Tim Bowers’ cover image for “Dinosaur Pet”

By Bill Mayr

To keep up with illustrators from CCAD, just peruse the bestseller lists.

A good place to start is the Children’s and Young Adult categories, where three illustrators with CCAD ties — graduates Tim Bowers and John Jude Palencar, along with faculty member C.F. Payne — have helped propel books to the top of the market since 2011.

To be sure, they aren’t the first CCAD-related illustrators to make the lists, and it’s a safe bet they won’t be the last. But the varied experiences of this trio reflect the opportunities, challenges, and joys of illustration, especially with works created for a younger crowd.

Tim Bowers

Tim Bowers (CCAD 1979) made the New York Times and Publishers Weekly lists in the middle of last year with Dinosaur Pet, a picture book by Marc Sedaka with a CD recorded by his Grammy Award-winning father, Neil Sedaka. That project came on the heels of Bowers’ 2011 success with Dream Big, Little Pig, written by figure-skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi.

Bowers devotes his entire practice to children’s books, a focus that started forming years ago. “The things you need to develop a picture book are things I’ve been interested in for a long time — storytelling, humor. Basically I’m a very narrative artist. Character expressions — I’ve been fascinated with that since I was a little boy,” he says.

Bowers has illustrated more than 30 children’s books. Usually, publishers who have accepted book manuscripts will seek out the illustrators. When he is offered a project, Bowers says, “I read through the manuscript and let them know if I think I’m a good fit.” Then he starts creating characters with pencil sketches, later transferring them to canvas or illustration board to paint with acrylics or oils.

John Jude Palencar’s cover image for “Eragon”

John Jude Palencar

Bowers’ experience contrasts with that of his friend John Jude Palencar (CCAD 1980), a leading book-cover illustrator who spends only part of his time on young-adult books. Every cover in Christopher Paolini’s bestselling four-book Inheritance Cycle series — about a teenage boy, Eragon, and his dragon — has carried an elegantly rendered Palencar painting of Saphira the dragon.

Palencar says he has declined offers to illustrate entire children’s books. “You have to live with it for a while, trying to develop a character. I’m mostly a cover illustrator. I enjoy the variety of each new manuscript. I like doing symbol and allegory.”

Palencar has some 300 book covers to his credit and has worked with big-name authors like Stephen King. He knows the ways of the world, but his illustrations for young adults have a special resonance. “You don’t realize how some people hang on to your image for the cover. Everything is kind of mulled over by these young kids. Being a freelance illustrator, we work somewhat isolated in our personal studios… [but] you never know, you may be influencing the illustrators of tomorrow.”

His paintings have a suave, 21st-century sensibility to them, but, the illustrator says, “I’m still an old dinosaur; I paint traditionally. I still think there is something noble and almost monastic when you work with your hands. I feel like an old Jedi knight: Don’t forget the old ways.”

C.F. Payne

C.F. (Chris) Payne, CCAD’s illustration chair for a decade-plus and now distinguished professor of illustration, assuredly hasn’t forgotten the old ways. Payne created animal and outer-space scenes for Mousetronaut, a number-one bestseller written by retired astronaut Mark Kelly.

A widely published editorial illustrator, Payne holds a can-do attitude and works in varied media: oils, acrylics, watercolor, colored pencils. “It is getting the drawing and color down right and making the picture look as good as you can possibly make it look,” he says. Payne says he and the other Illustration faculty teach that approach.

“I’m really proud of the department we’ve got. We have solid people who care about what they do. We want to be honest. Being an artist of any kind is a challenge, but it’s worth it,” he says.

C.F. Payne’s cover image for “Mousetronaut”

Challenges — and Rewards

So don’t make the mistake of thinking that illustrating books for younger readers is a piece of cake.

“A children’s book comes along and you have six months, three months, a year, and now you are in a crazy marathon and have to manage that time along with the other projects you’ve got,” Payne says.

“For most of them you’ll do 16 to 18 images. For an ABC book, there are 26 letters plus the cover and the title page, so it ends up being 28 images. It’s a grind, a ton of work. You make a dozen pictures and go cripes, I’m not halfway there yet.”

Such a big investment of time and effort has its rewards, though.

A magazine illustration might have a shelf life of a week and poof, it’s gone from the newsstand. “Whereas a children’s book can be around for a long time,” Payne says. He adds, “I’ve not walked out of too many children’s books saying I’ll never do that again.”

Being on the children’s book bestseller lists is a “wow” experience, Bowers says, but the real payoff is deeper. “The best confirmation I receive is when I visit a school and the kids are really excited, familiar with the characters, and love the book. The bestseller list is great for my career, but the real joy is seeing the kids enjoying the book and enjoying the characters.”

The 2013 Art of Illustration poster, created by Illustration senior Taylor Hicks

The Art of Illustration show is a student-run and -organized exhibition that is now in its 16th year. The juried show features illustrations from all majors and alumni who participated when they were students are now coming back to act as jurors.

This year the five Illustration student organizers included sophomore Haleigh Richards and seniors Lexie Holliday, Josh Parkinson, Wes Talbott, and chair Andrew Thompson. The students chose five judges to look over 291 submissions for the show that runs March 16–30. The judges included four CCAD alumni: Scott Hull (Advertising & Graphic Design 1977), Steve Prescott (Illustration 1995), Jason Jourdan (Illustration 1998), and Graham Erwin (Illustration 2011). The fifth judge was artist representative Frank Sturges.

