Happy Halloween!

and huzzah for my two favorite seasons!

(please click image for a better view)

Vegan Treats!

hear ye hear ye! check out Vegan Treats to find out if some of the best desserts ever are near you!

also, check out these cool new clothing products available! they fit and feel awesome, and the screen-printing came out gorgeous as well

Paper+Plastick

here are a few fun projects for old friends and new ones

this is a silk screened limited edition poster celebrating the release of This Is My Suitcase's new record out now on P+P!

this is unfinished and changing a bit, but i am having a blast working for this fun punk band's upcoming 7"

here was a great ADMAT i was honored to get to work on

everybody was really happy. it's amazing that i created this little character when i was a sophomore in high school and 13+ years later i'm still being asked to draw him!

"I hope the exit is joyful - and I hope never to return"

this painting was done for the Autumn Society's show celebrating "Dia De Los Muertos" at Philadelphia's Proximity Gallery (2434 East Dauphin Street!) October 1st - November 1st

feel free to click for a larger view!

i also burned/carved into a frame for the piece

the piece came a bit from a lot of sources. one is the Catrinas of Mexico, which are elegant female skeletal figures intended to show that the rich and fashionable, despite their pretensions to importance, are just as susceptible to death as anyone else is. i like how a "king may go through the progress through the guts of a beggar" from Hamlet illustrating death as the great equalizer. my disdain for celebrity worship and the upsetting things popular culture and the media often celebrates were the impetus here

Octavio Paz observes that, undaunted by death, the Mexican has no qualms about getting up close and personal with death, noting that he "...chases after it, mocks it, courts it, hugs it, sleeps with it; it is his favorite plaything and his most lasting love." even old samurai thought upon death just enough to find peace with it, however and whenever it came. my favorite is when my Dad coined the term "Miracle of Death" that coincides alongside the Miracle of Life. that would be something i would love to touch upon artistically someday

for now, the show should be a fun one. happy holiday!

Coco Chanel

wow, what a day

Alarmcaster !

Philadelphia's Alarmcaster started off as 'friends of a friend' and quickly became 'friends'. we weren't sure if i could achieve the look they wanted at first, but we chipped away at it until the band was really excited about it, which of course is the best result i could hope for. Keats was a really super guy to work with and was terrific about the whole collaborative process. This awesome blistering CD is getting hand screen-printed on eco-friendly cardboard by the talented folks at Sire Press

concept thumbnails:

i really liked this next direction, and were getting close and feeling better, but not quite

The Final (click for larger looks if you like!) :

I 'heart' Harlem

moving to NYC and Harlem in Manhattan has been incredible so far, and thanks to an amazing support system of friends here, the enthusiasm of family, and of course Sarah Daisy Baugh as the best partner you could ask for in any adventure, it's hard to believe we've already/only been here for one third of a year!

the neighborhood and community has been wonderful, and we must be assimilating well as neighbors because I have already helped out two local Harlem entrepreneurs!

this photo is of a possible new club that may be opening, who needed a simple realistic logo of a leopard to get the branding rolling


this led to working with Harlem's historic jazz club the Lenox Lounge, a 70 year old institution like the Apollo Theater. They needed a new logo and updated menus to go along with their famous Zebra Room! I was very grateful and excited to work for such a local landmark

Augustus : viva la vinyl!

just because it was quiet on the blog doesn't mean August was without activity! I hope to make amends with that with the next few posts

as always, feel free to click on the images for larger views

one fun LP i got to work on was for TN's amazing Blacklist Royals. It was fun to design and I hope came across classic and authentic. The LP comes with playing cards for a drinking game, so be sure to check it out when Paper+Plastick releases it
I am actually pretty proud of these labels for the 12". I hope it looks like an old LP you might find in someone else's attic
layouts are hard, and making a lot of type look nice is always a challenge, but hopefully I did the guys and their lyrics justice
next up was formatting a diecut LP for the band FUN. I can't take credit for the terrific artwork and design here, but setting up elaborately packaged colored vinyl is a pipe dream of mine and working with Paper + Plastick as well as Nettwerk records (sometimes while I was driving from NYC to Texas i might add!) put me on cloud 9
and did i mention....Adam Arcuragi's 2nd long player "I Am Become Joy" is out!?!?! now, between you me and the lamp post, the record doesn't officially come out on High Two records until September, but if you go and catch any of Adam's live shows now, you can put it on the Victrola in the atrium NOW! I can't tell you how VERY proud i am to have been a part of this record both sonically as well as artistically (the art for the CD, LP, and digital itunes and emusic versions all vary!). Adam came over and let me approve the test pressings, and bias aside, this is a gorgeous collection of songs that are so genuine and true i don't dare try and describe it (so click on his name and preview some tracks on myspace!)

