Off on another fun adventure. Cheers to 2012!

I know it is a bit early to be ringing in the new year, but with my trip tomorrow to Mumbai, India, this might be my last post of the year.  First off, Happy 2012 to all of you who have been with me over the last year and those new to Studio McCann.  I know I haven't had the chance to blog as much as I would like, so here's hoping to renewed effort for the new year in bringing you some decent posts ;)   Along that line, I am very excited and anxious for my next adventure which begins tomorrow and runs the first couple of weeks of January.  I will be heading out to Mumbai, India to work on a large wall mural on the campus of IIT Bombay as part of their Techfest 2012.  Having most of the major players in the technology field along with Nobel Laureate's, Robot Wars, and many more fun activities should keep the 2 week venture in high drive.  I definitely look forward to sharing with you the results of the mural and wish you and your families the best for the start of 2012!  Cheers!

The creation of a PopUP Park

Well, having worked on a number of other interesting art projects, I share with you one of the most recent.  This summer, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts asked if I could help in the creation of a PopUp Park this coming winter to create a space that was a retreat from the elements that typically spring up in Minnesota, ie, SNOW!  That being said, we decided to create a tropical feel to the space that is the main lobby outside of the museum shop and arts cafe.  Having nearly 2200 square feet posed both a project of immense size but also creative placement since we have thousands of visitors that will be interacting with the space on a daily basis.  With that, the final plan was drawn and we are now in the build phase of the project.  Once I return from my overseas adventure, the MIA's PopUP Park will be installed and will be accessible to all!  I can't wait to show you the final images of the park and will let you know of the opening night festivities when they are set.  Until then, here are a few teaser images of the "build" phase and more

Workin on some new drawings

As you can probably tell, the posts have been a little sparse lately.  I am hoping that starting the new year will allow me to do some more posts.  Having a hectic schedule and some really fun projects coming up is making for a little bit of craziness!  But I won't complain as it is good to be busy and out of trouble.  So as the year begins to wrap up here, I have been doing a fair amount of charcoal drawings lately.  Having not done them in over 5 years, i have been reinvigorated to keep working on new drawings.  This one above is a self portrait that i did recently.  The other image is of my grandmother.  With each new one, it is getting a little bit easier getting back into the swing of things with the charcoal.  Plus, it is just another reason to get messy in the studio :)

Sarasota International Chalk Festival

The full piece.  30'x40'

Anthony Cappetto with the AR birds!

Thought I would post an image of my and Anthony Cappetto's most recent street painting "Visions of Cambodia".  At 1200 square feet it was definitely a huge amount of work but one that was definitely worth it!  Plus, we were the first street painters to include augmented reality in the piece.  More information about that here 

"Open Canvas" Milwaukee

After a great trip to Sarasota the last week and a half (post about it soon), I am excited to head to Milwaukee this weekend to paint, have fun with great friends, and raise some money for scholarships.  Having attended the Open Canvas in White Bear Lake a number of times in the past, I am looking forward to attending the original location in Milwaukee!  The details on the event are as follows


"Open Canvas" Milwaukee

Saturday, November 12, 2011
Pritzlaff Building
333 N. Plankinton
Milwaukee, WI

Times 6pm to 11pm
website: click here

"The Sick Bug Goes to School" wins a Moonbeam Award!

It is with great excitement that I share with you that my recent book titled "The Sick Bug Goes to School" was awarded a silver MoonBeam award this past week.  Susie and I are honored that the book was chosen amongst so many other wonderful books.  Presented by Jenkins Group and Independent Publisher magazine, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are designed to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading. Awards are given in 38 categories covering the full range of subjects, styles and age groups that children’s books are written and published in today.

WAMdemonium!

My view of the Weisman building!

With a crispness in the air, another fun time was had street painting this past weekend.  This time it was for the grand reopening of the famous Frank Gehry designed Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis.  With the museum having been closed the last year for an addition on the building, there was lots of excitement in the air as the gala arrived Sat night!  This piece is a 3D stylized image of downtown minneapolis and its riverfront.  The image is on two separate planes and in total was 10'x16'

Great time at Target Children's Book Festival

Thanks to everyone who came out last weekend for the Target Children's Book Festival at Hyland Park in Bloomington!  It was great seeing everyone come out (even though it was super hot) and support both Susie and I with out book.  It is really wonderful to have such great friends and family!  Here are a few shots from our time on stage!

Pastel study with amazing new surface!

