This is from Mark Twain’s 1880 book, A Tramp Abroad:

An average sentence, in a German newspaper, is a sublime and impressive curiosity; it occupies a quarter of a column; it contains all the ten parts of speech – not in regular order, but mixed; it is built mainly of compound words constructed by the writer on the spot, and not to be found in any dictionary – six or seven words compacted into one, without joint or seam – that is, without hyphens; it treats of fourteen or fifteen different subjects, each inclosed in a parenthesis of its own, with here and there extra parentheses which reinclose three or four of the minor parentheses, making pens within pens: finally, all the parentheses and reparentheses are massed together between a couple of king-parentheses, one of which is placed in the first line of the majestic sentence and the other in the middle of the last line of it - after which comes the VERB, and you find out for the first time what the man has been talking about; and after the verb – merely by way of ornament, as far as I can make out – the writer shovels in “haben sind gewesen gehabt haben geworden sein,” or words to that effect, and the monument is finished.

- From Mark Twain, The Awful German Language

Here’s a mixed-media artwork on the topic of causality in thought. To what extent is the mind involved in our making of choices?

The latest event guide for the German Trade Union (DGB) in Munich is out. I created both the jacket design and the inside illustrations. The postcard-sized brochure lists the many seminars and workshops and lectures and events and whatnot that the DGB provides for Munich this coming fall.

The cover art is a collage of assembled portrait photos, around which I spilled acrylic color. My goal was to create a vintage look (hence the predominantly dated photos from the 1930’s through 1960’s) that looks fresh and modern at the same time (not to mention loads of relatives of mine who are spread out mostly on the back flap, including my grandfather, my great-grandfather, my grandmothers, bro, dad, and mom, and my little niece Pauline a.k.a. Paulinchen).

This is the design for the second half of the year which was preceded by a similar design in February. Note my lovely grandmother on the front flap (above the September label). I have been designing such booklets for the German Trade Union for many years now > more.

Sugar Daddy in action.

The good people of 3×3, the Magazine of Contemporary Illustration, Sarah Munt and Charles Hively, have invited me for an interview. My rants and raves can be accessed here.

We had the pleasure of having illustrator, designer, multi-media artist and cartoonist Oliver Weiss over to the studio for lunch. He’s in town for a couple of weeks following his trek out to Pasadena for this year’s ICON conference.

After a few minutes of conversation I could tell Oliver is not your typical illustrator; he’s done just about anything you can imagine including art. He’s been an author—short stories, poems and children’s stories, writer, freelance editor, freelance copywriter for ad agencies, ghost writer, founder and editor-in-chief of his own magazine, web designer—the first in Germany and comic strip writer.

Through all his experiences he has gained valuable insight into the workings of  the editorial, publishing and advertising worlds which puts him head and shoulders above many out there.

Eating. Digesting. More eating…

It was worth while to grow old and dusty seeking for truth though truth is unattainable, restating questions that have been stated at the beginning of the world.

Failure would await him, but not disillusionment. It was worth while reading books, and writing a book or two which few would read, and no one, perhaps, endorse.

- From E.M. Forster’s The Longest Journey

O Life and Love! O happy throng
Of thoughts, whose only speech is song!
O heart of man! canst thou not be
Blithe as the air is, and as free?

- From Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, A Day Of Sunshine

Clear and sweet is my soul, and clear and sweet is all that is not my soul.

- From Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

I’m a maid who would marry
And will take with no qualm
Any Tom, Dick or Harry,
Any Harry, Dick or Tom.

I’m a maid mad to marry
And will take double-quick
Any Tom, Dick or Harry,
Any Tom, Harry or Dick.

- From Cole Porter, Kiss Me, Kate

Here’s a recent mixed-media artwork showing a very young female writer from Victorian ages. I really like the overall mood for this one.

Here’s another whimscial cover artwork I created for The Writer magazine. It illustrates a feature by Richard Goodman where a writer celebrates his readers. It’s a playful piece, and I was going for a multi-faceted image with a great many individual scenes showing people reading a book, and the happy author of that book in their midst.

I wanted this to be funny and full of gleaming sunlight, and so I decided to go for a city-by-the-beach setting with people everywhere, reading a little red book; and the proud writer is red-colored, too. In trying not to distract the attention too much, I used only a few warm colors.

This one was made on the topic of finding yourself around in the city.

This came as a surprise to Elfi Elephant…

Here’s a fun image on the topic of British-US influences on Canadian English. It uses the individual countries’ national animals – a moose (Canada), the British lion, and the US eagle.