Lux Vidal

Here's a portrait for a new client, Sarah Lawrence College, in Bronxville, NY. It depicts alumna, Lux Vidal, a noted anthropologist. She devoted her life to studying indigenous tribes in the Amazon region of Brazil. She became a forceful advocate for supporting the rights and culture of the Xikran tribe.  Not only was this a fascinating assignment to collaborate on, it gave me an opportunity to incorporate one of my favorite elements into the artwork, maps! A special thanks to designer, Hannah Fichandler, and editor, Jean Smith, for this fantastic assignment.

Below are sketches I submitted for this project: 

Celebrate Irvington Poster

Irvington, NY is a Hudson Valley town with a lot of culture and an interesting history. The writer who created Rip Van Winkle, Washington Irving, called this beautiful community his home. I was thrilled to illustrate this poster for their annual street festival. Thanks to art director, Elena Erber, for this fun project!

Interactive Community Poster

These characters appear on an interactive poster which is up at the Eileen Fisher Lifeworks Center (in Irvington, NY). The poster asks the question,  What quality do I want to express more of in my life and community? Visitors are encouraged to write their answers directly in the speech bubbles on the poster. 

Special thanks to art director, Elena Erber, for this very community-oriented assignment!

Eva Perón

“I am only a sparrow amongst a great flock of sparrows.”

- Evita Perón , former first lady of Argentina

Prints are available here!

Ernesto Che Guevara

Before declaring any manifesto, a passport fluttered open, revealing Ernesto. 

Vagabond forging a motorbike-route, he’d peel out hard, on united fruit. 

Asthmatic slumping on his chopper, humanity drained, traded for copper. 

Before tee-shirts exploited this face, banana republics, branded in disgrace.

Barack Obama

Here's a portrait of one of my favorite U.S. presidents, Barack Obama, created on a vintage map of Hawaii (where he was born). This is part of a series called World Tour - in which I use pages from an old atlas as canvases - painting images relating to the place on each map.

Prints are available here!

Holding my newly framed portrait of Barack Obama.

Howard Stern

From all five boroughs of a neurotic mind, seven dirty words are gleefully enshrined. 

Subway tunnels connect to Freud and Jung, trains emerge, irreverence on the tongue.

A legend’s lines flow across this chart, with a juvenile sound, rhyming with heart.

Prints of this piece are available here.

Strange Brains

This recent piece for The Wall Street Journal accompanies a story called Strange stories of extraordinary brains and what we can learn from them.  By studying people with unusual mental conditions, scientists are further able to unravel mysteries of the mind. This assignment had a super tight deadline, so I pulled an all-nighter to get it done. Thanks to art director Manuel Velez for a super fun assignment. You can read the article here. Below are sketches I submitted.

Leonard Cohen

Enough with trade wars and tariffs. America needs more great Canadian imports, like Leonard Cohen. This legendary singer/songwriter, poet, and novelist was born and raised just outside Montreal, Quebec. We lost him last year, but this true artistic spirit's legacy lives on.

Prints of this piece are available here.

Sinead O'Connor

Here's a portrait of Irish singer, Sinead O’Connor. While drawing this piece, I kept contemplating the tragic losses of public figures, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. Like many, I kept thinking, how can these people who seemingly have it all, choose to take their lives. There’s a saying, “You don’t know if the roof is leaking unless you’re inside the house”. It’s too bad we can’t see inside the internal landscape of anyone’s psyche. They might be stuck in a dark emotional valley, and don’t have a map for climbing out of it. It’s a good reminder to be kind to others, and stay tapped into our empathy. It might make a difference in their lives.

Prints of this portrait are available here.

Mother Earth

This drawing is based on an 8000 year old neolithic fertility figurine, which was unearthed two years ago in Çatalhöyük, Turkey, one of the oldest cities in the world

Martha's Vineyard

Vineyard and vine, encompassed by bluefish and brine. 

A piscine emblem framed by the sea, ivy leagues wave at me. 

Crosstown traffic hums below, deaf to summer’s calypso.

Prints of this piece are available here!

ink and gauche painted on a map, 35" by 22"

American Educator

This piece for American Educator accompanies a story called Community Schools - A Promising Foundation for Progress. These schools are strategically integrated with their local communities in order to support economically-challenged families. They work with local community centers, health organizations, civic and business leaders to provide families with a safety net beyond the ABC’s of education. These institutions are super valuable in communities which are confronted with poverty. Thanks to art director, Jennifer Berney, for this fantastic project! A big shout out to all my public school teacher friends. Your dedication makes this world a better place!

Needy families are the focus of community schools

Through community schools, many resources are available to needy families.

Princeton Eating Club

This piece for Princeton Alumni Weekly accompanies a story about the university’s famed eating clubs. Change is in the air as 9 of 11 of these clubs now have elected female presidents. Their goal is to make these unique meeting places more diverse, inclusive and safe. A special thanks to art director, Marianne Nelson for this tasty assignment!

American Illustration Winner

I’m honored to have this portrait recognized by the prestigious American Illustration 37. It will be included in their permanent online archive. Thanks to the Jury!

Prints of this portrait of the late great Stephen Hawking are available here!

Riverdale Country School

Here’s a new piece for my friends at Riverdale Country School in the Bronx. This artwork will appear on a greeting card designed for general use by the school. Scenes depicted around the Riverdale “R” show prominent locations on the upper and lower campuses of this idyllic institution. Special thanks to Marie Cappuso for this fun assignment

Here's an alternate version of the card.

Here are sketches I submitted for this project.

Music to Their Brains

Here’s a piece for the University of New Hampshire’s alumni magazine, Connect. It accompanies a story called Music to their Brains. The author describes a study in which people have their brains monitored while they play musical instruments. With this research, scientists are learning how different parts of our brains relate to music. Various lobes are utilized to process hearing, touch, thinking, seeing, etc. With this study, researchers hope to to understand more about how our brains work. They also see potential in using musical performance as therapy for people with brain trauma. A special thanks to Valerie Lester for this stimulating assignment.

Below are ideas I submitted for this project.

Asian Tiger

Bengal hearts beat within a Tiger economy, as moms with balms practice Tiger astrology.

These beautiful creatures play a significant role in many Asian cultures, as a physical, metaphorical and spiritual presence. Signed prints are available here!

Bob Dylan

He emerged from the land of ten thousand lakes, with poetry tapped from the deepest of waters.  His name is Bob Dylan.

Prints of this drawing are available here.

A Busker from Saskatoon

Joni Mitchell started out as a busker from Saskatoon, and became one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Prints of this piece are available here!