Sketchbooks!

I've been meaning to make some videos of my old sketchbooks for a while now, and I finally did. The quality is surely not the best, but I shot these with my regular digital camera and then the files had to be compressed somewhat to put them online. However, you can still get a pretty good idea of what they look like. My blog format seems to cut off the right side of the video a bit, so if you want you can visit youtube and watch them there:

http://www.youtube.com/user/crispycopper83

sketchbook from 2004-2005

sketchbook from 2005-2006

sketchbook from 2007

"I Like Characters" website

My work is featured on this cool site for artists with characters.

http://ilikecharacters.com/2010/06/18/jon-macnair/

Stroke .02 Urban Art Fair video

STROKE.02 - Urban Art Fair Munich - May 2010 from INTOXICATED DEMONS GALLERY on Vimeo.

This is a video of the art fair I had some work for sale at in May. I sold one piece (not sure which one yet). If you pause the video at 2:01 (right before picture of the monkey), you will see a drawing of mine. Looks like it was a fun time. It's nice to see all those people turn up for the event :)

Finished a new piece today for a show in the fall. It felt like it took a long time to complete. Tomorrow I will be scanning that along with doing some errands in the afternoon. Maybe I'll even start a new drawing too.

Also, here is a picture of my work hanging at Vino Vixens in Portland. The work has previously been shown in San Francisco and L.A.

ZZZ

Been working on a piece for a fall group show in NY for most of this week. It's been sloooooow work. It seems like my pace has come to a crawl. With the exception of today, I've been feeling extremely uncharacteristically sleepy all week. I've definitely been getting enough sleep, and am not on an upside down sleep schedule, but each day pretty much all day I've felt like I could just put my head right down on my work table and easily drift off. That's not like me. I have been taking this Claritin-D for my allergies which were pretty miserable this week. But that's not supposed to cause drowsiness, the opposite in fact. I didn't take it yesterday or today, and today I am feeling perfectly fine. So I don't know what the deal is. I'm just glad I got some work done today. It was so annoying wanting to work and my body feeling like it couldn't handle that.

Anyway, I've gotten this thing all sketched out now. FINALLY. I struggled a lot with the idea, but the gods of inspiration finally took pity on me.

That's about all for now.

"Sera De Sol" at Vino Vixens

I'm part of a show opening tonight at Vino Vixens in Portland Oregon. Should be a nice array of work on display! Come if you are in the area :)

click the image below for more details:

Jumble of ideas

Just finished a piece yesterday for a show in Culver City this fall. It's currently being flattened under a pile of heavy books to reduce the buckling of the paper due to the amount of ink washes I applied. Also, starting to sort out my ideas for the next couple shows coming up this fall. I have a bunch of pieces I need to do this summer. In an attempt to organize my ideas and figure out what is going where, I drew a bunch of thumbnail images of possible pieces, cut them out and tried to put them into groupings for the various shows. This gave me a good visual idea of how things might work out. I'm just visual through and through I guess.

The next piece I will tackle is one for a group show in Soho this fall.

Oh, and I got a piece back from the framers today. Looks great! I'll be shipping that off to CA in the next couple weeks. It was too big for me to frame myself, and I figure this particular show calls for it to look extra professional.

Photos from "Goonies" Opening Reception

Here are some pictures from the Goonies show opening reception last night. I wasn't in attendance, but my friend Ellen in Portland snapped these for me. Looks like they had some nice pieces!

Here's what I contributed. It's a watercolor of Sloth. Simple. Straightforward. And pretty fun to do :)

To see all the work in the show, visit the Lunar Boy website: http://www.lunarboygallery.com/featured/The+Goonies+Show.php

The GOONIES Show Opening Reception Tonight!

Don't miss it ... The Goonies Show, opening June 5th 4-7 PM - EVERYONE WELCOME! Original Goonies themed artwork by twenty artists from around the U.S.

In conjunction with a HUGE community-wide celebration of the 25th anniversary
of this cult movie filmed entirely in Astoria and on Oregon's beautiful North Coast.

1133 Commercial Street

Astoria, OR, 97103

I couldn't resist posting some more Goonies movie pics :)

Doodlers Anonymous

Got a mention on the Doodlers Anonymous website today in an article about zines. My zine is still being sold through Little Paper Planes, so if you're interested, check out the site! Thanks to Thereza for the mention!

Little Paper Planes

Thereza Rowe

FINERATS Issue #2

Along with AMMO magazine, this arrived in the mail today. It's the second issue of Finerats magazine! Finerats is a lowbrow illustration magazine based in Barecelona. Another beautifully laid out publication with top notch print quality! I was honored to be asked to particpate in this. I recognize some names and artwork too, including Travis Lampe, Jack Teagle and A. Waliszewska. Take a peek!

http://www.finerats.com

AMMO Magazine Issue 3

Here are some pictures of the latest issue of AMMO Magazine from the UK. I was really happy to be asked to be part of this. There's some great talent on these pages! And although it's a petite publication, the design of the magazine is excellent and the quality of printing is wonderful. Have a look!

