It's like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but with comics

PFC4 is in full swing. Being both an organizer and a participating artist I'm probably going to have to sleep for a week when it's over, but there are really wonderful things bubbling up, here. This morning Lilli Carre asked June and me quietly if it might work to propose that everyone do a 16 frame, one second long animation of someone walking ( a walking cycle)... all to be strung together, animated by Lilli on Saturday morning, and presented on Saturday night as part of the Eyeworks Animation festival screening she and Alexander are doing (at Open Eye theatre, 506 E 24th st, 7pm). Yeah... two days from now. Obviously such a thing is impossible. But as Willie Wonka says, it is important to do at least two impossible things every morning before breakfast. Here are three of these animations in progress by, in order: Lisa Hanawalt, Tom Kaczinski and Domitille Collardey. I'm doing one, too. As are several other folks. Below those are... well, some other awesome stuff.

See the juggler eyeing her flaming pins

Two of the greatest non-comics comics shows the world has ever seen are being mounted as you read this. Come to the openings tomorrow, Tuesday, August 13th. The first two images are from Benoit Preteseille's ION show at Alliance Francaise (with a reception at 5pm, Tuesday). The rest are from The Jugglers at Co Exhibitions, opening at 7pm Tuesday, with a performance by Zak Sally's Pretty Ladies. Pictured are Marc Bell and Genevieve Castree helping hang their work (I'm kind of a slave driver), and selections from both, as well as three watercolor characters by Pierre Ferrero and some sculptures by Lilli Carre. Come say hello!

This Tuesday...

There are not one but two PFC/AUTOPTIC openings, both interbatiuonal in scale. At 5pm at Alliance Francaise Benoit Preteseille will present an exhibition of his ION publishing project...

And then at 7pm at Co Exhibitions a group show of work by the likes of Marc Bell, Lilli Carre, Genevieve Castree, Sandrine Martin, Pierre Ferrero, Emilie Plateau and many more:

Poster for sale/I hate to waste paper

This is the poster I designed for AUTOPTIC. It was printed with four colors (not quite CMYK - my own private recipe) by Burlesque of North America, here in Minneapolis. And they knocked it out of the park – the colors are sharp and gorgeous. It's a signed and numbered edition of 100. We'll be selling it at the show as well, and maybe at the Autoptic site, but as I write this it's only available here. 24" x 35.5". $25 plus postage.

Since the poster didn't quite fill the press sheet, leaving about eight inches spare, I decided to throw some work in at the bottom and make something of my own to sell at the show (this other thing won't be out until September, alas). Hence: the monologuist paper update supplemental #3, pictured above. Shown is the inside: some little collage comics I made a couple of years back for a Post-it show at Giant Robot in LA. Again, meticulously screenprinted in the above approximation of CMYK by Burlesque, also an edition of 100.  I'm doing a one color print on the back myself, but that'll have to be a surprise, since I can't photograph things in the future. Pre-order here. Full disclosure: neither of these will actually go in the mail until after the show. Because, well, I have a pile of things to do that's a little taller than my apartment building right now. Which means I gotta turn off this damn computer and go to bed.

The Jugglers

Above is the postcard for the exhibition I am putting together at Co Exhibitions (with June Misserey) presenting non-comics work by some of the artists of PFC4 and Autoptic. Below is some work that will go in the show including (a very small selection of) Lilli Carre's exquisite porcelain sculpture and the cut out miniature drawing installations of Belgium's Emilie Plateau. So much great stuff. The reception is Tuesday, August 13th.

Dalton N.H., gardens and woods

Put your other ear to the other track

Oh! also:

Zak was too polite to mention his other thing on the radio, yesterday. Sammy volume two is out and he's giving a little talk at Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis tomorrow, Wednesday the 24th. The book is great. The story is this epic cartoon animal fugue that keeps building up the mystery. Go here to check it out an buy one.