A Dazzling Display of Dogs on shelves this week!

Friends to the Four-Pawed:

my second picture book, A Dazzling Display of Dogs (written by Betsy Franco – yes, that Betsy Franco), has been released and is available at your local bookstore and online. We’re super excited about it over here, and hope you’ll get yourself a copy!

The book release party has been set for March 23, at Diesel Books here in Oakland. Andy and I will probably, as with the Curious Cats opening, embarrass ourselves in front of you. Just to let you know.

Here’s a great review from School Library Journal:

Starred Review. Grade 1–5 – This follow-up to A Curious Collection of Cats (Tricycle, 2009) is dazzling indeed. Each of the 34 poems features a different animal, most of them engaged in true dog behavior. From farting in the car to wheezing and snoring while sleeping, these pups are funny and lovable even when they’re being annoying. The verses and the book’s design are beautifully matched. In “Emmett’s Ode to His Tennis Ball,” the text is enclosed in a circle held firmly in the dog’s mouth. It begins, “Slobbery, sloppy, slimy, sphere—oh, tennis ball, I hold you dear….” Like the poems, the pictures are funny and dynamic. The pages are definitely full, yet careful use of color, typeface, and detail means they never look chaotic. A note says the pictures were started in pencil and then finished using monoprints and Adobe Photoshop. Overall, a delight for kids, their adults, and maybe even their beloved canine companions.—Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL

Sadly, ‘A Dazzling Display of Dogs’ is one of the last books that Tricycle press will publish. I am so grateful to my editor Abigail Samoun for making this book happen!

See more images from the book here.

xm

Kids draw: Wertz-style!

These are so utterly charming!

First, a submission from a young gal who did a book report on Dog Dreams:

A couple of kids and a Dad who do a blog called Bookie Woogie did a review of A Curious Collection of Cats, and even did a few concrete poems of their own!

Hooray! Keep it coming!

xm

Songs in Reverse – a print collaboration

Dear Friendlies,

Jim Winters and I just finished a print collaboration called Songs in Reverse. These prints will be shown in conjunction with the SGC conference in Philadelphia in March 2010.

The idea behind the Songs in Reverse show is to highlight a favorite piece of music of each artist, re-contextualizing each song in a queer fashion. I chose There’s a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon) by the B-52′s. Jim chose The Man That I Am With My Man by the Hidden Cameras. Our collaborative print was based on Do You Really Want to Hurt Me by Culture Club.

There’s A Moon In the Sky (Called the Moon) (inspired by The B-52′s).

‘There’s a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)‘ is one of those songs you hear as a teenager that reaches out of the speakers and taps you on the shoulder. Pssst: we wrote this song for you. Yes, you, the awkward one with the bad skin and weird feelings. Charles Nelson Reilly was my first queen on the TV. Fred Schneider was my first queen on the turntable. If you’re in outer space, Don’t feel out of place. ’cause there are thousands of others like you.

The Man That I Am With My Man (inspired by The Hidden Cameras)

Jim sez: “The Man That I Am With My Man, by the Hidden Cameras is a love song to men. Men and their rituals. Rituals that provide close proximity to each other, and in the song, ones that blossom into homoerotic experience. I find the song beautiful, humorous and sexy, and by mentioning both ‘the Army’ and ‘the Klan’ within this sexualized male ritual scenario, it becomes a political commentary reminiscent of a piece by Barbara Kruger: “You construct intricate rituals which allow you to touch the skin of other men”.”

Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? (inspired by The Battle of the Naked Men and Culture Club)

‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me‘ was such a great song. I remember coming home from Junior High School to see Boy George on the local video show (this was before MTV). He was so confusing: is he a boy? Is he a girl? It didn’t matter. I didn’t know if I was a boy or a girl either. I was the girliest boy I knew, that’s for sure. Boy had a great look, to be sure, but this song packs an extra punch because it speaks to the anger and potential violence we experience for loving one another. Americans would much rather kill than kiss, and this Brit used makeup as his armor.

You can see a few photos and video of the print process (including visiting Nat @ Bloom Press to cut the prints down) here. It was great to collaborate with Jim, and I’m thrilled with the results.

I’ll get these up in the shop for sale soon.

xm

super furry 504 @ oakland’s café 504

Hey there folks!

Fine artist Dave Warnke and illustrator Michael Wertz are at it again. Couldn’t make it all the way down to Santa Cruz to see our latest? Well come say hello and see a *bunch* of new work – from wooden wall hangings to screen prints to cardboard pieces to small gocco prints. Come on down and enjoy a tasty adult beverage, some snacks, and live music, too!

Totally Psyched! We just found out that Heller High Water is going to be gracing the show with their own special brand of Berkeley Hillbilly-ness and four-part harmonies! Yaa-hoo!~

See a preview of the work here.

March 6, at 7 pm, at Cafe 504, 504 Wesley Avenue in Oakland, CA.

See you there? Your current reply is YES!

xm

super furry 504

dave and i are re-working the super furry animals show for the cafe down the street from my house in oakland – i think we’ll call it “super furry 504“. we’ll be using the remaining work from the last show, as well as painting a large wall in the cafe. i am excited about it, and wrote dave an email about it:

see you tonight man
i’m excited to paint walls
that was a haiku

xm

The Long View : Art in Antarctica

My friend and amazing artist Michael Bartalos is taking part in a once-in-a-lifetime art project in Antarctica. Have a look see.

From the site: “Greetings and welcome to The Long View Project blog. My name is Michael Bartalos and I’m pleased to be designated the Academy’s first Affiliated Artist. I’ll soon be on my way to Antarctica on an exciting project at the crossroads of art and science, and you’re invited to follow along.

My ultimate objective is to create a very long piece of sculptural artwork using recycled materials from polar research facilities in order to raise international awareness of resource conservation and eco-preservation practices in Antarctica, and by extension, to promote and inspire sustainability worldwide. In the process, I expect to learn a whole lot about environmental issues, scientists’ lives on the ice, the history of polar exploration, and creativity’s role on the southern continent.”

xm

super furry animals – DATE CHANGE!

dear friends,

we’ve had to change the date of the super furry animals opening in santa cruz! hopefully, this means that more of you can make it to the opening! come awn, santa cruz is soooo bootiful – make a weekend of it!

please join dave warnke & i at the opening of our show at the artisans gallery in santa cruz. featured: a 19′ x 7′ wall filled with large wooden cutouts. see the mockup below.

the wooden pieces are done, and they look really great. i’ll post some photos soon.

it’s super, it’s furry, and it’s animalistic. come visit the super furry animals in santa cruz. ok? cool.

so far, i’m partial to the pink and loving pig…

who? michael wertz and dave warnke <— superstar
what? animals of a super furry nature
where? artisans gallery, 1368 pacific avenue, santa cruz, california
when? opening december 5 from 5-8 pm. can you make it? say yes!

show continues through the 2nd january

love, michael