Keepon Keeping On

Some days, you just need something really simple to keep it together. Today, this was it for me. This little fella was created by Hideki Kozima. He is a scientist working on cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Hideki's major research interest is "the ability to imagine others' mind", which is the underlying core mechanism for interpersonal communication specific to human species. Where did it come from? How does it develop over time? Investigating these issues, he would like to make robots and artificial systems that have "the ability to imagine others' mind", which would enables them to understand people's feelings and pain, to make a promise with people, and then to live together with people in the community.

Mr. Kozima... anything that gives me a break from my posionous trap that is called my brain is a godsend. Who doesn't want one of these things!?

Chat Rabbit Chatter

If you haven't heard about it yet, Robert's Snow is about to fall! "Robert's Snow" is a children's story about a mouse not allowed in the snow. Children's book illustrator Grace Lin wrote the book, which was inspired by her husband Robert's battle with Ewing's sarcoma. After the book was published, Grace gathered artists from all over the children's book illustrating community to create special snowflakes to be auctioned off, with the proceeds benefiting sarcoma research at Dana-Farber. These snowflake auctions became known as the event "Robert's Snow."

Well, the wonderful ladies at 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast have concoted a plan to interview all the artists and creators behind this event in order to emphasize Grace and Robert's incredible message. They are calling it "Blogging for the Cure". I was lucky enough to be interviewed by long time and incredibly talented friend Liz Goulet Dubois. Her wonderful blog entitled Chat Rabbit (which includes spectacular and sometimes frightening posts (especially about spiders the size of a human's head in her garden)) has posted our recent candid conversation.

I am once again honored to be included in this years auction, and am so excited to bid on (and dream about owning) some of the snowflakes this year! Good friend Dan Santat's 2004 snowflake will forever hang proudly in the center of my studio. So listen up! Everybody mark your calendar and get ready to bid bid bid!

A Warm Day in October

Sologny and surrouding areas, France. Les lézards were so awesome darting in and out of the rock walls. I also saw my first big land snail. I was very excited, and they are now one of my all time favorite animals.

Illustration Friday: Grow

I'm baaa-aaack!
These are excerpts from A Place to Grow, 2002.

Panoramalamadingdong

With the fall season in full swing, the trees changing their color, and the wood stove smell in the air, I can't not be reminded of some of my favorite memories from New Hampshire. In turn, I remember the panaoramic view of Tuckerman's Ravine on Mount Washinton I had taken some years back. Missing New Hampshire, I just got depressed more... thinking of the times when my knee had ligaments and I could still hike. Oh well.

Which then got me to reviewing some of my other panoramic scenes!


Grand Canyon scenes from the LA to Boston car ride with Nat.

With a pit stop at the best damn dam, the Hoover.

Breaking the sound barrier in Nat's trusty Jetta on New Mexico.

And a coast road view in County Cork, Ireland.

I need to take more of these panoramas, methinks.

Seven Pounds of Pure Sugar

My fashion guru friend Harper Della-Piana and her shop are celebrating her first year anniversary with a bang! A whole special day of glamorous shopping, refreshments, and a benefit raffle to help others! 100% of the proceeds will go to benefit Citizens for Adequate Housing Inc. I was honored when she asked me to create a cake for the event. And what a hot mess I have made. This thing is... heavy. A bit neurotic looking, hopefully it will feed all those attending the event. I do like making cakes, but by the time I am finished with the whole thing, I am so sick of the smell of sugar, that I never have a piece of the cake. People become very suspect of the refusal of my own sugary goodness. I don't taint the cake, it's just been absorbed through my skin from the hours of construction that I would simply pass out if I had one bite.

Visit Harper's SEAMS shop online! And also, she has a line of sweaters this holiday season at Urban Outfitters as a part of it's Urban Renewal Project. Check it out!

Nasty Hiatus!

Sorry about the span of weeks that have gone by. This fall is proving to be quite an action packed season, not exactly by choice. I've been slowly chipping away at some deadlines, which thrills me to no end, but unfortunatly la grippe has a hold on me! The only good thing about being sick this early in the season, is that I am getting it out of the way by the holidays. Hopefully. BUT, for viewing pleasure, here are some scans of the 38 chaptered novel I am finishing up for Henry Holt. I can safely say, I LOVED this project. I welcome any chapter novels in the future! It was really nice to work on drawing and not the often tedious task of painting.

