in the summer of  2007 i was contacted by Schwarzt & Wade Books a division of Random House about the possibility of creating the illustrations for a new manuscript that was just being finished up. Anne Schwartz said she was familar with my work and thought my work would be perfect for book about garbage… although i was delighted she had called me, i wasnt sure how to take that statement. was she implying that my work was garbage??? not long after talking with her i realized she was very familiar with my stuff and how i used found objects and junk in my work.

here is a link: Here Comes the Garbage Barge! by Jonah Winter; illustrated by Red Nose Studio – Hardcover Library Binding – Random House

the summary of the book goes like this:

In the spring of 1987, the town of Islip, New York, with no place for its 3,168 tons of garbage, loads it on a barge that sets out on a 162-day journey along the east coast, around the Gulf of Mexico, down to Belize, and back again, in search of a place willing to accept and dispose of its very smelly cargo.

the second time i read through the manuscript i was hooked and once everything was official i dove headfirst into the absurd world of Captain Duffy St. Pierre, the tugboat the Break of Dawn and their abysmal 6000+ mile journey with the Mobro 4000 garbage barge.

although the book will not be out until in Feb 1010, i thought it would be interesting to post some of the visual development and how the characters and environments came about to help build some back story to the project.

here are some of the drawings of the tugboat based on news photographs from the time of the event. the tug is still in operation tugging oil barges in the Gulf of Mexico, although i was unable to make it down for a face to face visit with the vessel. but maybe one day…

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.