Moving Day

I will be consolidating all show information through my main blog. Please visit Non-Linear-Arts for up dates on this and other  projects I'll be working on.

Tools of the Trade: A Citizens' View of Law Enforcement: Current and Upcoming Events

For the month of November," Tools of the Trade: A Citizen's View of Law Enforcement"will be shown at the Public Library in Darien.

On February 20Th I will be speaking at The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association . This talk will be about how and why I set up the residency with the Oak Park Police Department, how the residency changed my studio practice and my view of an artist's place in the community.

I will be including a peek into my "real" sketchbooks, images of all artist's whose work was shown in the departmental art gallery and a few surprises. Hope to see you there!

April 2011 Exhibit Coming Soon:

The Exhibit will be showing at the Indian Trail Library in Darien Illionis in April 2011. More information to follow! In the mean time, here are a few photos taken by our daughter during the Oak Park opening.

Project Website


Guests enjoying the exhibit


Chief Rich Tanksley and Chicago Tribune's Barbara Brotman






Author Daniel Smith and guests.



It was nice to have my parents and friends and also people I did not know. Always a hopeful sign.

Growing Down

After several years of intense creating and blogging, I've been enjoying a well earned respite from web life. In art, as in farming, fallow time provides and opportunity for future productivity so I've been collecting ideas, messing around in my sketchbook and in the words of my sister, "growing down". I have a few ideas for a large project that has not come into focus yet but expect some movement in the future. Blessings to you all!

Tools of the Trade: Opening Night

The long awaited opening of my show Tools of the Trade: A Citizens' View of Law Enforcement is right around the corner. If you are in the area, I hope you will stop by to hear us speak and for some lovely refreshments made by friends and family.

I'll be taking an extended break from blogging this summer.(More than I HAVE been taking!) See you all in the fall.

Middle East Texile Show

Salt bag

The current show is an exhibition of my friend and collegue, Virginia Heaven's collection of textiles from the middle east. She has graciously loaned us a few of her favorites. Here is her statement:

"I am a collector. It’s almost a guilty admission. But I simply cannot resist acquiring textiles. I have traveled fairly extensively and when I go somewhere new (or somewhere I have been before) I go to the local markets to search for textiles. I have purchased shawls and rugs, bags and headdresses; I search around like a magpie for the thing I cannot resist. Then I bargain for it whether I am in the Middle-East or Mexico or Michigan; it’s part of the acquisition process to get a good price, or succumb to the asking price. I will fight or yield but I will nearly always buy.
Many of my pieces are odd—like the phone mat that is literally a mat for the phone. Other pieces are more valuable, either monetarily or spiritually. The Qur’an holder is most likely embroidered with an image from a precious antique face-powder box, saved because it belonged to a favorite female relative; a relic of an earlier time. The (upside down) Christmas tree bags (possibly for a donkey or even a bicycle) may be a simple tourist piece, or perhaps an image that had no intrinsic meaning other than a shape seen in a foreign magazine.
I am also an artist; I make handmade books which I fill with drawings and collage. The pages are like textiles, textured and rich with imaginings. My home is like a Bedouin tent; my walls are decorated with textiles as décor in place of paintings or prints. I have pillows on the floor made from woven salt bags from Central Asia, and 19th century American quilts on my walls, signed with the names of women long dead, but not forgotten.
From small children we seek comfort in textiles; a blanket edged with satin ribbon or a teddy bear so well loved it has become denuded, the surface worn away by tiny fingers seeking reassurance. Anthropologists think that one of the earliest forms of technology was weaving; baskets and textiles were among our first attempts to create order in the world. The jacquard loom was the first computer and heralded a new era now known as the Industrial Revolution. Currently there are textiles being developed that can cool or warm us at will, and camouflage fabric that changes rapidly to match the environment. Textiles are the best of what is ancient and modern. I can’t resist them."



Warding off the Evil Eye




Wall shot inside the station

Artistic Influences

Stefan Sagmeister's Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far (This is the cover of the "book". It's beautifully designed as a number of smaller books tucked into this box.)

I want to take a moment to honor the work of artist's who have inspired me recently. Great teachers,weather in print,on line or in person comfort me as well as inspire me my journey. This projecthas given me the freedom to explore new directions and I'm working on integrating these ideas and working methods into my Waterways Project


I first learned about the brilliant and sincere designer Stephan Sagmeister on TED and his use of text and message opened my eyes to the visual power of the written word. Lately, I've been thinking alot about his brave decision to take a year off from commercial work a few years back. He said at the time that he was worried about what taking a year off would do to his business. (He has designed some very high profile music CD covers and other prominent design work.) This particular projectThings I Have Learned grew out of his year off and also inspired me to want to give something back to the community and begin my won project. The really amazing thing is that after a year off, his commercial business was bigger than ever. He also received numerous offers from companies willing to underwrite this very non commercial project. Just goes to show you what can happen when you let go of the money piece.



Man Bites Man:Two decades of Satiric Art

This book, hidden away in the drawing section of our local library was revelation. I ADORE these guys. The book covers a particularly rich period of this now rare art form. My favorites, listed below, command a line quality of strength and vigor. There is so much intelligence behind the drawings too that stirs my imagination. To call them cartoon artists is akin to calling Michelangelo a marble cutter. Satiric art has up rooted and moved off the pages of the newspapers on to Comedy Central. (Jon Steward for example) All modern political satire stands of the shoulders of these greats.

Paul Flora
Ronald Searle (Look for "The Arrival of God"
A Ronald Searle Tribute Blog
David Levine
Edward Sorel
Ralph Steadman

I'm posting the verso of the book because power of each artist's signature says so much about their work.



Man Bites Man (Verso)