"Baked Alaska" book

Special notice: appearing first here for faithful readers! Digital dog-ear with an earlier teaser post, here's a more formal announcement of the new collection of the feature full-color cartoon "Baked Alaska" as appearing monthly in the pages of the Alaska Cannabist magazine (Facebook page here + website here + subscriptions here). This is a draft version - there's still some minor tweaking, but this is primarily a pitch piece to other publishers + preliminary proof to see how the formatting looks and colors turn out (awesome on both accounts).

Roll with it: Essential outhouse literature

The content is culled from three years of material, so there's a few seeds & stems amongst the, ah, nuggets. Fifty-two pages softcover, almost fifty full-color funnies with some bonus behind-the-scenes process samples in the back. Here's a direct link to the ordering page (about 20-days shipping to Alaska) via my Lulu bookshelf, literally bookended by the rebooted "Bad Clams" & "Overflow XXV" catalog.

BOOKS!

A little virtual housecleaning for some broken/dead linkage repairs led in turn to updating old pages. Shut down the defunct Printfection tshirts + mugs, as I’ll be rebooting those items plus an upcoming line of stickers + pins with a different vendor. 

Dusted off and relaunched my Lulu press bookstore for a couple classic titles that were in hibernation over there: both “Bad Clams” (the collection of “Low Tide” Maine cartoons) and the “Overflow XXV” exhibition catalog (crammed with all sorts of ephemera & miscellany from the "Quarter-century of Stupid" event). The other four previously stocked "Nuggets" + "Freeze-Frame" compilations are now effectively outta print, though copies do crop up at the occasional opening... and you can always email me directly with any other queries.

*Canny eyes will spot a little surprise title now listed, which I’m exclusively tipping off first my faithful readers on Ink & Snow before any other platform… my own personal proofs are en route/in the mail as I write – so stay ‘tooned as more will be revealed in upcoming posts. CHEERS! 

Nuggets in the House: The Alaska House Art Gallery

   I’m very pleased to now be officially represented by The Alaska House Art Gallery (website here and Facebook page here) in downtown Fairbanks: along with some framed pieces on display, there are also original works available for sale plus the full catalog of my books.
   Besides being one of the only three major galleries remaining open in the Interior (the other two being the Bear Gallery and Well Street Art Co.), The Alaska House is one of the oldest in the state and, prior to a brief hiatus, the longest in continuous operation. Originally opened in 1960, the gallery moved into its current home in 1964, a beautiful structure built in 1939 of rock + “hand-hewn logs, oak floors and leaded windows” right in the heart of downtown Fairbanks. Inside this venerable institution of the arts is an aesthetic and cultural smörgåsbord of delightful collections “exhibiting Alaska Native and resident artists, paintings, artifacts, carvings and sculpture, masks, fabric art and hand-crafted jewelry.” (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 8/10)

   It is also a repository for the legacy and work of Claire Fejes, one of the significant artists in Alaskan history: “an original and formidable talent” and “one of the rare female voices reflecting the woman’s side of Arctic society.” Alaska House Art Gallery is owned and operated by her daughter Yolande and Ron Veliz, whose hospitality and knowledge makes any visitor feel welcome and at home. Being picked up by these folks is a humbling advancement in my personal career as an artist and I look forward to future opportunities from this creative liaison.

Market Day

Pelts piled upon the Lodge of Levity

I was peddling wares at the Tanana Valley Farmers Market - I set up there far less often than I'd like, as it's an awesome assemblage of talent and time to spend a day chatting with folks, friends and fans. On the table was the usual artistic smorgasbord of stuff - the back catalog of books + originals - leavened with overflow from the Overflow XXV show (leftover catalogs + refrigerator magnets + tshirts). I'll probably have a table at a few other holiday bazaars and at least one last-minute signing before Xmas.

Medley: Vegging Out

One of my personal favorites is a regular presence: Sarah Holm's Fish Head Studio is becoming a delightful and iconic fashion statement: her stylish and discriminating designs (hand-printed) are both identifiable and unique. Market Day (actually two days a week: the traditional Saturdays and now on Wednesdays too) is also a chance to organically support local makers and growers of all good things. It's a veritable cornucopia of everything from garments, honey, ceramics, woodcraft, kettle corn, Thai food to tacos, and fruits & veggies of every conceivable type. At 7am a huge truck backs up and disgorges some legendary Alaskan carrots which promptly forms a line of eager customers in the morning's frosty air. By noon it's all gone, but there are many, many other tasty victuals to browse through while filling one's baskets of bounty. Makes me more than a little homesick...

Another close encounter with a big, smelly, hairy arctic animal (at least I shaved).

