lowellscribble_blueblack.jpg

Connect

Artist statement, biography, CV, social media, and how to get in touch

 

CONNECT

ARTIST STATEMENT:

“I make creative connections.”

I make creative connections. Whether I’m connecting language and music, or text and image and space; whether I’m connecting ideas from different disciplines or methods from different media; or finding inspiration in the aesthetics of the past for innovative projects today. I look for what's unusual and unobserved. I associate and amplify elements to communicate a larger idea. I make metaphysical circuit boards. Rube Goldberg Rorschach tests. String and tin-can telescopes. I balance mobiles and tap them to see how they’ll spin. I play with magnets, that electric tension; flipping the poles, watching them fly apart then snap together.

And I love connecting and collaborating with other creative people of all types. I love encouraging and helping others to do the same. Most of my artistic education has come from working with other artists. That, and taking on things I don't know how to do.

Russell Hoban wrote, “Sometimes it's a one man circus and sometimes it's a twenty elephant restaurant.” And sometimes it's catching fire. And sometimes it's herding cats. Shaking peaches from trees and (to paraphrase Jules Verdone) shoveling sand into the ocean. Sometimes it's icing on a fake.

Whatever it is, if I get it right, it's never what I expected; it's often better than I could've imagined.

— Jeff Mellin

I’d love to hear from you:

