my paintings?

A gallery in which I am having a show next year, asked me to send an image for marketing upcoming 2010 shows.  As I looked through my image files I found three small 3x5 inch paintings I did back in 2004. They are nothing spectacular by any means, but when I opened the files something strange occurred, I had no recollection of these pieces anywhere in my memory.  It wasn’t until I looked at them for a while the memory of framing the little guy on the cliff with a thermos of hot cocoa came back, the other two . . . nothing.  I also remembered they were for a winter solstice themed group show. 

I’ve never experienced this before.  When I see my paintings I remember not only the creation of the piece but where they were painted, events around me, even what music I listened to when painting them, this is something completely and utterly strange.  I guess once you create so many things this is bound to happen, yet . . . when it does it is very odd.

To ensure I don’t forget them again, here are the three mystery paintings.

50th anniversary

Earlier this year my parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary. At the time I was unable to do much because of my work load, but I started to prod and pry them for info without their knowing, about where they would go if they could celebrate somewhere. After several attempts at this prodding and prying thing . . . I finally got a destination out of the two of them, Disneyland. I thought the request funny at first, but it was their trip and they had not been there in decades.

Fast-forward to September. I asked my parents in a phone conversation what they were doing during a certain week in October, they said nothing and I sprung the all expense paid trip to Disneyland on them for their belated 50th Anniversary gift. They sounded like two little kids on the phone they were so excited. I was happy I could do this for them. They had one request, they wanted me to go with them.

The trip was a lot of fun and so much happened it would take forever for me to write it all down here. Throughout the whole trip I planned special events in honor of their 50th Anniversary, all of which were a surprise to them and they were so thankful and grateful it made the whole trip magical. So, without boring you to much, here are some photos from my parents 50th Anniversary adventure at Disneyland.

Dad and Mom in the shuttle on the way to our hotel. They were so excited about this trip.

The lobby of our hotel, The Grand Californian.

The giant fireplace in the lobby of The Grand Californian. Notice the size of the chairs in the hearth. You can go inside and sit by the roaring fire in Arts and Crafts style chairs and rockers.

This was one surprise for Mom and Dad. They thought we were sharing a room, but I got them their own. I had their room decorated for them in honor of their 50th Anniversary. There were rose petals on the bed, white chocolate roses all around the room, a basket of romantic spa goodies, candles and many other things for them to find hidden through out the room.

I also had robes embroidered with their names for them to take home as a memento of their 50th Anniversary celebration.

Dad and Mom on the balcony of their room at The Grand Californian.

Dad, Mom and I in front of Grizzly Rapids.

Both Mom and Dad shocked me when they decided to join me for a ride on California Scream'n. The big roller coaster which goes upside down. I was like a worried parent with them. "Are you sure you want to do this? It goes upside down you know." They both loved it, can't you tell?

Mom totally surprised me again by riding The Tower of Terror with me, not once, but twice. I'm sad to report Dad took the chicken exit. He did, however do an excellent job of holding our coats while we screamed and laughed on the ride.

My good friend Kim Irvine surprised both me and my parents by giving us a private tour of The Disney Dream Suite. Thank you Kim, it was amazing.

Mom, myself and Dad in the Disney Dream Suite.

Dad was like a little kid on the Roger Rabbit ride. He spun himself around so much I was sure he was going to puke. For the record, he didn't.

We survived several rides on Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy.

A tradition for me every visit to Disneyland is to stop at the Penny Arcade and visit Esmeralda, the fortune teller. Whom ever I am with must participate, hey, it's a tradition. Here I am getting my fortune . . .

. . . now Mom . . .

. . . and finally it's Dad's turn.

Striking a pose at the Day of the Dead display in Frontierland park.
(see the cute boney couple posing behind them too?)

Taking a spin on the Monorail.

Some tasty wine for a 50th Anniversary toast and special dessert at Napa Rose.

Dad and Mom enjoying a ride on Winnie the Pooh.

