SI-Blog-LA: The Illustrators' Blog.

At 2 ‘o clock I left work and headed for home to pick up my bags, cameras, computer and sketch book. I had about 3 hours before take off so I had no time to spare. I did however make a stop at Val Surf and bought a 1mm lycra short sleeve rash guard. I also looked around and soaked in the surfing spirit. I looked at the boards and the wetsuits and I realized…I was in a store that was complete hype. More shirts and shorts and hats and stuff no one needs. But it was the best I could do at the moment.

After a short while and a quick stop at home I was on my way to LAX. I got there quickly and parked my car at the Marriot parking lot. I took the shuttle over to the airport and got let out at United. Mentally I was already gone. But my body went thru the motions of check in. As I went thru the security line I was stopped. Sir please move to the side. OK. “What’s wrong?” In a very serious tone the security officer said, “You cannot take this hair gel on the plane. It is over 4 ounces.” Really?” “Yes…unless you check it in.” “Check in a tube of hair gel?” With your bag sir. Oh….no no you keep it. I’ll go naturale!”

So I headed off for the gate. Who needs hair gel anyways I thought. It’s so metrosexual…I’m going surfing not dancing at some night club.

I made my way through the terminal and right over to gate 75 where my plane was loading. “Fantastic, I thought, no waiting. Get on the plane and take off! I move quickly through the boarding gate and on to the plane. My seat was right over the wing, the bulkhead, the perfect spot. Easy access to exit and the strongest part of the plane. Isn’t it funny how that makes you feel safe. I mean the bulkhead’s not saving you if you are traveling 600 mph straight into a mountain. But I felt good nonetheless.

Next to me was a kid from Michigan who was going to Kauai for the first time. He was very clean cut looking. A brush cut hair style in slacks, nice shirt button down shirt and a tie! “My name’s Robert.” “Lon” It’s my first time going to Kauai, how ‘bout you? “I been there a few times. It’s great. You gonna surf there?”  “Yeah, my buddies are meeting me there and we’re staying together in a condo near the beach. “Sounds great. “What about you?  Me? I’m writing and illustrating a book on surfing. This is research…kind of.” “Nice.” Yeah it is. “This is my last trip before I go back to school. I’m at the Univertsity of Michigan. “That’s impressive.”  “Not really. I’m graduating this year and I think I’m gonna go to business school.” “OK advice here…that’s a good idea…I wish I’d have done that…I might be flying first class right now!” Hey you’re a writer and an artist. That’s dope.” I thought for a second. He’s right.”Yeah it is.”  We chatted a little while longer until the captain came on and said we about to take off.

I settled in for a 5 and half hour flight. By 7 Hawaiian time I’d be in Kauai.

The next 5 hours went by pretty quickly. I watched a few episodes of Larry David on my laptop and then wrote a little. Then for the last hour or so I closed my eyes and tried to envision myself surfing. I figured if I planted positive thoughts and images in my head I might not embarrass myself in the water. After a while my thoughts were interrupted by the pilot telling us we were flying over the islands. I looked out the window and saw nothing but clouds and darkness. The sky looked ominous. “What if it rains the whole time I’m here?…that would be a drag.” AS we came closer to Kauai the clouds and the darkness was more pronounced. It looked more like the lost island where King kong lived than the garden island I remembered. Within minutes we were on the ground. I exited the plane and walked into the terminal. It was larger than I had thought. I headed for the baggage area and the exit. All my cares and worries started to fade. I’m am actually here! I took in the air. I noticed the faint smell of sugar refineries. Kinda like burnt molasses. I headed for the pickup zone and sat down in front. I called Alan on the cellie. “Hey hey…Welcome to the islands bra!”  was the first thing I heard. “Yeah, thanks, where are you?” I’m very close just hang in there enjoy the breeze.”  I sat back against a cement post and waited. Thinking about how many times I’ve been to Kauai. Was it 3 or 4 times? I don’t recall. I knew I had come there for my honeymoon and I knew I came with Alan during our heyday in the 70’s, and somewhere in between there was another time. Oh well old age…what can you do?

Minutes later Alan showed up in a cinnamon colored Chevy cruiser with boards strapped on top. “Check it out…our surf buggy.” Suddenly I transported back to a time when that look meant something to me, it was our identity and we wore that look like a badge of honor. I felt like a surfer, but could I stand up? Would I be able to live up to this look and feel?

“Raz Raz Raz”
Sculptures, photographs, and paintings by Sylvia Raz, Alan Raz, and Karyn Raz.

Ojai Art Center
113 S. Montgomery Street
Ojai, CA 93023
www.ojaiartcenter.org

Show runs September 6 through October 2, 2008
Opening reception is on Sunday, September 7, from 1 – 3 pm.

Ojai Art Center presents “Raz Raz Raz”, an exhibit by Ojai artist Sylvia Raz, her son, Alan Raz, a photographer based in Los Angeles, and her daughter Karyn Raz, a painter and illustrator based in Santa Monica.

A member of the Ojai Studio Artists, Sylvia Raz has been working and exhibiting in Ojai and Ventura for over a decade. Sylvia left her native Montevideo in 1963 to live for eleven years in Jerusalem before settling in California in 1974. She studied art at Betzalel Institute and UCLA. Her work evolves around the figure and human passion, striving to capture the sublime and pathetic aspects of life. Clay, stone, assemblage using found objects, knitting, painting, and bronze all come together to imply an intimate relationship with life and a feminist point of view, compatible with the humor and lightness of heart she wants to express.

Alan Raz has worked as an art photographer for over twenty years in the Los Angeles area. In 2005 he began collecting medieval fantasy weapons, armor, garb and props. His passion for these archaic objects led to a new direction in his work, combining his love of fantasy, the female form, and photography into the “Maiden” series. Taking his cue from the narratives unfolding in stories such as J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and the Dungeons and Dragons games of his youth, Alan creates forgotten worlds inhabited by warriors, fairies, witches, goddesses, and queens. The “Maiden” series now includes thousands of images and continues to grow. This exhibit marks the gallery debut of the series.

Karyn Raz recalls working in her mother’s art studio as a young girl. “I have a very strong memory of her helping me sculpt the digestive system for the fifth grade science fair, which included Cap’n Crunch Berries glued into the esophagus in a meticulous pattern.” On family vacations, Karyn would make color pencil renderings of Elle models and watch her mom working on her art. “She made it seem fun and relaxing.” As an adult, Karyn constantly seeks that same feeling of joy and child-like exploration in her own work. In this exhibit, Karyn has created acrylic paintings on wood panels that explore the narrative within tarot cards known as “The Fool’s Journey.” In this narrative, people begin life as optimistic, open-hearted fools, and encounter various forces, both positive and negative, that influence and shape them, from the subconscious powers of “The High Priestess” to the soul-searching of “The Hermit.” Karyn graduated from Brown University and the illustration program at Art Center College of Design, and serves on the arts faculty at New Roads School.

Baby Tattooville, Oct. 3-5, 2008, Mission Inn and Spa, Riverside, CA

This year’s featured artists are Ana Bagayan, Glenn Barr, Dave Cooper, Bob Dob, Joe Ledbetter, Brandi Milne, Daniel Peacock, Shag, Amy Sol and Michael Whelan.

