janfebpreview2005

Williams Murray Hamm Parish Kohanim Katherine Streeter Digital Kitchen Biogs Color Predictions Ground Zero

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January/February 2005 Eight Dollars www.commarts .com

by Anne Telford

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visual poet, Katherine Streeter uses scrap, found objects and paint to craft her phrases.

Elements such as an oddly disjointed cut-out face, or a sguiggly snake thrust in front of an incautious foot, create tension and interest. Her themes are universal, her approach is quirky and individual, yet curiously beautiful.

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Streeter has been an illustrator for nearly ten years, working with a range of editorial, advertising, book and music clients, including Harper Collins, the New York Times, Bloomberg, Shape, Forbes, Grolsch and Yupo Paper Company. Her work has been featured in American Illustration, Communication Arts and Print, among others.

promotion and industry recognition in annuals such as CA. But change was beckoning. ''After five years I felt the itch to return to the East Coast, and felt like I was ready for New York," she says. "I had been visiting regularly, dropping off my book in high-rise office buildings while I explored the energy of the city.

I realized that I wanted to be immersed in it.

The New York City-based illustrator always had a proclivity toward art. As a child, she'd get up at the crack of dawn to watch the Uncle Bob painting show and make the projects demonstrated. That eventually led to the Massachusetts College of Art and a formative semester at the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London, United Kingdom, in the early 1990s.

"The industry seemed to be at a peak; there were a lot of jobs being given out and the dot-corns overflowed with opportunities that trickled down to freelancers ," she recalls. On arrival in New York City, she joined a shared studio space with three other illustrators. She also started taking photographs of everything, because she found New York to be a city completely alive with change. "It inspired a lot of personal work as well, which bled into my illustration work.

"I went to art school in Boston and stayed in the city for a few years, freelancing for small papers and magazines and interning with a few designers," she relates. "It was a slow start-I shopped my book around to the publishing companies and was often asked to donate samples of my work to decorate their office walls, but was told that my work was too dark or edgy for a lot of commercial book covers.

"I was doing a lot of experimenting before I narrowed my style, so I realized that inconsistency was a cue to do more personal projects and work out my own vision. I moved to San Francisco in those first years of freelancing. I had never been to California before. Once there, my work changed a lot. I was influenced by the environment: the colors, light and open-air quality of the West Coast.

"I showed my portfolio to local magazines and agencies while creating a lot of personal work, such as a series of fictional narratives about cafe culture that were intended for-and shown in- the coffee shops of the city. "

In San Francisco, Streeter built her portfolio by working with art directors at the San Francisco Guardian and the East Bay Express. "Working for the East Bay Express was good. It was a weekly job that gave me room to experiment and develop my style. All for $50 apiece that I would handdeliver! ," she remembers.

Meanwhile, she slowly built up a client list working mostly with national magazines as she began to branch out with self60

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"I had been doing some freelance work with the San Franciscobased online magazine salon.com, making illustrations to accompany the book reviews, travel stories and other editorial content on their Web site. Shortly after I made the move to New York City, they asked me to work for them as a staff illustrator (which lasted for a few years). I created one to three images for them daily, which was not only an amazing opportunity for work, but also one of the best challenges of my career. It forced me to juggle my workload, think and produce quickly, and organize my creativity, which is not so easy for me to do! That in itself changed my work a little bit. It forced me to simplify my messages. My collage images were getting less active and more direct. " Her paintings often revolve around the mood evoked by a face .

She feels her approach is perfectly suited to darker subject matter that needs a sensitive approach, although she is eager

All illustrations are mixed media and collage on paper.

Right : "One of two full -page illustrations that ran with the article titled 'What You Fear, What You Should Fear.' It featured this image f irst, illustrating the things one fears that are less likely to occur, like getting attacked by a shark. The intent was to raise awareness of other health issues that are more likely to cause harm . In this case, the shark is both the literal and figurative representation of the irrational fear that is caught inside the woman. " 9 X 11 . Donna Giovannitti/Jacqueline Moorby, art directors; Shape magazine, client.

Communication Arts

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Digital Kitchen This page: "In what appears to be a single, continuous camera move, the Platinum title sequence wanders through the early days of old -school hip hop, set to a recording studio backdrop . Credit typography is formed from a sinuous trail of cigar smoke . Produced on a limited budget, many elements were shot in OK's Chicago facility.

The series was co-developed by Lost in Translation director, Sophia Coppola ."

Paul Schneider, creative director; Matt Daly/Vince Haycock/Matt Lavoy/Camm Rowland/Andre Stringer, designers; Chris Markos, Flame artist; Don McNeill, executive producer; Mark Bashore, producer; Eric Anderson , editor; Nocturnal, music; Sophia Coppola/Greenblatt Janollari/John Ridley/UPN, clients .

Artists Against Piracy TV spot. "Our charter on this

spot was to create a sight-sound metaphor for music's boundless capacity for personal emotion. DK hired Beck guitarist Lyle Workman to record a 30-second performance that evolved from amateur to virtuoso .

Using software that links sound waves to graphics, typography-like practice and dedication undulate as if physically propelled by guitar strings."

"Circle-C" :30 SFX: Someone practicing electric guitar. Each time the musician makes a mistake, he starts again, trying to master the riff.

(Open on the word "practice." The " C" is the copyright symbol. All of the letters in the word begin to shift, except for the ©, which remains static. This happens each time the word changes throughout the spot. Words change to "dedication," "sacrifice, " "creation. " The word changes to "music") SFX: The guitarist nails the riff ...

