As Taylor Dayne's absurd Heart of Stone played in the departure lounge at JFK, I breathed easy. It had been a great trip, after all. And considering how anxious I had been, a sense of relief was not unearned. ¶ Things took a frustrating beginning. I missed my outbound flight. My bag somehow made it on board. This is something the gate agent assured me did not take place. In retrospect, I should have (a) used the self-service kiosk to check in and (b) not have checked in my small suitcase. I didn't do either, for many reasons, none of which much matter now. Eventually I was off to NYC, a day late. A day most certainly wiser. ¶ The flight to JFK was about as smooth as you can expect for winter flying and it took me all of thirty minutes to grab my lonely bag which was quietly waiting for me in a humble room near baggage claim in Terminal 8. Somehow I imagined it would be among trillions of black cases in a room the size of a bloody hanger. This reunion felt good. Patiently I waited for a yellow cab to take me to Williamsburg. The queue, while long for a grocery store, was quick for a taxi stand. Aside from a roadside truck ablaze with bright yellow flames that licked stubbornly in the face of shotgun water, the ride in was uneventful. The sun set too soon, at least in my mind, but nonetheless I was safe, sound, and only minimally anxious. ¶ The taxi dropped me right in front of Vinny Vella's Pizza Place and I hopped out and grabbed a slice. Famished, I hadn't eaten. I never eat when traveling. My contact would meet me here later and so I took a moment to just sit and digest. Running Scared was playing, muted, and so I watched Vera Farmiga for a time. ¶ Before long I was settled into where I would be sleeping and off I went in search of adventure. ¶ More on my trip to NYC tomorrow. I've been making serious progress on this installment of Admiration of Benefit. I know I've been late—later than ever in Siteway history in fact—but this does not trouble me. Things are very busy on the drawing board, and I am putting an unprecedented level of focus on the quality of my work. I am re-affirming my strive for excellence within these walls and, as always, I look forward to sharing my progress with you. It won't always be pretty. But it's guaranteed to be about the work.

Labels: Airport, NewYorkHareII, NYC, SitewayWorld, Travel, WithCertaintyOfBenefit

¶ 10:54 AM

When I was in the first grade I can remember a specific day that has never quite left me. It was a dreary Monday morning and I was coerced into wearing a pair of brown slacks by the parental units that were neither comfortable nor remotely close to what other kids were wearing. The very brownness of them depressed me—I know that sounds heavy for someone six years of age—but it's the only word that captures my memory. Specifically: I'm walking up Downs Avenue. I'm looking down and the rain is paining me. Stay with me, this story has a good end. I get to class and things just don't feel right. I never recovered from sleep. I was so anxious about my clothing (I don't think my shirt was much better). The truth is I simply wasn't feeling well. This was the source of my pain: a stomach bug that soon had me vomiting in our in-class bathroom. I think this made me cry, because I remember the blurry vision that comes from tears. I was lucky that my father was working from home that day and I was able to press the reset button. Soon I was back home, in bed, and recovering. I didn't throw up again but the stomach illness was bona fide. And yet, its connection with my mental outlook that day never left me. I connected being sick, the colour brown, and all my anxiety in one big mess of a concept. Cut to 2007 and I'm creating a folder in My Documents entitled Brown Period. I often title my works and ideas long before the meat. It's just my way, I'm sure many of you do the same. Illustrations like this one and this one and this one embody my love for brown. ¶ It's been years since I've avoided brown. The part of that day in 1981 that stays with me is how real and harsh everything felt. How sad I felt that my bad day was getting worse and worse. Until it got better. How good and relaxed I felt once home in bed. It may seem strange to associate a colour into that sort of experience, but it happens. The point, though, of these sorts of associations, is as true then as it is now, even if my feelings have inverted: it matters. It matters that I was wearing a pair of slacks that I hated. It matters that my father was home that day. It matters that it was raining. It matters that it wasn't entirely my brain that was on the fritz. My stomach was, too. And there's relief in all of it. An early cathartic day. Yes I avoided brown for many years after. That was the cost of my experience. The payoff is everything else. For example, the Brown Period, for whatever that is worth. ¶ No illustration this week. Freelance work has taken over my week! It's positive, all, so I'm not complaining and with any luck, I'll have my 9th portrait in Admiration of Benefit ready for Tuesday AM, even if I will be in NYC.

