The Portable Artist

TIFFANY & CO

2011-08-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

I am now installing the window displays at Tiffany&Co. here in the Northwest. They do beautiful work, and it's great to be involved with such a historic company, with such a tradition of beautiful windows. Watch those windows!

OUTSIDE THE BOX

2011-08-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

I recently was given the task of making a giant flower from a (giant) cardboard box, for a magazine photo illustration. The gag was a play on the idea of 'thinking outside of the box'. Here are 'before', 'during', and 'after' photos.

MAP

2011-08-26T15:53:00.000-07:00

Worked on an infomercial with Kaleo Quenzer recently. Part of the gig was to 'colorize' a large printed map. By 'large', I mean like fifty feet long! It was fun to work with him on the project, and we all took pictures of ourselves on the big map.

BUTTON-HEAD ANTELOPE

2011-08-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

Carrie and I collaborated on this button-covered antelope head. I carved the head out of foam and added the 'antlers'. Carrie directed Petra's 5th grade class in covering the head with hundreds and hundreds of buttons. It was donated to the school auction. I loved that thing, and wish we still had it.

SPACESHIP

2011-08-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Carrie and I worked together on this spaceship set for TMobile. The whole thing is made of 1/4" foam core. The details show that the command desk is made up of old keyboards, light switches, calculators, a thermostat -- even a Battleship board!

BIG NEWS!

2011-08-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

Lynn Shelton's film, 'Your Sister's Sister', for which I was Production Designer, will premier at this year's Toronto International Film Festival on September 10. This was the film that we shot in the San Juan Islands last fall. Stars Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Mark Duplass. Ben Kasulke is the cinematographer. Great director, great cast, great crew, great time. Good luck in Toronto!!

LOTTO CATS

2011-05-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

There's a new bus and billboard ad for the Washington Lottery, on the theme of 'what would you do if you won?'. This lucky winner would make a cat park. I got to make the Cat Climbing Structure (complete with hammock, wind chimes, tree, pinwheels, etc), signs, and other crazy cat-person accoutrements. Jose Mandojana was the photographer.

Microsoft Surface

2011-05-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

Microsoft makes a thing called the Surface, which is like a table-sized tablet computer. The touch screen display can be either flat or hang on a wall, like a tv. I designed and made the set for the little studio where they film demonstrations. Kennan Muzzy designed the lighting, which looks really cool through the translucent wall.

Kathryn Barnard Shoot

2011-03-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some sets I made for Kathryn Barnard, for a BabyLegs shoot. They were all in-studio freestanding sets, usually just as wide as the shot you see. There's one of the Beach House, which shows the edge. Carrie Stacey was the prop stylist. It's always fun when we can work on a gig together.

In the Clouds

2011-03-29T16:27:00.001-07:00

Recently, I made a video set at Microsoft Studios. It was a discussion in an executive office, about 'the Cloud'. Kaleo helped me put this one together. I love those Brno Chairs.

Armstrong Studios

2011-03-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

I had the chance, not long ago, to make a couple of sets at Armstrong Studios for a Starbucks project. Scott Pitts was the shooter, and he sent me a couple of shots from the day. It was a fun project (and it gave me a chance to express my love of fake brick).

Bing Shoot

2011-02-07T15:41:00.000-08:00

The Wall Street Journal got photographer Gregg Segal (he's a big deal - look him up) to shoot a portrait of Blaise Aguera y Arcas (ditto). He was the main architect behind the Bing Maps. In a small hotel conference room, across the street from Blaise's office, I made a map-filled set, where he was photographed climbing through the window, looking thoughtful, etc. Gregg took a couple of shots with me on the set as a stand-in.

My Tejon Adventure

2011-01-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

More pictures from the Tejon Ranch shoot. Including a Gilligan's Island raft that I got to make. (I've always wanted to make one of those!)

It was a big production. We were creating an African Savanna in the California high desert. With zebras, and a giraffe, Land Rovers and motorcycles. Donovan almost stepped on a rattlesnake. It was a beautiful place to be, and I worked with a talented and interesting crew. Some really great people were on that shoot. (and the wrap party was the most fun Karaoke night ever!)

More Tejon Ranch

2011-01-26T15:01:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pictures of the finished Hut from the Eddie Bauer shoot at Tejon Ranch. Lauren Shields was the (amazing) Prop Stylist.

