That's right, God and the Devil were paired up at random.

Mostly PFC is about process, not results. But there has historically been one exception. In 2011 Icinori put together a beautiful accordion book collaboration (scroll way down) between the artists of that year, based around depictions of the 12 Tasks of Heracles:

We didn't have the benefit of Icinori's boundless energy, subtle skill and guiding hand this year, but we really wanted to make something of the kind happen again.

So with the help of June, Zak and I came up with the following project: we made a list of characters, made each of the artists choose one, then paired them up randomly (with an emphasis on pairing English and French speakers together), and then asked them to create a page in which their characters interact in some way, with the additional constraint that something, somewhere must get broken. Zak's chose 'an alcoholic', I chose 'escaped convict'.

The result is this three-color, screenprinted accordion book, hand-assembled by the participants, printed by the inestimable Dan Ibarra at Aesthetic Apparatus (also, as it turns out, of boundless energy and subtle skill). And this all happened in less than a week. Our undying gratitude to everyone involved for their patience, indulgence and enthusiasm.

The few remaining copies are available here, $45 each. Proceeds will go to make whole the tireless volunteers of ChiFouMi, without whom none of this could have happened, and to support future incarnations of PFC. Dan generously offered up the test prints as well, which we cut down into stacks of 5" x 6 1/2" "postcards", a few of which will get thrown in with every order. For me these cards complete the collaboration, because in addition to being in many cases surprising and jewel-like, they incorporate the work of Aesthetic Apparatus with imagery from the book. Which brings everything full circle.

And in case you are curious who got paired with who, the collaborators were as follows, in order: Marc Bell and Domitille Collardey, Lilli Carre and Emilie Plateau, Tom Kaczynski and Jean-Christophe Menu, Sandrine Martin and Kevin Huizenga, Lisa Hanawalt and Pierre Ferrero, Eugene Riousse and Jim Rugg, John Porcellino and Benoit Preteseille, Eleanor Davis and Max de Radigues, Genevieve Castree and David Libens, and Zak Sally and myself.

walk cycle

Last week I mentioned Lilli's late-breaking PFC proposal that we each contribute to a 'walk cycle' to be animated and looped before the Eyeworks presentation that happened Saturday night. Here's a low res version.  A nicer version of just the Nancy cycle is here (along with the slightly surreal local news coverage of PFC):

Apparently in the UK "trainers" means "shoes"

So this article came out on Saturday in the Guardian, and it's really nice (although I was sorry to see my dad's existence described as hippy).  They even used a photo of me smiling rather than being dour or downcast to fit the book, which I was glad about. But then today a friend passed along this even more awesome little tidbit from the comments section:

Indeed, life goes on. The thing is they're not Gazelles. They're actually the Dennis Busenitz Pro Shoe. And Dennis is amazing, so please, people of the UK: support pushing at least six times for every trick, effortless switch, and holding your fakie 5-0s to a fifteen foot minimum. Great skateboarding is worth it.

I swear I didn't plan this

...but the printmaking panel I'm moderating at AUTOPTIC (12-1 next door at Alliance Francaise) is turning out to be the stealth skateboarding panel. I mean, with Ryan Duggan I knew I was getting some Hated graphics:

But then I stumbled on this image (Death Comes for the Skateboarder) when looking for cool stuff to show by Jenny Schmid:

And then when I asked Nick Butcher of Sonnenzimmer what art he was into when he was 12 he sent me an Alien Workshop graphic (I'm posting a different one in deference to alien phobes):

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