BERUBE

Linocut Sketches From My Service With V+ in Chiang Mai, Thailand

2012-01-31T21:41:00.000-05:00

During the month of January, I spent 3 1/2 weeks in Chiang Mai, Thailand with Volunteer Positive. As part of my thanks to all of the amazing people who donated to the cost of my trip, I will be creating linocuts from these sketches, created during my last week there.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2011

2011-12-20T09:07:00.002-05:00

PROMO PIECE

2011-09-17T22:07:00.000-04:00

MIMZY

2011-08-22T21:02:00.001-04:00

Here's a new print of "The Mimz" - The good thing abt. working freelance in the fashion industry is that the month of August is super quiet for me, which affords me a ton of free time to work on other projects, this was one of them.

If anyone is interested in a commisioned piece of your pet, let me know. I can provide you with a small edition on archival quality paper and provide you with a digital version for you to use however you would like. ;0) FYI - This piece is only 5.5" X 5.5"

"D" IS FOR DOG DOO - AlphaBerube

2011-08-22T11:30:00.000-04:00

This is the new Linocut for my "AlphaBerube" series. A sometimes adult, sometimes childish series of images.

FUCK THE BIG C - Exhibit at Eve-N-Odd Gallery

2011-08-11T22:13:00.005-04:00

This is the new image I created for the "FUCK The Big C" show taking place at Eve-N-Odd Gallery in St. Petersburg Florida. Curated by Jennifer Kosharek and featuring artwork from Ria Vanden Eynde, Betty Esperanza, Branka Djordjević and a host of MailArtists from around the globe. This exhibit is being created to bring visibility to show "how cancer affects our individual art making practice while doing our small bit for raising cancer awareness."

F**K THE BIG C! show runs through September, opens September 8 at 6pm-8pm with live performances, Gallery Walk on September 10. Donations go to local cancer support projects.

************IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO SEND IN A POSTCARD OF YOUR OWN TO BE SOLD, ALL PROFITS DONATED*********

SEND TO: Eve-N-Odd Gallery
645 Central Avenue #11
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

BRANDON READING POETRY FROM "IT AIN"T TRUTH IF IT DOESNT HURT"

2011-07-24T20:29:00.001-04:00

Listen to internet radio with Bathabile on Blog Talk Radio

"IT AIN'T TRUTH IF IT DOESN'T HURT" - Available for Preorder Now. ART by DAVID BERUBE - WORDS By BRANDON LACY CAMPOS

2011-07-20T09:52:00.002-04:00

This is the culmination of a 3 year relationship with Poet, Novelist, Playright, Activist, BRANDON LACY CAMPOS and myself. Beautiful thought-provoking autobiographical Poetry accompanied by images from my "A Face A Day Series".

You can Preorder now at REBEL SATORI PRESS

At $15.95 a pop, how can you resist???? ;0)

NEW LINO-CUT FOR THE "FAMILY PORTRAIT" PROJECT

2011-07-18T22:12:00.005-04:00

THIS GUY

MARRIES

THIS GIRL

Their first child is born but passes within the second year of his life as a result of the size of his heart.

3rd YEAR ANNIVERSARY BERUBE-BUGS

2011-06-11T11:41:00.001-04:00

DIVERSICON #19

2011-06-06T08:29:00.002-04:00

A new commissioned piece for DIVERSICON #19 “Dark Descents, Ascending Wonders”

"FAMILY PORTRAIT"

2011-05-14T17:33:00.006-04:00

I'm presently working on a fictional "Family Portrait" collaboration with fellow MailArtist comrades, Jennifer Kosharek of Eve-N-Odd Gallery fame and DEWI Johan of MOOP (Museum of Ornamental Posts fame.

The family starts out with a triptych of Mother, Daughter and Son-in-law. Each of the 3 of us are starting out with one of the initial family members and then sending the image on to the next person until all 3 of us have left out mark on the subjects of the triptych.

This is my initial contribution of the Son-in-law.

This is Jennifer Kosharek's contribution of the Daughter (Married to my Son-in-law).

And from the Daughter and Son-in-law comes the rest of the family. Each of the 3 of us get one of the couples offspring, 2 girls and one boy, to further create a "family".

I have the eldest daughter to begin my family. This is her as a young teenager.

ObamaBug Makes The Cover Of Tamara Journal

2011-04-18T17:48:00.001-04:00

"STUFFED BUNNY SHOW" Mention on MOBIUS

2011-04-06T18:26:00.003-04:00

Some P.R. for the "Stuffed Bunny Show" at EVE-N-ODD Gallery.

NEW ARTWORK AVAILABLE AT eve-N-odd GALLERY

2011-03-31T16:21:00.008-04:00

Jennifer Kosharek, owner/curator of eve-N-odd Gallery in St. Petersburg, Florida has a new show opening up on April 9th. The theme: THE STUFFED BUNNY SHOW.

I've been wanting to try something a little different with my linocuts, so the challenge to make a stuffed bunny with a linocut image as both the front and back was a welcome challenge. I ended up with an edition of 12 printed, sewn and stuffed BERUBE BUNNIES. Each comes with a hand-printed signed linocut tag with the edition number. Not wanting the bunnies to escape, I also created a small coat hanger wire basket to keep them safe until they find their new homes. Please contact the Gallery for purchases. The bunnies are only $20/ea and there's a limited quantity. Get them while they're still available.

Also available for purchase is a small edition of the BERUBE BUNNIES linocut on 100% acid free paper. $30/each

As part of a collaborative effort with eve-N-odd Gallery, I also created and printed up a Berube-Bug celebrating the Gallery. A small edition of the print is also available while we print some t-shirts up to also have for sale in the Gallery. Print $30/each

EVE-N-ODD GALLERY

2011-03-20T22:03:00.005-04:00

I wanted to do something fun to commemorate my friend Jennifer Kosharek's opening of EVE-N-ODD GALLERY in St. Petersburg, Florida in the Crislip Arcade.

Stay tuned, we're looking to have this printed up on t-shirts to sell at the Gallery.

PRINTED PIECE

SKETCH ON LINOLEUM

PARTIALLY CUT LINO

FROM THE GALLERY

JENNIFER KOSHAREK / eve-N-odd GALLERY OPENING

2011-02-09T18:42:00.001-05:00

645 Central Avenue #11, St. Petersburg, FL

My good friend and fellow MailArtist Jennifer Kosharek is opening a gallery space in Saint Petersburg Florida this weekend, featuring outsider, whimsical, folk, etsy, mailart, fluxus, emo, and handmade ART, and some specially chosen vintage pieces

JENNIFER KOSHAREK / SELF PORTRAIT

Please show your support for an amazingly tough cookie and a roster of incredibly talented artists by visiting her sites, checking out the items available and buying something special.

THE FIRST GALLERY SHOW

A SMALL SELECTION OF GOODIES AVAILABLE

Please check out and "Like" her FACEBOOK page

And follow the gallery's very own BLOGGER page.

MUNCHER CUCUMBER SEED PACK ARTWORK - Mention In NEW PALTZ TIMES & HIGH FALLS MERCANTILE ONLINE SHOP

2011-01-23T19:41:00.000-05:00

I somehow missed this mention in the New Paltz Times.

And Also on the online shop at HIGH FALLS MERCANTILE

"FINLANDIA" PORTFOLIO SUBMISSION

2011-01-14T12:13:00.005-05:00

Early last summer I was asked by Ron Abram, Associate Professor of Drawing & Printmaking at Denison University, Granville, Ohio if I'd be interested in contributing to a printmakers portfolio addressing the subject matter of Equilibrium using Tom of Finland as the jumping off point. The portfolio will be exhibited as part of the SGC (Southern Graphics Council) International's conference being held on the campus of Washington University at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, March 16-19, 2011.