Tylenol Severe Cold Head Congestion worked pretty decently. That's my recommendation. Godspeed and Bonne Chance! It's a killer.

How Do I Do More Like It!

I do bad! I've been sooo slow with updates. I promise to have more and more usless posts for you to enjoy soon. In the meantime, thank your lucky stars and I am not writing a response to VH1's I Love Toys! Here's a sample from a poster I did for Montserrat's Theme Show some time ago.

I'm getting all twitterpated for next years possible themes!

"Earl, price check on Aisle 5."

So, a friend and past student of mine sent a hysterical message to me describing his adventure to Target:

"I was in the toy section of Target yesterday with my daughter. As we rolled through the girly aisle she shouted "baby!" at every doll we passed. One of the dolls she spotted came with a book inside the packaging. I looked at the book and thought "Hmm, looks like a Kelly Murphy illustration." and sure enough....it was! It $@$%* was! I was so right on and it was a crazy experience! I was so excited I ripped open the box to take a closer look, tossed the doll on the floor, and ran out of the store. I didn't really, but I thought about it."

Thanks John!

So there you have it. They're starting to come out on shelves. I personally busted out laughing, just because Kelly Murphy landed herself in the pink toy aisle. Somethings just not right about that. Who would have thought...

Today... I am an Artist!

Artistaday.com’s goal is simple. They feel artists are under-valued, under-exposed, and generally under-appreciated. Awesome, me too! They want to bring attention to artists that otherwise don’t get the attention they deserve. True dat boo's! If they can bring their art to one person that would have otherwise missed the opportunity to see it, they feel like we have made a contribution to the art community. If you like the artist’s work, take a second to leave a comment to tell them so. If you don’t, feel free to tell them that as well (constructive criticism is always appreciated). Artistaday.com doesn't intend to showcase all the artist’s work, in fact they only show one or two images by the artist. Be sure to continue through to the artist’s website to find more of their work.

And today, I was very flattered when they featured my work! So excited. Thank you Artistaday.com! I appreciate all that you do!

Check out their site here!

All-Ireland Team 1925

While archieving an assortment of family photographs as a surprise for my mother, I re-stumbled upon some of my favorite images. They depict a great uncle who was a member of the 1925 All-Ireland Hurling team, playing for Galway (Connacht). His name was "Kruger" Broderick, a nickname given to him after Paul Kruger, a prominent Boer resistance leader against British rule and the president of the Transvaal Republic in South Africa. A very healthy, broad fellow, he only lived into his 30s due to an unknown enlarged heart.

Kruger is the second from the left in the above picture. Hurling is considered to be one of the most skillful games and is the fastest team field game in the world. About twelve teams participate in the Championship. The object of the game is for players to use a wooden axe-shaped stick called a hurl (in Irish a "camán", or a hurley, to hit a small ball called a sliotar between the opponents' goalposts either over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper for three points. The ball can be caught in the hand and carried for not more than four steps, struck in the air, or struck on the ground with the stick. It can be kicked or slapped with an open hand (the hand pass) for short-range passing. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than three steps has to bounce or balance the ball on the end of the stick, and the ball can only be handled twice while in his possession. Got all that?

Side to side shouldering is allowed although body-checking or shoulder-charging is illegal. No protective padding is worn by players, so take that you pansy American Footballers. Yeah, that's right I called you out!

Illustration Friday: Visitors

My illustration for this week I have used in the past as a promotional mailer. I know at first glance, this seems inappropriate for this week's theme, but the concept of this piece was subtlety. I wanted to do a night time scene of Venice just before the Bubonic Plague landed on it's shores in 1630. Beware, because this is an area of interest, I will nerd it up in the following paragraph.

