"Last Morning" 
... my childhood home in Michigan
... on my last day there, Sept. 12, 2014.

6" x 12" oil on panel

honored to win First Prize at the Whittier Art Gallery juried show...

       
12 x 16  oil on canvas

                            6" x 6" oil on panel

for World Elephant Day - 

6" x 6" oil on panel

I'm working on something new ...
hoping to sell so that all profits
can go toward helping these amazing beings.

                                
                                         Sold some wee paintings and a few prints
                                                        at the Hillcrest Festival of Arts...

                                                                                               
                                                   ... may they find happy new homes!

5" x 7" oil on canvas

   

6" x 6" oil on panel -
painted to Natalia Zukerman's song "Brand New Frame"

I met Natalia at the Sundance Lab when she was about 7 years old. She grabbed my heart! She played guitar beautifully... and amazed me with a song she'd written about a mermaid. So, I painted her a little watercolor about it.

I looked her up recently and discovered the SUPERB music she's been making... and that she's also painting! I sent her a note. I was stunned to find out she still has the mermaid picture... it hangs on her wall. She claims it inspires her to let art and music inform each other. Wow. That's about as good as it gets! Natalia is a wonderful creative force! From killer slide guitar and enthralling voice... to joyously painted murals! And.... she's a sweetheart.
I like to say i was her first fan.

and... about 30 years later... i painted another picture from her song.

a little painting for a hot L.A. day...

oil on board 6" x 6"

in honor of the super moon...

oil on board 11" x 14"   

Happy Valentine's Day

i'm off to Michigan...to take my mom to the beach...

Karl Malden's shoe...(at Sundance Lab). He always wore these comfy, practical shoes.

So many wonderful memories of him.

I keep thinking of him...and his family.

Karl was such a good man...a good pal....

...he was a truly kind and giving person.

meeting Michael Jackson

I worked on a few of Michael Jackson's videos. Below are storyboards from "Childhood" - (they had me paint a few, which was rare).
The producer and i were recalling the very late-night meeting we had with MJ at Propaganda.

We were introduced close-up, but Michael held up papers to cover his face. I remember feeling like i wanted to reassure him that it was okay.

There were only 3 or 4 of us at the round table. Michael seemed nervous for a while, still covering his face. Eventually he relaxed and seemed comfortable.

After looking through my drawings he said in his high, quiet voice,
"These are magical."

The producer just sent me a sweet e-mail saying....
"My biggest takeaway from that night was how much he loved your illustrations....and how he wanted them to be published as a book. So....get cracking on your kids books and remember that the biggest kid in the world loved your artwork."

I had forgotten Michael had said that.

I've heard that he felt "Childhood" was his most personal video...
...it sure seems like it.

(here's a link to the video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yXG_lXKaRs )

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>....................................................

"Morning is a new

sheet of paper
for you to write on."

~ Eve Merriam

Eve was a treasure...i wish she and Waldo were still here.

Here is the full poem and Eve's bio...
http://www.freewebs.com/poetry-project/evemerriam.htm

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.................................Waldo Salt drawing>

from the Nursery Rhyme series (commissioned posters)...

sketchy stuff...

Weird stuff ...
Amazing what i found today in a moldy old folder!
Here's my "Recycle or Die" shirt that kept showing up in print.
Chevy Chase with wife, Jayni (in the shirt)...
..............................and Ed Begley, Jr. (in the shirt, in his electric car).
We should all do what Ed is doing!...as much as we can!
(and you gotta see Chris Paine's "Who Killed the Electric Car?"!!!)














And gotta share this... i just found this online...pretty cute... Lifehouse posing with my boards for the "Make Me Over" video.   Not many bands blow up my boards. They were NICE people to work with! (Director Michael Callahan and producer Anthony Bushman)

people in sketchbooks...

Elephant cloud...
...........the view from our house.
...................(i didn't notice the Elephant till i was finished!)


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