside to tide us through. Its going to be a traditional Tburg dish to pass event...which should be fun and enlightening. Prior to Tburg, I used to hate dish to pass...but this has changed in a town of good cooks who all seem to pull their weight in excellence and contribution. Now its fun. My guess is that as the groom is plugged into the local music scene, we are going to have some amazing music this afternoon too.
The unplugging happened. My brother, an IT/MBA executive type, sent me an extensive list of first you do this, then you do that...to explain how to stump these pirating monkeys with a password protected wireless set up. Now this person (yours truly) has to just do it...so unplugging will be unnecessary.
Need to start on holiday cards and the illustration for our party "5 at 2" (five years at 2 Camp Street) along with squaring away guest list, food thoughts and of course, the music (maybe Toivo?). The house will be significantly changed since 5 years ago, we will be prime set up for the Art Trail, and why not. It may verge on a huge guest list...as we love everyone. So, the pen needs to think about the Provensens and their horses for the card...and a maybe a bow to Saul Steinberg for the other. Who knows. I just need to get going. Yesterday was a great day of closing out jobs, cleaning up the small stuff and prep for the Tsunami which I get the impression is going to happen.
More later>>
IF: Detach
The ingenuity of man has always been dedicated to the solution of one problem,—how to detach the sensual sweet, the sensual strong, the sensual bright, &c., from the moral sweet, the moral deep, the moral fair; that is, again, to contrive to cut clean off this upper surface so thin as to leave it bottomless; to get a one end, without an other end.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882),
flipping
May the unplugging begin. We were winding up dinner as the moon was rising last night(is it just me, or is it getting darker much sooner already?), and there arose a glow, a lcd glow from across the driveway on the edge of the property line. Yes. She was at it again. Pirating internet signals...just as bold as paint. So, today the great unplugging happens until I can find the IP address of the router and work the magic online. As you can gather...this is really riling me up. It could be funny, really funny in the ridiculousness of all of this...with our white haired neighbor scampering to not be noticed, computer in hand, searching for signals and mumbling about the former signal they used, the Linksys, gone. "No more Linksys" a mantra, chanted over and over again as she patrols for a connection with us...Monty Pythonesque in it's silliness...but still enraging me none the less.
More kid work with AP papers due next week with slow progress on the reading. No action on the grammer tutoring that needs to happen and planning to meet with our college coach who is going to lead a workshop on geometry as many of her students do not understand it..and as I found yesterday, the PSAT is riddled with geometry. So, I am reeling with the stress of all of this (note the time) and have a slightly unwilling party that this is getting "done to". I am so not enjoying this...I have my own deadlines and papers and projects. It would be nice just to be able to do my own work versus dragging the horse to water and shoving it's head in, opening it's mouth and scooping the water into the mouth. If I could swallow for the horse, I sure would try. Need to be able to manage this better.
On a happier note, classmate Chad Grohman posted his entry for the Obama show in Denver (due date I think is 08/18) that is quite lovely and a departure from his vector work. His strong design skills and color palette peeks out, but this piece is delicate and considered in his approach to his subject, and the political topic in general. It emotes a feeling that he captures in the title, "Hope". Here is some of his preliminary work>>
Paul Zdepski, also a classmate and fellow blogger, shared a wonderful Czech story book about a farm, some livestock etc. The story is great I am sure, but the sheer explosion of decorative borders, title pages and the illustrations within said borders is enough to blow your mind. He has got a connection at a library when the books are cycled out..and this absolute gem came his way. Very bold, shocking...I am going to need to monkey some of this...and see if I can own a bit, learn a bit from it. Beyond the decorative borders, the blocking and tackling of the images are great and the line/stipple effect with these simple blue clouds is worth borrowing for the Monkey King(if he ends up with clouds). (Note picture posted, Sun Wukong actually has clouds built into his shoes.I wonder if Sierra Trading Post has these built in cloud shoes? take a look>>
Finished up the pub for the Museum. Tweaked it yesterday and we are good. Started the slides that I was dreading. It was important just to start messing around with it to see what happened. Had the multi masthead newsletter meeting which resulted in a chinese menu approach to changes (we like this from that, and the color from here and oh, add this here, etc) which I have turned into a new resolution to go out today. I was checking my email on this newsletter and we started talking about it the first week of July. My, how we like to talk about things.
