be the good little soldier

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend! After hanging a show last week, I took the weekend off for visiting family, old friends, and one new (to me) absolute amazement in the culinary world. I speak of, ladies and gentlemen, Strong Hearts Cafe, located in none other than Downtown Syracuse! I'm always the first to bash Syracuse youth culture, but this all-vegan cafe made me envious, we definitely have nothing on caliber with Strong Hearts in Rochester. Great theme, amazing and creative dishes, and I didn't even try a milkshake! I only wish I had taken pictures of our food :)
Sometimes it takes a trip home to really appreciate how far you've come since moving away. I had one of these realizations the other day... now if only I can hold onto that for the serious career/life-path disgruntled days, I'd be all set.

So... I hung my show at the brand-spanking new Roc Brewing Co. last week. I can't wait for them to open! The beer is great, the atmosphere is awesome, definitely something new and unique coming to Rochester. You can join me for a pint when they open, which will be VERYSOON!



Some sketches for my next show in September at Orange Glory Cafe, which is bicycle themed :) Yes, I haven't drawn in a week. Yes, I am rusty.

Seersucker Preview

I had a great Seersucker Social this weekend, thanks to all who attended, and helped out! Here are a few of the photos, more available on Joe's Flickr account. Also, a big congrats to Joe, whose photos from the fall Tweed Run have recently earned him some international attention, and who will be photographing the NYC Tweed Run in the fall! YAY!
Below, Jason and Kellie on the Schwinn Twinn:

Karl and Janelle at the beach:

The group turns (see if you can find me!):

Our most Dapper Dandy and youngest rider! BOYS RULE!

finger pickin on a six string, and the strings are made of steel.

I've been trying to sketch from memory/imagination a lot more lately, since my friend Carly inspired me to :) This is NOT from memory, I definitely looked at my hand while doing this sketch... and tried to add more patterning. It's a very interesting sketch for the situation, sitting in a coffeeshop in Brooklyn, feeling a bit defeated after missing our train back to Rochester, because we spent too much time going to Grimaldi's for lunch. Also feeling guilty about being away from my studio for so long.

I've been really itching to do a piece based on Miles Davis. After trying (and failing) to draw a younger version of him, I returned to an old photo reference in my library, and realized that I had drawn this before, in July of 2008. The great thing about his face, and many people's, is that your true character comes with age. The reason that the younger painting didn't work out is because I couldn't get a likeness, the character of age just wasn't there yet. So, a blast from sketchbooks past, the drawing from 2008:

In-progress drawing from May 2011. I'm working both with a micron and liquid ink, which I haven't used in awhile. The final product I want to have a lot of nice texture from the pen when you get up close, and still hold up from far away. I'm working on the windows, since I have a show going up next Monday at Roc Brewing Co., a new brewery opening up in June!

I can't get away from this image of Buster Keaton. I painted him on a window last year, and the window broke. Take 2!

Ooooeeeoooooo, Killer Tofu

I'm back! I promised that I wouldn't leave forever. To make up for the lack of blogging, here's a SUPERBLOG.

First and foremost, I went down for a stay in Brooklyn for a few days at the end of April/beginning of May. Let me tell you, the FOOD was phenomenal! Pictured below, we ate breakfast our first morning at Four & Twenty Blackbirds. With a minimal logo, a charming interior, and the most delicious artisan pies I've ever had... I had fallen in love. From there, we had some crazy awesome sushi, amazing Mexican, well-deserved post bike tour French food at Moutarde, and yeah, we couldn't stop going to get sandwiches at 'Snice (the most delicious vegetarian/vegan sandwich place, whom I wish had a website!). We may have missed our first train back and had to stay an extra day... but that was just an excuse to try more food :)

Oh yeah, we rode in the 5boro Bike tour as well! This year we got a little lost after lunch and had to ride around to find the group. Luckily, we made it to the end okay, and got the ferry back!

You can tell that I'm writing this blog while a bit hungry for dinner... but I've become OBSESSED with fresh bagels lately. The other morning we made some everything bagels up with fresh made veggie cream cheese... soooo good.

Before you bake the bagels, you boil them. This is what a boiled bagel becomes (I couldn't help the alliteration!).

A sketch of a logo I'm working on for Roni's Rochester Study of Healthy Minds and Bodies. This is the first time I've sketched in charcoal in years!

A finished commissioned painting for a farmer friend. BOEUF! BOEUF! BOEUF!

So then, I started wondering about the cuts of beef.

Finally, a finished version of the Seersucker Social poster. It's coming up soon!