Back in art school days, we often discussed the ideals of what it is that makes someone pause before a painting, dissecting its nuance, its meaning? Or is it better to just expect that some can observe a piece as “just a picture” — no more, no less?

For me, knowing that art is a visual representation of what exists inside an artist’s mind, I always felt that every piece tells a tale and that people are eager to learn and discover the story behind every creative decision.

Celebrity entertainer Cardi B, neoclassical painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, a cartoon known as Flip-The-Frog, artist Pablo Picasso and a tiger all coexist on a single picture plane in what appears to be some quantum mechanical moment in art history separated by 180 years, yet all relevant and seem to make sense together in what would encapsulate a year as strange as 2020. But how could I know? I started this painting in 2018, two years prior to the existence of Tiger King and WAP. All hand painted with tiny brushes, oil paint and a lot of Cuban coffee. I often say it would be more interesting to be critiqued by a psychologist rather than an art critic, revealing more about the work and the artist through the deconstruction of metaphors and symbolism present in the art either consciously or subconsciously.

Emotions have always been easier for me to express through works of art, and In Over Our Heads tries to encapsulate a lot in a single image. Recently, we’ve seen brought to the surface the impact of the “Me Too” movement, in regards to opportunities and inclusion, which was top of mind when concepting for this.

When I first viewed the Ingres’ painting from 1839, L’Odalisque à l’esclave, I was struck by the provocative and submissive posture of the female figure, who looks away rather than engage with the viewer. With In Over Our Heads, I chose to reference this but reverse the scenario. I flipped the direction of the Ingres figure in the lower section of the canvas and added a contemporary latinx female figure, Cardi B, just above the viewer’s eye line, putting her on the same playing field as the observer and giving her the power by having her make direct eye contact. Her posture is indomitable as she looks on confidently with a Bengal tigress, an apex predator, by her side, who is also meeting the viewer’s gaze.

It was serendipitous to learn two years later that Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion were releasing their controversial song WAP. After its release, WAP was both critically celebrated for its female empowerment and criticized by conservatives for its sexually explicit directness. This position of female power is still uncomfortable for some. I wanted the viewer to experience this tension between the passive reclining female figure of the past and the more modern and powerful Cardi B.

Between the white surface lines and layers of graphic shapes and figures, Flip-The-Frog, a 1930’s cartoon character by Ub Iwerks, is featured in the center bottom of the composition. Flip has been seen in short films such as The Room Runner and The Office Boy. This character started out as a down-on-his-luck type as it was set during the depression era, but became more bawdy over time, peeking into peepholes to get a glance at women — a sign of the times. Here, he holds a candle up to illuminate something in the dark that might otherwise be hard to see: the evolving roles of women.

To weave the composition together and move the eye around the picture plane, white contour lines are smoothly overlaid across the canvas surface creating a mask of sorts. This references Picasso’s 347 Series, which drew controversy at the time for its explicit erotic content and sparked a debate about whether they should ever be shown publicly. The image depicts the Pope observing artist Rafael painting his mistress and model Margarita Luti.

The title In Over Our Heads references Robert Kegan’s 1994 book, in which he discusses, in part, how the vast majority of adults are considered to be at the “socialized” stage of development. They often tend to follow assumptions given to them by society versus those they freely choose. This brought to mind the power of celebrity, the impact influencers have on our current culture and what we value as a society. Can having Cardi B or a reference to a classic Ingres painting influence your feelings about this piece? Is it good because there’s something or someone you recognize or bad because you might dislike what they stand for? And as the title suggests, if we are in fact in over our heads, is that the optimal state for learning and growing?

I hope through this painting, you find yourself attracted to the aesthetic quality, or the craftsmanship, or even the subject and reference to popular culture. Whatever it is, I hope it stops you for a brief moment and you find yourself engaging with the painting to perhaps reflect on its themes. Or maybe this is simply a picture.

@VSTheArtist | www.vincentserritella.com

The collector came to me this time with a box of various hotel keys, luggage tags, membership and coveted credit cards. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with them, but he trusted my visual aesthetic and put the final piece in my hands. I had material he’s collected since 1998 so the pressure was high to find a technique that wasn’t destructive to the materials. He was open to various ideas, so I explored a way to construct a piece that was legible up close and visually balanced from a distance. Aside from the aesthetic choices of a piece, I always try to dig a little deeper and find the story in it and ask myself a series of questions before committing to a design. What is it that I’m trying to capture? What do all these cards mean to the collector? What can I help this individual see in his or her personal artifacts? Artists see the world a bit differently so I feel it’s my responsibility to help a collector find the beauty in these common objects they have around them in their lives. Before jumping in, I sat down with my collector and had a conversation about what traveling meant to him.

After my initial conversation, I laid out all the material and organized it by color and size. I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go with it at that moment, but from listening to his passion for traveling, it made me think about traversing the globe.

I prototyped square and rectangular concepts. Though interesting, it had borders and traveling represents a notion of being boundless so I explored alternative ideas.

Thinking more about that led me to a circular form that radiates from the center. The radial nature of the form also mimicked that of a propeller complimenting the conceptual aspect of the project. The card shape itself is 3.370 x 2.125 inches so adding only twelve cards with a half inch gap quickly adds up to a 54 inch dial. That requires a lot of wall space!

Now that I had the concept worked out, I wanted to explore doing this piece in wood using a Computer Numeric Control technique, also known as CNC.

I had never worked with a CNC machine so I wasn’t aware what kind of work goes into preparing a file for carving. Because these machines are fairly expensive and take up a fair amount of space, I reached out to a local company Lucid Machine Art here in San Francisco that specializes in CNC cutting to help fabricate the design. They work primarily in CAD programs so they needed a vector file that is compatible with the CNC machine. I primarily work with Houdini, software by SideFx Software, to create my 3D models. The tools for creating organic and complex meshes have become very robust recently. My first instinct was to design and model a solid object using polygons, but the CNC machine requires vector based geometry.

I’m very knew to all this, but I quickly learned the expense of CNC machining is in preparing the data for cutting and the machine time itself. To carve out very subtle rounded edges, the drill bit on the CNC machine has to slowly run back and forth across the piece of wood and take small incremental steps to create smooth rounded surfaces. That takes a lot of machine time. If the edges were 90 degrees, then the machine time is very short because it can make the cut in one go. I tried to reduce the size of the piece breaking it in five sections, but again it’s about reducing the rounded edges and decreasing machine time.

