I recently completed a commission for Senior Market Advisor Magazine. The concept “A Day in the Life” was pitched to me as a behind-the-scenes look at an advisor and his family run business. With 14 illustrations in all, and the cover, this was a fantastic assignment. Mary the AD was great to work with and I think she did a great job with her daily journal concept for the layout. Below is the cover and a few of the interior spreads.
Below is the piece that I wrote about last week. It was a fun illustration to do, the concept of the illustration is that apps have been developed that act like personal trainers. Read the article here.
This was a great job. Joelle, the AD allowed me a lot of creative freedom with this series and I’m really happy with how it all worked out. The theme of the article, “The Empowered Patient”, discussed how we, the patient, now have more information at our fingertips than ever before and it is not only in our best interest to become educated about our health, but our knowledge is also becoming a great asset to healthcare providers.
Recently I was commissioned by a new client for a feature illustration, Investment Advisor magazine. Whenever I work for a new client I try to add something different to my work in order to keep evolving artistically as well as to offer something unique to the client. For this assignment I was able to get back to painting, something I truly love and I feel adds a much needed layer of depth to my work. It was a real joy to work on this piece and I had a great time working with the AD. If you’d like to read the article, click here.
I was recently asked to illustrate a monthly column for Denver magazine. The focus of the column is food, which is a favorite topic of mine, so I couldn’t be happier. Here is my first illustration for the column, based on an article about the ice cream craze in Denver. Read the article here.
I spent some time at Ground Zero Friday. It’s an incredibly powerful place, I imagine unlike any other. The site has been transformed into a city of cranes and construction. I can’t help but think that this is exactly how it must have looked in the 1970s during the building of the Twin Towers.
While I still terribly miss what once was, I’m happy to see a new beginning for lower Manhattan.
Below is an illustration I recently completed for the Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute. It was a challenging piece as the subject matter was quite complex and relatively unfamiliar to me, BUT I enjoy the challenging pieces best. I love to learn when I work. For this piece, I was asked to illustrate the history of the pension and benefits industry in Canada.
The Communication Arts Illustration Annual is out. I received my copy yesterday and as I reported a few months ago, my reportage series on Times Square has been recognized. I’ve always felt that CA is one of the best publications for illustrators as well as the entire creative industry and it is an honor to be included. Here is a scan of the spread, pick up your copy today, there is some great work in there!
I had the privilege of attending the Milton Glaser lecture last night at the Society of Illustrators in NY. What struck me most was that I and the members of Studio 1482 approach our work and careers with a very similar philosophy to Mr. Glaser. He spoke about how an artist moves toward failure as a means of achieving success. A series of successive failures leads you on a path to understanding and ultimately success…but then it is time to start that process all over again. Keep moving forward, don’t master something and stop. Hearing those words inside the walls of an institution that promotes 1-style illustrators was quite an interesting juxtaposition of ideologies.
He also spoke of drawing and creating art as the only times when we are truly attentive. Paying attention to something rather than letting it, like life, pass us by. I’ve often thought about how many drawings I’ve made and what that experience is like and how millions of people have never made 1 drawing and never felt that sensation.
Lastly, he spoke of the computer and what it has meant to art and the world in general. What sticks with me is that he said he will always be better on the computer than anyone working now as his “sense of form came about from sources other than the computer.”
It was a great experience listening to someone with his experience and success and his words reminded me very much of words I’ve heard from other very wise people I have known.
drawing of M. Glaser by Greg Betza
By way of a friend, my wife Despina and I were granted access to reportage a performance at JAZZ at Lincoln Center. An opportunity like this doesn’t come along often so we really went for it. The performance by Wes “Warmdaddy” Anderson, Marc Cary, Neal Caine, and Jeff Tain Watts took place in Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola , a space acoustically designed for jazz. It was an unforgettable experience and I feel like, considering the limited light and space, the work I produced is strong and tells the story of that evening. Thank you to everyone at JAZZ who made us feel very welcome and especially to Susan who made this all possible.
Here are a few of the drawings I made that night.
These were fun illustrations to do. AD Kevin Goodbar commissioned the 4 spots after receiving one of my postcards (who said postcards don’t work!!). I love wine as a subject for illustration (not just drinking it). It’s a rich subject…just look at these 4 different topics I had to illustrate:
Screwcaps have become more preferable than corks
Classes about wine are great
The exclusive I.V.V. (In Vino Veritas) wine club
How to buy wine as a novice
This month I have an illustration in The Scientist magazine. The article is an opinion piece with 2 views on the much debated healthcare reform. After reading the article a few times I knew I had to illustrate the confusion over how the restructured healthcare system is going to use our money. So my idea was to turn the US Capitol into a Rube Goldberg invention that works yet has no outcome (as we don’t). I have to tell you that I have a whole new respect for Mr. Goldberg. I’ve never attempted anything like this but it was really an enjoyable challenge to create practicality out of nonsense (hey, maybe I have attempted to do that!) So this is what I came up with…
Recently I was commissioned by Scientific American to create 3 illustrations for an article in the supplement WORLDVIEW. The article dealt with the growing debate over intellectual property (IP) and it’s global impact. This illustration is the opening spread.
A few months back I was contracted to create preliminary drawings of 10 new spaces within the new home of the New York Mets, Citifield. This is the type of job that doesn’t come along very often. I was given a tour within the new stadium (a privilege given very few) in order to get an idea of just how massive it truly is. And believe me, it was impressive. I have a new respect for the amount of planning and complexity that goes into a project of that magnitude. It was quite an experience to see the stadium unfinished and one that I doubt I’ll ever have that opportunity again.I’ve posted 4 drawings: The Jackie Robinson Rotunda, the Left Field Club Restaurant, the Sterling Lounge, and a rendering of a luxury Suite. Make your way to Flushing this spring and see it all come together. Love to hear what you think….
