2012- the Year of the Dragon

Hello everyone! I am very pleased to say goodbye to the big winter holidays. Although I love them, Christmas can become overwhelming when you work in retail. Stores are open longer and the poor employees have to listen to the same ten, worn out, Christmas Carols on repeat. (If I ever hear Michael Jackson sing "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" again I cannot hold myself responsible for my actions.)

I am pleased that I finally had two whole days off in which I could sit down and draw. Last year I had a great deal of fun creating a card for the Chinese New Year which celebrated the Rabbit. Now that is 2012 we are about to enter the Year of the Dragon. The image on the card is supposed to be a scene reminiscent of the the Miss America pageants. The little white bunny, last year's winner, stands beside the dragon and claps. (I'm going to miss that bunny.) The rest of the animals of the zodiac are present and watching.

According to my good friend the Internet; "The Year of the Dragon will be marked by excitement, unpredictability, exhilaration and intensity." This particular web site goes on to say, "...people respond to the spirit of the Dragon with energy, vitality and unbridled enthusiasm, often throwing all caution to the wind. The Dragon is all about drama." A friend of mine (shout out to Melissa!) sent me an email earlier this week and she admitted that this last year of the bunny "could have used a little more HOP!!" and she was looking forward to the arrival of the Dragon and "a new year filled with FIRE!"

Best wishes in 2012 to everyone! Big hugs, -Dan

Spending Time in an Acrylic Forest

Like many fashion retail companies, the company I work for is already a season or two ahead of us. The people in the office are finishing up the Winter buy and looking at the colors for next Spring and Summer. (It reminds me of the publishing industry. Magazines are probably writing the copy now for their Halloween issues and selecting their must-haves for Christmas.) My company is holding a press event to showcase our Winter Collection and the visual team now has to think of stylish ways to feature rich gem tones in a classy winter-ie way.

I have been asked to contribute a few evenings of my time to painting birch trees onto large mirrored panels we have. The idea is to create an illusion of a real forest when we arrange real birch tree trunks in front of this mirror. So far I am pleased with what we have accomplished and I cannot wait to see what it will look like once it is properly installed. Today I will be adding some small details on the trees. Hopefully that will make them stand out a bit... I will post additional photos when this forest is in place.