Gridley & Lady "Delightful"

  The dogs love to sit by the fire. Especially after being outside. Gridley is not a big fan of cold weather. It doesn't seem to bother Lady so much.
  I've loved this classic song for years. My favorite version is by Ella Fitzgerald.

Girdley & Lady "New Orleans"

It's that time of year again. Headed to the Big Easy for the Allstate Sugar Bowl festivities. Gridley and Lady get to stay here and party down at the kennel where they share a suite and have play time in the snow. Didn't know he speaks French did you? Translation: Let the good times roll.

Have a fun and safe New Year's Eve.

Gridley & Lady "Snow"

Lady is a Blue Tick Coon Hound, a good old dog from the South. She LOVES the snow. Gridley is an English Bulldog. Hates the snow, rain and cold. Go figure.

"Holiday Spirit"

This year I finally learned to put up the outdoor lights the day after Thanksgiving when it was in the 40's. It's still a bit of a wrestling match.

"Thanksgiving"

I realized that I forgot to post this one on Thanksgiving. Both dogs did very well in the leftovers department. Somebody told me recently that the average American gains about eight pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. Sounds about right.

"Sea Otter" woodcut print

This is a California Sea Otter. I saw a PBS special on these critters recently and thought they'd be good subjects for my woodcuts. This is a first proof on newsprint, photographed with my iPhone, with digital color added in Photoshop. Size: 22"x16"

Gridley & Lady "Parade"

Even Gridley & Lady watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

"Hey, Snoop Dog move over."

Gridley & Lady "Cheese"

Lady: Always anxious to please.

Gridley: Always the chow hound.

Gridley & Lady "Munks"

With a little help from my son, Christopher.

The "real" Count Dogula

After my last post, a few people have asked to see the "real" Count Dogula.

Gridley & Lady "Count Dogula"

With those fangs, Gridley would be an unnatural vampire. Just in time for Halloween. Believe it or not, we actually do have a Dracula doggie costume. 

This cartoon, as with all the Gridley & Lady cartoons, ran in our local paper, the Winnetka Current.

Gridley & Lady "Pumpkins"

I'm sure you've noticed that pumpkins are everywhere and in everything at this time of year. The Pumpkin Lobby must be well funded. Even Gridley is getting into it.

"Circus Rider"

I remember the wonderful spectacle of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus at Madison Square Garden from the 1950's. When a lot of the acts looked dangerous--and they were.

Penguin playing "On the Street Where You Live"

Cat with Bird Balloons

My first drawing in a new, Moleskine sketchbook. 

Gridley & Lady "Paw Readings"

Gridley & Lady "Back-to-School"

Actually, Gridley did pass puppy school. Barely.

And, shortly afterwards, forgot most of the stuff "we" learned. 

Now, he listens pretty well. Especially, if I'm talking about treats.

"Raven" Wood Block Print

Here's my latest wood block print, "Raven," and the wood block. The print is an Artist's Proof, meaning that it's a single print and not yet part of a numbered edition. The image is 16" x 12" printed on Japanese Mulberry paper with water-based black ink.

"Mountain Ram"

"Mountain Ram" wood block print on kraft paper, 16" x 19"

Gridley & Lady "9 Lives"

OK. We do have a cat, too. Chloe's been living with us way longer than Gridley and Lady so she some kind of seniority. They all seem to have some kind of unspoken agreement about not harming each other. But, once in awhile, Gridley forgets about that and will chase Chloe for sport. Chloe is faster.

"Kodiak"

Wood block print, 1st proof, 12" x 16". 

Gridley & Lady "Ding Dong"

Of course, Gridley and Lady NEVER bark when anyone rings the door bell.

Gridley & Lady "UPS guy"

I do believe there's a reason for meeting everyone in your life. Might not seem like it at the time. This thought forces me to pay more attention to "chance" meetings.

Gridley & Lady "Luck"

This one explores the different personalities of the two dogs. Lady is the thinker-worrier-intellectual. Gridley takes life at face value.

Gridley & Lady "Drive-Thru"

My friend, Cookie, told me that when she takes her dogs through the drive-thru at McDonald's, she orders a couple of burgers for the dogs--no ketchup or pickles.

Gridley & Lady "Confidence"

Lady is always up on current events. 

Gridley brings the news down to a more personal level.

Gridley & Lady "Leaking"

Actually, this is the first Gridley & Lady cartoon I made. I did it after I first saw the story about Snowden on the news. I was walking Gridley and Lady the next day thinking about the story when Gridley gave me the idea.

By the way, today is the first day "Gridley & Lady" was published in a paper, The Winnetka Current. The cartoon will run every week. I hope the dogs have some more ideas.

6.18.13 Gridley & Lady: Dog Beach

6.16.13 Gridley & Lady "Father's Day"

Happy Father's Day to all the dads.

