McArt à la Carte

happy march

2012-03-01T20:26:00.002-05:00

Irish Jig 1

2012-02-25T11:54:00.000-05:00

Doin the Robot 1

2012-02-22T19:34:00.003-05:00

Chewie, Chewie, Chewie!

2012-02-20T12:34:00.000-05:00

coloring page: cupid

2012-02-11T12:00:00.001-05:00

1- print out original page. (or copy and open in your favorite coloring program.)
2- color your page. give it a background?
3- share your results! (post on our facebook or email it to us.)
4- love is all you need!

McArt School Collingswood is back!

2012-02-07T15:41:00.001-05:00

McArt School Collingswood is back! Principals of Art classes will be Saturday mornings 9-10 from March 10 - April 14 at the Collingswood Presbyterian Church. Seating is limited- call today 856-430-2680 or email themcclectic@gmail.com

The goal for McArt School is to teach students the “Six Elements of Art" and the "Six Principles of Art" mostly through drawing and painting. Each class will utilize at least one of the elements and/or principles aka “The Language of Visual Art”. Classes are taught by Jim and Erin McHugh. Both are visual artists; Erin likes to create jewelry and Jim is an illustrator. Jim has been in the art business for over 15 years. He specializes mainly in caricatures, but also creates conceptual work and graphic design. His illustrations have been in various magazines and newspapers, as well as in gallery shows. Jim was a substitute teacher for several years and enjoys working in the classroom with emerging artists of all ages.

Oh, R2!!!

2012-02-05T14:32:00.000-05:00

Teeny Tiny Star Wars!

2012-01-27T09:11:00.000-05:00

Your wish is my...

Definitely an alternative option....

It's time to VOTE!!!

2012-01-23T12:20:00.001-05:00

PLEASE HELP ME AND VOTE FOR MY "FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE" ILLUSTRATION!!!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE PLEASE >>> http://tlnt.at/vwTFQ2 <<<<

The Talenthouse website just asks to access your facebook page and then you can simply vote for my piece "Hopeful Cure". Thank you! You can also vote with twitter!

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS "EVENT" AND PASS IT ALONG TO FRIENDS!
Every vote helps!

Dexdeer

2012-01-15T20:15:00.000-05:00

Coming off our recent Dexter marathon (my wife and I watched up to Season 5... please don't spoil Season 6 for me!) I of course was very inspired to do a caricature of Dex. He's such a great character and Michael C. Hall has such defined features that I had to do my own version. Then the other day on my way to work I was cut off by a jerk in his huge truck with hunting stickers all over it and the idea hit me! I thought it would be great if there was a vigilante deer out in the woods, like Dexter, settling the score for all animal-kind. I think I want to make at least one or two more Dexdeer illustrations with other characters from the show in them: Deerbra Morgan, Beartista... and so on.
Stay tuned! -Jim

IKEA Hackers: As-is goldmine, part 1: built-in bar cabinet

2012-01-11T15:23:00.002-05:00

Check out the great IKEA Hack our friends Larissa & Puddin made!

IKEA Hackers: As-is goldmine, part 1: built-in bar cabinet: Materials: table saw, nail gun Description: Taking our regular route into IKEA (in through the out door, heading right to the As-Is roo...

Chewie thought he had the afternoon to himself...

2012-01-03T15:44:00.001-05:00

Friday I'm In Love Project

2012-01-02T13:14:00.005-05:00

This illustration is for the project Secret 7"- the design is for The Cure's single "Friday I'm In Love". Winners of the project will have their artwork displayed on sleeves of actual vinyl 7" records! Proceeds go to Teenage Cancer Trust! Please vote for my design: http://www.talenthouse.com/creativeinvites/preview/aff4fadbd63f7252933052ccf4d45609/373

The Cure was the first band I expressed an interest in as a teenager. I was in seventh grade and up until then I was just a casual fan of music on the radio. The very first Cure song I heard was “Killing an Arab” the opening song on the album “Staring at the Sea” and it changed my way of listening to music forever. I had that album on cassette and I listened to it every day. At that time in my life I was working my first job at a campground mowing the lawns. I had that “Staring at the Sea” cassette in my walkman turned up so loud so I could hear it above the roar of the lawnmower, I’m surprised I didn’t lose my hearing. I felt like I was going to go deaf, however, after my first concert a few years later- The Cure’s Prayer Tour. I remember the music was so loud that my ears were ringing for a few days after and it was completely worth it.

To me at the time, and for probably many other fans, The Cure was the anti-radio band. Sure, their songs were played on the radio and MTV, but they were not your typical pop fair. The Cure’s music has dark undertones that are not necessarily to make the listener feel hopeless, but for me it actually evoked a sense of hope; that it’s ok to have a different feelings other than what is conveyed by silly love songs on the radio. They were “alternative” before the media started using the word and they basically created what is now “goth” and “emo” music. If you really listen to The Cure’s catalogue, even within a single album, they are musically eclectic. The one thing that really ties their songs together is the distinctiveness of Robert Smith’s voice. His yelp-y, throat-y singing is unparalleled, and to hear it one automatically knows they are listening to The Cure.

I can’t count how many drawings I have made in notebooks and sketchbooks with The Cure’s lyrics or Robert Smith’s famous hair. That is the concept I had in mind when I created this piece. I started listening to my Cure CDs and just sketched the way I would have many years ago. The illustration also makes a nod to the video for “Friday I’m In Love” with the changing backgrounds and the band acting like they are in a sort of play. I always thought “Friday I’m In Love” was a different direction for The Cure because the message is more optimistic than their usual songs. Robert is declaring to the world that he is happy and you can even see him smiling and having fun in the video. So I drew him, for the first time in my personal history of art, with arms outstretched and a grin on his face. Instead of my past drawings of a gloomy Robert Smith, slouching and with arms bent down.

