Ryan Hartley Illustration

Portraits for Park Blvd Productions

2012-02-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

Ahoy, matey! Willie Fastenow hired me to create portraits of Park Blvd's employees, using the theme of a ship's crew.

Mitt and Newt on parade

2012-01-26T08:47:00.000-08:00

Primary concerns.

Book Cover Club #8: Breakfast of Champions

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here's my latest contribution to the Book Cover Club. This month, we chose Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions.

Bill T Jones

2011-12-31T11:17:00.000-08:00

I've been nursing a major artistic crush on choreographer Bill T Jones for about a year now. He relentlessly searches for ways to investigate ideas and history through dance, and hearing him speak about his process encourages me to keep pushing mine. I was fortunate to attend one of his recent performances at NY Live Arts, and I made this image as a thank you to Live Arts' development director- who gave me a complimentary ticket to the show.

This image is inspired by "Fondly Do We Hope... Fervently Do We Pray," a dance piece about Abraham Lincoln. There is an excellent PBS documentary about the development of the work, and it's available for free on their website.

Noise Box Music commission

2011-11-17T13:52:00.000-08:00

I am working with Noise Box Music on a series of images and simple animations for branding purposes. Here are several excerpts. Thanks for the fun project, Frank and Sean!

Book Cover Club # 6

2011-11-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

I found creating the jacket for Americana a new type of challenge, because it's the first novel in our book cover club that I was not a fan of. Though I must confess, I only made it through a couple of chapters. I stopped reading because I felt that if I continued, my design would turn out to be a critique of the book, rather than an ad for it.

This challenge also prompted me to think about why I find the television show Man Men, which ostensibly has a similar central character and set-up to Americana, often brilliant, and this book completely intolerable and dated.

I hadn't watched Mad Men since last season's finale. I've been hesitant to revisit it, because in the interim, HBO's The Wire has come into my life and rendered everything else on television insubstantial. The Wire uses a terrific ensemble cast to illuminate how social, political, and economic systems shape communities and their individual residents' destinies. David Simon, The Wire's creator, used the "central character," the disillusioned Detective McNulty, more as a MacGuffin than an audience proxy. Viewers begin the series thinking that we will see the failed systems of Baltimore through the lens of McNulty's heavy conscience, but Simon quickly dispenses of the white man's burden angle and creates many freestanding portraits of the city's diverse residents. Their collective day-to-day experiences, along with McNulty's, provide the thesis. This is certainly not a new storytelling device, but it is done sooooo convincingly - except season five (it descends into Crash, Babel, & Traffic levels of absurd heavy handedness).

I was afraid to revisit Mad Men, because I worried that maybe it relied too much on showing the world through Don Draper's (the central character), eyes. Do I really need another perspective on a privileged, straight, male, WASP who seeks to broaden his horizons by going off on slightly non-vanilla sexcapades and dabbling in cross cultural drug use? This seemed to be the setup for Americana, and I didn't feel the need to go down that road.

But why do I love Mad Men so much? I re-watched the season finale again and it's still amazing! I think it rises above by showing in great detail the havoc that Don's "spirit quests" wreak on those under him- those whose social positions prevent them from indulging in similar meditations, and who must accommodate his "genius" direction and revelations to run his company and plan their lives. When Mad Men is at its best, the show offers a rather harsh critique of the phenomenon of upper-class spiritual awakenings. I want more Mad Men!

Am I wrong about Americana? Does it become critical of the Don Draper figure as it goes along, or is it just a well written, steamy romance novel for restless business men who don't want to think of themselves as "The Man?"

DC

2011-10-20T08:26:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying working in a limited palette recently. This has developed while working on designs for the Book Cover Club.

To keep the surface of the my images engaging, I've started combining a diversity of textures into unified color fields. This seems to be creating the type of energetic, collaged feeling I want in my illustrations without overwhelming the line work (which is an issue I've been trying to address in my color images). I made this picture of Washington to continue exploring this balance.

Book Cover Club # 5

2011-10-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

This is my version of Murakami's 1Q84, which I made for the Book Cover Club. The covers created this time around are in conjunction with a competition put on by Nowness.com that is celebrating the newest release by Haruki Murakami.

As you can see from the sketches, I settled quickly on the image, but finding the right palette was the tricky part!

Book Cover Club # 4

2011-10-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

Here is the cover for The Magic Mountain, my 4th contribution to the Book Cover Club.

Separate but...

2011-09-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

Here is an image about drawing parallels between the Civil Rights Movement and the Gay Rights Movement.

This relationship has been debated in recent years, and though I certainly have my opinions on where they line up and where they don't, I try to focus on the how their legacies can inform one another (because both movements are still far from the prize).

Book Cover Club

2011-08-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

This summer, I have been making book covers for some of my favorite books, along with my roommate Philip. Some of our friends also want to get in on the action, so Philip has set up a blog where you can see the submissions. Here are my covers for Moby Dick and Marcovaldo.

Dubliners

2011-08-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

My roommate Philip Cheaney and I are challenging each other to make a series of book covers this summer. We alternate who gets to select the book. Dubliners is my first selection, and here is my take on it.

New Website is Up

2011-08-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

Check, Check it out: the new and improved ryhartley.com

Who Run the World?

2011-07-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

After a year of looking at horrific photos from Juarez and reading about Arizona's draconian immigration policies (for my thesis at SVA), it's been great to make some totally unrelated images to round out my portfolio. Here is my first celebrity portrait, the all-conquering Beyonce.

Hustle, Hustle, Hustle

2011-07-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

June and July went by so fast! I spent most of June preparing the Age of Exploration for Brooklyn Pride, which turned out great- My team and I distributed a bunch of 'zines and got together a substantial mailing list. In July, I went home to Montgomery County Maryland, where I taught a portfolio development course to rising high school seniors at Montgomery College. I worked with my high school art teacher and that was an amazing learning experience! My teaching skills improved tenfold, and I was fortunate to have a highly motivated bunch of students.