Labels: Brown, Freelancing, Memories, NYC, Vague

¶ 11:12 AM

Two Wednesdays ago we got a late start to our morning but our intentions were solid. We were going to visit Brooklyn. ¶ We had a few reasons to visit Brooklyn and one of them was simply to visit. We took the L train to Metropolitan. When we got to street level I was immediately reminded of the North End of Halifax. It has that distinctive wood panelling, low-rise, eastern-seaboard feel. I'm working on an illustration for an upcoming business in Brooklyn, and so we were also there to see the location. We bumped into my client and we chatted a little about the business and Williamsburg. After that we wandered over to Bedford Ave, I grabbed a midday pint and cheeseburger, and then we explored some more. ¶ I stopped into Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers (218 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY) and was tempted by many things. I ended up purchasing a postcard upon which I based this photo and an audio CD by David Lynch and Penguin Audio: Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity which is VERY good and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their lives vis. being able to do more of what you love in this life. ¶ In January I recorded myself draw a portrait of David Lynch. I'm very happy with the way these time-lapse animations are working out and intend to do more in this vein. ¶ I've temporarily removed The Art Game from the main navigation until I figure out the role of Art on Siteway. Until then, I've linked it to my photostream on flickr which is not only where friends and family can catch up on photos but also where I upload some of my illustrations.

Labels: Flickr, Heroes, NYC, SitewayWorld

¶ 4:41 PM

The night before seeing Conan O'Brien we were on the Upper West of Manhattan at the 92nd Y to see Charles Grodin. I have mixed feelings about the night. On the one hand, it was awesome to see one of my favourite comedic actors speak, great to ask him a question, and satisfying to have him answer it. On the other hand, I thought the moderator/interviewer inflexible with regard to her agenda given how Grodin was taking the night. As a result, there was a disconnect that was palpable. In any case, I asked Mr. Grodin if he had intended It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here to be inspirational as I had taken it to be. He answered in the negative, insinuating that he had essentially obtained a good measure of success despite the rejection all around him. In other words, I don't think the rejection ever stops, and so in that book, even if it seemed like the world was against him, this wasn't the case. He had a supporter, Lee Strasberg. It reminded me very much of when I went to see Bob Newhart with Jay back in Hamilton a few years ago. ¶ Charles Grodin stars in such pictures as Clifford, The Heartbreak Kid, and my personal favourite, Albert Brooks' Real Life.

Labels: Cinema, Heroes, NYC

¶ 12:51 PM

So secretly I'd been looking forward to seeing 30 Rockefeller Center not just because I have a crush on Tina Fey but hey, if that's not enough reason then let's settle simply with the history of NBC. I grew up on NBC. Preferring it, as I did back then McDonald's over Burger King, privately enjoying its number one status. I always saw ABC as an underdog, and therefore couldn't help but root for, with its too-blue colouring. In any case, I'd been looking forward to attending a taping of the Conan show the minute it occurred to me as a possibility. Well, to be truthful, I think the first time the idea occurred to me, I was probably watching the show at 21 or something, wishing I'd one day go to tapings like Conan's. And so there we were, on Tuesday afternoon, and I forgot the e-mail printout at home. We needed it to get in. ¶ Now Pauline is much better at this sort of forgiveness than me. Generally, I'd be angered if Pauline "forgot the printout at home." But there we were: I'd screwed up and Pauline was cool with it. We could print it again, after all, we just needed to find a FexEx Kinkos. If you were to have told me, at, again, 21, that Kinkos would still be in my life some ten years later, I would have laughed a plenty. To me they just coasted on the scene, haven't been challenged, suck, and without any good reason, continue to grow. You know? Anyway, I guess they aren't that bad, because they did save us that day. ¶ Getting to the actual studio where The Late Show with Conan O'Brien is taped is a pain in the ass. NBC understands this, which is cool; Security is a necessary evil when you consider what a fool might do. But it's also a pain because you're lining up on the concourse level of what is essentially just another office tower with lots of people working, eating sushi in the food court, and pissed off at all the gawking tourists (present!). ¶ The NBC pages are as friendly as you might imagine an NBC staff to be (Kenneth!). Not overly friendly, but definitely friendly, and on top of things. I like that. I like seeing people on top of things. It gives me confidence because it's reassurance that we're ultimately the best species ever (art!). This is largely what is becoming my lasting impression of New Yorkers. ¶ There are a pair of free XL "audience member" t-shirts waiting for us as we exit what feels like the second elevator in this process and they win me over. We're seated very near to the front. An enviable seat. The kind one almost never gets. There's a best-of DVD that plays and it does warm us up. It certainly caught me up as I've sadly become a lax viewer. The old bits are still funny and the newer bits are as well. There's still a vibrancy at and to the show, that's for sure. Conan O'Brien is a consummate professional, of this there is no doubt. That's probably my clearest and meatiest impression of the show.