Baby Tattooville provides a unique opportunity for a small group of celebrated artists and serious collectors to spend time together in a relaxed yet creatively stimulating environment. Without the time constraints of a typical personal appearance, or the crowd control issues of a standing-room-only event, artists and collectors will have a weekend-long opportunity to discuss and explore their mutual interests. Original work will be created and celebrated around-the-clock. No one will leave empty handed. Only 50 event packages are being offered. www.babytattooville.com

In addition, there will be an art show, Beyond Baby Tattooville, being held in conjunction with Baby Tattooville. It will include works from this and last year’s featured artists and include a reception on Oct. 4, 2008 at the Riverside Art Museum.

Name:
Karyn Raz

Website, Blog:
www.karynraz.com

Describe your illustration style.
colorful, whimsical, graphic, naive

How did you get started in the illustration field?
I studied film production at Brown, and it wasn’t until my senior year that I took my first studio art class. Our final assignment was to make a book, and I wrote and illustrated a kid’s story. That lit the fire. After college I worked as an animation production coordinator, and was surrounded by artists. I got very itchy to make my own work, and would sneak in sketches at lunch, at night, and on weekends. I started taking night classes in studio art, including a class at Art Center College of Design, and eventually enrolled full-time in the illustration program there. I graduated in 2005, and have been on the art journey ever since.

When I was younger I wanted to be…
A ballerina, fashion designer, filmmaker, and rock star, in that order. My mom is an artist, and drawing was one of many forms of expression I was encouraged to explore as a kid.

What’s your favorite medium? Least Favorite?
I love acrylic for its versatility– the way it can be sanded, stomped on, and scratched, or smooth and shiny. I also love gouache for the brilliancy of the colors, though it’s a challenge to work with. I am not a fan of working with oils.

What is your favorite part of your job?
I love the idea-generating phase. That’s when I get to daydream. I also love putting on that final coat of gloss, when the piece is done and gets to be all shiny and pretty.

Describe your typical workday.
I wake up at around 8:00ish, check e-mails, read the paper, eat breakfast with my husband, and go down to the garage to start painting. I work for several hours, then grab some lunch. I teach art in the afternoons at New Roads High School, and then I head back to the studio until dinner. After that, depending how busy I am, I’ll either go back in the studio, get some exercise, read, or relax.

What was your favorite project?
I did a Hanukkah series for Mazon, a hunger-relief organization. They gave me a series of poems about the holiday, and pretty much gave me free reign, with only a few fixes, to do what I liked. I really had fun with it, and am working on a book dummy inspired by that project.

What advice do you wish you had at the beginning of your illustration career?
Well, I feel like I still am at the beginning of my career. But the advice I have for others and for myself is to become exposed to lots of culture…get out of the studio! Go to an opening. Go on a bike ride. Dance. Try new things. When I do this I’m usually reenergized.

Also, right out of school I joined a small workshop composed of other recent Art Center grads, and we met weekly. It was a bit of a shock for me to leave behind the rigors and structure of school, and it was great to have continued support from a group of people whose opinions I respect. Some of the artists in the group have moved away from Los Angeles, but we have maintained a blog and it continues to be an invaluable way to get and give feedback.

How do you balance work and play?
I like to reward myself for hard work with yoga, dance class, and Gossip Girl.
I’ve made several zines, one of which is called “Liz Taylor’s Husbands” and is a visual chronicle of the star’s seven loves. (It can be seen in the Society of Illustrators 50th annual.)

What are some of your inspirations?
Artists I love include Maira Kalman, Modigliani, Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Mose Toliver. At Art Center I had some amazing teachers who inspired me, including the Clayton Brothers, Jason Holley, Jeff Smith, Esther Watson, Mark Todd, Martha Rich, and Alex Gross. My artist friends never cease to inspire me. Some of them include Jaime Zollars, Yoko Tanaka, Andrea Offermann, Tiffany Liu, Wilson Swain, Catia Chien, and the list goes on…

Outside of assignments, do you have creative side projects or hobbies?

Another hobby of mine is Afro-Brazilian dance. Through it I’ve become introduced to the concept of “axe”, which literally translates as “go with the power of the gods and goddesses”, and basically means energy. To me, a life well-lived is filled with axe.

If you weren’t an illustrator, what would you be?
Curator, art director, filmmaker, musician, world traveler.

—
Current SILA members are invited to submit a member spotlight interview.
Click here for more information: http://si-la.org/spotlight.html

It’s been a while since I had anything to talk about but I’m compelled to write again. Two weeks ago my oldest friend Alan called me from Japan,,,I know…Japan, ….Tokyo, Japan in fact. He told me he was going to Kauai and ask me if I wanted to meet him there to go surfing. He knew I had just been commissioned to write and illustrated a humorous guide book for Falcon Press so the timing was right. Ok so this deserves a little background.

Alan and I met in 4th grade. I can picture the first day I ever saw him. He was on the lower kids playground wearing a large winter coat flapping his arms to keep himself warm. But it was September in LA! and it was hot. So I thought “What an odd kid”. Then I walked over to him and introduced myself. We became fast friends and I soon learned he lived in the Hills above Sunset near where I lived so we could just walk to each other’s houses.

Ok so when we were 13 or so when we learned how surf down in San Diego. We got so hooked on surfing after that vacation, that we convinced an acquaintance of ours (who we really didn’t like) to give us a shitty old board he had to use. He agreed but said we had to keep it at his Grandmother’s apartment down at the beach. I have no idea why. Well, it sounded like a good plan but the board really needed repairs or it would never float us. So we took it home to my house. I don’t know how we got it there …probably one of our mother’s picked it up. Then we went to Plastic Mart to get fiberglass and resin and some foam. We were convinced we could do the repairs ourselves. You gotta give it to our moms. Either they had confidence in us and thought we could fix the board or they figured we’d make mess get resin all over ourselves and stop surfing altogether. And so Lon & Al’s surf shop was born. We even created a decal logo that we put on the board

We somehow fixed all the dings in the board and even gave it a new nose which we shaped from the foam we bought. We ended up painting the board blue with spray paint since we had no idea how to make colored resin. Then off we went to the bench. In those days we either took the bus down to the beach with our boards or we had a mom drive us. I’m not sure which happened but we took our newly fixed board out to the beach at Bay Street in Santa Monica. I don’t think it took very long before the nose fell off and the board started to disintegrate. But it had only fueled our desire to surf and our mother’s sprung to get us real boards. I got a nice 9 foot Dave Sweet board which was pea green with a balsa wood stringer and Alan’s got a Velzy that was yellow & Black. We had officially become surfers!

Fast forward. Back to now. How could I convince my wife Joanne that this trip was important to me and something I should do. After all it was Alan and we had made a promise to each other to always surf together once a decade and this was our 4th decade and we had to keep the promise. Well I am married to the greatest woman alive, she wanted me to go. “You’ve worked so hard for the last 8 months” A true statement. I illustrated 8 books over that period of time. I know…I’m serious and they are all good! “Watch for the “Monster Boy series coming to a bookstore near you soon ! “ I’m sorry but I don’t have a publicist so someone has to promote me.