Hats off to creative director David Hughes! You can find out more about AMMO here: http://www.ammomagazine.co.uk/

Submit to the Kickstart Co-Op!

Hey everyone!

Just thought I'd tell you all about a new website I am currently featured on called "The Kickstart Co-Op." It's brand new and as one of the first artists to appear on it, I thought I'd spread the word to all you artists out there. If you are featured, not only do you get a little blurb and chance to share your work on the site, but you also get to pick a song you like to be featured with your art. Pretty cool! Sort of lets people get a better idea of you and your influences. So if this sounds interesting to you, submit your work to the site and help get this thing off the ground! I know I'm looking forward to seeing future posts!

The Kickstart Co-Op is run by artist and illustrator John Holcomb. Follow on twitter! http://twitter.com/kickstartcoop

http://kickstartcoop.com/2010/06/01/jon-macnair/

Goonies show update

Just a reminder that I'm part of "The Goonies show" at Lunar Boy Gallery in Astoria Oregon. It opens today but the reception is June 5th 4-7pm! 20 artists are participating. I'll post one more reminder the day of the reception. In the meantime, enjoy these Goonies pictures!

http://www.lunarboygallery.com/

Meathaus

There's a little post about my work by the fine folks of the Meathaus website. Check it out!

http://meathaus.com/2010/05/25/jon-macnair-art/

Alright, well I got the last big project done for now. I have no IMMEDIATE approaching deadlines for shows or projects at the moment, and that is nice. Still a bunch of work to do for some fall shows, but for now I can just breathe for a second and maybe start on something new. I'm excited! It'll probably not be a big drawing, as I just finished two of those in a row and don't have the desire to work on one single thing for a long period of time. Maybe a little new media experimentation is in order?

STROKE .02 the Urban art fair in Munich is happening currently. Last day is tomorrow. I haven't heard much about the goings ons over there from the collective, but I'm hoping I sold some work at least. I mean, it's an art fair so at least you know people are there specifically to buy art. That's somewhat reassuring. And who knows, maybe the people of Germany will like my work. Things didn't work out so well in Scotland, but that all in the past now.

Also, can't wait to get my copy of AMMO magazine and Finerats in the mail. Wonder when those will show up....

Upcoming Dates

Hey everyone,

Working hard here. Just wanted to let you know about a few upcoming events I am involved with. First off, we have STROKE .02 Urban Art Fair starting tomorrow May 27 in Munich Germany. This is a project I became involved with through The Honeycomb Art Collective that I am part of. I will have 20 pieces of original art for sale at the fair. The fair runs from the 27th-30th.

For more information, visit the website: http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.stroke02.com/stroke02wp/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dstroke.02%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26prmd%3Dv&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhiaKhCy-dq7v1YEZdSa8gX3YmY9AA

Next is a group show at Lunar Boy Gallery in Astoria Oregon on June 5th. It's "The Goonies Show" which as you have probably guessed is based on the movie "Goonies", an 80's cult classic! Basically the work will reflect anything Goonies related and will coincide with the city's 25 anniversary celebration of the film which was filmed and set in Astoria. More info on that to come.

Lunar Boy Gallery

1133 Commercial Street

Astoria, OR 97103

866 395 1566

And lastly, on the 10th of June I will be part of a group show opening at Vino Vixens in Portland Oregon. Here's the address: 2929 SE Powell Boulevard Portland, OR 97202

As soon as I find out the exact details, I'll be sure to let you know. That's all for now. No shows scheduled for July, which is good because I need to spend that time getting ready for a few shows in the fall and also will be taking a trip to VA this summer.

"Smile You're Not Dead" Zine

Got this in the mail today! It's a zine called "Smile You're Not Dead" and this is issue 1, with the theme "Billion Dollar Bloodbath." It features 16 artists, some of which I recognize, and their interpretations of the theme. It's pretty open. About 1/3 of the artists in this are from Minnesota, and a good deal of the participants in general are from the midwest. Pretty nice for a change!

Here's some pictures: (bottom image is mine)

On to the next thing

Today I finished the large drawing I've been working on for over a week. It feels like it took forever to complete, but now I can rest assured that it's done. I also spent a good while scanning the whole thing, and managed to do so with less scans than I had anticipated.

I will be getting it framed really soon, and be going the professional route. Hopefully I can get it back within a week or so and have plenty of time to ship it to California in a timely manner. I hate having to pay extra for a rushed shipping if I can help it. I'm going to be spending a good amount of money on the framing, so anywhere I can save money I will try to.