Labels: Heroes, Nostalgia, NYC

¶ 10:54 PM

Can I just say before getting into anything to do with our trip to New York that we saw The Departed last week and I absolutely loved it. It made seeing Martin Scorsese win (in our totally excellent rented East Village apartment) all the more sweet. It's an amazing amazing film. How good is Mark Whalberg? Very good. ¶ Frank Stella was a New York based painter. We were invited to an Allen Shawn book launch at Glenn Horowitz Bookseller and there were several Stella works for sale (24x16 pieces, $4,500 each). Later in the week, when we were at the MoMA, we thoroughly enjoyed looking at Stella's work. I think I can safely say he's my new favourite artist (despite having known about him for years). ¶ As I've alluded to over on flickr as well as here on Siteway, our trip to New York City was priceless. I marveled, I gawked, I did more people watching than I can remember, I ate, drank, walked, and fell in love with this great great city. We took some photos, and I've collected some in a flickr set. We have a disposable camera to develop in addition to these, but I think they capture the feeling of our trip. Up next: Seeing Conan.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Flickr, NYC

¶ 1:14 AM

I suppose the question of God's existence is an open one. But surely mankind has built heaven and named it New York City. ¶ Watch for this week's feature illustration tonight. I'll be drawing it later today at the New York Public Library. Yes, the Ghostbusters one. Change of plans. Too much to see and do today for an illustration and sadly the library is closed Mondays. No worries. Scorsese will grace Siteway's home page for a little while longer and if I have time, I might add to it or riff on it but otherwise look for a brand new illustration next week upon our return to Canada.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, NYC

¶ 10:23 AM

PK and I had a great brunch at Insomnia on Saturday and it was such a treat. I had the Hogaareten + OJ mimosa, the Eggs Benedict (which I almost never order), and some black coffee. Time seemed to slow down and I was in the moment. ¶ Later we hit the new BMV and I picked up Vox, Never Mind The Pollacks, The Making of a Philosopher, Tomorrow, The Stars, and Frommer's New York City (2006). They're all pretty much for the NYC train adventure. Sometimes, when I buy books, I regret it. Not this time. ¶ This week's feature illustration is of Quentin Tarantino.

Labels: Books, FeaturedIllustration, NYC, WeekendUpdate

¶ 3:28 PM

I had an illustration in today's National Post (AL2) of Norah Jones. I've been illustrating for the Arts & Life section on a semi-regular basis since last May. I've been posting photographs of my illustrations that have appeared in the Post to my flickr account. You can check it out at thepost.siteway.com. ¶ I've decided to pull the plug on my CafePress store. I could probably articulate the reasons why but I think I'll just let time do the explaining. Right now the only place you can purchase Siteway related stuff is through my online store, Siteway Select. Oh, and my sister brand, Tonicville, has a store over at Prickie you can check out. ¶ We're hope hope going to NYC in late February. Now's the time to send me suggestions on where to eat, drink, and be merry. I've already set up one client meeting and I'm hoping to drop off my portfolio at the Esquire and Rolling Stone offices. ¶ And finally I want to say that the new Siteway site is coming along very well, thank you, and I'll be posting my launch date any day now. Stay tuned, illustration and vague-talk lovers, we've just finished the pre-dinner drinks. With any luck, we've got a full dinner ahead to look forward to. ¶ Cheers for the nod, Jason.

Labels: NationalPost, NYC, SitewaySelect, SitewayWorld, Vague

¶ 8:43 PM