Ian Sands : M@ke Art!

2012-01-27T16:25:00.000-08:00

Ian Sands at the Block Gallery

Opening Thursday, February 2, 5-7 p.m. at Block Gallery (222 West Hargett St.), Wild Life presents a vibrant and evolving look at our world, engaging viewers through interactive elements, anthropomorphic animals, humor and the science of the natural world.

Block Gallery features paintings by Keith Norval, mixed media works by Ian Sands and glass work by Teddy Devereux. Airing at Block2 (133 Fayetteville St.) is Sermon to the Birds by Jeff Whetstone, reflecting on the original purpose of St. Francis' sermon - which sparked a new consideration of the natural world in both religious and secular realms - and the meaning that these words hold for current society.

Opening night at Block Gallery will feature a preview of Whetstone's Sermon to the Birds and music by Guillo Carias. The exhibition will be on display February 2-March 26.

2011-12-31T06:29:00.000-08:00

The Best of 2011: Year in Review

Maybe one of the best ways to set a direction for the New Year is to first take a quick look back at last year....

January: Critter Books Invented

February: Scan for Street Art

If you are like me, you love to make street art but hate the hassle of being arrested. With QR codes you can make the street art at home.

March: A Mouse in Seattle

April: Street Light Giraffe

The City of Raleigh purchased my art for the New Transit Ops Facility. This is the piece they will reprint and hang in the new facility. Bus sold separately.

May: NC Museum of Art

The North Carolina Museum of Art Art of the Auction Preview party. This event gave prospective art buyers a chance to view the art of the show and start thinking about which pieces they might like to bid on.

June: Region 3 Exhibition

July: Art On The Move

August: The Betty Ray McCain Gallery

Two pieces exhibited at the Betty Ray McCain Gallery in Raleigh’s Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts

September: Critter 2.0

The new Critters 2.0 complete in their own box, labeled, shrink wrapped and ready to hide! To join the fun, stop by the Critters on Zonkey Street FaceBook page!

October:

The new Zonkey Magnets started sticking to some metal place near you! Follow the Critters on Zonkey Street FaceBook page to find out where!

November: Go Bobsleds!

So the new jerseys are in and just in time for tonight's first game of the season.

December: Dinocow Book Launch

Me signing a book. How To Milk a Dinocow is available on Amazon.

2011-12-17T14:51:00.000-08:00

This year's Christmas song...

I Hate The Christmas Lights!

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2011-12-17T08:41:00.000-08:00

How To Milk a Dinocow : Book Launch!

Last Saturday was the book luanch for How to Milk a Dinocow. It was pretty fun! We had dino-milk and lemon cookies and made dino-hats. here are a few pics...

Me signing a book.

Abby and her adoring fans!

Making dino hats.

Thanks to everyone who came!

Sporting the dino look

Don't drink the milk!!

Another satisfied customer!

And you can be too. How To Milk a Dinocow is available on Amazon. Makes a great Christmas present!

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2011-12-01T17:28:00.000-08:00

A Critter Christmas @ Wake Forest Coffee Company

I love to show at Wake Forest Coffee Company! And this year we are giving away a free Critter each day in the month of December.

This is a close up of part of the 24 Critters on display but so to be given away. Hey, it's Crittermas!

We hung a few other pieces too just cause we're cool like that...

I made this guy move like 4 times so I could hang the show. I felt bad but he was really cool about it. Thanks random guy!

So go to Wake Forest Coffee and maybe there will be a Critter waiting for you!

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2011-11-27T15:35:00.000-08:00

BobSleds Goalie : Ian Sands

So the new jerseys are in and just in time for tonight's first game of the season.

Go Bobsleds!

2011-11-25T07:10:00.001-08:00

A Dinosaur Tail that is Udderly Unbelievable!

If a freak milk accident that sparks life to a half-cow, half-stegosaurus isn’t strange enough, imagine how strange it’s going to get when Trip Stanley’s class drinks the milk!

"How to Milk a DinoCow", written by NC author Ian Sands, will be released on December 10th, 2011 by Peak City Publishing but you don't have to wait! You can purchase a copy online starting today!

You can find out more here -->
http://zonkeystreet.com/dinocow/

Readers, aged six to ten, will quickly fall in love with the baby hatched from an ostrich egg who grows to a full size DinoCow. Not sure what to feed the mooing animal, Jules and Trip feed him lemons, creating the deliciously addictive milk their classmates begin to demand. Believing they are drinking creamery milk, the students begin to look to Trip and Jules to provide more, or be deleted.

Or order online at Peak City Publishing

http://www.peakcitypublishing.com

2011-11-06T07:47:00.000-08:00

BobSleds

So my hockey team is looking to get new jerseys (not the state, the clothing) and asked me to design a logo. The team name, the BobSleds.

Trying to get 15 guys to decide on a logo is harder than you might imagine. The above (final design) was sort of a compilation of previous designs I submitted. Below, are previous rejected designs. I'm hoping what I call "the final" above will be approved.

2011-10-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

Kryptos on Zonkey Street

gearbox the wind up turtle

Shellless, lives in a pond

The Pumpkin Weasel is scary!

Find out where you can get a Kryptos on Zonkey Street toy ..
Like the Critters on Zonkey Street Facebook page!

2011-10-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

Free How To Milk A Dincow Package for Teachers!

Hey teachers, want a free copy of How To Milk A Dinocow? Well it's your lucky day. My publisher is giving away free copies and you can get yours and it's free!

And get this, it's not just a free book, it's the complete package including the book, postcard, bookmark, teachers guide.. they whole package.. and it's free!

So what's the catch? Well, it would be nice if after receiving your free Dinocow package that you perhaps shared it with your class. Maybe read a few pages.. or maybe read all of it? And it would also be really nice if you would hand out copies of the order form to those students who might want to get their own copy...

So what do you think? Want a copy? Just be one of the first seven teachers to send me an email:
iansands @ clear.net
with the adress you'd like us to ship your Dincow package too.

Moo!

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2011-10-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

Kryptos on Zonkey Street

Starting a new collection titled Kryptos on Zonkey Street right in time for Halloween! There are currently five in the series...

Cover of the Shellless box. The Shellless live in the pond....

Above Gearbox and an old school Shellless

The Pumpkin Weasel.. playing hide and seek in the pumpkin patch is never a good idea.. unless you never want to be found!

Above, new school Shellless and Pumpkin Weasel toys.

Gearbox, from the story of the Metal Marble, is a half real-half robotic turtle found off the dock of the Crab & Grab restaurant. This is the box cover, more story coming soon...

Find out where you can get a Kryptos on Zonkey Street toy ..
Like the Critters on Zonkey Street Facebook page!

ps, this first round is already a collectors item cause I spelled Kryptos wrong on the first few boxes ;)

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2011-10-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

New Cover Art for Dinocow!

The new cover art is in for How to Milk a Dinocow and I couldn't be more please! Abby did a great job!

For all the latest updates, "Like" the How To Milk a Dinocow FaceBook page"

Or vist the website --> http://www.zonkeystreet.com/dinocow/

or both!

2011-10-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

Zonkey Magnets!

The new Zonkey Magnets, soon to stick to some metal place near you! Follow the Critters on Zonkey Street FaceBook page to find out where!

2011-09-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

How to Milk a Dinocow on FaceBook!

So, if you were thinking, "hmmm, when will they ever release the How To Milk a Dinocow FaceBook page"? Well, your wait is over, your question is answered, the page is up.. go, now, likey!!

http://www.facebook.com/MilkaDinocow

Or, if you're still old school and want a regular, non social media page, try this -->

http://www.zonkeystreet.com/dinocow/

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2011-09-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

More Critter 2.0 Box Designs

been very busy creating new box designs for the Critter version 2.0! Here we see box designs for the Pizzly as well as the Gator! How very exciting, yes i know!!

