"Vertical Hold" created for, and filmed by the Illustration Academy for the Visual Literacy Program. You can follow the entire project from ideation to the final steps through the Visual Literacy Program on the Illustration Academy website. I have wanted to create this image dealing with the heights and depths of exploration for quite some time. Finding a visual connection between the suit of a deep sea diver, and an astronaut, and the dark abyss in which both operate, I wanted to draw a deeper connection between the two. Using the edges of the painting surface much like the frame of an old television set, I wanted to show the diver diving so deeply, and the astronaut exploring to such heights, that they roll into each other, much like the image of an old black and white television that is having trouble with it's vertical hold. I tried to further enhance this idea using color- the warmth of the sun showing from underneath the diver, and the cool blues of the deep ocean on the bottom of the astronaut. Finally, I wanted to draw a connection between the tethering air line of the explorers, and the bubbles/stars.

Major News from the Illustration Academy:

The highly regarded faculty of the Illustration Academy has just introduced a new website, and a new major new component- the Visual Literacy Program. The new program offers incredible insight into the working studios of many of the best practitioners in the world. I am extremely honored to be a affiliated with this group, and I feel that the steps that we are taking with the program will redefine the ideas of community and accessibility to anyone interested in the art of picture making.

For those of you who have attended the Illustration Academy summer program, this addition promises to be an extension of your education, through videos, podcasts, blogs, competitions, forums, and an extended curriculum, all from the point of view of the Illustration Academy faculty.

For those of you who have not been affiliated with the Illustration Academy, I encourage you to take a look around, and invite you to participate in this amazing program that has affected so many lives in such a profound way (including mine.)

Enrollment to receive monthly updates of podcasts is free.

www.illustrationacademy.com