I went back to the drawing board. I still felt the circular design was the best fit for the project, but I needed to find a way to make the costs more predictable in machine time. After some thought, I removed the beveled edges and replaced them with 90 degree angles.

After consulting with Lucid Machine Art on cutting this revised design, they confirmed that it significantly reduced the machine time and costs to fabricate. After approval from my collector, we went into production. It took some back and forth preparing and formatting the model for cutting, but we quickly got a working model. I was super excited to see something created virtually in Houdini materialize. Even though I was working with real world measurements, the scale and design was a lot bigger then I had imagined in person, but still worked and was cool to hold in my hands.

I was really satisfied with the final product. The smell of fresh cut wood, the smooth touch of the surface and seeing the layering of the birch plywood allowed me to see the final piece ahead.

After laying out the cards by color and pattern, I cut small pieces of archival matboard to mount on the backside of the cards. This allowed the cards to float 1/8 of an inch off the piece and create a small shadow to visually add separation from the background. Some cards were partially clear so custom cuts created a nice illusion of being suspended up close.

Overall, this piece was a fun space to think in for a while. I learned a little more about about a collector’s passion, got the opportunity to create with their materials and I learned a lot more about creating with the CNC process. If you get the opportunity to collaborate with someone, jump at the opportunity. You’ll find out a lot more about your creativity and do something unexpected for yourself.

Thanks!

Vincent Serritella Studio

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There are 7 days left in my Kickstarter campaign and I’m wondering how this story will end. If you happened to have read my last article “What Art Has Taught Me About Life”, you might already be aware of a philanthropic project I did a year ago called 52 Pick Up on Medium. It was started on a whim because I was tired of seeing the same big box stores continue to take over the landscape of every American city I visited. The uniqueness and charm that once made up these individual towns were now becoming a common song with one chord.

With that in mind, I decided to do an original piece of art once a week for a full year then take it to a different small business. Each week I published a post on Medium with the business’ address and a little information about what they do and why I chose them, including an image of the corresponding artwork. Whoever was following the project could go to that business in person and pick up the art for free, I just asked that in return they supported that business in some way, like by buying something or posting about it online to help spread awareness.

“We were so happy to be part of Vincent’s amazing project, ’52 Pick Up’. His piece created quite the buzz and the person who took it home was so excited.” — Diane Campbell, Owner, The Candy Store

The story of this project really connected me with the people behind these small businesses, so I thought a great way to share the experience of the entire year would be to capture it all in a book. I learned a great deal from self-publishing my last book and I want to take this new one to the next level. My plan is to make another limited edition of 1000 museum quality books to celebrate and further benefit these independent shops. This 60+ page hardcover book will highlight all 52 small businesses featured in the project, include some interior design photography of the shops, my experience throughout the year and all the original weekly pieces of art.

My plan after I satisfy all the Kickstarter backer rewards and deliver those books, is to distribute any remaining books amongst all 52 small businesses. They will keep 100% of the proceeds from their book sales.

What I find interesting at this point is how different this fundraising experience has been compared to my last Kickstarter campaign. When I launched my campaign for the Project 365 book, it was funded in 24 hours. I thought I’d share some advice from my past success with Project 365 and thoughts on my potential failure with 52 Pick Up, if my current campaign continues in its current direction, even though Kickstarter has endorsed it as a “Project We Love”.

“Vincent’s article on my business gave me hope that my dream could continue. And it has indeed! I am forever grateful to have been asked to be a part of this and to see what comes from this gentleman. I am watching in awe at all he gives the world with this art and generosity!” — Maura Boland, Owner, Alaskan Premium Seafood

The daily interaction with my online community from Project 365 provided me with instant support. I had contacts for all 365 collectors of my work ready to pitch in and get behind my efforts to get the book made, for which I’m eternally grateful. By including the Project 365 community and having them literally be part of the book itself encouraged engagement for backing the campaign. I didn’t have to seek out bloggers, advertisements or articles to drive traffic. It all came organically from these relationships I had already built over the year.

With 52 Pick Up, the game changed a little. I was not personally interacting with a community of fans following the project so there wasn’t someone specifically to reach out to once I was ready to launch this current campaign. Since I would drop off the art at a small business, I wasn’t able to keep track of who it was that ultimately picked up the art. Some people would get in touch with me to let me know they got one of the drawings, but not all would. There was no protocol in place for tracking where the art went. It wasn’t part of the project to have to know that, it was more about supporting the businesses than where the art ended up this time around.

“Green Apple Books was honored to be a part of Vincent’s 52 Pick Up project. Any marriage of art and locally owned independent business is AOK in our book!” — Pete Mulvihill, owner, Green Apple Books

Maybe it’s partly because of this different way I went about 52 Pick Up that the Kickstarter campaign needs some more help and “traffic love”. In hindsight, I now know that I likely would have benefited from connecting with more local publications, media outlets, writers, bloggers, etc., well in advance of the launch of my campaign to give it an extra boost. I didn’t want to buy advertisement space or hire 3rd party marketers because in a way it would have been contradictory to the concept of 52 Pick Up. Trying to make this campaign work on its own made me empathize even more with these small shops who are trying to get the word out about what they do — it’s not easy.

I want to thank and give recognition to all of the small business that were a part of 52 Pick Up. Your courage and perseverance to set out on a journey and follow your dreams is both infectious and inspiring. I hope to see this book project through to fruition to commemorate this experience we shared together. Ten more days, fingers crossed!