Don't forget, you can follow all the Critter 2.0 adventures on http://www.facebook.com/ZonkeyStreet !

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2011-09-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

A Look Inside Dincow!

A few of the proof pages from the soon to be published How To Milk A Dinocow.

I don't think she looks terribly ferocious!

So, if you were thinking, "hmmm, when will they ever release the How To Milk a Dinocow FaceBook page"? Well, your wait is over, your question is answered, the page is up.. go, now, likey!!

http://www.facebook.com/MilkaDinocow

Or, if you're still old school and want a regular, non social media page, try this -->

http://www.zonkeystreet.com/dinocow/

2011-09-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

Critters 2.0

So here is a first glance at the new Critters 2.0. Th old critters are a thing of the past. If you have one, congratulations, you've got a collectors item.

The new Critters 2.0 come complete in their own box, labeled, shrink wrapped and ready to hide! To join the fun, stop by the Critters on Zonkey Street FaceBook page!

2011-09-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

Two More Toy Box Designs

Here are two more back cover designs for the Toys on Zonkey Street. Looks like I'm going to have to start eating a lot more cereal!

2011-09-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

Toy Boxes Coming to Reality

I've been hemming and hawing over creating the toy boxes because I haven't been able to find the clear, plastic covers I wanted. I finally decided to try another method after finishing a box of Captn Crunch.

I'll cut a hole in the box, insert the toy, then place a clear piece of plastic over the hole. It's genius, I know!

So this is the back cover design for the first box. I'm liking this new design, minus the typos.. but hey, I went to three festivals today and I'm pretty tired. Typos can be fixed tomorrow.

Final product photos coming soon!

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2011-08-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

Making Critter Toys

Today I started work on several Critter Action Figures. You may remember I've been tossing this idea around for a while and even created a Zonkey Action Figure. Well, I thought it was time to start production on the line.

All Critter action figures have to be measured first to make sure they will fit into their packages. of course, i haven't found the right packaging materials yet but i am still hunting...

Getting a little low on spray paint... then again having not worked all summer i'm also getting rather low on funds. Luckily payday is coming soon.. and really, the pesky mortgage company can wait, right?

So a few Critters were created today. This is a Geep. It's a mix between a goat and a sheep.

This is a cat. It's a mix between a cat and another cat. Or maybe it's a snow leopard. That sound more majestic!

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2011-08-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

The Betty Ray McCain Gallery

Today I took two of my pieces to the Betty Ray McCain Gallery in Raleigh’s Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts for the Regional Artists Showcase Exhibition!

I got to pick the spot to hang my art.. well, sort of. There were two spots left. I chose the spot on the escalator wall. :)

I brought my work over in a fancy pink suitcase.

The nice guys drilleded holes in the wall for screws so I could hang my shelves.

After the art was up, the curator said, "I'm so glad you didn't bring paintings." I think that was a compliment!

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2011-08-21T17:08:00.000-07:00

How To Milk a Dinocow: Update

A few of the illustrations for How To Milk a Dinocow, Peak City Publishing by illustrator Abby.

She's been plugging away and will be done soon so we can get this baby to the press!

Stay tuned!
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2011-08-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

Some of the Streets Critters have Visited

St Pete, FL

Davenport, Iowa

Williamsburg, VA

Long Island, NY

Hamden, NY

Follow the adventures at Critters on Zonkey Street!

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2011-08-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

An Interactive Christmas

... in August??

Well, yes in August because i'm preparing for this seasons Moosifesto! That's right, we will be returning to Wake Forest Coffee Company this year for Moosifesto. We missed last year due to another Wake forest project, the Critter Cubes. But this year we will be back and with an exciting interactive project...

i submit to you,
The Crittermas Advent Calendar!
(currently in beta)

Beta, because this isn't the actual Crittermas Advent Calendar but it is a prototype. The concept is simple:

The wall of Wake Forest Coffee will be covered with Critter Bookshelves. Placed on the shelves will be 24 wrapper Crittermas presents. Presents will range from Critter ornaments to signed copies of my book (shameless plug), CD filled with Crittermas music and more!

Each day, a special coffee cup with a number attached will be place with the other cups. If a customer gets a coffee with a number on it, they will get to open to corresponding Crittermas Advent calendar present!

How very exciting, yes I know!!

So now I'm off like Will Farrell to make 24 Crittermas gifts to place in the Crittermas Advent Calendar.

2011-08-12T17:38:00.000-07:00

I Wish I Didn't Have to Sleep

Taking a break from writing and making art, I thought I would take a little time to "play" drums. I'm really a bass player but drums, even though i'm not smiling, are really, really fun!

Wish I had time for a band but too many muses spoils the soup. It was Keith Haring who said, "I Wish I Didn't Have to Sleep."

Plus hockey takes precedence ;)

2011-07-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

Critters at CAM Raleigh

Today, CAM Raleigh had a special teacher preview thingy of the upcoming Rebecca Ward installation.

Above, Rebecca Ward was busy at working taping up the joint. The installation isn't finished but you can tell already it's going to be cool!

A few Critters made an appearance.

I would say that photos don't do the work justice. Sure, it looks cool in the photo but you don't get the feeling of vertigo that it gives in real life :)

Cool how the tape comes right off the wall.

One of my goals is to have an exhibit at CAM Raleigh.. it's only a matter of time.. I'm patient.. sort of...

Till then, you might want to swing by CAM, check it out and pick up a Critter or two :)

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2011-07-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

Drawing Ke$ha

Bought three cans of silly string at 5 Below today with the hopes of using it in someway to create art. Here is my attempt to draw a portrait of Ke$ha on the bathroom mirror.

2011-07-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

REGION 3 Exhibition Gaddy-Hamrick Art Center

This is me standing next to the piece I entered in the REGION 3 Exhibition at the Gaddy-Hamrick Art Center. Today was the closing reception and they gave out prizes! How very exciting, I know. But I didn't win anything. Sad face ;(

You ever get that feeling that something doesn't quit fit? Like maybe everyone else is wearing shoes and your wearing sneakers? I kinda felt like my piece didn't exactly fit. Most of the other pieces were like, I don't know, real art.

But I'm still happy with my art even if it doesn't fit in. And i finally got a photo of my art with a solid white background.

And then I drove home in a thunderstorm with the top down on my jeep and i got really wet. Which was actually kinda fun.

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2011-07-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

The Zonkey Army

This was a test zonkey and if you saw his last adventure, Zonkey in the Pond, then you know how he was designed to float in a pond or pool or fountain or something. And he kinda, sorta does float so I decided to make a few more.. in fact.. a zonkey army!

Here you see phase one of plan, create zonkey army! I gathered enough wood to create 10 zonkeys.

Unfortunately, when i went to attach the heads, things didn't go as swimmingly as i had hoped for. One by one the nails split the heads apart. Very frustrating I can assure you.

In the end only four zonkeys survived phase one. We were losing the war before we even set out to battle.

But 4 is better than none and with the original zonkey, we have a total of 5 zonkeys.

So now there are 5 zonkeys ready to float.

Stay tuned...

2011-07-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Cup Shelf

Just about done.. at least I think I'm happy with it.

This actually is two photos combined into one. The piece is too large for me to get back far enough to take just one photo.

I resolved the wrong size cup issue by replacing a row of cups with a row of paint cans.

After painting all the cup I ran out of spray paint... so i placed them on the shelf too. I think they are a nice addition, don't you?

