Just need to write today and say thank you to Leonard Nimoy. I first discovered Star Trek through a neighbors house while cat sitting at the young age of six. They had the old one episode on tape vhs cassettes you can now find in yard sales everywhere. My whole fandom starts with Star Trek and everywhere it diverts to is because of that show.
Nimoy along with Shatner are the reason I am a geek, and it’s hard to express how their playing these roles changed my life. Unlike a lot of things that fascinate as a child, Star Trek continues to mean something as an adult and Mr Nimoy is an important part of that. He also lived his life as an artist and for that we should all salute him. Rest in peace sir. We will all try to live long and prosper because of you.

Excited to be a guest again at Illogicon in Cary, NC. I’m on two panels there this weekend both on Sunday.
First I’m hosting a sketchcard workshop open to all skill levels on Sunday at 1100am. All participants will be given at least one sketch card and plastic case and have a chance to make a sketch card for themselves.
I’m also on The Sporting Geek panel where us Geeks will be talking about Sports at 1pm . LOL.
See everyone in Cary this weekend.

Come see me and Jessica White Sunday from 12-6 in Columbia, Sc for Crafty Feast. Last chance to pick up creature paintings for you Christmas stockings.

I started my long journey with R. A. Salvatore’s Drizzt books over twenty years ago. I was 13 browsing in a Barnes & Noble waiting for ice hockey practice to start. Something about the cover for Homeland drew me in and before I knew it was asking for books instead of other entertainment. My readership changed over the years as I grew older and I missed many Drizzt stories during my college years. I returned to the series when I opened a little used book store in Easthampton, Ma.

Reading the books at an older age showed me all the layers of storytelling I most likely missed as a teenage boy. I reread everything and caught up with all the books I missed.

Im torn with the Companions as it feels like a comic book reboot. We are getting major characters back which I’m sure will lead to great adventures but as a reader who had 20 years invested in these stories it does lessen the impact I felt as a reader when we lost those characters the first time around. Not sure how I will reread Cattiebrie, Regis, and Bruenors death again and not feel a little cheated.

Im glad the Companions of the Hall are reunited and can’t wait to read their adventures, but not sure I will ever have the same emotional investment now that they , like comic book characters, can cheat death.

2014 has been a wild one. Welcoming our son Milo to the world is the highlight of course and brings an amazing perspective and experience to my life everyday. I kind of knew he would change my life and made plans early to prepare for that. I eliminated con-news before the end of last year knowing that I wouldn’t have time for it with the changes. It forced me to slow down. I miss it at times and my participation in fandom events has slowed as a result but not in a negative way. I do miss wandering the hotel hallways late at night going to just one more panel or bumping into a friend waiting for an event. I don’t miss the
lines and I don’t miss the constant booking of hotel rooms and getting my registration in on time.
I do feel like in certain areas my fandom has been renewed by taking time away. I get excited now at the toy aisle of stores. I was numb to them before as I saw the same products every week in a different dealers room. I also don’t hesitate to buy art I like right now as that has also been less accessible. I enjoy genre television just the same whether I saw the actor on a panel or not. But I think the biggest change has been taking it one day at a time. I don’t plan much too far out as I don’t know what Milo will be ready for and when. It actually takes so much stress off and is pretty nice to see where the day will take me. I hope to one day share some of the experiences I had with fandom with him but excited to see it more through his eyes than to get back what I enjoyed. Until then, I go to work, come home to my awesome family and enjoy the day.

Just added these 24 paintings to the front page. Two craft shows this month. Find me this Sunday at The Big Crafty in downtown Asheville, NC and Sunday December 13th at Crafty Feast in Columbia, Sc. See you there!

Here’s the Ladies of Letterpress dates for 2015.
June 12th-14th in Mt. Pleasant, IA. See you there!
Ladies of Letterpress Mt. Pleasant, IA (Volunteer)

Excited to say I will be back at the Winter The Big Crafty at Pack Place in Asheville. Always a great show, see you December 7th!

I have the following Pirate Girl as part of the art on record show at Earshot in Greenville, SC. The show opens on Sept 20th with a reception that day. Can’t wait to the see all the other artists participating.