Rancho Tejon

2011-01-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

This summer, I had the chance to go on a great shoot for Eddie Bauer. I got to spend a couple of weeks with a terrific crew in Tejon, California. It's in the high desert between LA and Bakersfield. In the middle of a cattle ranch, in the middle of nowhere, in 104-degree heat, with a howling blow-dryer wind -- we built a 16' x 16' free-standing 'African Savanna' lodge. With a thatched roof! We got the peeled poles delivered from Geronimo Pole in Northern California. It was daunting, to say the least. The nearest hardware store was an hour away. Donovan, Rafael, Ruffino and I built the thing in three days. Here's a picture of the three of them, just after we'd raised the framework for the roof.

Catalog shot

2011-01-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

This shows how the set I described below is used in a catalog photograph. A deck, a little fake snow... you're there.

Seattle's Best Coffee

2011-01-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

Did a funny job for Brad Lenz, on a video that went along with the rebranding of Seattle's Best Coffee. The SBC folks were 'taking over the Starbucks building' to announce the new look. It was fun to work on the roof of the Starbucks building. (Including up in the tower). I was roped into helping in front of the camera, too. In the video, that's me on the left side of the screen, in the van.

FAKE ROCK WALL 2

2010-10-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

Here's where it ended up. It was a fake stone and (real) barnwood wall that I was trying to match from a location shoot.

FAKE ROCK WALL

2010-10-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of a fake rock wall that I recently made for a photo client. It all starts with pink foam.

Studio N

2010-10-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have neglected to keep up on the blog. So, here, after long delay, are some photos of jobs that I've worked on in the past six months.

Here's a photo of me working for Nordstrom, with the good people at Studio N.

Taco Time Goat Ad

2010-05-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

2010-05-04T14:29:00.001-07:00

Recently helped on another Taco Time commercial. This one had GOATS! I'll have to add 'assistant goat wrangler' to my resume. Here is a shot from the set, and the commercial.

NRG! Aquarium

2010-05-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

Shefskie Paba recently posted some pictures on Facebook, from a job we both worked on last year. We worked for NRG! Exhibits, putting together a traveling science exhibit. Kevin Seal and I made the interior of this aquarium (some real, mostly fake). But in the rush to finish the work, I never got a decent photo of it. Thanks, Shefskie!

Louis Vuitton

2010-05-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

For the past few months I've been installing the display windows at Louis Vuitton stores in the Northwest. I am the guy in charge of Seattle, Bellevue (Seattle suburb), and Portland, Oregon. It's been a great gig. The people are great, and it's given me a chance to have a regular, predictable gig. I work with a great team, and the jobs have been fun. Here's the latest one we did last month.

Microsoft Movie

2010-02-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

I recently worked with Laura Foy and the Microsoft crowd again, on a funny short film with a Valentine's Day theme. Kaleo Quenzer helped out, and we built a jail cell, and police precinct set. Fun job, and I liked the way the sets turned out.

SEATTLE CENTER PLAY ROOM

2009-12-01T15:43:00.000-08:00

We just remodeled the Kids' Play Room at the Seattle Center. Carrie and I had done the original Play Room in 2002, and in the intervening years, the kids of Seattle beat the heck out of it. So it was time for a new look. We gave it a Northwesty theme, with mural, 'treehouse' climbing structure, and a big Tree (which hides an HVAC column). We also gave it a mini Kid-sized door, right next to the Grownup entry.

New Taco Time Ad

2009-11-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

I recently Art Directed another ad for Taco Time. This one has our hero (Pat Cashman) in his manor house, reflecting on the nature of "masterpiece". Of course, the gag is that he's talking about Nachos. But while he reflects, he's looking at 'old master' paintings, which happen to feature the ancestors of Ned, the Taco Time spokescactus. I made the paintings.

Anthropologie

2009-11-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

I just hung my small collages at Anthropologie, in Seattle. They'll be up through November. So get down there and snap 'em up!

MicroSpooky

2009-10-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

I did a project at Microsoft last week that was pretty funny. I made a set for an internal video for Halloween. It was a kind of computer nerd horror film. The premise was that the main character specializes in tracking down and 'killing' 'Bugs' (get it?). He goes a little nutso, and starts believing that his co-workers are bugs. One thing leads to another...