The piece is balanced off with two Critters. Yay! Critters! This gator...

And the white tiger which was designed for the early piece that I took apart to make this piece.

2011-07-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

A Couple of Cups Can Drive Me Crazy

I was so please with the way this piece turned out that I decided to use a few more cups in my next piece.

However, I didn't plan for the cups when I built the frame... So the cups didn't fit snuggly like I wanted them to.

So I decided to scrap that piece for now and build a new frame with the cup size in mind. This frame was much bigger than the other frame...

So I needed more cups.

So I got more cups and spray painted them fun, funky colors...

But what I didn't realize was the new cups weren't the same size as the old cup. Are you kidding me!

No, I'm not. Look at how the cups on the right come all the way to the top of the frame while the cups on the left leave a gap.

So... I'm going to have to go out and get some of the right size cups and go back to the spraying board.

to be continued...

2011-07-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

Zonkey in the Pond Part 1

The idea: see if a wooden zonkey could be built to float.

To test the theory we have created one wooden zonkey and are going to attempt to float it in the turtle pond. If this works it could open the door to a new sort of street art for fountains and coin ponds across the world.

2011-07-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

Critter Cups

This is another piece I'm working on working title: Critter Cups.

This isn't how the finished piece will look. I just start by placing pieces on the shelf to decide which stuff works and which ones do not.

The cups in the middle will stay though. and pretty much how they are set up here.

This Critter will stay too but not placed here. I'm going to make him a little swing to sit on.

And then I grabbed a marker and made these critter cups. .... Hmmm, will this be a new trend??

2011-07-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

My Next Shelf Will Be a Toy Shelf

And of course we'll need some toys. May I introduce to you, the Zonkey Action Figure complete with interchangeable stripes! How very exciting, I know!

This is the first one. there will probably be about nine action figures total for this first shelf.

Stay tuned...

2011-07-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

Dinocow Bookshelf

Almost done with this piece.. I think. I don't know. Each one of these bookshelves proves harder and harder to create.

It started out simple. I like the quirky design. in fact, I like it so much that i thought I should make four of these. Each one exactly the same but turned on a different side.

Then I thought I would put some boxes on the shelf. Try something different. I liked the color scheme but no matter where I placed the boxes I just couldn't get happy with it.

Then I found out Peak City Publishing was gonna publish my book How To Milk A Dinocow so i decide to celebrate by making some Dinocow critters.

The other thing I did differently, or maybe it is just a direction I've been moving towards, is simplifying the colors and the shapes. Previous items on the bookshelves have been painted in a more expressive style. I scrapped type of items and cut out some basic shapes out of wood. It gives this piece a whimsical, almost primary look and feel.

2011-07-08T06:35:00.000-07:00

Art-On-The-Move

2011-07-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

Zonkeytrope Part 2

So I've partnered up with another artist to create three zoetropes for a public arts project. Read more about it here... So far, two fails.

Fail 1: Raleigh didn't select our Zonkeytropes for their sculpture thingy. They only choose 3 artists and 2 weren't even from NC. Whatever, sour grapes..

Fail 2: I hand drew all these zonkeys and colored them in with marker. Unfortunately, I didn't use permanent marker for the colored parts so when I tried to glue the pictures on, all the colors bled and ran. So now i need to redraw all the images.

The good news is that the zonkeytrope worked. When i spun it around you could see the little zonkey running.

The other good news is that Chapel Hill has a call for public artwork and I'm going to submit the zonkeytropes to them.

Stayed tuned!

2011-07-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

Peak City Publishing to publish How To Milk a Dinosaur

If a freak milk accident that sparks life to a half cow, half stegosaurus isn't weird enough, imagine how strange it's going to get when Trip Stanley's class starts drinking the milk!

The long awaited (by me at least) acceptance of How To Milk a Dinosaur by a publisher has come. Peak City Publishing will be printing and distributing the book but it's up to Trip to figure out how to de-dinosaur his classmates and keep from getting kicked out of school, all while preventing his mom from discovering the stegcowsaurus in his bedroom.

Along with our new publisher comes our new illustrator. I'm working with (trying to convince) former Apex HS student and current SCAD animation major Abby to come on board. She has already created a few sketches (as seen above).

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2011-06-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

Region 3 Exhibition

This is the piece I'm going to enter in the Region 3 Exhibition at the Gaddy-Hamrick Art Center. It's not even done and to be honest, this piece has been a bear. Nothing i've done here came out how I expected.. but i keep plugging away hoping I will like the final version.

The one thing I like about this piece is that the colors of the gear create an optical illusion, tricking your eyes into thinking it is moving.

I've been working with new colors and shapes.. sort of playing with the gadget concept. It even works... sort of.. when you turn the turny thingy the rope moves along the pulleys raising the paint can.

The exhibit will run from June 26th thru July 24th.

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2011-06-14T06:44:00.000-07:00

New Batch of Critters Ready for the Road

A new batch of Critters are ready to travel. So far this summer we've sent Critters to California, Florida, Chicago, New York, Virginia, New Jersey and Atlanta.

If you'd like to be part of the fun, check out the Critters on Zonkey Street Facebook Page.

Critters on Zonkey Street Facebook Page.

2011-06-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

The Pollock Paint Can Shelf: Part 2

I had this idea to create a piece inspired by Pollock's paint cans. I came across a great photo of Pollock's studio showing two shelves loaded with paint cans. I set out to recreate the idea.

Well, nothing I did looked right. The long shelf was too long. The paint cans wouldn't balance (both artistically speaking and literally!). Finally I decided to cut the whole thing up.

I reassembled the shelf into something that looks nothing like Pollock's shelf but looks very much like ian sands :)

Then, Alex and I took some time arranging and rearranging the paint cans till it looked and felt right. This peice is still in the works but I'm a lot happier with the way it is coming along.

Since the original piece was six feet long and full of cans, there were a few left over. I think I will create another paint can shelf with the leftovers.

This is a shot of the shelf before I cut it up. There were a lot more paint cans that are missing from this pic but you can get the idea.

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2011-05-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

ZonkeyTrope

This is a new public arts project I'm working on with fellow artist Brandon Leffel to submit to the City of Raleigh: Art on City Plaza 2011. I wanted to create an interactive piece that people could not only view but touch and activate.

I came up with the idea of creating three zoetropes but of course, I've never built one. That's where Brandon came in. He built the three you see above.

Next step, painting them. I wanted them to be colorful but not too much cause I didn't want them to look like playground equipment. I think my color choices are just the right amount of fun.

The last step will be to add the animation that makes a zoetrope a zoetrope. I've choose the classic running zonkey. I drew these by hand and then scanned them into PhotoShop to make sure the animation looked decent.

I'm pretty happy with this one. Now I have to figure out how to get the art drawings into the art sculptures...

Stay tuned!

2011-05-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

Zonkey

I just did an image search for zonkey and to my surprise none of my images came up. What's up with that? I've drawn zonkeys on boxes, billboards and books. I think I should at least have one zonkey image come up when someone searches zonkey.

So in order to help google image search out, I have created this zonkey post with just a few of my many zonkey images. And just to make sure, i'm going to write zonkey a lot!

Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!

Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!

Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys! Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!

Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys! Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!

Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys! Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!Zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey, zonkey. Zonkeys, Zonkies, zonkey, and more zonkeys!

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And don't forget Zonkey Street and the Critters on Zonkey Street!

2011-05-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

artsplosure

Alex and I went to Artsplosure today in Raleigh. One reason we went was for the Art On The Move ribbon cutting ceremony. All the artists were there and several of the buses. Mine wasn't there because it was at the new City of Raleigh Transit Operation's Center dedication ceremony. But I still got to be part of the ribbon cutting.

