Rob Funderburk Posts Interests

Portrait batch for Czyniejewski's Chicago Stories

2011-11-13T20:49:00.000-06:00

Dennis Rodman

Barreling through sketch portraits for Chicago Stories by Michael Czyzniejewski -- 25 or so by time I'm through, quick shots above and below of today's crop for your interests. Total roster are attendants to Chicago history small and large, humanities rendered in swift fictional monologues by Mikey Chiz.

Dennis Rodman


David Yow

I call Michael "Mikey Chiz" here cause he said I ought quit referring to him as "Mr. Czyniejewski". Maybe I did a couple times.

John Wentworth

Rod Blagojevich

Mayor Jane Byrne

Sister Carrie

Skip Dillard

Several more on the way, and a done thing this spring, a paperback and easy to carry, from Curbside Splendor. More soon; info & preordering at Curbside Splendor.

Chicago Stories by Michael Czyzniejewski
Spring 2012 from Curbside Splendor
Pre-order now: http://goo.gl/1nWII

Chicago Stories by Czyzniejewski

2011-11-06T19:05:00.000-06:00

Cover has just been approved, and I'm working diligently now on a whole slew of portraits for Chicago Stories by Michael Czyzniejewski, forthcoming this spring from Curbside Splendor. I'll share some in-progress sneak-peeks as we proceed!

Really exciting project -- great folks to work with, and a delight reading Mr. Czyzniejewski's sophisticated renderings of imaginary monologues from a range of notable Chicagoans, some near the surface of the city's consciousness and others a bit deeper down, all implicit in the ethos and mythology of place here, sometimes hilarious, typically brilliant -- a job well done by Czy I'll hope to serve well with attendant art.

More soon, and check it out: curbsidesplendor.com/curbside/books/chicago-stories

Chicago Stories by Michael Czyzniejewski
Spring 2012 from Curbside Splendor
Pre-order now: http://goo.gl/1nWII

AV-Aerie sketches

2011-09-27T22:15:00.002-05:00

Component renderings from project for Chicago Opera Vanguard at AV-Aerie (RIP), 2009. Turned these up the other day moving some rolls of paper, just though I'd share. Click them to see them bigger.

Visual Reportage from China, c1890

2011-08-24T19:52:00.005-05:00

Bound sets of Chinese huabao, c1890.

D.B. Dowd, an illustrator, visual journalist and teacher in St. Louis, Missouri, is at work on an exhibition project called Drawing Conclusions: The Illustrator as Reporter, projected for 2014 and including historical examples of illustrated press from China. I stumbled Dowd's posts about these today and am very excited to see more.

In 1872, a Chinese daily newspaper called Shenbao was launched by a British publishing interest that employed Chinese reporters, editors, illustrators and printers. After initial success and some format experiments, the group introduced illustrated supplements called huabao ("pictorials"), beginning in 1884 with Dianshizhai Huabao and later Feiyingge Huabao. Below is a spread from the first issue of Dianshizhai Huabao describing a battle of the Sino-French War.

Wu Youru, "Forceful Attack at Bac Ninh," Dianshizhai Huabao #1, 1884.

And here is another characteristic huabao news image, describing a trainwreck reported from America in 1890.

Visual report of American trainwreck by Wu Youru, Feiyingge Huabao, September 1890.

Detail of above image by Wu Youru.

Along with a lot of great information about visual reportage more broadly, Mr. Dowd assures he'll write more these pictorials in coming posts on his blog: ulcercity.blogspot.com

Best of luck, Mr. Dowd, and thanks for sharing.

Chicago Tribune Cartoonists, 1931

2011-08-07T15:49:00.000-05:00

Excerpt from the silent 1931 promotional documentary "From Trees to Tribunes," featuring the Chicago Tribune company's stable of cartoonists at that time:

This video edit is courtesy of Hugo Sleestak on YouTube. All three parts of the original film can be downloaded at archive.org.

five buildings as if on one block together

2011-07-26T16:47:00.002-05:00

Click on any of these images to see them bigger.

Gene's Sausage Shop, Chicago

Fielded an interesting challenge from art director Josh Engleman at Time Out Chicago: draw five specific restaurants — spread across town in reality — as if they were on the same imaginary block together. Coulda really spent a lot of time geeking-out on this one but had to turn it around pretty quick — maybe thankfully, heh.

Illustration for Time Out Chicago #333 (click to see it big)

The illustration accompanies the article "These Roofs Are On Fire!" by Julia Kramer & David Tamarkin in Time Out Chicago's print issue #333, along with photos spotlighting these local restaurants with great new rooftop patios (L to R in my illo above -- click it to see it bigger):

Davanti Enoteca: 1359 W Taylor St, davantichicago.com
Owen & Engine: 2700 N Western Ave, owenengine.com
Gene's Sausage Shop: 4750 N Lincoln Ave, genessausageshop.com
Reggie's: 2105 S State St, reggieslive.com/musicjoint
Studio Paris at Paris Club: 59 W Hubbard St, parisclubchicago.com

Thanks, Josh, for a real interesting assignment.

Davanti Enoteca (on imaginary block), Chicago

Owen & Engine / Gene's Sausage Shop (on imaginary block), Chicago

Reggie's (on imaginary block), Chicago

Reggie's / Paris Club (on imaginary block), Chicago

Zermatt: Hotel Valliserhof

2011-07-23T19:01:00.001-05:00

Untitled, originally uploaded by Art of the Luggage Label.

From a set of images of hotel luggage labels by L.M. Kohler, posted by Tom Schifanella on Flickr.

En Route Project in Chicago

2011-07-21T13:43:00.003-05:00

I contributed a small, stealthy art effort to this really interesting theater project going on right now in Chicago — can't say what I did exactly or show pictures without spoiling it, but if you're in Chicago at all now through August 13th, I'd encourage you to check it out:

en route

July 12 — August 13, Tuesday — Saturday
Downtown Chicago, multiple locations
3 times a day: 11am, 2pm & 5pm
$35/ticket: chicagoshakes.com

Created by One Step at a Time Like This, visiting artists from Melbourne, Australia. Presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater World's Stage Series in association with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture.

Audience members are invited on an extraordinary journey through downtown Chicago, guided by audio tracks, mobile phone communications and embedded prompts throughout the cityscape that shift perceptions and encourage guests to make and remake their environment. The artists' collaborative investigation extends to include audience as well as unwitting passersby, and notions like private vs. public and concrete vs. imaginary effectively intersect, overlap and merge, resulting in a uniquely resonant experience.

