When I was a kid, my favorite activity was exploring the woods near our home. One day I came across my first salamander. It was THE coolest thing I had seen up to that point. It was like a frog and a lizard combined. What could be cooler? I also quickly realized that, like a frog, it needed a moist environment to flourish. Which makes it all the more crazy that in ancient times, salamanders were considered creatures of fire! That notion is thought to have originated when prehistoric people would gather old, dead wood to burn - and when doing so the occasional salamander would emerge from the fire! (moist dead wood being a favorite home of theirs). So a legend began to develop that there were large salamanders out there with the power to start and extinguish fires! Kind of cool. But not as cool as just a plain old wet-log loving salamander.
I'll be on a BookCon Panel this weekend!
Check it out if you have time! If not I believe they’ll be recording it so it can be viewed later. Must remember not to pick my nose….
Underwater Adventure
This is a sketch from a project I’m currently making the final art for . So much has changed with the story, and while I think the current version is better, I like how intense the creature looks in this old sketch.
Goodbye Old Friend
A week ago my dear old dog and friend Marcus passed away. He was a spirited, ornery as hell wire haired fox terrier who had been a close part of my life for 17 years. My wife and I called him one of our “protochildren” (along with two cats), our kids before we had kids. I’ll miss him dearly! If you look at many MANY of my old paintings and illustrations, you’ll find him.
This is very VERY accurate representation of Marcus’s personality.
A painting from a board book made many years ago staring Marcus. You’ll be missed, buddy!
The Station
An old sketch of a train station from a story that I put on ice many moons ago. I’m itching to get these characters back in action when the time is right!
Going for a drive
A Mercury Lander
George Caleb Bingham
Recently I made some illustrations for the Notable Missourian book on the painter George Caleb Bingham. He was an interesting man in both art and politics.
Young George sits and watches Chester Harding paint a portrait of Daniel Boone. His love of art was now official.
George went east to study the works in the big museums there.
George was passionate about the plight of the people, and got deeply into politics.
Not only did George enjoy politics, but he used it as a subject of many of his works.
George as an elder teaching a painting class.
KC - Town of arts and big ideas
Here is another rough sketch for the KC project. Deciding the best way to illustrate how KC is a town of arts and big ideas was a bit of a challenge. In this sketch I wanted to try out a bustling First Friday feel with the Kauffman Center for the Performing arts in the background. I always want to call it the Kauffman Performing Arts Center. Seems like better economy of words. Haha me talking about economy of words!
Anyways I'm excited. I think I'm caught up enough on projects to get some make up sleep tonight. Hmm, I'm realizing that my make up sleep is still less than most peoples normal sleep. But I'll take it!
