Lion on the Mound

New work! ... and it has nothing to do with dragons or monsters or magic. Call it Sandlot meets The Lion King, I guess. I'll be updating my portfolio site soon, along with another piece that has yet to be photographed. Larger image can be downloaded here. Check it out.

AoNE @ Silvermine

Just got the call that I got into the 60th Art of the Northeast show at Silvermine Guild Art Center in New Canaan. They were supposed to call before 6pm, so around 6 I started thinking, "How the hell did I not get in?" But all's well.

The opening reception is May 8, from 6-9pm. The show runs until June 5th.

Puma Street Meet

Spent a weekend in Boston with my friends from college, Todd and Beth. Absolutely perfect weather to walk around, get some seafood and take a brewery tour at Harpoon. We also got to see what was called the Puma Street Meet.

In a pretty smart PR event, Puma decided to bring in the fastest human ever, Usain Bolt, as a guest of honor at a half street festival, half track meet event. I guess they were trying to piggyback on two events: the Boston marathon last week and the Volvo Yacht Race which was finishing in the harbor next door.

They had a temporary structure, Puma Town, set up to sell ridiculously overpriced gear. Throughout the day, people would sign up and race each other around the circuitous route in the parking lot. There were a couple of marquee events featuring hot-shot high-schoolers. Or, you could race a flag on a zipline that traveled at 27mph, Bolt's top speed during his World Record 100m.

When Bolt eventually showed up, it was mayhem. The only people who got close were little kids, the media, and his handlers. He was signing things left and right, and he looked extremely annoyed most of the time. But if you're paid $10 million a year to run fast, dealing with fans is probably the worst part of the day. He couldn't even use the port-o-potties without a huge crowd following him. Crazy.

Show at Silvermine

Just made it through the first round of judging for the Silvermine Artist Guild's Art of the Northeast Annual Show. The jurors have approved pictures of the above work, Arcadian Starting Line (24"x48"), and now will judge the work in person. I'll be dropping off the piece next Monday, and by the 29th I'll know if the work will hang in the show.

From Silvermine's website:
"Art of the Northeast, is one of the most anticipated regional juried shows of the year at the Silvermine GuildArts Center, traditionally drawing over 1200 entries, and open to all media and artists throughout New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This year’s juror is Douglas Dreishpoon, chief curator at the Albright-KnoxArt Gallery, Buffalo, New York. Throughout its history Art of the Northeast (AONE), originally called Art of New England, has been a showcase for many emerging artists who have gone on to receive national acclaim. Jurors have included curators and directors of major galleries and museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MOMA and the Whitney Museum."

So, with cash prizes and pretty good exposure, I hope my work gets in. The show opens May 8, 6-9 pm, awards at 8pm. The previous review of Arcadian Starting Line from last summer's Track Town USA show is here.

Where the Wild Things Are

I am really looking forward to this movie, as I'm in need of a little magic right now. Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are comes to life. Watch the trailer (or low-res version here). I think Spike Jonze is hitting all the right notes. Let the wild rumpus start, indeed.

Illustration Friday: Impossibility

This week's Illustration Friday topic is Impossibility. It would be an impossibility to take down a monster that size with a single arrow, right? If you played the game Metal, Magic and Lore (for which I did many of the illustrations), you could find out. Pick up a copy, all you RPG fanatics. Click for larger views.

Running to Fight ALS

I've decided to run this year's Marine Corps Marathon to benefit the ALS Association. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

In the fall of 2007, one of my good friends Scott was diagnosed with the disease. Since then, he has lead the fight to find a cure and benefit others afflicted with ALS. His indomitable spirit will be my inspiration as I train this summer and as I run on race day, October 25, 2009.

I'll be working to spread the word and reach my fundraising goal over the next few months, but if you want to give me a head start, please visit my page:

http://web.alsa.org/goto/rpancoast

New Cards

Just got the email I always look forward to (to which I always look forward?): my new commission from Wizards of the Coast. I'll be illustrating two more Magic Cards for their upcoming expansion set. Of course, the email is full of code names and security agreements, so I can't say much more. Wish it could have been more than two, but in this economy, I'm glad to get anything! This brings the total number of Ryan Pancoast cards to 10. My first cards come out July 17th.

The art director, Jeremy Jarvis, is a great guy to work for. He seems to trust the artists, which I think leads to a better product. I'll submit a sketch, and he'll send back a comment like, "Add more weird shit." And he trusts you know what he means. It helps that he's an artist as well.

Time to get to work.

Doing what I love since 1989.

These works of original art date back to 1989: kindergarten. If five year old Ryan knew that adult Ryan was getting paid (most of the time) to draw and paint many of the same images, we probably would have given each other a high five. Click for larger images.

Please note that the T-Rex skeleton in the museum has eaten the man's hat and now it rests in what I must have thought to be a fossilized stomach.

Also note the complex expression of the scuba diver. He knows he's screwed. Even without the aid of facial features, the subject conveys the thought, "Why did I just put my hand in this shark's mouth?" He faces the viewer as if looking for help he knows won't arrive in time.

And finally, the cowboy isn't going anywhere, because he's hopped on a spring horse. He's as stationary as the cactus beside him. Yee-haw.

26.2 or bust

Yes, I've signed up for another marathon. Or, the semi-annual-see-how-far-I-can-run- before-my-legs-give-out race. In 2006, I got to mile 18 at 6:05 per mile pace, and walked the rest with my friend Bobbo. In 2007, I got to mile 20 at 6:20/mi. pace and made a very lonely 6 mile walk. In 2009, can I make it the whole way? Maybe with my sister in the race, I'll have some inspiration to keep going.

I figure if I actually take in some carbs and protein along the way, I should be fine. So more than training my legs this summer, I'll be teaching myself to take in gels and fluids while running.

I'm going to revert to my 2006 training plan, which topped out at 85 miles a week. In 2007, I joined the Century Club, running 100 miles in a week. But come race time, I was in no better shape than I had been the previous year. So here we go ... Marine Corps Marathon 2009.