“As a long-time admirer of Vincent Serritella’s work, having our store chosen for 52 Pick Up was such a wonderful surprise. Just the idea of one of our customers contacting him about us was amazing, but being able to facilitate someone receiving one of his beautiful little pieces was even better. Vincent has given not only to the recipients of his pieces, but also the independent businesses he featured in the project. For stores like ours in small-town America, being put into the spotlight on a national level provides such a great opportunity. We are so, so grateful.” — Paige Davidson, Owner, Cahoots Handbags

Again, If this campaign is successful and the goal is met, my plan is to take any remaining books after shipping them to Kickstarter backers and distribute them amongst the shops below:

826 Valencia • Poverty & the Arts • Tibon’s Goju-Ryu Fighting Arts Karate • 082010 • cahoots handbags • Schmancy • Sound Spirits • Iron Oxide Art Supplies • Central Features • Alishan Organics • Starry Eyes • encuentro • Molding Plastic Corp. • ReFind • Alaskan Premium Seafoods • Inhabitect • Heartfelt • Esqueleto • Glaser Designs • Ampersand • Mercy vintage now • Cheese Plus • Maison d’Etre • Books & Books • Hollow • Cactus Jungle • Cafe Renzo • Asmbly Hall • Socola Chocolatier • Castle In The Air • DSF Clothing Co. • Green Apple Books • Beachside Coffee Bar + Kitchen • Lucinda’s • Tantrum • Chocolate Covered • Paul’s Hat Works • Rickshaw Bagworks • Rare Device • Urban Bazaar • The Candy Store • Tigerlily • Love & Luxe • Baia Pasta • Good Stock • Weathered Nest • Huckleberry Bicycles • David James • Mill Valley Flowers • Wood Thumb • Local Take • Perch

If you’re interested in supporting the project, again for which I will be eternally grateful, you can find it here: 52 Pick Up: An Art + Small Business Book

If you can’t financially support the project, please share and help spread the word. There are at least 52 small businesses and 1 artist that will thank you for it! :)

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It’s Friday night and I’m sitting in my hotel room in Italy and I can’t believe it took me nearly 40 years to finally get here. Italy has truly been a magical, artistic pilgrimage for me. I wish I would have visited sooner, but then again I may not have been ready to see it this clearly at an earlier point in my life. It’s overwhelming to see so many of the beautiful drawings, paintings and sculptures I’ve only seen and read about in art books up until now. To walk on the same streets as artists such as Michelangelo and Bronzino was humbling. This is the story of how I got here.

I’m also writing this because I hope some aspiring artists out there might find encouragement and inspiration in my path to push ahead and live a creative life regardless of whether or not you feel you fit into the current art world mold.

ARTIST

In hindsight, I now realize that art has been one of the most positive and consistent aspects of my life. I have been told that, as a child, I could often be found drawing and painting, which surely kept me out of trouble. The first valuable lesson I learned from art was about relationships and how drawing or painting connected me with family and school friends. One of my earliest memories is of drawing with my grandfather. And at school I got to know so many people from different walks of life through interacting with my art. It was a catalyst for me.

During my elementary school years in Miami, Florida, I attended after-school art programs, then a magnet program specializing in the arts for middle school, and eventually an arts high school, New World School of the Arts. There, I got a formal introduction to the foundations of art: perspective, color theory, and composition. I explored photography and figure drawing, and continued to create as much as possible. I was surrounded by all disciplines of the arts; musicians, dancers, actors, and visual artists filled the hallways. I welcomed this melting pot of artists with an open mind and was encouraged and inspired to experience all of this in one place on a daily basis. In this environment I was able to further develop my understanding of foundational artistic elements like motion, rhythm, character, space, and aesthetics. Art taught me to see and appreciate all the little details around me through these other disciplines.

I’ve never publicly showed my early development work, but here are some pages from my sketchbooks at that time:

After graduating from New World, I attended the Maryland Institute, College of Art (MICA), in Baltimore on one full year scholarship. My family was not in a financial position to put me through school so it was critical for me to do what I could to prepare my portfolio to qualify for the tuition free Cooper Union in New York City. Cooper Union, at the time, was given a budget to grant full scholarships for every accepted student. Transfer students were only accepted based on the number of foundation students that dropped out the second year. The year I applied only three spots were open. I felt like I had won the lottery when I got the call to transfer to Cooper Union to complete my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. I was thrilled to be accepted there because of the legacy of those that passed through the school before me. I was also fortunate enough to meet and be taken under the wing of professor and abstract expressionist painter Don Kunz, who became a mentor and close friend throughout the years until his passing in 2001. Still, even with the full tuition scholarship, the high cost of living in New York City meant I didn’t have any spending money for books and supplies or rent, so I ended up working a lot to make ends meet. I only wish I had been able to spend more time in the studio creating, but you make do with your constraints. Art taught me to be resourceful and visualize ahead to the final image.

I am proud to have been able to attend Cooper Union. When the school was founded in 1859, the president and founder, Peter Cooper, wanted to provide anyone, regardless of race, gender, or wealth, the opportunity to get a free college education. It really was a novel and admirable concept, and one that has also influenced a project I was to do 13 years later, Project 365.

Art taught me about respecting history and the many artists that laid the pavement before me. My art had a classical influence to it because I wanted to learn and understand these important techniques before approaching abstraction or conceptual work. After all, as a teacher once said, you can’t abstract from nothing. There’s a lifelong journey ahead, take your time and be patient. You’ll enjoy looking back on the evolution.

Immediately after college, I was both fortunate and unfortunate to be involved in the gallery scene in New York City but had some bad experiences with the business end of the art world. I quickly found myself running out of funds and looking for work again. It was imperative to me to not go back to Miami to live with my folks. I needed to deal with my situation and find a solution to be able to stay in NY. I felt if I returned at the time, my art would suffer and I wouldn’t have the urgency to make something work. I think of this as my “starving artist” period, which included couch surfing until I got back on my feet. I did whatever it took to continue to keep the inspiration and energy of NY around me. I eventually took a break from the gallery scene but continued to create for myself. During this down time, I had to find a way to financially support my art until I rebuilt my portfolio.

EFFECTS ANIMATOR

When Jurassic Park and Toy Story were released in movie theaters in the early 90’s, I remember watching those films and being fascinated, but like most people I couldn’t understand what I was looking at or how it was done. I knew dinosaurs didn’t exist to photograph for Jurassic Park and I knew drawing such accurate perspective in every frame would be extremely difficult in traditional animation for Toy Story. I had to learn how it was done to satisfy my own artistic curiosity. I picked up some trade magazines and learned a bit more about what went into creating visual effects. There was something about a virtual environment that was new to me after all these years working entirely on paper or canvas. It was like sculpture of sorts but also adding a fourth dimension, which was time. I was fascinated by this whole new world and found myself hooked on wanting to understand it more as a medium for creating images. The engineering school at Cooper Union had thirty or so licenses of Houdini 1.o that they weren’t using so while I was there (backtracking a bit here) I decided to sit down and read three massive manuals page by page, cover to cover, during my free time to understand how computer graphics worked. I never took any computer science courses so the language and concepts where completely foreign to me, but I would repeat tutorials until I could remember them by heart. That kind of repetition is what made it stick. I still didn’t understand that what I was doing was called trigonometry or calculus, but I understood that if I wanted to create a particular effect, I would do “these things” (vector math) to achieve it.