The Black Death reached the shores of Europe in 1348, carried there on merchant ships on the backs of rats stowed away as cargo amongst the spices destined for the European market. By 1334, the plague had destroyed two thirds of China’s population and successive waves of the plague after 1348 took the lives of roughly one third of Southern Europeans. Including at least four variants; the plague was caused by the bacillus Yersinia pestis which lived in the stomach of fleas who, as scientists believe, became sick, their digestive tract blocked, regurgitating numerous bacilli into the bloodstream of their rodent host, thereby causing the flea to move onto a new host upon the death of their rodent host. Unfortunately for the Middle Ages, this host became man. Venice was more impacted than cities that were inland and protected from the transportation of these disease-bearing animals. It was actually Venice’s great success with ships carrying precious spices materials that actually brought about its ravage. In Venice, eighty thousand lives were lost in just seventeen months. On the 9 the of November, for example, five hundred and ninety-five died.

In the background, you can just see that a Pied Piper type figure has just landed on the dock with rats in tow, alarming only a barking dog in the foreground, and rustling just one person awake. Silent visitors that killed thousands and altered the course of history forever.

Because I had to, foo'!

I saw this today, and literally sat there for a few minutes, soaking it all in. W.O.W. Holy B.A.

The Big Picture

Here's a finished cover for a girl's magazine. I just can't seem to get away from the green and red palette.

"It's beginning to look a lot like Kellyillustrationmas, everywhere you go!"

Interlude

Here's a quick scan of a painting for a friend's sister who's just got married on a beach. Crabs! Now back to our regular schedule of illustrating madness.

Drawing Viterbo

Good friend and mentor Fred Lynch just got back from Italy! "Each July Montserrat College of Art hosts a four-week residential program affording art students and enthusiasts a unique opportunity to live and study in a country famous for its rich cultural legacy. Classes are held in the Accademia di Belli Arte in Viterbo, about 90 minutes north of Rome."

I cannot wait to see more work, and rumor has it, students will be welcomed to post their work as well. Exciting! Look out Italy, I am coming over next summer, whether you like it or not. Check it all out here!

AYFKM? I got a BWSNOTW Award!

Wow!

How pumped am I, and I never knew I got this! Apparently, Enchiridion over at (parenthetical aside) gave me the honor of being the first ever Best WebSite Name of the Week Award. More and more reassurance that I am doing ok with my blog name. I'm G Rated! I'm fun for all! I got proof!

Now for serious, I need to get back to what's really important and write more beer reviews.

Summertime ≠ workyworks time.
Sumertime = cooldownwithanicemaltedbeverage time.
Summertime ≥ passingoutwithhotdogsstillinyourmouth time.

Bedtime for Bongos!
Insanity has set in.

Waiting Room Renderings

So sad these days. The only sketching I get to do is in waiting rooms. One day I will be finished with deadlines. One day, damn you all, one day!

The Wisdom of Youth

Thought I'd share some images from a school visit this past spring. I always get a bit nervous when presenting to rooms full of 100+ students. Heck, I get nervous in front of five students. Typically, I try to remain as honest as I can. I try to keep their attention as much as possible. Note the *shock and awe* approach in the pictures. Wild hand gestures keep them awake. Afterwards, I was asked if I drink a lot of caffeine.

"Yes. I drink more than you can fathom."

Pretty perceptive. This following visit was particularily entertaining. Apparently we had quite the comedy troop, and I walked right into their trap.
"My friend has a question! It's a really good one!"
"Ok, it better be. What's on your mind?"
A few sucker punches between them...
"So, do you have a boyfriend?"
"Um... well... I'm not too sure what that has to do with books, but yes, I do."
"Oh."
After this he puts his hand down. "Phew", I was thinking. "Escaped the hot seat there." Man, these kids were mounting up to be worse than the gossip ring at a family function. Because I have the memory of a goldfish, I came back to his outstreched and flailing hand at the end of the Q&As.
"Yup, you got a question?"
"So, you're not married, right?"
"Oh no, you again."
"Will you marry me?"
PAUSE.
"Well, give it 20 yrs little dude and gimme a ring. You never know, right?"

Hey, this kids's smart. He knows to act fast. Go get em, fella!
And yes, he's the chap with raised eyebrows next to me.

Illustration Friday: Missing

All the following images are from my current project, a chapter novel about a beetle family, a New York boy, and an art theft. Kind of fun!