this is sure to be one heck of a group exhibit with a whopping 50 illustrators. it co-insides with ICON6 the 6th Illustration Conference, which starts this thursday July 15th in Pasadena.

here is a link to more information on the show from fine folks at Gallery Nucleus.

the piece i have for sale in the show is called ForeArm. there will be a signed, framed print on display along with the original sculpture/puppet.

here are a few shots from  the opening. the folks at Manifest Gallery sure know how to do it up right. a tremendous thanks to Jason Franz for spearheading my involvement. here are a few shots he sent of the evening.

It’s only been about 5 years since this many of my pieces have been on display in one place. Jason Franz of Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati Ohio has worked closely with me selecting a body of work from my illustration and personal work for an exhibit called Seeing Red (Nose).

Along with sculptures and framed prints of the work there will be my personal sketch books on hand and animations showing, some Red Nose classics like ForkBoy and The Red Thread Project along with never before seen test scenes of Scout and the new super silent short Bandit Blood.

here is the release form the gallery:

Manifest digs deep, exploring the fringes of visual arts which include design and illustration (not just philosophical conceptualism and nihilism). Adding to its history of such exhibits begun with Transportation Design, the Drawthrough Collection by Scott Roberston, and Funny Men which included works by noted illustrators Ryan Ostrander and Gabriel Utasi, Manifest invites Chris Sickels of Red Nose Studio back to Cincinnati for a full spectrum experience of his intense and highly unique illustrative process. Seeing Red (Nose) will feature a start to finish range of works by Sickels that lead to his stunning photographic images. Like artists such as Sandy Skoglund or the Brothers Quay, Sickels employs a painstaking process of crafting every element within each image as an object, then combining and manipulating them, then lighting and ultimately photographing. Manifest’s exhibit will include original sketchbooks, hand-crafted sculptural models, finished photographic illustrations, and stop-motion animation featuring the compelling characters in haunting moving dramas.

the opening is July 9th 2010 6-9 pm the show runs July 9 – Aug 6th 2010

Manifest Gallery 2727 Woodburn Avenue Cincinnati Ohio 45206

HERE is a video from a book signing for ‘Here Comes The Garbage Barge!’ i did as a fund raiser at my favorite non profit organization Happen Inc.

a special thanks to everyone at Happen Inc for a fun event!

i am happy to announce a benefit auction to help raise funds for the Art Association of Randolph County. Randolph County is where i grew up in rural Indiana, and hopefully this auction can help out those who helped foster some of my first exposure to the arts.

the auction is live on ebay for the next 8 days thru Friday June 18th. you can link the the auction HERE!

the piece up for auction is called ‘Well Read’ it is a personal piece from a few years back that has been hanging on my studio wall.

if you have any question about the piece or the auction feel free to contact me at 317 313 1252

thanks,

chris

i am delighted to announce that a humble piece of mine will be one in an exhibition of chosen images from the Spectrum books. the image is the first of the three Borribles book covers for TOR

The Museum of American Illustration is proud to announce an exhibit featuring the top fantastic artists from around the world as seen in the annual SPECTRUM. Created in 1993 by Cathy and Arnie Fenner to showcase fantastic-themed art work, Spectrum is now the leading resource for art directors, art buyers, and fans of the genre. Selected pieces are chosen by top jurors in the field and images are produced in the full color book printed annually.

The SPECTRUM exhibit features a selection of over 120 works from both legendary artists and talented newcomers from the last four annuals. Divided into seven categories, the exhibit showcases multi-media works including original art in both traditional and digital medium, video, 3D, comics and graphic novels. Artists include Julie Bell, Kinuko Y. Craft, Eric Fortune, William Basso, Brom, James Gurney, Tony DiTerlizzi, Terese Nielsen, Yuko Shimizu, Michael Whelan, Donato Giancola, John Jude Palencar, Phil Hale and many more. The artwork will be on display from September 1 through October 17, 2009. In conjunction with the exhibit the Society will hold an Opening Reception on Friday, September 11, 2009. Tickets are $40 for non-members and $35 for members, and are limited. A percentage of the proceeds from this exhibition will be donated to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk.

i was asked if i would participate in an exhibit of non-traditional kokeshi dolls called KOKESHI: From Folk Art to Art Toy for the Japanese American National Museum in los angeles http://www.latdamuseum.org/kokeshi.html curated by Christina Conway www.2winks.blogspot.com

over 100 artists were supplied with a wooden blank that consists of a ‘body’ shape with a ‘head’ shape.  no limbs or surface variations. traditionally the dolls were only painted with no modifications to the surface. for a little history on the dolls http://web-japan.org/atlas/crafts/cra02.html

The official public opening is Saturday, July 11, 2009. The closing date will be October 4, 2009.

i couldnt resist cutting into my blank and modifying it.

kokeshi

i am happy to announce that a humble piece of mine is hanging among work that is clearly out of my league. it is always an honor to have work selected to be in the Society of Illustrators annuals, and i only wish i could make out this week for the opening on march 6th. SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS

the piece was part of the advertising for the upcoming Directory of Illustration 26 

thanks to mr david plunkert of SPUR DESIGN

this is the concept that was chosen for the theme of Smell Opportunity 

tried to simplify it a bit, the color study was for my own reference, this one actually made me miss painting just a bit…

the final… shot thru an old graflex camera!

well, its OFFICIAL. my illustration has been featured in the Sept-Oct 2008/ Interactive Annual 14 issue of CA. never thought it would happen but something i have always aspired to. dont know what else to say…
the writer Matthew Porter was a delight to have around for couple days, i am not much of a people person but he knows how to get you talking and knows how to make me seem like maybe, just maybe i know what i am doing…
thanks CA and thanks Mr. Porter.

and thanks to my representative Magnet Reps for their continual support and belief in my work (even when few others did) They truly help me continue to do what i love.

for those who would like to see the animations featured in the articles in their entirety, you can link to them here:
The Red Thread Project

Innards