With this photo I stop, not only because I think it's a really sweet photo, but I fear this is a bit like forcing people to come over and view your slides once you've returned from vacation.

I am very thankful and grateful I was able to give my parents this outing for their 50th Anniversary. It was all for love. Having this opportunity and spending so much time with them for their 50th Anniversary showed me more of their true spirits than I had ever seen and made me proud to call them my Mom and Dad.

Happy 50th Anniversary Mom and Dad. I love you both and thank you for asking me to join you on your special 50th Anniversary trip.

"genius'

Elizabeth Taylor said, "this film cements Michael's genius.” I could not agree more.

I saw Michael Jackson’s This Is It at the Digital IMAX and all I can say is it was beyond anything I expected to see. I was surprised it was so good. So good, it left me speechless and honestly, in tears. If you are a Michael Jackson fan you will love this movie. If you were a Michael Jackson fan at any point in your life you will love this movie and become a fan again. If you are not a Michael Jackson fan, this movie will make you one. Anyone who is a creative will see This Is It and be amazed by the vision Michael had to see every minute detail in his mind of the concert he was creating.


This movie left me in awe and sad knowing this side of Michael Jackson was never focused on while living, taking his death to bring it to light. Being an artist myself, I can totally understand how much pain that brought him. An artist trying to create their best work and everyone focusing on everything but the art they've created. It's the classic artist storyline, where it takes the death of the artist for people to realize what a talent they have lost.

If you have not seen this movie, no matter who you are, you should see it on the big screen and not wait for the DVD/BlueRay. It is a stunning example of creative genius at work, as well as the true side of a person the media chose to portray as a monster.

this is it, 100 & secret passion all in one

Yes, Michael Jackson is one of my secret passions and it seems appropriate to use my 100th post to say something about Michael Jackson’s This Is It, given this fact.

It should come as no surprise I’ve already purchased tickets to see This Is It, the ultimate sign of a card carrying nerd of any secret society. Actually I’ve had them for about a month now which might make me the nerd president in some form and I am being accompanied by my partner Corey and cousin Kimbra, which means I've got potential converts. I am seeing the film in IMAX and with Michael’s amazing music being presented through the 14,000-watt IMAX digital surround sound system and having been digitally re-mastered into IMAX Digital Projection, I couldn’t imagine seeing This Is It for the first time in any other format. I only wish my good friend Julian was going to see it with me too.

I am excited to see the film and will do so next week. The excitement is accompanied by a large amount of sadness in the reality Michael's creativity is no longer here to inspire with new creations. I guess This Is It is fitting given that reality, a chance to see his creative process, a chance to see what his tour would have been like, and a chance for me to put a bit of closure to the loss of someone in who's creativity I could find so much inspiration.

Perplexing to some, the depth in which a persons creativity can touch another and inspire them. Especially if someone has never experienced that type of connection themselves. The perfect case in point being someone asked me if this has affected me the way Elvis's passing did to millions of women around the world. I actually laughed . . . NO, it is not the same. My sadness comes from the loss of another creative who provided me inspiration, not from the loss of a heart throb. It is a loss of a creative connection, a void, a strange vacancy which cannot be explained or understood, it just is.

pumpkin patch 2009

On Tuesday, October 20, Corey and I did our annual visit to the Pumpkin Patch. We had a grand ol’ time at the Pumpkin Patch and what a beautiful day to go. It had been raining for a couple of days, so we didn’t take the dogs as we anticipated the farm being muddy, but upon our arrival there was not much mud to be found.

As always the colors for fall were amazing and this year they had some beautiful flowers which looked fake they were so vibrant with color.