The project is receiving great reviews (click underlines to read them whole):

Time Out Chicago: "A deliciously devised, surprise-laden piece of theater-as-walking-tour... the prods to reexamine Chicago spaces are a delicious jolt to the system."
— 5 STARS

Chicago Tribune: "… wholly immersive of the psyche. I went stressed out, shoving it between other commitments, and wholly cynical about how a company from Melbourne could possibly teach us anything about life in Chicago. They could. They did… one of those rushes of feeling and experience and self-actualization that usually cost you a great deal of money and involve hot-air balloons or space or something weird and ridiculous."
— 4 STARS

Chicago Reader: "… blessedly MacGuffinless from beginning to end… didn't turn into a self-guided tour (or) one of those colossally condescending attempts to reintroduce me to my city, help me see it afresh, etc… Their piece isn't about getting us to see the city but about getting us to see, period."

Newcity "... I can’t say this emphatically enough: 'Go do it!'"
— RECOMMENDED

Place-specific presentations of en route have received critical acclaim in Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Australia's Melbourne and Adelaide Fringe Festivals. The company is the recipient of a London 2012 Festival Cultural Olympiad commission to create en route in London as part of next summer's Olympic Games.

Special thanks to Greta Honold for the invitation to participate. Great project, great folks.

stacked stencils, before i put em away

2011-07-16T22:12:00.002-05:00

hands up high

2011-06-27T14:57:00.000-05:00

UP THERE, an absolutely beautiful documentary about practitioners of hand-painted outdoor signage, from "Jon" on Vimeo. More about the project at uptherefilm.com. Thanks to Post Family for the heads-up (pun, although convenient, not intended).

Reminds me how much I enjoyed James Rosenquist's memoir "Painting Below Zero" -- dig that too if you enjoy the movie above and like to read. Dwight Garner (New York Times) says "it’s a ruddy and humble book, lighted from within by the author’s plainspoken, blue-collar charm." Here's his full review, and you can read an excerpt of the book here on the publisher's site.

cartoon projected at "New Chicago Style" event 6/16

2011-06-18T17:46:00.000-05:00

Was a great surprise last Thursday night to arrive and see my cartoon projected behind readers at "The New Chicago Style," an event hosted by Another Chicago Magazine (ACM) and the City of Chicago's Publishing Industry Programs. The image also serves the wrap-around cover of ACM #50, which came out last winter and features a bunch of really great work exclusively from Chicago writers, along with several drawings of city scenes from yours truly. Featured guests at this event were contributing novelist Joe Meno, poet Simone Muench, novelist Bayo Ojikutu and poet/novelist Kathleen Rooney, each of whom gave read selections of their work at the Chicago Cultural Center and then proceeded to the Stop Smiling Storefront in Wicker Park for a panel discussion and afterparty.

Image is based on a view west through the lobby windows of the Dirksen Federal Building on South Dearborn Street in Chicago, looking towards the Calder sculpture by the Post Office across the street.

Image detail

ACM #50 cover design by Jason Smith, ft. my drawing.

Kathleen Rooney

Joe Meno

And, certainly with no disrespect to the readers, below are some sketches I made during the event. Click any to see them bigger.

sketches at lunch

2011-05-31T19:43:00.001-05:00

with a couple of IPAs before & after fish tacos a little while ago at Black Beetle on Chicago Avenue ~ click to see bigger

Pecha Kucha: Humanity and the Environment

2011-05-04T15:42:00.000-05:00

Here's video of my short presentation last week as part of Pecha Kucha: Humanity & the Environment, hosted by Rudy Ruderman at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Nine people presented 20 slides apiece, with 20 seconds per slide to speak. I tried to demo my trajectory from painting within rectangles to murals, specifically my installation at DePaul University Art Museum in 2010 in response to Dayton Castleman's cardboard sculpture, which I've blogged about previously.

Rob Funderburk, Pecha Kucha: 2D Painting as a Response to Physical Environments from Felix Jung on Vimeo.
I was a little wobbly getting started, and a few slides were accidentally dropped (posted below, fyi), but the experience was great and the other presenters did a great job and were really interesting. Big thanks to Felix Jung for capturing and sharing video -- here's his blog post about attending -- and especially Rudy & co. at SAIC for a great experience.

Here's what the room looked like for starters

Made a map of shadows cast by Castleman's sculpture to compose with

Here's a few of the models I made to explore composition.
The one on the bottom right is the final plan

Other presenters included:

Kelly Pope: "The ins and outs of environmentally-friendly street art"
Katherine Darnstadt: "DirTEA"
Laurie Palmer: "What do Rocks Need?"
Kensuke Kevin Suzuki: "The Art of See-Saw"
Marissa Benedict: "A Brief Presentation on Algae and its Pivotal Role in Human History"
Tola Briennan: "Economic Hitman in a Nutshell"
Jais Gossman: "The Language We Use to Describe Climate Issues"
Deborah Boardman: "The Whole World is the Flux of Matter and We Align Ourselves Through Open-Heartedness"

random doodles

2011-05-03T00:29:00.000-05:00

20 slides, 20 seconds apiece re: Humanity & Environment

2011-04-24T18:42:00.001-05:00

This Wednesday 4/27 in Chicago: I'll be up — only for about seven minutes — discussing some of my paintings from observation and in response to environments. Nine people will present 20 slides apiece with 20 seconds per slide to speak.

Pecha Kucha 20x20: Humanity & the Environment

Columbus Auditorium, 280 S Columbus Drive

$10, 6pm

Presenters include:

Kelly Pope: "The ins and outs of environmentally-friendly street art"
Katherine Darnstadt: "DirTEA"
Laurie Palmer: "What do Rocks Need?"
Rob Funderburk: "2D Painting as a Response to Physical Environments"
Kensuke Kevin Suzuki: "The Art of See-Saw"
Marissa Benedict: "A Brief Presentation on Algae and its Pivotal Role in Human History"
Tola Briennan: "Economic Hitman in a Nutshell"
Jais Gossman: "The Language We Use to Describe Climate Issues"
Deborah Boardman: "The Whole World is the Flux of Matter and We Align Ourselves Through Open-Heartedness"

random 050702: "Beep Boop Beep Boop"

2011-04-13T17:52:00.004-05:00

10/13/06 doodle after a "J Neill"

2011-04-13T17:32:00.001-05:00

a bunch of sharks

2011-04-08T12:57:00.002-05:00

i've got miles of little cartoon marginalia like these floating around, every so often they pop up -- today i'm trying to round up some for demonstration purposes, and heck, maybe need to make something forward out of 'em... licensed packages? street paste-ups? t-shirts/tattoos?

what am i doing.

little drawing buddy

2011-04-06T20:00:00.001-05:00

pal named miles on my drawings for gretchen kalwinski in proximity magazine #5, 7/26/09

thinking about a sort of comic strip

2011-04-02T23:38:00.009-05:00

Jasper Johns' blue litho "0 through 9"

2011-03-06T15:36:00.001-06:00

Jasper Johns, 0 through 9 (ULAE 189)," 1977
Lithograph, #57 of 60, Gemini
Sheet 9.65” x 7.85”; Image 6 x 4.85

"... the eye fools the mind by picking out the silhouette of one number then instantly recognizing another, sometimes in quick succession"

- c/o Peter Loughrey & LAMA: lamodern.wordpress.com

Mucca Pazza Posters complete!