The judges gathered on campus and spent the day going through submissions, offering thorough critiques and advice on every piece, whether accepted or not. Ultimately 40 submissions were accepted into the show.

“The show is and has always been entirely organized and run by the students,” said Stewart McKissick, Illustration professor and alumnus. “They selected and contacted the judges, organized where and when the judging would take place, and researched and collected donations for the opening reception at the gallery, as well as prizes for entry winners.”

This is the third year for the show to be held at Rivet Gallery, a gallery located in Columbus’ art district, the Short North.

“Rivet has been very generous to us, allowing students to sell their work from the show with no commission fee to the gallery,” McKissick said.

Having the exhibition at an off-campus external location for the last three years has allowed it to function as a professional, juried show.

Erwin, who does preproduction work and design for a custom screen printing shop and freelance illustration for a wide range of clients, has witnessed the show expand as a student and now as an alumnus.

“I first submitted work for AOI as a sophomore,” Erwin said. “Although my piece wasn’t chosen that year, it definitely lit a fire for the years to come, and I began approaching every piece as if it could be a submission for one competition or another. I continued to submit work my junior and senior years, where I had pieces accepted and awarded.

“The Art of Illustration show was an important part of my illustration training,” Erwin said. “It was my first experience where my work was looked at by professionals with a critical eye. I think it is important for the show to now be held at Rivet, where students can see their work in a real-world gallery setting.”

The show allows students the ability to access professionals to evaluate their work and have critiques by people other than their peers and professors.

“This process shows students the importance of submitting and getting their art into the real world,” Hull said. “And also accepting the rejection that may come along with this.”

Hull, founder of Scott Hull Associates and illustration representative, has worked as a juror twice now for the show and views helping out students at CCAD as highly rewarding.

“Helping young talent navigate their creative dream is a passion of mine,” Hull said. “I think it is a good practice to have alumni come back as jurors for this particular show, since they are able to understand the CCAD culture a little better and they want to offer any and all help to the students.”

Originally, the show was solely coordinated by Illustration students, and they were the ones submitting work, but as the show has grown so has participation from throughout the college.

“What’s exciting to see is the ever-increasing interest and participation now by the majority of our majors,” McKissick said. “It is an excellent leadership opportunity for the students who work on the committee, and it is a chance to have students learn about aspects of the art world beyond just the making of it.”

The show’s award ceremony was held during its opening reception March 16, 7–10 p.m. Selected work will be honored with first, second, and third place, and each judge selected a work to be awarded Judge’s Choice. The show will be up through March 30.

“I can honestly say that every year is another great memory for us,” McKissick said. “And we’re always very proud of what the students accomplish.”

Erwin is from Columbus and attended Whetstone High School; Hull is from Danville, OH, and attended Danville High School; Jourdan is from Mansfield, OH, and attended Mansfield Senior High School; McKissick is from Franklin, PA, and attended Franklin High School; Prescott is from Gates Mills, OH, and attended Mayfield High School.

Classnotes, September 2012 Issue

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but because there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from June, July, and August 2012.

John Schaffner ’60 and J. Luray Schaffner ’62 both exhibited their work at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center in Solomons, MD. Read more here.

Elena Osterwalder ’76 showed work in Celebrating UA, an exhibition at the Concourse Gallery in Upper Arlington, OH. Read more here.

Joe Howard ’72 had his piece Stone, Steel and Wood chosen for the permanent Western Art Collection of the Pearce Museum at Navarro College in Corsicana, TX. Read more here.

Jeff Stahler ’77 was interviewed in The Illustrator’s Market. Read more here.

Tim Bowers ’79 illustrated Dinosaur Pet, which climbed the best-seller lists. Read more here.

David Groff ’79 received gold and bronze awards in the 29^th annual Aster Awards for his illustrations in a hospital calendar.

Marty Husted ’79, Mark Thomas ’90, and Heather Nibert ’12 are each participating in a public arts project in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Laura Sanders ’88, Sarah Fairchild ’94, Chris Rankin ’94, Adam Brouillette ’02,  Anne Holman ’02, Lauren Mudd ’04,  and Boryana Rusenova Ina ’06, participated in Art for the Environment, a silent auction benefiting the Ohio Environmental Council. Read more here.

Kaname Takada ’89, William Shearrow ’97,  and Michael Bonardi ’04 are featured in a group exhibition at the  Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum in Coshocton, OH. Read more here.

Peter Wachtel ’90 is now selling his product STAKE, an all-in-one BBQ tool, via Quirky, Target, Fab, and ThinkGeek. Read more here.

James Alicea ’92 organized a fundraiser for the victims of the 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Japan, involving artists from Japan and New York. Read more here.

Laurie Brown ’94 showed her work in a group exhibition at the Mansion at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD. Read more here.

Chad Hunt ’94 spent time training with a U.S. Special Operations Command team, and his resulting photographs were featured in an issue of Popular Mechanics. Read more here.

Chris Rankin ’94 exhibited his work in two Columbus, OH, venues this summer. Read more here.