After many years working in Pastel outside for street paintings, I have decided to bring it into the study and work with the medium smaller scale.  It has been a rather interesting process since most of the times I do not create images in pastel that are smaller than 10ft x 16ft.  So doing studies with pastel at 18"x24" is quite a change of pace.  But, I am enjoying it with an amazing product I found called "Unison Gator Premium Pastel Board" made by Richeson Art.  It is a great surface that comes either on heavy duty watercolor paper or applied to a acid free gator board.  It seriously is like painting on sandpaper and is fantastic.  The image I did here is a hour and a half study of "Boreas" by Waterhouse and loved the way the pastel took to the board and the effect it had.  It really held a lot of pastel and still is very workable.  I would highly recommend it if you are into pastels

Here's the finished sketch.  About 2.5 hours worth

Target Children's Book Festival-Bloomington

Coming up on Saturday September 10, 2011 join myself and many wonderful authors and illustrators as we bring fun and excitement to Hyland Park in Bloomington, Minnesota.  With a day worth of activities, it will be a great time to bring the family out for some wonderful readings and drawings!  I am honored to be one of the featured illustrators and will be on stage from 2:35-2:55 with my fellow cohort Susie Bazil as we present "The Sick Bug Goes to School"!  For more information, you can visit the Target Children's Book Festival website here  Hope to see you there!

Painting done for Minneapolis Institute of Art's "Art Perchance"

Well, another month seems to be flying by and before you know it, August will be here.  The great thing about that is coming up on Thursday, August 18, will be this years "Art Perchance" at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.  The Friends of the Institute hold this annual fundraiser to help raise money to bring kids to the museum and other worthy causes.  I am proud to say that I will again be joining the ranks of artists who have been juried into the show/fundraiser.  The piece that I will be donating is the "Arizona Blooms" piece that you see below (Of course it will be framed though by then).  Until then, I hope if you happen to be in Minneapolis that Thursday night, you will stop down to see some amazing work that will be auctioned off and won, and help support a worth cause!

DETAILS

"Art Perchance"

Thursday August 18, 2011

Minneapolis Institute of Arts

6-9pm

2400 3rd Ave South

Minneapolis, MN 55330

Website

Come and check out the many wonderful artists that have donated pieces to help out with this great fundraiser

MNSCBWI summer workshop

Hello Everyone.  I hope your summers are off to a great start so far.  I wanted to let you know about a workshop upcoming that I will be co-teaching with Andy Hueller this coming weekend in Eden Prairie, MN in conjunction with the Minnesota Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.  The info is as follows and hope to see you there!

Everything You Wanted to Know About Portfolio and Manuscript Prep (But Were Afraid to Ask)
Date: Saturday, June 18, 2011
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Place: Star Bank Community Meeting Room, 250 Prairie Center Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Fee: $25 members, $35 non-members. Registration will be at the door and includes light refreshments.

The National SCBWI Summer Conference, Minnesota SCBWI Fall Conference and annual Mentorship program will be here before you know it, so it’s time to get those manuscripts and portfolios ready! Featuring presentations by author and writing instructor Andy Hueller and illustrator Shawn McCann, learn how to properly format your manuscript and illustrations. Attendees will have the opportunity to present their manuscripts or portfolios for an informal critique. This workshop is excellent for beginners and those looking to refine their work.

For more information, please download the flyer here

Artisphere 2011 in Greenville, South Carolina

Had another fantastic time in Greenville, South Carolina this past weekend at Artisphere!  Here is my piece that I recreated of artist Michael Madzo's "The Secrets that we gather" which was the festival poster image used.  Not only did the weather cooperate for the weekends piece, but was amazed how many wonderful people stopped by during the course of the festival.  Some of them even remembered the piece I created at last years event!  Thanks again Greenville for a fantastic time!

SEI Street Painting in Scottsdale, AZ

Had a great time in Scottsdale, AZ recently on a fun 3D street painting titled "Think Growth".  Not only was there perfect weather, but my brother Cory finally was able to see me working on a street painting live.   I am sure it was as exciting as I told it would be :)  He is pictured below with me on the finished piece!  More info on the piece here

Illustration Friday: Bicycle

This is an illustration I did titled "Plane-in-the-sky-cycle" from a poem about all types of bicycles!

The Worth of What You Do

Reading an article this morning, I noticed a post that mentioned a candidate slamming another candidate because they were "worth" 10 times less.  I understood that they were strictly talking about wealth(money), but is that "worth" simply based on wealth?  In todays world where most are concerned simply about themselves, it is refreshing to see how many people view their own wealth as what they do and not what they have.  To be able to help out in small ways, we often find they go the farthest.  For me, I don't have the money to be supporting all the causes or fundraisers I want, but thru things like projects with a purpose to simply having a conversation with an eager student who is interested in the arts, it is the simple things that you can do to make that difference.