 
My poster for the upcoming live reading of Mosab Abu Toha’s “Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear: Poems from Gaza” at @citylightsbooks. 26 all-star poets are scheduled to read the American Book Award-winning book in its entirety. @
My poster for the upcoming live reading of Mosab Abu Toha’s “Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear: Poems from Gaza” at @citylightsbooks. 26 all-star poets are scheduled to read the American Book Award-winning book in its entirety. @mosab_abutoha will join from Cairo via Zoom, circumstances permitting. The event will benefit the Middle East Children’s Alliance (@mecaforpeace), providing aid to families displaced by the Israeli invasion. #poetrycommunity #posterdesign #poet #poets #palestine #gaza
New work for @citylightsbooks: A poster (and posts) promoting the upcoming live reading of American Book Award-winning “Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear: Poems from Gaza” by @mosab_abutoha, the acclaimed Palestinian poet and founder o
New work for @citylightsbooks: A poster (and posts) promoting the upcoming live reading of American Book Award-winning “Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear: Poems from Gaza” by @mosab_abutoha, the acclaimed Palestinian poet and founder of the Edward Said Library who was detained by the IDF while trying to evacuate Gaza with his wife and three children. 25 all-star poets are scheduled to read in person. Abu Toha will join via Zoom from Cairo, circumstances permitting. The event will benefit the Middle East Children’s Alliance (@mecaforpeace), which is providing aid to families displaced by the conflict. The design was inspired in part by this verse from the book: Don’t ever be surprised to see a rose shoulder up among the ruins of the house: This is how we survived. #poetrycommunity #posterdesign #poster #poet #poets #palestine #gaza
Sesquicentennial Tetraptych (image 4 of 4), digital print on paper, 2023, LE of 23. To close out #2023, I presented Lower Merion Township and the Ardmore Initiative’s staff, board, and associates with a set of my four sesquicentennial #poster d
Sesquicentennial Tetraptych (image 4 of 4), digital print on paper, 2023, LE of 23. To close out #2023, I presented Lower Merion Township and the Ardmore Initiative’s staff, board, and associates with a set of my four sesquicentennial #poster designs, including this and a variation of the design we ultimately selected for the celebration. We’ve done some cool stuff celebrating our local #history this past year. Here’s to #2024 and our #future. #civicdesign #posterdesign #artprints #graphicdesign #graphicart #mainline #lowermerion #ardmore #bid #ardmorepa #mainlinepa #ardmoresesquicentennial #community #pennsylvaniahistory #variationsonatheme
Sesquicentennial Tetraptych (image 3 of 4), digital print on paper, 2023, LE of 23. To close out #2023, I presented Lower Merion Township and the Ardmore Initiative’s staff, board, and associates with a set of my four sesquicentennial #poster d
Sesquicentennial Tetraptych (image 3 of 4), digital print on paper, 2023, LE of 23. To close out #2023, I presented Lower Merion Township and the Ardmore Initiative’s staff, board, and associates with a set of my four sesquicentennial #poster designs, including this and a variation of the design we ultimately selected for the celebration. We’ve done some cool stuff celebrating our local #history this past year. Here’s to #2024 and our #future. #civicdesign #posterdesign #artprints #graphicdesign #graphicart #mainline #lowermerion #ardmore #bid #ardmorepa #mainlinepa #ardmoresesquicentennial #community #pennsylvaniahistory #variationsonatheme
Sesquicentennial Tetraptych (image 2 of 4), digital print on paper, 2023, LE of 23. To close out #2023, I presented the Lower Merion Township and the Ardmore Initiative’s staff, board, and associates with a set of my four sesquicentennial #post
Sesquicentennial Tetraptych (image 2 of 4), digital print on paper, 2023, LE of 23. To close out #2023, I presented the Lower Merion Township and the Ardmore Initiative’s staff, board, and associates with a set of my four sesquicentennial #poster designs, including this and a variation of the design we ultimately selected for the celebration. We’ve done some cool stuff celebrating our local #history this past year. Here’s to #2024 and our #future. #civicdesign #posterdesign #artprints #graphicdesign #graphicart #mainline #lowermerion #ardmore #bid #ardmoresesquicentennial #community #pennsylvaniahistory #variationsonatheme #ardmorepa #mainlinepa
Sesquicentennial Tetraptych (panel 1 of 4), digital print on paper, 2023, LE of 23. To close out #2023, I presented the Lower Merion Township and the Ardmore Initiative’s staff, board, and associates with a set of my four sesquicentennial #post
Sesquicentennial Tetraptych (panel 1 of 4), digital print on paper, 2023, LE of 23. To close out #2023, I presented the Lower Merion Township and the Ardmore Initiative’s staff, board, and associates with a set of my four sesquicentennial #poster designs, including this variation of the design we ultimately selected for the #celebration. We’ve done some cool stuff celebrating our local #history this past year. Here’s to #2024 and our #future. #civicdesign #posterdesign #artprints #graphicdesign #graphicart #mainline #lowermerion #ardmore #bid #ardmoresesquicentennial #community #pennsylvaniahistory #variationsonatheme
To close out #2023, I presented this Sesquicentennial Tetraptych to the Township and to the Ardmore Initiative’s staff, board, and associates. Each one (of an edition of 23 for 2023) consists of signed prints of my four sesquicentennial #poster