Needless to say, I was more than thrilled to be given the challenge of creating my response to one of my favorite Artist/Illustrators.

Here is the direction I chose.

Initial Pencil Drawing Directly on Linoleum

Inked Linoleum

Hanging to Dry

Final Print

HOLIDAY PRINTS THROUGH THE YEARS

2010-12-17T18:54:00.003-05:00

MIMZY JOY - 2010

I started printing up my own Holiday cards in 1995, having been to design school but never taking a printmaking class I decided to teach myself how to print linocuts. I can't quite remember exactly what inspired me to work with linocuts other than the fact that I believed by using this medium I would be forced to work in a less detailed fashion than what I was used to doing with many other mediums including, graphite, pen and ink and acrylics. As you can see with time, I found a way to work around that perceived notion of a"less-detailed" medium.

Not knowing what the proper tools were in order to do an actual linocut, I bought a piece of wood-backed linoleum and when the time came to actually cut the image out, I grabbed what I was used to working with, an xacto-blade and got to work cutting out my first piece. That became the 2-color self-portrait holiday card I created while still living in Boston in 1995.

I continued to work like this until I moved to NYC the following year and just happened to meet Javier Cintron, a brilliant artist in his own right who at the time was working in the printmaking workshop of Bob Blackburn. Through Javier, I discovered that there were proper tools to cut linoleum with and places where they actually had printing presses to print editions out on. I'd sneak in when Javier was monitoring the shop and work on my own projects while observing the rest of the artists. Eventually when I became comfortable enough with the environment, I became a monitor and as part of the job, I was allowed to use the presses during my shifts.

As time passed, I was able to purchase my own medium-sized press and the rest is history. I'm pretty sure at this point I have a few hundred images printed up over the years.

The following prints represent the work I've created as Holiday cards as well as gift tags between 1995 and this week. I look back at the images and I'm amazed at just how personal and revealing they really are. Although the subject matter changes each year, they have all become self-portraits allowing a glimpse into my state of mind at the time of creation.

I hope you enjoy checking the images out and HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!

1995 - SELF PORTRAIT

1996

1997

1997 - GIFT TAGS

1998 - NEW YORK'S INFLUENCE (One Of My Favorites Too)

1998

1999 - (A BUSY PRINTMAKING YEAR)

1999 GIFT TAGS

2000

2001 ( A Very Sad Year Here In The City)

2002

2002 - GIFT TAGS

2003 - SANTA CLAWS

2004

2004 GIFT TAGS

2005 - BETHESDA FOUNTAIN / CENTRAL PARK (Image Part of "1-A-DAY" Series)

2006 - ROBOSANTA (Image Part Of "A FACE A DAY" Series)

2007 - HOLIDAY WHIRLING DERVISH

2008 ROBO-SNOWMAN

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2010

2010-12-14T22:40:00.006-05:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I decided that it would be mutually beneficial to have my friend Joshua Fennell over to carve and print our Holiday linocut cards. This was his first time to ever cut a lino out, and it inspired me to work on an image as well.

As you can see, my dog Mimzy is an amazing subject to have. ;0)

MIMZY - JOY

CUTTING THE GOLIDAY LINO

JOSHUA'S HOLIDAY CARD

JOSHUA AND HIS NEICE, "MIMZY"

MY SEED PACK ART MAKES IT ON "THE HUFFINGTON POST"

2010-12-10T10:45:00.002-05:00

MY SUBMISSION TO THE SEED PACK ART COMPETITION

"But Greene and Muller--an ambitious, passionate team--aren't content to simply revive the art of seed-saving and preserve rare regional varieties of fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs. They're out to revive and preserve another endangered species while they're at it: artists. So, every year, the Hudson Valley Seed Library, which offers an ever-growing variety of seeds through its online catalog, commissions original artwork for the its Art Pack seed collection, a botanical bonus that makes the packaging as distinctive and worthy of preservation as its contents."

THE FULL ARTICLE HERE:

Please check out THE HUDSON VALLEY SEED LIBRARY for a wonderful selection of original Holiday Gifts.

"C" IS FOR COCK - ALPHABERUBE

2010-11-16T20:02:00.003-05:00

INITIAL SKETCH ON LINOLEUM

PRINTED

HAND COLORED POSTCARD

Horticultural Society of New York - Art from the Hudson Valley Seed Library - December 9 - 23, 2010

2010-11-13T20:22:00.004-05:00

MUNCHER CUCUMBER SEED PACK ARTWORK

ART PACKS

From Hudson Valley Seed Library::

Our seeds and art are coming to the Horticultural Society of New York

Contemporary Heirlooms:
Art from the Hudson Valley Seed Library
December 9 - 23, 2010

Opening Reception: Thursday, December 9th, from 6:30 to 8:00pm

The Horticultural Society of New York is pleased to present Contemporary Heirlooms: Art from the Hudson Valley Seed Library as part of its continuing exhibitions program featuring plant-based art.

The exhibition showcases for the first time in New York City original artworks commissioned by the Hudson Valley Seed Library for their unique Art Pack seed collection. Each season, the Seed Library looks for a diverse range of artists to interpret the herbs, flowers and vegetables from their catalog for the designs of their seed packets. The focus this year was on the heirloom varieties currently available through the Seed Library. All sixteen artworks from the 2011 collection will be on view. Drawing from a range of different styles, materials, and experience, Contemporary Heirlooms includes works in a variety of mediums, including collage, encaustics, oil, ink, watercolor and digital art by a diverse selection of artists.

The Art Packs were established to celebrate the beauty of heirloom gardening in New York. The collection is part of a long tradition of art in the Hudson Valley, stretching back to the Hudson River School in the 19th Century. In addition to being a vital region for food production, the region continues to be home to many artists. The diversity of the artwork and artists chosen is meant to reflect the genetic and cultural diversity of the varieties offered by the Seed Library and is emblematic of the region.
Founded in 2007 by Ken Greene and Doug Muller, and based in Accord, NY, the Hudson Valley Seed Library aims to create an accessible and affordable source of regionally-adapted seeds that is maintained by a community of caring farmers and gardeners. The Seed Library is member-driven and led by a simple principle: the 700 members receive seeds each spring and then are encouraged to return the seeds from the mature plants in the fall. Sold to the public, the 130 heirloom seeds varieties are divided into two categories: the "Library Packs", which include seeds grown locally by the Library members; and the "Garden Packs", which are seeds bought from wholesalers. By 2014, the Seed Library hopes that they will be able to exclusively sell locally grown seed.

The art from the Seed Library collection has been exhibited in various locations throughout the Hudson Valley, including: Kingston Museum of Contemporary Art, Kingston; Roos Arts, Rosendale; Kaaterskill Fine Arts Gallery, Hunter; and the Gardiner Library, Gardiner. The Hudson Valley Seed Library has been featured in Martha Stewart Living and Margaret Roach's blog, A Way to Garden. Most recently, The New York Times ran a feature article and profile on the Seed Library and their mission to grow, save and share New York's heirloom varieties.

A Preview Party, hosted by Great Performances & Katchkie Farm, will be held on Thursday, December 9th, from 5:00 to 6:30pm. Signed limited print editions of the original artworks will be for sale during the opening and throughout the exhibition, along with seed packs and framed Art Packs.

