Emerge! 2026

 I will have two pieces in the Emerge! 2026 exhibit starting tomorrow at the Hannan Center in Detroit. The show will run through mid September . 

My two pieces are a sculpture and a woodblock print, keeping with the them of emergence. 

Emerging

soapstone
photo by John Wood

The sculpture, pictured above was carved out of soapstone and has all these great looking colors that come out when wet. I had applied a coat of tung oil recently that brought out some of those colors, but it did make it darker than what is pictured here. 

Ascending

9x12

woodcut print

The woodcut print was a lot of fun to do. My first woodcut, actually. I was happy with how the patterns of the sea came out. And... it's a hammerhead!

So, the opening is tomorrow as stated in the flyer and it goes from noon until 7.

I will be exhibiting alongside a few friends, as well. Dug Rusin will have two colored pencil pieces and Mary Stebbins Taitt and Laura Reed will have pieces, too. Stop on by, check out the show. I'm sure that it will be a good one (I saw some of the works when I was dropping my pieces off and there are some good ones). And remember, there will be a hammerhead present!

The Detroit Minotaur

 

I did a post on my Substack about a small sculpture that I did a while back and the book that it appeared in. You can click here to read all about it. 

Texas Cichlid Sketch

 

5x8

ink in sketchbook

I haven't done a #SundayFishSketch in some time and in coordination with #25DaysOfFishmas, the theme this time was a quiz. there were four clues to try to figure out the fish in question. I was coming up with everything but the fish that I needed, so I cheated and consulted the aquarists at the Belle Isle Aquarium. They gave me the answer yesterday, but I found myself down at the aquarium today to do a little volunteer work and lo and behold, they have that fish, the Texas Cichlid on display. Well, a bunch of them, actually.

They were being very uncooperative and wouldn't stay still. This is probably the best pic that I could muster. Speedy, they are.

Drop Dead Sketchy July 2025

 

This past Wednesday was the July meet-up for the sketch group, Drop Dead Sketchy at the Detroit Shipping Company. Nothing special from me, I tell ya. I ended up doing some doodles of people milling about the tent area. I think that the guy with the baseball hat saw me sketching him and moved behind one of his friends. Oddly enough, that was one of the better sketches that I did. Oh well, fun was had!

Drop Dead Sketchy June 2025

 

4x5

colored pencil in

sketchbook

This past Wednesday was the June meet-up for the Drop Dead Sketchy sketch group at the Detroit Shipping Company. I worked a little on a book illustration and did this quick sketch of my buddies kid, Charlie. It doesn't really look like her... I was kind of focused on the hair. A fellow artist who I haven't in about twenty years showed up, so that was a pleasant surprise. 

We meet up once a month and if interested, you can follow Drop Dead Sketchy here and here. 

Drop Dead Sketchy May 2025

 

5x8

colored pencil in sketchbook

Last night, we had our second meet-up for the Drop Dead Sketchy sketch group at the Detroit Shipping Company. It was a rainy night, perfect for sketching and enjoying the company of fellow artists. It was a slightly different crowd from the first one, but a good one. I do like that about these sketch groups... one never knows who will show up. Above is a sketch that I did of our founder and organizer, Kelly!

A view out of the front window proof of the said rain!

                                        A snapshot of a few of the attendees having a good time.

Sketching At The Detroit Institute Of Arts

 This past Friday found me at the Detroit Institute of Arts and I brought my sketch book along, but wasn't sure if I would do any sketches. It's better to be prepared and as it turned out, I did do a couple of sketches. I really enjoy sketching sculptures with a wide, flat pencil and that's what these two were done with. I've had this pencil for years and it seems like it never wears down. But, I do need to sketch more with this old friend.

I'm not sure who the artist was of this statue called The Rakan (1688-1695), Japanese, but interesting and fun to sketch.

This smaller casting of Standing Lincoln was done by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, 1887 (this one cast between 1913-1917). Fun shadows to play with.

The Devil's Grist Sketches

 

So, I will be working on some illustrations for a book that will be in collaboration with a friend. These will be new drawings for an 1883 book of Detroit mythology and folklore, with updates on what these areas look like now. It's still in the planning stages, but I am doing some sketches and designs for what those pages will look like. 

Some of the imagery and descriptions are just great. These sketches above are for a story called The Devil's Grist about a one half owner of a grist mill who curses that she 'will leave her part to the devil.' Legend has it that during violent storms one can see said devil working away in the ruins of the mill, claiming what is rightfully his. The location of this event is kind of close to where I live, a place called Windmill Pointe. I'm having fun with these sketches and will post more about this as it proceeds. 

Frozen Fish Fiasco Tournament Trophy

 

2021 Flow Trophy

cast in resin

Trophy presentation

(photo courtesy of Frozen Fish Fiasco/Dom Riggio)

The Frozen Fish Fiasco Tournament to benefit Clark Park in Detroit, usually held in January, was held over the weekend. As with so many things Covid, the event couldn't be played until now.

So, last December I cast the annual trophy, this time in a gold finish and it was presented to the young lad above for the best hockey hair. A fun trophy and a fun event.