Microsoft Studios

2009-10-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

I just worked at Microsoft Studios, changing out the set for a project that they are shooting over there. They wanted a 'high tech' look, and as usual, for me, I took a low tech approach. The backgrounds are tissue paper, laid out and glued down, behind some channel-plastic windows. The posts on the monitors are galvanized stove vent from Home Depot.

Renaissance Man

2009-09-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

My friend Kaleo Quenzer put together a pilot for a show called "Renaissance Man". It is a Reality/Competition show. I was a contestant! Me and two other guys, Josh (metalworker) and Craig (firefighter), competed for the coveted Silver Saw, and all its attendant glory. We built a chair from a pile of scrap materials, ran a 50-yard dash, answered trivia questions, cooked a meal, wrangled a bunch of kids through a performance of 'Alice in Wonderland', composed a haiku, threw a football.... It was a blast. Very funny day. And, the best (if least likely) part is that I won!

Fake Stone Fireplace

2009-09-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

I made another fake stone fireplace for Nordstrom. They will use it to shoot Holiday stuff online. The mantle piece is wood. The stone, and the firebox itself, is all carved and assembled from pink foam. (My favorite medium).

$5 Cover Seattle

2009-09-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Had a great five weeks shooting '$5 Cover Seattle' for MTV. There was an amazing crew. Amazing director. Fun Bands. Great locations. Great people. It was a blast. Here are some pictures from the shoot.

Videos

2009-09-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

Working with Lynn Shelton again has been so much fun. We have been working for a month of long days on the MTV project, and I've never seen a happier crew. It's been a blast, and an honor to work with her again. I Art Directed a couple of music videos with Lynn in the past few years. One for Laura Viers, 'Magnetized', and one for Harvey Danger, 'Moral Centralia'. Here are links to both.

Greek Out!

2009-08-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

The entire shoot is being done on location, rather than on sets. So, in each day's shoot, there's a certain amount of 'greeking and tweaking' that has to be done. I was happy to see how easy it was to turn 'Dawn' into 'Lavin'. And, mmmmmm, Samp.

$5 Cover Seattle

2009-08-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

I am working on a project called $5 Cover Seattle. It's about the music scene in Seattle. It's a web series being made for MTV. Lynn Shelton directs, Ben Kasulke is Director of Photography. I'm the Production Designer. We're shooting for the month of August. The crew is amazing, and it's been so much fun to work on.

The bands are real bands, the relationships are real, but Lynn has woven a narrative thread and created a story. Here's a 'map' I drew of the players (from Lynn's extensive notes!) to show who's who, and how they relate.

Body Cast

2009-06-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

For the latest David Leonard Taco Time ad, I worked with Kaleo Quenzer to make a body cast. The cast was an actual plaster cast, made over a cardboard suit. It was made in pieces - head, torso, legs and arms. Some close-up shots were done with just the mask. But when the actor had to be in the wide shot, Kaleo and I patched him into the full suit on the spot, for the shot. He was in a full body cast, head included, for hours. Ah, the glamourous life of an actor. Here's a location shot, and a link to the 30 second spot.

Fun Gig

2009-06-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

Just finished working on a great fun gig. Making a commercial (for a client I can't name yet). But it involved making a Mini-mart, a Ceiling/Dance floor, an Eiffel Tower, and best of all, a Carousel! I worked for Jason Puccinelli, and with a fantastic crew, including Oscar Lofgren, Sheffskie Paba, Curtis Taylor, and David Bowen. I was mostly involved in the building and painting of the carousel. Great Project. Great team. More about it later, but here are some photos of the shoot.

Sustainable Seafood Poster

2009-05-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

I recently did this illustration for Alaska Seafood. It has been made into a poster, which should be appearing soon in Kroger grocery stores nationwide. Next time you're buying fish, take a look!

Half-Timbered Wall

2009-05-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

I recently made a small set for a catalog shoot, that was intended to look like an old half-timbered building. I made the wall, put together the salvaged wood into 'timbers', and drove some big nails as coat hooks. The hangers were part of the job, too. They were new, but made to look like weathered antiques.

Fake Stone Column

2009-05-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

I recently made a column of stone, out of foam, for an Eddie Bauer Catalog Shoot. It was made to be on a set that matched an interior from a location shot. Here are a few pictures of the column in progress, to show how I did it, and how it turned out.

NRG!NRG!NRG!

