Superhero Dean Rogers Can't Stop

It's the last issue of the paper for the season, so---in the great tradition of pulpy cliffhangers---I've decided to leave our favorite superhero administrator in a bit of a sticky situation. If Superhero Dean Rogers is to continue his stand against campus debauchery (and by this point, we know that he will), he's going to have to face up to a bold new power---heavily-armed student leaders! Cue action movie montage.

Be sure to tune in next semester to see the epic battle ensue...same Dean time, same Dean the paper!

Meryl-y We Roll Along

As the final portrait in my "New York: Portraits of City and Artist" series, I've decided to take on one of the most chameleon-like forces in the acting world: Meryl Streep. Originally from New Jersey, Meryl has taken on a number of iconic roles over the years (usually, about one per year). From Sophie's Choice to Woody Allen's Manhattan, she's made herself a true presence in the filmic New York; and with a number of Broadway and Shakespeare in the Park credits, she's no stranger to the New York stage, either. But it's hard to think of Meryl and Manhattan without immediately thinking of her wonderfully-icy portrayal of Miranda Priestly---the fashion world's fictitious "Dragon Lady"---in 2006's The Devil Wears Prada.


For this portrait, I wanted to capture Meryl's unparalleled ability to slip into a role, destroying all traces of the seams. Though I'm sure she can be quite the light-hearted presence on set, here I imagine her in the moments just before the marker snaps, when she has fully inhabited her character. The particular role of Miranda Priestly also allowed me to explore another oft-mythologized aspect of New York that my previous portraits had missed: the high-ranking Manhattan executive, whose office offers a striking view of the city's steel canyons. All in all, I think the portrait rounds out the series rather nicely. It's certainly been a fun run, and now it's onto new adventures.

Jungle Boogie

The end of the school year is fast approaching, which means it's open season for school-sponsored study breaks. And the mother of all study breaks here at Fordham---RHA's annual Under the Tent dance---is shaping up to be the wildest end-of-the-year bash yet.

Playing off of this year's jungle theme, I thought it'd be fun to give the poster a bit of a Disney World land-of-adventure vibe. Whether advertising Tomorrowland, Adventureland, or just the Monorail, Disney theme park posters still manage to provide some excellent inspiration when it comes to projects like this one.

Citizen Rogers

It's student elections time here at school, and the new student body president doesn't look too happy about a certain campus superhero...things can only get more exciting from here! A special thanks to Orson Welles for the inspiring, iconic imagery of Citizen Kane.

Ancient Aerobics

Another class assignment, this time depicting the theme of "endlessness." Rather than go with a spacial endlessness (the ocean, outer space, etc.), I wanted to work with a temporal one. Naturally, the ancient tale of Sisyphus---cursed to push a boulder up a mountainside for eternity---sprung to mind. The end result looks a little bit like a goblin yoga session, but it's fun all the same.

Monumental Me

A recent class assignment asked us to compose "monumental" self-portraits, along the lines of Emperor Constantine's famous busts. To facilitate "big thinking," we had to execute the project on 3'x4' sheets of paper. No stranger to self-portraits, I wanted to capture something unique with this one---and so it became my own little (or big, rather) "Ode to Mornings." Or perhaps "A Coffee Cup Manifesto." Or "The Infinite Struggle of Waking." Either way, I think it captures my workday trek from the Bronx to Manhattan at the bright hours of way-too-early. For a better sense of the drawing's scale, refer to the photo below.

Figuring It Out

A smattering of figure drawings from the past couple weeks or so. Prismacolor colored pencils used for all drawings.