There are a few items of note I wanted to share...

I now have a twitter account: @tomdavie. Unfortunately I won't be using it to update you on where I am, or what I'm reading, watching or eating, because honestly, my pizza eating schedule is really not that interesting. I will be using the account to automatically feed new updates on the studiotwentysix2 site and blog, as well as Good Type, Bad Type, Well Designed and interactive alley. A one-stop-shop if you will.

Good Type, Bad Type was created as part of my introduction to typography teaching process, and although that class finished in December, I will keep the site updated as often as I can. I'm always looking for new work to post, so if you run across something of interest, send the URL my way.

Well Designed and interactive alley are also to be used as teaching aids. Well Designed is dedicated to all forms of print, packaging and publication design, while interactive alley is dedicated to site design, movies, title sequences and kinetic typography. Again, if you come across some impressive work, please let me know.

As for this blog, the titles of each post are now clickable links; this will make it easier to get the permanent URL for bookmarking and sharing.

Tom Davie via Twitter

Labels: blog, Good Type Bad Type, interactive alley, resource, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, Twitter, update, Well Designed

I just uploaded a set of typographic research photographs taken from 2006 - 2009. Enjoy.

Tombstone Typography

Labels: flickr, graphic design, photography, resource, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, tombstone typography

Bear with me on this one. First, Click Here to read a review of my two-person exhibition at Carriage Estate Gallery in London Ontario. Make sure you peruse the review before you read any further...


Did you read it?


Seems like an interesting show, huh? It is entirely 100% phony. Seriously.

I have never heard of, or exhibited at Carriage Estate Gallery. I was not familiar with, nor have ever spoken with the other artist, Jenny Kanzler.

I'm not sure whether to feel insulted or flattered, and I can't decide whether to treat this as a joke or a serious offense. Why anyone would go through the trouble of researching and writing a 700-word essay for a fake art exhibition seems to be the 64,000 dollar question.

Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated. I can only guess that Jenny was unaware of this show as well, so if you would like to check out her work, the link is provided below.

Jenny Kanzler

Labels: fake-ass Carriage Estate Gallery, gallery, Jenny Kanzler, Tom Davie

I recently set up a portfolio on the Behance Network, which considers itself "a platform for creative portfolios, projects, and collaborations." There is a nice mixture of well-known and lesser-known artists and designers, and most of the work represented seems to range from decent to exceptional quality.

If you're a creative, you might want to consider joining, or, if you're just interested in keeping tabs on contemporary art & design, you might have a good time simply browsing.

Tom Davie on Behance Network

Labels: Behance Network, fine art, graphic design, illustration, resource, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

It may take some time to finish organizing and uploading the work, but studiotwentysix2 is now officially on flickr. My photostream will feature a sampling of posters, prints, drawings and client work, with images being available at a large 900 pixels. The direct flickr link is posted below, and I will continue to upload work to the site, as time and energy allows.

studiotwentysix2 : the art + design of tom davie via flickr

Labels: fine art, flickr, graphic design, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, update

My typographic-based White Space poster is now available for download as an iPhone wallpaper via typenuts (a member of the i love typography network). Enjoy.

Tom Davie's White Space via typenuts

Labels: blog, graphic design, iPhone wallpaper, resource, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, typenuts

I added two typographic-based posters to the site this week, and I'm currently in the process of finishing two more.

Also, the Good Type, Bad Type site, has been a pretty successful part of my current typography class; if you're a designer with a great archive of contemporary and historical type examples that you would like to digitally share, please feel free to contact me.

Tom Davie : Typographic Posters 03 & 04

Good Type, Bad Type.

Labels: Good Type Bad Type, poster, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

I was recently asked to contribute work for the upcoming Create Democracy poster exhibition that will be part of London's Design Event '09. Since the theme of the exhibition is democracy, only the posters with highest vote totals will be exhibited during the event. If you would like to support my design work, visit the link below and vote for my posters to be included in the exhibition.

About Create Democracy...

Democracy is a challenging new graphic design exhibition forming part of Design Event, the North East's annual design festival. We're aiming to create the ultimate democratic exhibition; we're inviting designers and illustrators to submit their visual interpretation of the theme of Democracy and only those with the most votes will be featured in the exhibition. All qualifying entries are showcased on this website and you can then vote for your favourite. You can also leave comments on the work and get in contact with the artist/designer behind them.