And then they gave me some ribbon. I will probably incorporate this into one of my pieces.

We also hid a few critters as part of the new Critters on Zonkey Street Project. This project has critters popping up all over the country. Click here and find out if a critter will be visiting your city.

2011-05-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

Art On The Move

Has a chance to attend the dedication ceremony of the new City of Raleigh Transit Operation's Center. The ceremony included the displaying of three Capital Area Transit buses that feature the "Art-On-The-Move" program one of which was mine.

The ceremony also featured newly installed large-scale images of artwork from previous years of "Art-On-The-Move." This art will be on permanent display at the new Operations Center. One of which will be mine. How very exciting, I know!

Unfortunitly, they hadn't printed my other artwork so all I got to see was the bus.. which was still fun! Only thing, it was sooo sunny that I couldn't open my eyes. So here they are filming me with my closed eyes.

Then they wrote this article about the buses and include something about the Zonkey street bus...

Ian Sands' work is titled "Zonkey Street." The Apex High School teacher is an interactive artist dedicated to public and street art. In his work, Mr. Sands has incorporated one of his signature creatures, "The Zonkey." The creation represents two or more people interacting to create art. The background of the piece features sentences written by his students that incorporate the names of Raleigh streets.

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2011-05-14T16:27:00.000-07:00

A Pollock Tribute.. sort of

I'm working on a new piece. I have always been a big Pollock fan and had this idea to create a piece inspired by Pollock's paint cans.

While doing a little research I can across a great photo of Pollock in his studio standing in front of two shelves loaded with paint cans. It was more perfect than what i had imagined.

So first step was to move a few pieces out of my own studio. Like Pollock, I'm currently working in an upstairs room. Unfortunately, there is no barn in my backyard or i would have moved out already. so instead, i moved the art into my dining room.

Next, I constructed the frame. I wanted it really simple, just two shelves. I toyed with adding a support beam in the middle but when i cut the wood and fit it in place I felt it did a disservice. This works.

The next step is gathering cans. Fortunately, I was at about the bottom of these cans so i have some to start with but i'm going to need a lot more. I'll have to ask around and see if anyone wants to clean out their garage.

Here are a few more cans. I'm painting them mostly solid colors though i am leaving a little of a drip look. It is a Pollock tribute after all.

The next step will be to make a few Critter cans. This little guy is a test can. i took an old critter that was hanging around and cut him to fit just to see what a critter can would look like. i think it they will work well.

What critters to make?? I'm going to try a crow. Pollock had a pet crow named Caw Caw.. I'm not sure how the crow will work. might be sort of dark. stay tuned...

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2011-05-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went to the North Carolina Museum of Art Art of the Auction Preview party. This event gave prospective art buyers a chance to view the art of the show and start thinking about which pieces they might like to bid on.

Not only was I so very excited to be included in this exhibit, I was really excited about the placement of my piece. When entering the exhibit, mine was one of the first pieces.

I should mention they didn't really like us taking photos so i had to sort of sneak these in...

I was also in the company of other great artists, including my new favorite NC artist, Mary Carter Taub. This is her peice above.

another artist's work in the exhibit was Clyde Jones. He makes critters too. I've been following his work for some time.

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2011-05-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

Critters on Zonkey Street

New York, Florida and California... Critters on Zonkey Street are coming your way!

Become a fan now to find your critter!

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2011-05-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

New Piece: TV Shelf

This will be my 4th bookshelf piece. The first one I created is hanging on the wall of the North Carolina Museum of Art. The other two will be exhibited in the Betty Ray McCain Gallery in Raleigh’s Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

This shelf will be different for two reasons. First, I'm painting it red instead of white. Doesn't sound like a big thing but its sort of scary branching out from something you know works.

Second, the bottom shelf will hold a TV that will play critter videos. So this work will be sort of multimedia... How very exciting!

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2011-04-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

Critters on Zonkey Street

"Left Behinds" are any type of street art that can be found and kept by the public. The Critters on Zonkey Street is a new Facebook page that can help you search for and find Critter "Left Behinds" .

Zonkey Street Critters show up around the world from Cape Cod to the Caribbean, from Seattle to South Korea.

If you are interested in a Zonkey Street Critter, this new page is a great starting point. Keep an eye on this page for hints of the next Critter location!

The Critters on Zonkey Street Facebook Page

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2011-04-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

Visit the NCMA Art of the Auction webpage

2011-04-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

The Shop on Zonkey Street

I think I'm done. This is the second piece I'm submitting to the Betty Ray McCain Gallery in Raleigh’s Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

2011-04-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

Design Challenge

These new pieces are causing me more grief.. I can't believe what a design challenge they are. I'm sure you're thinking, come on, it's just some critters on a wood frame....

Well it's not just critters.. in fact, the accessories are as much a problem as the critters. How many books, what color books, what size books, do i write on them or just paint them?? Here I have a whole bunch of books I started painting that may or may not be added to the final piece.

speaking of what may or may not be added to the final piece, I created this entire row of critters for this pieces. That was after I decided not to go with pigs.... but none of these critters fit well on the wood... not that they didn't physically fit, they just didn't work. So that's when i created the zonkeys you see above.

Sometimes the critters don't work. Look at this pig. He won't go on anything because his book doesn't fit his critter. I'll either re-book him or toss him altogether. Most likely toss him. Again showing how difficult it is for me to create a complete artwork that I feel works.

And i'm still not finished with this piece. The giraffe in the top right corner is new. He replaced a cat. The cat didn't work. i can't explain why. I'm not sure the giraffe works either but I won't know till i add a few more accessories. you can see a spot in the bottom right corner where some books were removed. I have some replacement books drying...

i think this piece is close.

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2011-04-17T08:09:00.001-07:00

In the Works

This is two of three pieces I'm getting ready for the Betty Ray McCain Gallery in Raleigh’s Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Instead of a mixture of critters or the pigs, which were two of my original ideas,I decided to create six new zonkeys...

2011-04-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

Streetlight, Giraffe

The City of Raleigh will be purchasing my art for the New Transit Ops Facility. This is the piece they will reprint and hang in the new facility.

2011-04-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

Bookshelf #3: bPigs??

This is two of three pieces I'm getting ready for the Betty Ray McCain Gallery in Raleigh’s Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Here is the question...

For the Critters do I

A. Use the Pigs and go for repetition even though they are sort of flimsy..

or

B. Use a mixture of Critters like the piece below???

????

2011-04-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

Art News

On Sunday we dropped off the artwork for the North Carolina Museum of Art's, Art of the Auction. That was fun!

They asked me for the retail value of the piece. I had pondered this prior to this moment. i knew i didn't want to go the usual route. i knew people would be asking anywhere from several hundred dollars to several thousands, but that's just not my style. I like fun numbers like $12.34 or $45.67 but neither of these felt right. I had one particular number stuck in my head. One number I really wanted to use..... so....

I listed it for 17 cents. I just had too! Plus my daughter dared me. It was like one of those double dog dares too.

In other art news, we went downtown Raleigh and I put my art in a few other galleries. Not that they asked for my art but there was an empty space on the pedestal.

I know this is wrong on many levels but the sign said for "Art's" access.... so...

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2011-03-31T12:49:00.001-07:00

NCMA Art of the Auction 2011

So I got an email that went something pretty much like this...

"It is my pleasure to inform you that the jury for the Art of the Auction at the North Carolina Museum of Art has selected your work, “Bookshelf” to be included."

