John Jude Palencar’s illustration for the best-selling children’s novel “Eragon”

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 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 December 2011, January 2012, and February 2012.

Ron Miller ’70 created the illustrations for an iPad app Journey to the Exoplanets. Read more here.

Nicky Epstein ’74 has finished her 24^th book about knitting design. Read more here.

Tim Rietenbach ’77, Danielle Julian Norton ’99, Mariana Smith ’02, and Michael Litzau ’04 were among 10 CCAD-affiliated artists in a recent exhibition. Read more here.

Tim Rietenbach ’77 is a participating artist in FINDING TIME: Columbus Public Art 2012, a multi-artist public art project to celebrate the city of Columbus’ 200^th birthday. Read more here.

Kent Roberts ’77 had his work accepted in the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s Annual Show.

Wong Wo Bik ’77 was in the group exhibition Memory and Fiction at Blindspot Gallery in Hong Kong. Read more here.

John Jude Palencar ’80 illustrated the newest book in a best-selling children’s series, the Inheritance Cycle. Read more here.

Michael Neno ’84, Andy Bennett ’94, and Ryan Brinkerhoff ’08 all worked on the fourth issue of a Columbus based comic book. Read more here.

Kurt Fondriest ’85 was featured in the film Operation Rhino, which received a Midwest/Chicago Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Read more here.

Inka Essenhigh ’91 had a solo exhibition at Tomio Koyama Gallery in Kyoto, Japan. Read more here.

Anita Miller ’91–’99 continues to tour her exhibition The Eyes of Freedom: the Lima Company Memorial. Read more here.

Nathan Greno ’93–’96 co-directed Disney’s animated short Tangled Ever After. Read more here.

David Breaux ’94 is a senior animator on the FOX television series Terra Nova, produced by Steven Spielberg. Read more here.

Sandy Kessler Kaminski ’93 had her piece Around 65 featured in Studio Visit magazine, vol. 14.

Ron Stasko ’93 had his work Liquid Color displayed in Tsunami, a Baton Rouge restaurant.

Kathleen ’94 and David Hartman ’95 both worked on the film John Dies at the End, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Read more here.

Samantha Bennett ’95–’99 had a solo exhibition, Scars, Portraits and Beyond, at Hayley Gallery in New Albany, OH. Read more here.

Michael Newton ’96 and Jeremy Sorrell ’04, exhibited their work at Rivet Gallery in downtown Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Laine Bachman ’97 had a solo exhibition, Birds of a Feather, which was reviewed by The Columbus Dispatch. Read more here.

Nicole Bruckman ’00 was in a group exhibition at WWA Gallery in Culver City, California. Read more here.

Michael Guinane ’00 showed his work at the Cultural Arts Center in Columbus, OH.

Adam Brouillette ’02 and Boryana Rusenova Ina ’00 were on the Best Local Artists list of 2011 in Columbus Underground. Read more here.

Anne Holman ’02 is featured in The New Artisans: Handmade Designs for Contemporary Living. Read more here.

Carl Bork ’03 had a solo exhibition at Tointon Gallery in Greeley, CO. Read more here.

Kenneth Hall ’04 had a solo exhibition at Parkland College Art Gallery in Champaign, Ill. Read more here.

Manjari Sharma ’04 was featured in The New York Times discussing her photography project Darshan. Read more here.

Melissa Spencer ’06 displayed her photography in Cleveland, OH at Sunny Side Up Gallery.

Maris Turner ’07 and Sara Renner ’08 opened a boutique in Ann Arbor. Read more here.

Genoveva Christoff ’09 was a finalist in the E! Live from the Red Carpet Design Contest and presented her work at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

"John Dies at the End" movie poster

A premiere at the Sundance Film Festival is a big step toward success for any independent film and the crew that worked on it. Two CCAD alumni are enjoying that satisfaction as the movie John Dies at the End is being screened at the festival.

Kathleen (CCAD 1994) and David Hartman (CCAD 1995) both worked on the film, Kathleen in the costume and wardrobe department and David in animation and special effects.

John Dies at the End began as a webserial and was transformed into a movie by director Don Coscarelli, who also directed The Beastmaster, Bubba Ho-Tep, and the Phantasm films. The movie depicts a couple of college drop-outs who begin to take a paranormal, psychoactive drug that gives users an out-of-body experience. It features a few up-and-coming actors along with award-winning actor Paul Giamatti, who is an executive producer on the film.

The sci-fi comedy premiered Jan. 23 and has four showings throughout the festival, and it’s already being talked about for more than just the cast. Reviews have been praising the film and its special effects, ranging from a flying mustache to doorknobs changing into phallic-shaped items.

“When you see an overturned freezer full of foodstuffs become animated Jan Svankmajer-style and assemble into a turkey-headed, sausage-draped meat monster, character development and motivation will be the last thing on your mind,” said one reviewer.

The Sundance Film Festival promotes independent artists’ work and shares it with global audiences. The festival has included ground-breaking films such as Maria Full of Grace, The Cove, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious, and Napoleon Dynamite.

To learn more about the appearance of  John Dies at the End at the Sundance Film Festival click here.

Photo Courtesy of HubWorld.

Illustration alumnus David Hartman (CCAD 1995) was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in the Oustanding Directing in an Animated Program category for his work as the supervising director for Transformers Prime.

Transformers Prime is up against Disney Kick Buttowski on DisneyXD, Fanboy and Chum Chum on Nickelodeon, Martha Speaks on PBS, Penguins of Madagascar on Nickelodeon, and Toot & Poodle on Nick Jr.

Nominations were announced Wednesday, May 11, and CCAD Illustration alumna (and David’s wife) Kathleen Hartman (CCAD 1994) shared the good news via the Columbus College of Art & Design Facebook page. A complete list of nominations can be viewed here.

We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed until June 19 when the winners are announced. In the meantime, learn more about the show on its webpage.