David Hartman ’95 is a supervising director for the show Transformers: Prime, which won a 2012 Daytime Emmy®. Read more here.

Jason Goad ’96 has partnered on projects for some big-name brands and projects, including Mattel’s Hot Wheels. Read more here.

John Urbano ’96 released a limited edition photography book and directed a music video for British pop band One Direction that has been nominated for an MTV Video Music Award. Read more here.

Nathaniel Galka ’98 had work in the exhibition The Birds and Bees. Read more here.

Mike Hein ’98 exhibited his work at Mulherin + Pollard gallery in New York City. Read more here.

Dan Scanlon ’98 was featured in the LA Times for his upcoming directorial debut on Pixar’s Monsters University. Read more here.

Michael Phillips ’99 was profiled in All4You, a contemporary culture magazine based in Croatia. Read more here.

Clint Davidson ’00 worked on a mural for a public park in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Olga Ziemska ’00 installed a sculpture at the Columbus State Community College (CSCC) main library.  Read more here.

Adam Brouillette ’02, Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski ’02, and Corey Aumiller ’06 are participating in the Columbus Arts Pop-Up Project (CAP-UP), a public art project. Read more here.

Carl Bork ’03 exhibited his paintings at the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center in Salida, CO. Read more here.

Sarah DeAngulo Hout ’04 worked on a mural that is now in the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Read more here.

Michael Lai ’04 presented as a special guest for the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts in Columbus, OH. Read more here

Jill Raymundo ’04 exhibited her work in the City Center Gallery of the OSU Urban Arts Space in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Manjari Sharma ’04 was featured in the Huffington Post’s iPad issue for her photography project Darshan. Read more here.

Corey Aumiller ’06 worked on a video project featuring CCAD President Denny Griffith. Read more here.

Martina Nikova ’07 had a solo exhibition at the Ohio Art League in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Greg Beck ’09 helped start Longstride, a creative marketing company in Columbus, OH, that was featured in a local business journal. Read more here.

John Malta ’10 received a grant from the Xeric Foundation to self-publish his comic book The Professor and the Paperboy. Read more here.

Kartika Mediani ’10 showed her film The Box at the 2012 Comic-Con’s San Diego International Children’s Film Festival in California. Read more here.

Kerry Kunze ’11 displayed her work at ZenClay Gallery in Morgantown, WV. Read more here.

Rachel Cass ’12 was featured in Easton Town Center’s 2012 directory after being awarded Easton’s Fashion Design Award. Read more here.

Kathryn Chamberlin ’12 became the graphic designer at Origo Branding Company in downtown Columbus, OH.

Alex Conrad ’12 showed his work in a national MFA competition. Read more here.

Brianne Schulze ’12 earned a goldsmithery apprenticeship at the Diamond Cellar in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Illustration alumna Marty Husted (CCAD 1979), Fine Arts alumna Heather Nibert (CCAD 2012), and Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Mark Thomas (CCAD 1990) are each participating in the project 10x10x10: 10 Murals, 10 Galleries, 10 Openings.

The alumni will each have one of their works photographed and transferred to vinyl, which will then be displayed on the sides of buildings in the Short North, the arts district in Columbus. These mini murals will be up for a year.

Husted’s Shadows Extending will be outside the Studios on High Gallery at 1081 N. High St., Nibert’s Fields of Columbus will be outside Terra Gallery at 608 N. High St., and Thomas’ Neighborhood Scene will be outside Lindsay Gallery at 459 N. High St.

Stay up to date on announcements about this project and other public art programs at the Short North Arts District website.

Groff’s illustrations for the Marion General Hospital calendar

Faculty member and Illustration alumnus David Groff (CCAD 1979) received gold and bronze awards in the 29^th annual Aster Awards for his illustrations in the Marion General Hospital & Foundation calendar.

Groff worked with Karen Ruth Media Consultants Inc. on the themed calendar. This is the third year that the calendar, illustrated by Groff, has won several awards.

The Aster Awards is a medical marketing program allowing healthcare organizations and advertising agencies to compete nationally and internationally against similarly sized organizations.

Cover of “Dinosaur Pet”

Dinosaur Pet, illustrated by alumnus Tim Bowers (CCAD 1979), has garnered a lot of attention—it has climbed to number three on The New York Times bestsellers list and is number one on the Publishers Weekly top-selling children’s picture book list.

The book, written by Marc Sedaka, follows a young boy and his unlikely companionship with his pet dinosaur. A musical CD accompanies the story; songs on the CD are sung by the author’s father, Grammy Award winner Neil Sedaka.

Bowers has illustrated more than 30 children’s books, including The New York Times bestseller Dream Big, Little Pig! written by Kristi Yamaguchi.

AOI poster created by junior Wes Talbott

CCAD’s annual Art of Illustration (AOI) exhibition opens March 3 at Rivet Gallery in Columbus’ Short North arts district.

The student-produced exhibition is in its 15^th year and is part of a collegewide illustration competition that is juried by local professional illustrators.

The exhibition, which used to be shown on CCAD’s campus, moved to Rivet Gallery last year. The exhibition will once again debut during Gallery Hop, a first-Saturday-of-every-month event in the Short North.