I am so thankful to even be able to participate in an art project with The Cure being the inspiration. I am still, and will forever be, a huge fan of theirs. Their album “The Cure”, released in 2004, was just as exciting to me as hearing “Disintegration” for the first time in 1989. I couldn’t imagine a better cause than the Teenage Cancer Trust. I have lost cherished family and friends because of cancer, including my Stepfather, and I only hope there is a cure for this disease in the immediate future. What a great way to celebrate a legendary band and support a necessary foundation!

Thank you,
Jim

mcillustrator blog: Busy Christmas Season!

2011-12-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

mcillustrator blog: Busy Christmas Season!: I had a busy Christmas season for custom illustrations! Here are just a few of the portraits I have created in the past couple months! They ...

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T15:34:00.000-05:00

Holidazed 2011

2011-12-23T09:08:00.001-05:00

Our friend, Mike Adams & Company created this song & video! Every year they have an Adams Family video for Christmas... this year's is one of our favs! Take a look at the Adams Family Broadcast's Youtube channel for other hilariously creative videos!

Occupy Sherwood

2011-12-18T16:05:00.000-05:00

Design artwork for The Cure!

2011-12-12T14:57:00.004-05:00

Yay! One of my favorite bands of all time, The Cure, has teamed up with Talenthouse for another fun contest that also supports a great cause! Secret 7"

Secret 7" is an exciting project combining music and art in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust. Seven bands and recording artists are inviting creatives to design the artwork for a seven inch vinyl sleeve inspired by one of their songs. The project will culminate in 700 unique vinyl sleeves displayed in Idea Generation Gallery in London in the week leading up to Record Store Day 2012. On that day, each of the vinyls at the gallery will be available to purchase with all of the profits going to Teenage Cancer Trust.

The other six band participating in this contest are Florence & The Machine, Bombay Bicycle Club, CSS, DJ Shadow, Ben Howard and Noah & The Whale. All great acts, but to me they don't compare to The Cure- they were the first CD I owned, first band I have seen live (and was deaf for two days after) and pretty much my favorite band of all time! I hope to have my Cure artwork ready soon, after I catch up with Christmas orders! Please let me know if you enter this contest as well.

-Jim

Click here to go to Secret 7" on Talenthouse.com for more info!

zooey dechanELF coloring page!

2011-12-06T14:09:00.000-05:00

Caption, please!?

2011-11-29T14:44:00.000-05:00

McArt à la Carte explains how Keep A Breast works

2011-11-25T08:52:00.000-05:00

buddy the elf coloring page!

2011-11-16T13:51:00.000-05:00

yikes!

2011-11-15T19:01:00.000-05:00

artist survey: david hamme

2011-11-15T09:06:00.000-05:00

1) do you have a nick name? Dave

2) do you have a website or blog? www.davidhamme.com

3) what is your favorite thing to eat? My mom's homemade apple pie

4) who is your favorite visual artist? Mucha or Klimt

5) what was your favorite toy as a kid? Legos!

6) do you have big ears? Not yet :)

7) do you prefer warm or cold weather? Right in between, autumn weather.

8) if you had a butler, what would his name be? Giles

9) what is the thing you are picked on most about? Being tall

10) what color is your toothbrush? blue

11) what odd things creep you out? walking past hanging fliers.

12) please tell us what you are working on. A branding presentation for marketing class

13) please attach a picture/artwork of yourself or taken/made by you.

I Put the Can in Cancer

2011-11-08T13:24:00.002-05:00

Christian "Patch" Patchell will be signing his new cartoon book titled "I Put the Can in Cancer: A Journey Through Pictures" at the Nichols Berg Gallery on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. The book is about how he kept on drawing while he was fighting cancer. Patch and I went to UArts together, he was a year ahead of me and had a great influence on my artwork as well as gave me some good tips. He's a great guy and illustrator- Patch deserves much recognition for his hard work and inspiring story!

-Jim

Chestnut Hill Local wrote a great story on Patch here.

Here is a great interview with Patch at his home studio:

pongtopia! today!

2011-11-03T17:14:00.006-04:00

"pongtopia!"- world-class players battle it out as one-of-a-kind painted table-tennis tables & paddles go on sale to benefit operation design. a dynamic mix of the sport & art of table tennis in the spirit of charity & education.

here's what operation design's website says about pongtopia!:
"Renowned graffiti artist Billi Kid, of Public Works Department, will curate the artistic components of the event, an incredible trove of one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork and a live auction to be held on Thursday, November 3rd. Pongtopia! will display extraordinary, creatively painted Ping-Pong tables and paddles by high-profile street and graffiti artists. Each piece of table-tennis art will be available for purchase and proceeds will go to support creative programs in selected New York City public schools through Operation Design."

Presented by Brookfield Office Properties,
in partnership with SPiN Galactic.
Curated by Billi Kid.
Supported by Public Works Department.
www.publicworksdept.com

i hope operation design raises a lot of money for NYC public schools!
-jim

caption please!?

2011-11-02T18:22:00.000-04:00

larissa's myspace

2011-11-02T14:10:00.002-04:00

artist survey: eric mcdade

2011-11-01T12:34:00.000-04:00

1) do you have a nick name? No, I have an Eric name. Oh, that was so cheap I feel the need to apologize.