2011-02-27T22:31:00.024-06:00

Limited series of 56, 1-color silkscreen with unique handmarking on each, 18x24". Silkscreen printing by Sonnenzimmer.
Available at Mucca Pazza's 3/25 show at Chicago's Mayne Stage or from them directly: mucca-pazza.org

*See previous posts about this process on 2/18 and 2/22.

Big ups to Sonnenzimmer for ace printing of the blue!

The Newspaper That Keeps On Giving

2011-02-22T23:56:00.003-06:00

- c/o thehighdefinite.com, who also notes other examples here

Posters for Mucca Pazza, Pt.2

2011-02-22T22:16:00.008-06:00

(part 1 of this post is here, and here are pics of finished work!).

finished lettering yesterday, gave electronic file to print aces Sonnenzimmer for the blue silkscreen part. word this afternoon that it's done and being trimmed to 18x24" tomorrow -- friday i'll render the final paint marker stroke on each one, and then they're off!

UPDATE: See here for the finished work, available at Mucca Pazza's 3/25 show or from them directly: mucca-pazza.org

posters for Mucca Pazza

2011-02-18T17:58:00.007-06:00

Mentioned earlier with marker comps "something in the works" -- making a small run of posters for the band Mucca Pazza's upcoming show at Mayne Stage in Chicago. We're making a very limited number of 1-color silkscreen prints with a bit of hand-embellishment, and here's how thoughts have progressed with it. Click any of these to see the pics a little bigger.

See, Mucca Pazza is "... a sort of punkish/rock marching band, playing sophisticated original scores and classics with a signature, high-intensity twist. The troupe's comprised of something like 30(?) seasoned musicians that flexibly coalesce in venues and public spectacles to bring the noise, infectious joy and a sheer love of music."

So I've honed-in on something like this directly above as a graphic for 18" x 24" posters, with the blue being printed and the black being a hand-drawn flourish afterward, each piece being somewhat unique. Next step: dedicating some careful attention to all the hand-lettering. Among these black curliques below are the ones I'll use for the print template:

Printing next week, will share another update when I'm marking final strokes on 'em.

UPDATE: See here for the finished work, available at Mucca Pazza's 3/25 show or from them directly: mucca-pazza.org

Shinohara Katsuyuki, poster for Matasaburo of the Wind, 1974

2011-02-16T16:09:00.002-06:00

05 Shinohara Katsuyuki, poster for Matasaburo of the Wind, 1974, originally uploaded by A Journey Round My Skull.

I often did draw cars

2011-02-12T19:36:00.003-06:00

these probably from 18/19yrs old. uncovered looking for something else tonight, enjoyed seeing, thought to share. enjoy a bit bigger if you click

Floral Knot Doodle, 1-2-3

2011-02-12T13:38:00.001-06:00

Evan Hecox working

2011-02-06T14:01:00.001-06:00

Evan Hecox for Incase, Curated by Arkitip: arkitip.com/curated/

Evan Hecox from The Arkitip Chronicles on Vimeo.

Way to go, everyone: Video by Felipe Lima / 'Yerba Buena Bump' by Tommy Guerrero from 'Lifeboats and Follies' on Galaxia Records, Spring 2010 / Shot on location in Denver, CO

Buildings That Could Not Be

2011-02-03T19:45:00.002-06:00

Here's some illustrations I made for this week's Time Out Chicago magazine, print edition on the streets today. These are buildings planned for Chicago but never built, including a tower on the Plaisance in Hyde Park, an earlier incarnation of a Block 37 complex, more "corn cobs" on the river, and finally a skyline as if it did contain a proposed Skyneedle and the Spire. See the Time Out article online for details about these building plans and sites.

Weber Tower (left) and an iteration of Block 37 by Murphy/Jahn

Bertrand Goldberg's River City

Chicago Skyline 1/4

Chicago Skyline 2/4, incl. Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle

Chicago Skyline 3/4

Chicago Skyline 4/4, incl. Calatrava's Spire

Thanks to TOC art director Josh Engleman for this real fun assignment.

DePaul Mural WITHOUT the Goose & Plane!

2011-01-20T15:33:00.002-06:00

Recently received the below pics of my August 2010 mural for DePaul University Art Museum, composed in concert with a massive installation by Dayton Castleman hanging in front of it. These pics, taken when Dayton's work was removed at the close of the exhibit, show what the mural looked like by itself underneath it all. See my blog post from 8/9/10 for more about the project. (Click photos to enlarge)

Important to understand that this was all a sensitive response to Dayton's precedent in the space -- see my earlier post for working notes and in-progress photos with my team.
Thanks again to Stockyard Institute and the curators of Nomadic Studio for inclusion in this this wonderful project.

posture, balance, stillness, emptying

2011-01-19T19:09:00.002-06:00

image c/o Archery Bow Range Chicago, from 2010 IL State Championship Shoot

Art at New Wave Coffee

2011-01-14T18:04:00.015-06:00

Got paintings up at New Wave Coffee in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood through the second week of February, along with my good pal Jeff Forsythe. A list of all the work with specs & prices is posted here, and below are photos and notes -- click on images for larger versions.

Rob Funderburk and Jeffrey Forsythe

Art at New Wave Coffee

January 9 – February 11, 2011

3103 W Logan / 2557 N Milwaukee, Chicago > map

Weekdays 7am–11pm, Weekends 8am–11pm

Funderburk, Quadrant Logos, 2011

These above are something new and somewhat exciting. I've been tinkering with logos, deconstructing them and compositing little studies, studying the effects, and here are first attempts at scale. This is a niche compositional mode I'd like to proceed with alongside other projects, and it could go a number of different ways from here, but for initial pokes I wanted to keep it simple and just test the basic formal strategy. See my 1/11 post for some photos of these in progress.

