I did not think I'd be able to do one but when the word tranquilitiy came into my email I started thinking about stuff. When I went for a bike ride a scribbled down some ideas . As it happened I finished the first draft of a children's book I'm working on
and was actually happy with it and finished up some other stuff and started on this . Originally it was going to be simpler but
I got a little carried away. Eventually this fellow is going to have to open his eyes and join the throng or hit a mountaintop but for the moment he's managed to find a little inner peace.
Doing this ,made me look at one of my favourite animal artists, Bill Peet. I love his books and would line up all night to get a book of his storyboards for Dumbo, 101 Dalmations and everything else.

this is a sketch and finished painting for a group show I'm in. Roach Motel.
Like parts of it.





some sketches from around the neighborhood




This old building is being converted to a skatepark. I was glad to see it looks like they are going to keep the building pretty much intact and converting it to a youth centre. Always liked this building buy hey , the kids gotta skate.

My first children's book was released last month from Hyperion Books for Children. Esme is a fantastic
writer and the book was a joy to work on. See the links column for info on the book and where to get it.


A couple of illiustrations did not make it into the book, here are a couple of very early roughs as
well as my a initial rough of Frantic Search.

Went to Ottawa to the Blues Fest and saw Calexico and the New York Dolls. Calexico were amazing as usual. They stopped playing for about half an hour due to the threat of an impending storm which never happened and they came back on and played there full set. Fantastic stuff. The New York Dolls got on the stage about 10 oclock. Sylvain and Johansen are the only original members and they rocked real good. It was great hearing Puss'n Boots.

Heres some Pics of Calexico.





Walked around Ottawa a bit the next day, did some sketching and bought some books.







Alex Toth
is one of my favourite comic book artists and I foound the Whitman Maverick book from the tv show with Alex's illustrations.
Heres one.

Every year me and wife go to the classic car show in Gravenhurst [ a couple hours north of Toronto] and check out all the cool wheels. A couple of sketches from the show.

A couple of weeks back I went to Stratford with some family to see a play [ Into the Woods] It was pretty good
tho a bit long. First time I had ever been to Stratford Ontario and liked it. A couple of good used book stores and
a great shop of 50's furniture where we bought a lamp. I would wake up early and walk about and sketch. Heres some
of them.







Tonight I'm off to Ottawa with a friend to see Calexico and the New York Dolls play at a blues festival. Looking forward to it. Calexico are always amazing live. Hope to catch the Renaissance art show at the National Gallery and do some sketching.

I made my first trip to Los Angeles earliar in the year. I was in the group show at La Luz de Jesus gallery and I visited
some friends who work at UCLA who I hadn't seen in a while. I loved LA and had a great time. These are some sketches from
the trip.

I'm calling this mostly sketch blog Hypnotik Eye as its a 50's b-movie I've alway loved. The original poster has been above
my drawing table for years and I titled my first small collection of sketches/comics/illos from
Green Claw Press that , so thats what thats all about.
This is a illustration I finished this week. I've been rereading some of his
great, atmospheric stories after buying a collection in Gravenhurst with a terrific cover.
Le Fanu's wife died suddenly and he then became an eccentric recluse writing
some of his best ghost/creepy stories from bed. He would write at nigh, fall asleep
and wake around two and start writing again incorporating his dreams, polishing
the story in the morning. He had a recurring nightmare of being crushed by a large
victorian house. When he had a heart attack in bed his doctor said "the house fell at last." The vampire story Carmilla and the ghost story Green Tea are considered classics of the genre.