2) do you have a website or blog? Yes or no. www.ericmcdade.com

3) what is your favorite thing to eat? Twix ice cream bars.

4) who is your favorite visual artist? That list is getting shorter by the day. I can probably have a single answer to you by the time I turn fifty.

5) what was your favorite toy as a kid? Shogun Warriors. Best ever. Runner up: The Baron Karza Micronaut I lost after having it only a few weeks. Never take your toys to school.

6) do you have big ears? Bigger than a baby's, but smaller than a giant's.

7) do you prefer warm or cold weather? Warm. Cold weather should only exist when accompanied by snow, and end after New Year's.

8) if you had a butler, what would his name be? Hobson French.

9) what is the thing you are picked on most about? I'm not giving the world any more ammo than it already has.

10) what color is your toothbrush? White with a blue stripe.

11) what odd things creep you out? There isn't enough room on this survey to cover all of that. I'll just give you one: Precocious children.

12) please tell us what you are working on. A series of photos of grown-ups doing grown-up things.

13) please attach a picture/artwork of yourself or taken/made by you.

assignment #3- my space

2011-10-29T11:12:00.004-04:00

mcart à la carte (malc) assignment #3: my space. take a pic of your "space"- your work area, the place where you are most creative, or where you build stuff. just take the pic, don't clean it up on our account! email your pics to mcartalacarte@gmail.com with the subject: "assignment #3" OR post them on our facebook page. whatever is easier. woot!

the mcartisans! by adrienne sanker

2011-10-29T11:01:00.002-04:00

the story of the mcartisans continues thanks to adrienne! they are a crazy couple that happens to have the same name as us... hmm! here is "erin" and "jim's" adventure so far:

jim began having serious doubts about buying erin the 2nd edition of "spicing up your marriage"

amidst fresh beats, old-school breakin' and daydreams of adventure, the mcartisons are blissfully unaware of lurking danger...

alas, jim was too busy admiring his perfect knuckle push-up form in the mirror to notice erin's calls for help...

witch by milja

2011-10-29T10:51:00.001-04:00

wolfman by laurence kelly

2011-10-29T10:50:00.001-04:00

"Shah dooby, wah wah."

artist survey: laurence kelly

2011-10-28T12:25:00.001-04:00

1) do you have a nick name? Larry Love (or LL)

2) do you have a website or blog? laurencekellyphotography.com

3) what is your favorite thing to eat? Falafel & hummus samiches.

4) who is your favorite visual artist? Right now, Damien Ortega.

5) what was your favorite toy as a kid? A shovel. It's a great toy for a kid who dreams of being an archaeologist.

6) do you have big ears? They're bigger than they were when I was playing with a shovel.

7) do you prefer warm or cold weather? No.

8) if you had a butler, what would his name be? Benson.

9) what is the thing you are picked on most about? Sometimes when I spill wooder, I clean it up with a tail.

10) what color is your toothbrush? Multicolored, just like my parachute.

11) what odd things creep you out? Drinking straw noises, wet bread.

12) please tell us what you are working on. Today, McArt à la Carte. In general, I shoot and doodle all the time, not working on one particular thing.

13) please attach a picture/artwork of yourself or taken/made by you.

no real than you are

2011-10-27T13:58:00.001-04:00

photo: jeff hindman

we love this!

according to INC:

"SIESTA KEY, Florida (Indiana's NewsCenter) - Who says Lego men can't swim?
According to a story by the Herald Tribune, an 8-foot-tall giant Lego man washed ashore Tuesday along a Florida beach. The 100-pound yellow, green and red being had the phrase "No Real Than You Are" printed on its chest.

But this isn't the first Lego man to make its way to shore. Similar Lego men were found on beaches in Holland in 2007 and England in 2008. On the back of the Siesta Key Lego man's shirt is the name "Ego Leonard" and the number 8. Ego Leonard is purportedly the name of a Netherlands artist, but it wasn't clear if that was a real name or if a real artist was behind the work. The header on Leonard's website, written mostly in Dutch, is "No real than you are" and the home page has a photo of a Lego man.

For now, Lego man is in custody of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Department. If no one claims him in 90 days, the man who found him on the beach, Jeff Hindman, will become the owner.

Hindman says, "I'll put it on eBay.""

apparently he comes from here!

witch by laurence kelly

2011-10-27T12:34:00.000-04:00

witch by adam peditto

2011-10-27T12:31:00.000-04:00

can't, won't, don't, stop!

2011-10-26T14:20:00.001-04:00

artist survey: adam peditto

2011-10-26T12:39:00.000-04:00

1) do you have a nick name? No, I really tried to make "steal lightning" stick

2) do you have a website or blog? It's in it's early phases http://adam-peditto.blogspot.com/

3) what is your favorite thing to eat? Vegan cheesesteaks

4) who is your favorite visual artist? Jean-Michel Basquiat

5) what was your favorite toy as a kid? Sling shot

6) do you have big ears? Yes, but my big head equals them out

7) do you prefer warm or cold weather? Warm, so I can turn the air conditioner on and make it cold

8) if you had a butler, what would his name be? Kevin

9) what is the thing you are picked on most about? My uncanny good looks

10) what color is your toothbrush? It is wooden actually

11) what odd things creep you out? Elevators, large crowds, bread mold

12) please tell us what you are working on. I'm working on a new short film, as well as painting a series of dual portraits

