And another one down...

I'm doing pretty good with this "stop and smell the flowers" list – just checked another item off. The Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge is another absolutely amazing hidden Los Angeles treasure. I got lost (in a good way) wandering the trails through the rose garden, California wildflower (currently in full bloom) forest, Camellia forests, fern canyon, and backwoods foresty trail land. Whatever it's called it's amazing. Something about the light today was just breathtaking and otherworldly. The colors just popped, especially the greens which doesn't always happen in LA. Usually greens are subtler and earthier. But wow! Love the deep bright greens. The Descanso is very different from the Huntington – more emphasis on the meandering trails and exploration. I would occasionally wonder about a little jaunt off the main path and when I explored a bit, I would almost always discover a bench set up to encourage a sit-down in solitude. The Huntington is amazing as well – more stately and manicured and "proper" – but both are going to be happy escapes for me in the future.

For now, I'm chilling in Pasadena, working on the Squigs' Ink website (and updating the blog). Yesterday, I uploaded the JustinMakesFaces.Com site – dedicated to promoting the live quick-sketch gigs. Check it out here. I'll hang around here for a bit before heading over to McMurphy's for the farewell concert of The Big Pill. Should be fun. They broke up over a year ago, but have gathered most of the band for a last hurrah. Where's Scorsese and his cameras? Peace & love, y'all!

What's it all about, Alfie?

Twenty years ago this very night, I was in a serious accident. I was traveling with other members of my church youth group and we were hit head-on by a drunk driver. Thankfully everyone survived. There were some significant injuries including my broken leg, but it could have been much, much worse. It’s the closest I’ve knowingly come to dying. Events like this bring focus to a person’s point of view, and I remember even as a high school sophomore honing in on what was important to me – my relationships with family and friends and God – and trying to figure out what I was born to do with my life (yea my second chance at that life). And now, I think I’d be wise to use this milestone as a chance to think about where I’ve been, where I’m going, and what’s important to me as well as the little changes I need and deserve.

I won’t claim to have it all figured out, not by a long shot – life is about learning and growing. But as I look back and look ahead, I feel content in knowing that I’m on the right path. I know that my purpose is to be a storyteller. If it sounds pretentious, I don’t mean it to be. It’s a vocation that’s actually rather simple and grounded. I’m meant to use my own unique outlook to express truths however lofty or relatively inconsequential, and I do this through my visual and performing abilities. I feel incredibly blessed to have a family that embraces me and my vocation and a second family of friends that support me in so many invaluable ways as well. And I also feel so fortunate to be finding ways to turn my calling into a way to make my living. It’s exciting. I love it. End of monologue… for now.

On a side note, I checked another item off my list (see below). I spent a few hours today at the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena. How I’ve been in Southern California for over 17 years and never witnessed this gem, I can’t comprehend. Some highlights were viewing masterpieces The Blue Boy and Pinkie as well as the Japanese gardens and the new Chinese gardens, but I think that what fulfilled me the most was knowing that this peaceful and beautiful place has been cultivated here for so long (since 1919) and will be here for a long time to come. I’ll be back.

And finally – and notification of this tidbit came while I was in the midst of writing this entry – I found out that I’ll be playing Alfie Doolittle in Music Theatre of Wichita’s My Fair Lady in June. So adding on my turn as Marcus Lycus in Funny Thing... Forum at the same theatre, I’m happy to say that I’ll be spending a full month tackling fun and challenging roles with some wonderful folks this summer. I’m thrilled! Take care, all. Peace & love!

A green project.

I just finished and sent off another fun illustration project. I've been collaborating with the City of Riverside (CA) Department of Public Utilities over the past year or so on various educational materials promoting energy conservation and cultivating renewable resources – alternative energy sources, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle", etc. I've really enjoyed the work and I look forward to more in the future. Here's the piece I finished up today... a bookmark.

As a side note, these projects have helped me to realize some of what I can do to be greener. I now turn off the water when I'm brushing my teeth. I've changed most of my light bulbs to CFLs. I try to be conscious about how I use paper and I'm working on going paperless with my bills. These are some teeny tiny changes, but any little thing will help. Think future! Take care, all. Peace & love.

My "stop & smell the flowers" list...

I love to explore. I'm a curious person and love learning about stuff, and one of my priorities when I visit a new city is to seek out fun and interesting locations – museums, historical landmarks, interesting shops, etc. But isn't it funny how we often miss the amazing exploration possibilities in our own back yards? I've done okay here in LA. I've hit a bunch of museums and attractions, and I've taken a touristy guide book around Hollywood to see places where folks lived and died and made movies. I've done a lot, but there is still SO much more I've missed. I've started to make a list.