Now, it's back to Brooklyn and time to really REALLY launch my freelance illustration career. I'm so excited! AND TERRIFIED! This is first time since high school that I don't have a steady job! I've built a new website, and I am waiting for the domain to transfer over to the new host- and then it's business time!

Finally, it's been almost three months since I graduated from SVA, and I feel thankful to have learned from the immensely talented faculty and students during my time there. I truly love the work that I've been making, and I am committed to doing whatever it takes to push it further!

When I graduated, I was humbled and honored to receive the "Paula Rhodes Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement in Illustration as Visual Essay." I owe much to the faculty support in my program, particularly from Marshall Arisman, Marcos Chin, Mirko Ilic, and David Sandlin. As I enter the next stage of my journey, I feel fortunate to have their wisdom and challenges to guide me.

Stay tuned for the new website, and a bunch of new pieces I've been quietly crafting to round out my portfolio.

Talk soon,
Ryan

Come visit the Age of Exploration table at BK Pride

2011-06-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 11th, I will be working on my Age of Exploration book project at Brooklyn Pride. The Brooklyn Community Pride Center is generously letting my volunteers and I use one of their tables to give out free 'zines, sign folks up for a mailing list and interview sessions, and get feedback from the community. If you are in Park Slope, come visit the team! We will be along Prospect Park West btwn 9th and 15th St from 11am-6pm.

Arthur, Lizette, Menshahat, Will and I will also be modeling some bright screen-printed T-shirts that I made today with the help of my friend, Marcos. So much fun!

CD Cover for Jakub Zak

2011-05-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

I made a CD cover for composer Jakub Zak. It is featured on an album cover design blog. Sweet! Here's the design blog, and here's Jakub's site.

Review of Metamoto

2011-05-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

We got a review in Artburst Miami! It's really exciting how the author describes the role of the body in the piece:
"the body itself is a site of bewilderment, where the chaos of being human cannot be contained within the confines of the skin. SET is rage-full, rapturous, and full of abandon, a combination that is downright seductive."

Bravo Yara, Jerome, dancers, and musicians!

Check out the full review here!

Metamoto tonight at New World Symphony

2011-05-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

Come see the final night of the Metamoto choreographer forum at the New World Symphony in Miami Beach. I contributed a backdrop to Yara Travieso's piece, entitled "Set." My component is a faint outline of a city skyline that appears on panels above the stage. Here are some photos from rehearsal. For more info, click here.

Also, here's an article about the event in the el Nuevo Herald, the Spanish language edition of the Miami Herald.

Thesis Show Write Up

2011-04-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to an article on DART, a design and arts blog, which previews the thesis exhibition my classmates and I installed yesterday. Our show opens next Thursday. Check it out!

Collaborating on "Metamoto" with Fashion Designer Fabiola Arias

2011-04-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

Fabiola Arias is the costume designer for Yara Travieso's dancers at "Metamoto." Her work is stunning and I'm so excited to see what she comes up with! Fabiola is so on-point that she sold her first collection to Ikram Goldman, (Ms. Michelle Obama's style consultant), while she was still at Parsons. Damn, damn, and damn! Right?

I'm in the process of finishing up my projection images for "Metamoto," and her work is inspiring me to push it!!

Above are photos of dancer Giulia Carotenuto modeling designs from one of her collections. Check out Fabiola's website here.

METAMOTO and Thesis Show

2011-04-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

Hey friends,
Happy spring! I am writing to let you know about two upcoming exhibitions.

First, on May 5th, I am participating in the MFA Illustration thesis show at the School of Visual Arts. If you are in New York, come check out my video work and prints. The project I am showing explores the dissemination of news along the U.S. / Mexico border. More info here.

Second, on May 11th and 12th, I am collaborating once again with choreographer / director Yara Travieso. This time, she is staging an original dance and video piece at the New World Symphony in Miami. For the video component, I am joined by architect Chat Travieso and multi-media artist Darren Hoffman of Tutti Dynamics.

Jerome Begin, who recently composed the score and performed for the Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane Dance Company at the Kennedy Center Honors, is creating the music.

The performance will also be projected in realtime on the exterior of the concert hall, which overlooks a new public park on Miami Beach. The entire complex is brand new and designed by Frank Gehry, so the visuals should be fantastic! If you are in Miami, you gotta check this one out! More info here, here, and a video preview below.

Hope to see you soon!

Much Love,
Ryan

Histoire du Soldat article in Cool Hunting

2011-03-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the debut of Histoire du Soldat at the Beyond the Machine Festival. Cool Hunting, an online magazine that profiles innovations in design, technology, art, and culture, interviewed Yara Travieso and me about our process.

Read the full article here.

At the Crossroads

2011-03-12T21:43:00.000-08:00

Stills from my project "At the Crossroads," which looks at the dissemination of news and disparities in living conditions along the Mexico / U.S. Border. It's crunch time on this project, and it's exciting to combine all the material I've assembled since November. Things are still in a pretty rough stage, but It's starting to remind me of an animated Rauschenberg, which is something I want to make!

Histoire Sells Out

2011-03-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

We sold out two nights at the Wilson theater this morning in under an hour! The first night was gone in ten minutes (?!). Although I suppose it helped that tickets were free...

Our team is very excited to stage two fun-filled nights on the 24th and 25th!

SUPERHUMAN

2011-03-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

To follow up our collaboration on Histoire du Soldat, director Yara Travieso and I are teaming up again to create a night of original choreography and projection at the New World Symphony in Miami. It all goes down this May in the new Frank Gehry building. It's going to be on another level!! The program is called "Superhuman."

To amp up excitement (and funds), The dancers in the production worked with 5 artists to create superhero-inspired images, which we are printing into cards. Mine is the fierce Giulia! She made it so easy! I mixed one part Marvel, one part Bowie, one part Jem and the Holograms, and a sprinkle of Rupaul's Drag Race.

