"Hansel & Gretel: Alaska"

The enduring (and by that I also mean shelf-life) cracker known by the brand-name Sailor Boy Pilot Bread is a rural staple across Alaska. Made by Interbake Foods, this ubiquitous and unassuming hard-tack actually becomes, if not a guilty pleasure, the preferred delivery system for extra-sharp cheddar + golden-brown mustard in my studio.

One of the things that has kept me drawing after all these years is the fact that nomatter how many different or just plain weird things I've dreamed up and drawn, there will never, ever be a day when there isn't something new or unusual. And nevermind the grand, sweeping causes of humanity, more of then than not, it's little things... like a simple cracker. Like, how the heck do you draw pilot bread anyways, and what does it really look like? Have you ever stopped long enough to study the form and the shading and the texture of one of these things? I mean, really, really look at it - not to mention the myriad of other finer points that get lost in the shuffle of everyday life. These are the Big Questions that occupy my attention - while most folks have real challenges to face every day, it's a wonder I manage to get up in the morning.
But seriously, this goes back to teaching art classes, especially taking those field trips to the campus greenhouses at UAF, and learning how to really look at all the intricacies of plantforms. The constant flood of visuals we are inundated with throughout any given day in contemporary society tends to drown out the details.
Always take time out to have a hearty snack, I say.