As luck would have it we had some free tickets from our United credit card, more than enough to get me to Kauai and back and I could stay at Alan’s condo for nothing…nothing my friends! ‘Ok, honey, Joanne said, I want you to go but try to keep it under $50 bucks a day. Eat a lot of Guava.” Guava tastes like shit Joanne, but ok I can do the Mangoes or a Papaya thing and it’ll be fine

So I booked a ticket but I didn’t close the deal because I was still unsure. I might embarrass myself and never catch a wave. It happened…on my honeymoon I went surfing at Hanelei Bay and I caught NOTHING! Admittedly it was very small but still I could’ve caught something for a second or two but no…zip zilch I embarrassed myself and my legacy. If I went I had to surf and I had to stand up and ride. I had a day or so to think about it. There was a lot of “I don’t think it’s fair to you Joanne, and “Maybe I’m being foolish” kind of talk but Joanne never wavered. “No you’re going.I don’t want you to miss this opportunity. You’re writing and illustrating a book called “Simply Surfin’ you really need to surf or you’re a fraud” I thought about it. “You’re right, maybe I shouldn’t do the book…”Lon, get on the plane and go and that’s that!” OK I agreed, I’m going. I confirmed my reservation and I was scheduled to go Friday after work for 3 days and I would fly back on Tuesday. So I called Alan and let him know the time I’d be arriving so he could pick me up in Lihue. “I’m proud of you bra…”he said in a mock pigeon Hawaiian accent The waves will be perfect size 3-4 feet. You are about to recapture your youth from the dustbin of your mythology.” He proclaimed “That’s brilliant man, where do you come up with this stuff?” Alan has a way with words crafting Surf Zen sayings out of nowhere. “It’s in the air out here, when you come over you’ll recognize it yourself and soon you’ll be eating right, exercising and the smog will disappear from your brain matter.” “Hey if I ride one wave I’ll be satisfied Al, it will justify everything. Get ready my friend you and I are going to travel back in time. I hung up the phone and wondered what the hell he meant. I was to find out soon enough.

FRIDAY

The day went by fairly slowly. I designed a few Ads, archived projects and thought about Surfing.

There was a time that I was a good surfer. I surfed at Point Dume, Malibu, Topanga on a regular basis. I’d get up before school and sit in my car in the dark waiting for the sun to rise. Then I’d surf for an hour or so head off to school. I surfed Oahu, Maui and Kauai long before the crowds showed up. I actually rode the same waves as some of the greatest surfers in the world. I remember one day in 1970 riding a large wave around 10 feet right behind Gerry Lopez who was the best surfer in the at the time. I followed his every move and I was in the sweet spot. It was the pinnacle for me. Within a few years of that I had stopped surfing altogether. My studies at Art Center took too much time and I couldn’t get away to surf anymore. Alan had moved away and there was no one to surf with. I lost my desire.

But now they were about to be rekindled and I was psyched.

Name:
Hiroko Sanders

Website:
http://hirokosanders.com

Describe your illustration style.
My work ranges from realism, stylized realism, or painterly, to whimsical and more graphic artwork used for original character designs.

How did you get started in the illustration field?
In the beginning I was more interested in fine art. One day while delivering a painting I created for a CD cover, my husband met Mr. Ren Wicks, one of the founders of the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, who had an office in the same building. Mr. Wicks had been an illustrator for more than 50 years, loved his work and was still going strong. I thought that I’d like to be like him, and he got me interested in working as an illustrator and became a mentor.

When I was younger I wanted to be…
A police officer or a teacher.

What’s your favorite medium?
I have two favorite mediums, watercolor and Photoshop with the Wacom tablet. I use a lot of layers with watercolor and I like using Photoshop because I can use layers in a similar way to watercolor. I find that by going back and forth between digital and traditional, one gives me inspiration for the other. I like to experiment by combining mediums, mixing elements that seem unlikely at first but work through it to find a solution.

What is your favorite part of your job?
I enjoy the entire creative process but the most satisfaction comes when a project is completed successfully.

Describe your typical workday.
During a project my schedule is busy, sketching, creative work, and coordinating by phone or email with clients usually fills the day. Between projects, days vary with performing normal tasks such as promotion, email and phone, creative work, research, some photography and computer related work.

What advice do you wish you had at the beginning of your illustration career?
To make self-promotion a part of my regular schedule.

How do you balance work and play?
I think you have to find time to take advantage of the weather in Southern California, and exercising has become an important part of my schedule. Because sitting a lot is the nature of the job, regular exercising makes me feel stronger, relaxed, and healthier, so I try to find time for either cycling, jogging on the beach, tennis or hiking.

What are some of your inspirations?
Remembering the beauty of areas where I grew up and have lived, I find a countless source of inspiration. Nature has always been my inspiration. Farmers markets are actually a source of inspiration when I see all the fresh grown fruits and vegetables, its like you can taste the sunshine in them. Other artists and people who are exceptional at what they do also inspire me.

Outside of assignments, do you have creative side projects or hobbies?
I’ve been learning about and collecting information on different varieties of roses and taking photos of them in Southern California where you can find them all year, and people are creating new varieties. It’s been an on going thing for a future project.

If you weren’t an illustrator, what would you be?
An oceanographer or wildlife researcher.

—
Current SILA members are invited to submit a member spotlight interview.
Click here for more information: http://si-la.org/spotlight.html

FROM THE ILLUSTRATORS’ PARTNERSHIP
A Reminder: You are invited to attend
THE ORPHAN WORKS ROUNDTABLE
CONDUCTED BY THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

How Will the Orphan Works Bill Economically Impact Small Entities?

This Friday, August 8, 2008
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Salmagundi Club
47 Fifth Avenue (between 11th & 12th Streets)
New York, NY 10003
212-255-7740
http://www.salmagundi.org
Free Admission

This event will be live webcast: http://videos.cmitnyc.com/asip.html

If you live in the New York area, please attend this critical event in person. Congress established the SBA’s Office of Advocacy to represent the views of people like us before Federal agencies and Congress. One of their goals is to ensure that our voices aren’t lost within the lawmaking process. Your presence at this grassroots event will do much to see that our voices get heard.

Until now, Orphan Works legislation has been driven by anti-copyright forces and special interest groups. Their talking points have defined the issue. That’s why, if you’ve written lawmakers, you may have received those talking points as a response.

We need to get our own views before lawmakers. We’ve had to go to Washington to make the case for artists. Now Washington is coming to us. We thank the SBA for agreeing to conduct this unprecedented field hearing and we thank the Salmagundi Club for offering us their space.

Don’t miss this opportunity to show that our industry is united in opposing the Orphan Works bill.

* This bill would radically change copyright law.
* The change would create an entirely new business model for the licensing of copyrighted work.
* That business model would favor large corporate image banks at the expense of individual creators.
* This would harm artists, photographers, songwriters, musicians, writers.
* It would harm the small businesses that serve and are dependent on the creative community.

This is a side of the story Congressmen haven’t heard so far. We need to make it part of an open, public debate.

The Roundtable will be chaired by Tom Sullivan, Director of the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration. Eighteen distinguished panelists, all from the creative community, will represent the copyright interests of grassroots artists.

This event will be webcast.
PLEASE RSVP to illustratorspartnership@cnymail.com and include the names of those attending.

