Friday, December 27, 2013

She's a never-ending story.

2013 has passed us by, and here we are looking at a new change, a new beginning. It has been a busy month for me! Moving to Portland changed my winters, as I've seen maybe an inch of snow since I've gotten here. To cope with the change, I'm drawing snow quite a bit! I drew this up for the winter solstice, and just printed some for my etsy. I'm not very well-versed (get it?) on poetry, but I really love this one.

This is a shot of just the first layer, which I was really pleased with.

It was such a pleasure to work with Take Berlin on this tour poster.

I had some fun with this "tea rex". I gave one to my mom and she didn't get it, and asked why a lizard was pouring tea. You can't win them all!

I love cooking, and Julia Child, so I made some limited edition printed aprons. I'd love to do more of these in the future.

I did my first show poster for a Portland show that my friend organized! It was really fun to work on, and the show was for a great cause.

I have had this elephant image shifting around in my mind for awhile now, so I finally made a final project with it, that relates to my yoga practice.

I made a print of it too! Prints for everything :)

I finished up this Neverland illustration for a tattoo design that my friend is getting. I really can't wait to see it inked on flesh.

It was a real pleasure to finally work with the guys from 28 North on this tee shirt design! It makes me want to draw more space themed illustrations.

These dog paintings were a commission for a Christmas present. I love drawing animals, and I know both of these dogs, so that was an added bonus.

Finally, a fun little painting on wood. I'm getting ready to hang two shows in January, and this will go in one of them!

Monday, November 18, 2013

Portlandia style

Hello! I moved to Portland, Oregon from Rochester, New York. WOW! I drove across the country with an old friend, got stuck on the way, and had a great American adventure. The past month and a half here have been a happy blur of yoga, cycling, art, running, beer, and making new friends. Change is the ultimate tonic. I've neglected this blog in favor of microblogging; my instagram and facebook illustrator page. But, here's a short recap for you;
When I landed, I had a sublet for a month and a half. There was a time of not feeling totally grounded. At the start of this month, I moved into the most wonderful house. I have three awesome roommates, two cats in residence, and TWO CHICKENS! I eat fresh eggs every day (I freaking love eggs), and visit them in the backyard quite a bit. Our seven month old kitty likes to chase them, it's really funny. So, my first project in my permanent house was a chicken print! It's also available on my etsy.

I'm currently working on this really fun "Neverland" themed illustration. I re-watched the old Mary Martin version of Peter Pan as research for this illustration. it was a lot of fun!

This past weekend I worked with The Art of Shaving's Seattle store, doing live window painting. This was a sketch that I did to prepare myself for the project.

I've been doing a series of drawings on the days of famous musicians' birthdays, just for fun. Neil Young's birthday was November 12.

My first project when I landed in Portland was AMAZING. When I first started doing show posters, I had no idea what to do with type. A friend showed me the old Fillmore posters, and my life, and art, was changed forever. It was such an honor to work with them! Even better, I got to draw my cat, Madeye. When I moved across the country, I surrendered her to my parents. It was hard to say goodbye, and this tribute helped the transition.

I wanted to make a holiday card this year, because moving really made me want to stay in touch with friends all over the country on a more intimate level. I'll be printing these bad boys up soon, and sending them out.

Here are some of the window paintings that I got to do at The Art of Shaving this past weekend in Seattle. This was also my first time visiting Seattle in 12 years! It's really great to be so close, and I got to see old friends as well, which is an added bonus.

Here's Joni Mitchell! Her birthday was November 7.

This is another warm up drawing that I did for The Art of Shaving. They started in NYC, so I got to draw the Brooklyn Bridge.

I recently visited the Portland Art Museum and saw their Samurai exhibit! WOW! My favorite part of it was the masks for the horses.

Finally, a portrait of Jonny Greenwood, mainly known for his work in Radiohead, and also a composer. I love his soundtrack work that he has done. His birthday was November 5.

Monday, September 23, 2013

A spoonful of sugar is all it takes.

Happy Autumn to everyone! September is always such a great, busy month. I feel like it's trained into us as we grow up and go through school, starting school is almost like a new year, a rebirth. When I would start a fresh new school year I remember the new clothing, the new backpacks, pens, and binders. I remember the resolutions made at the start of a school year... this year I would stay more organized, do all of my homework early, get straight A's. Five years out of college, I still make those resolutions. This fall brings a big change to me, as I am moving from Rochester, the city I've lived in since I transferred to RIT seven years ago, to start a new adventure in Portland, OR. I've been incredibly blessed to be busy with projects up until I leave, with some projects on deck for when I get out there. To begin with, (585) Magazine published a wonderful article about yours truly and the poster work that I do. Below, a photo of yours truly in my current studio.

Halloween is on its way! It's always a pleasure to be involved with the group shows at 1975 Gallery. This is my piece for the skull-themed "Volo Calvariam". I love drawing skulls, but I needed a new challenge. I took some inspiration from Edward Gorey, and decided to challenge myself with fitting in as many skulls as I could. This piece features EIGHTEEN SKULLS!

I've loved Andrew Bird for quite awhile. I also enjoy doing portraits for my warm-up drawings. Finally, I love the rain.