The works of art selected for Art of the Auction will be displayed in East Building for public viewing beginning the evening of Friday, May 6, 2011, at a celebratory public kickoff event and will remain on view through Art of the Auction on May 21.

So...

YAY!!

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2011-03-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

Bookshelf #2

This is one of three pieces I'm getting ready for the Betty Ray McCain Gallery in Raleigh’s Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

2011-03-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

I Don't Like To Fly!

So as soon as the captain said,"you can now turn on approved electronic devices." I fired up my iPod, cranked the tunes and started painting using Layers...

It really helped. i was very focused on these drawings, experimenting with Layers and not really thinking about falling 30,000 feet out of the air.

2011-03-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

Seattle: A bMouse Point of View

bMouse went with me to Seattle this weekend for the NAEA 2011 conference. His name is Glued Shut because the book he is made from is so bad that I did you a favor by glueing it shut...

Here is the main entrance to Seattle. At least it was for me. I crawled up out of a hole in the ground somewhere right around here

There are a lot of people on the streets of Seattle doing stuff. Most of them are street musicians.. I saw people playing drums and guitars and saxophones and people raising money for Japan and people raising money for themselves and these guys who were very interested in making sure I go to Heaven. They were very polite and posed with bMouse.

bMouse strolled down to the Market.

and saw the original Starbucks... and saw the line and decided he could get coffee at any number of Starbucks in Seattle... which are like grains of sand at the beach. Notice: more street musicians.

They sell lots of fish at the market. Every time they sell a fish, they throw a fish. It is very entertaining. Plus the fish are all jumbo sized. This fish guy let bMouse pose with his super jumbo shrimp.. not sure how you have a jumbo shrimp but...

Now bMouse smells.

The End

2011-02-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

More bMouses....

Been creating a few new bMouse every weekend. These will all be for the Block Gallery show.

Zonkey Stop Signs

Also been creating some Zonkey Stop signs for the unveiling of the 2011 Art-On-The-Move... as part of the celebration for the opening of the City's Transit Operations Center on May 12.

2011-02-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

NCMA Art of the Auction 2011

I just submitted my piece for the NCMA Art of the Auction 2011. The North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation, Inc., requested original works of art to be considered for inclusion in the inaugural Art of the Auction silent and live auction event.

The works of art selected for Art of the Auction will be displayed in East Building for public viewing beginning the evening of Friday, May 6, 2011, at a celebratory public kickoff event and will remain on view through Art of the Auction on May 21.

Because of limited space, only a select number of works will be chosen for inclusion in Art of the Auction. I hope mine makes the cut!

2011-02-19T13:42:00.000-08:00

NCMA Art of the Auction

This is a piece I'm working on for the North Carolina Museum of Art's "Art of the Auction" event.

The thrill of the auction comes to the NCMA on May 21, 2011! Say Yes! to an exciting evening of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, silent and live auctions, and a high-energy afterparty—with all proceeds benefiting Museum exhibitions and education programs. On the auction block are exceptional works by artists from North Carolina and across the country.

This piece is titled "Am I Art?".

Along with the book mouse, the piece also contains several other ianwrittenoverbooks including "I Like Turtles" and "Another Crappy Art Book".

bMouse of IAm Art was selected from the many bCritters available

2011-02-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

iPad - ProKeys - Street Art

Zonkey Street Art from iansands on Vimeo.

This video is really about me learning and testing out ProKeys on the ipad. So the pics are just something to wrap around the ditty I recorded using Prokeys on my ipad.

Prokeys is pretty sweet!

2011-02-02T07:46:00.000-08:00

Bruce Springsteen

"No retreat baby no surrender" ~Bruce

Some of the Apex HS Art students wanted to make stencil art.. at the same time, the guy who teaches my son how to play guitar asked for some art for his studio.. I thought the two would go nicely together.

Stencils really aren't my thing. They are time consuming to make and all the cutting is sort of tedious and boring. Still I thought I would try it out, at least use it as the background image.

So here is my Springsteen painting..

2011-01-28T13:14:00.000-08:00

Scan for Street Art

No Surrender!

If you are like me, you love to make street art but hate the hassle of being arrested.

Seriously, I've got better things to do on a Saturday night than sit in a jail cell and besides, I really don't look good in an orange jump suit. Just not my color.

But what's a boy to do?

The above QR scan links to the photo of the street art below

The answer: Scan for Street Art.

Utilizing the new QR scan technology, it's possible to let people see your street art without it really being there!

Here is how it works.

Step 1: Create some temporary street art, photograph it and then take it down right away before the po po show up.

Step 2: Upload photos of your street art to a website or blog.

Step 3: Generate a QR scan of the URL of your street art photo.

Step 4: Post flyers of your scan on telephone poles or poster friendly places. Rule of thumb, if little Johnny can post his "Lost Dog" flyer or grandma can post her "Garage Sale" sign, you're in good shape.

Step 5: Wait for the rest of the world to catch up with QR scanning.

Happy Street Arting!

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2011-01-22T06:37:00.000-08:00

Class Set

Inspired by my trip to the National Portrait Gallery in DC, I'm starting a new series of paintings based on portraits of students.

The initial concept is to incorporate the portrait along with writings, scribbles, sketches, tweets and even Facebook status to create a mixed media portrait.. oh, and each student gets to pose with his or her favorite critter.

This first painting is a prototype of the series to be titled Class Set. The girl in the painting is Alex. The text and post-its are writings and scribbles from the previous Halle exhibit. I'm not sure who wrote what but since this was just a proof of concept painting, it's not really important. However, future paintings will contain scribbles and notes create by the person in the painting.

Coming Soon:

The one missing piece to this artwork is interactivity. I plan to incorporate moving parts, electronics and switches into each artwork. This will give viewers the ability to turn the art on and off and the artwork the ability to move and light up.

The Making Of:

The painting started by dropping torn pieces of scribbles, notes and post-its onto a piece of cardboard.

I painted over a photo of Alex. Since Alex is into photography, I thought it would be appropriate to incorporate her photography. plus, i'm really lazy. Why paint a portrait when I can paint by numbers?

So now I need to find some subjects.. Who wants to be painted??

2011-01-18T16:06:00.000-08:00

I Met Obama... sort of

This weekend I visited the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery in DC. We were on the way out when I wanted to check out one last room. i stuck my head through the entrance and right there on the wall was Shepard Fairey's hand-finished collage stencil and acrylic on paper version of the Obama Hope poster.

Seeing this poster as "art" is probably harder than most works of art.

First, you have to get past the image. When someone sees the much smaller sticker version, depending on their political swing, they have one of two reactions. Either they see hope and change or they are hoping for change in the next election.

Of course that is the purpose of the art... it's an iconic image.

I see past the political icon but get hung up on a second issue...

copyright infringement.

Even when I separate my political opinion of the man in the image, president Obama, I'm still left with my opinion of the second man, Shepard Fairey. The image reminds me of his conflict with the AP over the "borrowed" image.

As an art teacher, I'm constantly speaking to my students about copyright infringements.. Crime doesn't pay... Unless you "borrow" a photo from the AP and you're Shepard Fairey. The two parties recently reached an agreement to share all the proceeds from use of the image.

It wasn't till I turned the corner and saw the image in person that I was able to connect with the art.

It's a great piece.

Larger than I expected. Maybe 5 feet tall.

What you can't tell by looking at a two inch replica sticker is the background. The image was placed over newspaper and in some spots the ads and text are still visible through the ink.

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2011-01-08T13:41:00.001-08:00

Zonkey Crossing

2011-01-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

Critter Books

Critter Books, a hybrid of a real book and a critter.. but they need titles!