These pieces are 4'x4', and I got a diptych from Jeff comprised of two 4'x4' panels to hang directly across from them (pic at bottom); then I brought in several older works that are also 4' tall (directly below) to create a strong lateral movement through the space. Besides great hanging scenarios for individual pieces, I think the continuity helps interests migrate from one piece to the next -- not unlike comics panels -- and correlations are easier to form. And whether guests are giving direct attention to what's on the walls or not, I think the overall effect is a calm, holistic peripheral environment.

The yellow one on the left below is a precedent for the composite logos, something I did as part of a series in 2006 -- below is the source (a poster I made for the Ranch Theater Co.) and compositional studies. Others in the series stuck strictly to the red/blue/brown color palette of the source material, but this yellow one was a pleasant departure.

Funderburk, Yellow "Rime Nightly," 2000, and Blue Bubble series, c2004-5

Funderburk, Yellow "Rime Nightly," 2000

The narrow blues ones are from 2004 or maybe '05 and have been living with family. I spruced them up this month with vivid high-grade ultramarine and afforded opportunity to improve some details; one thing led to another, of course, and I also amended the greens, reinforced the white areas, and tried to re-articulate the noodley tan-colored shapes in the bottom thirds a little better too, add some dimension... I'll say I think they work better than they did anyway, heh. Ultimately, tried to adhere to what was there and not make a whole new adventure out of these. There's five of them in all, but these four I think are best.

Funderburk, Blue Bubble series, c2004-5

In this little alcove are hung four framed studies on paper with acrylic, enamel and aluminum paint from the first week of December 2010.

Funderburk, left: Quadrant Logos, 2011;
right: Study Series 101201, 2010

Funderburk, Study 101201.D7, 2010

Below is one of a series from around 2004 based on sketches from the Nelson Algren Fountain in Chicago, in what's known as the Polonia Triangle where Milwaukee Avenue, Ashland and Division Street cross. Around the base of the fountain is a quote in bronze from Algren: "For the masses who do the city's labor also keep the city's heart." In this painting, the upside-down "S" and "W" with an arrow in the top-right corner indicate where to sit on the fountain rim in relation to the inscription for this view.

Funderburk, View from Algren Fountain S|W, c2004

Jeff Forsythe and I worked together to coordinate pieces from our inventories that'd make sense together in a visual dialogue as well as physical sense in the venue. The work we brought from his studio reflects his agenda around 2005–2006, including appropriated graphics and re-construed themes from Japanese art history. These look great in this space, and evidence a lineage into his more recent work -- see jeffreyforsythe.com for examples of what Jeff's been up to since these.

Forsythe, left: The Masters, 2005; center: Untitled, 2005;
right: Lessons are Expensive, 2006, and Steadily Going Nowhere, 2006

Everything will be up through February 11, so please stop in for a look-see if you're in the area. All the work is for sale, and you can download specs & pricelist here.

building Quadrant Logo series

2011-01-11T19:20:00.001-06:00

lightning signage

2010-12-28T12:47:00.006-06:00

more mashup drawing/painting on printing

2010-12-18T19:54:00.002-06:00

Click on images to enlarge.

butterflies and blue spraypainted things

2010-12-18T17:30:00.006-06:00

Hey comics fans: help me sleuth sources?

2010-12-17T21:42:00.002-06:00

A few months ago I took a comic book I'd got inside a "mystery bag" and sampled some imagery for use in a silkscreen mash-up experiment along with some other more-or-less random imagery at hand, including doodles, text... I'm not sure what all's in there. Recently I exhumed these results and poked around on 'em with paint, applied some additional freehand imagery. Whatever I wind up doing with these, I've completely forgotten the source for some of the imagery that's evident, particularly the characters immediately below... Any comic book enthusiasts out there who might recognize these characters or suggest how I find out?

2010-12-16T12:32:00.003-06:00

Graffiti Observation 12/15/10

2010-12-15T16:50:00.001-06:00

Nice big weathered unsigned thing on the wall, paired with repeating SPOT1s on the yellow car above. Artists unknown (to me), 12/15/10 on Bloomingdale just west of Sawyer in Chicago -- part of a long stretch of condoned public art space.

A Drying Rack!

2010-12-14T21:09:00.001-06:00

Stunned to find this beaut over at our neighborhood antique store, and moreso to find I could afford it! Granted it's gloriously "vintage" and will require some repairs to be fully-functional, but I can get current work-in-progress up off the floor and clear some lateral surfaces for other things to set down most immediately.

Had to disassemble it to fit it up the stairs, which was a real chore once my wife and I dragged it home across snowy sidewalks, but right now putting it back together is a pleasure -- and I think listening to Kazoomzoom's collection of Ragtime-era faves is a big help, so... Here's free download of that, for anyone interested: http://www.archive.org/details/kzz003.

PS: My wife is awesome for (among many other things) helping me drag this sucker home across the snow and getting it inside & upstairs.

Autumn Studies

2010-12-14T19:55:00.001-06:00

Some examples of recent studies in preparation for bunkering-in this winter, titled "101201" but probably better referred to as "Autumn 2010 Studies." These are studies in acrylic, enamel and aluminum paint in which I've tried out some approaches I'd like to pursue in the coming months.

The black frames measure 18"x22", and further down the ones in pale-colored wood frames are 9"x10.75".

Some of the core pieces that didn't pan out were still purposeful in reconstitution -- here are few of what I call "maquettes," as in models for larger considerations.

Some of these and several others related, all unique, are available at my electronic store: robfunderburk.bigcartel.com.

Art for Dil Pickle Club Revival 12/9/10

2010-12-11T18:39:00.001-06:00

I made some art last Thursday to support an exciting new incarnation of Chicago's legendary Dil Pickle Club, finishing just in time for sale at their event that night. 17 unique, poster-sized (18"x24") text pieces with stenciled spraypaint and freehand marker were priced very accessibly to benefit the initiative and were well-received by guests, with one enthusiastic collector ensuring that none remained(!).

The original Dil Pickle Club was a legendary speakeasy/cabaret where creatives, activists, civic doers and all stripes of social misfit gathered in early-1900s Chicago, forming a vibrant hub of entertainment and proletarian intellectualism from the jazz-age through 1934. The phrase "Step High, Stoop Low, Leave Your Dignity Outside" was a sort of motto for the club and emblazoned on its door.

The organizers of this newest revival include Paul Genesius Durica, Fred Sasaki and Mairead Case, active agents in a number of creative communities and well-poised to carry the mantle, extend the rich tradition. Rather than a fixed location, this new Dil Pickle Club is an itinerant series featuring short presentations of off-beat, controversial and/or intellectual topics from a wide range of engaging guests at various venues all over town.