“We wanted to showcase the best illustrative work created by students of CCAD and give them a chance to have their work exhibited in a gallery off campus,” said Brianne Schulze, a student organizer of AOI. “This is our second year working with Laura Kuenzli at Rivet Gallery, and she has been a big help to us throughout the entire process and in giving the exhibited artists an opportunity to sell their work.”

This year the show is organized by four Illustration students: seniors Lexie Holliday and Brianne Schulze, and juniors Andrew Thompson and Wes Talbott. Advisors are Professors Stewart McKissick (CCAD 1979) and Walter King (CCAD 1981) and Chair of Illustration Chris Payne.

Left to right: Chris Seaman, Jeff Carlisle, Lora Innes, Chris Payne, Adam Watkins, and Maxe Smith

The panel of judges included alumni Lora Innes (CCAD 2002, Media Studies), Chris Seaman (CCAD 2000, Illustration), Adam Watkins (CCAD 2004, Illustration), Maxe Smith (CCAD 2009, Illustration), and Jeff Carlisle (CCAD 1997, Illustration). They evaluated 190 submissions, narrowing the pool down to 41 accepted illustrations for the show.

Awards will be given for first, second, and third place. Six pieces were also chosen as  judges’ picks and will receive awards. The show is sponsored by Chipotle, Starbucks, r designs & printing, Noodles and Co., Dick Blick Art Materials, Kroger, and Giant Eagle.

Art of Illustration will open March 3 at Rivet Gallery, 1200 N. High St., with a reception from 7–10 p.m., during which awards will be given. The show will run through March 28, 2012.

Illustration alumnus David Breaux worked as an animator on feature film "Thor."

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but since there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You, too, can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from February-May 2011.

Ron Miller (CCAD 1970) has provided cover and interior art for Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, Scientific American, and Geo magazines. His work has also been featured on two Scientific American sites and on the cover of a new science fiction novel. Miller has also written and illustrated three new young adult books for Lerner Publishing and is working on a coffee table art book for Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux. Read more on the CCAD News Blog.

Kurt Fondriest (CCAD 1985) partnered with the Brookfield Zoo to provide a learning experience for his students at Misericordia Home North through expressive art. Read a complete article and see the amazing footage here.

Lisa Horkin (CCAD 1985), Marty Husted (CCAD 1979), Ryan Orewiler (CCAD 2004), and Denise Romecki (CCAD 1976) all exhibited in Face 2 Face: 25 Years of Art and Community, which opened Friday, April 15. Read an article about this show on the CCAD News Blog.

Tracy Hayes (CCAD 1990) has opened a new Skuba Design Studio location on Magazine Street in New Orleans. Click here to learn more.

Peter Wachtel (CCAD 1990) has published two new e-books—Kid Toyology and The Wonderous World of Wonders. Read more here.

Hilary Frambes (CCAD 1992) was chosen as the Ohio Delegate to Parenting magazine’s Mom Congress, April 10-13. More information about her trip is available in the CCAD News Blog.

Celene Hawkins (CCAD 1992) was awarded a 2010 Aid to Individual Artists grant through the Summerfair Foundation in Cincinnati. Read more here.

David Breaux (CCAD 1995) completed animation work on Iron Man 2, Tron Legacy, Real Steel, and Thor. Read an interview with Breaux on the CCAD News Blog.

Tiffany Liss (CCAD 1995) has accepted the position of marketing communications specialist manager for Rexford Industries, LLC, in Indianapolis.

Christopher Maslon (CCAD 1996) was the first foreign elected official appointed to Daejeon Health and Sciences College’s board for the Executive Committee of Liberal Arts. The college is located in Daejeon, South Korea. Included in his nomination was a move by the board to add more arts and design courses to the college’s curriculum. Maslon will head the arts courses offered. Read a complete story about his appointment in the CCAD News Blog.

Anthony Anselmo (CCAD 1998) recently returned to CCAD to provide mock interviews to current students. He shared this album from his self-guided tour with us.

Justin Shady (CCAD 1998) wrote about Joshua Peters (CCAD 2008) on his blog. Peters recently designed a poster for Billy West’s appearance at Packrat Comics in Hilliard, Ohio. Read the blog here.

Michael Guinane (CCAD 2000), Marc Lincewicz (CCAD 1992), Ryan Orewiler (CCAD 2004), Michele Ulmer (CCAD 2005), Molly McNitt (CCAD 2004), and Jurate Phillips (CCAD 2002) participated in the German Village Art League exhibition The Language of Art. Learn more on the CCAD News Blog.

Anthony Nesossis (CCAD 2000) worked as creative director and graphic designer—along with MediaFLOW’s Vincent Blake—to create a new logo, tagline, and web presence for the Educational Council Foundation of Ohio.

Beth Dean (CCAD 2003) has accepted the position of director of user experience at Ongo.

Anousone Panyanouvong (CCAD 2007) received a $10,000 grant from Microsoft to launch her urban forest plan as part of the company’s Make it Great competition. Read more about her project (and how CCAD helped to make it happen) on the CCAD News Blog.

Chelstin Ross (CCAD 2009) exhibited her work during the 2011 Columbus Arts Festival. She was one of 10 central Ohio artists selected to participate in this year’s Emerging Artists Program. She was also featured in the Columbus Dispatch. Read the article here.