uncle sam, ready for business

here's a bit of a failure i did a few weeks back. there's a lot being said about government's role in business among other things, and i wanted to say something a bit more ambiguous about what's going on, despite (or because of) my own concerns & worries yet conflicting appreciation, but mostly because i rarely like smack-in-the-head illustration, unless it's profoundly clever. i suppose i have my opinions, but i also have my experiences, and a distant curiosity to see how things play out. that's fair. everything needs to be measured in qualitative, not quantitative measurements, and measured against the axis of short term good versus long term great (and short term good and quantity should always always lose that battle).

still, in the end, nothing is very strong, readable, or likable about this piece, but i'll post the stinker regardless

thanks for looking!
-peter

mr president

op eds always welcome!
-pw!

and Iran, Iran so far awa-a-ay...

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

one of three, in an attempt to be a better citizen of the world.

there's a lot going on in Iran the last few months. weeks ago i could have attempted empathy, only to put myself in the shoes of a people who are well briefed, more open to talk than we think (so long as we follow the rules of Bazaar negotiating seriously), and attempted reasonable [centrifuge caps] compromises, despite much infighting (rumor has it some fight over who gets the credit repairing Iran's relationship with the US, restoring it to more prosperous eras). as of 2 weeks ago though... the election, the protests, the media blackouts and blockage, the blatant depressing treatment of women and of course the government engaged murders (both of which i hope i subtly implied here), it's almost impossible to find the bright side.

with corrupt and iron willed politicians, as well as religious venomous clerics behind (clerics, who are demanding the execution of voting protesters now), i am curious to see what happens next. no country, nor its people, should ever be judged by the ruler. i think American's can certainly relate to that. speaking out and making waves of change is also not exclusive to our American democracy. the people of Iran are speaking, louder than ever; so who's listening, and what's next?

Richard Stark's Parker

Hi!
I am a huge fan of Darwyn Cooke. i think he is one of the best storytellers and artists in comics, hands down; he is certainly my favorite. in about a week, his graphic novel interpretation of Donald Westlake's (a.k.a. Richard Stark) novel 'The Hunter' is coming out. You can see a 21 page preview HERE! it looks amazing. Stark's main protagonist/anti-hero/no-hero is PARKER, who was the basis for characters played by Lee Marvin in POINT BLANK, as well as Mel Gibson in PAYBACK. basically fantastic crime/heist/betrayal/revenge stories.

there is a great interview with Darwyn about the project HERE and a review of The Hunter HERE

here are 2 quick pieces i did in the excitement of potentialy winning a signed copy from a fan art contest. cross your fingers!

-peter


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UPDATE 8/16:
hey whaddaya know! i got an honorable mention, which comes with an incredible prize of a personalized copy of the new book! i'm so excited!
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UPDATED (9/25/09):

! ! !

thank you Calum and Darwyn!

Animal Summer: the A.K.A.s (are everywhere!)

Hi!
recently, Philadelphia's dance hall fight musicians 'the A.K.A.s' asked me to help them with a special project. While they are on tour for Van's Wared Tour, they will be giving drum lessons to those interested parties who sign up (via their myspace. drummer Chachi Darin posted HERE). The winners will have a chance to win a painted drum head! i was really excited about this; i've never been a 'prize' before! Mike Ski has been an enthusiastic awesome guy. we switched places from Philly and NYC on the same moving day, but plan on meeting up for donuts eventually.

in the meanwhile, here's some process pics, but i'll be sure to post more as the band sends me news, ads, and promos
thanks everyone!
-peter

getting a good dance pose was not easy for me. thank goodness for my extensive collection of records and books (about record collections) involving the twist

it's a tiger...in jams!

the drumhead. iridescent gold here too, like sun on the water, to play with the orange black and pink color scheme, a la The Endless Summer

the icons were a small spoof of icons on signs at the beach, but also with a lot of thought regarding the AKAs, their new record, lyrics, past merchandise, and anthems.