The Horticultural Society of New York is the premier resource center for all things horticultural in New York City. Through a broad array of unique educational, vocational, and therapeutic programs, resources and exhibitions, The Hort brings together plant and gardening experts and enthusiasts to share knowledge, exchange information, and take part in activities that enhance environmental and cultural life in New York. The exhibition program combines an innovative curatorial approach with a unique gallery space to showcase emerging and established artists in all media who are inspired by the natural world.
The Gallery at The Horticultural Society of New York is free and open to the public Monday to Friday, from 12 to 6pm. For further information, please visit www.hsny.org or contact Chris Murtha at 212-757-0915 x121 or cmurtha@hsny.org.
For more information about the Hudson Valley Seed Library, please contact Ken Greene at 845-626-4910 or ken@seedlibrary.org.

MUNCHER CUCUMBER SEED PACK

2010-11-06T17:40:00.003-04:00

The seed packet I illustrated for HUDSON VALLEY SEED LIBRARY is now available for sale. It makes a wonderful holiday stocking stuffer or gift if thats your sort of thing.

The technique used to create this image is an acrylic paints colored linocut.

FROM THE SITE - " Gardeners may think there is nothing green to do in the winter, but winter is when we release our new Art Packs. Pack Art 2011 is a winter garden of art that will get seedy people dreaming about next season. Dreaming is an essential part of gardening in the Northeast. Our dreams are where we hold the flavors, smells, and beauty of our garden bounty during the bleak winter.

This year’s artists were selected from a pool of over 70 submissions. They come from all over the Hudson Valley and New York City. Each artist interpreted one variety of herb, flower, or vegetable from the Seed Library’s catalog. Mediums include collage, encaustics, oil, watercolor, digital, paper cutting, and ink. Artist range from up-and-coming to world renowned. The diversity of the artwork reflects the many stories behind each variety and the genetic wonder that makes each plant unique.

Signed, limited edition giclee prints of the original artworks will be for sale during the opening along with Art Packs filled with seeds and framed seed packs.

2011 Pack Artists: Links to more information about each artist can be found in the description of each variety in our Holiday Catalog."

MIMZY IN REPOSE - Final Print

2010-08-09T09:09:00.002-04:00

MIMZY IN REPOSE - Sketch and Inked Lino

2010-08-08T22:19:00.007-04:00

Alright, so I haven't posted here in a while. Sorry Mom.
July was mostly a month to forget, August so far is asking for the same treatment.

I actually have done some artwork during my absence. One piece, I have been sworn to secrecy regarding showing the actual finished artwork. I can however let you know that the artwork was created for a seed company named Hudson Valley Seed Library that 2 wonderful guys created on their farm in upstate NY. If you're in our region or know someone in this growing region, you should check out their site. They have a catalog of seeds available including their "Art Packs" which I have been so graciously asked to illustrate the packet for the "Muncher" cucumber variety. Once I'm given the go ahead to promote it, I will be posting my final illustration.

Until then, the newest sketch and inked lino of what I've titled, "Mimzy In Repose". Something she does quite often and like a true professional. I'll post the final print tomorrow when it's dry.

Enjoy.

SKETCH ON LINOLEUM

INKED LINOLEUM

BUY A BERUBE MAILART SUBSCRIPTION

2010-07-21T20:24:00.003-04:00

My Brilliant and Talented MailArt comrade Jennifer Kosharek just added me to her roster of MailArtists on her Etsy account offering a years worth of MailArt postcards.

Please check it out HERE

MISSING NOVEMBER BERUBE-BUG or "The Bug that almost wasn't"

2010-05-06T21:02:00.000-04:00

There are some pieces of artwork that just beg to never be finished. For all intensive purposes, my November 2009 Berube-Bug should have been one of those pieces.

If I was a few years younger, had less patience, or wasn't such a stubborn fool, this piece of linoleum would have ended up tossed out of the window as late as last night when I committed to finally printing it after starting it almost 6 months ago.

Based on a trip to Virginia for Thanksgiving, the image was a culmination of watching hours of bloody video games with no less than 5 military in laws and friends as well as spotting Turkey Vultures for the first time in my life flying over the farm fields along the drive to and from Virginia.

I started the piece as soon as I got back from the trip, instantly having problems with coming up with the image I wanted. The initial drawing, (PIC #1 below), was what I initially came up with. That image sat on my desk until I finally gave up in December. I believe in January, I decided to give it a go again, this time by not finishing the initial drawing and starting out with a new, relatively different concept.

Somewhere between January and May, the piece was drawn, redrawn, redrawn again and then cut, little by little until I actually finished cutting it last night while I was printing it. One of the problems with putting one of these pieces on hold is that, there's a lack of continuance, the things I would normally discover and fix as I'm working on the piece become forgotten. So, as a result of that, I did my test print and realized that some of it wasn't working. At this point, I figured, I've waited this long, don't kill it now, try to fix it and call it done.

Having said that, I'm not completely pleased with it, but feel that a lot of my perceived questioning will be fixed with some color added to the image.

Live and learn. Glad that's done.

ORIGINAL CONCEPT (Drawing on linoleum)

2ND CONCEPT (Drawing on linoleum)

CUT LINOLEUM

FINAL PRINT

"A" Is For AARDVARK

2010-05-05T08:52:00.003-04:00

Well, after a many month dry spell, I've finally printed up a new piece. Decided to start another alphabet series, this time printing up postcard sized images so that I can double the fun by sending them out to my mailart friends.

SKETCH ON LINOLEUM

CUT LINOLEUM

INKED LINOLEUM

FINAL PRINT

POSTCARD SIGNAGE

2010-02-15T08:46:00.001-05:00

One of the local dollar stores tossed out a perfectly good card rack the other day,(just 2 days before our art party). I snatched that bad boy up, brought it upstairs and when the snow was done melting off of it, I cleaned it up and made this pretty little sign for it and filled it up with postcards for our art party.

NOT VERY PRETTY

2010-02-07T11:15:00.002-05:00

I've had sinisitus for the last week as the result of a bad chest cold that took me out of commision for the last couple weeks in January.

As a result of this and my general dislike of Winter, I've been unable to sit and focus on being creative and wanting at the same time to get back to drawing and illustrating by means of pen/ink, graphite pencils and washes.

So, this is what I got for my first try. And it isn't very pretty, but it is how I've been feeling. ;0)

FINAL BERUBE-BUG FOR THE "BERUBE-BUG" MAILART CALL

2010-01-15T10:07:00.001-05:00

I've decided that this will be my final Berube-Bug as part of my ongoing Berube-Bug mailart call. Having missed November, it became apparent that I can no longer guarantee a new bug each and every month.

INSPIRATION COMES IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

2009-11-21T10:36:00.004-05:00

I was inspired to grab a piece of linoleum and do a quick sketch of the pooch while she was laying in my lap as I cut out another lino image. Being that laying in our laps is one of her specialties, it was pretty easy to finish the sketch without her moving. ;0)

OCTOBER BERUBE-BUG / BELATED HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2009-11-21T10:35:00.003-05:00

SEPTEMBER BERUBE-BUG / MAILART FINAL

2009-10-27T08:07:00.001-04:00

SEPTEMBER BERUBE-BUG

1950's RADIO

2009-10-20T09:57:00.003-04:00

Another image to be translated to a prop for the Dracula production.

1950's Western Themed Bedspread Design

2009-10-19T11:28:00.005-04:00

Since the "Dracula" production I am working on starts out in a young boys bedroom in the 50's, I was asked to create an image to cover the mattress on the bed prop that appears on stage in the beginning.

