Sorry people for not writing much lately, we've been a little busy. I'm doing my best to learn Dreamweaver so I can build a website for my illustrations. It's starting to come together and hope to launch it soon. Em's come down with a bit of a cold but she's okay apart from a chesty cough. We bought our plane tickets the other day so will be spending our summer holiday back in the Leeds, Bradford area of Blighty. Really looking forward to it and seeing family and friends for a few days. Also looking forward to eating some proper bread. This american stuff just isn't the same.
Cheers.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Snow, snow and more snow.
It's been a fairly mild winter so far, or so the locals say. The temperature has been hovering around freezing for the past week or so and today the snow finally came. Yippeee.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
New York, New York
Crazy New York, it was about two and a half years ago since we last visited and we’d forgotten how big and over the top the place can be. The $15 Lucky Star bus dropped us off in China Town and I realised I’d forgotten my guide book. Frankly I’m lost without a guide book until I get my bearings. We found the nearest subway a couple of blocks away and then tried to figure out which train to get. I’m a person who likes to walk around, get to know my surroundings, make mental notes of buildings, landmarks so I know where I am. So we’re underground, on the train. Em’s cool while I’m suffering an anxiety attack because I didn’t know where we are and if we’re going in the right direction. Em knew we were going the right way and was finding it quite amusing watching me crumble into little pieces on the subway. finally in the daylight I had a better idea of where we were and where we needed to be.
The hotel was pretty basic, sitting between Times Square and Central Park. In fact from our room window you could see the park, a view some pay thousands for. The conference I was attending was also just down the street at the Hilton so the location was spot on. First thing we did after checking in was buy a map and have a brew. No tea making facilities in the room which was a let down, but what do you want, a view of the park or a cup of tea. One of the places we didn’t get round to last time was Brooklyn, particularly the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge looking back at Manhattan. You know the view, it’s in every film that takes place in New York and we wanted to see it for ourselves. I was more comfortable on the subway this time because I had my little guide, Emma and the map. We took the subway to York Street then walked back towards Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan. It was starting to get dark and Manhattan was lighting up as we walked across the bridge. I don’t think you could ever get tired of seeing Manhattan as the sun sets and the city skyline wakes up before your eyes. It’s a really beautiful sight to see. We stopped off for some food in a little Irish bar called McCanns. I had a pulled pork sandwich, you can’t go wrong with pulled pork. Em went for the honey fried chicken, which was nice once we had navigated past the bones.
I was attending the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators all day Saturday which left Emma to fly solo round the streets of New York. So while I was listening and learning from speeches by David Almond, a writer from Newcastle and some advice from Art Directors about the kind of work they like to see. Em was getting her nails done and doing girlie things, living a sex and the city type day. Unfortunately I think it rained most of the day which I think ruined some of her fun, and her ‘Ugg’ boots got a bit wet. I was starving by the end of the conference, which did serve a lunch of Caesar Salad and the typical Chicken covered in some white creamy sauce. No matter which Hilton you go to, you end up with slightly warm chicken covered in a white cream sauce. Hope nobody from the Hilton reads that bit. The rain continued to pour into the night so we tried to find a place to eat. For some reason we struggle at doing this sometimes and tonight was one of those nights. The first place we went to was one Em had seen earlier in the day. We walked in and waited to be seated as the sign told us to, nobody came and the only person who spoke to us was a little spanish woman demanding our coats. We both replied ‘we’ll get a table first’ to which her reply was ‘no speak the english’. ‘It’s okay we’ll get a table first’ I countered but still nobody was coming to show us to a table. Sometimes you just know the signs are not good so we turned and walked out to find a place that will accept us with open arms. We made our way to Virgil's, a popular place recommended by friends and family. One and a half hour wait. No thanks maybe some other time. So we ended up in a place called the ‘Harvesters’, at least I think that’s what it was called. A bit like the Beerworks in Boston, brewing it’s own beers and stouts. I’ll admit I didn’t eat many burgers back home in England but I’ve got a taste for them over here. So we both had a burger and a couple of home brews and dried out. Somewhat relieved we didn’t stay at the first place.
