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Hello and welcome to zenpop.com

Scroll down for all the latest happenings...

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Things are happening fast around here...
I just finished this poster (limited-edition of 50)
for the mind-blowing Portland band
Menomena. They put on a hell of a show at
The Independent in San Francisco.
I still have some posters left. If you're interested, just e-mail me.

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I'm extremely proud to announce the new cd EP
from Built For The Sea is now out.
I did the artwork (cover, back, etc.) and I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity.
Built For The Sea is a San Francisco band that is going places.
Check out their music here.
A lot of comparisons exist (Radiohead, Mazzy Star, early 10,000 Maniacs...)
but just do yourself a favor and give 'em a listen. They're excellent.

Here's the cover...

and here's the back...

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I just finished this limited-edition (of 100) silk-screen (three colors)
printed, wonderfully, by Monolith Printers in Emeryville.

They're signed and numbered.

It's for the Janet Jackson show in Sunrise, Florida in October.

I've got about 40 left. Drop me a line, if you're interested.

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I did this poster for one of my musical idols, Paul Weller (of the legendary
British mod band, The Jam). This was for his show at The Fillmore.
It was an amazing set. Filled with songs from his past and present.
("Eton Rifles!" and "Butterfly Collector!")
The crowd, which usually splits early, hung
around for the final note. This poster was based on the title of his latest
album, "22 Dreams" and a scene from a Fellini movie.
I have some of these available for purchase. E-mail me if you're interested.

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This poster was done for the Earlimart show at
Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco.
Tough to see, but the paper is from 99 years ago
to the day of the concert date. It's the now defunct San Francisco Call,
which I tweaked the hell out of.
Limited-edition of 50.
I've still got a few left if you're interested.
(Earlimart's new album "Hymn And Her" is excellent!)

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...I'm did a poster for the Sasquatch Music Festival
at The Gorge in Washington.
I got a chance to hear The Whigs... They rock.

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Limited-edition (of 60) posters for the Tegan & Sara show in Berkeley...

I was also told to bring some artwork with me to the gig, so Sara could take a look through it...

I met Sara before the show and we chatted for about 15 minutes or so,
as she looked through some of my art prints... She ended up buying two pieces...
Tegan also bought two pieces... they were gracious and charming, so their stage persona
is just an extension of their actual personalities... (ie. just great) ...

Here's the poster...

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BREAKING NEWS

The New Yorker cover for the Sept. 11th Anniversary issue,
has won the ASME
(American Society of Magazine Editors)
2007 COVER OF THE YEAR
This cover was created by Owen Smith and myself.

You can see the info here

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

HERE'S THE STORY OF MY COVER IDEA FOR
THE NEW YORKER's SEPTEMBER 11th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE:

Here it is: (rendered beautifully by Owen Smith)

THE STORY: A while back, I sent a few ideas to The New Yorker,
(they've used some in the past)
and among them was this September 11th anniversary idea:

...that one didn't fly (although I still like it) so I worked on a few different angles...
I had recently read about Philippe Petit, the man who walked between the WTC towers
on a tightrope in August of 1974. I thought about how it would never be possible to duplicate
that feat. But thinking about the strength and determination of New Yorkers
on September 11th (and beyond) I thought,
"they could still do it.... and they wouldn't need a tightrope".
That lead me to this sketch:

The Art Director of The New Yorker, Françoise Mouly, called back
and said they liked the idea. They wanted to see what I could come up with...
I tried a few more ideas around the theme...

cleaned-up version of the above idea (without a body to reflect "everyone"
...Magritte influence, as well)... nope.

...
combined original idea with above idea... nope and nope...

...
thought about using the legs as the towers... or the city as the tightrope... nah.

Finally, I went with the looking down version... over the WTC site.

although I love this image, The New Yorker still thought it wasn't quite right
and it was passed over to the excellent Mr.Smith. And, knowing Owen (which I don't)
he promptly knocked it out of the park on his first try.

(I've since met him... he's a great guy...)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

From the ASME website:

From The New Yorker: For the five-year 9/11 anniversary cover,
John Mavroudis’ concept was to stay away from the surfeit of images that recall the horror
and remember the wonder of Philippe Petit’s 1974 tight-rope walk between the towers.
The result in Owen Smith’s painting is magical: the walker, in the absence of towers and rope,
remains suspended in the white space of a blank page.
The two-part cover (a first for The New Yorker) is a memorial to the spirit
of humanity and those who died there, and especially to the man who did
a perfect dive as he plunged to his death.

Advertising Age magazine also named it one of
the 10 Best Magazine Covers of the Year.

Here's what Advertising Age said:

"Even those who don't remember Philippe Petit's 1974 high-wire walk
between the towers of the World Trade Center feel this void. A second
cover, behind the first, filled in the white space with the
footprints of the towers. "Soaring Spirit," by John Mavroudis and
Owen Smith, tugged us upward without forgetting the fall."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Some more news and happenings....

My Eels Fillmore poster was chosen
to be represented in 3x3 magazine's
Illustration Annual No. 4 coming out in early 2008.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Here's a gig poster for
the Warfield show (San Francisco)
featuring a very cool band from
the Great White North...
The New Pornographers
(The band's manager let me do the poster,
but didn't allow me to sell it at the show...)
The New Yorker's Eustace Tilley
gets a sleazy makeover...
It's a limited-edition of 50...

Here's the poster for the Feist shows
at The Fillmore...

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Silk-screen poster for the amazing
Keren Ann... She played the Great American Music Hall in
San Francisco and put on a flat-out brilliant show...
Check her out if you can...
Here's the poster, which sold rather well...

This poster is in a limited-edition of 100.
I still have some remaining... e-mail me if you're interested.
And a special thank you to Keren Ann, who had some very kind
words about the poster and even stopped by after the show
long enough to sign cds and the prints that people purchased...

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Anyway... feel free to check out the rest of the stuff around here....
... just click on the icons on the left...

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CLICKING HERE.)

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