By combining multiple linocut images, i've created my version of a 1950's Western themed bedspread.

NEW ADDITION TO THE FAMILY

2009-10-07T18:39:00.002-04:00

Brandon and I recently added a new pup to the family. Mimzy, (her name prior to adoption), was looking for a new home and I had been scouring the JRT adoption and rescue sights looking for a female pup under a year old. 2 weeks into my search, her image popped up. I discovered that she was in Boston, contacted her parents and scheduled a trip to Ct. to pick up my parents truck for the 2.5, (each way), hour drive in the rain.

Her family had a new baby and it seems that Mimzy was none to pleased to be sharing the spotlight with a baby in addition to the other small JRT in the home.

She's an amazing little girl, 11 months old and the tiniest of Jack Russell Terriers I've seen in quite some time. She's still learning how to walk on a lead, it would appear that she didn't have a lot of experience outside in general so all of the noises and smells here in the city and all of the kids from the 2 grammar schools across the street are a true test to her adapting skills. Her walks are getting easier each time and on a wonderful note, within one day, Mimzy learned how to "sit" on command. It's only a hop skip and jump until she's walking herself.

B and I are grateful to have found the perfect match for the both of us.

DRACULA STAGE PRODUCTION - BALTIMORE MARYLAND

2009-10-07T15:02:00.005-04:00

I was in Baltimore last weekend to work with Choreographer/Director Scott Rink of DanceRink on his stage adaptation of a radio play version of "Dracula". The weekend included prop building; including sewing slip covers for 6' x 2.5' x 1.5' pieces of foam, painting the first of these with my "wood grain" linocut images and getting a sneak preview of the choreography for the piece. The show opens up for a short run at Theatre Project in Baltimore towards the end of October, and it looks like it's going to be an amazingadaptation.

ORIGINAL LINOCUT ARTWORK FOR TITLE

POST CARD INVITATION - FRONT

POST CARD INVITATION - BACK

MOCK-UPS FOR SET PROP PIECES

ARTWORK FOR "WOODEN CRATES"

ARTWORK FOR "WOODEN CRATES"

PAINTED/SLIP-COVERED 6' FOAM PROP

PAINTED/SLIP-COVERED 6' FOAM PROP

ARTWORK FOR ADDITIONAL 6' SLIP-COVERED FOAM PROP

ARTWORK FOR ADDITIONAL 6' SLIP-COVERED FOAM PROP

SEPTEMBER BERUBE-BUG / MY BIRTHDAY BUG / PROCESS

2009-09-22T18:44:00.004-04:00

Keeping in the tradition of last month's Berube-Bug in celebration of Brandon's August birthday, I decided to create one for myself for the month of September (MY BIRTHDAY. Here's the process of creating, including the steps of printing. Once I figure out a good colorized version, I'll upload that.

INITIAL DRAWING ON LINOLEUM

PARTIALLY CUT OUT LINO

CUT LINO - COMPLETE

INKED LINO

FINAL PRINT

AUGUST BERUBE-BUG / B. RANDY PEPPAPLANTA BIRTHDAY BUG - COLOR VERSION

2009-09-22T18:38:00.006-04:00

2009-09-22T18:38:00.001-04:00

BERUBE-BUGS APPEAR IN TAMPA TRIBUNE BLOG POST

2009-09-02T20:23:00.000-04:00

A special thanks goes out to Jennifer Zoellner for putting together an amazing exhibit of mailart for her mailart call "CHROMATOPHORE". From all accounts it looks like it was an incredible opening night. Check out some pics from the evenings festivities on her MAILART BLOG.

You can also see what blogger Angus Shafer's visit had to say about the opening including a nice little mention of my work on his Art Blog for the Tampa Tribune.

B. RANDY PEPPAPLANTA / AUGUST BERUBE-BUG PRINT

2009-08-30T13:34:00.000-04:00

For this month's, (August), bug I decided to use my partners birthday as inspiration. This is the second appearance of "B. Randy Peppaplanta" in my Berube-Bug series.

INITIAL SKETCH ON LINOLEUM

CUT AND INKED LINO

FINAL PRINT

RADISH-HEAD / JULY BERUBE-BUG

2009-07-28T18:00:00.003-04:00

I had it in my head that my July bug was going to be some 2-headed creature depicting my state of mind for the past month. At the last minute, while checking out a fellow mail artist MICK BOYLE'S site, I discovered that he was starting a 2-month mailart call with "Radish" as a theme. The rest is history.

As soon as I create a colored version, I'll post that as well.

CUT LINO

INKED LINO

BLACK INK PRINT

"FARRAH" - JUNE BERUBE-BUG

2009-07-12T09:25:00.000-04:00

I finally managed to finish the June Berube-Bug "FARRAH", inspired by Farrah Fawcett's poster image of 70's fame. I'm running a little behind and still have to print the backs of the post cards, but they will make it into the mail this week going to anyone who sent me a post card last month. Sorry for the delay.

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL/DULUTH/BRAINERD - MINNESOTA

2009-06-18T10:54:00.008-04:00

I took a recent trip with Brandon to visit friends and family in Minnesota. We were blessed with amazingly beautiful weather which also provided for fun on Lake Shultz.

Nature is still in it's full splendour up north. American Eagles, Blue Herons, Loons, Sun Fish, Large Mouth Bass, Perch and Red Squirrels were just some of the creatures we spotted.

SAINT PAUL/MISSISSIPPI RIVER

BRANDON / PEANUTS SCULPTURE - ST. PAUL

LAKE SHULTZ MINNESOTA

BRANDON WITH LARGE MOUTH BASS

BLUE HERON

AMERICAN EAGLE

DRIVING THE PONTOON

LYNNE SERPE CAMPAIGN T-SHIRT DESIGN

2009-06-11T10:20:00.001-04:00

Just got done creating this last night as a linocut.

MAY BERUBE-BUG / "SWINE FLEW"

2009-05-22T08:44:00.000-04:00

Inspired by the newest pandemic, I decided to create my interpretaion of the Swine Flu Bug. This one will go in the mail Tuesday when I get back into town.

For those of you in the U.S. have a great holiday weekend.

COLLABORATION WITH BRANDON LACY CAMPOS - #2 - SUSAN BOYLE

2009-05-11T10:11:00.004-04:00

Here is the result of the latest collaboration with Brandon Lacy Campos. Susan Boyle after the makeover? Image drawn by Brandon, transferred, cut and printed by myself.

COLLABORATION WITH BRANDON LACY CAMPOS

2009-05-07T14:12:00.003-04:00

Brandon was so kind as to leave a drawing in my sketchbook, I decided it was cute enough to create a lino-cut out of it.
6 variations of the same print using the chine' colle technique.

SESSIONS WOODS / BURLINGTON CONNECTICUT

2009-04-20T20:48:00.007-04:00

APRIL BERUBE-BUG / THE PROCESS

2009-04-15T11:04:00.001-04:00

I decided to do a 2-color print for this months Berube-Bug, and I'm not sure what the reasoning was behind adding all of the baby bugs to the "Mommy", but all of the coverage and oversaturation of "OctoMom" may have seeped into my subconciousness as I was drwaing this.

Below is documentation of the process of what it entails to create a 2-color linocut print.

INITIAL SKETCH ON LINOLEUM

1ST COLOR INKED LINO

1ST COLOR / PRINT

2ND COLOR / INKED LINO

2ND COLOR / PRINT

FINAL PRINT

THE VORTEX 04.08.09 - HEADS WILL ROLL

2009-04-08T14:05:00.002-04:00

I've seen this truck on my street doing repairs for the past week, loved their added visual display element.