(The word changes to "respect") SFX: Guitarist improvising an amazing lead .

(Dissolve to AAP logo and Web site address) Title card : Artists Against Piracy www.artistsagainstpiracy.com Mason Nicoll, creative director; Chase Hartman/James Webber, designers; Lane Jensen, executive producer/ producer; Eric Anderson , editor; Lyle Workman, music; Dailey & Associates, ad agency; AAP, client .

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January/February 2005

Everything's Comin' Up Roses & Kelp & Turquoise

by Anne Telford

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Robert Abel onsidered one of the founding fathers of computer-based animation and special effects, Robert Abel pioneered the commercial use of digitally-controlled motion-control photography and the use of computers for pre-visualization and animation, but he left a legacy greater than a portfolio of groundbreaking television commercials and filmwork. He also mentored a generation of talented directors and digital artists, essentially jump-starting a new industry.

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Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Abel graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles with a fine arts degree. In the 1960s, he became a successful documentary filmmaker, and directed titles such as The Making of The President: I968 and Sophia: A Self Portrait. It was the creation of Robert Abel & Associates in 1971, by Abel and his friend and collaborator Con Pederson, that changed the look of television and movies in the future.

Abel and Pederson adapted the computerized camera system used for 200I: A Space Odyssey to create special effects for broadcast graphics and television commercials. Their first assignments were animated logos for ABC Television and the Whirlpool Corporation. Soon, the production company began creating a series of ever more impressive television commercials, ultimately receiving 33 .Clios for their work.

They also created sequences for Disney's The Black Hole and Tron.

Wanting a way to preview ideas before committing to production, Abel & Associates found a solution with the Evans & Sutherland flight simulator. The device could present a simple wireframe version of what was to be photographed later by a motion-control camera.

Abel's staff soon discovered that by adding colored filters and multiple exposures, the images produced by the E&S system could be photographed as final art.

Abel also invested in raster graphics with software developed by Bill Kovacs and others through a division called Abel Image Research.

The Abel raster software was later developed into Wavefront Technologies' Preview, when Kovacs purchased the rights.

This page: Columbia Pictures logo (1976) . Richard Taylor, designer/director; David Hardberger, animation cameraman ; Sharleen Pederson, background illustration ; Con Pederson, programming.

Robert Abel standing with monitors displaying "Columbus: Encounter, Discovery and Beyond" (1991 ). The program follows the history of America from the point of discovery by Columbus to the founding of the United States in 1776. At the time, one of the most sophisticated educational interactive experiences, " Columbus" was developed by Robert Abel at Synapse Technologies , a new venture he started after the sale of Robert Abel & Associates . The interactive program contained text, photographs, music, audio, film and video and was contained on two CD-ROMs and three videodiscs.

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exhibit Hot Wings newspaper ad "The task for us," said Natasa Smidlova, creative coordinator, "was to tell a specific target group (conservative men) that even chicken can be, not only very spicy, but created with natural seasoning- chilies."

Adrian Bell , art director; Martin Prikryl, creative director; Roman Werner, graphic designer; Getty Images. photographer; MARK/BBDO (Prague, Czech Republ ic), ad agency; Barracuda Cafe. client.

2 ThyssenKrupp Elevator trade ad

"It's always fun going into a category that hasn't seen any decent creative and shaking it up a bit," said Brenda Talavera, creative services manager. "Elevator ads tend to have the same diluted, technical look and feel; you can't tell one from another. To launch ThyssenKrupp's new ISIS elevator, we went the opposite way and gave the campaign a clean, signature style that carried through all mediaprint, collateral and online. The brushed steel and blue LED are features of the product itself, which, by the way, is the most energy-efficient, space-saving elevator in the world. Selling a great product, of course, also helps make it fun. "

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WINGS

Mike LaTour, art director; David Coats, writer; Alex Bunch/Chris Sekin, creative directors; Brenda Talavera, project director; Mark Laita, photographer; Lot 44, digital imaging ; Chris Henderson/David Young, strategy; Slingshot (Dallas, TX), ad agency.

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Summit School View Book

"Since 1933, Summit School has been one of the most unique independent schools in the Southeast, garnering a strong reputation for growing students emotionally, intellectually and socially, " said art director Troy Tyner.

"However, there has been less awareness of their emphasis on a progressive approach to education, challenging curriculum and student diversity. Summit set out to rejuvenate their identity, starting with a new view book that would strengthen an understanding of their core philosophy and stress a commitment to broadening student perspectives. " 36 pages, 8 x 8, perfect-bound, 4-color throughout.

John Foust/Troy Tyner, designers; Black Horse Studio, photographer; Mitre Design (Winston-Salem, NC), design firm .

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Duration : About Staff: Just

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Education : Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

Craft books, 195o's children's books, fruit carvings, topiary gardens, vintage Lucite box purses, all birds including vultures and songbirds, Hello Kitty and friends, comics, SleaterKinney and Czech animation.

Cultural Influences:

Environment: I recently got a studio space, outside of my home, that I share with some talented artists and illustrators, like Souther Salazar, Esther Watson, Mark Todd, Calef Brown and Martha Rich (www.yosemitestudio.com) . I love having air conditioning, high ceilings, natural light and not working on the floor by my bed anymore. Also, I was hoping that with this studio I would switch to "normal" working hours, but I'm still such a night owl.

In my art, I try to find that balance between simplicity and delicate details. Sometimes, it's just as important to know what's been subtracted as it is to know what has been added. All my work is finished by hand rather than the computer because to me, there is something meaningful about using tactile materials.

Philosophy:

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