Sunday was a beautiful clear day if a bit cold and windy, you could call it fresh if you wanted. I was back at the conference until two-ish. Writer and illustrator Marc Brown was the main keynote speaker and the other session I was to attend was by an illustrators agents in Boston. Unfortunately she could not make it at the last minute so Mela Bolinao from HK Portfolio stepped in to offer some words of wisdom. For me the conference has been a good experience and I’ve learned a lot from all the speakers and seen work from some of the other illustrators at the showcase on Saturday night. Basically for $100 you could display an illustration in the showcase and 10 would be selected for auction that night. Whatever money was made goes to the artist. I’ll be submitting some work next year and see how we go, but that’s next year. There were some other prizes too. The Art Directors speaking at the conference chose their favourite three pieces and the winner gets their work published in Picture Book which is one, if not the leading reference book for Art Directors looking for illustrators. It costs about $1650 I think per page advertisement. So it’s worth a shot next year.
In the afternoon we went to the Whitney Museum of Art, looked at some wonderful pieces by Edward Hopper, possibly my favourite artists. Also on show was a retrospective of Oscar Bluemner, a German born, American modernist who started as a budding architect before he begun creating these fantastic, colourful, abstract landscapes. Check him out. After a quick look round the museum shop we headed back downtown towards the United Nations. Sadly when we got there none of the flags were flying and we could not go on a tour inside, maybe next time. For the Evening we attempted Virgil’s again and even though it was Super Bowl Sunday we managed to get in. It was still dry after our meal, so we went for a walk round and took some pictures, we headed down Broadway towards the Flat Iron building, our favourite building in New York. Sadly it was covered with scaffolding so no new pictures unfortunately. Broadway was a bit dark and scary in places so we walked back up 5th Avenue and got some good shots of the Empire State Building. Back towards the hotel we picked up a couple of teas from Starbucks and watched the second half of the Super Bowl.
We returned to Boston on Monday after another crazy ride on the appropriately named Lucky Star Bus. Our driver had a tailgating habit, over taking and under taking any other vehicle in her path. We were glad to be home, we both realised we could not have moved, or lived in New York. Maybe we would have found a place and settled. Boston’s just smaller, more chilled and manageable and it’s definitely our American home.
The hotel was pretty basic, sitting between Times Square and Central Park. In fact from our room window you could see the park, a view some pay thousands for. The conference I was attending was also just down the street at the Hilton so the location was spot on. First thing we did after checking in was buy a map and have a brew. No tea making facilities in the room which was a let down, but what do you want, a view of the park or a cup of tea. One of the places we didn’t get round to last time was Brooklyn, particularly the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge looking back at Manhattan. You know the view, it’s in every film that takes place in New York and we wanted to see it for ourselves. I was more comfortable on the subway this time because I had my little guide, Emma and the map. We took the subway to York Street then walked back towards Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan. It was starting to get dark and Manhattan was lighting up as we walked across the bridge. I don’t think you could ever get tired of seeing Manhattan as the sun sets and the city skyline wakes up before your eyes. It’s a really beautiful sight to see. We stopped off for some food in a little Irish bar called McCanns. I had a pulled pork sandwich, you can’t go wrong with pulled pork. Em went for the honey fried chicken, which was nice once we had navigated past the bones.