We had a benefit to auction the work off, and there was even a superhero-inspired trailer for it. Watch it below.

Free Histoire Tickets Available tomorrow, March 9th!

2011-03-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

Check out Histoire du Soldat at the Beyond the Machine Festival, March 24th and 25th. Get your tickets at the Juilliard box office. (212) 769-7406 for more info.

Here are some photos from a tech rehearsal! The lighting combinations in the Wilson theater are mind blowing! I feel like my art went on a makeover show.

Upcoming Events

2011-03-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

This spring I am excited to be involved in several events around NYC. First, on March 22nd, there is a benefit for the Brooklyn Community Pride Center. I volunteer for the center and they have provided me with incredible support as I continue to develop my Age of Exploration book. For their benefit, I made an image for the invitation and am donating prints of it to be auctioned off. You can purchase tickets here.

Second, on March 24th and 25th, Histoire du Soldat will have its official, full length premiere at the Rosemary and Meredith Wilson Theater in Lincoln Center. Free tickets go on sale March 9th, and I will post the link when it goes up. In the meantime, check out this article from the Juilliard Journal about the production and the festival it's a part of:

At the Crossroads

2011-02-18T15:07:00.000-08:00

Here is an image from the ipad project I am working on that deals with the US/Mexico border. I finally have a title for the project: "At the Crossroads," which is an homage to Diego Rivera.

I am composing animated scrolls that illustrate news stories from the region. They are composed of ink drawings and colored with swatches of textiles and goods made by American manufacturers who operate sweatshops in Northern Mexico. Here is a sample of how these images are developing.

Extravaganza Ending

2011-02-11T18:20:00.001-08:00

New climactic scene in the upcoming Lincoln Center production of Stravinsky's Histoire du Soldat. It's getting severe up in here!

The Meltons

2011-02-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

I have become fascinated by a pair of civil rights-era race murders in Glendora, Mississippi. In 1955, Glendora, a tiny rural hamlet, burst onto the national stage following the horrific lynching of 14 year old Emmett Till by two white men. The events surrounding the trial are well documented and often credited as one of the critical sparks that started the civil rights movement. Yet, in Mississippi, that movement was still a long way off.

Several months after Till's murderers were acquitted, a local gas station attendant, Clinton Melton, was shot and killed in public with no provocation. The accused killer was driving a car belonging to one of the Till killers. Melton's widow, Beluah, believed that a guilty verdict was more likely if publicity for the trial remained contained within the community. She convinced Medgar Evers, the head of the Mississippi NAACP, to let her collect evidence for the prosecution alone. Not much more about this case is publicly known, because Beluah mysteriously drowned two weeks before the trial was set to begin.

I am making a silkscreen book that covers the basics of the Melton case. I hope to develop it into a more thorough research project in the near future. These are some drawings for the book.

Marriage Equality / Card for BCPC Benefit

2011-02-08T12:59:00.000-08:00

Today my home state of Maryland is voting on a measure that could lead to marriage equality. Maryland would join Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, and D.C. Good luck to everyone involved with passing the measure, and many thanks.

Up here in Brooklyn, I'm helping out at the Brooklyn Community Pride Center by making an invitation for their annual benefit. They are helping me out by setting me up with a social work intern who will assist me in assembling a comprehensive list of LGBTQ resources for NYC youth (which will go in my Age of Exploration book). The invitation is the image above.

Yesterday, I got to share the book in its current state with the Gay/Straight Alliance at the Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice, a charter high school in downtown Brooklyn. I had so much fun- I had talked with students when I started the project, and it was great to catch up, share the book, and get their response. Their reaction made me more committed to getting this book and website finished and out there!

A Soldier's Tale is back!

2011-01-24T19:33:00.000-08:00

Today was our first rehearsal for the Beyond the Machine Festival at Lincoln Center. New scenes, new players, new images, and more fun! The new production drops March 24th and 25th.

ILLUSTRATION DANCE CLASS!

2011-01-16T18:27:00.000-08:00

For the past month or so, I've been collaborating again with choreographer/director Yara Travieso in preparation for a show she is having this May at the Miami New World Symphony. To promote the show, we are making illustrated trading cards of her five dancers.

I thought it would be fun to have a different artist work with each dancer, so we assembled a DREAM TEAM of artists whom I admire and wanted to work with. The team is Marcos Chin, Abdi Farah, Didier William, and Katie Yamasaki. We are so lucky to have them!!!

In return for the artists' participation, the dancers are teaching us how to move!! We've had two dance classes so far, and it's been a ridiculous amount of fun. Our cards will be done soon, and I look forward to posting them. In the meantime, here's a photo of the beautiful new Frank Gehry building that will host the performance, and a photo from dance class.

Stills from the Line

2010-12-17T20:14:00.000-08:00

I've been having so much fun generating images for the U.S. / Mexico border project! I feel a bit guilty, because the subject matter tends to be HEAVY (at least on the Mexico side of things). I've been picking some fluffier news on the U.S. side, especially from the local advice columns. There is a mixture of the grotesque and funny in stories from both sides, and these qualities combined with the juxtapositions are creating an absurd little world that I am excited to explore and make more specific as I become better educated.

I'm also enjoying figuring out how to lay out the flow of information and images for the scrolls. I'm less enjoying the programing side of this, but in the last week the images have started to move on the screen, all by themselves! Next I need to concentrate on making a typeface for the headlines (ignore the font in the images).

The Line

2010-12-17T19:10:00.000-08:00

Here are some preliminary mock-ups from my thesis project. The project, as a whole, investigates the potential of image-based narrative content to build, maintain, and recover collective memory.

