Warren Craghead’s New Site
From Warren:
“I've updated and moved around my website - it's now at www.craghead.com. The old wcraghead.com will still host my blog and will point to the new site. I've added a couple new things: links, bio, press, plus more sample pages of books and a new blog of my postcard drawings postcards AHOY.

One brand new thing is a new book Lisboa, Lisbon which is based on my trip to Portugal last fall. Lisboa, Lisbon is available for reading on the new site or as a free PDF download that you can fold up, staple and play with. I'm releasing it with a Creative Commons license which means you can copy it to your friends, send it to anyone and even remix it as long as I get some credit and you don't sell it.”

Warren is a great guy and I really love his work. Peaceful, contemplative lines converge on the page in a way that immediately relaxes you. Be sure to check out his postcard blog as well.

The Only Child by Warren Craghead, story by Erin Pringle

Warren Craghead’s illustration of Erin Pringle’s “The Only Child,” appearing in Barrelhouse, is nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Warren sent the SIZE MATTERS office a copy of the 20-page story, so lucky readers get to see something cool instead of that damn picture of Kate and I gearing up for the Super Bowl.

Warren Craghead created the lovely and amazing mini-comics Jefferson Forest, Thickets, and Jefferson Estates. (Each link, has a couple sample pages courtesy of USS Catastrophe.) I’ve always enjoyed Warren’s work for its restraint. He consistently blindsides you with the quiet nature of his faltering, often disappearing, line.

The work here is different. It’s more substantial, less fleeting. The lines are more solid, the structure of things doesn’t fritter away like it does in much of Warren’s mini-comics work. But “The Only Child” still has that unmistakable charm of the minis.
The children in “The Only Child” accompany their father to his office, only his office is anything but typical. It has drawers and filing cabinets, but they’re not filled with paper.

Grab your own copy of Barrelhouse to get the full story. It’s definitely worth any cover price to see 20 pages of Warren’s work. You can also check out his blog, Drawer for more of his work.

I’ll leave you with this little doodle from the back of the accompanying note: This perfectly captures what I like about Warren's work.

HELLO CUL-DE-SAC! Exhibit by Warren Craghead

Not sure how many readers have checked out
Warren Craghead’s mini-comics, but if you haven’t, you should. And if you live near Richmond, VA, you could check out his exhibit opening this Friday (Feb. 24) at the ADA Gallery. The show will be up until March 18th.

In the above piece two things stand out to me: the drawing of a bass and guitar at the top and the pole with the electrical transformer towards the bottom.

The bass and guitar resting on their stands drawing is reminiscent of what I find so intriguing about Warren’s work. Objects are front and center with little or no thought given to their surroundings. The loose line gives his subjects a fluidity and energy not often associated with inanimate objects. Notice the cord leading from the bass as it snakes across the bare ground. Then you notice the Philip Guston-esque head on the ground, outlined in pink marker. It has no business with the subject, but it belongs just the same.

The wooden pole with the transformer on it is another one of those Craghead drawings that makes me want to pick up a pencil and sketch everything in sight. I especially love the little lines that radiate from the transformer, just in case you didn’t know what it was.

Three Things
Yeah, I know this is a mini-comics blog, but occasionally I’ll post things that maybe aren’t strictly mini-comics, but mini-comics related and also things that I think others may be interested in. I have three such things to tell you about today.

Thing the first
Via his blog Drawer, I’ve been watching Warren Craghead’s installation take place from day to day. Right now he’s at “T minus 28 days,” and it’s interesting to observe this wall of sketches and collages grow. He began with this post:

”I'm starting a new series here on DRAWER - a countdown to the opening of my first-ever solo show. I'll check in periodically and post about what I'm doing to get the show together and up and hopefully document how fun and frightening it'll be. The show opens November 4, 57 days from now (thus the post title) at Second Street Gallery here in Charlottesville.”

So, fifteen posts later, he’s at “T minus 28 days” and writes:

”Last night I worked on some larger pencils in prep for ordering frames on Monday (that slipped a week). This AM got some more small things made. I also have the design for the first weekly street poster - I'll post it as a PDF next week after I slap it up all over town.

Tonight - openings if Violet is doing well, then more drawing after wife and kid go to sleep. So far the theme music for working on the show late night is all Arcade Fire, Archers of Loaf and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.”

Warren has done several mini-comics, including Jefferson Forest, Jefferson Estates, Thickets, Other People’s Schemes, and an illustrated book with Roger Noyes titled The Problem With Chemistry.

Thing the second
Little Cakes used to be a great source of mini-comics and art in NYC’s East Village. Hanna’s second floor apartment doubled as an art gallery and mini-comic distribution facility, and it was right across the street from the best vegetarian comfort food joint ever, Kate’s Joint. Well, Hanna’s been busy hoping jets back and forth to Tokyo, but she provided some links to a show that I think looks like a lot of fun.

“Delicate Kinship” in Hanna’s words is: “a group show of small sculptures paired with plants. Some artists used the pots and plants as landscapes. Others made protectors or buddies for the plants to hang out with.”

Come on, that sounds cool as hell. Makes me want to run out and get some plants myself.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the show and sketches of the ideas for some of the pieces.

Thing the third
Dan Nadel, from PictureBox/Ganzfeld, has sent out a press release for The Ganzfeld 4, Paper Rad, B.J. and da Dogs, and the awesome tabloid zines from SPX by Matthew Thurber, Frank Santoro, Paper Rad/C.F. and Marc Bell & Peter Thompson.

From Dan:
”We are celebrating these projects with a whole mess of fun events:

--First up: This Saturday, October 15, Paper Rad will be signing copies of their book at Printed Matter (535 W. 22nd St. NYC) from 5 to 7 pm. The signing will be immediately followed by a night of performances at EAI two floors up (535 W. 22nd St., 5th floor, NYC) from 7 to 10 pm. Paper Rad will be performing music, showing videos, dancing, and manning the wheels of steel. Free admittance and Free Red Stripe beer all night long. Don't miss this exuberant extravaganza!

--In the future: November will bring some Ganzfeld events, including a signing at Giant Robot NYC with Julie Doucet, Gary Panter, David Sandlin, and Paper Rad on November 5. Details to come shortly.

--And finally, Paper Rad will be embarking on a book 'n' rock tour starting right after their NYC shindig, including Quimby's in Chicago on 10/22 and the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh on 10/30. Check www.theganzfeld.com for more dates and info.

I’m going to the Quimby’s thing. I picked up the tabloid thingy at SPX, but didn’t get the PaperRad/Ben Jones book. Oh and just to wake your eyes up, take a gander at the Paper Rad website. Who needs coffee, when you can look at that?