Poet Caits Meissner releases her second EP, The Wolf & Me, May 1, 2010

I recently collaborated with poet Caits Meissner on two projects. The first of them was for the cover and packaging of her new album, The Wolf & Me. See info below.
For the photo, Caits wanted to somehow combine herself with the idea of the wolf. A few different ideas were bandied about, but in the end Caits, a graphic designer herself, went with the treatment seen below on my portrait of her.

Our other collaboration was for my project, CulturePOP, which will be formally announced later this week.



Poet Caits Meissner releases her second EP, The Wolf & Me, May 1, 2010

Executive Produced by Just Plain Ant; featuring Maya Azucena, Jesse Boykins III, Dunce Apprentice and Broke MC; with production by Blu, Cazeaux OSLO, Just Plain Ant, Bisco Smith, Cave and The Aftermath.

Caits Meissner, well-known for her writing in respected poetry circles, and work as an educator/community organizer in youth circles, now steps out with a fantastic music project. Embedded in and influenced by the experimental hip hop community, Caits’ songs are word-driven vignettes delving deep into the heart of human experience: loneliness, inspiration, love and loss set over visually lush landscapes from current hip hop/electronic producers.

In regards to her past work, Erykah Badu calls her “fresh, honest and loving… a delicate heart like mine.” Doodlebug of Digable Planets describes her as “melodic words of wisdom… streetjazzoetry.” This round, surprising her fans by singing at times in her honest and edgy tone, Caits reveals the soulful songwriter beneath her poems. Something precious, her words beat like a full heart without false bravado, a seeking for something beyond, a prayer. The Wolf & Me is something that will linger in your soul.

The Wolf & Me is a multi-platform project, inspired by classic elements of the vinyl era, which includes a PDF download of the lyrics designed by Caits (who also holds a BFA in Graphic Design from Pratt Institute), art directed by designer Tishon Woolcock and shot by renowned photographer Seth Kushner. London-based poet Warsan Shire contributes her words, reviving the lost of art of liner notes. According to Caits, The Wolf & Me aims to be “a multi-sensory journey, the kind of album you listen to under headphones, in the dark hours of the early morning.” She hopes the words bring you alive.

Caits has a substantial background in performance poetry but recently transitioned into working with music, most notably with German producers Comfort Fit and Portformat on the Tokyo Dawn record label. Originally from Albany, NY, she has been Brooklyn-based for the past eight years. Caits studied in Africa under Pulitzer Prize winner Yusef Komunyakaa, and building off such legacies as Gil Scott-Heron, works to create a musical experience rooted in storytelling.

Download the new single, “Blackest Blood” from the forthcoming project at
www.thewolfandme.com or www.caitsmeissner.com

GRAPHIC NYC in Italy's #1 newspaper

This past weekend, D-La Repubblica delle donne (The weekend supplement of Italy's #1 newspaper) featured a great nine-page feature story by reporter Anna Lombardi on the NYC comics scene. The story features 13 of my portraits from the GRAPHIC NYC project.
The article describes Christopher Irving and me as the journalist and the photographer who are documenting the history of comics in NYC.

Graphic Novelists - Day 60

A midtown pub was the location for Ben Templesmith's portrait. The Australian born artist is best known for his painterly style as seen in such books as Fell, Wormwood, Groom Lake and 30 Days of Night.





Ben's latest series, Choker is a collaboration with writer Ben McCool.


Please be sure to check out the full GRAPHIC NYC profile on Ben.

Graphic NYC site update

Back in November of 2004, I had the opportunity to meet and photograph the guy I wanted to be when I grew up, Mark Hamill. My seven-year old self would not believe that my thirty-year old self would get to meet Luke Skywalker, but, I did, and it changed my life.

Check out my article, How Meeting Mark Hamill in a Comic Book Stor Changed My Life, and see accompanying photos below.

CulturePOP preview

In the photos below, you'll find; a Tuba player, a singer/songwriter, a poet, a yoga instructor and a designer with a crazy moustache - what do these five people have in common?
They are all subjects in a new series I've been working on called, CulturePOP.

What is CulturePOP? Well, that's somewhat complicated to explain, but for now, let me just say that it's a project I'm extremely excited about and it's something that combines all of my interests. More soon.

Graphic NYC site update

This past Tuesday, we posted a GRAPHIC NYC profile on the great Will Eisner. Unfortunately, Mr. Eisner died long before I started this project, so I never had the opportunity to photograph him. So, to illustrated the piece I came up with the photo-illustration below.
Also, be sure to check out the full piece.

Graphic Novelists - Day 59

Christopher and I were recently lucky enough to have grabbed up comics scholar Scott McCloud while he was in town to research his latest book.
Scott is best know for his work Zot! and for his three excellent and essential books on comics theory; Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics and Making Comics.

Being a fan of Scott's work for years, I immediately had a concept for the photo, and thankfully he was game. In his three "Comics" books, Scott breaks down how comics work, are created and are read, and he (or rather, his cartoon avatar) does it though - among other things - charts, diagrams, schematics, etc. Scott, who I see as comic's ultimate professor, spent over 45 minutes drawing the comics theory pieces seen on the blackboard in the photos below and it was far better than I even envisioned.
Thanks to the gang at XOXO studios for the use of their space and blackboard.

Check out the full GRAPHIC NYC profile, posted this week.