You may review the agenda, the panelists and their biographies on the IPA blog:
http://ipaorphanworks.blogspot.com/2008/08/80808-sba-hearing-on-orphan-works.html

During the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles’ panel at San Diego Comic Con, the issue of Orphan Works was discussed briefly. It is a very important issue that artists should be aware of. As promised, below are resourceful links

Illustrators’ Partnership Orphan Works Blog
http://ipaorphanworks.blogspot.com/

Audio Interview with Brad Holland
http://www.sellyourtvconceptnow.com/orphan.html

Graphic Artists Guild Orphan Works Blog
http://orphanworksnews.com/

Below is a very informative Orphan Works Q and A by Cynthia Turner and Brad Holland of IPA( Illustrators Partnership of America)

We’ve had word that the House Judiciary Committee may mark-up the Orphan Works Bill this week. This is the session where Committee Members will propose, accept and reject amendments to H.R. 5889. After markup, the bill could be reported out of the House Committee and go to the floor for a vote.

We’ve submitted several critical amendments for consideration: These would limit the scope of the bill to affect only true orphaned work. Unless such amendments are adopted, we believe the bill should not be reported out until its impact on small businesses can be determined. Here’s our summary of the issues at stake in the House version of this bill:

Q What is the Orphan Works Act?
A: A proposed amendment to copyright law that would impose a radically new business model on the licensing of copyrighted work.

Q: How would it do that?
A: It would force all creators to digitize their life’s work and hand it over to privately-owned commercial databases or see it exposed to widespread infringement by anyone, for any purpose, however commercial or distasteful.

Q: How would it hurt me if I didn’t register my work?
A: The bill would let infringers rely on for-profit registries to search for your work. If your work is not in the databases, it’s a potential “orphan.”

Q: What about my unpublished work?
A: The bill would apply to any work, from professional paintings to family snapshots, home videos, etc., including published and unpublished work and any work ever placed on the internet.

Q: How would these databases work?
A: No one has yet unveiled a business plan, but we suspect they’d operate like stock houses, promoting themselves as one-stop shopping centers for licensing art. If you’ve registered your work with them, they’ll probably charge you maintenance fees and commissions for clearing your work. If you’re a publisher or art director, they’ll probably charge you search fees. If you’re an infringer, they’ll probably charge you a search fee and issue orphan certificates for any unregistered work you’d like to infringe. We assume different registries may have different terms, and any start-up terms will of course be subject to change.

Q: How will the bill affect the market for commissioned work?
A: It will be a gold mine for opportunists, favoring giant image banks over working artists. Some companies will probably sell access to orphans as royalty-free work — or they’ll harvest orphans and bundle them for sale as clip art. Other companies can harvest orphans, alter them slightly to make “derivative works” and register the derivatives as their own copyrighted product. Freelancers would then be forced to compete against their own lost art - and that of their colleagues - for the new commissions they need to make a living.

Q: But the bill’s sponsors say the bill is just a small adjustment to copyright law.
A: No, it’s actually a reversal of copyright law. It presumes that the public is entitled to use your work as a primary right and that it’s your legal obligation to make your work available.

Q: But isn’t the House bill an improvement over the Senate version?
A: Only for those who intend to operate commercial databases. These registries will exist to make money. To make money, they’ll have to do a lively business in clearing work for infringements. That means making their databases infringer-friendly.

Q: But isn’t the House bill better because it requires an infringer to file a Notice of Use, documenting their intent to infringe?
A: The House bill creates a very low threshold for infringers to meet. They’d only have to file a text description (not the image itself) of the work they want to infringe, plus information about their search and any ownership information they’ve found.

Q: But won’t that let artists consult the archive to see if their work has been infringed?
A: No, as currently written, the Notice of Use is a dark archive, which means you won’t have access to it. If someone infringes your work and has filed a Notice of Use, you wouldn’t know about it.

Q: Then how would I know if my work is in the Dark Archive?
A: You wouldn’t, unless a.) you discover you’ve been infringed; b.) you sue the infringer in federal court; c.) the infringer asserts an Orphan Works defense. Then you can file a request to see if the infringer has filed a Notice of Use to infringe your work.

Q: Then what good does it do me for the infringer to file a Notice of Use?
A: It’s of no probative value to you at all unless you go to court. And if you do, you’d better be sure of winning because otherwise, without the possibility of statutory damages and attorneys’ fees, it will be too expensive for you to sue. If the Notice of Use helps anyone, it actually helps the infringer: it lets him prove in court that he followed the prescribed protocol to “legally” infringe your work.

Q: Then shouldn’t we ask Congress to change the Dark Archive to an open one?
A: This would still place an impossible burden on you. Can you imagine routinely slogging through a “lost and found” containing millions of text descriptions of works to see if something sounds like one of the hundreds or thousands of illustrations you may have done?

Q: So should the infringement archive be changed to display images rather than text descriptions?
A: If so, you’d have a come-and-get-it archive for new infringers to exploit works that have already been identified as orphans by previous infringers.

Q: The bill’s sponsors say the House version includes specific instructions on the requirements for diligent searches.
A: No, read the bill. It’s full of ambiguous terms like “reasonable” and “diligent” that can only be decided by courts on a case-by-case basis. That could take a decade of expensive lawsuits and appeals. How many millions of copyrights will be orphaned before we learn how the courts ultimately define these vague terms?

Q: Then what can we do to improve this bill?
A: We don’t believe the bill can be patched up to mitigate its harm to creators. The Orphan Works matter should be solved with carefully defined expansions of fair use to permit reproduction by libraries and archives, or for family photo restoration and duplication. Narrow exceptions like these would also meet the needs of other orphan works usage without violating artists’ rights as defined by the 1976 Copyright Act, The Berne Convention and Article 13 of the TRIPs Agreement. These copyright-related international trade treaties are not just a matter of law. They codify longstanding business practices that have passed the test of time.

Q: What can we do now to oppose this legislation?
A: If you’re opposed to the House bill in its current form, contact members of the full House Judiciary Committee. Ask them to adopt our amendments limiting the scope of the bill to affect only true orphaned work. Below is a short basic letter which you may use as a template.

–Brad Holland and Cynthia Turner, for the Board of the Illustrators’ Partnership

Artists Steven Walker, James Bennett, John Finger, William Frake and Tatiana El Khouri stand in front of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center on Fort Dix, N.J. during their visit to the Center to document the Air Force Phoenix Warrior Training Course for the Air Force Art Program June 20, 2008. They visited the USAF EC and its courses to create future works of art for the program.
(U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol)

Photo by Tatiana EL-Khouri

In June 2008, Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles members Steven Walker and Tatiana EL-Khouri joined artists James Bennett, John Finger, and William Frake at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center in FORT DIX, N.J. and participated in the US Air Force Art Program. SILA member Steven Walker candidly spoke of his experience, “What an awesome trip! I’d heard about the Air Force Illustration program from a fellow illustrator a few years back. I was totally jealous at all of the unbelievable stories he would come back with. I wanted stories of my own. My schedule in prior years wouldn’t allow me to take advantage of an Air Force trip but my time finally came.

The trip did not disappoint as I was able to see first hand some of the experiences of our brave soldiers. I was also able to hang out with some great artists that I would not normally come across and I came away with some unbelievable stories of my own. It’s truly an honor to be a part of the Air Force Illustration Program. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better experience as an artist.” If you are interested in participating in the program, contact the Air Force Chair Ben Bensen.