We did the usual Pumpkin Patch activities and a couple new ones. We trampled through the giant corn maze, got lost and then found ourselves back at the entrance, only to find the exit shortly there after. We road the tractor pulled Cow Train. Yes you read that right, a Cow Train. It’s a train of cows made out of white barrels with groovy 50-60’s original pressed fiberglass seats placed inside them as seating. (Yes, my mid-century freak side wanted to take some of the seats home, but that was not an option.) When we saw the Cow Train the first time it was filled with people careening through the fields of the farm. When we rode, it was only Corey and I zipping around the farm stuffed in cows. We were the only passengers on the Cow Train, which made me laugh almost the entire ride.

This year the pumpkins harvest was not so bountiful and as a result not as many to choose from. Very few white one and no green ones at all. But, I did get a good collection of five and Corey picked out six for our walkway. I’m not sure Corey is going to carve his, but mine have a date with my super duper pumpkin carving kit to become Jack-O-Lanterns in the near future. This year I promise I’ll post some photo’s of the finished pumpkin family.

Corey and an admiring cow on the Cow Train

Yes, I'm that excited to be in and empty barrel with a cow's head on it.

Corey in front of a huge truck load of fresh cabbage.

Pumpkin Patch version of Mickey Mouse ears.

Entrance to the corn maze.

Corey on the corn maze victory bridge.


I've died and gone to pumpkin heaven.

Our cart-o-pumpkins.

Trapped and heading for the car.

Amazing color.

More amazing color.

Still more amazing color.

pumpkin season

and now . . .

You all know who you are . . . enough said.

another skelly sighting

There's been another Skelly sighting. Thanks to the sharp eyes of another secret spy, Skelly was sighted in Glendale, California. Thank you secret spy.

Baby GAP
Glendale Galleria
Glendale, California

skelly sightings

A couple secret spies spotted Skelly books in two interesting locations. one saw 'Skelly & Femur' at Pottery Barn Kids located in Farmers Market, Los Angeles; the second secret spy had a sighting and took an undercover shot of 'Skelly the Skeleton Girl' in GAP Kids on Chestnut Street in San Francisco.

So begins a page dedicated to your celebrity Skelly sightings on my web sit, jimmypickering.com and I'll also be posting them here. If you want to enlist as a secret spy simply snap a photo the next time you have a Skelly sighting and email it to me with the location of your sighting. It's that simple. I'll post your undercover work here so we can keep an eye on where our favorite skeleton girl and her dog show up next.

GAP Kids
Chestnut Street
San Francisco, California

rabbits

Another painting created to be used on skins for ipods, laptops and other such gadgets . . . when . . . ? This was based on a painting I did for a show several years ago. It gave me a chance to go back and create a new painting based on the original, tweaking the things I wanted to improve from the original.

mono-eye

This mechanical menace I painted in the not so distant past to be used on skins for ipods, laptops and so on, but I've yet to see it produced. Rather than hiding it away, it's time to share it with all of you as I rather like it.

9

Last night I saw the movie 9, as reviews have been mixed, my expectations were not very high. What a pleasant surprise to find the movie extremely good. It was refreshing to finally view an animated movie with no talking dogs or cars, no montages over sappy songs, no broadway style musical numbers and best of all I am thrilled to report there isn’t a princess in a bad prom dress and shiny tiara falling in love anywhere in this film.



9 presented a world of stylized environments and characters which take full advantage of the medium computer animation presents. Even the story of 9 was best told in an animated format, not the case of most animated films which could easily be filmed in live action. I am constantly amazed or maybe that should be disappointed, knowing computer animation can create any style limited only by imagination, yet studios use the medium to make everything on screen resemble what I can see outside my window. Who cares if there are one million hairs on a monster or skin spots on the humans skin to make them look more realistic? Why not simply make live action films if reality is the world you are trying to create?

9 was not a perfect film, but it was a pleasant surprise in a world of mediocrity and I really enjoyed the story and world it presented to me as a viewer.

the blog slacker

No new post in over a month . . . what a travesty! Reality, I’ve been buried under a series of deadlines leaving little time beyond work. Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled to have work especially during this strange economic time, however, things such as blogs, websites and facebook seem to fall by the wayside when so much is on the drawing table.