MLB Flagship Sketch Cards, Part Two

 

Here are some more of the MLB sketch cards that I did for Topps last year and have been recently released. My Artist Proofs will be posted soon.

MLB Flagship Sketch Cards

 

I've been seeing some of these cards up on eBay, so I'm guessing that it is safe to show these now. Last year, I participated on this set from Topps, the first sports cards that I've done since doing some NHL cards way back in 2008. And only the 2nd sports set done ever for me. I'll show the rest soon and have my AP's up, as well.

The Frozen Fish Fiasco "Flow" Trophy

The Frozen Fish Fiasco charity hockey event was held at Clark Park in Detroit this past weekend I was once again able to provide them the trophy for best hockey hair, cast in resin and with a silver finish for this year's look. 

Every year Dom Riggio put's on this event to benefit Clark Park, to keep it running and all that and gets multiple teams to participate, including the Detroit Red Wings Alumni. 

Belle Isle Aquarium 'Tankscaper' Pin

The Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit has a pretty good tankscaping team and who I'd like to think of as the chief (chef) member of that team asked me to help out with a pin design that he could give to each of the members as a way of showing his appreciation. If you ever get the chance, head on down to Belle Isle and see the work that they have done!

I had come up with a few designs, but this one with the coelacanth kept rising to the surface. The aquarium is the oldest one in the US, so why not an old fish to go along for the ride? The top part is keeping with the glass tile of the interior ceiling and the bottom is similar to the bottom walls and dividing wall. The jigsaw puzzle shape is a nod to the team's ability to put together the different pieces that go into making the scenery of each tank display. 

The pins were given to each team member yesterday at a party and hopefully, they were well received.

Longbottom

Longbottom

5x7

colored pencil and ink on board

Come on down, over, above, below to Cobo Hall in Detroit this weekend for the Michigan Comic-Con. Matthew Lewis will be there. He might have some gillyweed. Maybe. 

I had a hard time getting this to scan to show the colors properly. The background is more of a dark purple and all the adjusting in photoshop didn't do the trick. So, you'll have to see it in person. It's purplely. 

Michigan Comic Con 2019

Starting tomorrow and going through the weekend you can find me at table #B11 in Artists Alley at the Michigan Comic-Con. Not only can you see a whole lot of excellent artists and writers from this area and beyond, but also those lightweights, such as Val Kilmer, Michael Dorn, and Matthew Lewis., etc. 

I will have copies of my latest collection of cartoons, called The Feral cartoonist. Riproaringly hilarious stuff.

Also, I will have copies of my comic book Second Star. I am currently working on issue #2 and might be doing so this weekend.  

All this and the usual load of prints, sketch cards, books, and some original art. So, stop on by Cobo Hall in Detroit. I'm hoping for a good time!

Belle Isle Koi Festival

Tomorrow, if you find yourself on Belle Isle, stop on by the Conservatory and Aquarium for the Annual Koi Festival.  The festival has taken place of the annual Koi Transfer that brought the koi fish out from their basement winter dwelling and back out in the pond for the summer. Since the koi now reside outdoors year-round a celebration of the koi and Japanese culture has taken its place. 

The above design by yours truly is being used for buttons to be given out, probably for a small donation. 

In some small secret circles, this event might be known as the Corey Festival. You can ask around, but it might be denied...   

Shiver On The River 2019

I'm a little late in the day for this post, but it's still in time. If you are son inclined, head on down/over/up to Belle Isle (you know the one, that big island in the middle of the Detroit River) for the Shiver on the River event that is held island wide every first Saturday of February. There will be things to do at most of the buildings on the island, including the aquarium. I will be helping out with the marshmallow station out front with some fun volunteers. So, if you like fish and marshmallows, stop on by.  

Shiver On The River 2018

If you are in the Detroit area tomorrow and looking for something to do, head on over to Belle Isle for this year's Shiver on the River event. There will be many things to do across the whole island, including the aquarium, where I will be giving a hand at the fire pit/marshmallow station. 

For my sake, I hope that it isn't so cold that there will be an iceberg attached to the snapping turtle...

...because there might be one attached to me, as well.

Frozen Fish Fiasco Trophy

So, once again I have had the opportunity to sculpt a trophy for the hockey charity event held at Clark Park in Detroit each year called the Frozen Fish Fiasco. This year I did up the design for the Flow trophy that will go to the best Hockey Hair. A fun one to be sure. I modeled the look of this one on the wild mullet of a 90's Jaromir Jagr. Let's call this one Jagr-esque. 

The event will be held this January 27-28 at Clark Park in Detroit, MI and will feature the Detroit Red Wings alumni playing members of the UAW in one of the games. Check out their website for more information.

Sturgeon Floor Decal

Last night at the Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit was a fundraiser event to help raise money to maintain the new sturgeon exhibit. It was a great success, a sold out event. On the floor are decals of the above image that I drew up and Linville Design Studio printed up. These sturgeon decals will lead one right to the tank that they currently abode in. As they get bigger, they will be moved to a larger tank (the fish, not the decals). There is also an art exhibit (Ann Arbor artist Dominique Chastenet de Gery is one of the featured artists) that will be on display at the aquarium for the next three months that is all sturgeon related. So, check it out and the sturgeon will lead there!