Milagro de Monterrey Art

I wanted to show you an unused illustration for the Milagro de Monterrey book. It measures 4"x6". I'm not sure why I made it so small. Given the tight deadline and the numerous illustrations that I was working on for the book I must have been delirious.

Frosty Little

Glenn "Frosty" Little passed away in his sleep yesterday. He was in the first graduating class of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Clown College, performed on the show for many years, was director of the clowns on both units and the list goes on.

If it wasn't for Frosty and what he taught me I may never have made into Clown College. Below is a wiki link with more about Frosty. Thanks for everything Frosty. Hatorini!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_%22Frosty%22_Little

John Wayne at the Woodlawn Theatre 1960

I've mentioned the Woodlawn Theater on previous postings. It's where, in 1991 I met Pammy, my future wife. She was the artistic director for the San Antonio Fine Center. I think I even mentioned the fact that John Wayne's Alamo movie had it's worked premiere there. Well, fifty years ago this past Sunday that film had a star-studded premiere in lil' ol' San Antonio. Of course, back then it was a classic, single screen movie theater the likes of which are no longer made though a few still exist.

When we worked there I always liked the place because it always felt like it had been around forever which I found comforting. It was there long before we showed up and would remain long after we made our last curtain call there. You don't get that feeling from just any theater. That place was special. It had a magical quality, a little of which went with Pammy and I and continues along with us all these years later. The house I grew up in no longer exists so maybe, in a way, I guess I've adopted that old theater to be that lost home. I can visit it when I wish and it will always be there.

Next year it will have been a decade since I walked into the place where I began the next chapter of my life. I'm willing to bet that if I go back there a year from now something good will happen.

Barry Lubin

 


One of the nicest guys in circus and one of the Clown College gag directors my year, Barry Lubin, will be seen in a documentary of the Big Apple Circus that will air on PBS on November 3rd. Here's a link to an article about his daughter in the New York Daily News courtesy of Mike Weakley and a bio of Barry Lubin from Wikipedia.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/10/24/2010-10-24_dads_a_real_clown.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Lubin

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The Gingerbread Express Arrives!

Two proud bakers.



Peek-a-boo!


Hansel and Gretel single tract homes.


Gingerbread village.


Willy Wonka would be proud.


Easy does it.


Putting the final touches.

You can check out these wonderful creations on Sunday, October 24th from 2p.m. to 4p.m. at Anne Marie's Catering. The address is 12475 Starcrest. The event is the San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet's "Fairytale Tea" fundraiser which includes a silent auction, cookie decorating for the kids, a jewelry fashion show and will feature excerpts from the Hansel and Gretel ballet. The entire ballet itself can be seen at the Jo Long Theatre st the Carver November 5th and 6th. Oh, and kids can come to the fundraiser in costume too. See you there!

More Hobbit Art

I've done the initial sketching for the next Hobbit illustration and have chosen the composition. It shows Bilbo at the roots of the Misty Mountains where he first meets Gollum. I'm still working out the colors for the piece and will post those later. Here are the sketches that led up to the final composition.

Gingerbread Express

Gingerbread Pammy at rest.

A couple of weeks ago Pammy and Rey got a job making gingerbread houses to be used for centerpieces at a fundraiser for the San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet. They've been working intensely making these incredible houses out of bread and candy. Cool! The fundraiser is this Saturday and I'll have more photos showing off their creations. For now here are some photos to give you an idea of the process required to make them. Enjoy.






Gingerbread Rey.

Wow!

Adding the bells and whistles.

Gingerbread people! Holy cow!!



Pammy rollin' da dough.

Ray rollin' too.


Teamwork.



The first stage is complete.

The sides are done.


The shapes are cut and ready to assemble.

Monday with Steve Martin

Feelin' kinda goofy? It's a good thing. Go with it!

Skys

Here are some more beautiful cloud formations. I can't get enough of them.

The Hobbit

Rough sketch.

In honor of yesterday's announcement that the film version of the Hobbit will begin shooting in February of 2011, this weekend I painted a scene from the Hobbit that tells of the dragon Smaug coming to claim the dwarf treasure kept in the Lonely Mountain. Above and below are photos showing the step by step process from sketch to completed painting. It was fun.


Pencil drawing on canvas paper.

Painting background and dragon.

Beginning the foreground.

The finished painting.