Field Access

Hold on to that snow hat with the awesome ear flaps just a little bit longer.  The end is just around the corner.  Right?

It can be frustrating when your subject suddenly shifts their position or heads for the door of the train.  I’ve begun to view this as a kind of cool opportunity to see whether I can salvage the sketch and give it some new direction.  I like this new challenge as it adds something interesting to the game and forces me to deal with what I have in a way I wasn’t anticipating.

We’ve all been there.

My apologies for the inconsistent posting lately.  I’m trying my best to get a handle on a new job and a great–but intense–tshirt design gig.  I’ll follow up with a look at some of these recent designs soon, but for now I hope you enjoy this sketch of a late night EL rider in the Chicago underground.

Thanks for checking out my art as I’m really enjoying this new venue and especially value your feedback.  Enjoy the weekend.

This totem pole towers over most of the others in the North West Coast Native American exhibit.  The raven is the animal I spent time sketching, but a pretty cool “sea bear” sits below him.  This spectacular host post greeted you at the entrance of Charles Edenshaw’s residence before it made its way to the The Field Museum.

These were the words coming out over the subway PA that struck me as kind of amusing.  Because ambient sounds add so much to these scenes, I have it in mind to run some of these sketches along with the audio tracks I record while sketching them.  I hope to start hitting this soon.

Dan Eldon’s work (above) continues to inspire me to take more creative risks and break away from the familiar.  I strongly recommend picking up the amazing collection of his 17 personal journals, “The Journey is the Destination,” delicately compiled by his mother following his death while working as a Reuters photographer in Mogadishu in 1993.  He was only 22 years old.  His vision was unique and inspiring, and his artwork is an affirmation of living a passionate life.  I’m so happy that his family decided to share this with the world and continue to use Dan’s story to inspire others through their non-profit, The Creative Visions Foundation.

You can see more about Dan and check out a few samples of the journals, but you really have to just pick up a copy.

I’m trying my best to follow Dan’s example by using a variety of media and creating more interesting spreads in my journal.  I feel like I’m just barely scratching the surface and I’m excited to see where I can take it.

I’ve been taking the train to work a lot more lately and it’s been working out well.  The blue line isn’t quite as crowded as it’s been, which definitely helps for the sketching.

This guy greets you right after you make your way into the museum’s Nature Walk.  I generally just take a cruise through the hall and see which animal calls out to me.  Yesterday, the pelican got the nod.

I have to hand it to the taxidermists–they’ve done an amazing job retaining the personality of these animals.  The habitats the artists created for the displays have mindblowing detail as well.  What was once one of my least favorite spots in the museum is now somewhere I find myself sketching a lot.