These images are a collection of pages from my snowman sketchbook, started in 1999 and completed in the Fall 2019.
The snowman sketchbook originally started off as a doodle when I was sitting around my parent's home drawing my mother's snowmen decorations. But I had so much fun with the subject matter I decided to devote an entire sketchbook to the character. The story tells the tale of a snowman's humble beginnings and documents its quest for world domination. I initially thought the sketchbook would take a few months to complete, but as time went on I found that the storyline (and the line work) became more and more involved, thus causing delays. Doubts that I would encounter over my own intentions for the sketchbook would also appear in the storyline, with the character questioning its own motives. In many ways the snowman sketchbook unintentionally became my visual diary, where the character itself would have conversations with me, the artist, about our dreams, artistic motives, and intent.
This work was awarded the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship Award for Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts in 2014.
I originally wanted to call this book ‘The evil snow being that would conquer the world’ but I ended up changing my mind. The image on the left was inspired by Leonardo DaVinci’s, Vitruvian Man.
Caesar goes to a local phone booth and locates a vendor that sells Ice-O-Matic air conditioners. It scopes out the building from across the street.
I originally intended to have Caesar bury the Ice-O-Matic AND THEN build a fort. But as I was drawing these pages I realized that it was a better idea to build the fort first. So that internal monologue became part of the story.
Caesar looks at itself in a mirror to help it remember who it is, where it came from. The text above are the lyrics to the song, “Smile” by David Byrne.
Caesar takes a nap and begins to dream… (The scarf is an ode to Mr. Tom Baker of the sci-fi drama, Dr. Who)
In the dream Caesar begins to grow and grow. Imagery inspired by the comic strip ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ by Bill Watterson.
Caesar begins to wake.
Caesar asks me, the author, why the book is taking so long to complete. The snowman begins to wonder aloud what the final goal may be.
Caesar says, “Just one piece left and then we are done…”
The bus got built and the snow things starting driving north.
Caesar and its friends begin to descend while riding on a giant snowball. Caesar stretches its arms out and finds peace amongst the chaos.
This sketchbook was a collaborative project with the artist Heather Willems, and in conjunction with the Brooklyn based company,
The Sketchbook Project. The statement, "You are Me," was randomly selected as our suggested theme or topic for the book.
The book was completed in 2009 and is currently in the archives at the Brooklyn Art Library in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY.
To view the entire sketchbook please visit my Behance page and click either Part 1 or Part 2