Coincidentally, my girlfriend at the time (now wife, Marissa) worked in advertising, and had a meeting one day with an artist rep and producer at her office. She happened to ask about my art that she had pinned to her office wall, so Marissa told her a bit about my background in both art and my new interest in 3-D animation. When the rep learned I also knew 3-D animation I was fortunate enough to be given an opportunity to interview at the commercial post production house where she worked, on 42nd Street and Madison Avenue, using what I had taught myself about 3-D animation between sessions of studio time at Cooper Union. This moment turned out to be quite pivotal for me.

Since I was at a point where I really needed to work, I said yes to all the interview questions. Thankfully I was hired, but prior to this I had not yet worked anywhere professionally, nor did I know how I was going to pull off the work requested of me, but I rolled the dice and felt I could learn how to do this before they figured out that I couldn’t. I still live by that philosophy today. My experience with art taught me to trust my instinct.

On the first day of work, I was given a commercial spot to do entirely on my own. I didn’t have a place to live so I just slept under my desk, I asked questions constantly, read manuals and industry forums all night and watched over a co-worker’s shoulder during the day to figure out how to approach the work. When painted into a corner, you’ll quickly figure out how creative you can be to problem solve. Two weeks later and running on little rest, I delivered my first client commercial spot to the owner of the company. He approved it and I saw it on TV later that week. What a feeling that was! I learned so much in those two weeks, more than I feel I may have learned at any full-time animation school.

Fast forward three years to 2002 and my work eventually brought me to a visual effects industry convention, Siggraph, in San Antonio, Texas, where I presented some of my recent commercial projects. The other two presenters were Theo Vandernoot from Sony Pictures Imageworks, who was covering the blockbuster hit movie Spiderman, and Hank Driscoll from The Secret Lab who was talking about CFD (computational fluid dynamics) on the film Reign Of Fire. To save the two headliners for last, they had me present first. I had never done any public speaking before that. I also had never even seen a presentation in the visual effects industry so I had no basis for what one should look like. Of course I ended up going super overboard on my presentation. I had sound effects, a score that ran underneath my presentation and full on motion graphics to illustrate how I achieved a particular effect. I got a standing ovation at the end of my 20 minutes! As a result of my presentation, I was offered a full-time job at Sony Pictures Imageworks in Los Angeles to work alongside Theo on Spiderman 2. It was an exciting opportunity that was too hard to pass up, though the decision to leave New York was a difficult one; my wife and I both loved the city, and it was the place where I had always dreamed of being the artist I imagined. But I also felt I needed a change to stimulate my senses again. Art taught me to evolve and be receptive to everything around me. To continue to find inspiration and seek it out.

I spent the next eight years in Los Angeles working on visual effects for films. However, I felt I was doing less of my own art than I would have liked, mostly because of the demanding hours I was spending on the film work. I realized I needed to find a way to be in an environment where I could dedicate more time to my own art again. As timing would have it, San Francisco Bay Area based Pixar Animation Studios was looking for someone fluent in the software I used (Houdini). They were looking for someone versed in it to act as a point person. A friend I worked with at Sony Pictures Imageworks had moved on to Pixar the previous year, so he suggested that I would be a good fit and arranged an interview. Not only are they pioneers in the industry, I also knew Pixar had a reputation for appreciating artists, and having a sensible understanding of work/life balance. After an intense interview process, I was offered a job, so my wife and I packed our bags again and drove up to the Bay Area where I started work at Pixar.

After work and on weekends I was again able to read, develop my own art, and visit exhibitions to feed my soul and mind. The Bay area is beautiful, surrounded by water, mountains, forests, bridges, cityscapes, farms and quaint smaller towns. My mentor from Cooper Union, Don Kunz, once told me, “If you want to create beautiful work you need to surround yourself with everything beautiful.” Art taught me to look at the beauty in everything around me.

I didn’t fully understand this at the time: that you become a reflection of the world around you, and the world around you becomes what you create. I certainly felt I was in the right place for this kind of inspiration.

The work I wanted to create in New York I picked up again and began creating in San Francisco. I began exploring who I was and where I wanted to go with my artwork. I had moved across the entire country searching for something to help me find my place in the art world. Everyone kept telling me that being a professionally successful artist is like finding a needle in a haystack. But the truth is, if you know there’s a needle in that haystack and you pick through it one piece at a time, you’re eventually going to find that needle. It’s going to take a very long time, but with persistence, patience, and perseverance, you will find it.

I feel that I may have found that needle in Project 365, something I worked on in 2013. Perhaps the entire time I was asking the wrong question: what I could do for me, when instead the real question should have been what can I give back to the world with my art? You know that old saying, “you can’t take it with you”. We can’t take anything with us when we leave this world, but we can leave the world something when we go. Art taught me the power of images and the influence and impression it can leave on someone. We all do this with memories, relationships, and experiences we share with one another. I wanted to create an experience that could live beyond the sale of a work, an exhibition, or even my lifetime.

PHILANTHROPIST

In 2013, art news from blogs, tv, newspapers and websites were all dominated by headlines of record breaking art sales from auction houses like Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Bonhams. I was watching what was once a medium for the masses now becoming a commodity traded like stocks on Wall Street. It’s an exclusive, members-only club that very few are fortunate enough to experience and enjoy. As an artist, I’ve always felt that having original art from those I admire in my studio while I work would be a huge inspiration. There’s definitely an energy when standing in front of a piece of original art that you connect with. There was another person, human, artist behind the creation. You want to know more about that person’s story and look deeper into the image, finding traces of their process…spilled coffee, brush hairs, a fingerprint, debris from the studio. All those qualities add to the mystique of the artist and the action of creating this work. That experience is what I set out to share with at least 365 people that year.

The concept as I imagined it was pretty simple: I would do a quick sketch, sign it, photograph or scan it, and upload it onto a website where someone — anyone, anywhere in the world, regardless of their political or social connections, religion, race, gender, ethnicity, or wealth — could ask for it, and there was nothing anyone else could do to get that piece once it was claimed. It felt like a pure, unbiased return to the original relationship between artist and collector. That relationship does exist today, but it’s very rare, especially for the average art lover.