MARCH BERUBE-BUG / CHINE-COLLE' TECHNIQUE

2009-03-25T17:20:00.009-04:00

For this months addition to the Berube-Bug mailart project I decided to go a slightly different route. Still using printmaking and linocut as the primary method of creating multiple images, I decided to implement a technique call Chine-Colle' to add color to each and every postcard going out. Here is a brief definition from Wikipedia of what the Chine-Colle' technique of printmaking entails.

"Chine-collé is a special technique in printmaking in which the image is transferred to a surface that is bonded to a heavier support in the printing process. One purpose is to allow the printmaker to print on a much more delicate surface, such as Japanese paper or linen, which pulls finer details off the plate. Another purpose is to provide a background color behind the image that is different from the surrounding backing sheet."

"The final image will depend on the design and ink color of the printed image, the color and opacity of the paper to which the image is directly printed (plus any inclusions such as petals or fibers in that paper), and the color of the backing sheet."

- As you'll notice with the sample I'm documenting here, not all layered colors work that well. I have other prints from the edition where the color selection is far more successful but since I documented all of the steps with this particular color combination I figured I'd follow through and show the results, good, bad or otherwise.

*As far as the image for this months Berube-Bug, I'll leave that up to you for interpretation. ;0)

SKETCH ON LINOLEUM

INKED LINO W/COLOR PAPER DOT SELECTION

INKED LINO W/FIRST LAYER OF COLOR PAPER DOTS APPLIED

INKED LINO W/SECOND LAYER OF COLOR PAPER DOTS AND GLUE

FINAL PRINTED IMAGE

A FEW OF THE PRINTS

BOOK COVER / BRANDON LACY CAMPOS

2009-03-17T09:18:00.004-04:00

On a recent trip to Washington D.C. to visit with Brandon, I had the opportunity to get some reference for work on the cover of the book of poetry Brandon is publishing later this year with accompanying images by my self.

The above lino here is a quick "sketch" I made directly on to a small piece of lino, approx. 4" x 4". The second image I created based on a reference pic of Brandon. At this point, this image is likely to be used as the book cover image.

CENTRAL PARK - EARLY SPRING

2009-03-08T20:52:00.006-04:00

The weather today created the perfect environment for taking a walk through Central Park. Some of the trees were starting to bud, the crocus were blooming, and a Redtail Hawk was perched on the stone cliffs a few feet away from us on the edge of the turtle pond.

VIEW FROM BELVEDERE CASTLE

BRANDON LACY CAMPOS

REDTAIL HAWK

CENTRAL PARK WEST

MAKING DUMPLINGS - MEE NOODLE SHOP

WASHINGTON D.C.

2009-03-04T09:08:00.011-05:00

I had a short trip to Washington D.C. to hang out with Brandon, talk about the book project and do some sight-seeing. We did manage to tour a bunch of the Smithsonian family of museums and saw some amazing artwork including a Paul Cadmus painting
“A Night in Bologna”

and a Thomas Hart Benton piece,
"Achelous and Hercules"

both of which I've only seen in reproductions. Unfortunately the chilly weather and freak snowstorm on Monday made running around a little more difficult than necessary and my original thoughts of getting some outdoor drawings done seemed impossible.

BRANDON - MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART / PORTRAIT GALLERY

LOUISE BOURGEOIS SCULPTURE / HIRSHORN MUSEUM

U.S. POSTAL DEPARTMENT BUILDING

U.S. POSTAL DEPARTMENT BUILDING

THE CAPITAL

WASHINGTON MONUMENT

FEBRUARY BERUBE-BUG / FIRST BATCH

2009-02-17T12:41:00.000-05:00

I added a little color to this month's Berube-Bug. Seemed only appropriate as it's my version of a Valentine love-bug. Cards going out the the following: CANDACE PORTH/Phoenix Arizona, USA - LAURA PACTER/Naples Florida, USA - MEDWOLF/Battleford Sask, CANADA - JOE BERUBE/Belle River, Ontario, CANADA - MICHAEL KUDELA/Niagara Falls, New York, USA - CHUCK GATTUSO/Highlands Ranch, Colorado, USA - EMMA KLEE/Baltimore, Maryland, USA - SERVANE MOREL/Bruxelles, BELGIQUE

Next batch hatching soon!!!

CALIFORNIA / PALABRISTAS

2009-02-12T22:44:00.011-05:00

I had the pleasure of accompanying my partner, Brandon Lacy Campos and two of his fellow poets and spoken word artists, Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria and Lorena Duarte while they did a mini tour including appearances in San Francisco as well as San Jose. It was amazing to see the three of them connect with a freshman class of immigrant students in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco. The kids couldn't get enough and asked them to come back... every friday. LOL

IN THE CLASSROOM

All three brilliant poets and performers are part of the collective of Latino artists named "Palabristas" (Word Slingers), based out of Minneapolis, Mn.

Check out their personal pages to read more about each of them and what type of poetry they write. I guarantee, you will not be disappointed

BRANDON LACY CAMPOS

LORENA DUERTE

RODRIGO SANCHEZ-CHAVARRIA

FEBRUARY BERUBE-BUG / FINAL PRINT

2009-02-04T12:19:00.001-05:00

FINAL LINOCUT PRINT

FEBRUARY BERUBE-BUG / AAAAAAH LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-03T16:18:00.001-05:00

Just a quick post here with the February Berube-Bug in the printing process stage. Actual print will be uploaded tomorrow when it's done drying and ready to be scanned.

INTIAL SKETCH ON LINO

LINO PARTIALLY CUT

LINO FINAL CUT / SCAN

INKED LINO

TWISTED

2009-01-31T10:55:00.003-05:00

Often times when I feel myself stuck in a bit of an uncreative pass I'll grab whatever is closest and easiest to manipulate. Which would also explain why I have so many little wire sculptures all about the apartment. It ends up being an exercise to free myself up a bit and try to get the creative juices flowing without committing to a gigantic project. I also just so happened to have a printout of a pic I took of Brandon on my desk and decided that a wire portrait would be a fun challenge. Although I'm not 100 percent pleased with the results, it's a good first "sketch" and a good jumping off point for the next version.

MIAMI - SUMMERFOLK PRESS BOOK RELEASE

2009-01-14T11:57:00.007-05:00

SUNSET

I just got back from a quick work trip to Miami. Fortunately, I was staying a beach pebbles throw away from the shore and despite the fact that I was busy during the day with work obligations, I did manage to have my breakfast coffee on the beach and end my day on the beach. I snapped a few pics as all of the early morning joggers and bike riders were getting their day started and I even managed to do a quick lino sketch.

MORNING NORTH

MORNING SOUTH

I think the last time I was in Miami was 20 years ago, so this was a treat for me. Monday evening I managed to go for a long walk on the beach and discovered that when I turned off the beach, I was in the heart of the area with all of the restored Deco hotels lining Ocean drive. Night time didn't really afford the best viewing opportunities to scope out the architectural details of these gems, but it was a pleasant and welcome surprise.

DECO BUILDING ACROSS STREET FROM HOTEL

In other news, I've paired up with Literary Artist, Brandon Lacy Campos and the folks at Summerfolk Press for a book of poetry with accompanying images from my "A Face A Day" series. We're still in the intitial book forming stages and are looking for a 2010 release date, but thought I would share the great news as this will be my first published book work. Stay tuned for regular updates.

