critters
There’s an amazing show of infinite delight at the UNE Art Gallery called “Critters.” Having just delivered all the art for a picture book about animals affected by climate changes, I was keen to see animal art. The show is swarming with sculpture inside and out; there’s a dizzying amount to take in. There are well-known artists like William Wegman, Bernard Langlais, Dahlov Ipcar, and even a couple of artists I was surprised to find, like former colleague Joe Begnaud, and fellow pastel artist Wade Zahares. Certain creatures called to me, like this school of ceramic...
Read Moresketchbook project comes to town
At last, the traveling road show known as the Sketchbook Project is in town for a speed date with Portland. Since the venue is right down the street from MECA, it made for a relevant field trip for my illustration class. Since parting with my sketchbook back in January, I’ve been wondering how the whole thing works. 10,000 sketchbooks? How does that happen? We lined up for a Brooklyn Art Library card, then you choose from a huge category of themes, your card is scanned, and a friendly person finds 2 sketchbooks for you to look at. And there are a ton of sketchbooks. My students were to...
Read Morewelcoming guests at MECA
The little hive known as MECA was plenty busy during the first half of the spring semester. In Illustration 2, we welcomed some amazing guests. Last Thursday, just in from San Francisco, a dynamic pair of creators arrived to tell their story. Hugh D’Andrade and Mati McDonough frequently collaborate, as couples often do. Yet they have very different approaches to their work. They made a presentation first to the junior illustration majors. Hugh studied fine art at the California College of Art and after graduating, began doing free art for friends, for posters around San Francisco for...
Read Morelibrary love
“Most people don’t realize how important librarians are. I ran across a book recently which suggested that the peace and prosperity of a culture was solely related to how many librarians it contained. Possibly a slight overstatement. But a culture that doesn’t value its librarians doesn’t value ideas and without ideas, well, where are we?” — Neil Gaiman This quote comes currently with any e-mail from Moira Steven, the enthusiastic librarian at the Joanne Waxman Library at Maine College of Art. I love books, and thus libraries, and in Moira I’ve found a robust guide and...
Read Moresweet slice of MECA
A pie I made for a recent illustration faculty gathering sums it up: sweet things are going on at Maine College of Art. I’m pretty excited about the illustration department, growing and transforming. The ever stylish Alex Rheault hosted a potluck, she’s seen here with visiting illustrator Dave Schlafman. It was a rare but delicious chance to connect over what we care about: making illustration as exciting a field for our students as it is for us. Things just got hotter as the week went on. My sophomore class brought in their love zines, little editions of their take on love....
Read Moresketch book project
Today’s the deadline for the Sketchbook Project! It’s been a fun engagement, and I’m almost sad to see it go. A recent Snow Day helped, allowing time for natural wonders and drawing. A walk with the dog begins the day, sharpening my powers of observation. Noticed Perry’s wheelbarrow ready to cart some powder. The fresh air invigorates my need to organize. Sharpen every pencil and take stock of my tools. With the MECA semester about to begin, I have class on my mind. Here are some drawings done for the Sketchbook Project during a model session. I usually draw along...
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