I retitled this book What If I'm Extinct?. Other retitles include I Might Be A Church Mouse (retitled a baptist hymnal) and Spark's Is A Tool (retitled the notebook).

Now i'm looking for some new retitles. The title need not go with the book, you can simply sugest a title. However, if you want to recommend a book to be retiteld, you can do that as well!

Post a comment with your retitle suggestion and check back soon to see your title on a Critter Book!

This is the next book I'm working on. It's a book about Nixon.

.

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2011-01-05T14:09:00.000-08:00

Art On The Move 2011

Becoming a finalist for Art On The Move in 2009 opened up a whole new world for me. Before that event, I was an artist but I hadn’t defined myself. My art changed in style, media and even purpose. The image I selected for that entry was of a giraffe ducking to avoid a stoplight. It was that image merged with the placement of the art on a bus that brought focus and has been a driving force in my art since.

My art can be described as a mixture of street and interactive art. Though I have indoor exhibits, I prefer to create public art. The reasoning behind this choice is based on the fact that only ten percent of the population will visit a gallery or museum. By creating public art I can reach the other 90 percent.

Much of my art is interactive, allowing the viewer to interact with it in some way. This can be as simple as allowing the viewer to write on the work or as complex as forcing the viewer to make a choice or requesting that the viewer physically move and rearrange the art.

In this design, I incorporated one of my signature characters called a Zonkey. In life, the Zonkey is the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. In art, the zonkey represents the need for two (or more) people to interact and collaborate to create art.

Staying true to this idea, I wanted this design to be a collaboration of not only my work but the work of others. I asked my students at Apex High School to create the background. I gave them a map of Raleigh and asked then to find a street and write a sentence that incorporates the name of the street.

Some examples of their sentences include:

I want world Peace Street.
When I get nervous I Pace Street.
Baby you can drive my Carr Street.

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2010-12-23T15:55:00.000-08:00

Now

As the holiday tradition dictates

brought to you by the

Society of Moose Against Using Reindeer

(S.M.A.U.R.)

I submit to you...

A Moosifesto

For hundreds of years Santa Clause has been delivering toys to children around the world. Though he is not beyond using outside assistance, Santa has been able to distribute presents on Christmas Eve without the help of FedEx, UPS or the United States Postal System. His primary mode of transportation has been a sleigh driven by an original team of eight tiny reindeer with the occasional help from a mutant red-nosed deer, and a misguided or perhaps delusional dog.

As members of SMAUR, we now provide the following reasons for the immediate elimination of the use of reindeer and the prompt replacement by flying moose.

1. More Torque:
Pound for pound, moose produce massive amounts more torque than reindeer. Where horsepower, or in this case reindeerpower, is needed for speed, torque is the ability to overcome resistance. Though it is true that speed is necessary to circle the globe in one night, it is the initial ability to pull the sleigh, weighted down by a ginormous amount of toys and often hindered by heavy, laden snow, which is needed before horsepower can even be applied.

2. Ease of Spelling:
Riendeer? Reindear? Raindeer? “I” before “E” except after “C” and sometimes “Y”? Isn’t rein spelled r-a-i-n? And deer spelled d-e-a-r? Let’s face it. Without a spell checker, reindeer is just too hard to spell! Moose on the other hand is simple. Only five letters and no confusing vowel arrangements.

3. American Made:
Moose are born and bred and raised in the good old US of A! Hiring moose to pull Santa’s sleigh is not only good for America, it’s our patriotic duty. Imports, such as reindeer, are manufactured abroad in such un-American places as Northern Europe and even Russia! Look for the “Born in Maine” label next time you consider hiring your sleigh team.

4. Better Night Vision:
All it takes is one foggy Christmas Eve and Santa can be shut down in a heart beat. An entire year’s worth of elf work, down the drain all because of low hanging cloud vapor. The issue, poor eye sight on the part of reindeer. This is more than a threat as it almost happened Christmas Eve 1964. Thankfully, the travesty was narrowly averted after a red fog light was attached to the nose of Prancer. Prancer was later said to have been so humility by the event that he and Cupid fabricated a tale of a red-nose reindeer that saved the day. These so called “close calls” can easily be prevented through the intervention of a deer removable, keen-eyed moose replacement task force.

5. No More Reindeer Games:
Reindeer are generally poor-spirited creatures that tend to weed out the vulnerable in the herd and deliberately poke fun of them till, tired and weak, they leave the comfort and safety of the compound. Many times the stronger of the deers will laugh and call the weaker reindeer names. On some occasions there have even been reports of the more feeble reindeers not being allowed to play any reindeer games.
Moose have a motto. No moose is left behind.

Conclusion:
We believe every effort should be made to, and a call for, a cease and desist order to be implemented, for all reindeer regarding any attempts to fly, pull, or be in connection or association with, Santa, the elves, toy delivery or Christmas in any way, shape, form or means.

Furthermore, SMAUR is advocating for the establishment of the Meese Labs where moose and geese can be cross pollinated to form a new species of flying moose (code name: meese). Meese will merge the flight path navigational abilities of the Canadian goose with the strength, torque and American brand name that we have all come to respect and love, of the moose.

Merry Moosifesto!

2010-12-23T08:04:00.000-08:00

Art On The Move #2

Art On The Move is a public arts project sponsored by the city of Raleigh NC. Each year they pic new designs and outfit CAT buses with art on each side. The buses then roam the city streets for six months.

Art On The Move encourages past participants to submit designs and since I was a past participant, I thought it would be fun to submit another design.

In this design, I ask my students to come up with clever sentences that incorporate Raleigh street names and used that as the background.

For example:

"When I get nervous I Pace Street"
"Baby you can drive my Carr Street"

The two designs above are very similar with only slight variation in the hue of the background. Do you have a preference? Could you tell the difference? ;)

If I win this year I will use the honorarium to buy a class set or Etch-A-Sketches!

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2010-12-22T16:12:00.000-08:00

New Street Art in the Making

In the works - precut

glued to the books

Ready for the streets --> just like this one

Squirrel Hickhikers

2010-12-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

January

I was excited and humbled to be selected as part of the Davis Publications 2010 Virtual Retreat.

February

Giant signable Post It Notes for the Exhibit at the Holly Springs Cultural Arts Center

March

The http://www.zonkeystreet.com website and The Billboard Project

April

The Balloon Garden at the Halle Cultural Arts Center. The garden was made up of about ten helium filled balloons. Inside each balloon was a dollar bill. Beside the garden was a pair of scissors, tacks and a sign that read: Each balloon contains a dollar. You may: Pop a balloon and take a dollar Cut the string and set a balloon free Or walk away.

May

The Daily Critter. Just like any other newspaper dispenser you'd see on the streets of Downtown Apex.. The box reads: Insert coin 25 cents Daily $1.00 Sundays We sold out in one day!

June

Signables at Jordan Hall Arts Center Gallery. these pieces were created to resembled giant coloring book pages.

July

The Emerald Island Monster

August

The 2010 Art History class had a reunion at the NC Museum of Art. I took along one of my critters to show them. Unfortunately, I accidentally and totally by mistake left it in the parking lot.

September

GJCAE sponsors the making of 30 Critter Cubes for Downtown Wake Forest.

October

Release of the Critter Cube Coloring Book

November

Interactive Room Exhibit at the Halle Cultural Arts Center

December

Famous wildlife Painter Robert Bateman Signs Critter

2010-12-16T07:38:00.000-08:00

Taylor and Mike are up to it again, this time taking Critter out for a test ride. They used one of the Critter Cubes with a zonkey with different walk cycle positions painted on the sides. Take a look -->

It all started with a box...

