President's Day 2014

To commemorate today, I thought it would be fun to share something 'presidential' that I made a few years back, in the first grade.  Miraculously, this clay George Washington face has survived all these years later and now hangs in my studio.  This is for you old friend, Happy Birthday George!

Mudpuppy Magnetic Trains

This one's for aspiring engineers and railroad enthusiasts young and old. Thank you Cynthia at Galison-Mudpuppy for another fun opportunity - working on this playset was like being a kid again. Check them out here.

Olympic Gold

I just learned, this beautifully produced 30 second spot will air tonight,  in select markets,  during the Sochi Games Opening Ceremony.  This one is a source of happiness and pride, a big win for the host city Cleveland and a positive, lasting recognition of equality - so needed today.  Equality is Golden.

 *concept sketches, where all our ideas begin and are sometimes more interesting than the finish

Willy Wonka

*here, I knocked the saturation down and added a few elements, inspired by Cleveland's steelyards and warehouses. 

I've been in a world of Pure Imagination this past week developing these for Caryl Crane Youth Theatre's latest production, Willy Wonka. It's been a fun rediscovery of this classic story. ...and really, what's not to like?  Yummy, imaginative treats, catchy songs, and a poor kid, with heart, winning the day! I'm thrilled for the talented CCYT cast and crew and can't wait to see the show.

Pure Imagination

by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley

Come with me
and you'll be
in a world of
Pure Imagination
take a look
and you'll see
into your imagination

We'll begin
with a spin
traveling in
the world of my creation
what we'll see
will defy
explanation

If you want to view paradise
simply look around and view it
anything you want to, do it
wanta change the world?
there's nothing
to it

There is no

life I know

to compare with

Pure Imagination

living there

you'll be free

if you truly 

wish to be.

MLK

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"
-Martin Luther King

*linework version, drawn with a stick (a twig really) and brown ink. It was fun experimenting.

Spotted: NYC Travel Journal

My NYC journal was spotted twice recently.  First in Where Magazine (pictured above) Thanks Christopher for finding this one!

And then this past weekend, in the gift shop of the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. (above) It makes me happy to see these out there! If you'd like to get your own, you can find them here.

*cover design

*back cover design

Old Cards

Came across this pair of cards a while back on the rack at Target.  I designed them long ago, but I liked seeing them side by side, and still in print. Together, they seem to tell a story and make me want to hum The Only Living Boy in New York or Bleecker Street ; )