I've been reading and listening to different assessments of news coverage in the US / Mexico border region, and the consistent message has been that it's a huge mess on both sides on the border, and much goes told untold (Mexico) or is misinterpreted (US). This makes me curious about how historians will be able to assess this location at this particular time. Where will the complicated truth live, if it is not told in public or recorded in the news media? This location is the subject of my collective memory "building" project.

I am collecting pairs of headlines from opposing sides of the U.S. / Mexico border on a daily basis, composing illustrations for each, and then making composite animations.

To display these works, I am creating programs for the apple ipad and other touch-screen tablets. These programs will offer users different ways to view, organize, and compare the content. I will also upload the illustrations and animations to Google Maps and Youtube. These particular websites enable users to link images and video to locations on digital maps, so visitors see a diversity of non-related, but localized content at once.

My intention is that a user’s ability to touch and sort through the information on the tablet, combined with the web’s spontaneous juxtapositions, will enable them to actively construct a broader meaning and context. Who knows if that will be the case, but I'm excited about my little experiments!

These mock-ups are for a program that lets you scroll through the articles from the US and Mexico side by side, which allows users to create images juxtapositions reminiscent of an exquisite corpse (a surrealist drawing game).

Brother West

2010-11-19T13:40:00.000-08:00

I heard Dr. Cornell West speak at the Riverside Church recently. I had never been to Riverside before, or heard West speak in person. The voice! The history of the space! (King gave a seminal anti-war speech from the pulpit). He spoke about his life, his search for what it means to be human, how a just society ought to function, and our current state of affairs. Mesmerizing stuff!

During his talk, he spoke about two topics I was particularly excited about:

First, he invoked the 1955 murder of Emmett Till. This event has been roaming around my conscience and dreams for about a year now. The crime, trial, press coverage, and aftermath is a central component of my thesis project.

Second, he spoke about the recent spate of homophobic hate crimes in the city . Earlier in the day, I was in federal court in the Bronx to observe the arraignment of a defendant in one of these hate cases. It was powerful to hear a lion of the African American civil rights movement, and an orator steeped in the tradition of the Black church, denounce these events with elegance and conviction. My thesis is going to incorporate courtroom sketches of these trials in some way- and it was encouraging to hear someone invoke both Emmett Till and these crimes in the same speech and make sense! I have much work to do on that front..

Mapping the Moral Arc

2010-11-15T17:55:00.000-08:00

While working on my Age of Exploration book project, two questions stayed with me:
The first was, "What would it really take to make this book unnecessary?" and the second was, "Can the production of this book contribute to that effort?"

To better consider these questions, I read The Race Beat by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff. It is an incredible book about the roles of the black and white news media leading up to and during the African American civil rights movement. This era is endlessly fascinating to me, and this book deepened my understanding of the diverse forces in play and how their framing in the press changed public consciousness. Read it!

One story that seemed relevant to my questions was the coverage of "Bloody Sunday." On March 7th, 1965, ABC’s “Sunday Night Movie” was the network television premiere of Judgment at Nuremburg, a fictionalized account of the Nazi war crimes tribunal. It starred Spencer Tracy and had recently won several academy awards.

At the same time, SCLC was leading a massive march from Selma, Alabama to the capital in Montgomery to protest the February 18th murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson by Alabama State Trooper, James Fowler. As the head of the procession finished crossing the Edmund Pettus bridge, State Troopers began to attack.

ABC News had reporters and camera men tracking the march, and the network interrupted Judgment at Nuremburg to air 15 minutes of raw, live coverage. Millions of viewers watched police officers trample and beat the marchers and then spray the wounded with tear gas. The parallels between Nazi and Southern atrocities did not go unnoticed, and the public outrage provided President Johnson with just enough political capital to bring the Voting Rights Act to a winning vote in the Congress.

This story's been on my mind for a while, and I've had a draft of this blog post sitting unfinished for a little bit as well. The form of my thesis is still taking shape in exploratory sketches and collages, and I haven't felt compelled to share yet. Today seemed like the day to share, though. Here's why:

The sketch above is a young John Lewis crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, (as it looks today on google maps).

Forty years ago, Lewis laid unconscious and near death when the march he was leading was attacked at the foot of this bridge. Today, November 15th, 2010, John Lewis is a congressman from the state of Georgia. Last year, Representative Lewis was called a nigger while leading members of congress across the Capitol grounds to sign a legislative bill on healthcare.

Forty years ago, Jimmie Lee Jackson was trying to help his community register to vote. A nonviolent march he was leading was ambushed by police and he fled with his mother and his 82-year-old grandfather into a cafe. The police clubbed his grandfather on the kitchen flower repeatedly, and beat his mother when she tried to protect him. When Jimmie tried to protect his mother, he was thrown against a cigarette machine and shot twice in the abdomen.

Forty years ago, James Fowler killed Jimmie Lee Jackson by shooting him in the abdomen. Today, November 15th, 2010, James Fowler was sentenced to six months in prison for the murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson.

The moral arc of the universe is long, and I often find myself and others around me unconscious in the smoothing and distorting forces of time and well manicured borders. Today's sentence was a nice cold splash of water.

What's Next for the Age of Exploration

2010-10-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

The book show came down this week, and it was a great run! At the opening, I was reminded how exceptional my friends are- nothing is more reassuring than being surrounded by loved ones as you set your artwork free! I also got to meet people who were interested in the book and have been giving me additional ideas and suggestions. The show and my project also got a write up/shout out on Booktryst.

One major and exciting development is that web designer Arthur Bouie has volunteered to make the book into a website. Over the next few months, I will work with him to figure out how to make the work useful in an online format. I'm excited to develop a site that focuses on resources, particularly because:

Though I am a huge fan of the new "It Gets Better" videos on youtube, and also my President, I was not impressed by the content of his video (though grateful he had the courage and character to make it).