See more Zonkey Stop Motions

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2010-12-16T07:21:00.000-08:00

Autographed Critter Art for St. Jude!

For over 14 months Critter has traveled the world visiting talented writers, artists, and authors: while exploring their world. Christy Evers sent out Critter after she stole him from one of my interactive art projects.

Now this very Critter, along with an incredible printed scrapbook of photos from all his travels, is up for adoption on Ebay with the proceeds going to St Judes!

You can bid right now!!

Look at this line up! Critter has visited (and was signed) by:

PJ Hoover (author of the Forgotten Worlds trilogy) and the Texas Sweethearts, in Texas.

Beth Revis in North Carolina (whose debut novel, Across the Universe, coming out in January 2011, is expected to be a HUGE success!).

Christina Farley in Korea,

New England with Nandini Bajpai

Illinois with Kelly Polark, (who is frequented in Highlights magazine),

MG Higgins in California

Rena Jones (author of multiple picture books) in Montana

Cynthia Leitich Smith (NY Times best-selling author) in Texas

Bish Denham in the Virgin Islands

Jacqui Robbins (author of “The New Kid and Me”, and “Two of a Kind”) in Michigan,

Tina Ferraro, (author of “How to Hook a Hottie, Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, and The ABC’s of Kissing Boys) in California

Cynthia Chapman Willis, (Picture book author of “Dog Gone” and “Buck Fever”) in New Jersey,

Jill S. Alexander, (YA author of “The Sweetheart of Prosper County”) in Texas,

Ellen Oh in Virginia,

Angela Ackerman (the blog-genius behind the “Writing Thesaurus” in Alberta, Canada

And

The World-famous artist, Robert Bateman, also signed Critter as an honorary host.

So go, now, bid, win, st judes, clicky!

2010-12-13T12:46:00.000-08:00

Zonkey Goes for a Walk

Yesterday we painted the sides of one of the critter cubes with Zonkey in a different walk cycle pose. today we decided to take Zonkey out for a test run. Take a look -->

This one was to see if we could get Zonkey to climb.

This one we were testing out how often to turn the cube in relationship to how far the cube is moved.

This is a photo of the cube so you can see how it was painted.

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2010-12-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

The Animated Walking Zonkey Cube

I've had this idea for a while.. using the 6 sides of a box, or in this case a critter cube, to create a stop motion walk cycle of a zonkey.

The idea is to paint each of the steps of a walk cycle on each side of the cube. Then place the cube in the street and take shots of each side of the box. The end result, an animated walking zonkey.

The only problem is, the typical walk cycle uses eight steps. A cube only has 6 sides. I thought the easiest thing to do would be to try to reduce the walk cycle down to only four steps.

This is the actual box photographed on the four sides and compiled in PhotoShop. The walk cycle sort of works...

In this version I used PhotoShop to paint each of the hoofs a different color so I could better understand which of the feet looked like they were walking and which were missing the mark...

2010-12-11T07:28:00.000-08:00

Famous wildlife Painter Robert Bateman Signs Critter

Above famous wildlife painter Robert Bateman and author Angela Ackerman.

When I was in high school I wanted to be a wildlife artists. Every other week, my friend and I used to grab our sketchbooks and take the train down to Fordham Rd to draw the animals in the Bronx Zoo. The portfolio I created to get into the School of Visual Arts was composed entirely of animal sketches, drawings and paintings.

It all started when I was a kid. My grandmother used to get me a subscription to Ranger Rick® Magazine every year for Christmas. Then she switched me over to National Wildlife® Magazine when I was a teen. It was in National Wildlife® Magazine that I saw works by famous wildlife painter Robert Bateman.

So you can imagine how cool it is for me to have Robert Bateman sign a piece of my art! This was all part of Critterpalooza.

Above is Critter with all the children's book authors and illustrators signatures and of course, famous wildlife painter Robert Bateman.

I thought I should return the favor so here is a "cow" by famous wildlife painter Robert Bateman. I signed it.

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2010-11-30T13:29:00.001-08:00

Interviewing Critter Cubes

2010-11-25T04:31:00.000-08:00

CRITTERPALOOZA? How Mean!!!

Critter is an art creation stolen from me by Christy Evers. Next thing I knew she was sending him to visit KIDLIT writers/bloggers/artists.

For the last year, Critter has been shipped, and I can't say they were all critter friendly shipping methods, to writers and artists all over the world. Each writer then wrote their name on Critter which I'm sure hurt.

After their scrawl, each writer would place critter in horrible situations, taking his photo and then posting it on their blog for all the world to see. How humiliating!

Some bloggers were extra mean (see photo below), going so far as to dressing him up in, I hate to even say this it is so horrifying, a Canadian team's hockey gear! Then they called him fat!

Now the cruelest part of the entire ordeal begins.

Instead of just letting Critter go, they plan to auction him off like he is some sort of prized heifer! To add insult to injury, they decided Critter wasn't valuable enough on his on so they are adding all this other stuff to "sweeten the deal."

Here is the disgusting list:

Melissa Higgins—a Writer’s Kit (chocolate, journal, gift card & 8X10 photo of Critter)
PJ Hoover—a Forgotten Worlds set & a ten page critique
Beth Revis—a query critique
Tina Ferraro—a copy of Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, How to Hook a Hottie, and The ABC's of Kissing Boys (all signed).
Cynthia Willis—a copy of Dog Gone (paperback) & Buck Fever (hardcover) (signed & personalized)
Bish Denham—a beautiful hand-made tatted dolphin bookmark
Nandini Bajpai--a copy of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book (signed)
Jacqui Robbins--a copy of Two of a Kind (signed)
Christina Farley--a Chocolate Fun Pack (decadent chocolates & hot chocolates, copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) + a 10 page critique
Rena Jones—a copy of A new Job for Dilly (signed)
Kelly Polark—Poetry Pack (Poetrees by Douglas Florian & Stampede: Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School + signed bookplate)
Jill S Alexander—copy of Sweetheart (hardcover)
Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi—an Art Compilations Book by Robert Bateman (signed), a $15 Starbucks Gift Card a & 1st chapter critique (Becca)
Christy Evers—a $50 Amazon Gift Card
Ellen Oh--a Korean Gift Box ( YA book + treats with a Korean flair!)
Ian Sands—your very own CRITTER and a Critter-interactive-art-book (signed).

And then, if this isn't enough, there's also a Career-Boosting GRAND PRIZE: a PERSONAL, 45 MINUTE SKYPE or IM CHAT with authors Beth Revis (YA, Across the Universe), PJ Hoover (MG Forgotten Worlds Trilogy) & Jacqui Robbins (PB, The New Girl and Me, Two of a Kind) where the winner can collectively pick the brains of these pros about writing, publishing and the current marketplace, learning valuable information to help them succeed.

In the end they say they are giving the money away to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. At least that is what they say. I'm sure it is some money laundering operation.

Worst of all, they posted all the rules for winning on the Bookshelf Muse blog. That makes it so easy for people to just click this link and participate. Gag! I hope you don't click this link and participate cause them you might win and then you would have to deal with all the guilt that comes from a year's worth of being mean to Critterpalooza!

Ps Contest runs until Sunday afternoon, November 28th. Winners will be announced on Monday, November 29th.

2010-11-21T07:04:00.001-08:00

Have Critter Cubes Will travel

The Critter Cubes packed and on the way to Wake Forest. I've never had an art pick up before. How very exciting!!

2010-11-20T11:36:00.000-08:00

Critter Cubes Ready For Pick Up

The Critter Cubes are completed and ready for pick up. i'm sure my wife will be glad to get the garage back :)

All together there are 30 cubes.. I think... i kind of lost count

2010-11-19T17:29:00.000-08:00

Monalloon!