I put a lot of thought into what the best platform would be to reach people with this project. I knew there was potential to reach hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people with the help of the web. But to build a site from scratch would be out of my league, and would also be quite time consuming on top of everything else I was trying to do. By chance, I came across Erika Napoletano’s book on marketing, The Power of Unpopular. It was the beginning of many serendipitous events that would take place throughout the duration of the project, almost as if someone was guiding me and knew I was ready for what was to come. In the book, Napoletano talks about how to reach people in today’s tech-savvy generation, covering various internet techniques. I decided to go with Facebook; it already had everything in place for what I needed: a social media site that supported interaction with likes, comments, messaging, image sharing, links, albums, and analytics to track the progress of the project. It seemed like a one-stop shop. I set up a fan page, and at first forty or so people followed it.

I uploaded the very first drawing on January 4th, 2013, which was a small, graphite on paper drawing of a resting rescue dog. Coincidentally, a friend who trains, fosters, and volunteers with animal shelters in California commented on the drawing first, so I said she could have it. She was very excited and shocked to get an original drawing — especially without the need to pay for shipping or expenses, truly free! I asked for her address, wrote it down on an envelope, put a stamp on it and dropped it in a nearby mailbox. I felt that sense of joy that you get only when you give something to someone with no expectation to receive anything in return. In this way, Project 365 made its start.

The first week into the project, I realized I had signed up for a huge undertaking, one that would not allow me to have weekends, sick days or holidays off. But I still hadn’t really grasped the scope of the project. I would go home after work, walk into my studio, and think I would do one simple sketch that would take fifteen minutes, get it out of the way, and get back to working on my other larger paintings. I did this for the first couple of weeks or so, but I found myself getting anxious about putting my name on work that I rushed out the door. Increasingly from this moment on, I realized that the project was going to mean a year of commitment, sacrificing my free time to dedicate it to the public. The message I hoped the project would send was, in my mind, equal to the task to which I had set myself.

With the first batch of pieces I created for the project, I varied the size of the work. This meant building custom cardboard envelopes for mailing each one, so the cost for the variety of sizes and weight was quickly adding up. I knew that to make the project feasible, I needed to come up with a predictable, consistent cost. I bought a box of 6x9-inch envelopes, took them to the post office and asked how much it would be to send one envelope with one piece of paper and a postcard in it, both domestically and internationally. The cost? One first-class stamp. That was easier overall, and I was able to predict and plan for the cost of the remaining images. Even better, having all my images smaller than 6x9 inches meant that they would fit in the scanner I had bought to improve the quality of the images I was uploading to the project’s Facebook page (I had originally just been using my mobile phone to photograph each piece). So my overall pipeline became more streamlined: Create, document, upload, and mail!

The first recognition the project received was from Lost At E Minor, a great website based in Australia that focuses on fine art, design, photography, and illustration. They were interested in the project’s concept and decided to post about what I was doing. Since they receive over 300,000 unique visitors per month, their mention of the project was helpful in getting some attention on the other side of the globe, which was exciting. I started receiving emails and gained new followers from Australia and New Zealand. Later, The Jealous Curator came across the project and also decided to write about it. The project and its message were really starting to reach people. The number of followers started to exceed the amount of work I was going to create. I would have been happy with 365 followers — one drawing per person — but that quickly grew, and as the number of people following the project continued to increase I worried that some would be disappointed about not receiving a piece by the end of the year. Gladly, and to my surprise, most were happy just to see the art in their news feed on a daily basis and weren’t upset not to have a piece for themselves.

Before this project, I had my own idea of what worked in my art, but the feedback I received on the daily drawings reinforced that there truly is something for everyone. You can’t please everyone, but the variety of subjects represented in Project 365 is proof that you can create anything and there will be an audience for it somewhere. That freedom was very liberating for me and a lesson all on its own. I quickly used that opportunity to jump around and explore various content and materials. I did have some limitations of course. For example, I couldn’t use material that was too brittle, had a slow drying time, or couldn’t fit inside an 6x9 inch envelope. As long as I worked within that framework, I was free to choose whatever I felt like exploring that day. When you have to come up with a new concept and do an original piece of art every single day, it’s on your mind all the time. The world really opens up to you; everything becomes a potential subject. I started looking at random things just a little bit more closely. That was an interesting lesson for me in this project.

As my work for the project progressed, I started to receive messages and comments from followers about the art and what it meant to them. I quickly realized I was doing something that was beyond just making original art more accessible.

Interestingly, there were a number of serendipitous connections between the art and the people who received the drawings. For example, Drawing #293 was of a bat and the person who got it was a bat biologist. Another follower was collecting pine cones for months for her wedding and the day I loaded Drawing #123 of a pinecone, she got it! Drawing #183 of a Roman helmet was collected by a recently retired army veteran. I received messages from followers telling me that their win was the first original piece of art they’ve ever owned and that it would stay in their family for generations. Project 365 was filled with stories of this sort. Reading comments and emails like this meant the world to me and genuinely inspired me to get through the countless nights, weekends, and holidays that were ahead. It felt extremely gratifying to create my art and share it with the world in this way. It all started on a whim and I acted on it; I didn’t overthink it or pre-plan how I was going to execute it. I just picked up a sheet of paper and started creating and connecting with people. Art taught me to be spontaneous. Throw some paint around and solve the problem in the act of painting. It’s both terrifying and equally gratifying at the same time.

Halfway through the project, I saw that I was building a community of people all around the world with the universal language we all shared: art. I felt I should capture and preserve that somehow and thought a book would be the perfect format. A book is something we learn from, sketch with, and keep memories in. Initially, I considered contacting publishing companies to help produce it, but then I started to realize that if I did that, I’d be turning my art over to someone who likely wouldn’t have even followed the project who would then profit from it. I felt I had to find a way to self-publish this particular book because of the very nature of the concept. I also didn’t want people to think I had a master plan of giving away free work only to sell a very expensive book in the end and profit from it myself; I had to make sure I had control over where the profits where going. I began looking for a charity that supports and nurtures the arts, preferably one that helped to benefit our younger generation. In the United States, funding for the arts is getting cut out of education budgets more and more, yet imagination and creativity is so important for children, pivotal in some cases. I’m not sure where I would be if I didn’t have the arts in my life growing up. It provided me with a way to express myself and discover who I was to become.