13) please attach a picture/artwork of yourself or taken/made by you. this is from a series of Polaroids I shot for a exhibition I had in the spring

coloring page: witch

2011-10-25T17:17:00.002-04:00

1- print out original page. (or copy and open in your favorite coloring program.)
2- color your page. give it a background?
3- share your results! (post on our facebook or email it to us.)
4- boo!

keep a breast

2011-10-24T14:25:00.007-04:00

most of you know that october is breast cancer awareness month. as october is getting close to the end, i can't let it go without talking about Keep A Breast. one of my proudest pieces of work is the cast i did for the, Keep A Breast Foundation- an orginization devoted to eradicating breast cancer by educating young people about the methods of prevention. KAB makes torso casts for artists to paint and then auctions them off for the cause. they are the people behind the famous "i ♥ boobies" bracelets!

i dedicated my Keep A Breast cast to my Aunt Pat (who died a few years ago from breast cancer) as well as the many other people in my life that have been victims of cancer in one way or another. i picked the theme of Dumb & Dumber for a few reasons, the most elementary of them being that the guys are a couple of "boobs". i painted the cast last october. then life imitated art- Dumb and Dumber went across the country (again) and has been on tour this summer with the Keep A Breast Traveling Education Booth! that beats the Hawaiian Tropic Bus in my book! click here to see my Keep A Breast from start to finish on my facebook page!

thank you! -jim

artist survey: christopher gannon clark

2011-10-22T09:27:00.000-04:00

1) do you have a nick name? Chrispy/Onkel Chrispy/Aunt Mirriam/Pher

2) do you have a website or blog? Yes! http://onkelchrispy.livejournal.com/

3) what is your favorite thing to eat? Various forms of cheese melted on top of other edible things

4) who is your favorite visual artist? Gary Panter/Ed "Big Daddy" Roth/Rene Magritte...the list is endless

5) what was your favorite toy as a kid? Any kind of action figure

6) do you have big ears? No, I have weird ears.

7) do you prefer warm or cold weather? Warm

8) if you had a butler, what would his name be? Buttsonbutt McButtle-utt

9) what is the thing you are picked on most about? My irrational paranoia(s)

10) what color is your toothbrush? Greeny-blue

11) what odd things creep you out? Over cooked, pale colored broccoli

12) please tell us what you are working on. Everything, all at once.

13) please attach a picture/artwork of yourself or taken/made by you. OK!

word!

2011-10-21T12:45:00.001-04:00

one man wolfpack

2011-10-20T15:27:00.002-04:00

wolfman minifigure

2011-10-19T14:11:00.002-04:00

wolfman by baltz jr

2011-10-19T14:10:00.000-04:00

wolfmen by fin & allie

2011-10-18T20:58:00.001-04:00

finn's

and allie's

allie's second one "because there was too much white space between the brown."

pongtopia!

2011-10-18T09:31:00.001-04:00

here's a ping-pong paddle i painted for "pongtopia!"- world-class players battle it out as one-of-a-kind painted table-tennis tables & paddles go on sale to benefit operation design. a dynamic mix of the sport & art of table tennis in the spirit of charity & education.

title: i know what love is
media: oil on wood

here's what operation design's website says about pongtopia!:
"Renowned graffiti artist Billi Kid, of Public Works Department, will curate the artistic components of the event, an incredible trove of one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork and a live auction to be held on Thursday, November 3rd. Pongtopia! will display extraordinary, creatively painted Ping-Pong tables and paddles by high-profile street and graffiti artists. Each piece of table-tennis art will be available for purchase and proceeds will go to support creative programs in selected New York City public schools through Operation Design."

Presented by Brookfield Office Properties,
in partnership with SPiN Galactic.
Curated by Billi Kid.
Supported by Public Works Department.
www.publicworksdept.com

hope you enjoy it! and i hope operation design raises a lot of money for NYC public schools!
-jim

artist survey: steve spatucci

2011-10-17T08:39:00.001-04:00

1) do you have a nick name? I've been in a band (on and off) since 1990 - my other bandmates call me "Spatch", a truncation of my last name.

2) do you have a website or blog? http://www.stevespatucci.com/ is my main site that links all of my other sites - my art/design work, band and writing websites, and other projects like my monster-making site, blog, and online store.

3) what is your favorite thing to eat? I could try to come up with a more creative answer than "pizza" but I'd be lying. And Rita's water ice on a summer evening can't be beat.

4) who is your favorite visual artist? Of course it's hard to pick one, but today my mind lands on Berni Wrightson. I first noticed his work in Creepy when I was a kid, and the way he brought a story to life, usually in black and white linework, blew my mind.

5) what was your favorite toy as a kid? I loved anything having to do with monsters or robots, and that certainly hasn't changed. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em robots was huge, as well as Mighty Men and Monster Maker. I never owned a lot of Micronauts, but someday I'd like to get all of those (dream big!). Hugo, Man of a Thousand Faces was cool - I can still smell that one if I just think about it. And I know I owned a machine where you could create your own superball, choosing the size, color, transparency, and other attributes - but I've never been able to find out any more information about this mid-70's toy.

6) do you have big ears? I wouldn't call either of my ears big, but my left ear sticks out more than my right. I think it's because I usually sleep on my right side.

7) do you prefer warm or cold weather? I like Spring and Fall better than Summer or Winter, but if I had to choose one of the other two seasons, I'd go with summer - there's more to do outside in warmer weather, and I never get enough outside time.

8) if you had a butler, what would his name be? "Sir Cedrick the Clockwork Man".

