The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reference there in the title can only mean one thing. My time as gallery curator of Lulubell Toy Bodega has come to an end. Unlike the dolphins of Douglas Adams’ story, I am not leaving Earth. I’m not even leaving Tucson.

I have become a father for the first time and I’m going to become a work-at-home dad. So between raising a kid and doing my own illustration and graphic design work, I don’t have the time to give to Lulubell that Lulubell deserves. It would be unfair to Amy and Luke at Lulubell to even attempt to do it all.

The decision was made with absolutely no hard feelings on either side and I still remain friends with Amy and Luke. It was an amazing year filled with some mind-blowing art. I am appreciative of the opportunity that Luke and Amy gave me. They had such faith in my abilities right from the beginning, even when I questioned them myself. They handed their gallery over to me and my vision with no reservations and I will always be grateful.

I am also thankful to the artists community in Tucson as a whole. We put on some amazing shows together.

From here on out, Lulubell’s curatorship will be placed in the very capable hands of Dave Carender. As a member of the art collective Golden Mean, he produces some really great art and I’m excited to see where he takes the gallery in the future.

Amy, Dave and Luke have been generous enough to grant me one more guest curator spot for February 2011. I’m really excited about it and I think it’s going to be a huge show. I’ll post more about that as the show approaches.

For now, thank you Amy and Luke. You two have been amazing and I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to work with you, your gallery and so many hundreds of great artists over the last year.

Hey, did you know that the cyclops has just 1 eye? It’s true. Or… it’s as true as can be for a mythological creature.

A group of friends have been kind enough to work on an alphabet and letter set for my newly born son’s bedroom. I contributed the number 1.

I’ll be attending the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators conference this upcoming weekend at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles. Unlike the San Diego Comic Convention, I doubt there will be any facial stabbings because of disputes over prime seating. Children’s content creators are more likely to bake a cake with a passive-aggressive  message written in icing when they’re upset. It’s far more civilized.

So to all of my fellow conference attendees I say, “Huzzah! I will see you this weekend.”

Soyal Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ is putting on a group gallery show entitled Meltdown. The opening is tomorrow night from 7 to 10 PM. There are apparently going to be over 30 artists in the show, including yours truly. It’s located at 4200 N Marshall Way Suites 2 &3. I can’t make it out for the opening but if you’re in the area, stop by. I’m sure there’s going to be some great stuff on display.

For more on the gallery, it’s whereabouts and regular hours, check out their website- www.soyalgallery.com

Here’s my piece for the show. The Abominable Snowman’s Melting Habitat, 8×10, acrylics on board. Click to make it bigger.

Hello All!

I previously posted two small flowernaut paintings that I did for a charity auction. At the time I said I’d let everyone know when the auction has started. Well, guess what!?

The auction has started! It runs from today through May 5th.

The auction proceeds will go to the Payette Care and Rehabilitation. Located in Payette, Idaho, the activities coordinator at the facility has an extremely limited budget. One of the things she wants to do is get a larger TV so the residents with visual and hearing issues can enjoy the programs that they want to watch. I have heard a rumor that if enough money is raised, a new Wii game system may be in the resident’s future too. Since it’s a rehabilitation center, the physical activity that the Wii could provide would be helpful.

Please think about helping out some strangers in a small way by bidding on some items in the auction. Your small bid could greatly improve the quality of life of some folks who need the help.

Here’s the link to the auction on eBay.

Here are images of my paintings as a reminder.

The charity was organized with the amazing folks over at the Ten Ton Studios message boards.