It’s been awhile since I ended my sketch-a-day but I’ve been wanting to start it up again and it is finally happening now! I may post some of my new Daily Sketch feed here in the blog, but the best way to follow them is to follow me on Instagram or Facebook. I’ll most likely be posting 3-5 sketches a week but I’ll try to keep it up.
@impsandmonsters
@impsandmonsterspage
Its been a couple years since my last Miyazaki/Sendak crossover and I’d been itching do another these last few months, though I think what really sparked the desire was listening to “Howl’s Moving Castle” again on audiobook (for probably the seventh time). I finally sat down in June and started looking over my worn out copy of “Where The Wild Things Are” (easily my favorite Children’s Book of all time) and started roughing out what new spread I might use. There were two spreads in particular that I could not decide between, and in the end I decided to paint them both.
I started with rough pencil doodles to figure out what Miyazaki characters would best fit the roles they’d be playing, and then I spent three days cleaning up the drawings and inking them while in my booth at the Edmonds Arts Festival in June 2015. Afterwards I picked out a couple canvases (18″ x 36″ is probably my favorite size canvas to paint on) and then spent the next few weeks painting…
18″ x 36″ acrylics on canvas. 2015.
Another in my tribute series mashing up “Where The Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak and some of my favorite Studio Ghibli (Hayao Miyazaki) characters: Kamaji, No Face (Spirited Away), Totoro and San (Princess Mononoke). There are a kodama and some soot sprites in there too.
18″ x 36″ acrylics on canvas. 2015.
Another in my tribute series mashing up “Where The Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak and some of my favorite Studio Ghibli (Hayao Miyazaki) characters: San (Princess Mononoke), Totoro, No Face (Spirited Away), Ponyo, Turnip Head (Howl’s Moving Castle), Haku (Spirited Away), and an Ohmu (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind). There are kodama and some soot sprites in there too.
The title is part of the text from the page of “Where The Wild Things Are” that this painting is based on.
Close up details…
Work in progress…
THE PIRANHA SHOP • 1022 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134 • www.thepiranhashop.com
“New Beginnings” is an exhibition of new, original works by Justin Hillgrove and Jesse Link opening for 1 night only during First Thursday Art Walk at The Piranha Shop, located in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood. Originals will become available during the show (6-11am PST) and if you cannot make it in person, don’t panic. You can check my back here a few hours before the show to preview Justin’s pieces and there will be a phone number listed that you can call during show hours for checking availability and purchasing originals.
See Jesse Link’s website for more info on Jesse and his pieces or email him at JESSELINK1@GMAIL.COM
Note: After the one night show, the remaining pieces will be hung at Bauhaus Coffee on Market Street in Ballard.
So, Jesse Link and I talked off and on about doing a show together for awhile last year and we are excited that it is finally happening. We both have very different but complimentary styles, and so one of the highlights of preparing for the show has been working on a large collaborative painting with him. We passed it back and forth, adding our own touches and style to the piece and we are both really happy with the result.
My pieces for “New Beginnings” are comprised mostly of scenes where the remnants of old robots are laying about like the leftovers from an old war, and nature and its creatures have reclaimed the land making their homes in or around the wreckage. It was so great to be working on a cohesive body of work again. It’s been 2 years since I’ve done that and it lends a sense of purpose and direction to the work. I’m really looking forward to the show and have really enjoyed planning this all out with Jesse, along with the help of our friend Sheri Hauser (United Creations), former owner of the gallery “Tasty” in Greenwood.
Justin Hillgrove grew up in Snohomish, WA and has been enjoying artistic expression since he was old enough to color on the walls. Mostly self taught, he spent many years in the design industry before setting out on his own to spend his days paintings monsters, robots, and other such nonsense. In the last 15 years Justin has worked on everything from books and magazines to collectible card games and toys. His art can be found hanging in many locations and galleries in the USA and in homes all over the world. He currently lives in Washington with his wife, four kids, a host of chickens, and a dozen or so imaginary friends.
Jesse Link was born and raised in an small steel town outside of Pittsburgh P.A.. He graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a degree in Industrial Design and studied graphic design at West Liberty University. Jesse also fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom and spent a couple years in New Orleans helping the Post Katrina re-construction effort. In 2007, Jesse moved to Seattle, WA and to pursue Visual Art as a career. Since that time he has participated in numerous Solo and group exhibitions in galleries throughout Washington and California, has been awarded two public projects from the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture and has been invited to participate in many juried Art festivals, including the Bellevue Festival of the Arts, Bumbershoot and Folklife. Jesse has also completed commission work for Target and Apptio.
Sketch #240 ©2014 Justin Hillgrove.
Sketch #239. ©2014 Justin Hillgrove. http://www.impsandmonsters.com
Here is part #2 of yesterday’s sketch as promised. Here’s what they look like next to each other:
Sketch #235. ©2014 Justin Hillgrove. http://www.impsandmonsters.com
Here is death in his benign role as “the Bearer of Unfortunate News”.