6.12.13 Gridley & Lady "Hail"

Was driving to the Honda dealer this morning and heard the weather guy on WGN predict "baseball-size hail" possible tonight along with thunderstorms, tornadoes and probably earthquakes. I was supposed to go to the Cubs game this afternoon and thought better of it. Cubs lost to the Reds. For the 13th time in row. I think Gridley is on to something.

6.11.13 Lady & Gridley "Coffee"

Gridley is our 3 yr. old English Bulldog. Lady is a 6 yr. old Bluetick Coonhound that Kate rescued while at Mizzou (did I mention that Kate lives in L.A.?) Lady is the intellectual on the team. Gridley is more concerned with practical matters.

6.8.13 Captain Alex Rust

Alex was a friend of my son Christopher's who has been making a documentary film about Alex.

By all accounts, Alex was a remarkable person. He sailed around the world on his boat "Bubbles" making friends where ever he landed.

"This trip was about simple discovery, venturing out to see the world and the people in it.  What we found is that the world is indeed a beautiful place filled with beautiful people and, like everything in life, it is the people that make the experience. Along the way we faced obstacles and challenges that only a trip like this could produce, but with a little luck and a lot of determination you can make anything happen… just go for it!!" - Alex Rust

He passed away on May 28, 2013 in the sacred Hindu Varanasi area in India where he was recovering from Typhoid Fever. He was 28. He was there to give back by helping an orphanage.

I wish I'd known him.

6.4.13 "Blue Bull"

First proof of a new woodcut.

5-22-13 "Red Rabbit"

Linocut print. Actual bunny size.

5.17.13 "Klimt and Katze"

I'm a fan of Klimt's art but he was definitely a strange dude. Somebody cast John Malkovich in the lead role in an awful movie about Klimt. What does that tell you? Gustav had a studio full of cats. He used cat urine as a fixative on his drawings. Yeeeew!

3.6.2013 ORD–LAX

Flew to LAX today to be with out daughter, Kate Cochrane, who is recuperating from gallbladder removal surgery. She's doing just fine. Lisa is here, too.

3.4.13 "2012 Preakness Stakes"

Acrylic on paper, 40" x 26". The race took place on May 19, 2012. I'll Have Another won the second leg of the Triple Crown, narrowly defeating Bodemeister in a last-furlong push. 2nd painting in a series.

3.1.13 "I'll Have Another" Wins 2012 Kentucky Derby

40" x 26" Acrylic on paper. He captured my attention last summer when he won the Derby and the Preakness but sustained an ankle injury that prevented him from a shot at the Triple Crown at Belmont. I'm working on a second painting of him beating Bodemeister at the Preakness. It's powerful. Stay tuned.

2.24.13 Sarah Kaiser

  Since the beginning of this year, I've shared a studio with Sarah at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston, IL. She's a painter and teaches anatomy and figure drawing. I've been taking her anatomy drawing classes at the Evanston Art Center for several years. She also teaches at the American Academy of Art in Chicago.
  We share the studio with two, other artists--Mary Anne Brown and Annie Gaynor, both make jewelry.
   For me, working in a studio, free from the distractions of my house, has been wonderful. Down the hall is the Evanston Art Center Print Studio where I've been making etchings for a couple of years. I enjoy working in a creative environment, around other artists.
  Thank you, Sarah, for including me in your studio.

1.24.13 I'll Have Another

I'm starting a series of drawings and paintings of race horses b.c. I love the powerful elegance of their anatomy at full gallop combined with the bright silks on the jockeys. This sketch shows I'll Have Another beating the favorite, Bodemeister, in the 2012 Kentucky Derby, ridden by jockey Mario Gutierrez who also rode him to win the Preakness earlier in the season. Too bad they had to scratch for the Belmont Stakes, ending I'll Have Another's chance to win the Triple Crown b.c. of a tendon injury. However, it did end well for the three year old. He was sold for ten million dollars to stud at the Big Red Farm in Hakkaido, Japan. Not bad.

1.21.13 Old Ski Bums

I was enjoying a coffee and the warm late-morning sun yesterday at the Silver Lake Lodge in Deer Valley outside Park City, Utah. Lisa and I were out there for the Sundance Film Festival again. Well, she went to the films and I skied. These guys were at the next table. They'd been skiing earlier in the morning and were now enjoying some beer and swapping lies about how great their runs were and where they were headed on their next trips--mostly to Mexican beaches. They made good drawing subjects b.c. they didn't move much. Old guys. Love 'em.

1.11.13 "Two Blue Hens"

Ok, so there probably aren't any blue chickens. The color just seemed right with the red, yellow and green. I made this 4.5" x 4.5" etching then added watercolor to the dried print. My wife, Lisa, has been trying to get me to paint, draw or print chickens for years. I finally came around. Think I'll try a rooster next. Maybe purple?