update

Okay. So we have Rob, who is going to the SOFA show in Chicago today, tomorrow and back Saturday. Company plane going to Chicago/commercial back. Takes the pain down to a low level. He should have fun. SOFA is at the Navy Pier in Chicago and defines itself as the annual international Sculpture Objects and Functional Art Expositions (in NYC and Chicago). Its fun and I am sure totally inspiring. Rob always comes back charged up.

We have Alex running all day at big regional meet at the Chenago County Golf Course. He has food to take, drinks to drink and clean running gear (always a last minute event). He is back in time to go to the last rehearsal prior to our Friday and Saturday performances. So, a busy day with lots of friends and teammates to his delight. Alex loves his people.

Kitty is motivated beyond what we have ever seen these days. She has dropped math (not loving calculus and not a must to graduate) and has gotten herself enrolled in a year study of astronomy and another class, production design which includes time in the woodshop. I couldnt be happier with her taking charge and doing this with great confidence and pleasure. She is also ready for the play and says that she and her fellow actor in the one act " DMV" have people in stitches. She plays the touchy DMV functionary--with lots of funny lines. She too, loves her people and looks forward to her debut tomorrow.

I keep getting thrown off course with trying to wrap things up. Little firebombs of "I need it in an hour " "I need an entire presentation by tomorrow" is getting in the way of completing a 60 pp book and wrapping up a 16 pp calendar that also have deadlines. We are pedal to the metal here...literally from 8 til 7 and the weekend beckons for work too. It puts me in a dilemma as being employed and working/ getting paid and adding value to my customers is important. I understand I need to bend and go with the flow, but when is enough too much? When is it appropriate to squeak? Or can I as I am perceived as a virtual member of the team, something that is, an enviable position (or at least to my thinking))? I also did some dumb stuff by taking on some gratis pieces that I want to commit more time to...and the time is just not there. Dumb me, dummy!

I am sure I will get through this moment, its just I have got to think about what it is I am doing, keep tight lists, and not stray.

Gotta Go.


Mid week review. Need to order a bunch of stuff...assess Christmas and what we are doing. Need to order a car service for pick up/deliver for a meeting I am going to next week in the big metro city nearby. Need to get sub makings for Alex as he has a big Cross Country Day tomorrow. Probably will receive my half a pig today (meat, that is) and need to scrunch up everything in the freeze to make it fit. That's pretty much the domestic front.

Kitty is starring in one of the one act plays and a member of the cast of another. Alex is a walk on as a funeral director in another of the plays. Friday night and Saturday night in our own elementary school theatre as the High School is under rennovation for now. So, if you are local, plan a bit of local theatre in your schedules.

Just got handed another blaster project. Frame up a product personality (times three?) for a product with a name that doesnt fit with the industry...complete with slides, descriptors, palettes and fonts. My head is spinning.

The poster above is getting close. A bit more...and then off to England for them!

Morning Sunshine!


Today, it feels like things are going to happen. We have a big document review conference call with Webex this morning which should be illuminating (at least, I hope). We review documents for one of our clients for identity issues but it has expanded to language, actual design/communications criteria and in some cases total redesign (in less than a day)of brochures, newsletters etc. that have reached this approval process and goes to the end customer in a sad visual state. I get all righteous when I see that some pretty lame/amateur designs created by someone who just needs a communications piece and has no resources--particularly when it goes to the end customer representing this company which is one of the largest in it's industry and should look "Fortune 100", instead of clip art, twenty different fonts (including one of my favorites--Comix Sans), and all the wild stuff you can do with MSWord. Did I mention for the hundredth time that MSWord IS the devil's tool?

As I look out the window, the high sky day only a half an hour ago now has become leaden and promises rain. I saw a multipointed buck, posed as if for the illustrator's camera--nicely blending in with the yellow, gold and beige colors of the fields and flickering leaves still hanging on to the branches. He was glorious...and smart enough not to race across the road to confront the Wonderbus. So, we both have a nice morning...not one of sadness and hurt.

