Heading West...

I hit the road tomorrow... I'm headed west with some vague plans and stops in mind, but leaving most of the details to the fate of adventure. I'm packing Vina (my 1990 VW Bus) with the essentials (mainly my co-pilot Luna, hiking boots, music, water, and food) and heading out. Sherrie will join me for the first leg and fly back from Seattle. My friend Nick will meet us in San Francisco for a chunk of the trip as well. I'm looking forward to meeting up with friends along the way... those I haven't seen in a while, and those I have yet to meet.

The first stop is Moab. From there, we'll hit what we can en route to Francisco. One goal I have is to catch three new ballparks on the trip (San Fran, Oakland, Seattle). I'm also amped to revisit Highway 1 and spend some time in the National Parks and forests of Northern Cali. Other ideas... Arcata, Eugene, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Canadian Rockies... we'll see...

I plan on doing a lot of hiking, observing, writing, and drawing. I also 'plan' to update this blog every week to provide a snapshot of where the adventure takes me... We'll see how that goes; stay tuned...

FRESH 23 Fashion Show

Wednesday night, 05.07.08, marked the inaugural Wheat Ridge High School Fashion Show: FRESH 23, featuring 23 artists showcasing the freshest styles in sneaker art. The inspiration hit when Vans donated 23 pairs of all white canvas skate shoes (SK8-HI, Era, Slip-On, and Chukka); I coached 23 of my advanced painting students through the fundamentals of fashion design and they developed six collections to model at the event.

The evening included a live local jazz trio, a live hip hop DJ, video feeds, sushi and other delicious treats from Sushi Hai, chocolate fountains and fine deserts, limited edition fine art prints for sale (individually numbered and signed by the artists), and loads of giveaways from Vans and BC Surf & Sport.

It was totally outta sight, much bigger than I ever expected or imagined. When Shawn (my good friend from Vans) and I originally planned the event, we were hoping we could draw at least fifty people... By the time we were done planning, designing, painting, organizing, scheduling, constructing, promoting, and rehearsing... it seemed like there was getting to be quite a buzz, but we never thought we'd get 400 people packed in the auditorium for a fashion show!

Backcountry Sketchbook

Interested in exploring a new perspective of composition and concept? Dig this... I will be teaching a weekend workshop this summer that will allow young adults the opportunity to experience Colorful Colorado as both a backpacker and an artist! This hands-on retreat is open to ages 16-19, and will be held in late July 2008. Visit the Backcountry Sketchbook Blog for more information...