May 2013
Visiting My Son’s 1st Grade Class
I had the opportunity to visit my son’s classroom yesterday and share my art and storybooks with the kids. My favorite part of doing any school visit is getting a chance to draw with the students. They have such unlimited imaginations. Their teacher, Mrs. Neal, was kind enough to send home a binder full of thank-you’s from the kids. All of them had great ideas for my next Gekkard storybook. I wish I could share them all but here are a couple favorite. Juliette wants the Gekkards to open a nacho stand and sing spanish songs. Brilliant! I love, love, …
May 2013
Happy Birthday
The Gekkards got together to celebrate my birthday, but quickly realized all those candles won’t fit on a cupcake.
Apr 2013
In Everything Give Thanks
I always remember this saying while I was growing up, “In everything give thanks.” Those just seemed like the appropriate words to place over the bed in this painting. Maybe because I don’t always handle stress in the best ways, these words were meant to be directed back at me.
Mar 2013
Tucson Festival of Books
The Tucson Festival of Books is a tremendously cool event if you like books. The event draws some very well-known authors and illustrators, who participate in teaching workshops, speaking on panels and even signing books. Although I have my own booth setup at the festival, I bring my wife so that I can attend some of the panels and workshops. During the presentations, many of the authors and illustrators are very generous about sharing their experiences and provide listeners with sound advice for navigating the publishing world. I would think anyone interested in becoming a writer or illustrator would find the …
Feb 2013
Life-Size Coffee Cup
The simplicity of the “Peanuts” comic strip was always a big inspiration for me and you can see its influence here. I don’t drink coffee, but on somedays, I think a few people could use the “life-size” cup to get through their day.
Jan 2013
Happy Hod Rod
Happy New Year everyone! The first of the year is always an exciting time for the Gekkards as we begin planning our busy show schedule and start working on our creative goals for 2013. Last year proved to be our best year in sales to date. We plan to continue that success with more great artwork and quality products this year. Thank you so much to all our customers that help make us successful. We wish you the best in 2013.
Dec 2012
Original Art vs. Digital Art
I recently read an article discussing Digital Art in the market place. As the author discussed one artist’s process for creating digital art, he made obvious efforts to downplay the use of computers in the artist’s process, almost apologizing for certain aspects that used digital methods. This struck me as counter productive to the purpose of the article. The very definition of “Digital Art” in many juried art shows across the country states, “any art where a computer was used in the creation process other than photography”. Using a computer is an inherent part of the process, not something us …
