If a Tree Falls in the Woods…

…and no one is around to hear it – does it make a sound? I don’t know. But I do know if a tree falls behind your house at 3 o’clock in the morning you sure as hell are going to hear it. A record setting year for rainfall mixed with high winds was more than the giant oak tree could handle. I was awoken to, what I thought was, a train crashing through my bedroom. Turns out it was just the enormous oak behind us uprooting and bringing down the 3 nearby power lines with it. Thankfully that’s all it took with it – it fell about the only direction it could to not fall on someone or something. In fact, the tree snapped in two as it fell directly on top of a power line pole, saving several cars that would have been in the way.

What Sound Does a Giraffe Make?

I flew back to Texas for the Thanksgiving holiday to see my family. There have been lots of new additions over the last 2 years. I took home some prints for the little ones to put up in their rooms. Some of them are starting to talk and they’ve been learning what sounds certain animals make. As I showed them each picture they proudly blurted out the appropriate noises and acted out the movements – toddler charades is much more entertaining than you would think.

“RAAWWWRRR!”

‘Very good! That’s exactly what a tiger sounds like…’

“OOH OOH, AH AH!” (scratching head with one hand)

‘Yay! It IS a monkey!’

[Silence]

‘Hmmm…what sound does a giraffe make? Or a zebra for that matter?’

(Shoulder shrug)

‘I’ll pick better animals next time.’

Drawing 10.12.09

1 minute poses

2 minute poses

 

Drawing 10.5.09

1 minute

1 minute

10 minutes

Gourdgeous

I reused my headless horseman design the following evening for the Atkins Park Pumpkin Carving Competition. Eight impressive contestants battled, knives in one hand, beer in the other, for the ultimate prize: bragging rights for best control of motor skills while drinking $50 in house cash. The floors piled high with orange innards, the tables cluttered with empty bottles, the sculptors made incisions with surgeon like precision stabbed wildly into their fleshy canvases, the servers grimaced at the mess – some of their faces rivaling the reliefs in progress.

The bell eventually rang signaling to the proud participants it was time to put down our knives (but not necessarily our drinks). The house lights were dimmed as candles were lowered into position. The smokey interior of the bar created a ghostly fog around the glowing gourds on display. Intense judging ensued: fellow carvers, Atkins Park employees, awed bar patrons, and a homeless guy who had wandered in to use the bathroom all cast their ballots.

In the end, my headless horseman was raised in victory. Much like King Mufasa proudly holding his son, Simba, before the rest of the pride, so I hoisted my baby before the throngs of listless bar-goers…and that homeless guy. I had never felt so proud.

Special thanks to Julie, for the picture, and The Pizza Maker, for moral support

O My Gourd

My office held its first annual pumpkin carving ‘contest’ today. I hadn’t carved a pumpkin in years, but with the help of my trusty $2.99 pumpkin carving kit from Target, a favorite childhood activity was relived. I’ll blame my rusty carving skills on a 10 year hiatus from the sport. Everyone had a good time carving, no one suffered an injury,  and all the pumpkins turned out nicely…Happy Halloween.

Chairish The Future 2010

I just received word I’ve been chosen to participate in The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta’s, Chairish The Future fundraiser again next year! The Furniture Bank works tirelessly to help those moving out of homelessness and fleeing domestic violence get back on their feet. By providing bedding and other basic furniture needs, the Bank facilitates a smooth and timely transition for clients into their new homes. Artist’s participating in the fundraiser will be creating works of art from ordinary pieces of furniture and selling them at auction. Last year’s event raised $40,000 with all proceeds benefitting the Furniture Bank. I am fortunate to be participating in this event for the 3rd straight year. Below are my entries from previous years. You can see lots of last year’s entries here: Chairish The Future 2009

More photos of my entries here and here

Do You, Monkey, Take This Duck?

This particular client generally comes to me with character driven illustration needs, which I must say, are my favorite to work on. She was designing a wedding announcement for a couple who was not afraid to get away from the calligraphy and the flourishes. I did not get the full story on what exactly all the details meant, but each one was important to the couple and uniquely their own. It was a quick 3 day turnaround and one of those projects that feels more like fun than work.

August Dog Rescue

I mentioned I’ve been working on the August Dog Rescue project a few posts ago. The website is nearing completion thanks to the help of a talented friend and I wanted to post a few sneak peeks. A donation page is set up in the mean time here:  August Dog Rescue

Jolly Green Bike Across the Nation

A shout out to my buddy, Michael Galardi, who recently completed an 11,000 mile journey biking across the nation. He took off last January 1, just he and his bike, on a mission to discover America and encourage, inspire, motivate and teach others along the way what can be accomplished when you put your mind to something. His trek across 48 states took him only 8 months to complete! Michael documented his travels which you can check out at The Jolly Green Ice Machine. Congratulations on a truly incredible accomplishment.