"...save me from this darkness..." *

the world does not need another Johnny Cash portriat, and sometimes, perhaps in the case of film and fans in recent years, it would be a more fitting tribute to not pay homage at all. Cash, like many of the great songwriters, left music that will speak for itself and last the test of time; in a way that artists (and certainly, sadly, illustrators) rarely ever come close to achieving.

but i have always been a huge fan. both prison recordings, though very different, earn the adjective of 'landmark'. if there was a personality test where you had to pick a set of cards with the faces of music icons (lennon, presley, hendrix, dylan, etc), Cash would probably be one i would instinctualy grab.

this is the first in a series of portraits i am doing about musicians/icons in an attempt to just do more portraits, and also to do a little more editorial work. it was important for me to do things with more to say than your average big head-small body caricature.

fellow Highwayman Kris Kristofferson once said in an interview (that i can not find on-line, it was in Filter or something around the time Blade 2 came out) how relationships and creativity rarely successfully coexist. That you are always sacrificing one for the other. if you're lucky though, maybe you find that one in a million...
so this piece is, in truth, a tribute to June Carter

thanks for looking
-peter

* subject quote from 'I See a Darkness', actually written by Will Oldham, but what a duet they made of it

Coffee Project EP!

the Coffee Project will have a new digital only EP available this summer through Paper + Plastick records! check out some other cool merch available!

skeletor: pretty darned Metal

The Autumn Society is having their 80s Pop show soon, and there are some incredible intimidating exciting contributions yet again. personally, i'm not really that crazy about any of the pop media that came out of the 80s, and nostalgia for the wonderful 10 years i enjoyed during the decade (especially the one where i was born) make it only slightly better than the 70s, which produced almost nothing i would go bragging about (maybe Led Zeppelin and my brother Dan, that's about it)

but my parents were always so generous and i was always able to enjoy action figures and let my imagination run wild. the truth is there were some highly imaginative strange characters from pac man to thundercats to transformers to turtle ninjas and on and on, but he-man was my favorite early on. running around creating stories in my head, creating silly dialog and adventures and battles and such was perhaps a huge impact on where i am now as a creative person, not to mention i imagine that masters of the universe may be among the earliest things i ever drew (post smiley-face period, that is). the proof of that is a page from he-man magazine down below, circa 1985, when my brother Ray and i had apparently submitted an ally for the Eternian Universe.

so that's what i pay tribute to here more than anything. only as i write this am i realizing how important he-man may have been to me, or rather, how encouraging and supportive my family has been since day one with me, and how all these little things have lasting effects and contributions. a butterfly wing flap here, a hurricane there.

sketch

inks

beet juice and inks (for real)

here's that little gem from my childhood; 100% authentic. note what a superfan i was at 5, and how unintentionally sweet and humorous these innocent letters are. click to read

Diver City

as always, click image for a nicer, larger view

the 7"

here's one that has a lot of reasons. i wanted to give my buddy Kyle Hussa Lietz a 45rpm 7" record that i had acquired by ill gotten means during a summer of my ill spent youth long ago, but i had no sleeve for it (abandoning the original was key to the coveted vinyl's attainment). Kyle is an amazing guy who makes fantastic art of all kinds HERE, as well as some of my favorite music HERE (and occasionally he even lets me ruin it a little).

He quietly and romantically proposed to his awesome girlfriend Alana while they were snorkeling one vacation. So when i figured Kyle should have a sleeve for his 7", i wanted to celebrate them both, because they were both huge helps, comforts, and support systems since we moved to NYC (and well before that).

with the 7" format, knowing it would be folded, i wanted something that would work as a mirror reflection (as the bottom would be flipped upside down if you turned it over to view the 'back' of the record), as well as unfolded and elongated, if they wanted to look at it that way.

i think jellyfish are amazing to look at. if you have ever seen how beautiful they are (behind glass), or even Tim Roth's 'room' in Werner Herzog's "Invincible", you will know what i hope an afterlife would look a little like

this piece also is a little reflective of our move to Harlem NYC, where there's excitement and wonder but certainly a degree of caution. Diver City.

it also got me over the hump of just DOING the first new piece of art in the new apartment/studio. we moved to New York on a saturday and 7 days later the drafting table and computer were up and the piece was done (and on the blog 2 weeks after, of course...)

thanks for reading! there's a LOT more new work on the way: political images, social themes, various portraits from the television ("note, i did not say TV. TV is a nickname, and nicknames are for friends, and television is NO friend of mine..."), and a new series of some of my favorite recording artists of yesteryear. next post though, is, dare i say, a 'gnarly' take on a popular and cherished toy icon from my childhood for the Autumn Society's show "80s Pop!" so put your OP and Skidz on and prepare to get radical and such!
take care,
peter

Vegan Treats!

these have been around for a bit but they are finally at the printer!