GIRL ON TRAIN - "A FACE A DAY" SERIES

NEW YEAR - NEW STAMP LICKER

2009-01-10T20:11:00.001-05:00

I figured it was time to retire the old stamplicker/return address stamp. And a special "Thank You" to Brandon for the suggestion as to the concept of the new image.

JANUARY BERUBE-BUG

2009-01-06T10:42:00.001-05:00

I just finished printing up the first Berube-Bug for 2009. This one is loosely based on the animal life we saw while in Ft. Lauderdale over the holiday.

INITIAL SKETCH ON LINO

LINO CUT BEFORE PRINTING

INKED LINO

FINAL PRINT

HOLIDAY IN FORT LAUDERDALE

2009-01-01T21:05:00.006-05:00

I decided to try something different for my Christmas break this year. After finishing up with the Alice in Wonderland production in Baltimore, Brandon and I headed back to NYC for a few days before flying down to Fort Lauderdale to visit friends, hang out at the shore and relax for a bit.

FORT LAUDERDALE BEACH

BRANDON LACY CAMPOS

FLOWER CLOSE-UP

SEAGULL SCULPTURE

All in all, it was a wonderful trip. A few funky days inland in the beginning were quickly forgotten once we arrived at the shore for the remainder of the trip. Most of my previous trips to Ft. Lauderdale revolved around the beach, the patio of my friends apartment and drawing, painting and relaxing. This time, Brandon and I actually trekked around a bit and headed to the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale to check out an amazing exhibit of Carlos Luna's paintings paired up with a selection of Picasso's ceramic works. An interesting comparison because of their "exile" status and politically infused imagry but in my opinion completely unnecessary as Luna's work can and certainly does hold it's own. I stood in awe over his technical mastery his choice of subject matter, usage of typography in his work and the passion apparent in each and every painting shown.

May the new year bring all of you Peace, Love, Joy and tons of creativity. I know Brandon and I are looking forward to the new year and all of the possibilities it holds for us.

Peace - David

ROBO-SNOWMAN / PROCESS

2008-12-22T21:20:00.005-05:00

Well, it looks like I will actually get my 2008 Holiday card into the mail before Christmas afterall. I started the drawing. directly on to the piece of pre-cut lino on the train back from Baltimore Saturday, cut and printed the blue layer yesterday and cut and printed the black layer this afternoon. Since the radiator is cranking in the studio, it looks like the prints are actually dry enough to label and stamp the post cards I printed up with the image and pop them into the mail tomorrow a.m. before hopping on the plane for a week long trip to Ft. Lauderdale.

FINAL DRAWING ON LINO

BLUE LAYER

BLACK LAYER

FINAL 2-COLOR PRINT

HOLIDAY CARDS THROUGH THE YEARS

2008-12-22T21:15:00.005-05:00

2008 ROBO-SNOWMAN

I started printing up my own Holiday cards in 1995, having been to design school but never taking a printmaking class I decided to teach myself how to print linocuts. I can't quite remember exactly what inspired me to work with linocuts other than the fact that I believed by using this medium I would be forced to work in a less detailed fashion than what I was used to doing with many other mediums including, graphite, pen and ink and acrylics. As you can see with time, I found a way to work around that perceived notion of a"less-detailed" medium.

Not knowing what the proper tools were in order to do an actual linocut, I bought a piece of wood-backed linoleum and when the time came to actually cut the image out, I grabbed what I was used to working with, an xacto-blade and got to work cutting out my first piece. That became the 2-color self-portrait holiday card I created while still living in Boston in 1995.

I continued to work like this until I moved to NYC the following year and just happened to meet Javier Cintron, a brilliant artist in his own right who at the time was working in the printmaking workshop of Bob Blackburn. Through Javier, I discovered that there were proper tools to cut linoleum with and places where they actually had printing presses to print editions out on. I'd sneak in when Javier was monitoring the shop and work on my own projects while observing the rest of the artists. Eventually when I became comfortable enough with the environment, I became a monitor and as part of the job, I was allowed to use the presses during my shifts.

As time passed, I was able to purchase my own medium-sized press and the rest is history. I'm pretty sure at this point I have a few hundred images printed up over the years.

The following prints represent the work I've created as Holiday cards as well as gift tags between 1995 and this week. I look back at the images and I'm amazed at just how personal and revealing they really are. Although the subject matter changes each year, they have all become self-portraits allowing a glimpse into my state of mind at the time of creation.

I hope you enjoy checking the images out and HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!

1995 - SELF PORTRAIT

1996

1997

1997 - GIFT TAGS

1998 - NEW YORK'S INFLUENCE (One Of My Favorites Too)

1998

1999 - (A BUSY PRINTMAKING YEAR)

1999 GIFT TAGS

2000

2001 ( A Very Sad Year Here In The City)

2002

2002 - GIFT TAGS

2003 - SANTA CLAWS

2004

2004 GIFT TAGS

2005 - BETHESDA FOUNTAIN / CENTRAL PARK (Image Part of "1-A-DAY" Series)

2006 - ROBOSANTA (Image Part Of "A FACE A DAY" Series)

2007 - HOLIDAY WHIRLING DERVISH

BALTIMORE MARYLAND - ALICE OPENING

2008-12-20T22:17:00.009-05:00

THE THEATRE PROJECT

I had an absolutely amazing time in Baltimore, despite the crappy weather and insane work hours we all put in prior to the Alice in Wonderland production presented by Scott Rink of DanceRink at Theatre Project, I can honestly say that I look forward to heading back to Baltimore for another visit when the weather warms up.

Despite being a contributor to the actual "Alice" production via backdrop and prop designs, I can honestly say that I looked forward to curtain call each and every night. Scott managed to direct and pull together an amazing group of collaborators as well as a brilliant tech team and incredibly talented group of dancers who completely devoted themselves to this multi-dimensional piece. We had a nearly full house every night including today's matinee performance that was pleasantly 2/3's filled with children.

LAST MINUTE COSTUME PAINTING

DANCERS ON STAGE

Brandon and I managed to do a brisk business selling t-shirts featuring images from Alice contributions as well as other pieces with my artwork on them. And if you're wondering, yes indeed, we have a few extra for sale. Feel free to contact me through here if you're interested.

DANCER SPORTING THE CHESHIRE CAT TEE

BRANDON AND MAX ALSO SPORTING THE CHESHIRE CAT TEE

I'll have some professional photos up withing the next day or so. In the interim, I'm going to post a few shots from the trip including this beautiful 120+ year old home/bed and breakfast that the Theatre Project houses it's visiting artists in as well as some shots from Brandon and my excursion to the Walters Museum and a few interesting buildings and sculptures in the Mount Vernon section of the city we bounced around in. As a side note, I have to say, if you want to see some absolutely amazing period architecture, head to Baltimore and specifically the Mount Vernon area as I was absolutely amazed at block after block of Victorian architecture, single family homes, brownstones, banks, insurance companies, they were all represented.

THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE

SCULPTURE IN PARK AROUND WASHINGTON MONUMENT

RANDOM ARCHITECTURE SHOT

THE BASE OF A FLAG POLE WE WALKED BY DAILY

A COUPLE OF MY FAVORITE PIECES FROM THE WALTERS MUSEUM

ALICE IN WONDERLAND OPENS

2008-12-18T13:01:00.004-05:00

Here's the direct link to todays article in the Arts and Entertainment section of the Baltimore Sun.

ALICE/HOUSE COSTUME ARTWORK

2008-12-14T15:09:00.006-05:00

PIGLET HEAD - "ALICE" PROP

2008-12-14T14:12:00.004-05:00

This guy is going to be turned into a prop for the stage production of "Alice In Wonderland", opening this coming weds. in Baltimore Maryland at the Theatre Project - 45 West Preston Street.