To set your mind at ease that I’m still alive and well under the pile of work on my drawing table, I drew this little guy presenting a flower to all of you as an apology for my long over due absence. I hope you enjoy.

40 years (and 2 days)

August 9th was the official 40th Anniversary of The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. As I've been working into the late evening hours the past couple of days, this post comes as the 40th and 2 day anniversary of the attraction.


The Haunted Mansion. There are several things within my life, which have had a huge impact on my creative spirit. One of them is The Haunted Mansion, which just celebrated its 40th anniversary. The attraction opened its doors to on August 9, 1969 and has been a favorite of Disneyland guest, myself included, ever since.


The Haunted Mansion has remained one of my favorites along with the original version of The Pirates of the Caribbean, (minus the addition of Jack Sparrow and company). The Haunted Mansion is an stunning example of how WED Enterprises, now Walt Disney Imagineering, used to be able to take us on adventures so enveloping and relevant that 40 years and 2 days later The Haunted Mansion is still one of the top rated attractions in Disneyland. The attraction is a testament to the amazing talents of the original Imagineers of which have slowly vanished over the years taking their talents with them.


I am very fortunate to have worked at Walt Disney Imagineering with some of those original and very talented Imagineers. One of these amazing people was Leota, who appears in The Haunted Mansion in the Séance Circle and again as Little Leota at the exit to the attraction. Leota remains one of the most influential people in my life and I am honored to say she was one of my closest friends. Not only was Leota a dear friend, she was also my mentor who taught me more about the art of Imagineering than I could have hoped to learn. When I think of her I can see her jet black hair, her amazing smile and I can hear her laugh, which could put a smile on anyone’s face. Leota was a creative spirit, teaching me to laugh at the tough aspects of life and never afraid to share her knowledge and talent with me, for fear of giving away trade secrets. I learned so many wonderful things from Leota. The skills she taught me I still use everyday in the work I create and in the life I live. Words cannot express how thankful I am to have known Leota, for her friendship and thankful she felt inclined to share so many of her gifts with me. Thank you Leota for being such an amazing friend, one who changed my life forever. I miss you everyday.

Another original Imagineer I was fortunate to have worked with was Collin Campbell. Collin was like a grandfather, very soft-spoken, very funny and very talented. As with Leota, Collin was excited to share his knowledge and I was like a sponge, absorbing everything he shared. While working with Collin I told him I still had my original Haunted Mansion LP. He laughed and said he’d not see it in years. So I brought my original copy of The Haunted Mansion LP from my childhood to work, which he laughed when he saw how worn or “loved” as he put it, the LP was. As he looked through the pages of the album, he told me stories about every painting he created for this now legendary piece of Disney history. When he reached the end he asked me if I wanted him to sign it, to which the only answer was yes. So he did.


With that I end this post. For, you see, The Haunted Mansion not only inspired me in my youth, it also afforded me the opportunity to meet two legendary Imagineering masters Collin and my dear friend and mentor Leota. To me The Haunted Mansion represents more than one of the most amazing attractions ever created, it reminds me of the amazing talents who created it that I’ve been blessed to know and learn from.

they're back!

my new book Skelly & Femur has been released, the follow-up to Skelly the Skeleton Girl. where the original book Skelly the Skeleton Girl is about Skelly finding a bone, Skelly & Femur follows Skelly and her new dog Femur on a mystery of missing objects through and around Skelly Manor.

as with the first book, this is an easy read written for pre-schoolers and kindergarteners with the illustrations the main focus of the storytelling.

in this book there are a few surprised hidden within the illustrations. being a former walt disney imagineer there are several hidden mickey’s throughout the book for sharp eyes to discover, (i won't say how many you'll have to see if you can find them all). also in tribute to the inspiration i found in the original version of 1977's star wars there is a hidden princess leia and death star within the book for sharp eyes to locate also.

for more information on ordering your copies of Skelly & Femur, simply go to my site, jimmypickering.com visit the books page on the left and click the order link for Skelly & Femur.

secret passion

Summer is in full swing and with another visit to my secret passion of baking using the season as inspiration.