I did a series of tee shirt designs for The Barn Owl. These were a lot of fun!


I'm so excited to be working with Righteous Babe Records on some new projects. Below, a tee shirt design for Ms. Ani. I was incredibly intimidated to draw a portrait for her, but I do love to challenge myself.

I'm finishing up some last minute window paintings. I was lucky enough to sell all of the ones that I had before shipping out West, as windows do not travel well.

This past April I attended the National Poster Retrospecticus when it came through 1975 gallery here in Rochester. I was STUNNED by the show... as a poster artist, it was so inspiring. I told my friend who was with me that I wanted to be in that show in five years. This summer, I emailed the guy in charge, asking how one goes about this. He emailed me back, asking me to send over some prints of my moon mice to be part of the show! Sometimes, all you need to do is ask.

Finally, a piece I did for Mindful Rochester.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Writes on most surfaces.

Somehow, the summer has almost passed us by. How does this happen so quickly? At the beginning of the year, I heard this quote for the first time. It kept coming back to me, and back to me, so I finally made it into a poster. This poster will be available on my etsy.

Another new project; I'm very excited to work again with The Barn Owl, a wonderful birding and nature center located in Penfield, New York. I spoke with the owner about their growing number and species of animals there, and this was truly a joy to create.

As always, I'm still drawing new anatomy work. I'm having an opening of my anatomy show at lululemon athletica Rochester next Friday, August 16, from 4-6pm. I'll be doing some live painting from a model, then filling in some muscles and bones... and talking about what's inside us, and what drives us.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Don't forget to breathe.

Today marked a real honor in my illustration career, as I hung my work at the Lululemon Athletica Rochester Showroom. About five years ago, I started going to the gym on a regular basis while I had the wonderful RIT gym to work out in. It marked a turning point in my life. I grew up as a chubby, sensitive kid who quit things easily. I can remember the few times that I did sign up for sports just not working out. For some reason, at age 25, it clicked for me. I lost weight, gained confidence, and gained a healthy outlet for tension in life. As I left college and entered into the "real world", I no longer had a gym membership. I became obsessed with my bike. Each year I became stronger and did more, it became a way to set goals for myself as well. About a year and a half ago, I came to yoga. My New Years resolution was based on three factors; I was training for a 100 mile bike ride, I had hurt my lower back that fall, and I was transitioning out of a dying relationship. I came to yoga for purely physical reasons, but my practice soon became so much more to me. My mat became a refuge, a home base, and as I travel, my mat goes with me. The community that I have met through my home studio, Tru Yoga, have become some of my favorite friends. Sharing the commonality of yoga, we all come from different areas of life and we all have wisdom to share. My outlook on life has changed dramatically through my practice as well. Finally, my practice inspired me to start doing anatomy studies this past fall. The human body is so amazing, and I've really enjoyed putting this show together, and I hope to continue this show as a traveling show that is always evolving. I will be having an opening reception for this show, date TBA. Below, some shots of the show hanging:


Monday, July 8, 2013

Got the flavor.

Dear blog friends, I had a great last month. I launched my website! Carla Bartow (.com) is IN FULL EFFECT! I have to thank my friend Carly for being a huge help, thank you!!!!!

Of course, I made a new business card to match, because that's how I roll. You may recognize this bear from an earlier tee shirt design for Righteous Babe Records.

On a personal note, I saw Mister David Byrne for the first time in my life about two weeks ago. The influence that this man's music, art, and writing has had on me... I can't start to describe. The choreography of the set was amazing, and the music... well... I'm still buzzing.. I am truly blessed.

My latest project has been for The Driftwood Sailors' goodbye show. I am sad that I get to know this band through their last show, as the nautical theme is a favorite of mine. While working on this print, I moved studios, which was pretty major. Below, the first print that I made in my new studio.
Ladies and gents, the final product! I'm really, really happy with how it came out.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

She was a young American.

I've been working more on my Thom Yorke self-promotional illustration for my website launch! The website is still being finished up.... it's almost there! In the meantime, I did create an etsy for my posters. Here is the print of the Thom Yorke illustration:

Here's the final illustration! I got a little obsessive about the diagonals in this composition, and I'm quite pleased with the "flow".

I'm still drawing anatomy! I've been thinking about the sternocleidomastoid muscle, that beautiful muscle that connects between the back of the ear and runs diagonally down to the collarbone. I remember learning about this muscle from an old illustration friend in undergrad, and how drawing it makes people look awesome. I also recently overexerted mine during a pilates class.

Also from the sketchbook, what's not to love about a young, handsome David Bowie?

My latest poster is for a wonderful show that's coming up, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at the Bug Jar! What a treat to do a poster for a band that's been bringing it for over twenty years. I can't wait to see them! This poster also helped me to confront my fear of Koi Fish. I had to go to the conservatory to shoot reference of them, and when they come above water with their mouths it unsettles me. When they swim and keep their weird mouths underwater, however, they are quite graceful. Below, the original sketch:

The original print:
The final product! Cheers!

Finally, my illustrations have made it overseas! The band Phly Boyz have printed up some stellar cards!