Elkology is a self directed project that represents the origin and core of my artistic practice. I make signs about the underseen neighborhood mostly with cardboard pulled out of the trash. I hang the signs where they make the most sense. Some of the signs are drawn in chalk. As chalk can be wiped away, wildlife too is often fleeting.
The developers and proprietors of Ocean's Edge In Key West asked me to illustrate what happens in front of their indoor outdoor restaurant and bar: the Gulf of Mexico becomes the Atlantic Ocean. We spent a number of weeks looking at drawings and thinking about the environmental and cultural high points of this unique area. I choose a surface coating that withstands a high degree of weather and moisture changes and hand-painted the mural on site....with a very small brush!
Seth Kunin and Magan Eng's The Valley Project in Santa Barbara's Funk Zone is a wine making and tasting room concept that puts in a glass what is distinctive about each of the county's microclimates for wine producing. The 450 square foot chalk drawing grew out of many talks about geology, weather, map making, and transverse flow. The drawing serves as a reference illustration to accompany a flight of wine and keep folks curious and thirsty. Drink up.
I made this mural for Cornell Ornithology Lab's Annual Backyard Bird Count to identify local birds. The mural remained for nearly a decade until the wall was torn down for a remodel. A set of 12 cards represents each of the birds from the mural.
I drew this 22 foot long chalk mural in the property sales office for Discovery Land Company's Chileno Bay Golf and Beach Resort just north of Cabo San Lucas. The client's first thought was to create a map of the property and golf course. I suggested building a relationship to the area by connecting with the natural features of southern Baja and the Sea of Cortez. The line of text around the peninsula reads : WITHOUT RESPECT AND MODERATION WHAT IS SUPERLATIVE WILL BECOME DIMINISHED AND ORDINARY: TREASURE LOS CABOS!!!
TOM'S shoes wanted customers to take some of the mission ONE FOR ONE with them when they left their stores and asked me to illustrate the socially conscious business model in an unusual and idiosyncratic way. These drawings are part of what became a 60 foot long printed mural for three store locations (exterior and interior). The drawing was also printed on bags and made as frameable prints for VIP customers.
Lou Amdur is a wine purveyor in Los Angeles who cares a lot about the earth and tradition and hand work creating the wines he sells. My drawings in his spaces reflect that. Pictured here: notes on an ancient tree; vine growing techniques paired with notes on Los Angeles owls; components of living soil and a cross section view of an earthworm.
In upstate New York a land development project for well heeled weekenders wanted to bring some everyday wisdom and local history to their introduction materials. These drawings became two separate double sided print pieces. The harvest calendar will be replicated as a large scale on site sign later this year.
I love a wall. But there are other ways to tell a story, even for a muralist. This is a selection of prints, painted fabric, silk screens and watercolors.
For ALM Project at their former Hollywood studio, Andrea Lenardin, AIA, wanted to change the art on the building every few months. Pictured here: LA's mediterranean biome; five local hollywood birds all of which can be seen at the building site; a passenger pigeon flock, a surprising story of extinction.
Westfield Malls contacted me when they were breaking ground for The Village, at the time their latest mall project. Located in the west San Fernando Valley the project's mission was to be a new kind of community destination for residents. The site is also just blocks from the headwaters of the Los Angeles River and Westfield wanted to bring attention to this special location. I designed three murals about the history of the Los Angeles River .
DL English Design has done two Whole Foods remodels, one in San Francisco, the other in Santa Barbara. They used my drawings of the local coast life to embellish the walls above the retail area with a hand made and authentic local story. More install pictures coming....
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