Alex was musing in the car about why we need to rake leaves as they always end uup on the ground, again and again. Rob's response was that we get to make nice compost for the village. Somehow I am more with Alex on this one...I don't think our fellow villagers rake the leaves for nice compost. Perhaps for good citizenry? or better, the layer of leaves are not terrific under the snow for traction? Either way, Alex C. was on point, as usual.

All the alarms on my desktop are reminding me my call starts in ten minutes. I think I have to "powder my nose" prior to this electronic adventure into approval.

More later

Monday first Monday in November.


Working a bit on the Star poster. Its a hand holding the star (which up until now, they have not done one like this)--with some little flying spirit effigies in the background. Not sure on the coloration, and may put a little banner with the word "Onward" or something along that line in the layout. I am planning on a tone on tone thing in the background/some floral insanity hopefully. But, this is the beginning (as you can see the star is still being worked on.

Yesterday afternoon, I generated dinner for the week: a pot of chili, 2 pans of lasagne, a shepherds pie (with leftover mashed potatoes from last week and the left over browned meat for the chili), along with roasting 4 chicken carcasses with leeks,carrots, celery and leftover parsley stems for stock. It was a cooking afternoon of cranking. I feel like the cook has been here and all I need to do is pop it in the oven and not have to scratch my head and wonder what I was going to serve up. It was a great exercise in opening up boxes and bags to also see what weathered the constant summer infestation of "flour" bugs. I just hate them...but, those bugs force one to review, compost and or devour quickly all flour related food as they have the ability to dig into any vessel (except for mylar sealed packages).

It was deadline on top of deadline today. So much so that I worried about it from around 3 a.m. until 5:30 a.m. without any real solution other than to call the client and ask her to help us prioritize the emergencies that were heaped upon each other. That drove a lot of sanity for us...and surprisingly, we got through quite a bit of the work that was there. Tomorrow, I feel I can catch up and get back to zero/ or at least a levelset I can handle. I laid out 2 dozen slides from scratch, amended a logotype for the Museum, reviewed a bunch of stuff, reconfigured final art for a tradeshow exhibit skin, and began a layout for a tradeshow "abstract" paper. Numerous emails and confirmations along with a few scheduled calls. Yikes.

And, now I need to worry about tomorrow. Also, need to worry about Christmas, cards and the whole shebang around that. And, did I mention the taxes due in January? It just keeps coming. Bring it on... I will try, try very hard, to be ready!

Halloween




We had a great chat with a pair of Hampshire representatives--one an alumni and the other, a Div 3 student (senior level). They allayed our fears and answered a lot of questions that we had been mulling over as a group. It was terrific to have our minds put to rest along with spending some time with two very confident, thoughtful, talkative, and assured people who were out of a similar mold as our Kitty. Kitty was equally so-- and it was interesting as a parent to see her within this context as confident, articulate, cute and funny with people who were very much oriented the same way. Our trip to Hampshire was well worth the visit.

We visited a small Farm store near the campus, Atkins Farms and were delighted by the offerings within walking distance from the campus. All fresh, and lots of local produce offered...all of them ready for the photoshoot in their pulchritude. I did take pictures (and a lot of them) of their iced cakes and cupcakes which were hilarious and very skillfully done (and affordable). Thank goodness I didnt shame anyone with my antics.

At a quarter of 11, we jumped into the Wonderbus to make a two o'clock tour and information session at SUNY New Paltz which was an interesting option for Kitty as their art facilities are very nice and in some aspects similar to that of Tyler..though not as extensive and as new. The dorms are nice, the student body seemed on the ball and Kitty seemed to identify with the program. Only hiccup is that the portfolio is submitted AFTER you are accepted, and then it is determined wheither you are in the art program or not. We were done around 4:30 and quickly drove by the stone Hugenot houses by the river (amazing)...and then jumped on the road home.

We got in by 9...and heads down on the pillow by 10. We got Alex to school by 6:45 for a Cross Country Meet in Marathon NY which we got on the road for. His form looked great and he is getting to be a better and better runner . He came in 37th in a large pack of well over 100 runners (Rob claims hundreds...) which delighted him to no end...mud bespattered nonethe less.