To close out #2023, I presented this Sesquicentennial Tetraptych to the Township and to the Ardmore Initiative’s staff, board, and associates. Each one (of an edition of 23 for 2023) consists of signed prints of my four sesquicentennial #poster designs, including a variation of the design we ultimately selected for the celebration. We’ve done some cool stuff celebrating our local #history this past year. Here’s to #2024 and our #future. #civicdesign #posterdesign #artprints #graphicdesign #graphicart #mainline #lowermerion #ardmore #bid #ardmoresesquicentennial #community #pennsylvaniahistory #variationsonatheme
Somehow missed this back in August: LMTV highlighted the #ArdmoreSesquicentennial events and projects, including our #WindowsIntoHistory installations, the #ExploreHistoricArdmore Storymap, and a certain handsome sun/flower #logo. #civicdesign #logod
Somehow missed this back in August: LMTV highlighted the #ArdmoreSesquicentennial events and projects, including our #WindowsIntoHistory installations, the #ExploreHistoricArdmore Storymap, and a certain handsome sun/flower #logo. #civicdesign #logodesign #posterdesign #pennsylvaniahistory #mainlinehistory #mainline #lowermerion #screentime #2023 #yearinreview
As a #bookcoverdesigner, I love browsing #bookstores for fresh #graphicdesign ideas and #inspiration. These are my favorite 10 #poetry and #shortstory #bookcover designs from a recent visit to the fantastic @mainpointbooks in Wayne, PA. Lots of great covers out there, but these 10 in particular caught my eye and piqued my curiosity. Which are your favorites? Kate Baer, And Yet (Harper Perennial) Lisa Taddeo, Ghost Lover: Stories (‎Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster) Airea D. Matthews, Bread and Circus (Scribner) Nick Laird, Up Late: Poems (W. W. Norton & Company) Ada Zhang, The Sorrows of Others (‎A Public Space Books) Sabrina Benaim, I Love You, Call Me Back: Poems (Plume) Adam Mansbach, I Had a Brother Once: A Poem, A Memoir (‎One World) Jane Hirshfield, The Asking: New and Selected Poems (Knopf) Eileen Myles, a “Working Life” (Grove Press) Steven Millhauser, Disruptions: Stories (Knopf) #coverdesign #art #publishing #graphicart #graphicartist #top10 #independentbookstore #bookstagram #books #bookselling #booklover #booknerd #poetrycommunity
New work for @citylightsbooks: A poster for the new edition of the 1986 Clark Coolidge modern poetry classic “The Crystal Text.” I made two versions; one to promote the reading and one for the book. CC was signing ‘em at the event; I believe they’re available at the SF store. Printed at mighty @fireballprints in Philly. (Photos by #GarrettCaples). #modernpoetry #poetry #bookstagram #poetrycommunity #posters #posterdesign #posterdesigncommunity #publishing #bookselling #indiebookstore #graphicart #graphicdesign #indiebooks
New work for @citylightsbooks: poster for the new edition of the 1986 Clark Coolidge modern poetry classic “The Crystal Text.” I made two versions; one to promote the reading and one for the book. CC was signing ‘em at the event las
New work for @citylightsbooks: poster for the new edition of the 1986 Clark Coolidge modern poetry classic “The Crystal Text.” I made two versions; one to promote the reading and one for the book. CC was signing ‘em at the event last night; I believe they’re available at the SF store. Printed at mighty @fireballprints in Philly. (Photos by #GarrettCaples). #modernpoetry #poetry #bookstagram #poetrycommunity #posters #posterdesign #posterdesigncommunity #publishing #bookselling #indiebookstore #graphicart #graphicdesign #indiebooks
As a #bookcoverdesigner, I love browsing #bookstores for fresh #graphicdesign ideas and #inspiration. These are my favorite 10 nonfiction #bookcover designs from a recent visit to the fantastic @mainpointbooks in Wayne, PA. Lots of great #nonfiction covers out there, but these 10 took a slightly unconventional approach, and piqued my curiosity regardless of content or context: - Carlo Rovelli, White Holes (@riverheadbooks); - Alice Carrier, Everything/Nothing/Someone (Spiegel & Grau @spiegelandgrau); - Athena Dixon, the Loneliness Files (Tin House Books); - Matthew Hollis, The Waste Land: A Biography of a Poem (‎W. W. Norton & Company @w.w.norton); - Michael Frayn, Among Others (Faber & Faber @faber_and_faber); - Alexandra Auder, Don’t Call Me Home (Viking @vikingbooks ); - Frieda Hughes, George: A Magpie Memoir (Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster @avidreaderpress); - Greg Marshall, Leg (Harry N. Abrams); - Tina Jordan & Noor Qasim (editors), The New York Times Book Review: 125 Years of Literary History (New York Times @nytimes); - Martin Edwards, The Life of Crime (Collins Crime Club). Which are your favorites? #coverdesign #art #publishing #graphicart #graphicartist #top10 #independentbookstore #bookstagram #books #bookselling #booklover #booknerd