The fabulous Lacie stopped by and scored some original oxen work: I really like how more and more it's getting to where I actually prefer the pen & ink + wash versions of panels now to the printed permutations. Just one of many superfun good times had with the wonderful folks at the Tanana Valley Farmers Market: see y'all next season.

"More cowbell": the opening clarion!

Overflow XXV: Pelts-In-Progress

Here's a couple work-in-progress pics from down at the shop: Hat-tip Tail-slap as always to the excellent craftsmanship + awesome expertise - again - by the fine folks down at Trademark Screenprinting!

Opening this 1st Friday: August 2nd @ the Fairbanks Community Museum.

Overflow XXV: Poster

A spiffy 14x20" commemorative edition poster produced for the upcoming exhibition (opening this 1st Friday: August 2nd @ the Fairbanks Community Museum). Faded into the background is an old project called "2x3: The Lodge" which contains just about (dam near) every manifestation of Castor canadensis as he's appeared over the years in my work. Had to patch in an extra row culled from the archives so as to accommodate the new dimensions... and there's plenty more from where that came from. Posters will be free with any purchase!
Hat-tip to Brian and all the awesome folks at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner!!!

Overflow XXV: Teaser #3

"Ta-daaaaa"

We interrupt the regular weekly funnies to bring you another update on more of the mysterious doings being cryptically hinted at here over the past week.
It's been since 1999 that I pulled a squeegee and printed up these classic "Homesick Alaskan" refrigerator magnets. Over the intervening years they've been the number-one most commonly requested item whenever I do a book signing, seeing as how our state inevitably has a lot of transient residents - virtually everybody knows somebody personally who's a refugee ...and can't wait to migrate home.
A very special thanks to the folks at Trademark the Screenprinters who gave crucial tech support and antique materials when resurrecting the lost art of manually printing these nostalgic accoutrements. Theses and other special offerings will be available at an upcoming event which I'll reveal in tomorrow's post.

Overflow XXV: Teaser #2

Stymied by an impervious barrier to fuzzies and hairballs.

...and the posters are printed!

Overflow XXV: Teaser

Our Team of Qualified Customer Service Representatives is standing by...

Special preview for Ink & Snow readers: the new show catalog/book is here...

"Bad Clams" - The Book

A collection featuring over fifty new panels (half in full-color), plus sketchbook doodles and illustrations, from the creator of Alaska’s longest-running cartoon “Nuggets.” “LowTide” documents the artist’s perspective on his adventures and experiences around Acadia and Down East after migrating to Maine. 

(Random Vanity Post)

(Pic courtesy Stephanie Land)

Getting some most excellent exposure courtesy of friends & fans who are checking out the Printfection stores for both "Nuggets" and "LowTide" merchandise: send pics and I'll probably post 'em - thanx!

Pic by Britt Arnesen

And here's a bonus shot left over from last Xmas, just 'cause. Don't recall ever seeing anyone in my entire life get this happy over anything I drew (these kids probably won't grow up to be editors). Folks who helped out with the recent move were treated to random acts of bequeathing as I frantically unloaded stuff like a passenger with a cabin on the Titanic... art overboard. Spiffy to see some of it went to good ends!

“Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. “ – Mary Ellen Chase

"Watched Pot"

Another of the new tshirts available now through the "LowTide" store at Printfection.

"Bad Clams"

Another one of the new designs available now through the "LowTide" store at Printfection. 


One thing I really dig about this neck of the woods is fried clams. Not literally dig, mind you, though the preponderance of breakup boots here in Maine is about as high as Interior Alaska (more for first line of defense against ticks). But another pleasant surprise was discovering the joy of steamed mussels. Great pub fare, especially with a local beer and some fresh bread to sop up the juice.

Crustacean Kink

One of the new items available now through the "LowTide" store at Printfection. 

"Frost Heaves"

A ubiquitous feature of the Alaskan Interior: this design makes for a good spill-catcher while bouncing along the road. Another classic design available on tshirts & mugs at the Printfection store.

"Coffee Bruin"

Added to the roster of merchandise available via the Printfection store: besides a snuggy tshirt it also makes for a dandy mug too...

"When late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably just a little eleven o'clockish." - Pooh

"The Humble Beaver"

Another classic panel that by popular demand now adorns both tshirts & mugs on the Printfection store.

"The Homesick Alaskan"

Probably one of the top three signature panels I ever got known for, and one of the first cartoons to appear in print (1986 and again in 1988) after moving to the Interior. If it's one thing about Alaska, it seems that almost everybody was originally from somewhere else: many of the residents are either transient or transplants having roots from far away: so folks are always coming or going, so lots of people can relate.  And local or not, once you leave you'll always want to go back - something I can certainly understand.
Can't believe I was able to actually dig out the original from storage, and that it was still in fairly decent shape - enough to get a high-quality scan off of, and use as the flagship kickoff design at the Printfection store.