This project is a unique chance for designers and artists to pit their work against peers from all over the world. It is also a great platform to promote your creative talent to thousands of art-lovers and design-fans engaging with Design Event 09. Feel free to use Facebook, MySpace, forums etc. to spread the word and get people to vote for your work.

Rise to the challenge and participate in the process. The sooner you submit, the more votes you have the potential to get, so get cracking...

View my posters

Vote or submit at Create Democracy site

Labels: Create Democracy, Design Event 09, graphic design, illustration, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

I will be teaching an introduction to typography class this semester, and as a reference point for examples and discussion, have created Good Type, Bad Type - where the best and worst of typography, mingle seamlessly. I encourage you to stop by and check it out, and if you would like to join or start a discussion, or have an outstanding example of good / bad typography to share - that's even better.

Good Type, Bad Type.

Labels: blog, Good Type Bad Type, graphic design, resource, Tom Davie

Semi-related to yesterday's post, I too have been working on a set of typographic-based posters. Click the link, and you can preview the first two posters from the series...

Tom Davie : Typographic Posters

Labels: graphic design, poster, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

The redesign is official. Let me be the first to welcome you to the home of the new studiotwentysix2 blog. It may take a while to get used to the visual changes, but hopefully they are for the better. This entry represents the new post formatting. The main text column has increased in width, and the images will now be a consistent 550 x 300 pixels.

I have no intention of going back and updating previous posts with the updated format, they will remain 'as is.' You may also notice some funky characters in previous posts as well; it appears that all special characters did not make a smooth transition with the upload. I may go back and fix those, as time and energy allows.

If you have feedback on the new-look blog or site, feel free to let me know what you think. I will be back to my regular posting duties on Monday.

Tom

Labels: blog, site design, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, update

Here’s an additional poster inspired from the 30 Drawings in 30 Days project.

Tom Davie: 30 Drawings in 30 Days

Labels: 30 Drawings in 30 Days, artist, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

As time and interest allows, I have decided to integrate drawings from the 30 Drawings in 30 Days project into some new design and fine art work. The first piece in this undertaking is the poster titled, Something Good Always Comes Out of Failure.

Tom Davie: 30 Drawings in 30 Days

Labels: 30 Drawings in 30 Days, artist, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

The 30 Drawings in 30 Days project is now complete. It was more difficult than I anticipated having to conceptualize, create a layout and render each piece in a 24-hour span. It was a good experience, but I enjoy taking a bit more time to develop my thoughts. Thanks to everyone who regularly visited the blog.

Tom Davie: 30 Drawings in 30 Days

Somehow, I overlooked the fact that the This Drawing Could Be Yours contest should have ended last Friday, and not tomorrow. That being said, Jeff has officially secured himself a drawing, as he had the most blog comments on Friday, March 06.

Due to my mistake, if anyone surpasses Jeff’s total of six comments by tomorrow at noon, they will be given a drawing as well. If more than one person surpasses Jeff’s total, the drawing will go to the person with the highest total.

I am in the process of uploading some new work to the studiotwentysix2 site. I have removed the abstract painting category from the main navigation and replaced it with drawings from the 30 Drawings in 30 Days project. The abstract work will remain on the site, and can be viewed here.

I will also try to upload additional work to the cryptography and independent categories over the next few days as well.

studiotwentysix2

Labels: 30 Drawings in 30 Days, site design, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, update

With one week remaining in the comment counting, Jeff is in the lead with 5. Danielle with 4. Brian, Mike, Mary and Bob, and Jacqui with 1.

REMINDER:

I have completed 24 of the 30 Drawings in 30 Days project — be sure to check out the site and see how the work is progressing.

Tom Davie: 30 Drawings in 30 Days

Labels: 30 Drawings in 30 Days, artist, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, update, win this drawing

I thought today’s drawing seemed nicely resolved — here’s a direct link with a detail image.

Day 20

Labels: 30 Drawings in 30 Days, artist, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, update

At the halfway point of comment counting, Jeff is in the lead with 5. Danielle with 2. Brian, Mike, Mary and Bob, and Jacqui with 1.

REMINDER:

I have completed the first 17 days of the 30 Drawings in 30 Days project — be sure to check out the site and see how the work is progressing.