When I was younger, I was never concerned with what my art was worth, its deep meaning, or what gallery it was showing in. I simply wanted to create something, then share it with my family and friends. Project 365 reminded me again why I enjoyed the arts as a child. Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”

I’m so glad I came across the Children’s Creativity Museum, as they support this philosophy. They’re an interactive art and technology museum in San Francisco, open to kids from all walks of life. They are transforming the way children learn and play, promoting invention, production, collaboration, and engagement. They inspire and help kids express themselves. They believe that the success of the next generation will hinge not only on what they know, but also on their ability to think and act creatively as global citizens. Because of this, I chose to support them by giving them 100% of the proceeds from book sales.

At the end of the project, it felt great to connect with people who truly valued my art. It was also comforting to know there are 365 homes around the world that share a piece of my work on their walls. And all this positivity had nothing to do with money at all. At the end of the project, my wife sent me another Picasso quote she found that I thought was a nice message from the universe that made me feel like I was doing the right thing: “The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away.”

Soon after Project 365 was finished there was something I felt, as an artist, that I had never felt before. Something about my art that went beyond the gallery walls. It was using my art as a form of philanthropy. A way to communicate between my physical community and the community that I was building on the web.

It wasn’t until I completed Project 365 and went back to visit cities I lived in, like New York and Miami, that I realized the once small shops that made up the unique character of the landscape were largely being replaced with big box franchises. When I travel now I find myself seeking out the small, unique businesses that make up cities big and small, and instead more and more I’m finding myself surrounded by chain stores. I started to notice that the very identity that gave each city their character was slowly being replaced.

So, this sparked another idea: 52 Pick Up. This time, I wanted to find a way to use my art to generate and direct awareness to these small, local businesses. A way to give them a voice that could potentially reach a lot more people via the online community I was now a part of. With that in mind, I set out to create 52 original pieces of art, once a week for an entire year, to connect with small businesses in my community and highlight some local shops. To mix things up a bit, this time I spoke with Luke Esterkyn at Medium.com about using them as a platform for my next project. It felt perfect. Medium felt like a relatively new business and it was local to me here in San Francisco. The interface was clean and modern so it satisfied the aesthetic side of what I wanted my next project to feel like with the advertising banners and sponsorship ads removed. How it worked: I did an original drawing once a week for a full year and took it to a different business each time. Then I published a post on my Medium account with the business’ address and a little information about what they do and why I chose them. Whoever was following the project could go to that business in person to pick up the art for free, I just asked that in return they support that business in some way, like by buying something from them and/or posting about it online to help spread awareness.

At first I thought it would be simple to identify these 52 companies I was going to feature right away, create a list, and in a few months I’d be able to create all of the drawings and articles and be ahead of the game. It didn’t turn out like that at all. I found myself searching for companies week to week who would be willing to participate. But it was ok — it got me out on the weekend to explore and pop into shops in various neighborhoods that looked interesting. My wife was a big help reaching out to the owners, proof-reading, taking photos, and sometimes sharing the task of writing articles, which was new territory for us both. From a relationship perspective, it was nice creating something new we could share and do every weekend. Initially she wasn’t entirely thrilled that I was taking on another year long project, understandably, but once she went with me to meet the owners she would see for herself what a project like this meant.

It was clear that the companies and owners I’ve met and interacted with are a big part of the community they worked in. Without them, neighborhoods would be missing that character and uniqueness that make them stand out and make people want to shop and spend time there. I’ll miss the weekly task of walking into each store and introducing myself, getting people excited about the project. I enjoyed getting to know who the owners were and having a conversation with the folks behind the window sign. I learned a lot about what it takes to build and sustain a small business, which is not for the faint of heart. They compete on a daily basis with online marketing and big box store discounts. They usually have to put in twice as much work, and at the end of the day, their brick and mortar shop closes while large online stores are open 24 hours a day. But aside from that pressure, everyone I spoke with was full of passion for what they do. I feel that if you start a business with money as the only motivation there’s a good chance you’ll fail almost immediately if there’s nothing else behind it, but if at the core there’s true passion about what you’re doing, you can succeed no matter what. Even failure is a form of success if you’re passionate about what you’re doing because you’ll learn from it and find another way to solve the problem in the next go around. That persistence and determination will prevail in the end.

Within the art community, some other artists have questioned how I’m affecting the value of my art by doing projects like these and giving pieces away for free. The feeling was that I was lessening my place in the art market by doing this. Well, I’m not selling it for $1 so there’s no numerical value associated with it. I’m connecting with my community and using my art as a conduit to connect two people that otherwise wouldn’t have had a conversation, and all the while adding a boost of exposure to a small shop who may need it. For that, I feel my art becomes invaluable in a different way. We’re in the 21st century and I wanted to explore mixing philanthropy, art and the web. No one else that I knew of was doing it in this way. There was a time when artists would barter with their work for food, supplies, housing, etc. Some gain satisfaction from a monetary reward, some from inclusion in a particular exhibition or collection. I feel that success is personal and it should be measured by yourself and no one else. I completely agree that one needs to make a living, just like I do (I still have a day job too), but there was something beyond any monetary reward I learned from these projects and that was the relationships I built along the way. From the messages I received from fans receiving the art to business owners knowing that someone cared was way more humbling than I expected and that, for me, was invaluable.

Graffiti artists have been giving art away for free for years on the streets to connect with the community. Sol LeWitt created installations that couldn’t be collected as an anti-commercial commentary, but you only got to experience them if you were part of the art world circle. “Spiral Jetty” by Robert Smithson was a site specific installation that also couldn’t be privately collected so the public could enjoy it, but you had to travel to Utah to experience it. The concept of Project 365 and 52 Pick Up was just another form of connecting with the public in a different way.

I won’t lie, selling a work of art is great. It keeps the artist financially independent to develop and pursue their practice in the studio. At the same time, I don’t want to forget why I started drawing and painting in the first place. To inspire and bring people together, and that started with the people around me.