I was attending the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators all day Saturday which left Emma to fly solo round the streets of New York. So while I was listening and learning from speeches by David Almond, a writer from Newcastle and some advice from Art Directors about the kind of work they like to see. Em was getting her nails done and doing girlie things, living a sex and the city type day. Unfortunately I think it rained most of the day which I think ruined some of her fun, and her ‘Ugg’ boots got a bit wet. I was starving by the end of the conference, which did serve a lunch of Caesar Salad and the typical Chicken covered in some white creamy sauce. No matter which Hilton you go to, you end up with slightly warm chicken covered in a white cream sauce. Hope nobody from the Hilton reads that bit. The rain continued to pour into the night so we tried to find a place to eat. For some reason we struggle at doing this sometimes and tonight was one of those nights. The first place we went to was one Em had seen earlier in the day. We walked in and waited to be seated as the sign told us to, nobody came and the only person who spoke to us was a little spanish woman demanding our coats. We both replied ‘we’ll get a table first’ to which her reply was ‘no speak the english’. ‘It’s okay we’ll get a table first’ I countered but still nobody was coming to show us to a table. Sometimes you just know the signs are not good so we turned and walked out to find a place that will accept us with open arms. We made our way to Virgil's, a popular place recommended by friends and family. One and a half hour wait. No thanks maybe some other time. So we ended up in a place called the ‘Harvesters’, at least I think that’s what it was called. A bit like the Beerworks in Boston, brewing it’s own beers and stouts. I’ll admit I didn’t eat many burgers back home in England but I’ve got a taste for them over here. So we both had a burger and a couple of home brews and dried out. Somewhat relieved we didn’t stay at the first place.
Sunday was a beautiful clear day if a bit cold and windy, you could call it fresh if you wanted. I was back at the conference until two-ish. Writer and illustrator Marc Brown was the main keynote speaker and the other session I was to attend was by an illustrators agents in Boston. Unfortunately she could not make it at the last minute so Mela Bolinao from HK Portfolio stepped in to offer some words of wisdom. For me the conference has been a good experience and I’ve learned a lot from all the speakers and seen work from some of the other illustrators at the showcase on Saturday night. Basically for $100 you could display an illustration in the showcase and 10 would be selected for auction that night. Whatever money was made goes to the artist. I’ll be submitting some work next year and see how we go, but that’s next year. There were some other prizes too. The Art Directors speaking at the conference chose their favourite three pieces and the winner gets their work published in Picture Book which is one, if not the leading reference book for Art Directors looking for illustrators. It costs about $1650 I think per page advertisement. So it’s worth a shot next year.
In the afternoon we went to the Whitney Museum of Art, looked at some wonderful pieces by Edward Hopper, possibly my favourite artists. Also on show was a retrospective of Oscar Bluemner, a German born, American modernist who started as a budding architect before he begun creating these fantastic, colourful, abstract landscapes. Check him out. After a quick look round the museum shop we headed back downtown towards the United Nations. Sadly when we got there none of the flags were flying and we could not go on a tour inside, maybe next time. For the Evening we attempted Virgil’s again and even though it was Super Bowl Sunday we managed to get in. It was still dry after our meal, so we went for a walk round and took some pictures, we headed down Broadway towards the Flat Iron building, our favourite building in New York. Sadly it was covered with scaffolding so no new pictures unfortunately. Broadway was a bit dark and scary in places so we walked back up 5th Avenue and got some good shots of the Empire State Building. Back towards the hotel we picked up a couple of teas from Starbucks and watched the second half of the Super Bowl.
We returned to Boston on Monday after another crazy ride on the appropriately named Lucky Star Bus. Our driver had a tailgating habit, over taking and under taking any other vehicle in her path. We were glad to be home, we both realised we could not have moved, or lived in New York. Maybe we would have found a place and settled. Boston’s just smaller, more chilled and manageable and it’s definitely our American home.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Ecological footprint quiz.
I've just been doing some research for an illustration I'm working on. Trying to stimulate some ideas. The illustration is for an article based on a speech by Gaylord Nelson, a former Wisconsin senator and supporter of environmental causes including the establishment of 'Earth Day'. So I was looking on the Earth Day website and did this ecological footprint quiz and according to the results I need another two and a half planets to sustain my way of living. Great and I'm not even driving a car at the moment. Anyway if you want to find your ecological footprint click here.
Cheers.
Mark.
Cheers.
Mark.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
January
It’s February already and we’ve not posted too much on the blog so far this year. So here’s a quick look back on January for you if your interested.