Nick Cavalier (CCAD 2010) directed the Felix Culpa’s Our Holy Ghost music video, which debuted at Alternative Press magazine and was featured on Absolute Punk and Blank TV (and the CCAD News Blog). The video has also been entered into the Chicago Underground Film Festival and the Chicago, NY, and SF United Film Festivals.

Katrina Seitter (CCAD 2010) was promoted from freelance designer to graphic designer at Stonefly Communications Group in central Ohio.  She has also taken up a freelance position with the Creative Good, which was started by CCAD alumnus Brian Greenwood (CCAD 1999).

Have news you’d like to share? Click here.

Compilation by David Groff

A healthcare calendar featuring the illustrations of a Visual Communications instructor recently won a silver medal in a national competition recognizing excellence in marketing.

The award-winning work of adjunct instructor David Groff (CCAD ’79) was done on behalf of Marion General Hospital. The central Ohio hospital’s calendar was one of 4,500 entries in the 2011 Aster Awards program.

Groff worked with Karen Ruth Media Consultants and Grant McCallister of Designet on the project. This is the second consecutive year the calendar has been awarded a silver Aster.

Patti Gay's "Animals Must Be" is now available on the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles websites.

Animals Must Be, a children’s e-book by Illustration alumna Patti Gay (CCAD 1979), is now available on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites.

“This has been in the works for a while, and was a (rather long) labor of love,” Gay wrote on her blog, Patti’s Page.  “I enjoy painting animals, and this book is full of them. A special thanks goes to my wonderful writing critique group.”

Animals Must Be is a 195 word picture book written for children between the ages of three and six years old. It tells the story of a group of friendly animals who notice they are being observed while playing in the park. Each animal tries to discern what is watching them, gathering their ideas from their own unique characteristics.

Gay was recently featured on a design blog for her other children’s e-book, Amanda & Max Friends. Learn more about Gay on her website.

Alumnus Ryan Orewiler is one of the CCAD graduates participating at the "Face 2 Face" exhibition.

Columbus’s Studios on High Gallery (SOHG) is celebrating its 25^th Anniversary with the help of some of our alumni. Fine Arts alumna Lisa Horkin (CCAD 1985), Illustration alumnus Marty Husted (CCAD 1979), Illustration alumnus Ryan Orewiler (CCAD 2004), and Fine Arts alumna Denise Romecki (CCAD 1976), will all exhibit during Face 2 Face, 25 Years of Art and Community, opening Friday, April 15 from 5:30–9:00 p.m.

Lisa Horkin works as a textile mixed media artist, exhibiting, lecturing, and teaching in the Columbus area. Since 2002, she has been a practicing glass artist, using glass as means of creative expression. Follow her blog here.

Marty Husted is a freelance illustrator and fine artist living in Columbus. His clients include Charlesbridge Publishing Company, Columbus Historical Society, Macmillan McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, and The Ohio State University among other. He is the recipient of PMA Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Multicultural Book of the Year (2005), USA Book News’s Best Children’s Picture Book (2004), OFBF Children’s Literature Award Honors List (2003), Great Lakes Book Seller’s Association Pick of the List (1999), and Parent’s Council Award for Excellence (1998). Learn more on his website.

Since 2000, Ryan Orewiler has painted hundreds of cityscapes which have been collected and commissioned by individuals and corporations throughout the United States. His influence is the urban environment of Columbus, Ohio, where he lives, and the cities that he has traveled to around the world including Jakarta, Chicago, Paris, Florence, Berlin, Bali, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. He received a B.F.A. from the Columbus College of Art and Design in Illustration and is a member of the Landfillart.org, Roy G Biv, Ohio Art League, German Village Art League, AbX Collective, Oil Painters of America and the Landscape Artists International.  Learn more here.

Denise Romecki has been exhibiting since 1978, and her work can be found at Studios on High and the Ohio Craft Museum. She also teaches part-time at the Cultural Arts Center.  Her works can be viewed here.

SOHG was opened in 1986 by four Columbus-based artists offering a glimpse of their creative processes along with the opportunity to buy unique handmade pieces. Today, the gallery is comprised of 18 exhibiting artists and hosts daily demonstrations in its Short North facility. The gallery provides an opportunity for education and interaction with painters, ceramic artists, jewelers and glass blowers.

For more information about the show, click here.

Lisa Horkin shared the news of this show with us on our Alumni Facebook page. If you are a fellow alumnus or alumna, be sure to “like” us today.

Illustrated by Tim Bowers, "Dream Big, Little Pig" is currently ranked #2 on The New York Times Bestseller List.

Kristi Yamaguchi’s Dream Big, Little Pig is—to say the least—popular. It’s been featured on NBC’s Today Show and CBS’s The Talk in addition to book signings nationwide. Now, the tale of Poppy the big-dreaming pig, has topped (err, nearly topped—but second place is nothing to scoff at) The New York Times Bestseller List.

For the week of April 3, 2011, the book illustrated by Illustration alumnus Tim Bowers (CCAD ’79) was ranked second for children’s picture books, behind Victoria Kann’s Silverlicious. Rankings reflect sales for the week ending March 19 for books sold in both print and electronic formats as reported by vendors.

