News
October 26: Deborah and I have released a new book called "Grace of Gratitude" and it is now available at our new website www.graceofgratitude.com and at Amazon. Please check it out!
October 19: In a couple of days I'll be exhibiting for the annual "Kunst10Daagse" here in Bergen, an art event that features paintings, sculptures, music, poetry, etc. and attracts over 45,000 visitors each year! You'll find my artwork at MeijersLijsten (across from Albert Heijn). If you're in the area, join our opening on Sunday, October 23rd, beginning at 3:00 pm.
August 3: Met up with some great folks at Warner Brothers Records in LA to discuss working together on CD cover design projects. Very exciting!
July 15: Worked on some conceptual designs with Nashville musician Phil Lee, a guy with a heart of gold!
June 1, 2011: Completed new book cover for "A Cure to Die For" by Stephen Mitchell, who's currently in talks with producers to have his book made into a major motion picture!
December 31: Happy New Year! It's definitely off to a good start -- I'll be teaching at Museum Kranenburgh www.museumkranenburgh.nl beginning next week.
November 18: My latest project, in collaboration with Illumination Graphics, is a book cover design for the book "Bandits" by LM Preston. The author creates books that encourage empowerment and self-confidence among teens. We need more books like these, that teach and entertain!
February 22: Allison Crowe's album Spiral gets advance praise
I recently completed the cover design for Allison's new album "Spiral" and it is already getting lots of buzz -- much deserved I might add! Give that girl a Grammy!
http://www.pr-inside.com/allison-crowe-s-spiral-one-of-most-exciting-albums-of-r1730797.htm
November 18 : CD cover design for Jeremy Lister's new album "The Bed You Made"
Very excited about this upcoming project! Jeremy is incredible -- as a singer and a songwriter -- and his music has elements of all my favorites: Jeff Buckley, (early) Coldplay, the Beatles, and James Blunt. Check him out! www.myspace.com/jeremylister and www.jeremylister.com
Also check out his song "Gravity", a duet with Allison Krauss. It is completely amazing!
November 17 &18: Exhibit at the annual Jeff Buckley Tribute in Chicago
For the 6th year in a row, I'll be exhibiting four Jeff Buckley portraits at the Jeff Buckley Tribute at Uncommon Ground in Chicago as well as online at www.JeffBuckley.com
He is my muse and basically the guy that got me started with all of this!...
November 12: Judith Furedi & Sid Bernstein promote "In Their Own Write", a tribute to John Lennon at Bloomingdales in New York
Judith approached Deborah (who did all the graphic design, exterior and interior) and me about a year ago for a John Lennon illustration for her book. Now it's finally published and I'm happy to be part of such an extraordinary book!
November 5: Eric Boff CD cover design
Eric's working hard in the studio and we'll be getting ready for the cover art for his music, which feels like Jimi Hendrix on a cool, laid-back funky vibe. He's unique and all his own -- worth a listen: www.myspace.com/ericboff and www.ericboff.com
October 20: Gearing up for CD cover design for Jamie Coon
Jamie and I are getting ready to create the cover art for "Day After Day", her upcoming CD. If her name doesn't ring a bell, her music surely will -- it appears in various movies and TV programs and is instantly recognizable! www.myspace.com/jamiecoon
October 16-25: Two exhibits in Bergen, The Netherlands
I'm having two exhibits here in Bergen, my home for the past 15 years. Every October, Bergen holds a 10-day art festival, featuring over 600 artists in all genres from around Holland and abroad and attracts about 50,000 visitors each year. This year a group from the US, called Woodstock, will take part as well. It'll be fun to share the event with fellow Americans for the first time.
My solo exhibit is being held at Verfhuis Meijers and each of my paintings from the Spiritus Series are framed in gorgeous, hand-made frames by Coen Meijer.
I'll also be holding a collective exhibit for my students at Duinvermaak.
October 16: New releases on Printscapes
The print company I work with in Hawaii, Printscapes, is launching a new website and new works will be displayed that are not currently found on my website. Here's a sneak peek:
More images will be released soon...
October 5: Two paintings appear on Melrose Place!
Two of my paintings, a nude and peacock feathers, black on white, are now part of the decor in Sydney's bedroom! Okay, not stuff that necessarily makes the world a better place, but it is fun :)
September: Cover art for Allison Crowe's upcoming CD, "Spiral"!
We're now in the final stages and I've got to say, Allison's new CD will touch many! www.AllisonCrowe.com
August: Cover art appears on one of the greatest books of the year (according to me anyway)!
Talk about good fortune! Sharon Rose Washington, author of "Pick a Positive Prayer", approached Deborah and me for the cover design and now her book has finally been released and it's a real hit! I feel so happy to be part of this incredible book -- it transforms your way of thinking and looking at the world -- very positive! It also contains added words of wisdom from Michael Beckwith (who has recently appeared on Oprah Winfrey) and the wonderful Gloria Steinem!!!
July: Nashville visit!!!
I traveled to Nashville for the first time and now plan to visit each summer. I completely fell in love with the place -- it felt like coming home! I finally met up with some of the really fantastic people I've been in touch with via email over the past couple of years. There's still so much to be said for human contact in this digital age. Definite highlights were having dinner with Rodney Crowell -- I do believe he's one of the last great storytellers(!), and being invited by Jeremy Lister (who has one of the best singing voices I've heard) and Tori Sparks to each of their concerts -- they blew us away!!! ... they don't call Nashville the music city for nothing.
This trip confirmed what I've known all along. Combining my artwork (passion #1) with music (passion #2) is something I love. The bonus is that I get to know some really terrific people along the way...
June: New logo for the Lornah Kiplagat Sports Academy.
I designed the logo and Deborah made it graphic. It's for a great cause. Lornah, a world-record holder in half marathons, is building a boarding school in her native Kenya to provide education and sports training for young girls. www.LornahKiplagatFoundation.org
May 10: Joanne Shenandoah concert in Antwerp, Belgium
Joanne invited me and my family to her concert, which is only about 2 hours from where we live (near Amsterdam). She gave a wonderful, heart-felt, high-energy performance and surprised us all by spontaneously inviting our 9-year-old son on stage to play a song on her guitar! (When we were talking before the concert, he was attracted to her sparkly silver guitar strap so she had asked him to play something for her and was very much impressed with his classically-trained ability and talent!). Anyway, it was definitely a "proud mom" moment for me :) !
February: Yoko Ono reviews the book "In Their Own Write" with my cover art and Deborah's graphic design!
Judith Furedi, author of the book, approached us to create a prototype of her book that was sent to Yoko for consideration for the foreword. After a few weeks of deliberation, Yoko ultimately declined (Sid Bernstein has written it instead) but it was a thrill that she at least saw our work! This stuff you just can't plan...