Category: Artist Spotlight

Ray-Mel Cornelius

Ray-Mel’s work always offers up a rich serving of color and texture that is immediately and distinctively recognizable. He creates magical landscapes that speak of folk tales and fables, Southwestern wildlife and a special focus on roosters with stunning colors and plumage. Ray-Mel is like the fellow that showed up on the Ed Sullivan show from time to time who would deftly spin several plates on top of sticks. With his focus on illustration, teaching and fine art, he keeps them all spinning smoothly. Be sure to visit his blog as well for recent projects.

Darren Di Lieto

The mastermind behind so many different aspects of illustration, Darren Di Lieto is an artist promotion workhorse. Our first connection began several years ago when Darren requested the use of one of my chimp illustrations for use in an early incarnation of his “The Little Chimp Society.” LCS for short, he and his wife Jane maintain a vibrant blog promoting all things related to the illustration industry. Darren has brought to light a tremendous amount of talent through his blog and the “Mail Me Art” projects. I was honored to be a part of the “Mail Me Art” book and exhibition from the first collection. He’s also created the “Hire An Illustrator” site, providing a space for illustrator’s portfolios and promotion. A tip of the hat to Darren for promoting and helping so many talented people in the world of illustration!

My mailed submission used in Darren’s “Mail Me Art” book.

Bee Things

Bee Things is comprised of the artistic duo Shay Ometz and Jeff Barfoot. They create a whole host of products, all with the same consistent, simple beauty of fanciful shapes and colors. Be sure to check out their Etsy shop as well.

John Martz

John Martz has the great ability to express a fresh feeling with his whimsical style and color palette. His subtle humor and flair for caricature practically jumps off the page. Above is a recent piece of John’s based on the Douglas Adams book “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe” that’s showcased on the Picture Book Report site. He’s also the man behind the incredibly popular cartoon and illustration blog Drawn! I tip my hat to him for the great support he’s shown to the illustration community as well as for his numerous mentions of my work over the years.

Norman Saunders

I’ve referenced Norman Saunders in a couple of interviews I’ve given in the past as an early art influence. My first connection to his artwork was the Batman trading cards released in 1966, which I carefully and completely collected (only to have them purged during a family move.) I also was able to do some trading for a handful of the Mars Attacks cards that were a bit before my time but never managed to own a full set of the originals. Norman’s work was so unique to me as a child, because he was offering up fantasy and superhero subjects as beautifully rich paintings. And the subject matter! Martians burning people alive and giant robots crushing cities and people. Tame stuff these days, but very thrilling to my young eyes back then.

The Center for Art Conservation

Tish Brewer and Shannon Phillips are the creative geniuses that make up The Center for Art Conservation, as well as Paper Works, a.k.a. Paper Nerds. The goals of the Center for Art Conservation are to “specialize in the treatment of works of art on paper, prints, maps, posters, paper ephemera and manuscripts, as well as related materials such as parchment.” Their studio is located in a renovated loft in Exposition Park, near downtown Dallas. They each have amassed an enormous wealth of education and training in their area of expertise. In conjunction with their work on high profile works of art and ephemera, they offer a wide range of workshops that delve into creating fun and creative projects. Past classes have focused on gocco printing, paper marbling, bookbinding techniques and paper ornaments, just to name a few. Their conservation services are highly recommended. Also, if you’re in the Dallas area and looking for some fun and creative learning, be sure to sign up for a future class with them.

Moises Braga

Moises Braga creates figures and faces that are wonderfully appealing. His work is a rich blend of reality and caricature, heavier on the exaggeration side, which makes for a satisfying personal interpretation of people and their expressions. He lists his current employment at O2 Filmes in Sao Paulo.

Ramsey Said

A great friend of mine, Ramsey Said, is both an amazing designer and photographer. We met the brief time he lived and Dallas and have continued our friendship since his move to the Bay area. He’s transformed into a true Bay Area native since his move there in 1989. He and his wife Jane live in Marin County now and he has fully taken advantage of the incredible beauty of  San Francisco as well as the surrounding cities and countrysides with his photographic skills. Combined with his amazing eye for composition and lighting, he uses his extensive knowledge of the area and wit to craft some truly interesting stories. His first blog, FogBay, has since been retired (after 1000 posts!) but is well worth the visit for hours of visual and historical entertainment. His latest blog, FogPhoto expands on a multitude of aspects of his surroundings in a more simpler visual presentation. His third blog is in production and I look forward to sharing the news of its release here in the future. If you live in the bay area or have visited, you will no doubt discover new things from his photo explorations. If you’ve never visited Northern California, his talents will make you want to drop everything and plan a trip. Links to both blogs are below. Well worth the visit!

Fog Photo

FogBay

Spotlight on Dancing Cat Bindery

This blog would not be complete without a well-deserved shout out to my incredibly talented wife, Julie. She has done what most people can only dream of by transforming her life from the world of corporate anonymity to exploring and nurturing  her creative side, which she has done quite successfully! Her current bookbinding talents started with a few local workshops and classes that helped her begin mining her inner talents that combined her love of creative expression with a true understanding and love of engineering. (She comes by her engineering skills quite naturally, since her engineer father worked for NASA during the historic moon landing years.) With guidance from her teacher, Catherine Burkhard and continued study through workshops and conferences, Julie’s talents have flourished over the years. Her studio projects in her “Dancing Cat Bindery”  have grown over the years from simple repairs to a sanctuary for high profile items, complex mending and unique limited editions. Together we’ve laid the framework for what will soon be the successive release of collaborative projects. Our first, “Woodland Wisdom,” was a lettered edition (26) of Aesop’s Fables that I illustrated and topped of with a haiku moral of each story.

Spotlight On: Keith Crabtree

I’ve had the pleasure with working with a wonderful art director over the years by the name of Keith Crabtree. Not only is he an accomplished and successful designer, he has transformed into an amazing nature photographer over the last several years. In Keith’s many trips across Texas he has created a wonderful collection that showcases the astounding diversity of the wildlife and landscapes of the state. Be sure and check out the links below to see more of his beautiful work.

Photography site
Prints for Sale
Keith’s Blog
Design Site

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