Next thing to work on is a large drawing for a project that involves a book and exhibition together. The work needs to illustrate a specific line from the "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe and all artists are doing the same line. Should be interesting, although the size will be a bit of a challenge.

I will have about a week and a half to complete that, however I really hope it doesn't take that long. After that's done, there are no immediate deadlines approaching, although still lots of stuff to do. Three shows to prepare for in the fall. It feels like the last few 4 or 5 projects I've done have gone right up to the deadlines, which can make things feel a little frantic.

I am happy though that I've gotten paid for a large assignment I did recently and also sold a few prints this week.

More news to come. Stay tuned!

I got a lot accomplished today on the large drawing I'm working on. Ready to start inking it tomorrow! Hooray!

A snail's pace

Very slow progress on this large drawing I'm working on. It's causing me some stress at the moment, and a little heartburn too. I've been popping tums this evening.

This afternoon and evening there was a lot of external noise happening around me and I think that was distracting me a bit. It'll probably be another late night. I work best at night. It's nice and quiet and I can concentrate better. I'm about half done with the sketching process of the drawing, and I hope to be done with the other half by tomorrow so I can start to ink it. Time is a ticking......

Back from my trip

I returned from Atlanta on Sunday and have been getting back into work mode. There are three deadlines I need to meet this month, which wouldn't be that challenging except two of them are of substantial size and probably detail as well. I just finished one of them, which is a submission for something, and the other two are for various shows. Today I am scanning the artwork and preparing the file, and also sanding and painting some picture frames. Also, I forgot to mention that before I left for the trip I managed to finish up the artwork for the CD project I was working on for a record label in Seattle. Can't wait to see how the finished product turns out.

So the rest of this month will be busy. I'm picturing it being like that I Love Lucy episode where they're working in the candy factory and that conveyor belt keeps going faster and faster and faster.................

Busy Bee

I've been busy these past couple weeks working on some packaging illustration for a record label. Just about finished now and moving on to some other projects that had been put on hold.

I think I need to go and get some more paper soon. I've got lots of smaller pieces, but I'm about to begin two large works and I need something bigger. I guess it wouldn't hurt to get some pen cleaner too.

Gonna be going on a family trip pretty soon and taking a minor break from the art, but I need to ship some stuff out before I go so I can meet my deadlines That's about all my lackluster non-exciting news for now. More updates to come.

Happy Journey Project

I was recently asked to participate in a project called "Happy Journey" where artists decorate their own coffins. Kinda morbid sounding but actually really fun. We all followed a basic template so our coffin shapes would be similar, and then went to town with the artwork. Here's mine.

Check out the website too, as they will continue to add more work to the site as the project runs. The Happy Journey Collective is the product of the imaginative heads of illustrators Thereza Rowe, Lesley Barnes and Abi Daker.

http://www.happyjourneycollective.com/

3 Questions with me on HARD FEELINGS blog

Dylan over at the blog 'Hard Feelings' asked me if I wanted to be featured on his blog with their 3 questions segments they do every week. I said sure and he sent me the Qs. I've pasted them below along with my answers, but be sure to check out the blog too. It's really awesome and frequently visited by me.

Q: Is there a medium you’ve yet to work with that you’d like to pursue?

A: I often think about trying oil painting. I guess that doesn’t really count because I’ve done it before. However, I’ve never done it WELL…so I’d like to try and conquer that some day. Another thing is wood carving. Never done it, but it seems like it would be a refreshing change to make something 3D and use a bunch of tools that are new to me.

Q: You obvious interest in mythology + mysticism suggest that you listen to prog rock + read Tolkien. True or false?

A: Haha…false. I grew up in a home where we were exposed to a lot of classical music and not a whole lot of rock. My parents were trained classical musicians (my dad played the violin and my mom played the harp) and me and my brother and sister all played instruments. I played the cello. I didn’t really start to listen to other kinds of music until high school and really branch out until college. I’ve got a pretty diverse collection of music now, but I don’t have any progressive rock in there. Maybe one day. As for Tolkien, I’ve never read anything by him. I’ve thought about it, but it’s usually kinda hard for me to get through books with lots of detailed back story and histories, etc. I tend to go for collections of short stories.

Q: Do you ever feel held back by the characters that reoccur in your work or do they help you to craft a larger story line?

A: I wouldn’t say I feel hindered by them, but I try to avoid overusing the same characters in my work. I don’t want to feel like I’m making the exact same thing over and over. I think you have to have a sense of when to “retire” an idea so you can keep things fresh and allow yourself to make creative progress in your work.

http://www.hardfeelingsblog.com/