First blog post of 2021 - right on schedule! With only two months of the year left. Oh well.. in predictable fashion, as the world has been slowly opening up again, and after a long dry spell of not much in-person activity going on in the world, there is suddenly a lot of in-person activity going on in the world.
Got vaccinated in the Spring, and have been slowly venturing out into the world again. As expected, it's been a gradual process. But for the most part, I remain eager and excited to start enjoying larger in-person events like I used to, and perhaps make up for the lost moments when we were all in lockdown.
In keeping up with Sermonibus Animalis, the animal illustration series that is apparently taking over my life, I've gotten up to 70 animals! This includes a new sub-series called The Curious 7, seven unique animals that have joined the gang, who specialize in the exploration of strange and otherworldly phenomena. Initially, my goal was to get to 100 animals by the end of Inktober '21, so accounting for the 31 days / drawings, I needed 7 extra animals to get there..
While I didn't have the time or capacity to really do Inktober this year, I was still quite pleased with how the Curious 7 turned out, and it allowed me to experiment with some additional narrative elements that I had been tinkering with.. sort of a proto-experimental version of what it might look like if I create a whole book of all of these animals in the near future! We'll see how that develops..
In the meantime, head over to the SHOP page, and check them out for yourself! As for the remaining unfinished animals, I do have them all planned out, and hope to reach that 100 quota by the end of the year.. so maybe they'll make their appearance during Inkcember! (is Inkcember an actual thing?)
In other exciting news, I'll be showcasing all of these animals and prints in not one, but two upcoming art shows! The first one is later this month, as part of the Renegade Arts Collective. There, I'll be debuting some exciting new merchandise, like drink coasters, greeting cards, and holiday ornaments! Mark your calendars:
Nov. 20 & 21
LA State Historic Park
Then throughout December and into January, I'll once again be showcasing these same items at Ave 50 Studios in Highland Park, as part of the Arroyo Arts Collective! More details to come, once exact dates are confirmed.
Finally, live film festivals are finally returning to the world, and even right here in my own neighborhood! Of Crumbs and Dreams will be screening as part of the Sherman Oaks Film Festival. Festival runs Nov. 14 - 21 at the Whitefire Theatre, and then runs virtually on Vimeo the week after. My film is screening on Wed. Nov 17th at 7pm. Come check it out! Tickets can be purchased here, and if you use the code 21crumbs you get a discount!
With so much of the world in a standstill, it's been almost a year since I've been a part of an actual film festival, and almost two years since I've been to one in person, so it will be a much needed return to that whole part of the world.
Hope your 2021 is going well, and that you have lots to look forward to in 2022, as more people are getting vaccinated, including the youngsters!, and the world opens up with opportunity and possibility again.. and who knows, maybe I'll start tending to this blog more than once a year!
-Brian