One of my favorite summertime treats growing up was the Creamsicle, the bright orange popsicle with a creamy vanilla ice cream center. I decided I’d put on my Nancy Drew baking cap on and try recreating the flavors of this summery confection in the form of, surprise, a cupcake. I am happy to report Nancy Drew’s baking mystery has been solved! To my astonishment, the flavor of this cupcake and even the aroma are identical to the Creamsicle, and those who have eaten this little ditty are shocked I was able to recreate the flavor in a cupcake. It so replicated the flavor, my partner Corey suggested I put a popsicle stick into the cupcake, a brilliant idea for the perfect garnish, so I did. The cupcake cake is vanilla and orange flavor topped with half orange and half vanilla butter cream. Not a mixed flavor, I made orange and vanilla butter cream independently and then filled the pastry bag with both to get a half and half topping of both flavors. The cupcake is garnished with orange and clear large gradual decorative sugar and a popsicle stick. I present to you the Creamsicle cupcake.

secret passion

It must be apparent now to those of you visiting this site I am enjoying a bit of time focusing on my Secret Passion of baking. This change of focus for my creativity has really been fun and I’m surprised at the recipes I am creating on my own and so are my friends who are consuming the fruits of my Secret Passion efforts.

This new Secret Passion creation was inspired by my love of peanut butter cup candy, result, a Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cupcake. I started by putting a peanut butter cup in the base of the cupcake paper and then filled it with peanut butter batter, (say that fast three times). I baked the cupcakes allowing the peanut butter cup to melt and form the base of the cupcake. Once cooled the cupcake was topped with a cream cheese peanut butter frosting, which was then turned upside down and dipped into rich chocolate, garnished with a few dark chocolate Jimmies.

This is the ultimate cupcake for anyone who loves peanut butter and chocolate and is sure to create a blissful sugar coma for those who enjoy it. I know I ate one.

good-bye my friend

Your creative genius and spirit will be forever missed.
Thank you for the inspiration.

secret passion

My secret passion is back again and I created another recipe for a new yummy-licious cupcake.

The inspiration for these cupcakes came from my childhood. My dad used to make the best pancakes for me at breakfast time and once in a while as a treat for dinner. These cupcakes take their inspiration from that memory and places breakfast in dessert form, pancake-flavored cupcakes. As with the cotton candy cupcakes in a previous post, I was able to create a cupcake recipe that really taste like a pancake. The frosting is a maple infused butter cream which is garnished with a pat of butter. The butter pat is really fondant. I colored it to perfectly match the color of butter, who knew it would take yellow, orange and brown to create a perfect butter color match? Once the color was correct, I rolled out the fondant and cut it into squares the size of a real butter pat . . . it looks like real butter. Topping off the whole creation is a garnish of a small square of crispy bacon.

The final cupcake is quite fun to eat, as the combo of the cupcake and the frosting really do taste like a stack of pancakes with maple syrup.

secret passion

I’m at it again. Seems my secret passion is not very secret these days. I am having a grand time creating in another medium besides pencil and paint.

As before, I decided to make another cupcake. This time my inspiration came from another secret passion, my love of pink and white circus animal cookies. The recipe(s) I created myself and made from scratch, except the animal cookies of course. The cupcake is cotton candy flavor, not vanilla as most cotton candy cupcakes are, but I cracked the cotton candy flavor code and uploaded it into my cupcake. It’s pretty darn amazing. I toped it with a vanilla bean infused buttercream frosting and then topped that with a chocolate covered Circus Animal cookie truffle, another concoction I created myself. Originally I was going to use white chocolate, but I thought a color break from the frosting would be good. I’m glad I did, because the flavor of the chocolate compliments the Circus Animal cookie mixture inside. Perched on each truffle is a Circus Animal Cookie.

These are so good and they look pretty great too.