My top 10 favorite #magazinecovers of the moment, in no particular order. My criteria? They spoke clearly to me. They were a peaceful oasis in the cluttered chaos of the newsstand. They were a welcoming glance from across a crowded room. (Who wouldn’t want to catch the eye of @isabellarossellini?). Great use of neutral monochrome punctuated by either a single bold figure, geometry or accent color. Even on @zyzzyvamag, the pattern and color is muted and dense enough for a similar effect. None lets type get in the way. I love the way the black line of the outfit trim echos the typography on @bazaaruk , and the playful painterly hand lettering framing the artist on @feelfree. All embraced simplicity without abandoning personality. Which is your favorite? What are your other favorite #coversdesigns of the moment? - ZYZZYVA no. 125 - Leanne Ford’s Feel Free Magazine, vol 4 - Heroine, 18 - Vogue Italia, October 2023, no. 877 - Harper’s Bazaar, November 2023 - Harper’s Bazaar UK, October 2023 - Trebuchet, Issue 13 - Road & Track, Dec/Jan 2024 - Powder, 23/24 - Freehub, issue 14.4 #coverdesign #magazinecover #graphicdesign #magazine @barnesandnoble @heroine_mag @vogueitalia @harpersbazaarus @trebuchetmagazine @roadandtrack @powdermagazine @freehubmag
New set of #posters is up in the window at @partyplacedepot!The original building at 8-10 W. Lancaster Ave. in #DowntownArdmore housed the Palace Theatre, a #vaudeville and #silentmovie house, showing films by stars of the day such as Alla Nazimova a
New set of #posters is up in the window at @partyplacedepot!The original building at 8-10 W. Lancaster Ave. in #DowntownArdmore housed the Palace Theatre, a #vaudeville and #silentmovie house, showing films by stars of the day such as Alla Nazimova and Pearl White for nickels. It was rebuilt and redeveloped for retail in the 1920s, eventually becoming a #Woolworth’s, and ultimately the Party Place Depot. Head #downtown and have a look for yourself; how many terra-cotta owls can you find on its arched facade? #silentmovietheatre #vintagetheatre #vaudevilletheatre #allanazimova #pearlwhite #ardmoresesquicentennial #history #popupmuseum #mainlinepa #mainlinehistory #pennsylvaniahistory #theowlsarenotwhattheyseem #windowsintohistory #explorehistoricardmore
The original building at 8-10 W. Lancaster Ave. in #DowntownArdmore housed the Palace Theatre, a #vaudeville and #silentmovie house, showing films by stars of the day such as Alla Nazimova and Pearl White for nickels. It was rebuilt and redeveloped for retail in the 1920s, eventually becoming a #Woolworth’s, and ultimately the Party Place Depot. Head #downtown and have a look for yourself; how many terra-cotta owls can you find on its arched facade? #silentmovietheatre #vintagetheatre #vaudevilletheatre #allanazimova #pearlwhite #ardmoresesquicentennial #history #popupmuseum #mainlinepa #mainlinehistory #pennsylvaniahistory #theowlsarenotwhattheyseem #windowsintohistory #explorehistoricardmore
My latest #coverdesign for @citylightsbooks: mimi tempestt’s ‘the delicacy of embracing spirals.’ The amazing #illustration by Brian Kwon does the heavy lifting here of course, but as always its nice to contribute what I can to a pr
My latest #coverdesign for @citylightsbooks: mimi tempestt’s ‘the delicacy of embracing spirals.’ The amazing #illustration by Brian Kwon does the heavy lifting here of course, but as always its nice to contribute what I can to a project like this. Publisher’s Weekly named it One of the Most Anticipated #Poetry Books for Fall 2023! #bookcover #bookcoverdesign #graphicdesign #blackwhitered @pwpics
The final 3 posters of our 12-poster #RittenhousePlace installation bring the story from the development’s early days circa 1930 through the turn of the century and up to the present day. For me, an important facet of this project has been the
The final 3 posters of our 12-poster #RittenhousePlace installation bring the story from the development’s early days circa 1930 through the turn of the century and up to the present day. For me, an important facet of this project has been the idea that, by sharing these stories on the street, “in situ,” passersby will see themselves as part of a continuous history, and they might imagine and reflect on how they can create new possibilities today. I think this installation in particular exemplifies that idea. See for yourself at the old Mapes building at #Rittenhouse & Athens Ave in #Ardmore #explorehistoricardmore #windowsintohistory #mainlinehistory #lowermerionhistory #maps #cartography #ardmoresesquicentennial #bid #popupmuseum #pennsylvaniahistory
Part 2 of our giant #RittenhousePlace installation: The Township buys the Becker Lot with the intention of creating a public square, but soon sells it off to a developer to fund the construction of the Township Building. For the full story, you can s
Part 2 of our giant #RittenhousePlace installation: The Township buys the Becker Lot with the intention of creating a public square, but soon sells it off to a developer to fund the construction of the Township Building. For the full story, you can see all 12 posters at the old Mapes building at #Rittenhouse & Athens Ave in #Ardmore #explorehistoricardmore #windowsintohistory #mainlinehistory #lowermerionhistory #maps #cartography #ardmoresesquicentennial #bid #popupmuseum #pennsylvaniahistory
Part 1 of our biggest Windows Into History installation yet. These first 3 (of 12) posters introduce the story of #RittenhousePlace (a retail & apartment development built in #ardmorepa in the 1920s) with Mueller Property Atlas maps of the &ldquo
Part 1 of our biggest Windows Into History installation yet. These first 3 (of 12) posters introduce the story of #RittenhousePlace (a retail & apartment development built in #ardmorepa in the 1920s) with Mueller Property Atlas maps of the “Becker Lot” purchased by the Township from Henry Becker for a park and civic center. Head down to the old Mapes building at #Rittenhouse & Athens Ave in Ardmore and take look! #explorehistoricardmore #windowsintohistory #mainlinehistory #lowermerionhistory #maps #cartography #ardmoresesquicentennial #bid #popupmuseum @singer.jamie @kate_jiggins @rev.ewing

Powered by Squarespace