Click here to read a full story on the Air Force website:
Artists reflect on visiting, documenting expeditionary center by Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol-U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center Public Affairs

Browse the Air Force Art Collection:
The United States Air Force Art Collection

Name
Shiho Nakaza

Website, Blog
Website: http://www.shihonakaza.com
Blog: http://shihonakaza.blogspot.com

Describe your illustration style.
I like to capture elegant lines, evocative colors, and pleasing compositions on paper and pixels.

How did you get started in the illustration field?
I started to build my digital skills when I started working as a graphic arist while in college, which continues to this day. I took lots of classes related to illustration like animation, storyboarding, and fashion illustration after I graduated with a degree in illustration, and I practice my skills by sketching from life and creating artwork for Illustration Friday. I still feel that I’m in the starting point of my illustration career, and am in the process of building a solid illustration clientele.

When I was younger I wanted to be…
…a bookstore owner. Now I can spend an afternoon at Barnes & Noble and pretend that I am!

What’s your favorite medium? Least Favorite?
My favorite medium is a combination of pen, watercolor, and Photoshop/Illustrator. My least favorites are the ones I don’t use….

What is your favorite part of your job?
Concepting/making doodles to come up with ideas.

Describe your typical work day.
Wake up, get ready, turn on the computer by 9am, in bed around midnight, and I work off and on during those times. I work on my own art or do the paperwork on weekends. I like to have a general routine and to document what I do during the day. I’m new at being an at-home freelancer, so I’m learning to get out of the apartment to get fresh air and a change in perspective.

What was your favorite project?
My last project for Hyatt Regency went smoothly, so that’s my current favorite.

What advice do you wish you had at the beginning of your illustration career?
I wish I learned more about how to run an illustration business (invoicing, recordkeeping, marketing, client-building, etc). I hope that SILA programs can help us develop those skills!

How do you balance work and play?
My career is very sedentary, so I make a point of exercising regularly to counteract it (yoga, riding my bike around town, kickboxing classes).

What are some of your inspirations?
Being in nature or by walking inside well-designed buildings. Illustration influences include Sargent, Parrish, and Mucha.

Outside of assignments, do you have creative side projects or hobbies?
I like to take photos of patterns in nature (clouds, leaves, etc.) or in artificial things like buildings and tiles. I also love to travel whenever I have time and money in right combination!

If you weren’t an illustrator, what would you be?
I am also a graphic designer/production artist who specialize in packaging. I’m not sure what my talents are outside of the graphic arts field, though I suspect I’ll be doing something that makes a new thing out of bits and pieces of information (just like graphic design and illustration).

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Current SILA members are invited to submit a member spotlight interview. Click here for more information: http://si-la.org/spotlight.html

By Tatiana EL-Khouri
The Society of Illustrators Los Angeles has taken the Call for Entries process into the technology age! Visit www.entersila.com to enter the competition without leaving your computer.

Judges

Joe Cepeda- Illustrator
Denys Cowan- Artist, VP Bet Animation
Michael Davis- Artist, Media Mogul
Isabelle Dervaux- Illustrator
Penelope Dullaghan- Illustrator, IllustrationFriday.com
Mike Gold- Editor, ComicMix.com
Bob Kato- Illustrator, Instructor- The Drawing Club
Simone Legno- Artist/Designer, Tokidoki
Tomasz Opasinski- Digital Artist, Art Director- Crew Creative Advertising
Edel Rodriquez- Illustrator, Art Director
Heidi Volpe- Art Director- Los Angeles Times
Nate Williams- Illustrator, IllustrationMundo.com
Marv Wolfman- Comic Book Writer- Creator of Blade

Exhibition
The show will be held at Gallery Nucleus from March 28-April 3, 2009.

Former SILA President , Bob Dob, has teamed up with Thumbtack Press this year to donate over $3500 with your help. His painting “Lonely Day” is now now available through Thumbtack Press and we will donate all proceeds of this print run to St. Jude… Every single penny.

Each print is signed and numbered and of very high quality. Please click on the link below for more information. This is a very worthy cause as I’m a cancer survivor myself and St Jude is a great research organization. -Bob Dob

http://www.thumbtackpress.com/browse/product_info.php?cPath=23_134&products_id=1172

Tony Luna, who gave SILA members an inspirational talk on career reinvention this spring, has a series of short workshops this summer. All three workshops are directed at assisting mid-career creative professionals take their careers to the next level.

"Rediscovering Your Passion"

Friday, July 18 (from 6:30-9:00 pm), and Saturday, July 19 (from 9:30 am-5:00 pm)

This workshop will help you take a critical look at the things that inspire you, as well as the things that hold you back from expressing your creative passion, and how to find your new voice. Please bring one item of your artwork that you truly enjoyed creating.

"Revitalizing Your Portfolio"

Friday, July 25 (from 6:30-9:00 pm), and Saturday, July 26 (from 9:30 am-5:00 pm)

During this workshop you will focus on how to effectively communicate your artistic point of view, and how to organize your work to attract the clientele that will allow you to advance your career. Please bring your existing portfolio and/or examples of your personal work.

"Self-Promotion and Marketing for the Creative Entrepreneur"

All day Friday, August 1 (from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm)

This intensive seminar will examine the tried and true methods of self-promotion, as well as new ways to reach the audience that needs the work you love to create.

All three workshops will be presented at the beautiful Woodbury University campus in Burbank www.woodbury.edu where you will have an opportunity to meet with other mid-career creative professionals who are motivated and eager to share their work.

The price for each workshop is $150.00.

For more information please contact Tony directly at tony@tonylunacreative.com , and also click on http://tonylunacreative.com/support_classes.php .

Drawing strength – a symposium on the benefits of illustration organizations
Wednesday, July 2 | 2:00pm to 4:00pm | The Roosevelt Hotel, State Suite | New York City, NY

In an industry increasingly under pressure, how does membership of an illustration organization benefit illustrators and the health of illustration as a whole? Is there strength in numbers, and what’s going on in Europe?

European and American association representatives come together to discuss these questions and others in a symposium covering campaigning, ethical matters, fees, promotion and the European Illustrators Forum.

All attendees are welcome to come along and join in, whether members of an illustration organization or not.

Speakers

Rod Hunt – Deputy Chairman Association of Illustrators (UK)
Anders Suneson - Foreningen Svenska Technare (Sweden)
Terry Brown – Society of Illustrators - Director Emeritus (USA)

Key points for discussion.

Membership:
What membership of illustration organizations can do for illustrators. How can Illustrators support the organizations? Why illustrators should illustrators join organizations?

Education:
How organizations can provide essential education, training & business skills to enable illustrators to lead successful careers.

Ethical considerations and Campaigning:
Strength in numbers gives organizations a strong voice to fight rights grabs, & tackle clients with bad contracts & working practices. How we can educate & persuade illustrators to assert their rights & stand up for themselves.

Pricing:
Knowledge is power, especially in fee negotiation. How organizations can offer advice on pricing commissions. How that advice is collated. Does it work, and can it help to stop fee erosion?