So, first I made a brown paper frame to lay on each sheet of paper and demarcate a "target zone," then sprayed in the first and last words to establish boundaries for the image area.

I used a water-based acrylic latex spraypaint that I've recently fallen in love with, which can be used indoors(!) and and dries very quickly, along with a water-based poster marker.

With the top and bottom of the image area established, I varied placement of the rest of the stencilled words, and then really enjoyed the writing. Although several are similar, no two are the same, and a few are considerably different.

Lastly, I made a jig with a raised-letter label and rubbed a graphite stick across it to brand them as "official" Dil Pickle paraphanelia, next to which I wrote my name and the date.

Out of 20 I set out to make, I only goofed a little bit on three of them. After delivering the good ones with the good people at the Dil Pickle event, I finished up some other work for the morning and then took a couple of the goofed-up pieces and made this playful composite for kicks.

After weaving the strips, I cut slits and tucked the ends in tidily.

For more about the original Dil Pickle Club, Wikipedia is good for starters, or here's two books:

• Mark Moscato's Brains, Brilliancy, Bohemia: Art & Politics in Jazz-Age Chicago -- Preview | Purchase

• Franklin Rosemont's Rise & Fall of the Dil Pickle -- Purchase

The website for the Dil Pickle Club Revival is thedilpickleclub.tumblr.com.

three categories of current

2010-12-01T14:17:00.001-06:00

Lots of new fresh paint on paper on the worktables, and that feels great, especially with the first snow falling -- looking forward to hunkering down into good work this season. Photos and store items soon, friends. Rounding up what's out & active right now from all available flat surfaces, sorting into three key categories, each with respective merit:

zebra for Agerbeck's TheDrawingSwitch.com

2010-11-27T14:57:00.001-06:00

Drew a zebra for Brandy Agerbeck's new project The Drawing Switch -- maybe you should too! See thedrawingswitch.com, a new resource site Brandy's working on to encourage everyone to draw freely, funly & often. Looking forward to great stuff here; go, Brandy, go!

Brandy is an artist and graphic facilitator based in Chicago. See loosetooth.com for all the neat-o stuff she's up to.

ate three fortune cookies

2010-11-26T21:16:00.001-06:00

Joe McPhee at Corbett vs. Dempsey

2010-11-20T22:16:00.001-06:00

11/20/10: Corbett vs. Dempsey hosted Joe McPhee in Chicago today, who played beckoning, kindly thrilling horn with an enigmatic pre-recording for about an hour, along with paintings and works on paper by Christopher Wool. I'm absolutely enthused and fortified with everything presented. Here's some photos and sketches of Mr. McPhee -- click on any for larger versions.

Joe McPhee c/o CvsD:

http://www.corbettvsdempsey.com/events/mcphee_sound/mcphee_sound.html
Christopher Wool c/o CvsD:
http://www.corbettvsdempsey.com/exhibitions.html
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ADDENDUM 11/30/10: From CvD: "Corbett vs. Dempsey has issued a Joe McPhee two-CD set of previously unreleased solo recordings from 1968 to 1973. The extraordinary tracks document the very early years of McPhee's tenor playing and his omnivorous interest in sound-making devices of all types (from drone organ to nagoya harp, by way of soprano sax and hand percussion). They present a little-known aspect of his early work, his interest in multi-track recording, here executed on a device known as a Sound On Sound tape machine. When he performed live in concert with the device, he called it his "Survival Unit." Available at the gallery. $15 (cheap)."

illos for Patrick Somerville's "Universe in Miniature in Miniature"

2010-10-25T02:28:00.001-05:00

Pleased with results from two great challenges by author Patrick Somerville, illustration assignments for his new collection of short stories titled The Universe in Miniature in Miniature (not a typo) from Featherproof Books.

The first order was for a quasi-erotic sci-fi female, referred to this way, exclusively and in entirety, in the story "Hair University":

He has become distracted by the painting on the wall. He is leaning very close to the frame.

“What the hell is this?” he asks. He turns and looks at me. “You know you’re just as sick as everyone else, right?”

“It’s a girl,” I say.

“What’s that?” he asks, tapping the tip of his finger on the glass. He looks at me again, now with a stupid grin on his face.

“That’s a big…phaser,” I say.

“Oh?”

“Let’s go out back and have some gin and tonics.”

“And what’s that?”

“That’s her holster.”

“Am I right to say that she has haphazardly strewn it in the corner of the room?”

“Artists have to balance colors and light.”

“Have we just entered her room, Danny? Should I think of this as a first-person perspective? Have we, as the observers of the painting, just stumbled in on this lovely and might I add sexy space-lady undressing? Would you call this alien erotica? Because <i>I</i> might! I might!”

“That’s the color and light being balanced. Right in the corner there.”

He puts his hand on my shoulder. “I feel sorry for you and you feel sorry for me,” he says. “That makes for a good friendship.”

Only had a few days to turn it around -- here's the two drafts I submitted:

concept sketches 1 & 2

Somerville chose the second one, which was essentially a crude aping of this figure from the legendary Frank Frazetta:

(image c/o frankfrazetta.org)

Here's my revised sketch:

And here's finished color illustration, about 6.25" x 10" with graphite, spray paint, white acrylic and Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleed Proof White (which is awesome):

And finally, here's how it appears in the book, with some very subtle Photoshop effects to differentiate what would be the painting from the frame:

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The second request was for a series of speculative portraits of a character delivering a monologue in a piece titled "Abacus." I'll save the story for readers, but the goal here was to make the illustrations function much like a reader's active imagining, attempting to focus or hone-in on a shifting likeness as it "emerges from the page."

For reference in creating appropriate and expressive faces, I relied on the online library from the Institute Of Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Post Production at Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg. This excellent FREE resource presents photographic examples of facial expressions organized by emotions, physical states and other non-verbal conduct, such as conversational expressions.

Props to Mark Rader and Alex Kostiw, whose illustrations also appear in this book. Special thanks to Zach Dodson, Papa Design at Featherproof Books, always kind and encouraging, and Mr. Somerville for the invitation and enthusiasm. I've enjoyed what I've read so far, looking forward very much to the rest.

Patrick Somerville's The Universe in Miniature in Miniature is available in various formats direct from Featherproof Books or your preferred retailer.

