Excess

This was done as a demo of a mixed-media technique for one of my illustration classes. It is an image that represents everything excessive that one human can do to itself. The problem I had with it was, no matter how much I tried, I could not make the illustration look as bizarre or as excessive as the real thing.

The Zoo

This is a compilation of two pages from my sketchbook, drawn from life at Zoo Atlanta which is famous for its gorillas. Willie B was the patriarch of the zoo for years. Here is a quote from the Zoo Atlanta website:
"When Willie B., our magnificent western lowland gorilla patriarch passed away peacefully at the age of 41 in early February of 2000, the Zoo Atlanta family mourned his loss deeply and painfully. He had been more than an important animal in our collection of endangered and fascinating animals. Willie was a hero of sorts, a larger-than-life character who had come to embody the remarkable reinvention and rise to success of our zoo. His graceful transition from solitary caged animal to affectionate patriarch of an expanded family living in the lush Ford African Rain Forest came to represent the institution's rise from the brink of failure to its current status among the nation's finest zoological parks."
These sketches were made in 2006, years after Willie B passed away. But some of these animals are his offspring, and they are a testament to his resilience and adaptability.

Scale

Owl: acrylics on gessoed masonite
Hummingbird: airbrushed acrylics on illustration board

Hats

A book cover for the murder mystery "The Man Who Understood Cats". That's me in the fedora (hat) and trenchcoat with Mittens, the cat from Satan's own litterbox tucked inside my coat. Mittens had issues, to say the least; my daughter looks like she came out on the losing end of a prison knife fight because of this cat's razor claws and demonic attitude. He has since taken up his rightful place to the right hand of Lucifer, may he rest in peace.
Acrylics on Strathmore illustration board