I mean, he starts out with "Like all of you, I was shocked and saddened by the deaths of several young people who were bullied for being gay." Who exactly, is "all of you?" Telling an oppressed population that everyone feels bad about what's happening just does not hold water. Especially not when kids who watch this video can immediately scroll down and see the public comments below the video that clearly indicate that not everyone feels bad about what is happening. And then telling them that somehow this oppression becomes easier to stomach later on? And he cares because he is a parent? I love the man for trying, and there is truth and useful reflection when he describes his past as an outsider (as always), but...

Try applying this speech to any other minority. Imagine Obama telling a classroom of African American kids in Southeast DC that "everyone feels bad about the whole racial and economic injustice thing, but if you don't kill yourselves now, you'll grow up to meet some cool friends and feel pride and that will make it all better." I don't expect Obama to magically right all wrongs when the Congress and populace have no interest in giving him support, but I do expect him to better describe the situation and convincingly articulate a moral argument for change.

So, to make a long story/rant short, The Age of Exploration website will focus on giving kids tools to empower themselves in a country that collectively refuses to create changes in law and curriculum in order to protect them. There are a lot of great resources out there for mental health and sex education, but few that address things like working towards financial independence or anticipating the costs and challenges of moving out on your own. That latter area is where I see the website being useful. Stay tuned!

What You Can Do

2010-10-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

If you are interested, here are organizations that explain concrete ways that you can do to fight for the rights and well-being of LGBTQ youth:
PFLAG
Human Rights Campaign
GLSEN

If you are a young LGBTQ person who is depressed and contemplating suicide or just need someone to talk to, please call the Trevor Helpline at 866.488.7386. It is confidential and they can direct you to support services in your area. Their website also has a chat component where you can message support staff 24/7.

Above are some related images from my book, The Age of Exploration.

Bullying, Suicide and What People are Saying this Week

2010-10-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

Please view these clips to get a sense of the anger, frustration, and sorrow that many of us are feeling at the moment. These events will not stop as long as we uphold and remain silent policies like Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act that dehumanize the LGBTQ community. 1/3 of queer kids think seriously about suicide. 1/2 of transgender kids think seriously about suicide. Schoolyard Bullies and the Christian Right don't feel uncomfortable talking opening to kids about gay issues. Do you?

Pages from the book and a sad truth

2010-10-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,
The Book show opened at SVA this week and there was great turnout and feedback. Here are the intro pages to the copy that is on display. Below is a letter to gallery visitors, which seems to warrant posting after the suicide of 18 year old Tyler Clementi this week in Manhattan:
9/22/2010
Dear Gallery Visitor,
This book is an evolving resource guide and journal for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning teens. It will be further developed with the input of youth participants in an after-school program for LGBTQ teens that I am developing with fellow artist and teacher Menshahat Ebron. The “resource” section of this particular display copy is an example of how that youth-generated content will be formatted. The program begins October 23rd and is sponsored by the Brooklyn Community Pride Center. For more information, visit lgbtbrooklyn.org.

Often for LGBTQ youth, the early teen years are a time of rigorous intellectual and emotional investigation into what it means to be “queer.” This process has been accelerated in recent years by both increased and diversified representations of LGBTQ people in popular culture and by access to a broader community on the Internet.

Unfortunately, the educational establishment has not evolved to meet the challenges posed by these new conditions. For instance, earlier this week, 15 year-old Billy Lucas returned home from school in Indiana, fashioned a noose out of rope, and hung himself in his grandmother’s barn. According to classmates, he was the subject of relentless bullying at school because of his perceived sexuality.

Similar scenarios occur on a regular basis throughout the country, and the victims are increasingly younger:

This past April, Boston resident Sirdeaner Walker returned home to find a note from her son, Carl. He wrote how much he loved her, how sorry he was, and that his little brother could have his video games. She then found Carl, age 11, hanging from an extension cord at the top of the steps.

Two weeks later, in Atlanta, Jaheem Herrah didn’t come down to dinner. The family went to investigate, and soon thereafter, his 10 year-old sister began to scream, “Get him down! Get him down!” while scrambling to release the pressure from the belt tied around her older brother’s neck. Jaheem was 11.

This book aims to empower similar young people, whose primary associations with the word “gay” are relentless torture from peers and nervous, disapproving silence from adults

To watch The Age of Exploration continue to develop, visit ryhartley.blogspot.com

Best,
Ryan Hartley

Book Show Opening Next Tuesday the 28th

2010-09-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

If you are in NYC next Tuesday September 28th, check out "The Book Show" opening at the SVA Gallery at 209 East 23rd Street. There are 20 people in my grad program, and we are all displaying individual book projects that we've been working on during the spring and summer. The opening is from 6-8pm.

My book, The Age of Exploration, is printed and ready to go! Here are some images from the book.

Promo for The Age of Exploration

2010-09-08T19:25:00.001-07:00

I have been hard at work on my Age of Exploration book- I feel like I'm 9 months pregnant and this baby is kicking and almost ready to come out! I'm still ironing out the images, and have been building them up together so that they create a cohesive identity. They all look so much better than my previous efforts for this book, and I look forward to posting them when they are complete. Until then, here is the back of a promo card that hints at the stylist direction.

A video from rehearsal

2010-09-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a video from a dress rehearsal at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater. This scene is my favorite video sequence. When the piece is re-staged in March, some of the sequences are going to be reconfigured. I want to come up with better fonts for the billboards (the text in the "join the army" and "factory" scenes are driving me CRAZY) and make some of the compositions reference posters a bit more directly.

More Photos from the Lincoln Center Debut

2010-09-08T17:38:00.001-07:00

The SPACE!!

A Soldier's Tale comes to Lincoln Center

2010-09-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty exceptional day. Selections from our production of "A Soldier's Tale" made their New York debut in the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Lincoln Center. You will be able to catch the entire production this March, in the Rosemary and Meredith Wilson Theater (also Lincoln Center). I will post the details when they are finalized! Until then, here are some photos from the Sharp Theater.

