Snapper Inspired

A couple of weeks ago, my good friend Rie Tanabe asked me if I would be able to donate a piece of art to a fundraiser for the people affected by the Earthquake/Tsunami in Japan. Of course I was willing to donate something, but I didn't really have any of my art that I thought would be appropriate for this type of event........ So I sat down at the drawing table, and over the next couple of days I painted this fish. This painting is inspired by the art of "Gyotaku" (Japanese fish prints).

So, if you are in the New York area on April 16th, take some time out of your evening and support a great fundraiser.





ARTS & CRAFTS FUNDRAISER for Japan
By NIHONGOchannel
HELP!!!
EARTHQUAKE & TSUNAMI RELIEF

New York Hana-no-kai and NIHONGOchannel present an
ARTS & CRAFTS FUNDRAISER for Japan

Come support relief efforts for Japan. Enjoy an evening of creative fundraising among friends, artists and lovely kimono models.

Shop the gallery and crafts market, mingle at the bar, have fun!

• Art and photography by talented professionals
• Handmade crafts and jewelry by local artisans
• Picture-taking with kimono models
• Complementary hors d’oeuvres
• Cash bar



Confirmed Participating Artists:

Stu Alden http://inkloungegallery.com/
Reiko Aoki　http://www.reikoaoki-ny.com/
Aiko Brody
Jessica De Soria http://www.citizensofdesign.com/
Orlando Emmanuelli http://www.emmanuelli.us/
Todd Fleming http://www.sasquatchdesign.com/
Tonia Fleming http://www.toniabonnell.com/
Ulla Florholmen http://www.thebrooklyndesignco.com/
Emily Furr
Jack Gray http://pickleddrawings.blogspot.com/
Pifuka Hardt
Ado Hino (Kiffa International)　http://www.adokiffa.com/
Yuval Hoshen
Stevyn Ilewellyn http://www.sirenarts.com/
Ishizumi Art Fans http://www.shizumifan.com/
Gary Issacs http://garyisaacs.com/
Mizue Jin
Maho Kino http://www.mahokino.com/
Vi Luong
Kyoko Miyashita
Drew Morrison http://www.drewmorrison.com/
Azumi Nishizawa
Kazushige Nitta　http://www.kazustudio.com/
Matt Panuska http://www.mattpanuska.com/
Ria Shibayama
Nigel Sielegar www.corsedesignfactory.com
Sumi
Kiyomi Yamagishi　http://www.kiyomiyamagishi.com/
Lance Wyman http://www.lancewyman.com/

and more…



One hundred percent of proceeds from admission and gallery sales, fifty percent of bar sales, plus a percent of craft shop sales will go toward the New York Japanese-American Lions Club Fund.

Admission $5. Your additional generosity is graciously appreciated.
This event is cash only.

Questions? Contact: askme@octopusrocket.com
- New York Hana-no-kai is a group of people who study under Kimono Master Ms. Hisako Kasuya.
- NIHONGOchannel (NIHONGOchannel.com) is a company that offers a diversity of services relating to Japan such as translation, Japanese lessons, language/cultural exchange, networking events and parties.

Event sponsored by The Lowell Hotel New York

John Thomas Gray III

Born: August 26, 2010 2:00pm
Weight: 8 lbs. 1 oz.
Length: 21 1/2 inches

Thank You Bear

This is based on one of Preston Blairs's famous drawings...........


Pencil



Inks



Color

Stand Up Bear

Pencils


Inks


Color

The creation of a very special Baby Shower invitation..........

1. Sketch of the idea........



2. Rough layout........



3. Pencils........



4. Inks........



5. Paint background..........



6. Photoshop work.......



6. Final image.......



Enjoy,

Jack

Bonzo, Boston, Boston

Bostons X 2

Bostons X 2

Boston x 3

Lazy Sunday Afternoon......

Please, play with me.........

Have a Nice #@*%'n Day...........