Based on what I’ve learned from 52 Pick Up: get out and meet your neighbors. Not just the person who lives next door, but get to know those you buy your food or other products from. You’ll feel good about supporting them the next time you have to buy something. They’re often happy to talk, give advice and share what they’re doing. It’s hard work and they often work in small groups so they’ll welcome a conversation with a new face. I only lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for four years before I started this project. I didn’t know much about the various neighborhoods then, but a project like this got me outside and looking for unique and interesting shops, and I’ve met so many fantastic people along the way. It’s nice to have a personal connection in all different parts of town now, and I wish them all success in what they’re doing. So if something is one or two dollars more at a local shop than it is to buy it on Amazon, I urge you give it to your local business instead if you can. You’re watering the plant in your backyard that’s eventually going to bear fruit and it feels great!

There are so many lessons I’ve learned from creating art and I’m still learning and growing. When drawing, you sketch quickly, covering the overall composition and how your subject fits within the boundaries of the paper. Then over time you begin to correct your lines and proportions. As you work through your drawing, you finally bring out the characteristics of your subject and fine tune the detail all the while making confident and deliberate marks. If you start with the details, then try to make your composition and proportions work, you’ll step back and quickly realize it’s all wrong and often extremely difficult to fix at that point. It wasn’t until I was nearly forty years old that I felt I was at a stage where I was starting to draw in the details and could see the image emerging around me. It’s that magical moment for an artist when their drawing makes the transition from a simple sketch to three-dimensional space. To this day I still get excited about that moment.

I’ve tried to approach everything in my life like my drawings. I’m not sure what the details will look like in the end, but in the beginning, I make broad strokes to find my footing and then fill in the details as I go. I’ve taken a somewhat unorthodox path in my art/creative life, but being an artist isn’t only about showing in a gallery or museum. It’s about living a creative life. Seeing the world as most don’t. Being inspired everyday by what has come before you and what’s happening around you.

Right now I’m at Pixar, and at the same time I’m creating my own art and mixing philanthropy into it. I have no idea where this will take me, but at the moment, it makes me feel great. Project 365 and 52 Pick Up have taken on lives of their own. I was recently invited to be a keynote speaker at KDU University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to speak about Project 365. Talking to an entirely different culture about it and watching how a project like that can move someone on the opposite side of the world feels wonderful. Teeside University in North England and Animex in Mumbai have also recently asked if I could share the story with their students. I’m over the moon that people are connecting with the message of these projects and I’m even more excited to share it with anyone who likes to hear about it. Hopefully it will inspire people to give back in their own way as well.

If I may lend some advice that I’ve distilled over the years, it’s the following: Commitment, discipline and passion have to be your primary motivations for being an artist. The financial and public success, if that’s what you wish to achieve, will be a byproduct of all the efforts you put in. Trust yourself and your instincts. Don’t just recreate what’s trending or fashionable in the art world. Be inspired everyday. Never stop learning. Have an open mind and go see as much art as possible. Smile more. Do what feels right for you regardless of what others think, because that’s what makes you and your art unique and interesting. It may not be your time now, but perhaps sometime in the future, it will be.

In the words of Henry David Thoreau — “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”

I look forward to reading your story! :)

Feel free to stop by and say hi: Website | Instagram| Facebook

It’s here, the final installment! Week 52 and I’m excited to visit Perch, an urban gift and home accent store, located in the Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco. When I arrived I was immediately greeted by Michael, a friendly employee who encouraged me to take my time and explore at my leisure. I browsed the shop and was pleasantly impressed to see the diversity of products they carry.

When I spoke with one of the owners, Zoel Fages, I learned more about his passion for the community and his shop. At a time when almost any product can be found online, Zoel and co-owner Sue Puhlhorn wanted to create a place where they could personally introduce their customers to all of the things they love. Zoel and Sue decided to take a leap of faith and open their brick and mortar location 7.5 years ago, with the goal of creating an environment that reflected their collective love of things both modern and vintage, local and international. They support and feature over 20 local designers who create jewelry, bags and art.

Over the course of a year, this project inspired to me to learn more about what makes up the fabric of the San Francisco Bay Area. Especially at a time when so many big box stores have moved into cities, these small shops and their owners make communities unique both to the local residents and tourists visiting. I’d like to see folks like them thrive and continue to have the courage to open up shops and follow their dreams. I hope 52 Pick Up has given you a little insight into how much determination and discipline it takes to open a small business, and the same time I also hope this project has given you the inspiration and motivation to follow your own passion.

On your next visit to Glen Park, stop in, browse awhile, linger if you like, and pick up this week’s art! Also, tune in for a final recap of 52 Pick Up next week! :)

From Perch

As we head into our 7th year, our commitment to our customers remains the same: We’re here to help you find the perfect treat for yourself, or that unique gift for the special someone in your life. We’ve got great products curated from local and international sources aimed to please and a commitment to service aimed at making your shopping experience fun and easy, whether you come to us in person or to our website.

Hours of operation: Monday–Saturday 11-7:00pm, Sunday 12–5pm

Week 52 Art

If you would like to receive notifications when a new article and/or piece of art is uploaded weekly, be sure to follow the collection at 52 Pick Up.

52 Pick Up | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Perch was originally published in 52 Pick Up on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

This week I’m excited to introduce you to Wood Thumb, located in the heart of SOMA, San Francisco, where they’ve pleasantly managed to balance art, craftsmanship and commerce.

Founded by brothers Christopher and David Steinrueck in 2011, Wood Thumb was created to offer unique, handcrafted goods from reclaimed wood that are made to last. Their factory opens up to a storefront that allows them to connect directly with the community where they design and construct their products. They also invite the community in for regular workshops and events! Check it out: woodthumb.com/events

Something that instantly caught my attention as an artist is their design aesthetic, which mixes rustic with contemporary minimalism. I really love the look and feel of the reclaimed wood. In fact, my own eye glasses are made with recycled railroad ties. The passionate and talented craftsmen at Wood Thumb like to source materials with a back story, including reclaimed redwood and old bourbon barrel staves. They offer a range of men’s accessories, like cool wooden ties and sunglasses, and even household products.

If you find yourself in SOMA, stop in, say hello and pick up this week’s art! Cool shop, cool people. :)

From Wood Thumb

When you pick up our products, you can see how it’s made. There is no part that is unnecessary and everything is created with intention. You can clearly feel it was shaped and finished by someone who loves their work and that dedication shows from start to finish. Each product is designed to enhance your life and made to last.

