Chris Piascik

To mark the end of 2010 I’ve decided to do a little recap post showcasing my 10 favorite daily drawings of the year. December 2007 is when I started posting new drawings on my site five days a week—I can’t believe it’s been that long!

10. Just Dreams
This quote by Dr. Steve Brule made me laugh quite a bit. I think the color palette and pattern came together nicely.

9. Choices
Early in the year I started experimenting with colored pencils on black paper. I really love the way the colors pop.

8. All My Bikes: #21 MKE Bruiser Prototype
This is from a series of drawings I did documenting every bike I have ever owner. I recently made a book out of them. The series started off fairly loose but quickly developed into a system wherein I illustrated the bicycle and then framed it will words describing the bicycle and my memories.

7. Alphabet
I drew a few different alphabets this year. I like the simple black and white, unedited nature of this one.

6. Rush Limbaugh
During the catestrophic BP oil spill quite a few on the extreme right came out with some crazy statements. I drew a handful of these. I experimented with incorporating photos and textures into these illustrations and I am happy with the results.

5. In a Bubble
This drawing was improvised—though I can’t remember where the starting point was. Pieces like this are almost therapeutic to work on. I was especially pleased with the line quality on this one.

4. Today’s Drawing brought to you by the letter A
Another series I worked on this year was the Alphabet. I drew each of the letters with my own twist. The improvised and semi-grotesque pattern in this A is certainly one of my favorites.

3. Growing Up Means Giving Up
When I saw this quote I just had to draw it. The crazy colors and lettering in this drawing don’t feel like giving up to me!

2. I’ll Believe in Anything
This line is from my favorite Wolf Parade song. This drawing was one of the first in which I began to really experiment with patterns in my letterforms. This has since become a common aesthetic for me (it also went on to be a t-shirt design for Print Brigade).

1. Caffeine: Healthiest Substance on Earth
This wonderful quote came as a tweet by the great R. Stevens. Though this lettering treatment is fairly simple it’s still one of my favorites (this one also went on to become a Print Brigade t-shirt).

Honorable Mentions:
I did a few videos of selected dailies this year. My New Years resolution is to make this a more regular thing. Here are a few highlights from this past year.

Daily Drawing 05/06/2010 (with watercolor!) from Chris Piascik on Vimeo.

Daily Drawing 03-15-2010 from Chris Piascik on Vimeo.

I just found out that my friend Chad is having his first solo show. It will be at Rotofugi Gallery in Chicago, the opening reception is January 8th. Congrats man! Very exciting! Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it out there—but for those of you near Chicago—Go! Go! Go! Chad’s work is fantastic and I am really bummed I won’t be able to check it out in person. You can view more of his work on his site, Long Live Analog.

PRESS RELEASE:
Concoction – New artwork by Chad Kouri
Opening reception: January 8th at Rotofugi Gallery
1955 W. Chicago Ave. (Chicago and Damen)

For the past several years Chad Kouri has gained notoriety in Chicago and elsewhere for his largely collaborative style and tendency to bring people from various sectors of the art community together.

As a founding member of the Chicago art and design collaborative, The Post Family, Kouri has worked hard to spread the ideas and work of his peers through the family’s blog thepostfamily.com and use of the group’s gallery. Kouri is also the art director of Chicago-based arts magazine Proximity which has gained acclaim for its sleek and elegant design. As a major contributor to Chicago’s vast art scene, Kouri has finally taken the time to display his own fine art.

Concoction is Kouri’s first solo exhibition. The work, most of which is paper collage with found materials and assorted ephemera, explores the collage medium from a distinctly knowledgeable design perspective. The result is a sampling of artwork that will no doubt establish Kouri in a fine-art medium to accompany his presence in the design and curatorial fields.

Concoction runs from January 8th through January 24th at Rotofugi Gallery, 1955 W. Chicago Ave. Rotofugi Gallery hours are Saturday afternoon from 12noon until 4pm or by appointment Monday through Saturday from 12noon to 8pm or Sunday 12noon to 5.

Hello! Please excuse this mess! I am in the process of updating my website.

In the meantime, my blog is still active here: chrispiascik.com/news

My Flickr page is also full of work.