2009-05-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

We made all kinds of stuff. These 'helicopter seeds' twirl as they fall. There were dioramas, Polar bear dens, a bunch of tents, a jeep, Coral reefs, Weather stations, a boat, and half a bison! It was a huge project, which took two semis to load it all to travel to Denver. Here's a link to a preview of the project. I'll post more pictures when I get them.

More NRG!

2009-05-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here are more pictures of the work in progress. Kevin Seal worked with me a lot. It's always good to work with Kevin. We did a lot of foam-carving. Here are a few pictures of the crawl-through coral reef, the polar bear den, and the reef diorama.

NRG!

2009-05-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

I have been doing work with Seth! Leary of NRG! Exhibits (exclamation points are his, and not intended to be pronounced like clicks, so far as I can tell). He develops traveling science exhibits for Kids' Museums. This show starts in Denver, where Seth is installing it this very day. I'm sure it's a very LONG day for Seth, because there was a PILE of stuff made for this exhibit.

Taco Time Ad

2009-05-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

Here are more pictures of the Taco Time Set, at Seattle Grip and Lighting. And here's a link to the ad that's been running. David Leonard, of Leonard Creative, created the ad. Pat Cashman is the talent. Oscar, Kaleo and I were the Art Department.

Taco Time Set

2009-03-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of the set for the latest Taco Time Commercial. Oscar Lofgren and Kaleo Quenzer worked on it with me. I love working with those guys. I won't give away the gag. I'll provide a link when the ad airs in a week or so. But I thought the set was cool, so here's a preview.

Mad Scientist

2009-03-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

That's me, looking slightly deranged (OK, more than slightly), after a long day in the studio. I was working on a Taco Time commercial. I had just finished building the car behind me out of blue foam. When the ad airs, I'll include a link.

Stay tuned!

Visions Espresso Catalog

2009-02-28T13:36:00.000-08:00

I recently did an illustration for the people at Visions Espresso. They sell espresso machines and coffee equipment and paraphernalia to cafes and retail customers. Very Seattle, ainit?

BE MAYAN

2009-02-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Virtual Shop

2008-12-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

I just opened an online shop for my artwork, at etsy. Check it out! I only have a few pieces on there at the moment, but stay tuned...

Sometimes people contact me, and want to know where they can get work like the stuff I did for Starbucks or Fuego Stores. So, I recently made these small collages, and will continue to keep things in the 'shop'. Tell your friends!

Bennett's Bistro Painting

2008-11-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

The Painting I made for Bennett's Bistro, on Mercer Island, is complete. The Private Dining Room just opened, with its dark wood wine racks and cork-covered walls. The room looks great, and I'm happy to have been a part of the new look.

Nordstrom Fit Fundamentals

2008-11-12T14:56:00.000-08:00

The video work done with World Famous is now on the Nordstrom website. Here are a couple of stills from the video. And if you Click on 'Fit Fundamentals', you can find the whole video, shot on the set I made. You'll also find everything you could ever want to know about buying jeans. I mean EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, the cool loft door that I made never made it into the shot. I'll have to use it again on another project someday.

Tony Fulghum and crew at World Famous did a great job with this project. Great camera work, and a beautiful job editing the final product.

Eddie Bauer Flats

2008-11-10T07:40:00.000-08:00

I have been doing work lately for Eddie Bauer. I recently made a few textured walls for an upcoming shoot at Iridio Studio.

Taco Time Advertisement

2008-11-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

These are a few stills from a Taco Time television ad I recently had the chance to Art Direct. Here is a link to the ad on YouTube. David Leonard directed, and we shot it on location in a Taco Time in Issaquah, WA. Oscar Lofgren and Fernando Dingler worked with me, building the sets, and on location. To add to the stodgy ambiance, I made a quick little equestrian painting for the shot, which you can see in the middle shot. The Fancy Restaurant Set had to pull apart, and move quickly offscreen, revealing the Taco Time. (then go back together for multiple takes).

Nordstrom Backdrops

2008-11-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

I've been working with the people at Nordstrom a lot lately. Making backdrops for online and catalog photo shoots. The people at Studio N are always a pleasure to work with. Here is a small sampling of some of the backdrops I have made recently for them.

