Illustration Friday 2/31/14

topic: Exotic

Nothing much to say about this one...pretty straightforward, really.  I took a bunch of photos one time when I visited the Jacksonville Zoo, and the point of zoos (at least at their inception) is to bring "exotic" animals before a local audience.

I remember this little guy was doing a good job distracting me from the GIGANTIC boa constrictor that was slowly, oh, so, slowly, mauling a plump white rat in the opposite corner of the reptile house.  No, who am I kidding...NOTHING could distract me from that.  Could...not...tear...eyes...away....

So this dude was looking pretty friendly.  Sorry, snakeophiles, I don't remember what kind it was.

Florida Skies (Hospital art installations, pt. 2)

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new pediatric Congenital Heart Center at Shands was last week I'm so pleased with the way it all came together.  The theme, again, was "Florida Skies," and these funky floors were the basis for the images I did, seen here printed on large slabs of clear acrylic--a very cool method of displaying art in a hospital, when you think about it.  I did a set of four images that were printed and installed the same way in 2012 for the Pediatric outpatient clinic, and I've been really impressed with the quality of the work that this Gainesville print company does.  

In this slideshow from the local newspaper, and this short promo video, you can see a bit more of the unit, including the lovely mosaic work of one of my dear friends.   Overall, the team of people designing the physical space and visual experience in this hospital are just awesome.  It really helps that the Arts in Medicine program is so fully integrated into the hospital's mission and goals. 

The same print shop also printed my sun and moon decals that decorate the soffits in the patient rooms. 

The artistic experience won't stop with the walls and the floors; patients will be immersed in creative activities as much as possible while receiving care, as part of their whole-person treatment at Shands.  I just hope that soon, every major hospital will support a similar program and embrace this approach.

Galveston is Hung...er, Hanged?

After a minor delay, the work for the show entitled "Galveston Hangs" is now up on the outside of the historical First National Bank building on the Strand.  The murals are hanging in all of the street-level windows, going around the corner as well.  There was some pretty cool work there, and the hubby and I had fun at the reception shmoozing with the other artists and a few other random men and women about town.  All in all it was a good turnout, even with a light rainfall.  I was happy to have contributed, but, alas, I don't think I'll be donating anything this large again.

The truth is I would normally rail against this kind of solicitation of free work, and perhaps I should have in this case as well.  In this particular instance, the "exposure" seemed unusually good--it is along the main drag in the city--where all the art galleries and boutiques and such are located, and hence, hopefully, where people who buy art will notice it.  I must confess I was also trying to build a good working relationship with this organization because of what I hope we will be able do for each other's mutual interests in the near future.  Will they see it that way, I wonder?

Time will tell if this was a good investment or not, but in the end, I may only have bought myself the right to point down the road and say, "my work is up there." So, I will be pulling on my business owner's hat to the next folks who "just love" my work:  please get in line, and try to have your checkbook in hand.

Etsy Shop

My Etsy Shop is now open!  Wow, does that take a lot of time, between sizing and formatting the images to figuring out all the shipping costs...I will absolutely have to keep adding more items to make it worth my while.  

The artwork for sale includes a lot of stuff that doesn't feel appropriate on my illustration portfolio site--experimental techniques, painted objects, etc.  I'm waffling between keeping a separate Etsy account for my professional work only, but I don't know if it's worth the hassle of creating another shop and managing two different things that I can't be signed into at the same time. I guess I'll see how this goes for a while.

Oh, for those who don't know or just don't get it, the shop's name (Laurel Crayon) is an anagram of my name.  It's how I derived my logo, back in art school.  I still like it, so, it stays.

I did notice that someone favorited one of my items already, so that's cool! 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaurelCrayon

If your item is small, like a keychain fob, it will come wrapped like this.  Thanks to one of my former Arts in Medicine volunteers for giving me the idea:)

Single Vision visit

 

I had the unique opportunity (a while ago) to visit an educational wildlife facility in Melrose, FL.  The founder of the organization graciously took several hours show off and educate my journalist friend and I about his incredible animals, and he allowed me to sketch his big cats up close as they went about their business.  

"OM-nom-nom-nom..."

Two Bengal tigers, a Siberian tiger and a lioness made it into the sketches, mostly during feeding time.  They were moving a little too quickly the rest of the time!   

The place has a website, replete with millions of adorable photos. www.singlevisioninc.org