hair there
I recently made a fun departure into celebrity portraits, for a potential wall mural for a hair salon. They asked for portraits of people with iconic hair that defined their era. I love doing visual anthropology, searching for image files, seeing a person’s lifetime at a glance within my tattered clipping files or on Bing. Here are some of my sketches, see if you recognize them. First person to name all 6 correctly wins a print of their...
Read Moreart from there to here
It’s always good to get off the Rock. We enjoyed a rare visit to the Amherst home of James Steinberg and Paola di Stefano, fellow artists and fond friends from way back. Their feisty chickens inspired this quick pastel. After a breakfast of fresh eggs, James gave this wee book he illustrated to our juggling daughter. I love their art collection, especially a mask with some Year of the Snake spirit. They pointed us west and we headed to Mass MoCA, where we were riveted by Xu Bing’s Pheonix Project. It’s gigantic and resourceful, made entirely from construction debris in...
Read Moreboston blast with MECA seniors
My Maine College of Art senior illustration students recently blasted to Boston, with department chair Scott Nash at the helm of our rocket ship. Our first landing was Cloud Kid, where we received warm and furry greetings. Creative Director Dave Schlafman gave an engaging talk about their work, specific projects underway, and a tour of the lively studio. It’s true, every member of his team has their head in the clouds! We loved the murals.. and the toy collections.. Thanks to Cloud Kid for sharing their professional wisdom and awesomeness. The glimpse of real-life creativity totally...
Read Morea yarnish tale
We had our first snow the other night. Time to pull the woolly sweaters out of the trunk. I did the above sketch in early rounds for Cast On Cast Off by Leslie Ann Bestor, which Publisher’s Weekly just named one of the top lifestyle books of the year! Noting that “clear presentation distinguishes this reference guide that should be on the shelves of knitters who want to develop their craft and their own style” I am thrilled. My first sketches were too narrative, and eventually my illustrations play a suggestive role, indicating a knitwear piece at the beginning of each...
Read MoreHalloween Peaks Island style
I’ve been getting into an eery mood watching my middle school crush. Sketched this from an episode of The Best of Dark Shadows. Despite the vintage production values, the show remains creepy as ever. Only two pumpkins survived the warm, wet weather in order to be carved. Our trick or treater scopes out the moonrise before setting out. We stopped in at the Gem Gallery early on. It’s a tradition to see what Witch Kristen has to offer. After avoiding the haunted house at the Lions Club, but scoring an apple, we were drawn to our final destination, best saved for last: the Nash...
Read MoreMECA mid-term musings
Things are busy in my junior illustration majors studio course at Maine College of Art. Students recently completed illustrating a rituals theme, with solutions ranging from an annual naked bike ride in Philadelphia, to Burning Man, to the piece below by Kiah Gardner, which fits today’s mood in a fetching way. Kiah’s interest in fiber relief was renewed by a recent visit from Salley Mavor, who gave a fantastic lecture about her professional journey and working methods in early October. She brought original pieces of her unique fiber relief illustrations. While students are...
Read MoreVisit JamieHogan.com