Emma's’ Mum & Dad, Richard, Ian and Jackie all left us on the 5th and it was an emotional day. Didn’t really enjoy the day much and we were pretty down for a few hours once they’d gone. A few days later we had shaken off those holiday blues and began cracking on with 2006. I finished selling pots and pans at ‘Crate & Barrel’ which I wasn’t too gutted about. Sure it would’ve been good to stay on and keep some money coming in, but I’ve got other things I want to devote my time to, and didn’t want to start relying on the easy money retail can provide. So I’m back to working on my illustrations full time and bought a new desk which I’ve already wrote about so I wont repeat myself.
At the cinema we've seen ‘Munich’ and ‘King Kong’, both really good films. ‘Munich’ especially. The TV is a bit hit and miss over here, they have a habit of repeating things in the middle of a series. Take ER for example they show a few new episodes each week then the next week they show a repeat of one we watched a month ago. Strange and spoils the flow of the programme.
We tried one of Boston's Indian restaurants. The ‘Kashmir’, it was okay not as good as the Kashmir in Bradford, The starters were really nice but the main meals were a bit of a let down, too much chicken leg meat. We have found another one called ‘Quality Indian’ so maybe we will try that one next time. Or maybe not.
The weather has been quite mild, a couple of snow showers but nothing major. There have been some really cold mornings though when we’ve walked to the hospital at 6:30. Those are the days we miss having cars.
I’ve started my night school class in Illustration, Em has started a yoga class round the corner from our apartment. Apparently the teacher makes them do some vocal exercises too before they get into all the downward dog positions etc. The teacher used to be a ballet dancer and is obscenely flexible, like a rubber band Em says.
I’ve nearly finished reading ‘The Da Vinci Code’. Never read a book so fast. It usually takes me a few months at least. Em’s bought the prequel ‘Angels & Demons’ so I may start reading that when I finish ‘Da Vinci Code’ unless Emma starts it first.
We’re off to New York this weekend so will post some pictures and stuff next week.
Take it easy.
Mark & Em.
Emma's’ Mum & Dad, Richard, Ian and Jackie all left us on the 5th and it was an emotional day. Didn’t really enjoy the day much and we were pretty down for a few hours once they’d gone. A few days later we had shaken off those holiday blues and began cracking on with 2006. I finished selling pots and pans at ‘Crate & Barrel’ which I wasn’t too gutted about. Sure it would’ve been good to stay on and keep some money coming in, but I’ve got other things I want to devote my time to, and didn’t want to start relying on the easy money retail can provide. So I’m back to working on my illustrations full time and bought a new desk which I’ve already wrote about so I wont repeat myself.
At the cinema we've seen ‘Munich’ and ‘King Kong’, both really good films. ‘Munich’ especially. The TV is a bit hit and miss over here, they have a habit of repeating things in the middle of a series. Take ER for example they show a few new episodes each week then the next week they show a repeat of one we watched a month ago. Strange and spoils the flow of the programme.
We tried one of Boston's Indian restaurants. The ‘Kashmir’, it was okay not as good as the Kashmir in Bradford, The starters were really nice but the main meals were a bit of a let down, too much chicken leg meat. We have found another one called ‘Quality Indian’ so maybe we will try that one next time. Or maybe not.
The weather has been quite mild, a couple of snow showers but nothing major. There have been some really cold mornings though when we’ve walked to the hospital at 6:30. Those are the days we miss having cars.
I’ve started my night school class in Illustration, Em has started a yoga class round the corner from our apartment. Apparently the teacher makes them do some vocal exercises too before they get into all the downward dog positions etc. The teacher used to be a ballet dancer and is obscenely flexible, like a rubber band Em says.
I’ve nearly finished reading ‘The Da Vinci Code’. Never read a book so fast. It usually takes me a few months at least. Em’s bought the prequel ‘Angels & Demons’ so I may start reading that when I finish ‘Da Vinci Code’ unless Emma starts it first.
We’re off to New York this weekend so will post some pictures and stuff next week.
Take it easy.
Mark & Em.
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