CROSS POST FROM MY BERUBE-BUGS BLOG

2008-12-13T20:44:00.002-05:00

Alright, you caught me, not a single bug in this post. But... since this is a very special card that I recently received in the mail, I thought it deserved to be posted. Wendy Thornley, an acomplished artist in her own right, just so happens to be my high school art teacher and the reason why I continue to create artwork to this very day. We still exchange holiday cards every year, and every once in a while I pull out her phone number and give her a call. Despite our sporadic communications, she's the type of person I think about often with fondness and gratitude. Every child should be so lucky as to have a teacher like Ms. Thornley in their life.

FINAL 2008 BERUBE-BUG

2008-12-10T09:38:00.005-05:00

Hello, well it looks like 2008 is coming to a wrap and since the remaining 2 weeks of December will find me traveling to Baltimore for the production of Alice in Wonderland featuring my artwork as backdrops and props, then on to a much needed rest in Florida for Christmas, I'm trying to get the December bug in the mail as early as possible to those who have already sent in their submissions .

With the end of the year comes the last of the 2008 series Berube-Bugs. Fret not, I'll be continuing the project into the new year, with a fresh batch of creatures. As long as you send them in, I'll send them out. I want to thank all of you who have contributed to the project over the past 6 or so months, and especially those "regulars" who month after month show me just how brilliant your talent really is. I look forward to the new year and all the creatures it may bring.

TEA PARTY - ALICE PROJECT

2008-12-08T11:33:00.005-05:00

One of the last pieces I was asked to create for the Alice project is/are basic components for a tea party that are to then be painted on to a rectangular sheet and used as a prop held aloft between performers.

NEW T-SHIRT DESIGNS

2008-12-02T22:35:00.005-05:00

Brandon Lacy Campos and I are selling t-shirts featuring 3 of my illustration designs. The Cheshire Cat tee is being released in conjunction with the stage production of Alice in Wonderland playing December 17-21 in Baltimore Maryland. It's available as an Adult tee with black sleeves or children/youth sizes 8, 10, 12 in with either pink or black sleeves.

The Elephant/Ganesha tee is a reprint of an earlier release that benefited the ASPCA of New York City.

And the RoboSanta is a very limited printing, well, because I thought it was a funny image.

5% of t-shirt sales will be donated to Camp Heartland, a place for children and family affected by HIV/AIDS.

We're accepting preorders now. Actual tees will be available around the 13th of Dec. Checks, Money Orders and PayPal payments accepted. Please contact me for mailing address, payment, PayPal acct. info and any questions you may have.

GIVE THANKS

2008-11-27T09:08:00.004-05:00

Every year at exactly midnight, I see tons of flashing police lights on 10th avenue and rush to the window to see what's going on. I am quickly reminded that it is the evening before Thankgiving and the floats are being escorted up 10th avenue to the upper west side where they will be assembled for today's events. Not the best camera for night pics, I still managed to hang out the window and snap a few quick pics.

Please have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving however you chose to celebrate. Be thankful for what you do have and think about those less fortunate than you.

Peace
David

OBAMABUG / BERUBE-BUG FOR NOVEMBER

2008-11-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

OBAMABUG - FINAL PRINT/LINOCUT

Needless to say, probably the biggest highlight in the month of November was the elction of Barak Obama for the next President of the United States. In tribute to that occassion, as only I can see it, I've created a butterfly with a resemblance to Mr. President Elect who just happens to have stars and stripes on his wings. As Brandon pointed out, the butterfly, "a symbol of change".

TREE - ALICE PRODUCTION

2008-11-22T15:56:00.006-05:00

Image to be divided into 3 19' x 4.5' panels.

NOVEMBER BERUBE-BUG / OBAMA BUG HAS ARRIVED

2008-11-22T15:55:00.001-05:00

I just finished printing up the November Berube-bug, ( and yes, I am quite aware that November is almost done already ), although the actual printed image will not be dry and ready for scanning until tomorrow, possibly late tonight since the heat is cranking in the studio. I figured i would post the cut lino as well as the inked lino so you get a preview of what to expect. And if I don't do this now while i'm thinking abt. it and have a free minute, it's not likely to get done until some time in January. Busy is good, busy is good, busy is good.

CUT LINO (SCAN)

INKED LINO (PIC)

KITCHEN CUPBOARD - ALICE

2008-11-20T16:23:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note, and back to the rabbit hole for me. Here's the latest piece being turned into a 19 foot backdrop for the Alice In Wonderland project.

BRANDON LACY CAMPOS - JOURNAL COVER

2008-11-13T09:46:00.004-05:00

JOURNAL COVER - LINOCUT

This one slipped through the cracks. I had produced it the day before Brandon arrived for his visit on Halloween to be placed on the cover of a writing tablet I wanted him to have in order to write during his trip and any subsequent trips he may take. I'm a big fan of creating art while traveling and have been known to lugg 20 pounds of art materials up the side of tropical forest mountains so that I could visually record my experience. Having had taken a recent extended trip to the west coast with Brandon, I knew that he too found pleasure and inspiration in writing while vacationing and wanted to provide him with a personalized journal of his own.

FLAMINGO - CROQUET MALLET / FINAL

2008-11-13T09:06:00.004-05:00

LINOCUT - FINAL

FLAMINGO - CROQUET MALLET / PROCESS

2008-11-13T00:43:00.005-05:00

INITIAL SKETCH OF HEAD

FINAL PENCIL DRAWING

CUT LINO

INKED LINO

I just finished the next piece for the "Alice" project. This one is being reproduced approx. 4 feet tall for 7 dancers to use as props. It's my version of the flamingo croquet mallets that the Duchess uses.

Probably a little more twisted than other illustrated versions, but the way I looked at was that if you were going to use my head to hit a croquet ball, I probably wouldn't have a sublime look on my face either.

So, here's the process from original pencil sketch of the head, (which I really felt was the most important part of the illustration), to the inked linoleum. I'll be posting the final printed image in the morning after it's dry.

BABY FACE AND DOORWAY

2008-11-06T18:44:00.002-05:00

I finished cutting and printing 2 more pieces for the "Alice" project. 2 down, a shitload more to go. ;0)

DOORWAY

CRYING BABY FACE

11.06.08 - THE VORTEX

2008-11-06T18:41:00.002-05:00

VIEW FROM MY WINDOW THIS MORNING

HALLOWEEN 2008

2008-11-01T11:52:00.005-04:00

For Halloween Brandon and I decided to head up through Central Park and make our way over to the Metropolitan Museum as he had never had the opportunity to visit the museum before and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to check out the foliage in the park, try out Brandon's new camera and show Brandon some of my favorite parts of the museum. Afterwards, we met up with a couple of his friends for a quick bite to eat and then headed back through the park towards the apartment where we quickly discovered that the place we were planning on purchasing pumpkins for the nights carving festivities was sold out. Lucky for us, as we passed Columbus Circle I remembered that there's a Whole Foods store in the lower level of the Time Warner Bldg.. Hoping that they would have pumpkins that were not some specialty variety grown on the mountains of the Himalayans and selling at $29.00 a pound, we stopped in and were pleasantly surprised to find that not only did they have pumpkins, but all sizes were $5. Needless to say, we ended up having to take a cab home because of the size of the ones we picked out. They were easily in the 40-45 pound range and by far the biggest pumpkin i've ever purchased.

