Masked Class

Students in my Core Studio 3D class at Parsons modelling their mask projects.

Tabletop Robots

Gathering of robots created by students in my Core Studio 3D class at Parsons.

Van Gogh's Chair

Small construction (2.25 x 2.25 x 4 inches) based on the well-known painting by VanGogh. Originally created for a CD cover but not used.

Cover Versions

I was recently contacted by French photographer Antoine Quereuil ("modelising and shooting") who with his partner Bruno Perrin ("painting and shooting") have created a wonderful and imaginative series of interpretations of classic album covers called Hall of Fame. Included are their "cover versions" of album packages I art directed: The Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and Sonic Youth Murray Street. Amazing work you guys.

More NNNext New Posters

Here are my latest poster designs for Next New Networks: Barely Digital and TMI Weekly. They are the 10th and 11th from a series of 12 posters.

ThreadBanger Video Interview

Rock Star 69 Sketches

I am posting this work by special request from my old friend Fred Seibert. I hesitate to post too much old work, but a request from Fred is almost impossible for me to deny. These sketches were made in June 1969 for a series of sculptures/constructions of rock musicians. They were done on unlined, 3-hole punched notebook paper. Represented are Eric Clapton, Jack Casady, Janis Joplin, Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, Pig Pen and Taj Mahal. None of these remaining sketches ever became sculptures. Musicians who made it into the 3rd dimension were: John and Yoko, Jim Morrison, Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix. I recall Jimi's hat was made from an upside down plastic cottage cheese container with a cardboard brim. His hair was made from steel wool spray painted matte black. Unfortunately these sculptures and their preliminary sketches got lost somewhere in time and space.

Apple. . . BlackBerry. . . Blueberry!

My original idea was to make a laptop computer from a pizza box. Since pizza boxes are square that didn't work out. While visiting Canada this past summer I came across a blueberry box that was just the right size and shape. Brought it back to Brooklyn. It sat around for a while. One day out came the X-acto knife, Elmer's glue, some Fom-Cor, black paper, aluminum foil, Duct Tape, etc. and this construction was born.

ThreadBanger!

I am really pleased with this poster design and wanted to put it up on my blog right away. I was hesitant because it most likely won't be printed until sometime in the Spring. I didn't want to leak the image and possibly annoy my dear friend and client Fred Seibert for doing so. I just discovered that Fred had already posted the ThreadBanger and other poster design comps here on Flickr. Since it is already on the Web I figured it would be OK for me to post it here. This is one of a series of 12 posters I have been commissioned to create for Next New Networks. They are being mailed out one per month over the course of a year. The first poster for Barely Political was sent out just in time for the election. The drumkit was constructed from a spool of ribbon, spools of thread, buttons, needles, plastic sticks, and a switchplate. The lettering evolved from safety pins, needles buttons and thread. I have suggested a t-shirt featuring the lettering.

Burning Down The House

Cover design and interior pix from Violet's 2005 album The Last Cathedral. I always really liked this and still do. Almost burned down my kitchen taking the photos with my dinky digital camera. The smoke detector went bonkers. Your mother was right. Don't play with matches!

Just Vote

Assume nothing. Get out and vote.
Poster design for Barely Political online network.
The first in a series for Next New Networks

IKEA Brooklyn Coincidence?

BROOKLYN BRIDGE
Left: (c) 2001 Frank Olinsky
Right: IKEA 2008

WATERTOWER
Left: (c) 2007 Frank Olinsky/Brooklyn Industries
Right: IKEA 2008

Dunny Wailer

In Spring 2004, Kid Robot invited 50 artists create versions of a new vinyl action figure called DUNNY. Each artist was provided with a large-scale blank prototype that they could customize in any way they wanted. The finished DUNNYs were exhibited at Visionaire Gallery in SoHo. The figure I created with Anne Doran began as a take-off on the name of one of reggae music’s all-time greats, Bunny Wailer. I must admit Dunny Wailer really didn’t fit in with the predominant style of vinyl figures. A bit too funky. One Love!

Fredbot

Another construction. This one a robo-portrait of my longtime friend and media wizard Fred Seibert. It appeared on the Happy New Year 2006 poster for his company, Frederator.

Brooklyn Industries

Brooklyn Industries commissioned me to create an interpretation of their water tower logo for the first issue of the Brooklyn Industries Journal. The construction was made with mostly found materials: the tank is a breadcrumb container; the railing is made from a shopping bag handle. I transformed the actual Brooklyn Industries logo into a shadow. The image was also printed on a limited edition t-shirt. My first collaboration with Brooklyn Industries was a t-shirt design competition for senior students in the Illustration Department of Parsons School of Design. Four winning designs were printed on t-shirts in Spring 2007.