This difference was also noted as I was preparing to do a short speech at my alma mater's(MCAD) scholarship luncheon this last week.  As I reflected on what it meant to me to receive the scholarship that allowed me to continue to study art, I was taken aback by all the people who have made a difference in my life that didn't provide financial support, but rather providing the knowledge and encouragement to pursue what I love.  To be able to have that network of people, both people you know and those who simply pass thru, provide the wealth of what they know and do is to me worth more than any amount of money could be.  Sure having cold hard cash is always great and you can do some amazing things with it, but in the end, money can not buy the happiness and "worth" that makes a person great.  I know I usually don't get into discussions or posts like this on my blog that often, but thru my career so far, I have been blessed to work with so many wonderful people that are making a difference with their personal "worth" that I felt it necessary to speak up.  As I end this, I will leave you with a project that I am extremely proud to be apart of, "Gregory's Paper Airplane".  A project where a young boy named Benjamin Sherman is not concerned about achieving the personal "wealth" that many people seek, but a "worth" of helping others.  May we all have the same drive and commitment to make us truly wealthy in life!

Grapevine Faith School Visits and Dallas Trip

Ben and I at the book signing at Mardels

Wanted to share some of the fun times I had when I recently went to Texas for some school visits and book signings recently.  During my trip I had a great time not only at Grapevine Faith Elementary school but also the Middle School.  Thanks to Mrs. Mitchell and Ms. Brewer for allowing me to visit the classes!  As you can see by the pics, there was lots of fun!  The trip itself was surrounding the book "Gregory's Paper Airplane" and the amazing author Benjamin Sherman(who is published already at the age of 9!).  I can't thank Jeff and Paige Sherman enough for the hospitality and fun time over my 5 days!

A few of my books were on display at the library!

Kids looking at some of the original Illustrations

A fun little Friday night project added images to Joe's closet Doors

To Dallas and beyond!

Well, it is hard to believe that we are only a week away from April, but with todays wintry mix, I am definitely looking forward to getting rid of winter for good.  With that though, the schedule has become a little bit hectic, which is good.  From School visits to books signings and more, the next month and a half should be a fun whirlwind of an adventure.  For those wondering where in the world to find crazy man Shawn, here are a few of the upcoming activities. Ohh and lake season is sooo close!  I can't wait to get out there and do some fishin and relaxing as well!

In the Dallas area from Wednesday March 23 thru Sunday March 27, 2011

Thursday, March 24
Location:  Faith Christian elementary school all day with "Gregory's Paper Airplane"
                 Book signing from 3-5pm after classes
                 Colleyville, TX

Friday, March 25
Location:  Faith Christian Middle School all day
                 Colleyville, TX

Saturday, March 26
Location:  Mardel
                 Book signing from 2:30-4pm  with "Gregory's Paper Airplane"
                 Hurst, TX


In Minnesota April 6-8, 2011


Foley, MN Artist in Residence
                Will be working with the students in Foley Elementary and St. Cloud schools in some fun art!

In California April 30-May 1, 2011

LA Times Festival of Books on the campus of USC Sat. April 30 and Sunday May, 1.  Our stage time is on Sunday if you can make it!  More info at LA Times FOB website

Illustration Friday-Stir

A fun image from "The Sick Bug" I did a little while ago.  Here the bugs are down in bugland stirring up the sickness's!

"The Sick Bug Goes to School" is headed to the LA Times Festival of Books!

It is with great pleasure that I announce the selection of "The Sick Bug Goes to School" to this years lineup of the LA Times Festival of Books to be held in April on the beautiful USC campus.  It is even more of an honor to be featured along with industry giants as R.L. Stine, Mo Willems, and Jarrett Krosoczka.  The full details will be posted soon at the LA Times FOB website soon, but until then, I will be anxiously awaiting the sun and surf!!!!!!!

New Book "Gregory's Paper Airplane"

It is with great pleasure that I announce another children's book that I have illustrated. "Gregory's Paper Airplane" is an inspirational story of one boys hope to help children in Cambodia.  Written by Benjamin Sherman, the story is one of heartfelt love for others and the desire to help.  I know that may seem like every other story, but one major fact I left out is that Benjamin is only 9.  Having started writing at the tender age of 5, it is amazing what he has accomplished at such a young age.  To say that Benjamin is going to have impact on this world is an understatement, and I am proud to have illustrated his very first book.  Not only is the story great, but the purpose behind the book is wonderful as well.  Please take the time to learn more about this wonderful project and help spread the word!  Plus, if you order the book from the website, you will get it signed by the author himself!

"Gregory's Paper Airplane"

Here is a little overview for the book is as follows:

An inspirational children’s story... ...written by a child... ...to help other children. After learning about underprivileged children in Cambodia, Gregory's heart is troubled. He decides to take action and help in the best way he knows how... A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go towards Agape International Missions (Agapewebsite.org), a not-for-profit organization who’s mission is to prevent child sex trafficking in Cambodia and to restore hope to its victims through holistic aftercare; and to International Justice Mission (IJM.org), a not-for-profit human rights agency that secures rescue and justice for victims of slavery and other forms of violent oppression, and helps them heal within their own communities in Cambodia and other countries in the developing world.