Networking:
How being part of a wider group can enable members to meet other illustrators & important commissioners, & thought international networking by organizations, bringing new opportunities.

European Illustrators Forum (EIF).
The development of the European Illustrators Forum as a wider network of European organizations to safeguard illustrators’ rights, and the continental promotion of illustration, through the coordinated action of member associations on a local level and with a series of common initiatives on an international level.

Promotion of Illustration: Organizations are ideally placed to promote illustration, though annuals, competitions, portfolio sites & membership publications such as the AOI’s Varoom magazine. www.varoom-mag.com

Art Center alumni Illustration show to benefit Illustration student scholarships at Art Center College of Design

FLAUNT: alumni show to support student scholarships at Art Center. Featuring new drawings, paintings and sculpture by: Austin McCormick, Martha Rich, Mark Todd, Sharlina Lin, Lynn Baik, Andy Holder, Aaron Smith, Freida Gossett, Kyoko Kawasaki, Tasha Kusama, Nolina Burge, Jason Holley, Sean Cassidy, Eric Sandberg and more.

Our annual exhibition of the best emerging artists along side established favorites. The lineup of artists for the third annual Flaunt exhibition is our most impressive to date and this will be an opportunity for the public to see the various ways in which the current and next generation is reinventing the term illustration… It is going to be a good one, hope to see you there! Show runs, June 21 - July 31 2008

Visit the Junc Gallery website for more information and then have a look at their Myspace page. The gallery is located at 4017 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. 213-814-2640

Stop by and say ‘Hi” to Mike. I plan on stopping by and look forward to seeing YOU there!

FROM THE ILLUSTRATORS’ PARTNERSHIP

Call to Action
Last Thursday the Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed their Orphan Works Act.
It is now headed for the full Senate.

If you’ve written before, now’s the time to write again.
Urge your senator to oppose this bill.

Because it has been negotiated behind closed doors, introduced on short notice and fast-tracked for imminent passage without open hearings, ask that this bill not be passed until it can be exposed to an open, informed and transparent public debate.

We’ve drafted a special letter for this purpose.
You can deep link to it here:

Contact your Senator in opposition to S.2913 NOW
The House Judiciary Committee is considering H.R. 5889, the companion bill now. Please write them again:

Contact your Congressman in opposition to H.R. 5889 NOW
2 minutes is all it takes to write your senator and representatives and fight for your copyrights. Over 68,000 e-mail messages have been sent so far.

Don’t Let Congress Orphan Your Work

Please forward this message to every artist you know.

In conjunction with Tony Luna (www.tonylunacreative.com), SILA is proud to present a talk on career reinvention. This promises to be a very useful talk!

Are you tired of executing the same work for the same clients and feel it is time to make the move to a new caliber of clientele? Are you held back by the risks you might face? Do you feel that your work is getting in the way of your creativity? Do you feel like the rest of the world is passing you by and you don’t know where to turn?

Well once again SILA has come to the rescue with a lecture by Tony Luna titled, ‘Taking Your Career to the Next Level.’ Creative Consultant Tony Luna has helped over a thousand individuals and hundreds of businesses either get started or reinvigorate themselves and reach new heights. In an hour and a half presentation you will explore the common issues that hold creative entrepreneurs back from making the next move, and you will see how others in similar situations have turned their businesses around while digging deeper into their creativity. By understanding Tony Luna’s five steps of ‘Transition Analysis’ you will learn what you will need to take stock of your creative assets, create a realistic plan for change, how to implement your plan, and how to validate your evolution so you can move on to the next level. There is no secret potion for success, but there are proven ways for you to get out of a rut and starting on your way to a more fulfilling career!

“Taking Your Career to the Next Level”

Wednesday May 28, 2008

7:30pm

Sherman Oaks Galleria - Community Room
15301 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Community Room is located on the first floor of the Rotunda directly across from the Bank of America ATM.

Please email Alyce at info@si-la.org to RSVP.

Gallery Nucleus, where some of SILA members had their works exhibited, is hosting an opening reception with live DJ and free refreshments for Power In Numbers show tonight, Saturday 4/12 from 7pm-11pm. There will be 100 pieces on display sold for $100 each, with 20% of he profits donated to the Make A Wish Foundation. This show also marks an official homecoming party into their new, larger space at 210 East Main Street, Alhambra, CA 91801 - you can get more info at: http://gallerynucleus.com/gallery/exhibition/141.

I took my position off to the side where Bob was stationed. He was snapping away even though his pictures were not part of the project. It was helpful though because he was always where Victor and were not. “Where’s Victor?” I asked. “I don’t know , he ran off to the other side. While the troops creeped and crawled along the mocked building I scoured the area for Victor. No sign. Suddenly smoke was popping all over the place and the troops were yelling “Soldier down!” I ran right into the middle of everything to get action shots. “I don’t think you can cut across….” Bob’s words trailed off as I took a choice position right next to two female soldiers. I snapped off a few. “Hmmm,” I thought to myself “That girl was rather pretty”. Just then “BOOOM!! “Fire in the hole!” An explosive had been set off right near me and I jumped, I thought to myself I’d better pay attention or I’m going to get hurt. Then I saw Victor. He was sitting off to the side sketching. Two troopers were gathered around him pointing. “Glory Hog!” I thought to myself. “I’m gonna check out his stuff, maybe I’ll sit and sketch so I can attract attention.”

When I reached Victor he was sketching furiously almost trancelike and his work was great. “Maybe I shouldn’t sketch, cause this guy is a killer sketch artist and I um…well I’m me, and my onsite sketching is not a strength. “. But I did it anyway. And it was kinda fun and it gave me a different kinda feel from taking pictures and some control over the image, especially since it was so hard to see the viewing screen on my camera in the sun.

So I sat and sketched and sketched and no one came over, which was actually better. I wasn’t inhibited so I could be freer with my drawing. Actually some of them were not that bad. After about a half hour the first maneuver was over. The troops fell back to the gravel loading area and regrouped. Bob, Victor and I compared notes , then we moved to where Army Sgt. Miller was addressing the troops. I was truly surprised at the positive criticism. And again it was about saving lives. As I looked over the group I realized they were not all young. Some were at least 40! These were National Guardsmen who volunteered to train and go over to Iraq. I was floored. I thought about my bad knees and shoulder and my allergies and blood pressure meds. Was there any world conditions that could ever exist that would make me sign up?… I was feeling great respect for anybody around my age who wanted to serve in Iraq or places like that. I was thinking about what would motivate me to do such a thing and I had no idea. Except….Nazis… that would do it.

Within a half hour the troops had regroup and I found a new position to take shots for different angles. Victor took positions nearby and Bob was floating around the side of the mock village. The attack commenced with smoke, guns firing and local Hispanic men and women dressed as Arab townspeople and insurgents. It was rather amusing at one point watching two men who looked middle eastern discussing their postioning in Spanish. I clicked off shots and moved into the village itself. While chaos surrounded me I heard a voice from a structure nearby yelling at me. “Dude!…did you get my picture? I look around then up to the second floor of a decrepit building. A Hispanic guy wearing a black cowl and a t-shirt leaned out the window dangling his AK 47. “C’mon take a picture.” I snapped a few. “Got it!” “Thanks, where can I get a copy?” I shrugged my shoulders now surrounded by green smoke. “I dunno…man, I figure out something.” Oh no committed. I was beginning to realize I’d have to make good on these commitments. This one’s for you my Terrorist brother. (see below)

I kept crisscrossing the village square grabbing any action set up I saw. At one point I saw a half dozen men lined up against a building and they starting waving. I waved back. The same group slowly moved farward into a building covering each other. Shooting yelling and smoke ensued. I wasn’t allowed to fo into the building so I couldn’t get a shot. But I got as close as I could. More yelling and smoke erupted from behind me and I whirled around to see two Mexican…I mean two terrorists had been captured. The smoke started to clear and moments later the 2nd maneuver was over. It had been like being in a virtual video game.