Featherproof Books will host a release party for The Universe in Miniature in Miniature on Thursday, November 18th, 8pm ($5 admission, but it counts for $5 off a copy of the book) at The Hideout in Chicago (1354 W Wabansia). Event will feature Benjamin Nugent (author of American Nerd) and Hannah Pittard (author of The Fates Will Find Their Way) along with the author and music by DJ Fabulette. It will be a party and all are welcome.
* EXTRA: The first 15 guests dressed like extraterrestrials will get a free copy of The Universe in Miniature in Miniature.
For other details, visit Featherproof's event page.

3 guys after Salomon Van Abbé

2010-10-23T20:35:00.001-05:00

live sketching at Book Odds c/o Third Coast Festival

2010-10-22T01:23:00.001-05:00

Pleased to be invited to draw before guests at Third Coast Festival's "Book Odds" event a couple weeks ago -- here's some pics, and talk of it below.

Event hosts Julie Shapiro of Third Coast Festival (foreground)
and Alison Cuddy of WBEZ

Event was a staged "Listening Room" with maybe 75 or a hundred(?) guests in attendance to hear winning audio from Third Coast's annual Short Docs Challenge, a competition for sound and radio artists. Corinne Mucha and I were presented as "featured doodlers" who'd draw during event, and guests were encouraged to do so also with mark-making tools and paper provided. The event was held at Chicago Urban Arts Society on Halsted Street in Pilsen, Chicago, the proprietors of which were real cool and have a lot going on. I listened to the eight 3-minute audio pieces that would be featured about an hour before heading over, and did a preliminary sketch during each (some of which are available at my online store: robfunderburk.bigcartel.com).

I brought graphite sticks, lumber crayons and a white grease pencil. The paper was some kinda rose-colored packing material provided by the gallery.

Corinne Mucha: maidenhousefly.com

There were eight winning audio pieces featured, each about three minutes long and incorporating clips from the library of the band called The Books, who've been involved with Third Coast Festival. There were also some special features from Third Coast and one sound artist who performed live. Fyi, <i>all 140</i> of the entries from this year's Short Docs Challenge can be heard here: http://www.thirdcoastfestival.org/competitions/shortdocs/2010/2010-repository

Artwork from the event will travel with Third Coast to some upcoming events and then reside in their archive.

alley sketch 10/13/10

2010-10-19T12:46:00.001-05:00

Quick sketch of view to alley just west of Damen, south from Lindale

Doodling with Third Coast Fest & The Books

2010-09-28T17:10:00.001-05:00

THIS FRIDAY in Chicago, I'll perform some large-scale doodling at this event. Very excited. Join me if you can!

BOOK ODDS

Friday, October 1st, 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Chicago Urban Art Society, 2229 S. Halsted, Chicago

- Free event

Public premiere of winning entries in the 2010 ShortDocs Challenge, an international audio project sponsored collaboratively by Third Coast Festival and sonic collage artists The Books.

Visual artists Rob Funderburk (robfunderburk.com) and Corinne Mucha (maidenhousefly.com) will perform radio-inspired doodling, and art materials will be available for guests, who are encouraged to doodle along with them while listening and throughout the event.

Co-hosts:

- Julie Shapiro of Third Coast Festival: thirdcoastfestival.org

- Alison Cuddy of WBEZ Chicago, chicagopublicradio.org

More info:
thirdcoastfestival.org/competitions/shortdocs/2010

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POSTSCRIPT 10/6/10: Here's some pics!: http://goo.gl/ytIb
RGF

Shore Studies, 2005: blue & white acrylic w/stone

2010-09-18T18:24:00.002-05:00

Just unearthed these from 2005 -- five of six related exercises, acrylic paint heavied with fine crushed stone, on sturdy 19"x25" sheets of paper that has little threads embedded in it. Three of these are available unframed at robfunderburk.bigcartel.com.

a fish and a coffeemug

2010-09-17T18:42:00.001-05:00

a drawing with a marker

do GOOD with pencils

2010-09-04T14:25:00.001-05:00

these available from You And Me, The Royal We (10 for $22) at youandmetheroyalwe.com/prod-facistpencils.html

text paintings (wc?) 8/23/10

2010-08-24T00:21:00.002-05:00

Click these images to see bigger versions. Four sketches underway since yesterday: slightly warm paper with black markers, black LetraSet transfers rubbed-on with a plastic putty knife, Golden acrylic Titanium white, white vinyl Gothic letters and Scotch tape.

Mural for Nomadic Studio at DePaul, Part II

2010-08-09T13:54:00.004-05:00

Photos of my mural response to artist Dayton Castleman's installation: a half-scale fighter jet and a life-size goose constructed of cardboard. On view through November 20 at the DePaul University Art Museum as part of Nomadic Studio, a pedagogical experiment curated by The Stockyard Institute.

Nomadic Studio Reception
Thursday, August 12, 2010 | 5pm – 8pm
2350 N Kenmore Avenue, Chicago
Featuring:
- Rob Funderburk & Dayton Castleman
- Susan Hall
- Nikki Jarecki
- Christophe Roberts
- Jay Ryan: silkscreen demo at 6pm
- Tom Stack
- Erik Stenberg
- Diana Sudyka
- Zikr: live music at 6pm

To begin with, here's Dayton Castleman's installation -- a life-size goose and half-scale fighter jet constructed in cardboard.
Friday 7/30/10: Applied a grid of 2' squares with chalk on the walls behind Dayton Castleman's goose and jet. Transcribed key shadows cast by Castleman's installation onto a scale diagram of the walls.
Wednesday 8/4/10: Composed mural on scale diagrams. Used shadows as primary point-of-departure for composition, highlighting certain areas with open shapes and emulating others with sister forms. Key intent to "break" the rectangular wall with false a perspective at the top (note black area), and a color palette based on the former AV-Aerie space.
Thursday 8/5/10: Wrapped the bird and plane in plastic to protect it from errant paint. Using graphite sticks, sketched composition square-by-square onto the walls at actual size, then painted areas white which would either be white in the end or benefit from a clean basecoat to make bright colors (eg, red and yellow).
Friday 8/6/10: Using breakout maps like the one below, proceeded with color.
Saturday 8/7/10: Tightened and finished all the colors, applied dark linework and finishing strokes. Removed protective plastic to reveal status and crisp shadows. Gave slideshow presentation on the project as part of The Dil Pickle Club at Op Shop in Hyde Park (mp3 recording of most of it here c/o Marshall Preheim).

Tomorrow, Tuesday 8/9/10: Heading back in for some finishing, some touch-up, and a couple of additional shapes I'd like to work in.
And of course this Thursday 8/12/10 is the formal reception -- the "unveiling," if you will -- along with a bevy of new work from other artists in rotation at the Nomadic Studio. Please join us if you can, and see nomadicstudio.wordpress.com for more info.