Tom Davie: 30 Drawings in 30 Days

Labels: 30 Drawings in 30 Days, artist, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, update, win this drawing

After the first week of comment counting, Jeff is in the lead with 3. Danielle with 2. Brian with 1.

REMINDER:

I have completed the first 10 days of the 30 Drawings in 30 Days project — be sure to check out the site and see how the work is progressing.

Tom Davie: 30 Drawings in 30 Days

Labels: 30 Drawings in 30 Days, artist, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, update, win this drawing

Title: Replenish the Earth
Medium: Graphite on 104lb. translucent vellum
Artist: Tom Davie
Size: 9 x 7 inches
Date: 2009

In an effort to attract new readers and to encourage the participation of current ones, this original graphite drawing is in search of a new home.

The rules are simple, beginning now, I will keep track of reader comments and whoever has the most as of Friday, March 06, 2009, will find themselves the proud owner of this work — I will even cover the shipping costs.

In order to be eligible, you must:
1. Have access to a computer, carrier pigeon messages sent to my home will not be counted
2. Have a porch, mailbox, or P.O. Box so I can send you the drawing
3. Be at least 14. I’m not fond of sending small children random packages, plus I don’t want calls from any irate parents

How comments will be counted:
1. I will moderate all comments, this will allow me to keep track of who posted what, when
2. Use one consistent comment ID, if you comment under three different names I can’t keep track of you
3. Anonymous posts will not be counted
4. Irrelevant one word or spam comments will be discarded
5. If you view a comment on the site, it means that it has been moderated and counts toward your total

Where you can comment:
1. Any post on the studiotwentysix2 blog
2. Any post on the 30 Drawings in 30 Days site

How will I know where I stand?
1. Each Friday, the top five commenters will be identified with their totals

When does the commenting period for this drawing close?
1. Friday, March 06, 2009. 12:00 EST
2. Any comments made after 12:00 will not count toward your total

I have the most comments, now what:
1. Sit back and relax, but first give me an address so I can send you the well-earned drawing.

For a closer inspection, here are two detail shots of the drawing:

Labels: 30 Drawings in 30 Days, artist, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, win this drawing

New Project Alert!

Tom Davie: 30 Drawings in 30 Days

In an effort to experiment without hesitation and explore variations in composition, abstraction and letterforms, I have decided to pursue a month-long project entitled 30 Drawings in 30 Days.

Beginning today, and continuing through March 12, I will create and post 30 new works that will be used as inspiration for a future set of larger paintings and drawings.

Each of the 30 drawings will be available for purchase through the 30 Drawings in 30 Days site, or by contacting me directly.

Tom Davie: 30 Drawings in 30 Days

Bonus Goodness: As mentioned in one of my previous posts, I want to encourage reader comments and participation. As incentive, I will be giving one of my readers a drawing from this project — more details later in the week.

(Note: I will not be posting the 30 drawings here on the studiotwentysix2 blog. To view a new drawing each day, please bookmark and visit the 30 Drawings in 30 Days site.)

Labels: 30 Drawings in 30 Days, artist, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

After spending much of the week revamping this site, there was very little time for art and design making. So in lieu of spending yesterday putting together a Featured Art update, I spent most of the day creating this 18 x 24" illustrated poster. I based the illustration off of the photograph below — a completely random house that is located in Ypsilanti, MI.

The entire poster was created using Adobe Illustrator.

Labels: illustration, poster, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

I have just posted the first Featured Art work of 2009 on the studiotwentysix2 site.

Unfortunately, my time was spread thin towards the end of 2008, and I was unable to update the Featured Art section as much as I would have liked. I have a feeling that my schedule will once again be erratic, but I will make every effort to consistently update the work — perhaps every other week.

To learn more about the mixed-media piece cipher [348], visit the link below.

Featured Art : January 08

Labels: artist, cipher, Featured Art, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

I’m sure I was missed during my recent hiatus; I took some time to go visit the parents, and when I returned, needed to catch-up on some missed work.

Last week I was unable to post a Featured Art work, as I chose to go to a political rally instead and hear one of the Presidential candidates speak in person — it was too rare an opportunity to pass-up.

This week’s Featured Art has been uploaded on the studiotwentysix2 site. To learn more about the print Multiple Portraits, visit the link below.

Featured Art : October 15

Labels: artist, Featured Art, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

This week’s Featured Art has been uploaded on the studiotwentysix2 site. To learn more about the graphite drawing Introverted Reed (1974), visit the link below.

