Even if you're not a sports fan, it's hard to not get caught up in Olympic fever, or at least it's hard to avoid seeing Olympic coverage. I enjoy watching some sports more than others, but my creative side has enjoyed this year's Olympics for another reason, the excellent visual design. The Olympic committee and many of the sponsor companies and broadcast companies of the world have adapted the Olympic emblem into their own design elements. It is great to know so many graphic artists were active in creatively incorporating the spirit of the Olympics. The most obvious design element, is the Olympic rings emblem with its symbolic forms and color. It doesn't take an interpretation to see that the circles represent unity and the colors are representation of all the participating countries' flags. But this year in particular, NBC's London Olympic logo is a favorite logo of mine. This shield pulls your eye from top to bottom. Even with the heavier graphics and col...

While the heat has been unbearable to some, I've been enjoying getting outside for art breaks. There have been so many collage ideas and photo and drawing opportunities.  Brushing up on hand skills, after so many years focused on computer related design, continues to be refreshing. I'll have plenty of material to inspire and work with when we're all stuck back inside. Here's one of my recent drawing breaks, Cleveland's Fountain of Eternal Life on the Mall. It's a nice refreshing spot in the summer.

Spring became Summer too quick. With the weather being so nice this year, there's been little time for being on the computer. BUT, it's a good time for drawing and photos. Here's a familiar sight in Cleveland.

The downside of caring deeply about something is that there are no guarantees it will last. It could be a month, or it could be thirty-seven years. It doesn’t matter how long, when it’s gone all the positive feelings you felt will spill down around you in a crippling darkness that only hope and faith can remove. We’ve all been in the dumps over something so deeply that it’s stifling and all we feel is surrounded by our own negative thoughts. The key to growing out of that darkness and feeling warmth again is staying focused on positive things, reaching for lighter and brighter thoughts. It’s easier said than done, and sometimes we reach the bottom, before we can even see the light. Our heart, our spirit feels bound up. It’s complicated, but working off of those negative thoughts, we can dig ourselves out of the deepest depths and feel free and warm again. My thoughts go out to anyone that’s reached that heart crippling and stifling bottom. I hope you can take all the negative thoughts ...

Today in the United States we recognized Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is unquestionably one of the greatest individuals from our nation. He took a stand not only for what was right and just, but stood by his beliefs. As the pastor in my church touched upon this weekend, Dr. King was a man in his twenties when he started on his publicized path for equality. Surely there were men, other pastors with more experience in life, that could have taken a stand. But Dr. King's calling, what was in his heart perhaps from his relationship with God, was to be a leader in our nation promoting equality for all mankind. Many artists to this day create art based on exposing inequality. I'm sure many of them, even in nations beyond ours, have Dr. King to thank for his inspiration and outspokenness towards social inequality. Dr. King's own words from his " I Have a Dream Speech " touch on his choice to creatively solve the issues we faced. "We must forever conduct our struggle...

"Everywhere I look a highlight in my view. I always seem to see the number 22." For this week's Illustration Friday's topic, "Highlight" I chose to represent something that seems to be highlighted in my vision. It's true, the number 22 seems to be highlighted wherever I look. I don't know what to make of this phenomena, but it helped to expand my collage projects. *Art Work: Highlight 22 by Janet Pahlau