Gem Spa Egg Cream: Part 2

Took my Egg Cream drawing I did for the Gem Spa x Left Field NYC t-shirt collaboration and jazzed it up a bit more. I wanted to do some sort of flash sheet inspired illustration of what St. Marks means to me. I spent a good chunk of time there when I first moved to the city since it was in walking distance from the apartment I was staying at, had cheap food, and was great for people watching while I scarfed down my meal on the curb. I even got kicked a few times by a crust punk during one of my visits. Such sweet authentic memories.

Anyways, I think there are still some XXL Gem Spa t-shirts available on their site HERE and at LEFT FIELD NYC

Also, Y'all ever had a Whosawhatsit Candy Bar? It tastes just like Whatchamacallit but without that pesky trademark infringement. 

GEM SPA x Left Field NYC

I whipped up this drawing of an egg cream soda (and drank a few still life references) for a t-shirt collaboration between the iconic East Village spot GEM SPA and menswear brand LEFT FIELD. Originally the plan was to use the sales of the shirt to help Gem Spa keep their lights on and get through the pandemic until they could reopen but, unfortunately with no business coming in and still having to pay East Village rent, they had to close the store for good. 

It was then decided that Left Field would take their share of the proceeds from the t-shirt sales and donate it to LESPI - a non-profit that seeks to preserve the historic streetscapes and buildings of Manhattan's East Village, Lower East Side, Chinatown, Little Italy and the Bowery. 

This is a very small run of shirts so if you wanna get one, you best git to it ASAP! All shirts are made and in printed in the USA. Click either of the links and let the purchasing begin - LEFT FIELD NYC -  GEM SPA

 

Prison Rodeo Ringer Tees

My illustration for the Dee Jay, Prison Rodeo, who only spins the finest outlaw country around Brooklyn, has landed on some t-shirts. Really love the complete 70s aesthetic with the ringer tee and illustration. They are available, in limited quantities, right here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/837149656/prison-rodeo-trucker-ringer-tee?ref=shop_home_active_1&crt=1

 

Anthony Bourdain

Recent commissioned portrait of Anthony Bourdain. Went for a bit of a weathered treasure map look for the illustration to reference Bourdain's explorer spirit when it came to searching out culture and food. I would catch his shows every now and then and will always be glad I caught the episode on Lisbon, which introduced me to Fado. It's a genre of music I've really grown to love and was even lucky enough to catch some when traveling through Lisbon. Anyways, I've never drawn Bourdain so I'm glad I got the chance to immortalize him in my own way and also revisit his work for research. Scroll on down for some process pics.

Missing my Food Spots

Here's a little group of food paintings I worked on back in April/May when I was going through some major withdrawal thinking about all the places I liked to eat/drink at before the pandemic shut them down. I'm glad that some places are able to start to reopen but I'm gonna need some time I think before I can comfortably revisit my old spots. At least the corner stores/bodegas/delis don't seem to have a shortage of ice cream sandwiches.

I WANT TO BELIEVE Farewell Lorimer St. t-shirt

Gimme! Coffee on Lorimer St. holds a special place in my life, and like so many of its customers that stopped in every day, numerous times a day, I've felt the massive weight of its sudden absence like a collapsing star in my heart. Soo, I went and got some t-shirts made for everyone.

This is a second run, and a slightly updated version, of a collab between myself and Williamsburg's favorite coffee shop. This new X-Files inspired tee has a bonus message across the back to honor Lorimer St. passing into the great beyond that includes the years it reigned over all from 2003-2020, and our crew's favorite constructive critique: "Only disgusting people drink coffee here."

After the incredible outpouring of generosity from the barista relief fund I've decided to take all the profits from the shirt sales and distribute them to North Star Fund, NAACP, OKRA Project, Feeding America, and the Rwanda Landslide Relief Fund which will help coffee farmers impacted from the recent mudslides and flooding.

PRE-SALE HAS ENDED!!!! Thank you to everyone who placed an order. Info on shipping to follow.

The original shirt and a-frame from years back are pictured below for nostalgia sake.

Breakdancing in Quarantine Times

"We Gotta Breakdance to Save The World"

14.5 x 19.5"

This is the last of 3 new pieces I made for a spring show at Homegrown Skateshop in Ithaca, NY that, sadly, is not going to happen for the foreseeable future. Some of the scenarios happening in this drawing actually happened while we skated the park in our younger days, and even happened as recently as last year. I'll let you decide what is fact and fiction. Hopefully we can pull a show together for the fall so people can actually see these bad boys up close. 

I originally was going to have the gas station at night be the setting of this piece but decided to save this for another piece.

Jamming with Bigfoot in Quarantine Times

"I Sharted During My Solo"

14.5 x 19.5"

So, I had no idea there was so much Bigfoot fan art there when I started working on this piece. I guess there's just a lot of us that want to imagine Bigfoot is out there just jamming away in complete solitude. There's even someone who gets dressed up and plays music under the name Saxquatch. Wild stuff. It does feel very appropriate during these self-isolating times.

Influencing in Quarantine Times

"Just Trying to Justify My Existence to a Bunch of Strangers"

14.5 x 19.5"

I started making this piece right before shit hit the fan back in March. It was originally intended to be about the complete lack of class influencers have when it comes to selling themselves and others out on social media. Now, seeing how our government has decided to throw small businesses overboard, I feel like this just sums up how the majority of us are feeling while money for small business is being offered up to companies who surely don't need 20 million. As much as I criticize social media, I kinda wonder, would these companies have given that money back if they hadn't been publicly outed for digging so deep into a relief fund for companies with fewer than 500 employees. Hmmm. Anyways, the influencers are still out there being tacky as hell through all of this.

American Illustration 39 Chosen

Happy to report that a few illustrations I made in 2019 have been chosen by the judges of American Illustration 39 to appear in this years online archive. Amidst all the craziness of the last couple months in NYC I felt guilty for not jumping for joy, which I usually do when AI emails me that my work has been accepted, but it does really mean a lot to have my work acknowledged by the judges and I'm very honored to be included in this year's batch of winners. So, I would like to say Thank You to all the judges this year. This news did brighten my week. 

I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe out there. Looking at the 3 pieces that were chosen makes me look forward to the days when we can go see live music together again, dance at Jonathan Toubin's parties and sit together in open spaces next to all our friends without having to wear masks. 

That rocket ship should have been a loaf of sourdough. If anyone is running out of space in their kitchen and needs to unload some bread they've been baking, hit me up. I will gladly be a taste tester for all your sourdough tests.