Featured Art : October 02

Labels: artist, Featured Art, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

Featured Art is up-and-running again after last week’s power failure. To learn more about the mixed-media piece, cipher [5726], visit the link below.

Featured Art : September 25

Labels: artist, cipher, Featured Art, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

This week’s Featured Art has been uploaded on the studiotwentysix2 site. To learn more about the mixed-media piece, cipher [6248], visit the link below.

Featured Art : September 11

Labels: cipher, Featured Art, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

This week’s Featured Art has been uploaded on the studiotwentysix2 site. To learn more about the print, Getta Mega Meal, visit the link below.

Featured Art : September 04

Labels: Featured Art, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

Be sure to check out the news page over on the studiotwentysix2 main site, as I’ve just added a few new items, including: three desktop downloads, and the logo for Southern California-based Venue Gurus.

studiotwentysix2 news

Labels: graphic design, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

This week’s Featured Art has been uploaded on the studiotwentysix2 site. To learn more about Paths Unto The Dead from The Parishioner Series, visit the link below.

Also, I have created a Featured Art archive, where all the past features will be accessible.

Featured Art : August 28

Labels: Featured Art, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

The reason for the lack of posts this week, was due entirely to the total revamping of the studiotwentsix2 shop. It’s now the Featured Art section — where each week a single work will be showcased with a complete description, commentary and work-in-progress / research images. You can check it out here: Featured Art.

You also might notice on the blog’s right hand column, there is now an email opt-in for news and art + design updates. So, if you enjoy what I’m doing here, be sure to join in.

Labels: cipher, Featured Art, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

I keep getting asked to show a few more samples from my new series — so to appease the masses; I have just uploaded a preview page of mixed-media goodness.

There is just enough work to give you an idea about materials and variety, but not enough to keep you from seeing an exhibition. If you are curious, prices haven’t been set yet, but if you see something you like, send me an email.

cipher preview

Labels: artist, cipher, graphic design, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

I just received notification that the Gawker Artists site has been completely revamped. I was added to Gawker almost a year and a half ago, when there were maybe two-dozen artists featured; now, Gawker showcases over 500 artists worldwide.

Gawker Artists

Labels: artist, fine art, Gawker, Tom Davie, update

I posted these in the main site’s news section a few weeks back, but I figured not everybody keeps up with both sites, so I decided to show them here as well.

A few months ago, I wondered how my art would translate onto skate decks — so I spent a few days playing around, and these four designs are what I came up with.

Just a little update...

On the fine art front, I have been working like a man possessed lately. The pieces are just flowing, and the new style and concept are coming together quite nicely. I have produced significantly more work than I have either written about or shown images of. I am going to hold-off showing a majority of the work until after I’m done contacting the 100 or so galleries that are still on my “to do” list. Here is one of the new pieces...

Labels: artist, graphic design, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

My new body of work is coming along quite nicely, and I’m just a few weeks away from inviting curators and gallery directors in for a visit. There’s an interesting variety of work being produced, including original works on wood and canvas, and paintings and drawings on found objects.

Here’s one of my newest found object pieces...it just wasn’t complete until I added the chrome dice valve cap.

Labels: cipher, fine art, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

I am currently working on several large-scale paintings, that when finished, will exceed 10 by 5 feet each. As part of this new work, I am incorporating record albums and their cardboard packaging, and as it stands, am currently trying to get my hands on as much vinyl as I can.

If you happen to have any 12-inch (78 rpm) vinyl albums, complete with their original cardboard sleeve, collecting dust, or packaged in a box, never to be used or seen again, please consider donating them to my project. Good music, bad music, it really doesn’t matter, I will take anything you would like to rid yourself of. For your generous donation, your name will be listed alongside the completed piece anytime the work is exhibited.

If you are able to help out with an album or two, send me an email — Much thanks, Tom.

Labels: cipher, fine art, graphic design, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie

Come join me, as I discuss my meager beginnings as an amusement park airbrush artist, my graphic design work and the personal journey that evolved into fine art. I will talk in-depth about the history, process and philosophy behind the paintings and drawings of the Parishioner Series exhibition. It should be a glorious time.

And if you act now, the first 200 people that mention this blog post, will receive their choice of free hookers, booze, an iPod Nano or parking. Actually, all the stuff that I just mentioned is on back-order, except for the parking. So if you show up...free parking!!! Hey, for you, I go out of my way to please.

