The folks over at AlaskaOne have now released this fabulous poster for their 2009 fund raising drive. They (Tammy Tragis-McCook and Michael Letzring specifically) have been lots of fun to work with. Here’s what the AlaskaOne website has to say:
A distinguished panel of artists and experts selected the painting titled My Funny Valentines by North Pole artist Madara Hill for the 2009 AlaskaOne poster.
Inspired by the Alaska landscape, Madara mixes wax, ink, powdered pigments, text or fabric with more conventional media while still using traditional Alaskan subjects. Madara uses vivid color to showcase this majestic trio of musk ox emblazoned across a whimsical field of color.
This enchanting oil and encaustic on canvas was chosen from over 60 submissions from artists throughout the state.
It’s rather odd to read about my work outside of myself. But gratifying. Now lets see if we can translate all this notariety into something permanent…
To see the full press release go HERE.
Here is a photo of the progress I made today on Zoe’s portrait. There are some problems with the right eye that I’m having a hard time solving. And some issues with the shape of the face that I hope won’t be too hard to fix. There are a few other problems but let’s not nitpick. Overall I’m pretty satisfied with how it’s coming along.
On another note I’m pleased to announce that (drumroll….) I received a call last night informing me that I won the 2009 Alaska One Poster Contest. It comes with quite a bit of exposure. I think fame and fortune will come easy to me and rest assured I won’t forget about the little people. My close friends and family are welcome to free rides on the Lear Jet they provide, but the rest of you will have to talk to my bodyguards if you want to even get near me. That’s just the way these things go…
Seriously, this could be a harbinger (the good kind not the ominous kind) of things to come. If I play my cards right I can leverage this in my favor. Some pretty recognizable names have graced the face of the Alaska One posters: Claire Fejes, David Rosenthal, Bill Brody, Karin Franzen, Randall Compton, Byron Birdsall, Barbara LaValle, Ree Nancarrow, Todd Sherman, David Mollett, and Jon Van Zyle to name just a few. These are big deal Alaskan artists and one day I might be like that guy in Office Space; I’ll casually rest an elbow on my cubicle wall with a cup of coffee in my hand and say something like: “Sooooo…I’m kind of a big deal around here.” I can’t wait.
Oh, and don’t even ask which painting won because it’s all very top secret until the grand unveiling. They’re keeping the painting in a vault at the Pentagon until March. I’ve taken a vow of silence.
Madara Hill 