Special thanks to Gretchen Kalwinski, Marshall Preheim, Faiz Razi, and Beth Wiedner for their enthusiastic help, and to The Stockyard Institute and DePaul University Art Museum for enabling.

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UPDATE: Here's pics of the wall after the plane & goose were removed!

Mural for Nomadic Studio at DePaul

2010-08-03T19:45:00.002-05:00

This week I'm creating a 468 square-foot mural for The Stockyard Institute's "Nomadic Studio" at DePaul University in Chicago. Please join me if you can for the "unveiling" along with artwork and presentations by some very talented artists: Nomadic Studio Reception Thursday, August 12, 2010 | 5pm – 8pm 2350 N Kenmore Avenue, Chicago Featuring: - Rob Funderburk & Dayton Castleman - Susan Hall - Nikki Jarecki - Christophe Roberts - Jay Ryan: silkscreen demo at 6pm - Tom Stack - Erik Stenberg - Diana Sudyka - Zikr: live music at 6pm The Stockyard Institute is an interdisciplinary collective that explores education and progressive social engagement in public spaces. Nomadic Studio is four months of rotating exhibits and innovative programs that highlight the incidental and provisional places where art and culture are produced. Through November 20 at Nomadic Studio, Stockyard Institute has thoroughly transformed the DePaul gallery into a functional art space with interactive stations for work and play, collaborative projects from progressive thinkers, a recording studio, and Stockyard's own temporary office. Nomadic Studio is part of a massive initiative called Studio Chicago, underway since October 2009 with assessments and celebrations of the sites where art is made, effectively disrupting the persistent myth of the "tortured artist" who works in isolation to create meaning. Nomadic Studio makes clear with participatory examples how artists rely on shared inroads, resources and infrastructures to sustain thriving creative practices. In August, Nomadic Studio pays homage to AV-Aerie, a multidisciplinary arts venue operating in Chicago from 2004 to 2009 (formerly Open-End). As a resident artist with AV-Aerie, I would periodically transform the interior space with large-scale murals in support of a range of performances (see examples here and here). These murals were meant to invigorate the space for performers as well as audiences with bold, physically immersive visuals -- cerebral jungle gyms, let's say -- leaning toward sculpture more than scenic or decorative painting. The curators of Nomadic Studio have invited me to replicate this mode on a broad wall in the DePaul gallery space, and have provided an interesting challenge: fixed in front of this wall are fully-dimensional sculptures of a half-scale fighter jet and life-size goose by artist Dayton Castleman… so, I'm beginning with these as points of departure. (Dayton, I promise I'll try my best not to add any colors to your work!). Another challenge is designing for a second stage, a subsequent "reveal" -- a few weeks after opening, Dayton's work will travel elsewhere. My intent is to respond directly to Dayton's precedent, bring something of the spirit of the AV-Aerie murals in play with DePaul's space and the activities therein, and ensure that the mural holds up on its own after the plane and bird exit. Functional criteria. Creative challenges. Great confluence of people. It's a very exciting project already. I'll post updates here as we proceed, and this Saturday, August 7, at 6pm, I'll be presenting a status report as part of a joint presentation with The Dil Pickle Club and The Op Shop at 5226 S Harper Avenue, Chicago -- for more info, see Op Shop's calendar or drop me a line.

Chicago drawings for ACM#50

2010-07-17T13:09:00.001-05:00

Here's a few of the sketches delivered to Another Chicago Magazine (ACM) for their upcoming Issue #50, featuring contemporary literature from Chicago. For info, visit anotherchicagomagazine.net or connect with them on Facebook. Here's the Coyote Building in Wicker Park: View South on Des Plaines near Fulton, Presidential Towers in the background: Looking down on corner of Van Buren and Wells: Ashland & Grand Avenue: Gate of the Union Stock Yards, between Halsted and Morgan, between 41st and 42nd streets:

Rookery Prints

2010-07-14T14:42:00.003-05:00

Six silkscreened colors, 100lb French Whitewash Cover, 18x24" Limited edition of 70 Earlier this year I had a great experience performing an edition of prints with Sonnenzimmer, one of Chicago's premier silkscreen shops, and after a busy season have finally vetted, signed and editioned the results -- available now on my brand new electronic storefront: robfunderburk.bigcartel.com! Below are some session photos and notes. To purchase prints, go to robfunderburk.bigcartel.com. See, this wasn't a drawing that we scanned and noodled with, or blew-up on a xerox machine or anything -- the whole process was very direct and completely manual. Referring to photos and location studies, I drew what would become each separate color with black paint on a clear sheet of film laid directly on top of each preceding stage after printing. The result is a series that captures the drawing experience very directly, including discoveries along the way and very little revision or redirection of efforts. Rather than a series of reproductions of something that happened before it, each of these prints represents an original act that happened in a multitude of 70. For more info about the Rookery Building itself, see Wikipedia or therookerybuilding.com. And if you visit the Rookery, be sure to step inside and see its beautiful atrium -- and in the NW corner, find the one marble-clad support column that's open in the back to reveal the fantastic ornamental skeletal iron that's underneath it all. To purchase prints, go to robfunderburk.bigcartel.com.

pickles vs. hot dogs vs. eggplants

2010-07-07T23:22:00.002-05:00

fascimile geography

2010-05-25T12:52:00.001-05:00

1927 Paramount Studio map of facsimile geographical locations in California, from Tino Balio's The American Film Industry, "The Motion Picture Industry as a Basis for Bond Financing" p.202, noted by Matt Haughey.

Of a century

2010-05-20T19:39:00.002-05:00

Author James B. Lane provides a rich and detailed history of Gary, Indiana in his book City of the Century, lending context for why an icon such as this was ever considered a proud idea. It's amazing, however, that this one would be issued anew on the municipality's residential trash receptacles as late as 2008 (image & notation from Gary resident Dan Rybicky)...
"City of the Century," perhaps indeed; let's proceed into a new one with a new conscience, and update graphic identity systems to reflect what we've learned and will be proud to do now forward. Sherwin-Williams, you're up, too.
(S-W image c/o grande.full.body)

1892 Chicago World's Fair Poster

2010-05-10T18:53:00.000-05:00

For sale on Ebay, notice c/o Chicago History Journal via Noah Vaughn

found chalk on sidewalk

2010-05-08T21:53:00.000-05:00

Found these a few weeks ago on the sidewalk in Logan Square, Chicago, from anonymous artists. I think the first three were around Schubert & Albany, and the others were on the plaza next to the monument.

drawings from February LA

2010-04-20T22:25:00.001-05:00

Organizing desk & table tops, came across these from February, thought to share -- First one's Venice Beach and the other two are from near access point to Kent Bell's favorite surf spot.

