Linda Warner Constantino (MFA 2007) Awarded a Presidential Fellowship from SCAD

From Linda Warner Constantino's blog, "A Passion for Small Paintings":

"I just found out I have received a Presidential Fellowship from SCAD to paint in Rome this June. I am thrilled! It is a dream come true. My proposal is to paint the Italian Culinary Experience from Garden to Table. I definitely want to paint the garden at the Academia of Rome but also study the works of Giovanna Garzoni and still life painter from the 1650s and one of the first women painter in Italy. I will be painting in watercolors and oils and the subject matter will be varied but have something to do with the uniquely Italian culture of food. After Rome I will head up to teach my painting workshops. Maybe I will finally be able to speak some Italian after this summer. I cannot seem to get enough of Italy."

Congratulations to Linda from all of us!

For to follow more of Linda Warner Constantino's painting and writing>>

Barclay Tucker to create illustrations for a children's book

Last week I was asked to create illustrations for the Book Fat Freddy's Afraid To Fall By Angela Holzer, MA. It is a part of a children's book series called Speak With Me that helps with speech development. They are published by Good Sound Publishing. Above is my initial Character design of Freddy. I am looking forward to working on it within the next few months.

News from Ted Michalowski

Here are the exhibitions I've been in since a student in the Hartford program. I have them by year, especially in case you only want shows since graduating, which I did in 2007 as of the Thesis Exhibition.

For possibly noteworthy stuff in addition to exhibitions, I've been doing more courtroom illustration for CNN, and running the weekly Drawing Socials at AfA Gallery in Scranton, PA (drawing group with live music performances). Also I was awarded Best Visual Artist 2008 by Electric City (Scranton's weekly).

Exhibitions:
2009 Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2008 Drawing Social Original Drawings, One-Man Show, Eden Café, Scranton, PA

2008 AfA Annual Auction, Group Auction Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2008 AnthropomorPlease, One-Man Show, Everything Natural Gallery, Clarks Summit, PA

2008 NEPA Regional Art 2008, various Scranton galleries, Scranton, PA

2008 Size is Relative, Silpe Gallery, Alumni Show, Hartford Art School, Hartford, CT

2008 September Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2008 AfA Live Drawing Exhibition, Group Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2008 Members Show, Society of Illustrators, New York City, NY

2008 Drawcore, One-Man Show, Main St. Jukebox Gallery, Stroudsburg, PA

2008 The Pink Show, Two-Person Show, The 411 Studio, Olyphant, PA

2008 Keystone College Faculty Exhibition, Linder Gallery, La Plume, PA,

2008 Original Drawing Social Works, Starbucks Coffee, Scranton, PA

2008 Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2007 Holiday Exhibition, Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2007 Ted Michalowski – Laura Orvieto, Two-Person Show, Marquis Gallery, Scranton, PA

2007 Marywood University Faculty Biennial, Mahady Gallery, Scranton, PA

2007 Pen, Paper, and Ink, Group Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2007 Hartford Art School MFA Illustration Thesis Exhibition, Silpe Gallery, Hartford, CT



2007 Members Show, Society of Illustrators, New York City, NY

2007 The Old Broad Show, Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2007 Madness Exhibition, Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2006 Holiday Exhibition, Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2006 AfA Annual Auction, Group Auction Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2006 The Charlie Genius Show, Two-Person Show, Test Pattern Gallery, Scranton, PA

2006 The Governor’s Exhibition, F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts,
Wilkes-Barre, PA

News from Scott Bakal

Scott Bakal, 2007 MFA graduate, has won a GOLD MEDAL from Creative Quarterly Magazine #13 for 5 black and white pieces from his book Me + the Devil created for his thesis along with a MERIT AWARD for a personal piece he’s did from his experiences of seeing a bull fight.  If you are interested in learning more about the book Me + the Devil, please visit:  www.scottbakal.com/meandthedevil.htm 

 Even cooler news, he also won a SILVER MEDAL from Creative Quarterly #14 and an award of merit (for work not related to the thesis) AND not only was he a judge for the Uncommissioned category, has just received notification that he has gotten 2 pieces in the Society of Illustrators Annual 51!

 In other news, on November 21st, he was invited by the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design to have a solo exhibition of the Me + the Devil thesis and do a lecture to the students along with speaking to the senior class about illustration and promotion.

Great News from Scott Bakal

“Scott Bakal, 2007 MFA graduate, had 6 images recognized in the Creative Quarterly Competition (http://cqjournal.com/ ).  The Gold Medal is for a series of 5 black and white images he created for his thesis project at Hartford which was then published into a signed limited edition book titled Me & the Devil.  The illustrations created for his book alone have received a total of 20 recognitions and awards including a Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators since July of 2007 (a grand total of 31).  The final image was a personal piece he created based upon bull fights he saw while he was on vacation in Arles, France.

To purchase a copy of Me & the Devil before it is sold out, please visit www.scottbakal.com”

News from Dan Brawner

Becky and I are just back from a summer south of the border. We drove down with our doggies. Takes 3 full days to drive to our wee casa in Patzcuaro. Beautiful drive thru the Sierre Madres. Crossing the border was no biggie. Harder to cross into Kentucky. 2 months in Mexico was super great, and I got a lot of drawing done, and attracted some cool new projectos. We explored remote villages in search of weird pottery, explored densely populated markets, and wandered. Came home and irony bit me in the ass. Was home two days, went to Nashville's Farmer's Market, and I had my pocket picked. Lost $60! Came home with no peaches. Explored the gut and heart of Mexico only to come back and get ripped off in my own hometown. Aargh!!! Oh, for the safe haven of our cool little mtn town.

Shameless self promotion: my thesis series won a gold medal from 3x3 mag (grad student annual). Won an award for my pic in the Society's Members' Open this summer, so I'll be included in Illustrators 50.

Jim O'Brien at the RNC

From Jim's email:

Hey everyone,
The Republican Convention is happening in my backyard (I'm a short walk from downtown) so I'm documenting the local neighborhood transition during this historic event (or annoyance depending on your point of view).

The clampdown has begun. There is a red zone inaccessible by pedestrians close to the Excel Arena and a Yellow zone that we can wander through (as long as we are willing to id ourselves if asked, not be on bikes, and what-have-you).

CNN has taken over a couple of local bars, Budweiser nabbed another. My Starbucks in open from 4am to Midnight (I'm there!). Metal gates and fences galore (is this a great country or what!).

Big clampdowns on protesters, see here (http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/30/rnc.protest/index.html) and here (http://tc.indymedia.org/).

I proposed a blog to NYTimes about this but the editor said they had already shot their budget but she was interested. So I'm working on spec a bit, still just interested in documenting this for myself.

Tune in daily here for updates (http://jamesobrien.typepad.com/obrienart/rnc.html). This is mostly visual: photos and sketches, not much writing.

So soak it in and wish me luck.

Reporting from the RNC in beautiful St. Paul, MN,
Jim.