Marshall Rogers

I just found out a few days ago that comic book illustrator/artist Marshall Rogers died last week at the age of 57. This one kind of took me by surprise on how it saddened me to hear the news as he was one of the artists that I admired growing up in the seventies.

I remember being about 11 or 12 years old when I got a copy of Detective Comics and was blown away by the art work. It was Roger's and Neil Adams that changed everything for me as far as comics were concerned; they brought a sense of realism that wasn't being seen at the time. Marshall had this great way of portraying the city and it was as much of a character as Batman and the Joker were. These stories had Batman as a more cerebral type than the dark, gothic tough guy that Frank Miller made popular and I'd have to guess that even Frank had to be somewhat inspired by Marshall Rogers. Or, at least I hope so.

Here's a quick sketch to one of the guys that took me to a new level of inspiration.

Tattooed Sky

I have been working at a snail's pace on creating a web site for my art work and I'm actually seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. I worked out some of the elements and my buddy Darin is constructing it for me. So, hopefully soon I will have something to show. The above illustration is for the main page which will have the title "Tattooed Sky" on it. The first one is without the black outline and it may not be noticable after scanning, but it had a sort of glow to it that was kind of cool. I added the ink in trying to get a "tattooed" line look and I hope that it doesn't lose that glow from the first one. So, what do you think?

12x6
acrylic on illustration board

MiDOG

My cousin Beth is part of a local organization here in Eastpointe called MiDOG, which is about getting a dog park in the city. They asked some artists to submit some sketch proposals for their logo and I was fortunate enough to have mine selected. And here it is along with some information about MiDOG that Beth passed on to me:

Would you and your dog enjoy an off-leash dog park in Eastpointe, Michigan?

Please join us! We welcome your input and support!

MiDOG is a non-profit organization developed for the planning, fundraising and promotion of this exciting project!

MiDOG meets at 7:00pm on the first Wednesday of each month at the Eastpointe Community Center, located at 16435 Eight Mile Rd., Eastpointe, MI.

The Eastpointe Community Center can be reached at (586) 445-5080.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/michigandogownersgroup/



MiDOG, aka Michigan Dog Owners Group
Mission Statement


"To establish a fenced in, off-leash dog park where well-behaved canine citizens can exercise in a clean, safe environment without endangering or annoying people, property or wildlife. To develop a beautiful, well-maintained space, open to all dog lovers and friends who are willing to uphold the park's rules and restrictions. To view this park as a community project, in partnership with the City of Eastpointe, designed to satisfy the needs of dog-owners and non-dog owners alike."

I was very pleased to do this one. Not only did I get to help out family in their pursuits, but also it's a good cause. I know this city needs some help! And the dog in the logo is loosely based on one of my dogs, Reggie.

I can't wait to see how this looks on their t-shirts!

C-POPportunity, Part Two

Here are the two pieces that I have in the C-POPportunity show at the C-POP Gallery in Detroit. For the sculpture, I included the original sketch and idea that I had for it. It was supposed to be a 'sky is falling' type thing with the man having a 'what now?' look on his face. When I cast the piece I had actually cast a bunch of bronze stars, but the cost was getting up there and all the work of cutting and welding all the stars seemed a bit daunting at the time. Plus, I had come this far successfully and didn't want to screw it up. Since this was my first bronze piece, simple was better.

The other piece is a painting done in acrylic on illustration board. This is another 'what now?' scene and I didn't realize the connection until now, funny how I didn't see that.

Last night was the opening night and it was so crowded in there that we could hardly walk around, so that's a good thing. From what I could tell, my pieces were being talked about in a positive manner, which is hit or miss where my stuff is concerned. And considering how many works of art that were there it was good to hear.

The other artists there had some amazing works and when I get some names, I'll post them here. The quality of ideas and execution was top notch and inspiring and I'm thrilled to be a part of all of it.

C-POPportunity

Mark your calenders. On Saturday March 10th 2007 at C-POP Gallery located in Detroit will be the opening for their C-POPportunity show, in which I have two pieces. The show will run until April 7th and their will be an awards ceremony on March 31st. Three artists will be selected by a panel of judges to be a part of a four man show in July and the fourth artist will be selected by visitors to the gallery during the show's run. The show will feature about a hundred artists from not only here in the Detroit area, but from across the country and around the world, as well.

See if you can find my name on the front of their postcard (it took me and the gallery's owner, Rick Manore a while to find it) and on the back one of my pieces, a sculpture, can be seen at the very bottom with the word "Woodward" printed over the top of it. I'll post my two works in my next post for your viewing pleasure.

For me, this is a big deal, because C-POP Gallery is argueably one of Detroit's most influential galleries.

And the icing on top of the cake? The Reverend Horton Heat will be one of the judges. How cool is that?

Isaac Huddlespith

I just recieved my copy of the February 16th, 2007 issue of Medical Economics in which one of my cartoons spoils the otherwise fine publication. I just love seeing one of my 'toons in print and I hope that you do too (for those of you who do)!

Most of the cartoons that I do are very sarcastic or just me trying my hand at social satire or just plain grumbling on my part, but this cartoon was one of those simple ideas that is just plain goofy fun. The guy's name? No idea how that one popped into me noggin, but it did. I think it fits.

Tree People and other things

First I'll address the other things. The Dirty Show 8 wrapped up last night and although I didn't sell my piece it was a worthwhile experience. We had a good time at the opener and I want to thank all of my buddies for coming out on such a cold night. Dinner at the Roma Cafe and a, well, let's say, a very interesting night viewing some art that ranged from the ridiculous to very tasteful. Of course, the people watching was just as fun as viewing the works of art.

Next, I recently found out that at least one of my cartoons was selected for the 16th Euro-Kartoenale in Belgium. Previously, I had said that I got in, but apparently that was just for the judging. Out of 987 cartoonists from 84 countries in which 4000 cartoons were entered, only 250 were selected for the show, which will be held in April.

Now, on to the tree people. For awhile now, I've been tinkering with these rooted figures and have been exploring a theme of just what it means to put down roots, to grow and what does that mean to me. In an age where homes and neighborhoods have become nothing more than investments, just what does the phrase "putting down roots" mean? Neighbors are something different from when I was a kid and I think that people themselves have changed, too. So, what does it mean to grow and just how far can roots grow? They can only grow so far as the branches themselves, but they need nourishment and maybe that's all it's about.