Welcome to Matteson!: Final Poster

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For the final version of the Welcome to Matteson! poster, I changed some costumes and changed a hairstyle. It was decided that a plaid shirt would hint at a a lower middle-class status. More importantly I added a suburban home covered in snow in the background. Matteson is a suburb about an hour dive south of Chicago. So this was a better hint at what that quiet neighborhood might look like. The circular arch I had placed in the previous version of the poster was moved up and became a glass dome of a snow globe which was cracking. The cracks indicate that there is some drama or underlying tension in the scene.

Welcome to Matteson! is a dark comedy play by Inda Craig-Galván that explores classism, race, and reverse gentrification when a wealthy Black couple in suburban Illinois hosts a dinner for new neighbors forcibly relocated from Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing project. The tension-filled, witty play explores racial, socio-economic conflicts.

I sketched the production at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater and had a great time. The couple moving into the neighborhood was witty and playful which had me rooting for them right from the start. The husband of the household had roots to the city streets of Chicago so the two men got along great. The hostess however felt that her property value had dropped once people from the projects were moved into her neighborhood. She played the part of the hostess but was really resentful of her guests. The drama unfolded playfully and then it seemed that the couples were trapped together in this awkward social situation when the hostess could no longer hide her bias.

Welcome to Matteson! ran at the Orlando Shakes through March 29, 2025.

Welcome to Matteson: First Pass

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Welcome to Matteson by Inda Craig-Gavlán, featured two couples having dinner. One couple needed to look high healed and the other needed to look lower middle class. This was a challenge which would rely on clothing to set them apart. In this first pass at painting the poster I relied on warm colors for the wealthy couple and yellows for the less wealthy couple. Having everyone toasting seemed to be the most natural gesture to get them all to interact.

Matteston is a suburb of Chicago Illinois. The less wealthy couple had just moved to Matteson from the Cabrini-Green public housing projects in Chicago. Cabrini-Green had a reputation for being overrun with gangs and crime. Cabrini Green was being torn down and residents were relocated. This couple was relocated to Matteson. They were excited to move to this quiet suburb, but they missed the sense of community they had found in Cabrini.

The buildings I put in the sketch were from a typical Chicago neighborhood. I had just screened my film COVID Dystopia in Chicago and fell in love with the old brownstone neighborhoods. The trouble was that Cabrini-Green looks nothing like this. The housing complex is more like the rows of housing developments that went up in the big cities after World War II. They are not very picturesque. The idea of replacing the brownstones with a suburban home made the most sense, yet most suburban homes are rather bland. Maybe I could just paint a dining room, but again I wanted something that was not so ordinary.

Snow fills the night sky. I then put in a circular yellow arch behind the buildings. This was meant to reference a snow globe and it helped silhouette the upper spires against the night sky. It was just a way to add a spark of more color. The buildings would have to go and that circular arch would morph into a much larger feature in the next pass at the poster.

Welcome to Matteson ran at the Orlando Shakes through March 29, 2025.

Chicago Spider

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The view from the hotel room was of one of Chicago‘s many draw bridges. If you are sketching then it is imperative tat you draw a drawbridge.

What drew my attention far more however was a large spider dangling just outside the glass. He or she was busy starting to spin a web.

I have been to Chicago twice. Once was for a vacation and culture and the other was to screen my film COVID Dystopia at the Chicago Reels International Film Festival where my film won an award for the best animated film at the festival. Chicago has always felt welcoming to me. Right now I am searching for a place to settle and call home. Perhaps Chicago deserves serious consideration.

The Bean

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No trip to Chicago is complete without seeing The Bean or Cloud Gate.

Cloud Gate is a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, that is the centerpiece of Grainger Plaza at Millennium Park in the Loop Community area of Chicago. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed “The Bean” because of its shape, a name Kapoor later grew fond of.

The Bean’s reflective surface was inspired by liquid mercury. The surface reflects the surrounding architecture and makes the crowds gathering at its base look like ants. The sculpture is a selfie magnet and pigeons have taken a liking to roosting on top of the sculpture. Their droppings are only mildly invasive as are the droppings of the tourists and art lovers. No pencil was left behind in the making of this sketch.

Chicago Chamber Concert 2

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This is a rare case where I decided to get a second sketch after moving closer to the performers. The venue was packed, so I must have made a conscious decision to not include the backs of audience members heads.