After the race, it was off to the local ski slope, Greek Peak for their annual ski sale and swap. New jackets all around. Pants, long underwear and gloves...so the home team is ready to hit the slopes this winter in great style and in new equipment. Up until now, they have been skiing with stuff we bought from, yes, antique stores or used sales...and they have never had skis and boots that actually fit and were tailored to them. After six years of skiing, we figure, now is the time.

We just bought candy and candle (and catfood) at Target. The blue lightbulbs are in the light fixtures on the front of the house. We have votives in bags filled with birdseed and a big bowl of wonka candies. So, if the rain and snow do not keep them away, we will have a little treat to hand out. Kitty is gathering with friends. Alex is in costume (as George Harrison on the Abbey Road Album) and the light is fading.

Tomorrow is fall back.
The long nights begin.

roadtrip

We got going early yesterday--easily making Kitty's portfolio showing at the Hartford Art School at 1:30.  It was a positive experience with the assistant dean, showing her work, her new survey and the charms she is creating for her friends for Christmas. There is hope there might be merit money if we submit a portfolio immediately (as jpgs) with HAS. We had a nice look at the student work from their trip to Sicily as well as poking our heads in the ceramics and sculpture studios. Hartford is a very viable option for her.


But then again, with the brilliant skies and blazing leaves we had yesterday, nothing seemed impossible. So, after Hartford, we jumped in the Wonderbus and drove north for about an hour and change to catch the end of the day at Hampshire. What a great experience. We had a chance to see the campus without the prospective students and their parents that the last adventure gave us during the spring Open House we attended. We visited the art sdudios and saw students hard at work on a variety of projects from paintings to a teahouse construction. 
We saw musicians playing in the practice rooms. Quiet dance studios and a film center (newly rennovated and funded by Ken Burns, a Hampshire graduate) were welcoming. We discovered the design/theatre area with a lovely performance space and truly noteworthy seventies architecture. However, the spaces did not strike me as wonderful as the spirit of "why not" that exists on this campus. The people are a buzz with their projects and passions. There are swings hanging from trees that surely were a "why not" moment--and someone going off to the shop to make one. Or the funny bicycles that have been stretched vertically and spray painted for a "why not"> These students seemed to be having a wonderful time doing what they enjoy and love...and it seems to make Hampshire spin. We sat in the first year quad and watched the students go off to the diningroom with a happiness we would want anyone to have. It was a wonderful visit.

We  walked around downtown  Amherst and settled on having a beautiful dinner at Chez Albert. We talked about travel, about opportunities, about learning with Kitty. It was a perfect cap to the end of a very illuminating and exciting day. Today, we revisit Hampshire and head to a two o'clock tour at New Paltz.

More later>>

Wet.

Rained all day. Still without a car. Princess in the tower, week four. It was good having the mobility yesterday...and no mobility today was I had to whomp out a whole bunch of stuff in prep for the 2 days we are taking to see the University of Hartford (portfolio show), revisit Hampshire, and tour New Paltz and see their art setup. We will be back on Saturday post Alex's XC meet. I think the following weekend includes Kitty's play and Alex's last dinner for the team. So, having this jaunt (albeit quick) will start putting some bows on the schools for K.

Worked on a series of images for my client's internal program "Accelerate the Momentum"--going to Getty and making a little deck of 50 images collected and curated to communicate speed,motion, action that verges on abstraction. They turned out nicely...and less "Indy car" than the request...so perhaps we can move the literal expectation from some speeding letters with a spinning wheel...to something a bit more elegant and abstract. But, we will see. I asked for them to select a few images that speak to them...to direct where the type could go. The approach could work. Could is the watchword. We will see.

Was reading about Johannes Kelpius (1673-1708) yesterday. I think he is the key to better understanding Conrad Beissel and the Ephrata movement as he was Beissel's mentor and leader of the community Beissel was a member of, prior to splitting off to found the Community of the Solitary. Kelpius came from a moneyed and educated background. He was university educated (University of Altdorf) and became a follower of Philip Jacob Spener, the founder of the sect called Pietists. He became a follower of Johann Jakob Zimmerman, a Pietist leader and scholar. Pietism was a movement that grew within Lutheranism at a time when the state church emphasized the more formal aspects of worship and church life and tended to be aloof from the religious needs of individuals. Across Germany numerous informal groups developed, centering on prayer, singing, and encouragement in the spiritual life. While many of these groups were quite orthodox, others veered off into mysticism and occultism. Such was the group that gathered around Zimmerman, who wished to find a means of combining science (including astrology),alchemy, Kabbala, Christian theology, and mystical occultism.