Remixed Billboards

2010-01-10T16:33:00.002-06:00

Photos from Norman Palm's blog CUT-UP MX, dedicated to Mexican billboards with "remixed" information. Norman Palm is part of Fertig Design in Berlin. (Thanks to Kris Krüg for the heads-up via Twitter!)

In Time Out Chicago re: Typewriting

2009-12-06T18:34:00.001-06:00

Had a real fun conversation with editor Jake Malooley at Time Out Chicago for a feature about lovers of analog technology. Below's an excerpt of my bit, one of five persons featured, or read the whole thing here. "Sliced-up sections of type à la William Burroughs’s cut-up technique occasionally appear in artist Rob Funderburk’s work; the 35-year-old has a big Underwood typewriter he inherited from his grandmother. But even for personal letters, a typewriter has been his machine of choice for more than a decade. 'A typewritten letter is an artifact of the moment. If you want to emphasize a consonant, you can really bang that key to make it darker. Or if you get going really fast, the keys will gum up on each other, so you can feel the urgency or calmness based on the quality of the letters,' he says. 'There’s a lot of communication that’s built into the letter just by the nature of the ink and paper.'" - Jake Malooley, Time Out Chicago / Issue 249: Dec 3–9, 2009: http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/museums-culture/81035/analog-technology-lovers Photos are courtesy of Awesome Person Jennifer Brandel.

cityscape 090731

2009-08-01T23:07:00.001-05:00

Wabash Avenue just north of Roosevelt, Chicago 7/31/09

Rationalizing Lemke's appreciation

2009-08-01T20:37:00.001-05:00

Peter Lemke's been collecting street art in Chicago, and I was more than surprised to find seven pieces I'd posited around town over the last few years in a display he'd established as part of the innaugural Milwaukee Avenue Arts Fest today, along with a bevy of work from other folk. Mixed emotions; seems he's operating from an appreciation, but also feels like someone who picks all the flowers out of a community garden to "save them" well before a frost... New City ran this article last week that lends some context. In conversation, Mr. Lemke seems earnest and is readily willing to engage conversation, wants to understand. Publicity has now brought him in touch with doers formerly anonymous to him, and with this engagement hopefully artists can help him understand reciprocity with the objects of his affection they've made, how to participate and extend doers' efforts rather than inadvertently curtail respective agendas. Implicit in sharing art this way is an aversion to conventional galleries and a disruption of capital exchange, money or otherwise -- To appreciate the token physical objects planted in public, it's worth taking stock of underlying motives and reasons for their being. While artists expend resources making artwork that Lemke's concerned will be removed or painted-over by authorities, perhaps he'd use his resources to provide a sanctioned arena for art that's avoids any gallery pretense?.. I think of sanctioned mural walls where property owners have designated space and cleared regs with the city to provide an opportunity for public expression, and here again I'd relate the community garden metaphor. Or rather than sequester items intended for public domain, perhaps Lemke could take upon himself to reinstall his collection strategically, extend the work geographically and help evade forces that would eradicate it?... I'm just throwing out some ideas that'd be better than squirrelling away or exhibiting work contrary to artists' intentions. Confident there are creative ways for Mr. Lemke to participate with integrity in what's ultimately an open arena. Best of luck in general, Peter. Photo above is Mr. Lemke standing in front of one of mine, and below are six more I'd posited on poles, fences or whatnot someplace circa 2006(?).

For Kalwinski & Proximity 7/26/09

2009-07-30T14:03:00.000-05:00

Had a very comfortable sketching session last Sunday with Dan Rybicky and his dog Miles at their Miller Beach house, exploring visual tacts to accompany a story from Gretchen Kalwinski in an upcoming issue of Proximity Magazine. Real excited. More pics from Dan here.

Wow; where'd this come from?!

2009-07-24T19:38:00.002-05:00

Sorting photo files that were stripped of details and randomized on a drive I goofed-up, tripped on this one caught me eye among others -- is this from my camera?.. Curious where in the world it's shot from, not wholly sure I didn't get it from somewhere, but fairly confident I captured it... I dunno though; is it yours? Recognize the place? Here's some interesting detail crops:

Popped up on Design Sponge

2009-06-09T12:34:00.001-05:00

The blog Design Sponge covers Caroline Lubbers' (of Goldfish Marketing and Whipped) domestic interior, which lo & behold's got a proud painting of mine in it from 2004!

building across the street from lunch

2009-04-07T10:20:00.002-05:00

Resuming work on ACM's Bestiarium

2009-03-18T13:02:00.001-05:00

Project's back on & barreling forward!! Here's a peek at latest progress on illustrations for a special bestiarium project with Chicago's ACM -- here's my posts regarding it to-date. They've got a lot of great material assembled for this issue, including short stories & poetry from a wide range of authors; stay tuned for release info! The Onager, according to antiquity, understands the lunar cycles, and in the background is an interpretive rendering of a local plant called the Marsh Blazing Star. Above image is current status, and below is the working draft.

Drawings up Hwy1 in California, north of Los Angeles 2/28/09

2009-03-05T21:32:00.001-06:00

Click to enlarge.

Balloon

2009-02-13T10:24:00.001-06:00

From Even Westvang's Flickr area

Mural at AV-Aerie for Chicago Opera Vanguard

2009-01-27T01:13:00.001-06:00

Just completed work on a very large scenic device -- "mural", if you will -- for Chicago Opera Vanguard's production of Ricky Ian Gordon's Orpheus and Euridice, opening Thursday 1/29/09 and running Thu-Sun evenings for the next two weekends. Wouldn't want to spoil anything by posting pictures of the work just yet, so for details about the opera visit chicagovanguard.org. Very thankful for assistance from Eliot Carney, Jeff Forsythe, Aric Henney, and Marshall Preheim in pulling this thing off, along with some additional friends who lent their time & skills. Beyond COV's performances, the mural will serve as backdrop for a number of music shows, including Thank You + Mi Ami on 2/17/09, DRMWPN + Pillars & Tongues on 3/1/09, and some unconfirmed acts elsewhere -- more news as it becomes available.

hubcap

2008-12-21T22:20:00.001-06:00

displayed in a garage near north & sheffield, chicago

organized some books by spine color

2008-12-04T15:00:00.001-06:00