Red Willow Vineyards

2008-10-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

I had a great day painting at the Red Willow Vineyards, in the Yakima Valley. I am working on a big painting for Bennett's Bistro, on Mercer Island, and wanted to get out there to make some studies. I met Mike Sauer, who let me run around and set up my easel on his hillsides. Mike has been on this land for years -- he was one of the first grape growers in the Yakima Valley. He took the great photos on Red Willow's website. The little chapel on the hill was built from rocks cleared from the land, and has become a real local landmark. Mike sent me home with a nice bottle of wine from his vines, and I left him with a souvenir painting (the one on the easel), a picture of his chapel. It was a great way to spend a beautiful fall day.

Nordstrom Shoe Catalog

2008-10-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

Nordstrom asked me to do the sets for their shoe catalog. I made a bunch of backdrops, some flats, some on fabric. Kevin Zeigler did the Art Direction, and Gary Martino did the styling on this beautiful shoot.

World Famous Nordstrom video

2008-10-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

I recently Art Directed another project with World Famous. This was a shoot for Nordstrom's website. Tony Fulgham directed, and Ryan McMackin was the shooter (that's him in the shot above). I made the set. Oscar Lofgren helped me. It was supposed to be a loft, with a wood floor, with 20 feet of wall, part finished, part exposed brick. We had two days of shooting on the loft set. I particularly like the way the big metal rolling door (on the left side) turned out. It was made of foam, contact paper, tape and roofing nails, and weighed a couple of pounds, but it looked like it weighed a ton.

I'll attach a link to the final product when I get it.

Anchor

2008-10-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

I was asked by The Workshop to make a ship's anchor, as a prop for a TV commercial. It was supposed to look heavy, rusting and old. It's made from pink foam and paint.

The Tall Ships were coming to Tacoma, and people were getting in the spirit.

Xbox 360 Video

2008-10-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

Recently, I Art Directed an Xbox 360 marketing video for World Famous productions. The shot used the 'Cinemonster', which made a single moving shot, over and over again. The gag was that the TV screen stays in the same place, while the room switches out around it. Oscar Lofgren and Kaleo Quinzer worked with me in the art department, and over two very busy days we put together 32 different backgrounds. The Pause button comes in handy when watching this one. Most of what we did flies by in the first ten seconds. If you look quickly, you can see me writing on the chalkboard.

Wall Street Journal Asia - Singapore Map

2008-10-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

I recently did another map for the Wall Street Journal Asia. It was for a story about Singapore hotels with art collections. I like doing these maps -- distilling a lot of information into a format that is easily understood, and hopefully, fun.

Steve Mumford

2008-06-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

Steve Mumford is an old friend who has made a real name for himself as a War Artist. He has traveled several times to Iraq, and recently recently posted a new installment of work that he did while in Mosul. There's a great directness to this work. I feel like I know more about what it looks and feels like there from his watercolors than from photographs. It's a real irony that in a world where seemingly everything is photographed, there remains a surprising immediacy to a watercolor sketch. Maybe it's precisely because of the mediated quality of the work. We look at it, and are made conscious of the presence of the artist-- the jumpy line, the splash of color, the quick notation. We think about the time involved in capturing the scene. In these watercolors, we imagine ourselves there. We feel the heat of the day, wonder what it would be like, and think about the scene outside the borders of the drawing.

A link to Steve's work is in the 'Links' column on the right.

Medieval Modern

2008-06-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

Mudpuddle Books just published 'The World's Best Board Games', which is a spiral-bound 'book' of magnetic game boards, with the 'six oldest and most widely enjoyed leisure games on Earth'. It's great for kids to take in the car. It's got chess, checkers, backgammon... I did the board for a game called Nine Man Morris, which I'd never heard of, but which is an ancient game, that 'reached it's peak of popularity in Renaissance Europe' (who knew?).

They say the books will be available at Borders and WaldenBooks.

Wall Street Journal Asia

2008-06-03T21:48:00.000-07:00

I had an illustration appear in Friday's Wall Street Journal Asia. It was for a story about a pub crawl in Sydney. And, no, I didn't get to go to Sydney. I remained strictly Up Over. Glad for the opportunity, though, and happy with the way it turned out. It also appeared in the online version of the Wall Street Journal. Now, if I only knew anyone who read the Wall Street Journal...

Welcome!

2008-06-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog. I will endeavor to keep it interesting, to keep it fresh, and to keep it brief. Thanks for looking. Let me know what you think.