When in London, Kelpius met Jane Leade, the head of another mystical sect, the Philadelphians. At 21 yrs. old, his mentor, Zimmerman died and left Kelpius to lead about 40 other followers to to the New World (6 months traveling) and upon stepping on the shores in Philadelphia, walked to Germantown and immediately established his community on the shores of the Wissahickon.

From
Sasche, Julius F. The German Pietists of Provincial Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, 1895.:

Kelpius secured land on Wissahikon Creek (now a park in Philadelphia), where they built a forty-foot cube, which became the all-male group's headquarters and home. Discovering the local children were without a school, he founded a school and became their teacher. He also set up an astrological laboratory where members of the chapter watched the heavens for astrological and other signs of Christ's coming. He developed tuberculosis in the harsh weather, but hoped for Christ to return before he died. Meanwhile, he and the brothers gained some income from providing various healing and occult services for the surrounding community.

When Christ did not appear, Kelpius grew increasingly disappointed, a condition not helped by his failing health. In bed during most of the winter of 1706-07, he composed his most substantive writing and the hymn "A Loving Moan of the Disconsolate Soul in the Morning Dawn." Kelpius finally succumbed to tuberculosis in 1708 at the age of 35. He was succeeded by Conrad Matthai. Because the hope for Christ's return was the only force that held the group together, as that hope died, the group disintegrated. Some of the men who stayed in the area continued as healers, astrologers, and occult practitioners and their presence gave rise to what became known as powwow, or hexing, the peculiar form of folk magic practiced in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Tuesday notes

Bless Chet the lawmowerman. Somehow, we managed to get the timing perfect as he got all those leaves to the side of Camp Street-- because the village leaf guys actually came today and sucked them all up. I think this is a first in five years! Yay! Looks like the White House lawn!

I am currently typing this blog on my phone at Satori, my land of beauty. I am drinking coffee and cooling my jets as the color develops and pretending I am not fascinated and listening to the Aveda color educator lead a class on color, color chemistry, formulations, processing time, progressive color et cetera. But I am. Do you think I could get my next masters degree in haircoloring?

We are planning to spend Friday in Andover MA to revisit Hampshire and return visiting Oneonta. Just trying to relook at these first schools to see them now in context. Should be good to confirm our feelings with mire information. We will be back for Halloween and the candle pumpkin insanity that team C. Puts on. That reminds me... CANDY!

Gotta get to the sink. Later>>


Big show opening, "Pixel and Pen"a n exhibit of digital art and process. Works by Aesthetic Apparatus, Nicholas Blechman, Q Cassetti, Linda Gammell, John Hersey, JamesO'Brien, Ryan Peltier, Andy Powell, Anthony Russo, Nancy Stahl, Gordon Studer, Roman Verostko, and Mick Wiggins. Curated by James O'Brien at the Christensen Center Gallery, Augsburg, MN from Thursday night through January. James 'Brien is an extraordinary illustrator who works digitally put this show together. I am flattered to be in it (my portrait of Kitty is my entry) with some celebrated illustrators.Makes me want to keep at the portrait an hour program. I took some nice shots of Kitty this weekend along with that of Rob, our friend Steve, and of course, Peter H. So, I need to get on it. Plenty of work to do.

Am getting through a load of work...much of it in in the a.m. out by 1. Really more throwing than designing...but this is the expectation.

Must go for now as it is time to heat up dinner for the expectant crew.

Brilliant fall days. Yesterday and today. We got the dishwasher (after 3 weeks) fixed...the part finally came in. Chet the Lawnmower man came and manicured the grass along with dealing with the thick layer of sassafrass and walnut leaves that have dropped. Its funny, but all the walnut trees and walnuts have gone from being on the tree to suddenly all being on the ground. No middle ground for the walnuts.