Vegan Treats is an amazing Vegan bakery in Bethlehem PA (though available all over, maybe even near you!). i am not the biggest cake person in the world nor do i have much of a sweet tooth, however i constantly refer to her cupcakes as "Lifechangers" to everyone i talk to about this

Gary and Danielle are both amazing people to work with and i was excited to practice my design chops for such a great business run by such a great person. here are some business cards and the retail menu






here's an early sketch of the Cake Charmer!



and the human sweets swallower!

everybody dance! (for Yoko & Sean)

(please click for larger view)

This was a piece my good friend Sean asked me to do for his fiance Yoko, which came as a huge compliment that he would want to give her a painting of mine as a gift. They are both very near and dear to my heart, so I really wanted to make sure I did something special for them, and very much about them.

The piece is called "Look at What Your Love Does". The records they are spinning are balls of yarn, coiling in an infinity loop on the turntables, intertwining throughout the kitty kat dance party of friends and loved ones. The implications, I hope, become apparent the more that people, I also hope, will find enjoyable things to look at.

I thought i would post my first real "process" blog if anyone was interested (Joe Sorren's blog has the most inspiring and evolving one). I should like to remark also that there is an iridescent gold under-painting, as Sean and Yoko both work with metals, and it is a quality that only they will get to enjoy in person as it hangs in their home someday. I wish them both lots of luck and love in their bright future, and thank them so much for their union that has brought so many good friends together so many times
love
peter

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(if you like, most of these can be clicked on for much larger versions than blogger allows)

here is my 'thumbnail', and it is about 2 inches wide

a 'color comp' i did quickly in the computer. the folks at the Autumn Society were nice enough to help critique me so long ago (here)

the sketch! often the most important part for me, if i take the time it takes to work everything important out in pencils, then i can enjoy the organic experimentation that happens as i get lost in a painting without messing up TOO bad. I really wanted to make sure each cat was special, here in dance, and later in coloring and painting. being a southpaw means that sometimes i have the filthiest smears, not to mention the difficulties erasing (and i erase more than i pencil, if that's possible) on a 3 foot piece of coated wood was challenging

inks! Sharpie and smeary Microns. As careful as i like to ink, i know it is more for a guide to paint over as i will always ink over some parts of the piece to regain the drawing. my goal is to someday be able to represent my drawings in the world of paint, and not rely so much on line and drawing, but i am probably decades away from that goal. Thank heavens life is a long work in progress. Also, inking is where i stiffen up and loose all fluidity that a once decent drawing had; another area i hope to someday improve upon

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gold!

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orange trees i was very unhappy with

pink trees i was even more unhappy with. this was a night i felt i had to walk away in defeat from the drafting table with hopes of salvaging the piece if i just kept at it with fresher morning eyes.

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red grass over gold grass.

red grass and more fleshed out trees. i was going for a 'pink autumn' of sorts with purple trees, but the scrapes and branches helped a little with an area i really had problems with

i just love the way the light from my blinds hit this one, like real light might react in real woods. i wish i could paint this well

fleshing out the cats! i went for more pink and allowed the wisps of acrylic to cover the inked outlines so they had more of a fluffy feel

here is a shot of my work area in my bedroom, and the table was a very encouraging and important gift from my family so very long ago. I don't normally work so large (this was a special occasion and a very ambitious painting for me personally) and it was very funny to me how i would have to roll around left to right or push the painting around like a typewriter

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afterwards i put alizarin crimson for the yarn, and carved and scraped it so the records' grooves popped more with thicker texture, as well as give the yarn that bumpy twisting quality (i think the line work is too thick, but i hope some people will enjoy following the very workable path like a dizzying roller coaster). i hope you've enjoyed this post and thank you for staying with it this far!

i will talk to you all soon with good news to report, but for now, i have to get ready for my big move from Philadelphia to NYC!!! yikes!
take care,
your friend,
peter
peterwonsowski.com

ha!

!

you are cordially invited to the JOKER'S WILD SHOW!

"Come on April 3rd for a killer show!"

Host: The Autumn Society Of Philadelphia
OPENING April 3rd 6pm-9pm

at Philadelphia's Brave New Worlds Comics

The Autumn Society teams up with Philly's favorite purveyor of comics and art to bring you a gaggle of incredible illustrators giving their twisted takes on the clown prince of crime. this is going to be a lot of fun. i have been at The Autumn Society regularly getting excited by everyone's incredible contributions. mine, below, is titled "La Commedia è finita!" after the final line in the opera Pagliacci. i have been trying in vain to muster the courage to strategically smash the corner of the frame it is in, but you just can not control chaos correctly, now can you



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UPDATE! Happy April Fool's !!!! tonight is the hanging of the show, and i started the day right by whipping a dart at the frame and then re-framing everything (like a dangerous puzzle) behind new glass so no one gets hurt





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