Back to the Book

2010-08-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

Now that the work for the Stravinsky project is complete, I am getting back to working on my Age of Exploration book project. My process for the Stravinsky project was a major departure from how I was composing images beforehand, and I now feel compelled to revisit the book with that approach- and by revisit I mean redo all the images and make twice as many. So, it seems like there will be more sleepless work nights in the near future. Here's the first new image, and it seems a lot more engaging than all the previous attempts, so I feel like I'm off to a good start.

A Soldier's Tale comes to a close, for now...

2010-08-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

Last week we had our big show at the Bowdoin International Music Festival. As our brave director Yara said, "We gave birth to a monster!" The response was awesome ( both positive and negative, but always a strong opinion). I didn't take any photos of the show, but should be able to get a hold of some pictures soon. Until then, here we are celebrating our first, but definitely not last, collaboration.

And finally, as for the fate of our monster: You better stay tuned and watch your back, New York- it's coming for you!

Final Rehearsals

2010-07-31T08:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some images of the final rehearsals of our take on "A Soldier's Tale" at the Bowdoin Music Festival.

The Poster

2010-07-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

Here is the poster for Igor Stravinky's "A Soldier's Tale." If you find yourself in Brunswick Maine at 7:30 this Thursday, check it out! Info here.

The Musicians Arrive

2010-07-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

The musicians and conductor joined us for the first time in rehearsals today.

When they left for the day, Esme and Alejandro were able to rehearse with a better idea of how to navigate around their setup.

BOOM

2010-07-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

Alejandro practices being tormented by the devil (also Alejandro) on screen

Rehearsals at Bowdoin

2010-07-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

The team is up in Brunswick Maine, preparing for the performance of "A Soldier's Tale." The videos worked! And now our fearless leader Yara is bringing the worlds of video, illustration, dance, acting, and music together into a cohesive product. Not an easy thing to do!

Here are images from one of the first rehearsals. Our actor Alejandro and dancer Esme have to figure out how to work with a new space and interact with all these new video and spacial components. They are doing a brilliant job.

Dress rehearsal is coming soon.

Scene Three

2010-07-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

It's 4 in the morning and scene three for a Soldier's Tales is a wrap. This was the final big composition I had to make. Imagine several silhouettes of a sassy dancer greenscreened onto the decks and cannons.

Now it's time to take a break for a day, and then I will make a poster. The video editing is looking TIGHT! The show is one week away!

the devil visits the factory

2010-07-20T21:27:00.000-07:00

In this scene of a Soldier's Tale, the Devil delivers his lines from a factory.

Process Shots

2010-07-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

I'm always curious about how artists set up their files and work spaces, so I thought I'd share what I'm looking at on my screen and wall.

On screen, I am working in layered photoshop files and using stills from the green screen footage for drawing and scale reference. In this scene, designed for A Soldier's Tale production, the Devil finds himself in a factory.

On the wall, I am working on drawings that I will scan into the computer and then layer into a photoshop composition. In the next scene, the Devil will be Uncle Sam on steroids- so I'm having fun drawing guns and explosions. I work at the library, and love checking out material from their picture reference collection to use for the drawing.

Scene Two

2010-07-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

Here is the composition for scene two of A Soldier's Tale. It's needs a bit of tinkering, but the dominant elements and mood are there.
In this scene, the soldier is faced with the choice of going home with the Devil (in disguise) to learn how to become fabulously wealthy, or going back to his village to see his fiance. Take a wild guess what happens...

Scene One

2010-07-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the composition for the scene 1 projection for A Soldier's Tale. The devil tempts the soldier to give him his fiddle (his soul) from the perch of a military recruitment poster. The drawing will give way to live footage of the Alejandro, the actor playing the devil, as he begins to speak. The bottom fabric texture will be moving (from green screen footage).

Now all we have to do is figure out how exactly to make those things happen!

GREEN SCREEN!

2010-07-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, the team met for twelve hours to knock out the green screen footage for Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale. I will be layering illustrations overtop of the footage, so this was the BIG DAY. I'd never been on a production set before, and it was an incredible learning experience. The production team and talent just keep getting better! The video and lighting crew- Abe and John were enthusiastic, patient, and just all around awesome. Esme and Alejandro, the performers were inspired (as usual). And Yara, the director/choreographer...FORCE OF NATURE! 12 hours!

Now I need to get busy as footage stills start coming in.

Here we go

2010-07-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

Rehearsals for a Soldier's Tale are underway at Juilliard. The choreography incorporates a giant strip of spandex, which the dancer manipulates into different set pieces (water, violin strings, snake, etc). It has been fun to sit in on these sessions and figure out how to translate what is developing on stage into the projections. It helps that everyone on the team is enthusiastic and incredibly talented and dedicated!

More Bowdoin International Music Festival

2010-06-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some stills from the in-progress animation. Our first team meeting at Juilliard today brought together some great ideas for the production, and it's full speed ahead!

Bowdoin International Music Festival

2010-06-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

I am collaborating with choreographer Yara Travieso, who is staging Stravinsky's "A Soldier's Tale" for the annual Bowdoin Festival in Maine. I am creating a series of animated illustrations that will be projected above the stage.

An example of Yara's choreography can be found here.
She is also an incredible dancer, and was seen this spring in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Carmen. Here is a clip of her performing on the Juilliard Stage in a piece by Larry Keigwin. She is the dancer in purple who cuts across the stage diagonally and then reappears in the center.

The work on "A Soldier's Tale" is still in the preliminary stages, but it has already been so much fun to work on. I am a huge fan of Yara's productions, and am thrilled that she is bringing me along for this project. Rehearsals begin at Juilliard this Monday, with the performance set for the end of July.

This is a still from one of the preliminary animations, set in the performance space.