Nothing on the rising Tsunami project. I will need to contact my clients to see if this is a go/no go and the status. If its a go...I will no longer have time to toss in my sleep over teenagery,as I will not be sleeping. We'll see.
Toivo has it's CD release party tonight at Felicias. I worked with Toivo on their cd production with Rich Koski, champion accordian player and leader of this group, and artist, Annie Campbell (Rich is in the center, Annie is on the drums)--doing the layout and graphic designery things to bring all the components of the imagery that Rich and Annie wanted together. The CD is great, as testified by Jonathan Cook of the Finding Ulysses blog:
I got my hands on a copy of Toivo’s new CD, Laughing Shoe, the other day and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it since. So have my kids. Whenever I play the CD, all three get up and started stomping and tapping in orbits around each other on the floor.
My children’s decision to dance isn’t a reflection of a deep understanding of music theory, but it is nonetheless a good sign of music that’s constructed well. They won’t dance to the wandering classical music that plays most of the time on WSKG, and even the hypersurrealist immature electronica of Yo Gabba Gabba fails to inspire them.
Toivo, on the other hand, combines solid folk traditions that have withstood the cultural selection of audiences for hundreds of years. It’s not trendy. It just works. The Laughing Shoe also celebrates our local landscape, with songs like Swamp College Schottische, the Podunk Two-Step and Waterburg Swing.
And, with names that reference our little plateau (Swamp College, Podunk, and Waterburg), combined with the energy and happiness this music communicates,Toivo should have us up and moving this evening.
Where are the mice?
Finished up the first go on a small publication we do for the Museum and got the pdf out late yesterday. There are small pleasures in making all the pieces fit wheither it be a story too long or too short that have too many images or not enough. The redesigned grid works like a charm and is urban cool without it being unapproachable. So, that is on it's way. Need to work on a thankyou card for a client and some pretty scary charts/informational graphics that need to communicate some fairly "inside" information in a way inspired by three flipchart pages that sit atop my pile. Deep breath. I am probably making more of this project and just need to step into the mire and start swinging. Always feel better with action. I keep hoping the mice will do it when I am sleeping like the Tailor of Glouster. Nothing this morning!
Got out to Sheldrake to find our very important neighbor perched feet from our door with a computer picking up our wireless connection. There were complaints that the other signals they were pirating no longer existed so of course they were going to get ours. There was an air of absolute entitlement which, for this gal, really lit my fire. I don't know why this really ticks me off, but it is an invasion of privacy and the fact that the neighbor acknowledged we "caught her" versus just asking permission feeds my feelings. I have never really considered putting a password on our wireless connection, but now is the time. Or just unplug the wireless equipment before we leave the house. I have a real problem with privacy and entitlement. Big time.
Later that evening, we were eating leftovers disguised as pasta (which our boy A was shovelling in , platefuls) and a german lady came up on the porch and asked if we were renting rooms. No, sez us (thinking all the while that maybe we could get $80 for a night in our guest room, old sheets, clean towels) but let us help you find a place--which R did happily, drawing maps, calling our friends in Tburg for a late reservation. That was fun running the Sheldrake Triple A.
No new monkeys. I did one yesterday that I will scan and drop in later. More monkeys today. Kinglike monkeys...Monkeys in clouds. More farting around...but monkeys galore. I am enjoying this decorative world. Fun. Permission not to know how to draw....I guess.
More later>
Syracuse Poster Project
Syracuse Poster Project:
Out of the blue came this request...and this is the result:
"...selected two of yours to include in the supplemental aspect of the 2009 poster series: the catcher image and the homeboy image. The images should appear on our web site, www.posterproject.org, by Friday. Poets will go there to view them."
..."Thanks again for supporting the project's efforts. You were one of two artists who ended up participating in this aspect of the project. The other is Donald Kilpatrick from Detroit."
They create posters with ISDP SU artwork as a way of promoting local poets and images. This group has used ISDP students in the past. Lets see what happens.
Pink Sky
It's early. The pink tinged sky hangs over the silver lake...too cold to swim, but a confection to admire and think about.