I jogged over to the car to get my sketch pad, actually it was Victor’s. He let me use it since the typing paper I took from Minkin’s office had run out. I stationed myself near the roadway where some troops had gathered. I started sketching. I wasn’t sketching them, just images out of my head. This is how it works for me, once it’s embedded in my head I can work from memory. I later took the sketch below back to my studio and refined it.

A few troopers came over and started asking me about what I was doing. I let them know I was there to document their training. “Look at that Phillips…That looks like Estrada!” one of the trropers said. “Man I can’t draw a stick figure!” ‘Does it take long to learn?”

I thought for a moment. I can’t ever remember a time I didn’t draw. “I don’t know…I was born with a pencil in my hand.”

They laughed. “This guy here grew up with a chicken leg in his hand!” “fried Chicken…and I wish I had some right now. “ “Don’t I know it.” His buddy chimed in.
They moved off talking about how they’d draw guns.

The next and last maneuver went down just as the others had, I ran all over the place drawing instead of shooting and my sketching got better as I went along. Between the pictures and the sketches I was really able to go back to the studio and do some damage.

The day ended and we thanked the commanders profusely. My God we had hundreds of models to sketch all day for free…an artist’s paradise!

We packed up and headed back to the hotel for dinner in El Paso.

Diner at El Paso’s finest

We got back to the hotel (Airforce YMCA) and decided to go right out. I went up stairs to leave my gear in the room. Then curiosity got the best of me and I took a peak at my photos. I was pleasantlt surprised. There were really good shots that worked as sketching material and for paintings. “These are really good!” I thought. “I’m impressed with myself…or at the very least I was justifying SILA’s and the Airforce’s confidence in me. OOraH!! (My apologies to the Airforce if I’ve misspelled the word, but you get the idea)

I met up with Bob and Victor in the lobby. “How ‘bout Mexican?” Victor said. We all agreed . So once again we took our positions in the SUV. Victor, the artist driver, Bob our guide and me the artist\ passenger. Bob and Victor

WE got to the restaurant about 5:30 or 6 o’clock. We were all tired and sunburned. I hadn’t realized I could get so burned in 65 degree weather. I had one of those rednecks you get when you work outdoors. It looked good, masculine, rugged and lot better than MY BRIGHT RED NOSE WHICH PUT ME AT THE HEAD OF LINE TO LEAD SANTA’S SLEIGH!!

So we eat and swapped stories and learned about each other and found out how much we had in common. Perhaps if people would just sit down and swap stories over some Guacamole and Tacos the world would be a better place. By 7:30, we were wasted and ready to turn in. At least they were. I wanted to go back and do some work, watch some TV and get some juice from a convenience store to put in my little empty YMCA fridge.

And I did. At around 8 I walked a mile or so in my fatigues and T-shirt to the nearest convenience store in 35 degree weather on a full stomach. I was feeling very macho. By the time I reach the store it hit me. I was freezing and tired, really tired. I picked up Gatorade, chips and two bottles of apple juice…oh and 2 bananas. I was ready and I braved the cold back to my room. It had been a great day.

Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles has gone high tech and has presence on a variety of Social networking sites. Follow the links below to join our networks and groups.

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Illustrations (left to right) by award winners: Donato Giancola, Colin Johnson and Chris Buzelli

Please join
The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles
at the opening of the
ILLUSTRATION WEST 46
Gallery Show
Saturday March 29th
7:30 - 10:30 pm at

JUNC GALLERY
4017 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
(Show runs through April 6)
www.si-la.org
800-799-6368
www.juncgallery.com
213-814-2640

The troops started to show up in front of the buildings we were standing in front, they were marching to the training ground. We snapped a few shots of them truckin’ down then street into the rising sun. They were silhouetted against an orange sky with a water tower between them and the range. It was a beautiful site. It reminded me of when I used to go surfing before high school. I’d sit in my red VW parked on PCH waiting for the sun to rise over the hills in Malibu. As soon as it was light I’d grab my board and I was off. In this case I grabbed my camera and started snapping. Once they were out of range we headed back to the car.
We piled into the Subaru and off we went to the Assault training. It was only a half mile away and we were psyched. As we ambled down the road I started to warm up and with that my enthusiasm built. This was a true “E” ticket ride and I was going to enjoy every second!

When we arrived at the site, no one was there save two instructors. It was cold and clear.
We spilled out of our car and started getting our gear ready. Body armor, camera, paper pencils, jacket and my Laker cap.

I jogged over to the assault area and took some background shots so I’d have the buildings and smashed car clean and uninterrupted by troops. By the time I finished I could see the troops march up the road towards the site. Click Click…I got a great shot of them against the morning sky.
Soon they were gathering in the parking area on an enormous field of gravel. They put their gear down on the eastern edge of the field and gathered around the commanding officer. After a few minutes he addressed the young men and women with an inspiration speech and an instructive lecture about their mission. “You are here to save lives!” I kept hearing. “If you follow your instructors directions you will have a better chance of surviving and helping your fellow soldier survive!” This was a common refrain. At no time did I ever hear anything about killing the enemy. It was always about staying safe and surviving. And helping those in need whether they’re Americans or not. “How you perform out here is how you’ll perform in the field when you’re in country!” These words started to ring true to me. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a soldier in Iraq or an artist working in your studio. How you perform when you don’t have an assignment is how you’ll perform when you do have one. I realized I had instinctively been doing that. ‘Course I went to Art Center, the Marine Corp of art schools…at least that’s the way it was when I was there. If you didn’t perform you got the boot. This was before anyone with money could be an art student. (Sorry I just had to say it)

