It’s been my great pleasure to contribute covers for The New Yorker magazine. From the 20 or so that were commissioned, a dozen made it to print. I thought it would be fun to show ideas that for whatever reason were rejected. In hindsight I can see why some of them didn’t make it!
I’ll briefly explain them;
Row 1. I thought it might be a good idea to draw a medical illustration…the veins are replaced with a subway map.
I thought of a little girl blowing bubbles for the Olympics
Tiger Woods (see they’re not all great!)
A Mad Cow (ditto!)
Row 2. The birds and the bees for Valentine’s Day
For the Hallowe’en issue..
Summer issue idea
Westminster dog show idea (they say people look like their dogs)..this came out
when the robot dog was released.
Row 3. Freudian slip
Bush’s spying scandal
About the icecaps melgint
When the DaVinci code movie came out
Row 4. About the recession
Again, about the recession…for the Easter issue
About the bird flu
This was about Michelle Obama planting a garden at the White House
Row 5. Jeff Koons had a sculpture at the MoMA on the roof…
Santa Mao…about poisoned toys from China
About the writer’s strike
Because the last election was about race and gender, here’s a female Obama
and a black Hillary
Row 6. Sarah Palin as Betty Boop with McCain as her doggie friend
Wascally wabbit Obama and Elmer Fudd McCain
Obama as the Lincoln monument…a white man shines his shoes
My favourite…Obama cleans up the mess the Republican elephant left.

Sometimes I finish the paintings anyway. Sometimes Vanity Fair magazine buys the illustrations.
Picture 4 is again about the melting of the polar ice caps…Noah’s art redux
Picture 5 is for the cartoon edition.
Picture 6 is about American international relations during the Bush administration
Picture 7 and 8 were published in the Green issue of Vanity Fair…dirty oceans and global warming.
Picture 9 is about “Intelligent Design”

In my next post I’ll show covers that did make it to print

2009 is the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species (24 November 1859) and the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth (12 February 1809). I painted this portrait of Darwin as a demo for the students of the Illustration Academy. Darwin is a hero to me not only because of his brilliant discoveries that changed the face of modern science and anthropology but also because he dared to publish his ideas knowing full well the criticism he would surely face. A few years ago I saw a Darwin show at the Museum of Natural History in New York. The simple elegance of the examples in that show are a profound proof of what simply can no longer be denied.

I have recently been publicly criticized  for a decision to contribute an image to the Google Chrome portfolio initiative. Please see https://tools.google.com/chrome/intl/en/themes/index.html
I was contacted about this project several months ago and the following is my opinion after much thought . I’ve never presumed to tell anyone how they should run their business, and I’ve never confronted anyone about any of their project choices.

TOP TEN REASONS I’M ALLOWING GOOGLE TO USE ONE OF MY IMAGES:

1. Because I think that full credit with a link to my website (and millions of potential hits a day) plus a statement about me and my work is a good exchange for a non exclusive use of a single image. And by using an image from my archive I do not have to make any effort..an image that will probably otherwise languish in a folder somewhere with no further life. Some things I do for prosperity, some for posterity and some for promotion. This is for promotion.

2. Because I don’t think money is the only currency. I look for opportunities to get my art into the culture. To me that’s what illustration is all about. This is not an issue of morality but simply being practical. It’s business. And it’s to an audience vastly larger than any magazine or book.

3. Because I’m an independent contractor, not a victim and don’t automatically assume that everyone is trying to screw me. Nor do I make business decisions based on peer pressure. I consider each project separately and carefully and weigh the pros and cons of what I’m getting, making sure it’s commensurate with what I’m offering.

4. Because I know a paradigm shift when I see one. Darwinism says survival isn’t about being the strongest but rather the most adaptable. Longevity in this field requires flexibility and open-mindedness . In this new information age we are witnessing changes that are as monumental as those of the industrial age. I think that what we as illustrators do is great, and I think we should be out in the larger world, not solely existing in our clubs and associations.

5. Because print is unfortunately increasingly redundant as a medium and I think l for one need to develop an alternate strategy for making art, making money and getting my work into the public.

6. Because allowing Google to use an image in trade for hundreds of millions of web hits doesn’t mean I’m FOR free copyright. I’m not. I disagree with the free content zealots of the world . I simply don’t see this as black and white issue.

7. Because Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons and Karim Rashid see the value in this project. And Vivienne Westwood. And Wes Craven. And Kid Robot. And Kate and Jack Spade. And Dale Chihuly. And many others who have said yes to this initiative. All understand the value of this kind of exposure.

8. Because I’d rather get the millions of website hits and autonomy with an image that’s my idea and my execution (not heavily art directed), than treat this as an anonymous advertising job with art direction ad nauseum for money but without credit (as most ad jobs are.)

9. Because I remember how sadly ineffective the Conde Nast cancellation campaign was. And after the Tasini victory we now see even worse magazine and newspaper contracts. Because Google is infinitely larger than Conde Nast and the New York Times, and trying to fight them in my opinion is a waste of time and energy. Energy I’d rather use to make art. Because I use Google dozens of times a day, for a myriad of functions. Because Google has mapped the world, mapped the oceans, and has as their express mission to help with the issues of climate change, global public health, and global poverty. We have WAY bigger things to fight on this planet than each other.

10. Finally, illustration by its very nature is about compromise on some level. I’m rarely 100 percent comfortable with who I work for. To what degree do I agree with the editorial content? How many publishers have had ethics different from mine? How many trees have been cut to make the paper to print the magazines I’ve worked for? How toxic are the inks? How much have the magazines I’ve worked for contributed to climate change? The only thing I know for certain is there will be more and more changes in this industry. And I’m going to try and navigate those changes. I’m going to do my best to swim not sink.

I’ve recently been working on producing some new book and print editions. Please visit
http://www.anitakunz.com/pages/Store%2001.html
if you are interested in purchasing or simply viewing.

Here’s an image from my archive. I painted it for Time magazine during the last recession. Somehow it seems even more appropriate now!

Today marks the memorial service for Michael Jackson. This is an image I painted many years ago, when he still had a certain innocence but was already a major talent. Later of course he was to become very troubled and who knows if the allegations of pedophelia are true or not.
Since his death there has been almost no news in North America of anything else. It amazes me how we elevate some to god-like status.
This image was published again on the cover of Argentinian Rolling Stone. Please visit http://visualmente.blogspot.com/2009/07/exclusivo-anita-kunz-dibuja-michael.html. There you will see a very interesting Argentinian artists’ blog (and a short interview with me.)

This is an image that I want to share with everybody on the planet. It’s by Dave Gallo from the TED conference and shows three comparative spheres. The first one is our planet. The second one is the amount of water on our planet. And the third shows the amount of FRESH water on the planet. Really shocking. Look closely. It’s barely visible. I think that most of us assume that there’s lots and lots more water. Please pass it on…..

I am thrilled, honoured and humbled to announce that I am being appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honour by
her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada.
For more information please see http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=5815.
The ceremonies will take place in Ottawa later this year. My deepest thanks to those who nominated and confirmed me.

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

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