As the evening progressed and our friends gathered, we enjoyed wine, dinner, and then promptly got right down to business cleaning out and carving our beautiful pumpkins. I'll be posting more pictures of the actual event and the end result as I gather pics from the others cameras.

BRANDON - CENTRAL PARK

CAROUSEL - CENTRAL PARK

RELIEF SCULPTURE - CENTRAL PARK

BRANDON - TEMPLE OF DENDUR / METROPOLITAN MUSEUM

TILDON - MIDWAY THROUGH THE PUMPKIN CARVING

10.26.08 - THE VORTEX

2008-10-30T10:47:00.002-04:00

Sunday morning was a bit overstimulating at the vortex of 52nd street and 10th avenue here in NYC. On 10th ave. heading north, the Mexican festivities were just getting started while at the same time a plethora of emergency vehicles arrived to one of the high rises that went up on 52nd street, (literally around the corner). As my computer desk sits in a position where I am able to look out both windows at the same time, one north, the other west, I was gently reminded why I both love and hate this apartment. Non-stop activity and great views of it.

HALLOWEEN BERUBE-BUG 2008

2008-10-13T00:16:00.002-04:00

I just finished printing up my artist proofs of the 2008 Halloween Berube-Bug. I'll be printing up the actual copies of the image tomorrow, as well as the postcards to send to anybody who has sent me bug cards for the month of October. Below is the process from sketch, to printed piece. If you haven't sent your creature postcard for the month of October, you have 2 more weeks left before Skull-Bug is put to rest.

PENCIL SKETCH

SKETCH TRANSFERRED TO LINOLEUM

CUT LINO

INKED LINO

FINAL PRINTED PIECE

PIG BABY

2008-10-07T19:53:00.002-04:00

Here are a few more sketches being used as the initial step in creating 2 more linos for the Alice stage production. I believe they're for the scene in the Duchess's kitchen where a screaming baby turns into a pig.

CHICKENS AND DUCK PRINT

2008-09-26T11:00:00.002-04:00

Here are a few of the prints, all slightly different from each other based on the paper choices.

CHICKENS AND DUCK

2008-09-25T23:03:00.002-04:00

I just finished a linocut that I drew while up in Eureka California the day after my birthday. I sat outside the chicken coop at Brandon's friends David Cobb and Kaitlin's house and did some really quick sketches. As you can imagine, it's a bit like trying to sketch a roller coaster while in motion, as the chickens were as interested in me as I was in them and in perpetual state of movement.

I decided to add a little color to the printing process this time by using a technique referred to as "chine-cole" in which pieces of paper are applied to the inked lino, a bit of glue is brushed on to the added bits and then the actual paper you're printing on is placed on top of that and the wole thing is put through the press. Since I tend to use rather small pieces of paper that conform to the actual images on the lino, it can be a rather tedious process. The great thing abt. this is that you never really know what the printed piece is going to look like because of the types of papers used and the amount of layering you decide upon. It's definitely a hit or miss process and I can tell you firsthand that I have completely given up on other prints trying to use the same technique. Tonight, I'm proud to say, was a success.

(This is just a pic of the prints I did and I'll be scanning and uploading the actual image tomorrow)

ART FROM SAN FRANCISCO

2008-09-24T17:01:00.002-04:00

Just a quick pencil/watercolor sketch I did the afternoon Michael and I went to the beach in San Francisco. The view of the bridge was amazing from where we were.

WEST COAST TRIP- PART 2 AND 2.5

2008-09-21T12:42:00.009-04:00

I had a slight change of plans with the most recent get-away while in Oakland. Instead of heading directly down to Big Sur on friday, I headed to San Francisco to meet Michael and packed a lunch and headed to a rather desolate beach area with an amazing view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Later in the evening Brandon joined us and we prepared for a short trip down the coast to Big Sur. Once again, I was absolutely blown away by the beauty of coastal California. As you drive down Highway 1, the view is nothing short of awe inspiring. There are certain points where it is seemingly possible to see the curve of the earth's surface along the along the vast expanse of the horizon.

The first stop on our trip was at the Lobos Point State park where you can walk along a number of trails circling a peninsula that run across everything from petrified sand formations to young redwoods forests opening upon coves of swirling water and cliffs with dozens of birds warming in the sun.

BIG SUR

VISIONS FROM DOWNTOWN OAKLAND

2008-09-17T11:56:00.004-04:00

Having never been here before, I had no idea but it just so happens that downtown Oakland has some amazing architecture. Aside from the obvious Spanish inspired influence that most older buildings and homes in the area have, the downtown is replete with all kinds of beautiful buildings.

WEST COAST TRIP - PART 2

2008-09-17T11:51:00.001-04:00

I'll be meeting Michael tonight in San Francisco to gather our camping supplies for a short trip to Big Sur. Back on Saturday, so expect some new pics then.

WEST COAST TRIP - PART 1

2008-09-16T13:32:00.008-04:00

I arrived in Oakland California Thursday evening, hopped in a rental car and promptly got lost 5 or 6 times on the way to Brandon's with the help of a navigation system. (Ironically, the same navigation system stopped working approximately 1 hour into our trip Friday morning).

ON THE ROAD - BRANDON

Friday morning arrives, we have a quick workout, grab some food and snacks for the road and head north for the 5.5 hour trip to Eureka, a small coastal town where Brandon has friends who own a home that they also run a nonprofit political organization Democracy Unlimited Of Humboldt County out of. It also just so happens that one of the hosts is also a Virgo and was celebrating her birthday with a dozen or so friends the Friday evening we arrived.

Turns out Brandon's friends David and Kaitlan are incredibly kind, warm and welcoming people whonot only welcome us into their home but also make us feel like part of the family, part of the community.

In preparation for the night's festivities we drive Kaitlin north to Arcata where she is part of a co-op farming effort and was planning on picking up her fresh produce and bunch of flowers from the cutting beds. We had no idea that the "cutting beds" were going to be the size of most small Manhattan parks. The woman who oversees the farm got wind that it was my birthday and suggested that I go ahead and cut myself a bunch of flowers.

CUTTING BEDS IN ARCATA

The party was wonderful, 2 delicious cakes, lots of wine and beer and tons of tasty homemade foods.

CHICKS AND DUCKS (Thanks for the delicious eggs ladies)

Saturday, after breakfast made with fresh eggs from the hens as well as the ducks that Kaitin cares for in her backyard, Brandon and I decided to head a little further north to Trinidad in search of the sun and a nice place to draw and grab a bite to eat. The fog apparently had little desire to lift, and we were not prepared for the chilly air so we ended up finding the wonderful little restaurant located in a cove, had lunch, took a quick walk on to the pier and promptly got back into the truck, no drawing today. On the way back to the house we decided to hit a few beaches along the way and discovered that you could drive 3 miles one way and it would be foggy and freezing and at the blink of an eye and 3 miles in the other direction it was 20 degrees warmer and sunny, something that was both intriguing and baffling to both Brandon and myself and a lesson in geography and weather related conditions as well.

PIER IN THE COVE IN TRINIDAD

Sunday morning we shared a quick breakfast and decided to head back to Oakland with specific instructions from David Cobb that we should take a slight detour on the way back and drive through the Avenue Of The Giants. A scenic route of sorts that drives through one of the oldest redwood forests in America. Needless to say,it was an awe inspiring experience with many pit-stops before we finally made it back on to the freeway.

IN MEMORY OF

2008-09-10T21:04:00.002-04:00

Photos I shot that eventful morning from the 14th floor of the office I worked in at 5th avenue and 12th street.

Please never forget the tragedy of September 11 and the terror that is a daily occurrence for those less fortunate than yourself.