Ohyama View, June 2001

"Ohyama View, June 2001" graphite

This sketch is taken from a photo I took while travelling Japan with my class back in high school. It was one of the most significant events in my life, and helped to mold and shape my appreciation for travel, art, music, nature and world customs. This particular image is taken atop Ohyama (meaning great mountain). I took a day trip to the mountain which lies about 2 hours from Tokyo near the coast. I was accompanied by my host parents on a beautiful summer day. They explained (as best they could with their limited English vocabulary) the significance of the shrines and imagery along the way to the top of the mount. This is a rather limited view of what I saw when I reached the top, including a few temples and various shrines. Breathtaking.

Holy Hash

"Hashishians" ink pen

Record Store Day 2009

Here are some poster designs I've completed for Record Store Day 2009 in conjunction with Chicago Independent Distribution (formerly Southern Records) and Black Moth Super Rainbow. Enjoy! Come out and support your local record shoppe on April 18th!

Chalky

"Grab a Growler" sidewalk chalk on sandwich board

"March Madness Leprechaun" sidewalk chalk on wall

Here we have a few pieces I recently finished at my work, Piece Pizzeria and Brewery. My manager asked me to come up with something "cheesy" to put in the hallway of the carry out area where I work. People generally like to stand and stare right at us while they're waiting for their pizza, which is, as you might expect, distracting. The problem was solved with a few new fancy benches put right in the hallway near the front door. This allows patrons to relax while remaining at a reasonable distance from the counter. The results for the chalkboard inviting guests to sit and wait were a cheesy poem and a "groovy" growler image.

I also was asked to redo the mural behind the counter. Sidewalk chalk is a tough medium (lots of smearing and crumbling), but I thought the end product came out well and everyone at the shop was happy and excited. This one was to celebrate spring as well as the arrival of basketball season, which I could really care less about.

Neil

"Neil & King" burnt sienna earth pigment and water.

An homage to my favorite musician of all time, Neil Young. I've taken the image from the inside gatefold of "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere". I believe the puppy in the picture to be Neil's dog, King, but I can't be certain. He references the dog again on his 1992 album "Harvest Moon" with the song "Old King". Not my favorite song of his, but it is a touching reminiscence about the bond between a man and his dog. Thus, the drawings title.