OK so the troops ready themselves for the first of three training sessions. It was 7:30 and we were ready. Victor and Bob hung out by the gravel’s edge. Victor pulled out a pad and pencil and started to draw. “I’m going to get in the middle of the field” I told Bob “I don’t think you can do… That’s all I heard. I jogged over to a service truck and parked myself next to it. The troops would be running straight at me. “Then I realized I had my Laker cap on and no helmet. I didn’t think they’d stop the training to let me get the helmet so I tucked myself under the truck. Suddenly two explosions went off. BOOM!! BOOM!! It was loud, then the instructors popped smoke, Green and yellow clouds surrounded the area and the troops descended onto the mock Iraqi village….firing on the suspected terrorists inside the rickety buildings. I started click off shots as soldiers run towards me. In an instant 4 or 5 of them took cover behind the truck flattening themselves against the fenders. I was pinned in but I kept shooting. It was thrilling. In the midst of all this a black soldier nearest to me spoke. “You’re one of the artist, right?” “I don’t think you’re supposed to talk to me” I whispered. “How do I look? “Did you get a good shot of me?” “What?” “Take a good shot of me, dog.” “I smiled. I probably will never see this guy again, why would he want me to snap a picture of him? “Sure,” I said. Click Click, “Thanks.” Then he moved off. I took his spot and fired off a couple more shots of him running off, then I climbed onto the loading dock of the truck for a new angle. Within moments two more soldiers moved into position below me, one soldier’s gun blocked my access to jumping down to the ground. Again I was pinned. POP POP POP, more smoke. I was surrounded by putrid smelling green smoke, This can’t be good for I thought. But I kept on taking pictures hoping I could get some dramatic action of soldiers running with guns through the billowing smoke. Meanwhile I was choking on the smoke and wondering if I was going to pass out and spoil the maneuver. You know,.. time out our artist fainted… we need to take him to the nurses office. I held my breath as long as I could and finally the smoke cleared. Thank God I avoided total embarrassment. I was still pinned in. I wanted to ask the soldier below me if the smoke was toxic but before I could he took off. I climbed down off the truck’s dock and headed for the sidelines where Bob and Victor had been. They had moved on. The troops were now in front of me in the middle of the mock village so I ran off to follow them.

Day 2 March 11, 2008

I awoke at 5:30 to the hotel’s wakeup blasting phone beeping. “Holy shit I thought to myself, I’m up and it’s still dark. I turned on the TV and watched the local news to get a fix on the weather. Mids 60’s today. OK, no worry about sun beating down on me. Wrong as I would later found out. I quickly put on my fatiques, T shirt and fleece lined milittry jacket, well not really a military jacket but it look close…at least to me. I checked my e-mails to make sure I stayed in touch with my clients. Everything was good, I had some revisions of some sketches but I could do that over the weekend. So I was good to go.

I packed up my camera, laptop and carrying case and I was ready. I don’t usually draw on the spot but I realized this visit was somewhat of a show and I should be seen sketching even though it was unlikely I’d use the sketches as a basis for painting. What it would be good for was to get me familiar with the gear and the settings. Drawing them on the spot gave me an intimacy that you cannot get from photos and that gets imbedded in your head for later when you go to refined drawings and paintings. It keeps the energy of the moment alive.

I met Victor and Bob downstairs. We were too early to get our continental breakfast, but I didn’t care, I was too amped to eat. “You guys ready Bob said. Hell yes we were ready! We climbed into our rental Subaru SUV and took off. Victor the driver, Bob the guide and me the artist passenger.

The sun was rising as we hit Route 54 and all that sage brush. In the distance we could see a small mountain range. It was a refreshing and beautiful site. The day was starting off well we all agreed. Bob took some pictures of the dawn and I just stared out the window thinking about how I had convinced Ben Bensen, the co-ordinator of this program for SILA to send me on one of these trips. I thought about my father, who had been a Captain in the Airforce in WW2 and won a distinguished Flying Cross and how if he was alive today he might have really been happy that I was making this journey. So I vowed to do my best to honor him, the airforce and SILA by creating great artwork that we could all be proud of and enjoy.
Our first stop was the USAF office with Minkin and his crew. When we got there, Minkin greeted us and told us we needed body armor and a helmet to protect us from flying shells….not bullets calm down! The fact of the matter is we really didn’t need the armor but it was cool to have it. So Minkin went to his stash of stuff and gave us what looked like flak jackets loaded with metal plates. It weighed about 25 pounds. Then the helmets, Victor and Bob got desert sand like helmets that were very cool….mine looked like an old Nazi helmet you’d find in a surplus store. Green with hat quasi Darth Vader look. “Hey, this looks like Himmler’s old helmet”, I commented. To Victor, he laughed, but he wasn’t about to offer me his. And Bob’s head was smaller than mine and I didn’t want to ask Minkin so there it was, a big Jew wearing an old Nazi helmet…I decided to wear my Laker cap it was a cooler look any way.

Oh and of course it was so cold…bbbrrrrrrrrrr. 32 degrees! “It’s fuckin’ freezing!” I said to Victor and Bob. Victor laughed (he is from upstate NY and he was in a T-shirt) “Typical guy from California” he popped “This is warm!” “Warm?!” Jesus my blood is so thin, maybe it’s the Lipitor. I felt a little foolish but I still kept my warm jacket, sweat shirt and regular T on. I was still freezing. “Yeah I’ll be fine, no sweat ” I said. Bob was laughing to himself.

We piled into the Subaru and off we went to the Assault training. It was only a half mile away and we were psyched. As we ambled down the road I started to warm up and with that my enthusiasm built. This was a true “E” ticket ride and I was going to enjoy every second!

In February, I was privileged to represent the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles and San Diego Society of Illustrators at a Summit concerning Illustrators and Reprographic Rights in New York at the Society of Illustrators.

I was in the company of amazing Illustrators and activists and am extremely honored to be included in the picture below:
“An incredible picture…almost too large for the camera. This is a solid coalition, not a photo op. Let the caption tell the story:

(l to r) Cynthia Turner, Society of Illustrators; Tatiana El-Khouri, SI of Los Angeles and of San Diego; Don Kilpatrick, at large; Frank Costantino, American Society of Architectural Illustrators; David Labrozze, Illustrators Club of MD, DC and VA; Terry Brown, Executive Director of ASIP; Joe Azur, Also MD, Dc and VA; John Ritter, Pittsburgh, SI; Michael Belknap, Association of Medical Illustrators; Chris Peterson, SI San Francisco; Kristin Hill and Keith Ferris, American Society of Aviation Artists; Dolores Santoliquido, Guild of Natural Science Illustrators; Brad Holland and Glenda Stocco, Illustrators Partnership of America”

Towards the end of the link below, there are more pictures of the day long meetings.
http://stage.societyillustrators.org/publications/thisweek/495.cms

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FROM THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS PARTNERSHIP

Here’s the link to the web cast video of An Evening With Bruce Lehman:
http://www.unitedpgremote.com/society/soi_2008_02_21.html

The house was full for what turned out to be a dramatic evening event. Mr. Lehman’s presentation was eye-opening and forceful. The 12 major illustrators organizations came together in an unprecedented act of unity.

Although accountability of current artists’ reprographic royalties was not intended to be the evening’s topic, events made them so. Watch the video and see for yourself why so many attendees have called this forum a long-overdue wake-up call.

The town hall capped a series of day-long meetings at which the 12 groups met with Mr. Lehman to discuss options and strategies. The groups voted unanimously to seek the first industry-wide mandate to represent illustrators rights.

To achieve that, the members of each group will be offered automatic joint membership in the American Society of Illustrators Partnership. Published artists who are not members of any group may join ASIP directly. We’ll notify you when and where membership forms are available for downloading.

The following 12 groups were represented:

The Society of Illustrators
The Illustrators’ Partnership of America
The Association of Medical Illustrators
The American Society of Architectural Illustrators
The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators
The San Francisco Society of Illustrators
The Los Angeles Society of Illustrators
The Pittsburg Society of Illustrators
The American Society of Aviation Artists
The San Diego Society of Illustrators
The Illustrators Club of Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia
The National Cartoonists Society
We invite other groups to join ASIP.