Getting a Job that Can Transfer You to a Major City

2010-06-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

As I have been putting together my book, I began noticing that many lgbtq people who are my age moved to NYC while working for Starbucks in another state. Starbucks, which is known as a gay-friendly corporation, is also a haven for gay youth in the city- they are open late, have public restrooms, and have an accepting staff.
So, it seems like a good suggestion for queer youth, esp. those who know they are at risk of being kicked out, to begin working as early as possible at an entry level possition in a company that not only has progressive benefits and codes of conduct, but also a policy of relocating employees in other branches if they need to move. This would provide both a source of income to begin down a road towards financial independence, and also a cushion to land on if you get need to migrate to a gay-friendly metropolis.

Envisioning the Future

2010-05-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Portrait for the book project.

Suicide Helpline

2010-05-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

This is an image for a spread in my book that will contain info on depression resources. I plan on highlighting the Trevor Helpline, which offers help to GLBTQ youth 24/7, 365 days a week. The number is 1.866.7386.

Alternative Education Options

2010-04-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

This is for a section of the Age of Exploration book about ways to educate yourself when school is a hostile place and you have to find other options. The painting still needs some fine tuning in the middle section, but I'm pleased with how its shaping up.

Coming Out to a Friend

2010-04-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

This is an image for my book project. It's for a section on testing the water by coming out to a friend.

revised kids in the city

2010-04-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

That looks better, right?

Kids in the City

2010-04-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

Another image for the book project.

Drawing in Court

2010-04-12T21:07:00.001-07:00

The last two Fridays I have been sketching the arraignments of young people in a Brooklyn Court. Here are some of the drawings.

Alternative Shelter

2010-04-12T20:45:00.001-07:00

This is another image I am working on for the book. This image will sit next to ideas about alternate forms of shelter, (as a last resort). In Manhattan, some of those places are Starbucks, the Apple Store, and Libraries/Book Stores. The former two are open very late and are safe spaces as well. The drawing combines a book, a laptop, and a coffee cup to form a shelter. I am considering putting in a monochrome urban background to better contextualize it.

Becoming Independent

2010-04-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

This is an in-progress spread for the book project about becoming independent.

First Book Spreads

2010-04-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Here are examples of some preliminary layouts for the Health and Education sections of the book. The written content is lifted from the gsanetwork.org description of a Gay Straight Alliance and is included as an example of how I want the book to read (but won't make the final version).

The Book Format

2010-04-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

After spending a large chunk of my semester considering how to make my book project useful, and experimenting with some new techniques, I have (finally) formed a foundation that I feel comfortable and excited to build on. This is a mock-up of the format.

To summarize, it's a guidebook and planner for young queer people who are beginning to explore their sexuality and consider the implications it will have on their lives, but aren't quite ready to talk about it. It is disguised as a history textbook called "The Age of Exploration," and the brown paper removable cover will contain emergency resources for youth who pick up and leave.

I continue to be in conversation with people who are guiding me on the written content, and there is much to further consider in that area. And I have a focus group in a Gay Straight Alliance at a local Brooklyn High School!

New Options

2010-02-28T11:11:00.000-08:00

I loved this picture yesterday afternoon, hated it in the evening, thought it was boring this morning, but once again excited this afternoon. This is a spread for my book project that is either 20% or 93% done.

One of the challanges for making a book is leaving enough breathing room for the text and setting an engaging pace with the images. This page would be near the front of the book, and I'm thinking that using limited color as a signifier for a growing sense of self would be an interesting component that could address both these challenges.

From the interviews I've done over the past month, a common theme has been the intense intellectual and emotional inquiry into self worth that queer youth begin at age 7 and that eventually kicks into high gear at around 12-14. This is when some youth set out on their own, and put themselves/find themselves in extremely vulnerable situations. I am focusing my book project on this time period, and aiming its narrative content and resources at this demographic.

Christopher Street Pier

2010-02-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a spread that will likely make its way into the book I am working on.

Playing around with Digital Color and Layers

2010-02-14T12:32:00.000-08:00

This one needs some editing and fine tuning, but I thought it was in an interesting state. Photoshop is becoming more and more intuitive, and I'm starting to be able to use the layers in a similar way to how I would use paint.

This image is a portrait of the Reverend Gene Robinson.

Posters for Borscht Film Festival

2010-02-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

These are the posters used to promote the film "Velvet" at the Borscht Film Festival.

The annual festival, http://www.borscht.info/home.html
shows and produces films by young Miami filmmakers. This is some of what the Miami Herald said about this year's event:

“Borscht Film Festival is Miami alt-culture summit”

“The Gusman stayed full to the gilded rafters…a theater full of chilled out, fabulously varied looking and mostly 20-something culture lovers and makers. Jupina soda was flowing and the mood was elated.”

“I've been watching culture in Miami for two decades now, and this felt like a critical mass that was new…. Miami's always bred talent - but it doesn't usually manage to keep it. Too hard to get produced, too hard to make the power brokers pay attention to anything new and young, too hard to find a new space when the few available resources are taken up by figures that have been ensconced for a long time. Maybe the Borscht Festival, and its like, can change that - not just for film, but for theater and performance and music.”

I was excited to contribute!

Experimenting with Color

2010-02-06T21:02:00.001-08:00

These are some color experiments for the book project described in the previous post. These would be possibilities for a scene on the Christopher Street Pier- one of the happier spreads.

New Sketches for Book Project

2010-02-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

I am starting a book project that chronicles a day in the life of a homeless gay youth in NYC. With the guidance from friends in the field, I have begun this journey by drawing on location in safe spaces and areas of conflict for this vulnerable population. I am also playing around with creating composite portraits from photo sources.

The initial goal of this project is to document the conditions and situations that greet these young people when they leave their home situation, highlight their strength, and promote resources (lgbtq-friendly shelters, drop in centers, etc...). The book will be in a show at the School of Visual Arts next September, so I have time to really dig in. I will be building on the artistic vocabulary I have been developing with the elephant series to compose the images. There is MUCH to consider and learn!

