Illustration Academy

Chris Payne, Sterling Hundley, Doug Chayka, Robert Meganck, Jon Foster. Mary Pratt with me, John English, Brent Watkinson, George Pratt

I just returned from teaching at the Illustration Academy at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota Florida. I’m going to attempt to put the student work up here, but the resolution won’t be great. I gave a conceptual portrait assignment to the students, and after rounds of sketch critiques they came up with some great work! Thanks to John English for making the school happen and thanks to the students for making my time at the Academy fun and inspiring. For more information about the Academy please visit:
www.illustrationacademy.com

ideaCity

This week marked the 10th anniversary of the remarkable ideaCity conference in Toronto, hosted by media guru Moses Znaimer. I had the great pleasure of once again attending. I’ve given talks about my work and successes in the past and this year thought I’d give the audience a brief talk about my failures!
I showed some of my ideas that were killed by the New Yorker magazine. There have been a few books published recently showcasing rejected artists’ ideas by The New Yorker and also by the New York Times.
In any event, the conference was amazing as usual.
Fifty speakers talked about everything from astronomy to bee societies. Dr. Josef Penninger the brilliant Austrian scientist gave us an update about how he will have a vaccine within a year that will significantly reduce the incidences of breast cancer
(he has already isolated the osteoporosis gene and his vaccine against that disease will shortly be available.)
Bobby Kennedy inspired us all with his activism stories related to saving fresh water systems.
Mark Showalter showed us gorgeous photos of Saturn’s rings. David Ben showed us how gambling greats cheat at cards! Tom Harpur spoke of uniting the great religions with the idea of peace. Richard MacDonald spoke of allowing severely ill people to die with compassion. Maude Barlow spoke of how we are in danger of ruining what fresh water we have left. The remarkable anthropologist Wade Davis eloquently spoke of tribal cultures. And much of that was only the first day!
It was great to see my friends Michelle Rainey (marijuana legalization activist)  Dr. Jaymie Matthews (astrophysicist and party animal) actor and artist Marilyn Lightstone, oceanographer Dr. Joe MacInnis (of the movie ” Titanic”) and the many others.
Happy anniversary Moses and thanks for allowing me to to be part of the ideaCity family.
Images:
Bobby Kennedy and me
Dr. Jaymie Matthews and me

Paris

My partner and I returned last week from 2 weeks in France. We spent one week in Paris which in my opinion is the most beautiful city in the world, and then spent one week near Avignon in the south with the wonderful Ralph and Anna Steadman, at Ralph’s daughter’s summer home. The entire time we were in the south I was plotting how it might be possible to retire there (now!!) I can understand why artists like Picasso and more recently Robert Crumb moved there to live and work.

Anyway, if anyone doesn’t know who Ralph Steadman is, he’s wildly famous for his collaborations with Hunter Thompson (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, etc etc) along with his incredible books, both written and illustrated. Despite his Gonzo fame, I’m most impressed with his compassion toward humanity, and his concern about the world and the human condition (on his website you’ll find the Declaration of Human Rights). I’m humbled to know him.

While in Paris we met with Philip Brooker and his beautiful wife Lulu. Please see www.philipbrooker.com

Philip has recently moved to Paris from Miami where he is now working as a fine artist. And he’s currently got work at the Pompidou Center with another show coming this fall. Congratulations Philip!

Tomorrow I’m going to teach at the Illutration Academy for a week. I’ve been teaching there summers for going on 15 years now. I’ll report when I return. In the meantime please see www.illustrationacademy.com