9) what is the thing you are picked on most about? Physically - probably stubble. I hate to shave and I try to get away with doing it only once a week these days. Character trait - hmmm... my wife used to get on my case for saying "innocuous" too much, so I had to cut back on that.

10) what color is your toothbrush? My toothbrush is white and light bluish-gray. My wife's is the same model but hers is light bluish-gray and darker bluish-gray. I always fear getting them mixed up, but I don't think it's happened yet.

11) what odd things creep you out? Boogers are gross. Ooh, and remember Rubber Johnny from a few years back? That was really messed up.

12) please tell us what you are working on. Right now I'm working on a screenplay and a comic book proposal. The screenplay is slowly edging its way toward production (after five years and many rewrites), and the comic proposal is still in the early stages. I'm excited about both.

13) please attach a picture/artwork of yourself or taken/made by you.

coloring page: wolfman

2011-10-16T17:28:00.004-04:00

artist survey: christian connolly

2011-10-14T08:59:00.000-04:00

1) do you have a nick name? Most people don't know I have a real name.

2) do you have a website or blog? No my technological rocket burned up in the blogosphere.

3) what is your favorite thing to eat? A sleeve of cookies.

4) who is your favorite visual artist? Its a tie between Lucian Freud, Clyfford Still, Wayne Thiebaud, Walton Ford, Phillip Guston, and about a hundred more.

5) what was your favorite toy as a kid? Spoons. Used to bury them.

6) do you have big ears? I can chew on them.

7) do you prefer warm or cold weather? I like the one when its not the other.

8) if you had a butler, what would his name be? Fancy Britches.

9) what is the thing you are picked on most about? My ability and willingness to eat a sleeve of cookies.

10) what color is your toothbrush? the same as my parachute.

11) what odd things creep you out? Kelly Ripa's rib cage

12) please tell us what you are working on. a painting, a chair, a table, and a house.

13) please attach a picture/artwork of yourself or taken/made by you. (halfway through)

artist survey: larissa mogano

2011-10-13T09:01:00.001-04:00

1) do you have a nick name? The WZA (pronounced: wiz-zuh) is the most common. Others include Mogie, L-Train, LaMo/LMo, Rissla and Cheuken.) I'll explain them all when you're older.

2) do you have a website or blog? Yes, several! (I also have a wildly short attention span.) Here's one where I try to gather all my interests into a cohesive site. It includes gardening tips, cooking adventures, pictures, links to my inventory on Etsy...I'm not sure I've mastered the cohesion yet.
http://aversionofcaring.tumblr.com/

This is an anonymously administered site about public art (for the most part) that I contribute to every now and again but that I swear I am not the owner of because half the stuff on here is illegal. They welcome submissions. I dare you.
http://thebrontosaurus.tumblr.com/

3) what is your favorite thing to eat? My own cooking.

4) who is your favorite visual artist? I'm not good at picking favorites (see attention span), but I'll go with an obvious one and say Basquiat. May he rest. That dude was ridiculously brilliant.

5) what was your favorite toy as a kid? Wooden blocks made by my grandfather.

6) do you have big ears? Better to hear you with.

7) do you prefer warm or cold weather? warm, because you didn't say hot.

8) if you had a butler, what would his name be? Glenn Beck. Every day of the week he would be forced to dress as a different village person, we would have calisthenics in the back yard, always to one of their really gay songs. Glen likes Native American Day because dusting is so much easier in the feather headdress.

9) what is the thing you are picked on most about? I don't remember. Nope, wait, it's my faulty memory.

10) what color is your toothbrush? Red

11) what odd things creep you out? The word cluster. Bleck.

12) please tell us what you are working on. Finding myself. Oh there I am! Actually today I need to work on finding a package that I dropped in a mailbox, but that was not ever delivered to a customer. I'm really a day-to-day kind of person.

13) please attach a picture/artwork of yourself or taken/made by you. (My boyfriend tells me that this picture reminds him of a Hopper (the artist, not the toilet.))

philadelphia sculpture gym

2011-10-12T09:00:00.001-04:00

we know McArt à la Carte is just a tiny little light in the ginormous universe of the internet... we don't have many people reading this, but we have to put this out there! - our friends, darla and justin, have a kickstarter going to get their sculpture gym up and running. what's a sculpture gym? here's how they describe it:

"Our vision is to create a space for sculptors and craftspeople to make their work safely and affordably, while also building a strong community of artists versed in different processes and talents. We want to use the space to build a network of artists that are able to support, inspire and learn from one another. We also hope that the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym will allow artists to create work that would have otherwise been impossible, had they not had access to our facility. This access will allow artists to think and create bigger than they had previously been able to (Yay!) The more artists that come to rely on the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym will also allow us to grow and expand, adding additional processes and upgrading equipment and materials. But since we are just starting out, we turned to Kickstarter for help getting two of the most important pieces of equipment needed to get our shops started: A Saw Stop brand table saw (the safest around!) and a Millermatic 350P MIG welder."

so if that sounds great to you and you want to be a part of the sculpture gym, or just support the arts and a great family, you can make a donation. they have it all set up and easy to do... there are even increments to fit your budget, AND they have great incentives if you donate!

there's only a week left to help them out! here's where you go: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/philasculpturegym/philadelphia-sculpture-gym

lego fishing trip circa 10000 BC

2011-10-12T08:21:00.000-04:00

our friend, shane, just sent us these great minifig shots... i think we got a lot of people hooked (pun?) on them... i know we are! can't wait for series 6!