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White Tiger

Pencils
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Inks, Computer Color
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Grrrrrrrr!!!

Enjoy,

Jack

Happy Pickled New Year!!!!!

I thought I would start this year with a little poem......


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シュワッチ!!!

Ultraman
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Here is another quick exercise for me. I am working on simplifying the brush strokes to imply detail without going overboard on rendering...... not sure if I am quite there yet.

Enjoy,

Jack

Are you ready for some football?

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Here is a quick sketch done in Painter X based on a photo. I am not really sure where I was going or what I was trying to do with this..... I think I was trying to capture a certain amount of energy visually and yet keep the mark making under control. Not sure if I achieved that, but it was a good lesson and I definitely took something away from making this image.

Enjoy,

Jack

Coors Portrait

Adolf Coors (1847-1929)
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I was archiving some of the old files on my work computer the other day, and I stumbled upon some old imagery of the Coors Brewing Company. I have acquired many historic photos over the years for numerous jobs and assignments that I have worked on. The one image that really stood out and peaked my interest was the photo of Adolf Coors himself. I have always wanted to do something with this image. I have always been fascinated by the look of the man, his clothing, attitude and the style the photo was taken.

I thought that this would be an excellent image to try out my newly learned skills in Corel Painter X. This image took about 2 days to complete. I started off by painting the image in a neutral grey-scale. I then took the image into Photoshop and started isolating the image and adding color. I am pretty happy with the likeness and the mood of the painting itself.
I have gone back and forth on whether I have made Adolf look to serious in the portrait. Sometime in the future, I might have to revisit this image and adjust the color and soften the detail around his eyes to make this portrait a little more personable.

Enjoy,

Jack

Happy Halloween!

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This was painted to celebrate my favorite holiday of the year.

Boo,

Jack

STILL LIFE?

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As you can see with the image above, I have finally painted a still life. I have not attempted to draw or paint one of these since my days in college. I found a nice simple shot on the internet and did this simple attempt. I have always been an illustrator/cartoonist at heart and I seemed to feel that the idea of a making a still life was not as interesting as creating a portrait, or a caricature, or illustrating the storytelling devices on the comic book page. To me, creating a still life was a good exercise in value and composition. That was it. This was the type of exercise that was thrown at the eager college student when he really wanted to draw or paint something that was exciting, sexy or scary.... I was never taught or had in the back of my mind that a still life could be taken to level to be a wonderful work of art. In art history, I saw so many slides of bowls of fruit, drapery and glasses of wine, that I think I was "over exposed" to the beauty and art that can be achieved when creating a still life. This is a good example where focus and education, influence you where you end up taking your art.

In college, I had illustrator/cartoonist so stuck in my brain, that I never deviated away from that path. Fortunately, I have made a really good career with those skills...... Now, because I am in such a deadline oriented profession, I have not taken the time to concentrate on the other avenues outside of what I do. I am proud to say that I have finally recognized this and am now working to change it.

I have been really inspired as of late, since I discovered that one of my old High School friends, Christopher Thornock has been keeping a blog about his art. Chris and I used to draw a lot together and I have been really amazed by what I have been seeing and reading. I do remember Chis as an excellent drawer, but the subject matter he drew was very different when compared to what he is creating now. Please go to his blog and see what he has been painting. I am sure you will walk away as amazed and inspired as I have been.

Enjoy,

Jack

P.S. I kept this painting in the Halloween theme by throwing something a little extra in the composition.

ME........

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I finally decided to attempt another self-portrait...... This image is based on a photo that I took last night with a flashlight as my only source of light. This was completely rendered in neutrals and then colored in Photoshop. I have always thought that a self-portrait can be very self-indulgent, but since the intent of a self-portrait is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the artist, they can be fun and interesting to do. I do like the moodiness of this image and I feel that it is very appropriate for this time of year with Halloween being only three days away.
Maybe, I will try a more light-hearted version when it is time for Christmas.

Boo!

Jack