Read more about Bowers’ success in our previous blog, Alumnus Illustrates Olympian’s Book.

And see what all the excitement is about by purchasing a copy through Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

"Amanda and Max, Friends" is available on all e-readers.

“I have become an e-book convert, and I am very excited to announce my first children’s e-book picture book, called Amanda and Max, Friends,” said Illustration alumna Patti Gay (CCAD 1979) in an interview with design blogger Kate Harper.

Gay continued, “Although I still love the feel of a real book in my hands, I can see the advantage of having a reading device instead. If you are traveling with a child, it’s great to have several books in an e-reader instead of dragging a stack of them around with you. It is just a different reading experience.”

Amanda and Max, Friends is about an orange tabby cat and a wee dachshund pup exploring what it means to be a friend. Each page is written and illustrated to give both child and parent a grin. Amanda and Max are also blogging. Follow them here.

Gay’s experience as an art director at Portal Publications helped to give her a good feel for the gift industry. She has done illustration work for cards, gift bags, mugs, stickers, clings, stationery, plates and gift wrap for a wide variety of clients. She has also done illustrations for children’s books, magazines and advertising promotions.

Read the entire interview here.

And to learn more about Gay, visit her website.

Alumnus Dean Mitchell (CCAD '80) exhibited at the Canton Museum of Art in Canton, OH.

One of the big changes we’ve made recently is to take Alumni Classnotes out of IMAGE magazine and bring them to you on our CCAD News Blog. We do our best to make sure most of the news our alumni submit to us ends up there, but since there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, it’s a tough job to keep up with it all. Ultimately, not everything can make it into CCAD News. What doesn’t, ends up here.

We’ve also changed how you can submit classnotes. Now when news happens, let us know via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from July-December 2010.

Career successes and awards
KATHLEEN (RIVERS) LANDES ’77 is a July 2010 artist in residence at the Santa Fe Art Institute, Santa Fe NM.

JON HAIR ’79 was recently honored by the city of Shanghai for his artistic contribution to the city’s efforts to revitalize its downtown theater district. In addition, his contemporary sculpture “Lucky 8” was commissioned by the city of Beijing and the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee and is now permanently installed at the Beijing International Sculpture Park.

JIM WEITZEL ’79 recently launched a new website and completed a steel sculpture for the grounds of Cooperris, a community based mental health program in western NC.

MATTHEW KASER ’84 received a multi-year Interpretive Design contract from the Texas Historical Commission for two historical sites. M. Kaser & Associates, Inc., was also awarded a contract with the US Army Corp of Engineers to design and produce an indoor and outdoor interpretive program at the Port Allen Navigation Lock in West Baton Rouge Parish LA.

KURT FONDRIEST ’85 had a selection of poetry published in the Winter 2010 issue of the Expressive Art Therapy Journal.

SANDRA (KESSLER) KAMINSKI ’93 recently accepted a position at the Pittsburgh Project located in Pittsburgh PA as visual arts instructor. Check out our blog for more information on Sandra.

ALYCIA (PARKER) YATES ’99 recently received her teaching license in Art Education from Ohio State University and is working toward her Master’s degree.

DAVID CROSLAND ’00 was selected as one of the winners in ArtSlant’s sixth juried Showcase of 2010 for his collaborative art piece “Booty & The Beast.” David also illustrated Yo Gabba Gabba! Comic Anthology. Find out more here.

MARIANO SANTILLAN ’00 had his comic book Seven Citadels released as a mobile comic by Robot Comics for iPhones, iPads and Droid devices.

KRISTI VALIANT ’00 has illustrated the recently published picture books The Goodbye Cancer Garden, Do You Love Me More?, Oliver’s First Christmas, and Dancing Dreams. She has also recently become the Regional Advisor of the Indiana region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

ELIZABETH WEISSBROD ’04 received a MA in Medical Illustration from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in May 2010. She now works for the Corbin Company as a medical illustrator/animator at the Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences – Simulation Center in Bethesda MD.

STEVEN WEINZIERL ’05 recently completed projects for Nickelodeon, MTV, Discovery, and HBO through his Art Directing position at Click 3X. He also worked on Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” music video.

ALEXANDER KWAPIS ’06 recently accepted a position as Creative Director at Fusion Packaging, located in Dallas TX.

HAZEL TARR ’07 assisted with Shadowbox’s first three-week Summer Intern Bootcamp, Sketch Comedy Fest, and collaborative, “Seven Deadly Sins.”

MICHELLE DICK ’08 created custom hair accessories for the Vera Wang trunk show in July 2009. Her company, Mimi’s Closet, sells items at Big Rock Little Rooster in Columbus’s Short North.

EDEN (HUTCHINSON) WHITSETT ’08 currently owns and operates a tattoo and body piercing shop in Marion OH called Bettie’s Body Shop: Custom Tattoos and Body Piercing.

NICHOLAS CAVALIER ’09 accepted an editor position at Cramer-Krasselt in Chicago IL.

BARBARA BENAS ’10 is part of the official selection of artists featured on Cartoon Brew TV’s first annual Student Animation Festival, with her short Always, Only, Ever. The festival features work by emerging talents from around the world. The film has also been accepted into the Animation Block Party at Rooftop Films in Brooklyn NY. The Animation Block Party is New York City’s premiere animation film festival.