Travelling with the Curmudegeon






From the culling of the apples, we then went off to Peggy who had a beautiful lunch spread out for us to eat and warm up (dry off) before the second chapter of our travels with Peter, who refers to himself in his business as the Curmudgeon. Peter is seen second from the top in the posted pictures. We went to his cider house and picked up all sorts of containers and milk carriers and put them in Steve's big white truck. Then, off we went to Sayre-- home of the Keystone Cider Mill-- a place that will press your cider and not pasturize it as the point of this besides delicious cider is the creation of Peter's hard cider. It was a beautiful drive. The weather had cleared up to give us a perfect fall afternoon--driving a new route for us through Danby and south through Spencer and VanEtten (two places we know of from the snow reports and school closings in the winter-- but never seen). The trees were blazing, the valleys beautiful and purple.

Turns out, the Keystone Cider Mill was more that what was promised. It was a moment in time. We learned a bit from one of the family members who own the complex...Apparently, the Keystone Cider Mill and the Keystone Rollerskating Rink were at the end of the train (trolley) line and these were built to be an attraction. The cidermill also boasts a stand with a fill your own jug operation along with every sort of apple, pumpkin, squash and gourd for fall. The rollerskating rink is back to basics...a little vertically sided building with windows that illuminate a small but well maintained rink--well worn--but very viable today. We looked around back and it appears that it is heated by its own woodfired/coal fired furnace with it's own building. The cider press is in the back and is a jewel. Apples are brought in and sent through a chute to a crushing process which dumps apples (cores and all) into large, wood framed layers of filtration material which is tidily wrapped up and another layer placed on top. After the layers have been filled, the whole operation pressses (from the bottom up) the apples and the juice streams down the sides (see the picture). This whole operation, a Rube Goldburgian contraption, is driven by all types of belts which are driven by a tractor to the back of the building. Pretty back to basics. So, we unloaded 30 bushels of apples (3 of them were pears), and ended up with 220 gallons of cider. Peter refuses to buy the fruit, but gather it from friends and acquaintances who might not otherwise do anything with their fruit.

While the crushing happened we all gabbed and had a nice social time until it was time to either unload more of the apples from the truck to feed the press or in the case of the strong people, load the final juice into the truck. We talked about our lives, about cider, about wine making, about food, about distilling, about those things we all had in common. There were artists, masons, biochemists, scientists, librarians, information technology people...a range of ideas and people. It was terrific.

We all carried and pushed and pulled and got the cider home to Peter and Peggy's house where Peggy had a wonderful dinner for all of us. What a treat. What fun. We are so lucky to have been included in this learning and tasting time.

Cider time


We got up early yesterday to gather at Peter and Peggy's house for the great annual cider day. We gathered with a very interesting and smart and fiunny group of people to go via caravan to several private residences to gather up all their remaining apples in their yards. One person had a long pole that he shook the branches with -- and the rest of us picked up, examined, pulled off the greenery, wiped off the mud and bagged them. The apples were then sorted again and tied in the regular one bushel coal sacks Peter brought. It was fun to be out with the big old trees in the steady rain and warm, cool humidity.

Quiet day


The internet has been crawling—slowly, slowly—to finally just stop working today. Erich is on the phone trying to get some help—trouble shooting our connections and the viability of the line. It is amazing to discover how dependent we are on that link to the world, particularly that of mail, for our work, our deliverables, our communication with clients, friends, family, and suppliers. The world stops spinning a bit when the connection hiccups and we find ourselves out of focus for a bit. But, I guess the nice thing is is that these instances teach us that we cannot take this marvel for granted.

Oh look. Now we are back—connected!

We are clocking down the Annual Report for a non-profit research organization we are working with along with a holiday card. We are wrapping up a small mountain of tiny projects for the main client—from consulting on an e-card, to ads and a tradeshow unification between two disparate aspects of the business to presenting a series of colorways for a corporate “little red book” document that is annually issued. Nitty little projects that often have nitty little bits to tweak and change forever, but that is what we are paid for.