artist survey: camila picheco

2011-10-12T07:50:00.002-04:00

1) do you have a nick name? Petite, Pich, Cah, Camis

2) do you have a website or blog? http://cpicheco.daportfolio.com/

3) what is your favorite thing to eat? no, but to drink is Coca-cola

4) who is your favorite visual artist? I don´t have a favorite one... but I love Glen Hanson, Marguerite Sauvage, Alexanfea Compain-Tissier

5) what was your favorite toy as a kid? Sailor moon doll

6) do you have big ears? yes

7) do you prefer warm or cold weather? warm

8) if you had a butler, what would his name be? Madelaine

9) what is the thing you are picked on most about? my big head, my shyness

10) what color is your toothbrush? pink

11) what odd things creep you out? chicken, rapers

12) please tell us what you are working on. Wanting my Canada Visa to study there

13) please attach a picture/artwork of yourself or taken/made by you. my avatar

artist survey: susan sager brown

2011-10-11T08:59:00.001-04:00

1) do you have a nick name? susan or suz rhymes with Blues, never Sue HATE SUE

2) do you have a website or blog? www.broknheartart.blogspot.com and http://www.etsy.com/shop/SusanSagerBrown

3) what is your favorite thing to eat? toast on a stick

4) who is your favorite visual artist? Me, but I also Adore Myself and then there is also I.....just kidding. by fav changes but right now I love Jesse Reno

5) what was your favorite toy as a kid? Barbie, which explains A LOT

6) do you have big ears? I have average ears but an Enormous Ass

7) do you prefer warm or cold weather? Warm

8) if you had a butler, what would his name be? Ace Ventura

9) what is the thing you are picked on most about? See #6

10) what color is your toothbrush? pink

11) what odd things creep you out? That story that people can make milk come out of their tear ducts, that traumatizes me

12) please tell us what you are working on. A collage featuring female genitalia, wonder woman and Jesus. I shit you not.

13) please attach a picture/artwork of yourself or taken/made by you.

artist survey: loren dann

2011-10-04T08:36:00.002-04:00

1) do you have a nick name? Mama

2) do you have a website or blog? lorenldann.blogspot.com

3) what is your favorite thing to eat? avocado

4) who is your favorite visual artist? So many...today Loren Dann

5) what was your favorite toy as a kid? Edgar Allen Hippo

6) do you have big ears? NO who said I did?

7) do you prefer warm or cold weather? Cool

8) if you had a butler, what would his name be? Dick Cheney

9) what is the thing you are picked on most about? I am told to relax alot so I guess I am high strung

10) what color is your toothbrush? pink

11) what odd things creep you out? biting ice pops anything scaping on ice, blech

12) please tell us what you are working on. A portrait project, of random pictures donated to me, in a passport style pose. I hope to have 30 done by February. Also a Kentucky coffin quilt painting.

13) please attach a picture/artwork of yourself or taken/made by you.

artist survey: darla jackson

2011-10-03T09:11:00.003-04:00

1) do you have a nick name? Action Jackson is probably the best nickname I've ever had...

2) do you have a website or blog? I have lots! www.philadelphiasculpturegym.com is the blog for my soon to be business. www.darlajacksonsculpture.com is my website. And www.darlajacksonsculpture.blogspot.com is the blog about my art!

3) what is your favorite thing to eat? My favorite thing to eat is homemade tomato sauce, specifically out of a cup before its finished being cooked. Strange, no?

4) who is your favorite visual artist? Ron Mueck hands down. I like to refer to him as my sculpture dad, as in if anyone in the art world were to adopt me, I'd like it to be him.

5) what was your favorite toy as a kid? My favorite toy as a kid was probably the My Little Pony stable/house set. I never owned it, but my cousins did (jerks!) and I would just spend hours playing with it every chance I got!

6) do you have big ears? I think my ears are very average in size. Not too big, not too small...?

7) do you prefer warm or cold weather? See, this is a tough one as I hate both extremes...I'm more a fan of the changeover, with Fall being my favorite season.

8) if you had a butler, what would his name be? If I had a butler, his name would be Alfred and he would basically just have to be Michael Caine from the newer Batman Series...I love that guy and he's a pretty badass butler. I don't think I could dream up anyone better!

9) what is the thing you are picked on most about? I am picked on about how I can't hear well, because I am always hearing a far more ridiculous version of whats being said. I have also been known to mishear my own mishearing.

10) what color is your toothbrush? My toothbrush at the moment is white and hot pink, but let it be know that I prefer a solid colored tooth brush.

11) what odd things creep you out? Oh! Odd things that creep me out are nickles (as in the change)...I hate the size/shape/thickness/and basically everything about them. They're awkward. And slugs...every time I see a slug I cannot help but have a physical reaction that's part gag reflex and part full body shudder.