BERNADETTE CARSTENSEN ’10 was selected as to receive a full-ride scholarship to attend IlluXcon 3 in Altoona PA in November 2010.

KARTIKA MEDIANI ’10 has been accepted into the Animation Block Party at Rooftop Films in Brooklyn NY with her film, “Breath.”

Exhibitions
BERNARD BEN PEARCE ’70 Trinidad’s National Musuem, Port of Spain, Trinidad.

KATHLEEN (RIVERS) LANDES ’77 Istvan Gallery, Oklahoma City OK.

WALTER KING ’81 Walter King: Midwest Dialog, Fort Hayes Shot Tower Gallery, Columbus OH.

DANIEL DAY ’86 Colosseum Fine Arts, La Jolla CA.

PAUL HAMILTON ’88 Paul Hamilton: Poetry of Place, Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, Lancaster OH.

CHRISTOPHER GASTON ’90 and DOUGLAS BLACK ’90 Three Roads to Mashiko, MIDORI, Mashiko, Japan.

SANDRA (KESSLER) KAMINSKI ’93 State of the Art, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg PA.

JAMIE SNELL ’94 Star Wars Celebration V, Orange County Convention Center, Los Angeles CA.

ROBERT ENGLERT ’96 Edge of Art New York State Artists Series: Designed to Scale, Everson Art Museum, Syracuse NY.

ROXANNE HOLONITCH ’97 Core Fitness Studio, Columbus, OH.

JONATHON REESE ’98 and SALEM REESE ’08 The Reunion Show, Art Outreach Gallery, Youngstown OH.

JAMES BAKER ’02 Wild Thing, Roberts & Tilton, Culver City CA.

RYAN OREWILER ’04 The Language of Art, Carnegie Gallery at Columbus Metropolitan Main Library, Columbus OH.

MANJARI SHARMA ’04 Elements of Water, The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins CO; PAANI, Richard Levy Galley, Albuquerque NM; SULTRY II, DUMBO, Brooklyn NY.

ANDREW STATTMILLER ’05, Mischief, Studio Gallery, San Francisco CA.

ANDREW INA ’06, BORYANA RUSENOVA INA ’06 Landing, Art Access Gallery, Columbus OH.

MICHELLE DICK ’08 ArtPrize 2010, Peaches Bed & Breakfast, Grand Rapids, MI.

MALLORY McCLELLAN ’10 Savage Gardens, Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus OH.

EMILY RICKARD ’10 Material Collections, Wild Goose Creative, Columbus OH.

In the news
DEAN MITCHELL ’80 “Paintings by Dean Mitchell,” recave.com.

LAURA (PATTERSON) SANDERS ’88 CMH magazine.

MANJARI SHARMA ’04 Pdnedu magazine.

AOI poster by Graham Erwin

CCAD’s  annual Art of Illustration exhibition, now in its 14th year, is spreading its wings and leaving the nest for a Short North gallery.

The popular exhibition, featuring the best of CCAD student illustrations, is organized entirely by students—from designing promotional posters and selecting jurors to securing sponsors and notifying participants from all nine CCAD majors.

Art of Illustration, opens March 5 at Rivet Gallery, 1200 N. High St. in Columbus, and continues through March 25. An opening awards presentation and reception begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 5.

This year’s show is organized by five Illustration majors: seniors Alex Alvarado and Noel Ang, juniors Lexie Holliday and Brianne Schulze, and sophomore Andrew Thompson. They secured a panel of professional alumni jurors—Linda Bittner (CCAD, ’88), Tim Bowers (CCAD, ’79), Eric Fortune (CCAD, ’99), and Scott Hull (CCAD, ’77)—as well as Illustration Chair C. F. Payne to winnow the 164 entries down to 38. Per tradition, judging took place in Payne’s home.

“Our main focus this year was to get the community more involved,” Schulze said. “In the past, the show was held in one of CCAD’s galleries, so we figured the most obvious solution was to find a gallery off campus.”  The Illustration department is excited about the gallery’s involvement because the student work, opening reception, and awards presentation will be showcased during Columbus’ popular monthly Gallery Hop.

Payne describes the jurying progress as “very regimented and very tough once selections get down to the final level.” All students submit their entries in a digital format. For jurying, the student organizers project the images for the judges to see, then track each round’s selections and tally the overall winners, a process that lasts several hours.

Awards, including prizes from various sponsors, will be presented for best of show as well as first, second and third place. Additionally, five selections identified as “judges favorites” will receive an original work of art from the respective judge.

This year’s sponsors include Chipotle, Cameron Mitchell, Kroger, and R Designs and Printing. CCAD student, a senior majoring in Illustration, designed the 2011 AOI poster.

Payne is pleased that the student-led tradition continues to grow and sees the move to an off-campus gallery as a positive development. “Having AOI in a gallery adds some prestige,” he said.

(click on thumbnail to see full image)

"Dream Big, Little Pig" will be released in March 2011.

Illustration alumnus Tim Bowers (CCAD ’79) recently illustrated a new children’s book written by Olympic figure skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi.

Dream Big, Little Pig, tells the story of how Poppy the big-dreaming pig accomplishes her dreams of becoming a ballerina, singer, and supermodel—even though people keep telling her no.