Hours of operation: Monday–Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm (If the door isn’t open during hours, ring the bell as they may be in the workshop).

Week 50 Art

If you would like to receive notifications when a new article and/or piece of art is uploaded weekly, be sure to follow the collection at 52 Pick Up.

52 Pick Up | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Wood Thumb was originally published in 52 Pick Up on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A couple of weeks ago I featured Weathered Nest in the town of Mill Valley in Marin County on 52 Pick Up. While I was there I also stumbled upon this great small flower shop just around the corner. It’s tucked away on a quaint little street next to a beautifully picturesque creekside, adding fragrance to the air along with the smell of fresh redwood trees the area is known for. You can’t help but notice the vibrant pop of color and the smiling faces of the artists who are clipping away preparing unique floral arrangements at this charming, intimate location. Along with the classics, they offer a wide selection of unusual flowers as well, some I’ve never seen before. I decided to dig in and learn a little more about the story behind this florist.

Mill Valley Flowers was bought in 1990 by Annabella Eriksson and her husband Lars. After 20 years working as a nurse, Annabella decided to follow her true love and passion and pursue a business of her own. Over the past 23 years, Annabella and her designers have been making and designing beautiful bouquets and arrangements for their customers. Check out their website or Instagram page for more examples of their work.

I really like small shops like this. It gives character and charm to the town they’re in and I’m sure the local community must love having Annabella and her shop around as well.

If you find yourself in Mill Valley this week, stop in, say hello and pick up some cool flowers along with this week’s art! :)

From Mill Valley Flowers

Mill Valley Flowers offers a sumptuous array of Flowers, Plants, Orchids, and Seasonal Elements. Popular: European garden style and pave’ arrangements, high -style cymbidium orchid designs, and victorian nosegays. We offer weekly service of fresh flowers for commercial and residential accounts. Mill Valley Flowers staff really shines when it comes to our Party and Special Event Designs. WEDDINGS ARE OUR SPECIALTY!

Hours of operation: Monday–Saturday 9:00am-7:00pm, Sunday 10:00am–5:00pm

Week 49 Art

If you would like to receive notifications when a new article and/or piece of art is uploaded weekly, be sure to follow the collection at 52 Pick Up.

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Mill Valley Flowers was originally published in 52 Pick Up on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

This is one of those weeks that was easy to write, as I happen to know David, owner of David James Salon + Gallery on Fillmore Street in the Alamo Square district of San Francisco. I first met David a few years ago when we were both part of a charity art exhibition in the Bay Area. I was so impressed to learn that he was also a successful salon owner and stylist aside from being a very talented photographer.

Super nice guy, photographer and local shop owner, David started his first salon at the age of 26 years old with just a few thousand dollars in his savings account. Over the years, he has managed to turn it into a well recognized business in the industry with a strong following of happy customers. David’s brother, Daniel, and fiancée, Adriana, have also joined as his business partners to continue opening salons which are meant to be a good community meeting point with great atmospheres. They try to incorporate their friends to teach them entrepreneurship by giving them opportunities to use their crafts be it art, building the spaces, working as stylists, or helping with social media and graphic design.

I’m so glad to see this shop thriving and I really support what David and his partners are doing to be part of the community and the city he lives in.

If you find yourself on Fillmore Street, stop in, say hello, get a cool new ‘do, and pick up this week’s art! :)

From David James

When you look down streets, you will realize that there are salons everywhere — but in a bad way, because that means that you have to spend more of your time figuring out which place is genuinely trustworthy, and less time deciphering what you really want for yourself. We want to change that, because we want you to spend your time doing what you want to be doing, not what you have to be doing.

Our intuitive team knows what will work for you and what won’t — sorry, not sorry — and we tell you because we believe that’s the best way to develop a relationship. You see, we believe in being honest with you so that what we deliver will make you feel like your best self everyday. We want to get to know you — because the reality is, hair is just an extension of you. We’ll help you look how you want to look, so that you can continue shaking the world.

We’ll be us, so that you can be you.

Hours of operation: Tuesday–Saturday 9:00am to 6:00pm

Week 48 Art

If you would like to receive notifications when a new article and/or piece of art is uploaded weekly, be sure to follow the collection at 52 Pick Up.

52 Pick Up | Website | Twitter | Facebook

David James was originally published in 52 Pick Up on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

This week we’re back in the city to meet with Zack Stender, one of the owners of Huckleberry Bicycles, which is a full service bike shop located downtown on San Francisco’s historic Market Street. Last week, I called up the shop to see if they’d be interested in being a part of my project and Zack was nice enough to spend a good 20 to 30 minutes with me talking about art, business, 52 Pick Up and what something like this means both to a shop like his and the community in general. Most of the time, I’m working away in my studio in solitude and it’s not until I put my work out there that I know what people are thinking about it. This project reminds me every week that I’m having a small but positive impact on these awesome businesses and it feels great to connect with people that make up the character of the city around me.

Yesterday, I went in to visit Zack at Huckleberry Bicycles and despite the crowds from their annual sale event, he took the time out of his busy day to give me a one on one tour of their shop. He gave me the history of it and even discussed their plans for the future. Huckleberry, once an old theater, is now a well curated and warm space that stocks a diverse selection of road, commuter, touring, and cyclocross rigs. Their mechanic staff and service is top notch and will have you back on the road in no time if you need something repaired or need an added customization to your bike. Their beautifully fabricated display tables and racks are handmade by local wood craftsman. And you have to check out their impressive selection of accessories, bags and apparel. From the people to the service, everything about this special place is worth a visit if you’re in the market for a new bike.

If you find yourself on Market and Seventh Streets, stop in, say hello and pick up this week’s art! You might even ride away on a sweet new bike. :)

From Huckleberry Bicycles

Huckleberry Bicycles is full-service bicycle shop on San Francisco’s historic Market Street. Once home to many bicycle shops and cycling apparel shops at the turn of the century, today Market Street is perhaps the busiest cycling street in the country. We try to harken back to that time when cycling was a functional and fashionable way to get around this beautiful city.

Hours of operation: Weekdays 11:00am-7:00pm, Weekends 12:00am-5:00pm

Week 47 Art

If you would like to receive notifications when a new article and/or piece of art is uploaded weekly, be sure to follow the collection at 52 Pick Up.

52 Pick Up | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Huckleberry Bicycles was originally published in 52 Pick Up on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.