12) please tell us what you are working on. Right now, in the studio I am working on a life size portrait of my daughter Olivia wearing a wolf head. I'm still debating about alot of aspects of the piece but I think I'll finish it sometime this century. And I'm also working on a piece for a show at Loved to Death in SF that's very Rats of Nymh meets Darla Jackson. And I'm working on getting my soon to be business up and running and launched a Kickstarter page to raise money to match the remaining funds of the Knight Arts Challenge grant that I received. (I have to raise $20,000 to get $20,000 and we have $8,000 left to go!) http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/philasculpturegym/philadelphia-sculpture-gym

13) please attach a picture/artwork of yourself or taken/made by you.

artist survey: jen farley

2011-10-02T17:10:00.007-04:00

1) do you have a nick name? Ticky or Yen

2) do you have a website or blog? several! http://www.craigsdump.com and phillyticky.blogspot.com

3) what is your favorite thing to eat? runts

4) who is your favorite visual artist? DrewFunk - http://drewfunk.com/blog/

5) what was your favorite toy as a kid? Polly Pocket (im pretty sure that jumpstarted my obsession with miniature things)

6) do you have big ears? not yet. I read that your ears never stop growing. so when im old. im sure they will be huge

7) do you prefer warm or cold weather? i dont like to be hot, and i dont like to be cold. I like the in-between of fall and spring

8) if you had a butler, what would his name be? Monsier Whiskers (youd have to pronounce it with a french accent.. whiskehs)

9) what is the thing you are picked on most about? my lack of ability to wear clothes that match. especially socks

10) what color is your toothbrush? bob the builder - mostly blue

11) what odd things creep you out? ketchup. i cant stand ketchup. i also have an irrational (according to everyone else) fear of hummingbirds

12) please tell us what you are working on. What I am working on right now is a set of 4 paintings for 2011 Comic Con in NYC. Heres some info - http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/Whats-Happening/Events-A-H/After-Parties/

13) please attach a picture/artwork of yourself or taken/made by you. The picture i attached was taken by me, the first day we brought lulu home. shes little , and i am clearly overjoyed about it.

erica gives us her mug shot!

2011-09-30T20:36:00.002-04:00

erica says, "this is our dick cheney mug (the cup, not my face)". i believe this still counts as a mug shot if that is the way she drinks coffee. cool shirt too, erica!

chuck gives us his mug shot!

2011-09-30T20:33:00.001-04:00

chuck is seen here with a mug that erin had given him of famous women authors. he's a great writer- see his blog... that's why the mug is perfect! i can't judge the handle from this pic, but seems like the ergonomics are in check because he is not spilling any coffee.

jen gives us her mug shot!

2011-09-30T08:58:00.002-04:00

here's what jen says about her mug shot: "Out of the 4 adults who live in this house (and often Dan is here in the morning so let's say 5) I am the only one who is a morning person. Everyone else is disheveled. stinky, and grumpy. It brings me great joy to annoy them passively with my cheerful BIG HUG MUG."

we think it's a lovely mug... erin noticed it's an official FTD mug, so that means at one time there were flowers in it, take that- grumpypants!

loren, milja, & iona give us their mug shots!

2011-09-21T14:58:00.002-04:00

woot! loren (with nose-n-glasses disguise) is showing off a starbucks mug, looks nice and large with a beautiful, ergonomic handle. milja & iona have a berenstain bears mug- i love the berenstains, i met them a few years ago when they came to talk to our class at uarts.

malc assignment #2: mug shots

2011-09-19T16:57:00.003-04:00

mcart à la carte (malc) assignment #2: mug shots. take a pic of yourself drinking from your favorite mug. email your pics to mcartalacarte@gmail.com with the subject: "assignment #2" OR post them on our facebook page. whatever is easier. cheers!

last week i broke my third favorite mug while hand washing it in the sink. it got a little soapy, slipped out of my hands, and fell hard into the sink and cracked. that's three favorite mugs in one year! my wife pointed out that we have an entire shelf in our kitchen filled with mugs. but that last one was just so perfect. to start- it was the perfect size, not just a typical 8oz mug, it was probably at least 14oz so it held more coffee, meaning i didn't have to go all the way downstairs from the studio for a refill. it was the perfect serving size. my third favorite mug also had a prime handle. there were other mugs in that cabinet that held about the same amount of liquid gold, but their handles were lacking. i'm sure you know what i mean, some mug handles are just not built right... they might be too low or too high on the side of the mug, or they might be too thin, or just not ergonomically correct. you would think mug makers would have this stuff figured out before they put their products on the market. i have about three starbucks brand mugs and they all are built well. starbucks definitely did some research before they put their mugs out there. my fourth favorite mug is a little starbucks guy with snowflakes on it, he may be little, but he's built right and therefore he gets used.

so besides number four mug, i have one last mug that is a favorite and then, if something happens to them- i'm stuck with sub-par mugs. luckily i have a picture of myself drinking from my all-time favorite mug. it was my andy "the nard dog" bernard (from "the office") mug given to me by my sister, from scranton, last christmas. andy was used every day for a little over a month... until i left him on my desk next to another mug. andy's death came when our cat, little one, jumped up on my desk to look out the window and a freakish mug- ricochet accident occurred, knocking the other mug right into andy and breaking his handle clean off. after that i knew i couldn't just glue andy's handle back on and everything would be ok. so now he's a pencil holder, on the other side of my desk, where a cat can not bother him ever, ever again.

this is why i think you should do assignment #2. so you can capture the good times with your favorite mug... you never know how long they will last, or when might be your final cup of joe together.

-jim

loren dann's paintings from her abbaye show are for sale!

2011-09-15T15:19:00.000-04:00

if you missed her show at the abbaye, it's not too late to get your hands on one of her paintings! you can check out what artwork loren has available on her blog. they are priced to move too!

everything goes! out today!

