Archive for October, 2006
Thursday, October 19th, 2006
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| I promised I would let you know when "Mark the Art Guy" finally made his online debut, did I not? Well, yesterday was the day.
So if you want to take a look at the webcomic about Creative Suite 2 that I’ve been preparing for Adobe Systems since last spring, here’s the link to click on!
Five installments of the series are ready to view from the get-go, and more will be added every couple of weeks.
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| Admission is free, and springing for the product Adobe is advertising is not a requirement for enjoying my goofy story of a designer whose servitude to a nutso client is made easier by the new, cool tools of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and the other co-inhabitants of the graphics suite to end all suites.
But of course, if Mark’s adventures inspire you to avail yourself of any or all of the CS2 upgrades under discussion, far be it from Adobe to turn you away!
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Tuesday, October 17th, 2006
| I’ve been sending the promo graphic below to friends in New York City who might be inclined to show up for the panel I’ll be part of next week, so I figure I’ll share it with you loyal blog-readers while I’m at it.
Those of you who live at some distance from lower Manhattan (like, say, in California, Hawaii, or Istanbul) may want to weigh the cost of air fare before rushing to buy plane tickets. But if you’re going to be in the neighborhood anyway next Monday evening and feel like being part of the event, my fellow cartoonists/panelists will be happy to see you there.
The program starts at 6:30. To be 100% sure you get a spot in the hall, call 212-367-1176 for advance reservations.
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This program, which you already know about if you read my earlier post about it, is being organized by Gay Men’s Health Crisis, one of several events around the Big Apple that mark a quarter-century’s worth of struggle against the plague that blindsided so many of us back in 1981. The Museum of Comics and Cartoon Art is hosting the occasion as part of its ongoing MoCCA Mondays series. |
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Monday, October 16th, 2006
| As anticipated in my last blog post, North Adams was awash in artists this weekend — and I was right there in the thick of it. |
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| The city’s first Open Studios marathon turned out to be a lot of fun for me and seemingly for others, too. I bonded with a bunch of fellow artists that I had never met before as we hung our stuff and then settled in to chat with the waves of folks who hopped off the trolley the city was providing for the occasion. The talent coming at me from all directions at 107 Main Street was invigorating. And from what I hear, much fun was had at all the other venues where artists were similarly displaying their wares and meeting their publics.
The cartoon originals on the wall behind me enjoyed a gratifying amount of scrutiny on both Saturday and Sunday, and I even sold a few small items. I also met some aspiring high-school cartoonists who thought my cartooning course might be a good reason for them to make MCLA their choice of colleges next year. That felt good.
Last night we began "striking the set," to use theatre terminology, after which I set about reintegrating myself into my normal activities: writing "Mark the Art Guy" episodes and gearing up for this Wednesday’s edition of my weekly exercise in collegiate professoriality.
I have one more hectic weekend to look forward to: Eddie and I will be heading down to Manhattan for the "Out Of The Pages" AIDS-and-comics panel at MoCCA I’m set to be part of next Monday. After that I should be able to at last retrieve the smoother rhythm of work I’m most comfortable with.
Not that visiting Eddie’s folks in Florida, being part of Open Studios, and seeing old friends in New York aren’t all breaks in the routine with much to offer respectively. But having them clustered together three weekends in a row reminds me that letting one’s routine go for a reasonable stretch without getting broken has more than a little appeal for a homebody like me.
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Posted in Life & Art | No Comments »
Thursday, October 12th, 2006
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| The North Adams Open Studios art festival is preparing to flower this weekend, and examples of my creative output will be in full bloom along with works by a bunch of other local artists* who’ll be sprinkled across assorted venues in our city for the whole two days.
A trolley will provide free rides from venue to venue. In other words, the berg will be hopping with art-creators and art-lovers all day Saturday and Sunday.
If you want to see me in particular (and who wouldn’t?), I will be tending my art display (plus Howard Cruse books, mugs, and mousepads) at 107 Main Street. If you’re in the area, do drop by. Two days is a long time to be parked in one spot, and it’s much more fun to chat and party with friends than to stare into space for fourteen hours.
Below: Me beginning the process of figuring out which drawings will go where with the assistance of my friend Sierra Murphree. Her mom Rosemary snapped the photo.
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| Other artists who’ve signed on to exhibit at 107 Main Street are: Viola Moriarty; Jennifer Mulcahy; Jaye Fox; Martha Rose; Ryan Hutton; Ian Grey; Glenn Shalan; Karen Kane; Jerid Hohn; John Lissee; Danny O’Connor; David Lane; Rebecca DeWitt; John Sherman; Stephanie Gravalese; Alicia Zalud; and Rachel Porter. |
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Posted in Me, Me, Me! | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 11th, 2006
| …the Berkshire mountain leaves began to turn. |
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| Eddie and I have been visiting Eddie’s parents in Florida.
Which gives me a slightly more interesting excuse than usual for having let my blog lie quiet for so long. But bunches of things have been happening, and I’ll try and fill you in on them soon.
Like f’rinstance…
• Mark the Art Guy will be launched any day now on the Adobe Systems website.
• I’ll be spending all day Saturday at 107 Main Street in North Adams, sitting next to my art and my merchandise as a participant in this weekend’s Open Studios event.
• That "That’s Right, Fuchsia!" t-shirt I told you about arrived from CafePress and will be adorning my luscious bod as I shmooze and hawk my wares. Yay!
Details on each of these will follow quickly in this blog when I catch my breath from traveling.
Below: Us and our Florida kin at a West Palm Beach eatery as photographed by a helpful waitress. Seated are honored parents Harold and Evelyn Sedarbaum. Behind them: Eddie, me, Eddie’s Aunt Sony and his sister Susan.
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Posted in Life & Art | 2 Comments »
Monday, October 2nd, 2006
| For some reason the ink drawing of a belligerent paint tube that I showed you three blog entries ago took hold of me and wouldn’t let go until I added color and turned it into a t-shirt design for my CafePress "Cruse Goodies" shop. |
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| CafePress has been on my mind since I decided to include a generous sampling of my mugs, mosepads, and coasters along with the original artwork displayed on my table at the North Adams Autumn Art Festival last Saturday (see my spread of items below). I thought that wearing an anthropomorphic tube of petulant oil paint on my chest as I sat on Main Street pedding my wares would set a perfect tone for the occasion.
That idea didn’t fly because it came to me too late in the game and there wasn’t time enough for CafePress to process my order. But that’s OK; my "That’s Right, Fuchsia!" t-shirt should arrive at my door today or tomorrow and will be fresh and crisp for its debut at the Open Studios event coming up two weekends from now.
These gala art festivals come atcha thick and fast when Autumn hits the Berkshires.
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