I can't let the spring pass by without seeing a couple amazing gardens – Huntington and Descanso. In the museum department, I have yet to visit LACMA, MOCA, and the LA Natural History Museum. I've been letting the crowds shrink a bit before my first visit to the Griffith Observatory which reopened last year. The Museum of Jurassic Technology is – I've heard – a "must see", and heads my list of the more obscure attractions to explore.

This little list is only an abridged view of my list, and while it looks like I'm such a slacker, I have checked off some of my list in the last year. When Griffith Park burned last year, it made me jump on checking out its offerings I had yet to witness – the Travel Town rest home for retired trains as well as the current location of Walt Disney's little trains, the thoroughly charming and aging Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round, and the LA Zoo. I've discovered a favorite local escape by driving north to Topanga Canyon, taking its winding path to the sea, grabbing seafood and chilling on the beach just south of Malibu.

There's so much out there to explore and I vow to explore it. Take care, all! Peace and love.

Marketing a moonlighting gig...

It's time to embrace the live gigs. I've been drawing live at parties (corporate events, proms, grand openings, motorcycle rallies, etc., etc.) on and off for almost 10 years now. I've at times been a little dismissive since the art I most want to be known for is my studio illustration. But every time I take on one of these live gigs, I'm reminded of so many benefits. The pressure of quickly capturing likeness after likeness is exciting, rewarding, and educational. The money is great, and I usually get to work with other artists (some super talented folk). And while I love love love working from home, it's nice to take the show on the road now and then.

So while my studio work has never been more in demand (and thankfully getting more popular every day), I will also be putting some muscle behind marketing the live gigs. Above, you can see the business card graphic I've created. This is based on the website design of "JustinMakesFaces.Com" which will go online sometime soon, along with some listings on various sites for advertising this sort of thing.

So that's a bit of what's up with me. Other than this, I've been toiling away at a healthy stack of caricature commissions and logo designs as well as looking forward to visiting Chicago in a couple weeks and heading to Music Theatre of Wichita in a month. Life is full and I'm loving it. Take care, all! Peace & love.

I'm not a cook, but...

I have friends that are really good cooks. Anything Betsy whips up makes me incredibly happy. Kev and Julie grill and entertain incredibly well. Nancy makes amazing holiday dinners and Aaron also grills like a fiend. And of course nothing can compare to Mom's home cookin'. I will never be a culinary genius. But tonight I done good, and I just polished off a plate of the results – a great light meal of grilled chicken breast and fresh veggies lightly simmered in a soy sesame marinade. It's always great to eat better, and it's been a goal for me lately. I've had the ingredients in the fridge for a week and after a day of getting a lot done – illustration work and a bunch of errands, including laundry – I thought that today was the day to take a crack at some healthful eats. I'm happy it all worked out.

Anyway... back to the drawing board. So many projects in the works. Peace and love, y'all!

The Andrews Brothers and Grandpa...

The drawing board has been a flurry of ink because of the piece there on the right. My friend Roger Bean commissioned it as an opening night gift for the team involved with bringing The Andrews Brothers to the stage at Musical Theatre West in Long Beach. I've just returned from the opening festivities and I've got to say that everyone has to see this show. The cast consists of just four fantastic folk – Darcie Roberts, Larry Raben, David Engel, and Stan Chandler – and was helmed by the amazing Nick DeGruccio, Roger Castellano, and John Glaudini who leads a crack band.

Roger (the Bean type) authored the show and after seeing it I had to thank him so much. So wonderful! The basic story follows a team of USO entertainers – a pinup girl and three 4F stage techs – who are preparing to put on a show headlined by the renowned Andrews Sisters. Said group is sidelined, and the reluctant boys don the dresses and attempt to go on with the show. The antics are hilarious and the music is wonderfully nostalgic and incredibly performed.

Have you ever found a rush of emotions in an unexpected place? I have to say that the show made me think very fondly of my Grandpa and miss him very much. He was a sailor in WWII and Korea, and any time I hear the fantastic tunes of the 1940s I think of him and Grandma. Beyond the nostalgia I felt from the great music, I also had to smile at the memory of Grandpa and his buddies crashing the ladies auxiliary meetings of the American Legion – providing entertainment by showing up in dresses and wigs and putting on a comedy skit for their wives. As a kid I remember being disappointed at putting a coin in a toy vending machine and randomly getting a pair of earrings (at the Tom Tom Restaurant in Albany, OR), but I decided to see the silver lining and donate them to Grandpa's costume stock. I miss Grandpa's smile and his laugh and how I always knew just how much he loved me and the rest of his grandkids. His beautiful energy lives on in Grandma and I can only hope some of it has passed on to me.

Anyway... That's all for now. Hug a loved one, y'all. And may your days be full of love. Peace, friends!