I guess we are now in the throes of the peak of the color. The deciduous trees have shed enough foliage to be able to see through the branches/leaves to the darker woods or evergreens behind. The gold color against the dark is breathtaking. And the glimmers of red is remarkable too. Halloweeen approaches, and with that the long winter is in sight.The chestnuts, horse chestnuts and apples are all out…as are the extraordinary number of deer that park themselves on the front lawn as if on contract for some photoshoot about living in the country.

A sad note. Don Ivan Punchatz passed away on Thursday. He leaves an extraordinary legacy as an illustrator, mentor, teacher and friend. Wikipedia says:

Don Ivan Punchatz (born 1936 - October 22, 2009) is an artist who has drawn illustrations for numerous publications including magazines, such as: Heavy Metal, National Geographic, Playboy, and Time. In 1993 id Software hired him to create the Doom video game package art and logo. The result was named the second best game box art of all time by GameSpy [1] His son, Gregor Punchatz, has worked on special effects for several movies, and also created monster sculptures for Doom.

Here is my post from visiting/meeting him in Texas>>


I sent him a note and one or both of My Memento Mori books which he called me about. We had a great chat about how he used his illustration to cope with having stomach cancer--and how interesting and dark work came out of that process. He was enthusiastic, positive and acting as a mentor even to an odd person he briefly met with the Hartford Program. Don was instrumental in putting together the inspiring panel of illustrators in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area for our visit, and had been engaged in that sharing and exchange since Murray and Carol were with the Syracuse ISDP program. He inspired and encouraged, embraced and enthused with his people, the illustrators, and for that, his friendship, strength and quiet humor we are thankful. Bless him.

Wednesday catchup





Rapid fire blog entry this morning. Interesting news. I have my work on Behance, a cool creative resource/social networking site...and I got an interesting job (albeit gratis) that came across the email. There is The Star of Bethnel, a pub in East London that has a poster program that they ask international artists/illustrators to submit art for. They have a good deisgn firm doing the branding--and they came across my work on Behance and want me to do the December poster...anything I want. How fun is that...Rob thinks I should go totally Memento Mori on it... I am thinking more a la valentines with Fraktur angels as it is December and the English don't really have an issue with Christmas as the December Holiday.

Work here has been from fire drill to fire drill...the quick, drop everything approach to no planning and trying amidst the chaos to not let anything slip through the cracks. I have been carless for well on to two weeks which is making me a bit of a princess in the tower--- with work, cooking and general house stuff keeping me land locked. Timmy, our painter, spent the better part of Monday getting a small cherry picker into the back yard to paint the roof trim of the house. As I hung up the phone with another rush completed, my mother in law came in to tell me " Timmy is up in the air". What? And I need to be the adult for this too? So, I went outside to see that yes, Timmy was up in the air--with the cherry picker somehow stuck--locked so the mechanism wouldn't work. Everybody was hanging back...and yes, I had to be the adult. So, Timmy and I talked it through...and I tried a few things and managed to get the up/down mechanism unlocked so that we could get him down. Then, it was back to the other emergencies...not as scary as that...but still scary for the two hour turn arounds/bailouts that keep coming.

That is why the star project seems so fun. No emergency there.

Kitty is crazed with her play practices. Alex with Cross Contry training and trying to make up the work he lost last week with his ill days. Rob has left every morning before seven and this morning at five to get to NYC and back today. Its pretty much everyone nose to the grindstone.

This weekend we have a celebrated apple picking/cider pressing event that we have been included in...which should be interesting and fun. But first, we need to get through this week.


The rose is perhaps the most mystical and beautiful of symbols to Rosicrucians. The rose possesses both beauty and pain; one can not have the fragrant blossom without the accompanying thorns. This concept of dual nature pervades the writings of both the Kelpius settlement of 1694 and the Eighteenth-Century Community of the Solitary at Ephrata. At both settlements Rosicrucian symbolism and concerns were part of the organized belief structures of the members. As with the rose, so too in life we must take the good with the bad, the cross with the crown, the dark with the light, the pain with the joy.

A most beautiful and symbolic poem on the rose was written in the mid-eighteenth-century by Conrad Beissel, known as Vater Friedsam, Father Peaceful.