Bowers is the owner of Bowers Studios and has illustrated more than 20 children’s books. His books have received such honors and awards as a Chicago Book Clinic Honor Book, a Child Magazine Top Pick selection, the Children’s Reading Round Table of Chicago Honors Award and several Children’s Choice Awards. More recently, Bowers received the Child Magazine Best Children’s Book Award and several of his books have been chosen as Junior Library Guild selections.

Dream Big, Little Pig is published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky and will be released in March, 2011. Pre-order the book through Amazon using this link.

For more informations about Bowers, visit his website.

Leonard Maltin’s Movie Crazy blog highlighted Stop-Motion Marvels!, which chronicles vintage stop-motion animation shorts, and the collaborators who produced it.

“From the attractive packaging to every aspect of the presentation, it’s clear this DVD was a labor of love. It belongs in every animation collection, and I feel certain it would fire the imagination of kids everywhere …,” Maltin wrote.

McKissick (CCAD, ’79) worked with Steve Stanchfield and Ken Priebe at Thunderbean Animation over several years to feature Kinex films as well as other vintage stop-motion animation shorts. The DVD includes commentary tracks with leading stop-motion animators and a booklet McKissick wrote of the history of the Kinex films. McKissick also did the artwork and packaging for the collection. CCAD provided a faculty enrichment grant to help McKissick, who majored in Illustration at CCAD, with production costs.

Additional reviews of Stop-Motion Marvels! are at Cartoon Brew and DVDtalk.com.

Alumnus Mark Riedy recently redesigned Budweiser's symbolic clydesdales.

Alumnus Mark Riedy (CCAD 1979) recently teamed up with creative firm Switch to redesign Budweiser’s logo. Through his employment at Scott Hull Associates, Riedy worked as illustrator designer on the project, developing and illustrating the classic logo.

“Whenever you are asked to work on a long-standing iconic image such as the Budweiser Clydesdales, the biggest challenge is striking a creative balance,” Riedy said in an interview on the company’s blog. “The art already has a name for itself. You want to add your own personal point of view while always considering the equity of the images that came before me.”

“The Budweiser Clydesdales are a symbol that is recognizable and loved by all ages,” Riedy continued. “The goal was to update the logo so that it would be more relevant and appealing to current Budweiser consumers.”

Scott Hull Asscoiates is owned by CCAD alumnus Scott Hull (CCAD 1977). In its 30 years of business, Scott Hull Associates have worked with more than 8,000 companies including Microsoft, Hasbro, Time magazine, Johnson & Johnson, and American Red Cross.

“We are helping companies understand the value of illustration and how to use it,” Hull said. “In a lot of cases, we can problem solve to get the strongest visual identity for that company. “

To learn more, visit the company’s website .

This post was included in the spring 2011 issue of IMAGE Magazine.

McCutcheon used real strawberries in his "Play Date" installations.

Alumnus John Joseph McCutcheon (CCAD 1979) used actual food as the primary material in his most recent exhibition, Play Date, which opened Dec. 4 in the Short North.

The show features the photography and installations of Katelyn Cody and McCutcheon, who allow viewers to spy on the lives of tiny toy people as they row a boat across a bowl of soup or paint giant strawberries.

McCutcheon is an installation artist, life coach, and owner and director of Sean Christopher Gallery, a fine arts center, and Health Perspectives, a holistic life coaching and counseling private practice. He received his MFA in sculpture from The Ohio State University.

The show is held at Sean Christopher Gallery at Health Perspectives, 815 N. High St., Ste H&N, and is open Wednesday–Friday, 3:30–5:30 p.m., and Saturday 1:00–3:00 p.m., and by appointment. The exhibition runs through January 29.

Cover art by Stewart McKissick

Stewart McKissick, professor, Illustration and Graduate Studies, is bringing film and animation history to light and preserving it for the future. After nearly eight years of research, the CCAD alumnus (Illustration, ’79) has contributed to Stop Motion Marvels!, a DVD and 12-page booklet chronicling vintage stop-motion animation shorts.

McKissick’s interest in animation and the imagery of classic cartoons has long influenced his style of illustration and his collection of 16mm animation films. His interest lead him to attend and eventually begin coordinating Cinevent, an annual three-day classic film convention begun in Columbus in 1969.

Steve Stanchfield, another collector and instructor at College for Creative Studies in Detroit, gave McKissick some silent stop-motion shorts made by Kinex studio to show at Cinevent in 2002. Although the two enthusiasts knew very little about the shorts, they proved to be popular with Cinevent’s audiences. A collaborative effort to learn more began.

Stop Motion Marvels! features Kinex films as well as other vintage stop-motion animation shorts. The DVD includes commentary tracks with leading stop-motion animators and a booklet McKissick wrote of the history of the Kinex films. McKissick also did the artwork and packaging while Stanchfield mastered the disc and cleaned up the films. CCAD provided McKissick a faculty enrichment grant to help with the production costs.

Premiered at the most recent Cinevent, Stop Motion Marvels is now for sale on Amazon’s website. To read some reviews of Stop Motion Marvels go to http://www.cartoonbrew.com and http://www.dvdtalk.com.