2011-09-13T13:39:00.000-04:00

our friend, and one of the best illustrators out there, brian biggs has a new book out today! brian has illustrated many books, but this one is special as it's the first one he has written as well! here's what his blog says about everything goes:

"Everything Goes is a series of three books that will be published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins, beginning this September 2011. On Land will be the first in the series, with In the Air and By Sea following. Everything Goes: On Land follows Henry and his dad as they drive their little purple car through town and check out all the amazing vehicles around them. As the back cover says, it's full of mini-story lines, endless seek-and-find activities, and hundreds of funny details."

here's a link with details from mr. biggs' blog about everything goes: on land

and here's a link if you want to buy the book on amazon.com

missed muse

2011-09-12T21:15:00.000-04:00

my friend, brian, mailed me two minifigs from series 4! (the artist and the monster) i made a quick photo shoot with them. definitely will use these characters more! thanks brian!

morning breath

2011-09-10T13:19:00.002-04:00

here's another entry from brian (www.brianjcagle.com) i think the title explains it all-with the hazmat guy from series 4. what a great shot!

anyone interested in minifig trading?

2011-09-08T17:26:00.000-04:00

now that you might have doubles, maybe we can trade? tell us what you have/want to part with and we'll swap!

here's a guide from lego: minifigures

revenge for jen

2011-09-08T17:20:00.001-04:00

i shot this one for our friend, jen, who had such a horrible experience buying her first minifig. (see her post here) since then, she has explained that she is hooked on collecting them, just like us!

he even stole her boombox... looks like it got physical. physical.

bathroom ahab

2011-09-08T16:49:00.000-04:00

our friend brian (www.brianjcagle.com) said he was up all night last night working on a freelance project. i think his lack of sleep inspired this moby dick series. he used the lawn gnome (series 4) as ahab, he's like a mini steve zissou!

lego collectible minifigs series 6 – first view!

2011-09-08T10:21:00.002-04:00

oh! now that a bunch of you are hooked on minifigs... here's a peak at series 6! thanks to the brick blogger!

LEGO Collectible Minifigs Series 6 – first view!

harry potter leaving for first day of school

2011-09-07T20:28:00.000-04:00

here's a new entry from our friend, mike (happy birthday, mike!) what great use of the toy trains!

We went crazy at five below tonight and bought four more minifigs! with some fancy package feeling, we found the egyptian queen, fitness instructor, snowboarder guy, and the lumberjack! can't wait to do some photo shoots!

sweatin for simmons

2011-09-06T16:05:00.003-04:00

our friend jen (ticky art) created this piece with the fitness instructor minifig (series 5). here's what she said of her experience "i have never owned one of these, so i decided to get one to complete this assignment. never again. she's horrifying, and I had to stand behind an old woman paying for an umbrella with quarters." when i apologized to jen for probably bringing her to hate legos, she replied "haha i was never a fan of legos but i love the characters in this mini series." whew, so at least the minifigs are cool in her book! i told her we can make a trade to get that horrible fitness instructor off her hands.

the elusive dinosaur minifig!

2011-08-31T10:03:00.004-04:00

last night on our weekly trip to five below (legouesday= lego + tuesday) i found the elusive dinosaur minifig! it took a lot of bag feelin ups, but it was worth it. and to celebrate, i did a photo shoot this morning! here it is:

i hope you like it! and i hope you're working on your minifig photo shoots! we might just turn this into a contest with a prize...

entry by adrienne

2011-08-30T09:53:00.002-04:00

this one bends the rules a little because it's not minifigures, but we thought it was too great not to include in assignment #1.

here's adrienne's caption: "jim began having serious doubts about buying the 2nd edition of 'spicing up your marriage' for erin..."

storm lego by zoe, seva, and maria (assignment #1)

2011-08-30T07:12:00.003-04:00

here are the first set of pictures for assignment #1- created by zoe, seva, and maria. it looks like they were inspired by hurricane irene in this photo shoot. we love the use of water/bath tub as the backdrop. looks like mr. gnome minifigure (from series 4) crafted a raft out of an old window to get himself out of the flood. i can also see the geisha (series 4) and the clown (series 1) in a couple of shots. they're holding on for dear life in the last frame where you can also spot the sumo minifigure (from series 3) doing the backstroke!

assignment #1 - lego minifigure art

2011-08-27T20:07:00.006-04:00

our new obsession has been collecting lego minifigures and then photographing them in little scenes. the minifigures come in a series of 16 different characters (currently on series 5) and sold in individual, unmarked packages... so you don't know what character you're going to get until you open the package. it's much like opening a pack of garbage pail kids back in the 80s- you don't what you're getting and you may wind up with doubles. it all started when erin added a minifig to her think geek order, once i opened the package with the little rapper inside it was all over! i have embarrassed my wife by spending too much time feeling up packages in five below, in search of the elusive dinosaur minifig. here's what one person did with the dino:

http://www.brothers-brick.com/2011/08/15/collectible-godzilla/

we also just got this book (thanks, matt c!):

http://www.learningtoloveyoumore.com/book.php

and are much inspired by miranda july and harrell fletcher's collaborative art 'assignments.' we'd love to propose our own.

mcart à la carte (malc) assignment #1: go to your nearest 5 below, buy a lego minifigure (usually at the counter), and take it home for a photo shoot. email your pics to mcartalacarte@gmail.com with the subject: "assignment #1"

let's see what happens!

this reminds me of the dollhouse party we had in january 2010. here are some photos:

you have two weeks from today (til 09/10/11) to email the pics. if you get hooked like we did, check out this 'cheat sheet' on how to get the minifigs you want. happy 2nd-basin'!

http://blog.betterthantomorrow.com/2011/08/15/a-lego-minifigures-series-5-feel-guide/

p.s. if you end up needing a support group, we're up to hosting, and bring your doubles so we can tradesies.