The rose is perhaps the most mystical and beautiful of symbols to Rosicrucians. The rose possesses both beauty and pain; one can not have the fragrant blossom without the accompanying thorns. This concept of dual nature pervades the writings of both the Kelpius settlement of 1694 and the Eighteenth-Century Community of the Solitary at Ephrata. At both settlements Rosicrucian symbolism and concerns were part of the organized belief structures of the members. As with the rose, so too in life we must take the good with the bad, the cross with the crown, the dark with the light, the pain with the joy.

A most beautiful and symbolic poem on the rose was written in the mid-eighteenth-century by Conrad Beissel, known as Vater Friedsam, Father Peaceful.

From Lucy Carroll's article on the Symbolism in Conrad Beissel's hymn

Changing of the old guard?


“To say that ‘literate’ and ‘intelligent’ is elitist - that’s insane, the way people sling around ‘arugula’ to be synonymous with highfalutin,’’ says [Laura] Shapiro. “This is another nail in the coffin of literate journalism.’’ from The Mourning After (boston.com)
How sad. I thought with Ruth Reichl at the helm of Gourmet Magazine, there was a chance that this old school magazine could pull through the crash and burn that is going on in print media today. Reichl, an author and realistic food person is an inspiration in her energy and approach to her writing and passion for food, I thought would bring a spirit and splash to this tried and true publication. Granted, I thought that Gourmet was for "grown ups" until I had 6 weeks of being at home with my new baby daughter--sleepless and living in the moment. I found that I loved Gourmet and the New Yorker for their little mental vacations they took me on...and the recipes that I began to cook out of Gourmet were easy, delicious and inspiring me to go further, to crack open more books, to try the untried. It got me through the early days of mom hood and frankly was part of my evolution as a cook for a new little group of eaters.

Since then, Gourmet has been a monthly occasion in my life. Now, it won't be.

Interestingly, in looking around a bit about the demise of Gourmet, I ran into some interesting articles

Gourmet Editor Ruth Reichl: Print Magazines Are Toast by Henry Blodget on the Business Insider page
Ruthie in Wonderland: Ruth Reichl Reflects on Conde Nast by John Koblin from the New York Observer
Clearing the Table by Deborah Solomon, New York Times

From the Koblin article

“That kind of luxury that we all had [at Conde Nast] is probably a thing of the past. The new business realities have changed the life at Condé Nast. I think print magazines as we know them will cease to exist...”

“I do think that there is going to be something that will be very exciting and that will incorporate video, instant shopping,” she said. “I think that the rich experience that is in magazines will likely move to another platform. It won’t be online. It will be what magazines are now, tools for living and inspirational and intellectually rich. I think magazines in that sense won’t be going away.”

As an illustrator, the great publishing industry changes. The magazines and newspapers that were solid clients for articles, book reviews, Sunday supplements and all else are dying. So, where does that leave us, the great great grandchildren of Rockwell and Howard Pyle-- the great illustrators of their time? Where will the painters go? I guess, children's book and advertising, portraiture and gallery work. Holiday cards? A santa or a teddy bear as a client told me..."thats what their Chairman loves" (OY!).

Now, if we look at Will Bradley, he illustrated for publications and then some...Bradley might have made the jump to web design and imagery or even flash animation. There is work there. I mean, if you have the wits and imagination that illustration training should hone, this new media beyond paint, beyond ink on paper has room.

I had the opportunity to work with a client and a consulting company of the development of an e-card for the Holidays. These guys gave us story boards which we didnt approve and immediately launched into a direction we had never even seen...fully developing it in flash with this easy listening "fashion show music box music"--so middle of the road and tacky. I had to pull it back and talk about Tiffany and Company, the "little black dress with pearls" positioning (which in the old days might be associated with class..and today, no one gets it...so the whole "its like this and this and this" gets you there in a less abbreviated way). These guys are computer jocks--not problem solvers.For really good designers or illustrators thinking about the problems, thinking about transitions and messages, about the story and the impresssion is part of their training, their make up , their MO. It was illuminating to work with these functionaries that we essentially had to "move their hands with our own" to get the changes to move it towards good...not even great. But back to the premise...There is work...it just might not be the tradtional "old school" venues that many of us hoped would bloom and blossom for us, but new trees, new orchards where the fruit has yet to be discovered. And picked.