What would you do with 190 art One Students and 1,840 balloons? Make a giant mosaic of the Mona Lisa... silly.

This project took all day. All three art classes, Ms Brokke, Ms Bate and Mr. Sands, worked all day long to create the mosaic.

I think this photo, showing the trailer and cars in the parking lot gives a better idea of just how large this work of art is. 40 feet across and 46 feet down.

to view all photos of the Making of Monalloon Click Here!

2010-11-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

“Publish Yourself”
Ian Sands on Writing, Blogs,
the Internet and Social Media

Wednesday, November 17, 2010, 7 pm
Halle Cultural Arts Center
FREE-Limited seating

Learn how to take advantage of the Internet to publish, distribute and promote your writing. This presentation will cover the pros and cons of self publishing using publish on demand (POD) websites. Ian will also take a look at how social networking sites can help you connect with other writers and editors.

A children’s book author and illustrator, Ian is also an art teacher at Apex High School. His own artwork is currently on display at the HCAC.

2010-11-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

The Critter Cube Coloring Book

The Graham Johnson Cultural Arts Endowment, presents the Critter Cube coloring book for kids as part of the community Critter Cube project.

The book encourages children to learn verbal/communication skills and creative writing with prompts to create stories as each page is changed.

2010-11-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Photos from the Ian Sands Exhibit Opening Reception
@ the Halle Cultural Arts Center
Exhibit rubs November 2-November 25, 2010

2010-11-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

Ian Sands Exhibit
Halle Cultural Arts Center
November 2-November 25, 2010
Opening Reception: Friday, November 5 2010, 6-8 pm

2010-10-25T14:56:00.001-07:00

The Critter Cube Book Proof

The Critter Cube Book proof came in the mail today! How exciting! It looks pretty good. Need to make one or two minor adjustments but other than that, it will be a go!

There are three sections to this neat book.

In section one you are introduced to five Critter Cube characters. It’s up to you to define their personalities.

In section two you’ll write a story. Each page of this section contains a brief writing prompt to offer some story direction. You can deviate from the prompt as little or as much as you want... After all, it's your story.

Section three is just like the Critter Cubes but in book form. Grab a scissor and cut along the dotted lines. Then you can mix and match and create your own critters and sentences.

Now, if i can just finish the rest of the Critter Cubes... well, right after I finish reading this book!

Read More About the Critter Cube Book!

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2010-10-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

The Critter Cube Book Cover Design

2010-10-08T17:47:00.000-07:00

Critter Cube Book

What you might not know is that along with all the Critter Cubes, there will be a Critter Cube Book! How exciting! I know!

This book contains three sections.

In section one you’ll be introduced to five Critter Cube characters. It’ll be up to you to define their personalities.

In section two you’ll write a story. Each page of this section contains a brief writing prompt to offer some story direction.
You can deviate from the prompt as little or as much as you want... After all, it's your story.

Section three is just like the Critter Cubes but in book form. Grab a scissor and cut along the dotted lines. Then you can mix and match and create your own critters and sentences.

Yay!!

2010-09-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

Critter Cubes - Another Half Set

2010-09-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

A Full Set of Critter Cubes

Here is the first glance at a full set (6) of Critter Cubes!

Things are starting to move along. There is another half set drying in the studio, a quater set painted white sitting in the garage, and a fresh set of plywood waiting to be cut on the side of the house.

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2010-09-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

The Critter Cube Book

I've caught a cold and it has really put a damper on my Critter Cube construction. It's hard to swing a hammer when you have to stop for a tissue every two seconds. So I thought, instead of being non productive, I would take this time to start some of the sketches for the Critter Cube Book.

There are three sections planned for the Critter Cube book. The first section will introduce the characters. Since the Critter Cube Book is designed to be interactive, this section will allow the reader to decide what characteristics each character will have.

The second part of the book will allow the reader to write his or her own story. There will be prompts that the reader can use as helpful guides but the story will be determined by them.

The third section of the book will be a flip book that will allow the reader to change not only the story line, but also the characters by simply flipping the pages. The following pictures are designed for that section...

The above pictures would all be on the left side of the book. Each page will them be divided into three sections. The reader can then cut the sections and flip only the sections they choose to flip. The results could be similar to what you see below..

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2010-09-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

A New Critter Cube Set

this guy looks confused about holding a turtle

Another set of Critter Cubes is under way. I need to run out to home Depot today and grab a few more sheets of plywood.. and some more paint!

this guy looks surprised to be holding a fancy guitar

Actually, I cheated a bit on these photos. The top cube is from the other set of Critter Cubes.. but hey, that doesn't really matter does it?? :)

this guy looks unsure if he loves the pink paint
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2010-09-05T06:12:00.000-07:00

Going Back to School with the Critter Cubes

Question # 1. You are building cubes that require 4, 18" squares and 2, 18 1/2" squares. If each piece of plywood can be cut into either 8, 18" squares or 4 18" squares and 4 18 1/2" squares, how many sheets of plywood do you need to create an even number of cubes with no left over squares?

Answer: three sheets of plywood.

Question # 2. Identify all the parts of the following sentence. I DON"T RUN WITH SHARP OBJECTS.

Answer: Pronoun Adverb Verb Preposition Adjective Noun

Question # 3. What does question number 2 have to do with Critter Cubes?

Answer: Each Critter Cube has part of a sentence painted on it. The goal is to make sure no matter which side of the cube is turned, the sentence still makes sense. By understanding the sentence structure, I was able to easily swap out words.

Note the painted word LIKE in the top left hand corner

Here, you try it. Swap out the preposition WITH from the above sentence with any other preposition. Here are a few prepositions to choose from: WITHOUT, ON, UNDER, THROUGH, FROM.

I DON"T RUN WITH SHARP OBJECTS.
I DON"T RUN WITHOUT SHARP OBJECTS.
I DON"T RUN ON SHARP OBJECTS.
I DON"T RUN UNDER SHARP OBJECTS.
I DON"T RUN THROUGH SHARP OBJECTS.
I DON"T RUN FROM SHARP OBJECTS.

Wasn't that fun?!

Read more about The Critter Cube Project.. click here then scroll down!

2010-09-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

Critter Cubes Meet The Board

Bob Johnson, Vice President of the GJCAE (seated) strikes a pose with the Critter Cubes.

The first two Critter Cubes made a brief cameo in downtown Wake Forrest yesterday. The board members of the GJCAE had an opportunity to test out the cubes. It was like show and tell for big people.

The mission of the GJCAE is promoting the arts in the Triangle community.

2010-08-31T13:25:00.000-07:00

The First Two Critter Cubes

The opposite of immovable, these cubes are meant to be turned!

For 2011, and hopefully longer, the The Graham Johnson Cultural Arts Endowment (GJCAE) Community Present will be the Critter Cube Stories. Teacher and creator, Ian Sands, is beginning to construct 30 Critter Cubes and Critter stories to be displayed in Wake Forest, N.C.

The Critter Cubes are cubes with colored graphics that can be turned over and with each turn a new story begins. The project is intended to be interactive with the community and encourage verbal and written expression using the stories created by the arrangement of the cubes.

The Graham Johnson Cultural Arts Endowment has financed the first 4 Critter Cube Stories and in 2011 plans to encourage further development of the project throughout the surrounds of Wake Forest.

In addition to the critter displays, the GJCAE will work with the community to provide coloring books so children can craft stories. Prizes will be awarded for the most original, creative, or best story lines improvising with the critters.