The Show!

Love Letters to Antarctica is opening this weekend. If you are in Chicago, go see it! If you aren't in Chicago look through my blog and see the art. If you don't like Antarctica then perhaps you like prostitutes and/or solitary people, then go to my website: mypaperanchor.com (But you really should love Antarctica, I do and that's why I send it love letters...)

Death Mariachi and the blizzards...

There must be some connection between the sun-soaked desert sounds of death mariachi and the sun-soaked deserts of Antarctica. Because listening to the entire Calexico catalog for the past week has spurred me on into a frenzy of ink, water and broken brushes, and ta da! I have completely finished the pieces for the upcoming show!

They are all here, in all their blue and white glory. (the images might look a bit dull, have no fear, it is my lack of photoshop on Stephen's computer.)

and the last for the day!

painting the second

Shackleton's wife asked him when he returned from the Antarctic why he didn't press on to the South Pole. His reply was....

First of the morning....

After spending the morning feeling excruciatingly guilty about not giving Cat fresh water in a couple days, I decided it was his just rewards for vomiting on my art. Okay, I didn't really decide that, but thinking that I did helps assuage my guilt.

And, here is the first piece of the day.


Two more to go.

first painting, first antarctic night.....

....after a twelve hour day, crippling hand pain and even skipping my facial, i've finished the first of the 10 or so i have left. Also, the second is almost finished, but I am opting instead for a dinner with Collin at the Harmony Grill as opposed to finishing. This means- gasp- three to complete for tomorrow.

impossible? never!

This also happens to be the image for the show's postcard. It is based on the Belgica which was the first ship to purposely freeze into the fast ice of the Antarctic waters for a winter.

"Through the First Antarctic Night"

Restless Days and Sleepless Nights

After a yesterday's fantastic meeting with the Swimming Pool Project Space and Annie Heckman, to discuss tidbits about Love Letters to Antarctica, I returned home energized and excited to finish up the work.

This was a bit dissuaded when I looked down at the stack of completed work later that night. Cat has taken to laying down on my long suffering drawing board, and while we were at dinner created the biggest brightest hairball on the work. I, like most artists am open to criticism, but this was tantamount to throwing a tomato at a performer.

I decided to just worry about it in the morning and I turned in. Things were going splendidly, till 3am when I was bright-eyed and not so bushy tailed. So, after spending the wee hours of 3am - 7am putzing around. I am going back to the drawing board and starting again.

The challenge now: 2 paintings a day.

We will see, we will see.....