These are some initial character and location studies.

The Grumpy Senator

2010-01-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

Over winter break, I made images to accompany several published newspaper/magazine editorial articles. I found it a good way to practice generating this type of work and to incorporate some of the techniques I have been experimenting with during my first semester.

This image is a response to an article about John McCain's sour, childish attitude upon returning to the Senate following the campaign, and the uncertainty surrounding his ultimate legacy.

Heart is a Lonely Hunter

2010-01-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

Here is an illustration of the NYC Theatre Workshop production of "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter," which is based on the novel by Carson McCullers.

A Very Special Holiday Greeting

2009-12-23T15:48:00.000-08:00

Here's hoping you have a safe and joyous holiday season.

Cheers
Q.E. II, Mrs. O, & Mr. R

Greenwich Village on location drawings

2009-12-19T14:01:00.000-08:00

These are from a series of drawings I made for my drawing on location course. They are from a retirement home, the LGBT Community Center, and several bars in the area.

Sport

2009-12-10T07:54:00.000-08:00

This is the lynching of Sport, in the Bolton Hill rail yards in Baltimore Maryland, 1898

Elephant Mailer

2009-12-10T07:47:00.000-08:00

This is the inside a trifold spread I am working on to send to magazine, book, and newspaper art directors. It has three revised elephant illustrations and newspaper clippings that reported on their executions. I am going to spend a little more time on the typography, but then it should be ready to send out.

Tuffi

2009-12-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

Here's Tuffi the elephant, who was put on a monorail as a promotional stunt and proceeded to trample fellow riders and escape by breaking through the doors and diving into a river.

Experimenting with Illustrator and Animation

2009-11-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

Nearing the end of my first semester, and one of the things I am most pleased about is how computer programs are weaving their way into my practice. The top image is a frame from a simple animation I am working on. The middle image is a scan of the components of the bus for the animation. The bottom image is a piece I am working on in Adobe Illustrator about school violence / security.

Op Ed

2009-11-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

This is an assignment from my Critique class. We were given an Op-Ed article that ran recently in the New York Times and asked to come up with an alternate illustration to the one that was used in print. The piece was called "Teach Your Teachers Well" and commented on how education programs in colleges are failing to lure and train strong teaching candidates, and how the primary school system is failing as a result.

The class photo on top was my final version.

Gleason's Gym Sketches

2009-11-12T19:04:00.000-08:00

These are ink sketches done from life at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn. It is the oldest boxing gym in the country. Cassius Clay, Mike Tyson, and numerous other champions trained here.

More Buying Lenin

2009-11-12T18:58:00.000-08:00

Here are two more in-progress spreads from the illustrated book project I am working on. The first image is an overview of the village compound and the second image is of the pig farm within.

Burlesque

2009-11-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

Here are the legendary burlesque dancers Dirty Martini and Bunny Love getting ready for their performances. These are marker and ink sketches I made in a drawing on location course.

Self Portrait

2009-11-06T20:34:00.001-08:00

This is an image I made for my critique class. We had to tell a story about ourselves and present an image to compliment the story. My story was about the role driving played in my education during high school.

March for Equality

2009-11-06T20:21:00.000-08:00

Here is a sketch I made at the March for Equality on October 11th, 2009 in Washington, D.C.

I have been using a Pentel brush pen for doing a lot of on-location drawings, and I am pleased with how the work is coming out. The pen holds these little replaceable ink cartridges and paints just like a brush. Don't need any water, so it works great at big events like the March for Equality. This was a quick sketch that I made while watching the speeches following the march on the steps of the Capitol, and I think it came together quite nicely (especially considering how hungry and dehydrated we all were by this point in the march).

More Drawing on Location

2009-11-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some drawings I made at the New York Botanical Gardens, the Natural History Museum, the Chelsea Market and Highline for my Drawing on Location class.

Buying Lenin

2009-11-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

In my bookmaking seminar course, we spend a semester creating a book project based on themes in a written text. The text our class was asked to respond to is "Buying Lenin," a short story written by Miroslav Penkov. In the story there is a character who is in the process of returning his Bulgarian village to a communist block system at the time of his death. His last effort was working with his grandson to buy Lenin's corpse when it turned up on E-Bay.

My project is an architect's sketchbook for the grandfather's Soviet paradise. It also contains written instructions for the grandson so that he can make his grandfather's elaborate designs a reality. Like the story itself, my book mixes nonfictional and fictional settings and events to create an absurd, complicated environment designed to transport inhabitants back to a "simpler" past.

This is one of the spreads I am working on at the moment. It's a combination bunker for the town and a mausoleum for Lenin. It will enable the continuity of life and Soviet ideals in the event of a nuclear war. The composition and the location of Lenin's body is inspired by Diego Rivera's "Man at the Crossroads" mural. The image of the mural is under my design sketch.

Stay tuned for an updated image and more spreads.

Borscht Film Festival

2009-11-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

Some of my good friends in Miami run an annual event called the Borscht Film Festival. I am contributing by making a poster image for a film the festival produced, called "Velvet." Here are the thumbnails.

Check out the Borscht Film Festival here:

Chief

2009-11-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

This is a three panel story I am working on for my elephant execution series. The elephant's name is Chief, and he was strangled with a chain that was tied around his neck, then attached to two fellow elephant, who were then lured in opposite directions by trainers (tightening the chain around Chief's neck).

I am pleased with the images (particularly the middle one), but they aren't communicating the story. So, it's back to the drawing board with this one.

Mary

2009-11-06T17:33:00.000-08:00

This is the execution of Mary, an elephant in a traveling circus who was hung in front of a crowd estimated at 2,500 in Erwin, Tennessee in 1916. She had killed a trainer who poked her behind her ear on the way to a watering hole. Sensational news stories and rapidly spreading legends of her violent nature prompted the circus to stage a public execution to solve the potentially disastrous PR situation.