It is cherry blossom season and I am proud to have finally completed a card for this quasi-holiday. Here in Brooklyn, our local Botanic Garden has a fantastic annual "Sakura Matsuri, Cherry Blossom Festival". This year I went with my friend Shawn and we were amazed at how many New Yorkers will come out in droves to celebrate together... We suspected that many were using Sakura Matsuri as an excuse to dress in a kimono or in the costume of their favorite animated character.

The illustration here is of the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC. Although I have never been to DC in Spring, I have heard that their Cherry Blossom Festival is wonderful. If you are interested in this card please check out my Etsy page at www.etsy.com/shop/danieljosephdurkin. The question is... what do I draw next? Suggestions? Please post a comment or send me an email!

Hope everyone is well!

Project Completed

Here is an image of my three pieces of art in the installation. The bedding and room were styled by my friend and coworker Jesse Sandobal. He was the one who commissioned these three pieces of art to tie the room together. Hopefully this will lead to other art based styling projects in the future. (We did a very successful installation together over a year ago. You can see images of it in one of my very first blog postings.)

Spring is hitting New York and I find myself walking more and more often. The first few flowers and leaves are beginning to sprout. This is going to be a beautiful Spring!

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.

A Walk Through Central Park

Today I was scheduled to work at my company's store which is located on Madison Ave. The commute to Madison Ave on the Upper East Side adds an additional twenty minutes to my morning but it really reinforced how rarely I get out of my usual 'groove'. (My day is usually some variation of the following; apartment, subway, coffee shop, work, coffee again, more work, lunch place, work, coffee again, subway, home.)

But today was different! I emerged from the subway at Carnegie Hall and I had less than one hour to dart through Central Park on a diagonal to the Upper East Side. Today was sunny and cool and Central Park was buzzing with families, tourists, joggers, bikers, horses, and trees that were just beginning to bloom. In the little time I had I took several photographs and put down this simple sketch of the boat house. Tomorrow I am off of work and with luck I plan to begin a more detailed illustration of this and several other Central Park locations. Please check back soon for updates!

Spring is Around the Corner

For the last few days New York has been hit by terrible rain storms. I even heard on NPR that in New York City during the worst of the weather, there were the second highest number of phone calls placed to 911 in the history of the emergency hot line. (The only time more people called was during the black out a few years back!)

I am hoping that March Showers will bring April Flowers. (A little earlier than usual, but I am optimistic!) Tons and tons of water has fallen over the past forty-eight hours so I believe there should be tons and tons of flowers. Even today, I am pleased to report that on a brief trip to the bank, I swear I could smell Spring, getting closer and closer. In honor of the impending pleasant weather I have set up this blog and a new Etsy page. It is my goal to place a series of illustrations I have completed on their web site for everyone to see (and buy?). I also have made a firm decision that this year I will become a member of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It is the most beautiful spot in all five boroughs when the cherry blossoms begin to bloom. I have always felt inspired to sit and draw at the Botanic Gardens and I am eager and willing to take recommendations from any one else on great locations to sit and watch Spring arrive. (Hopefully someplace I can get to on my MetroCard. Or Bolt Bus.)

Thanks for reading my new blog!