Today is Wednesday. Middle of the week...but miles to go before the next Wednesday. More on the work front. Whaled on some newsletter mastheads that need to be produced three ways and elegant enough to carry the entire pub as it will be cut and paste layout by a marketing person...and not a designer. Will need to write some specs around copy, color and type size/weight, application. At least if we write and submit the controls, all they will need to do is distribute and hope all follow them. This sort of rogue publication "design" is a bit frightening, but it seems no one cares about something actually functioning and communicating, it is more tactical-- just getting it out regardless of content, message, and how that is portrayed. Man, am I sounding like an old fogey.
On the fun front, I have a picture to do for Ornamentapalooza, a November event at the Museum of Glass centered around..yes, holiday ornaments. Linear illustration, using their two color approach: black and chrome yellow (
I am waiting for the tsunami book. I am also waiting to see if I have priced myself out of a job...but it's got to be soon as their deadline is the first week of September for a 300 pp. pub.And then a week or two of revisions and done. I quake in fear...either way. It's too much, too fast, schedule free( they dont believe in schedules or thumbnailing the entire pub.). How can we keep our arms around what we have and what we don't?
Here's something nice: blogs!
Some of my new best friends and classmates at the University of Hartford are now bloggers. Paul Z. who I admire tremendously from his work to this salient observations and understanding. He bursts with animation and laughs as does his work which always has a wonderful twist that makes one bellow aloud in it's expression. He is a big personality with big work to match. His Dogbabies project captures this spirit and promises to really be something quite significant. I love his painting and the wit he brings to that. It should be a fun year to see what happens with Paul and his work. I cannot wait! Paul is doing a lovely blog>> /">zillustration studio news. Paul gives us an entry every day and has surprised me with his MFA Student Profiles...where he highlights students from the Hartford program. First he did Chad Grohman and then me!I was thinking of doing a similar thing, but you know, his are so nice I think Paul has got the baton on this one.
Speaking of Chad Grohman, Chad started a blog remarking:
"I was inspired by my classmates in the Harford MFA program to start this blog. Ill be posting mostly images rather than writing. Some photos, but mostly images that I wouldn't put on my portfolio site that are off-style. I should say, not illustrator created, because its the same style mostly. Photoshop images, paintings, collateral, etc. Much of this will be about my time at Hartford and around the country."
And, he is...>> Check out the totally sweet picture of Obama (I think for the Obama Call for Entries). Man.
Linda Tajirian is a fellow graphic designer who has joined the Hartford program. Linda is also a graduate of the Hartford Art School, so she knows her way around professionally and when we all need help in Avon/Farmington/ West Hartford. Linda is fearless and created some really imaginative and quite interesting drawings around the topic of knitting during our July encampment at HAS. She too, was moved by this time we all had together and started her blog: Life's Journey Part 5 " The MFA She is giving us a sneak peak into her reference for the Vin Di Fate project. Should be a good one!
Jime Grabowski writes in her Nightlanding blog about her experiences, her work and thinking around the MFA experience. Her MFA Encounters page links to people and places she admires, has been taught by or has visited. Great list.
I am not sure if that is it...but it's all I could unearth for the moment.Take a look at all these interesting illustrators are showing and telling us. I am learning a lot. Plus, its a nice amusement during coffee breaks, if you have them.
More later.
blockheads
Monkeying around
Need to get stuff out to 3x3. Corrections for the Museum's calendar. Newsletter layouts for a marketing group. Still working with the monkeys. Was looking at some reference and had a little epiphany...the pix are getting more interesting. I figure if I give myself until Labor Day, I will be on to something for Vin. I know that this is not real world for jobs...but, this graduate stuff is not real world anyway and I should wallow in it. Wallow away!
R is out for a conference. More painting here. More moving of old materials. Big dump run. A. at friends. K. having PSAT training and then history book stuff. Need to get in front of the school year before the end of the summer. Will need to find a geometry tutor. Lots beginning to mount up prior to September 1.
Was swimming in the book The Animal Farm. Cute as pie with some strong references: Grandma Moses most particularly. That Alice and Martin...writers and illustrators! The little bit on Hibernation makes you want to lie down and sleep along with the bear.
More later.
