The Art of Sequential - Following Up

Last month I posted about this juried exhibition in which I was invited to participate. As you'll see from the previous post, I entered the sequence of pages I drew for NASCAR Heroes. The exhibition was co-curated by my friends Rich Harrington and Jamar Nicholas, and the juror was another good friend of mine, Mike Manley. Mike wrote up his observations about the afternoon here, so I'm going to just give the highlights of my time there.

Despite the fact that this show was judged by a buddy, and curated by two other friends, I really didn't expect to win anything. Mike is a discerning art critic, and is not easily impressed. After 15 years of friendship with him, I know this intimately. That being said, he is one of the first people I trust with critique about my own work. He's a phenomenal artist, and I completely respect his opinions.

Which is why I'm so humbled by the fact that he selected my work for an Honorable Mention! That award really means a lot to me, particularly as I know Mike's standards. In reality, the award should also be credited to my partner-in-art, John Gallagher. John provided the rough layouts, and while I did the drawings, he did a lot of the really hard work, making sure the story was being told in an interesting way.

Jamar and Rich really made the event fun, and I want to publicly thank both for their invitation to participate. I can't wait for the next show!

Ok, I also have pictures to share from the day, so here they are:


Jamar, Rich, and Mike announce the awards.


Rich, Mike and Jamar looking smooth!


The guys ham it up, after they've handed me the certificate.


The award, and my artwork.



Jamar and me posing with the pages.

It was a fun time, and I hope I'll have the honor of participating in the next show!

Check back soon for my overdue report about Heroes Con.

Best,
Rich

Juried Exhibition Alert!

In my previous posts, I've neglected to mention that my sequential work for the NASCAR Heroes comic book has been accepted in the Philadelphia Sketch Club's Annual Juried Exhibition of Sequential Art, "The Art of Sequential." This is the second PSC exhibition in which my work has been accepted, and the last time I won in my category! I'm not sure lightning will strike twice, but it'll be fun to find out. The reception is this Sunday, June 15 (yes, it's Father's Day). If you're in the Philadelphia area this weekend, please stop by. You can find directions to the Sketch Club on their website, http://www.sketchclub.org.

Oh, and here's one of the pages that made the show:



I hope to see you tomorrow at the Sketch Club!

Best,
Rich

Philadelphia Sketch Club - The Award!

As mentioned in my previous post, I recently entered and won first prize (Sequential Category) in the Philadelphia Sketch Club's "Phillustration '07" juried exhibition. Well, the opening was a lot of fun, and it was great to have my wife, and a few of my friends there. The range of work was very exciting, and it was cool to see my work displayed among so many talented Illustrators' work. Thanks go out to my colleague Rich Harrington, who invited me to be a part of the exhibition he organized, as well as to Bill Brown, the exhibition's juror, who selected my work. I thought the award certificate itself was pretty interesting, as it features an illustration of King Kong, by the very talented Joe DeVito. The work was included in the show, and it is actually the cover for a new King Kong comic book from Markosia Enterprises. Here's a scan of the award with the art:



And here are a few pictures from the event:


Me, along with my illustration of Salvador Dali.


Rich Harrington presenting me with the award.


The Roboy Red sequence that won. I was also able to put out copies of the actual "Buzz and the 'Bot" comic for people to take. There were a number of kids who were there and took copies, so that was a real highlight for me!


My Philly Phriends! Left to right: Echo, Mike Manley, Jamar Nicholas, and me!

This was a lot of fun, and I hope to enter next year's show too!

Special thanks to my lovely wife Traci, who took all the photos.

Best,
Rich