It was a real breath of fresh air being in Chicago. I had not really connected yer with the Orlando Arts scene and was quite frankly starved for culture. My search for culture is what drives many of my sketches.

This week I have started to discover Central Florida’s Film making community and I have felt an absolute rush at the possibilities of sketching on a live set. Life rushes by at a breakneck pace but the pace on a set is glacial with take after retake. It is well suited for sketching. Of course watching the film making process leaves me thinking I should perhaps start another film. When the moment strikes, I will know.

Since my move to Yalaha, Florida, I have been swamped with illustration and teaching work. I haven’t had a whole like of time to get out with my sketchbook and discover what Yalaha has to offer inn terms of sketching opportunities.

Chicago Chamber Concert

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While in Chicago I went to a free Chamber Music Recital. I wish I could remember the name of this gorgeous venue. If anyone is from Chicago and recognizes the place please let me know.

I rather enjoy painting these looks back in time. The sketches are solid and I just find paintings I like online that seem to be in line with the look I am seeking. Because I am making up the colors, I am not getting bogged down as much in random color choices like, what color was that guys shirt. The choices made are bolder and far reaching. Since I am working digital, the colors are more vibrant that if I had completed the sketch using watercolor. The looks are very different but the techniques are still the same.

That reminds me, my fountain pen has stopped working. It has become impossible to fill with ink. I worked on it this morning, soaking it in the kitchen sink. I discovered the barrel of the ink cartridge has ruptured. I discovered this bu getting my hands completely soaked in black ink. My patch work solution so far was to use black electrical tape to wrap around the rupture. I know that is a temporary solution so I also ordered a new fountain pen and brush pen online. Amazon thinks I am a criminal and will not let me order until I submit multiple bank documents. So, instead I ordered direct from a Saint Louis art store. Why Saint Louis, well they just happened to have the pen I wanted.

A Corot

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A trip to Chicago isn’t complete without going to the Art Institute of Chicago. I did quite a few sketches of sculptures and paintings that I loved. Each sketch built up my muscle memory and helped me celebrate the long history of art.

With each painting I would stand as close as possible to study the brush strokes. I was asked to stand back several times by security guards who live for being sure artists don’t get too close to art.

Of course with the environmentalists trowing paint on the paintings these days I understand the importance of allowing some social distancing when experiencing art. This Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot painting titled, Reading Interrupted, wasn’t even behind bullet proof glass like the privileged Mona Lisa.

Chicago: Architecture Boat Tour

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The Chicago River runs west from Lake Michigan right through the heart of Chicago and then splits north and south. Boat tours leave from the River Walk and allow great views of the cities architecture.

Plastic lawn chairs were set up on the deck for passengers to relax and enjoy the view. There are plenty of bridges that cross the river to keep traffic flowing in the city.

This is definitely a worthwhile experience if you find yourself in Chicago.

Chicago: Checks Cashed

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This is a view from a hotel window looking down on the streets of Chicago. This was a good trip with plenty of time spent exploring the Chicago Institute of the Arts. I did plenty of quick sketch studies of paintings and sculptures but I will not share those here.

Flashy Jaguar car ads and plenty of flesh always spruce up any old city facade.

The Checks Cashed sign is on a much squatter building. This was an escape from Florida so it felt great to walk the street of a bustling city again and explore public transportation.

To quickly add paint to the sketch, I looked at an Edward Hopper painting and used it for the color theme. All the muted colors tie in well together.

Orlando International Airport Delayed Flight

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My flight to Chicago was delayed which brought me some time to sketch. This was a get away trip, long before COVID Dystopia won an award as the Best Short Animated Film at the Chicago International Reel Shorts Film Festival. This trip was strictly for sight seeing and hitting the museums and culture.

The sketch was done before I started my daily sketching routine. Lines are in pencil and more carefree. Right now I am searching for a pen that is responsive as I need. The pen I am using now might decide to stop putting down a line mid stroke which results in my staring down at the page in anticipation of the next fail rather than looking at the subject. The pen I am using now also tends to always run out as I am working on a sketch. It never fully reloads when I attempt to refill it each morning.

I am looking at old unpublished sketchbooks and playing with color since I am locked down teaching each afternoon and evening. It is kind of nice just making up the colors and values. The more of these I do the better I will get at coming up with my own color schemes on the fly.