Thursday, October 18, 2007 — 6:00pm
Admission to the talk is free and open to the public.

The Dayton Art Institute
456 Belmonte Park North
Dayton, Ohio 45405

Labels: museums, The Dayton Art Institute, Tom Davie

Recently, I did an interview with Jason at what to wear during an orange alert? A blog dedicated to literature, art and music. It’s fairly in-depth and may reveal a few interesting nuggets about my work, musical tastes and whether I partake in a regular cup ‘o joe. The interview was actually a good exercise for me, as it got the mental juices flowing, and helped to determine how I wanted to focus the upcoming lecture at The Dayton Art Institute. Check it out.

what to wear during an orange alert? interview

Labels: artist, blog, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, what to wear during an orange alert?

Sorry about the extended time off between posts, but I was out of town late last week and into early this week, so I’ve been playing catch-up since I returned. My lack of posting is also due to the fact that I decided to scrap my normal artist lecture and give it a complete overhaul for the museum on October 18th. I also just finished an interview for an art, music and literature blog based out of Chicago, which will be posted in the next week or two.

Another reason for my temporary disappearance is that I started working on a new group of paintings that deal with the concept of coded messages. There is quite a bit of thought going into the work, and I become brain-drained by the end of the day and have had very little desire to write about it. I still have much to work out, but think this idea has the possibility to turn into a pretty large body of work. I’m still in the playing and experimental stages, and have been working on a few small studies, which are much less complex that the larger works would be, but here is an example:


Anyway, the main reason for this post, is the radio segment I mentioned a few weeks back is finally being aired on NPR twice this Thursday (10/4/07). I’ll wait until the mp3 file is archived to fill you in on the full story behind the interview, but if you are interested in hearing the on air broadcast, listen live on the Internet at 7:55am and 4:55pm (EST).

Dayton Public Radio

There is a really well written article about my work and current exhibition at The Dayton Art Institute in this week’s CityBeat newspaper. It’s insightful and a good read, certainly worth a look.

Got Faith?

Labels: NPR, Parishioner Series, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, update

Although my exhibition at the DAI had been open for three weeks, the opening reception was the first time I saw the work installed in the space. I thought the arrangement and scale of the work looked good for the gallery, although it was slightly disappointing that a few of the pieces had to be cut to keep the show from looking over-hung. Two of my newer paintings were withheld from the show, so since you can’t see them at the museum, I’ll post them for you here.



My work and website have been popping-up on random art sites and blogs lately, but one I’d like to mention by name is artistaday.com. It’s a blog site run by a really nice guy named Geoff, who featured me as artist of the day on Monday. He even dug my work so much, he bought a print from my shop — so for that alone, I need to give him props. Check out his site, browse through the artists, vote on my work (and everyone else’s) and if you’re an artist, send him a link to your site so he can check you out.

Tom Davie at artistaday.com

I recently added ten paintings and five drawings from the Parishioner Series to the studiotwentysix2 shop. I’ve wanted to add the work for a while now, but had to wait until the final work was selected for the exhibition. The work can be purchased through either the Parishioner Series site or the studiotwentysix2 shop. Speaking of the Parishioner Series site, I have added several new paintings to it, including the two shown above.


Here’s an article about my current exhibition from the Dayton City Paper:


One final tidbit, last week, I recorded a segment with Dayton NPR talking about religion and my current work. The segment is supposed to air either next week or the week after — so I will post a link to the mp3 file once it is up on their site. I’ll write about this experience in detail because there’s a good story behind it, but I’ll wait until you are able to hear the finished segment.

Labels: artist, artistaday.com, blog, fine art, Parishioner Series, The Dayton Art Institute, Tom Davie, update

As a loyal blog reader, you are welcome to attend the opening reception of my current exhibition at The Dayton Art Institute. Hope to see you there.

Thursday, September 6, from 6:00 – 8:00pm
Opening remarks at 6:30pm

456 Belmonte Park North
Dayton, OH 45405

Labels: artist, fine art, Parishioner Series, The Dayton Art Institute, Tom Davie

The first article reviewing my current exhibition at the Dayton Art Institute was released in Saturday’s Dayton Daily News — it seems that the article was also published by a handful of other regional newspapers.

I thought they made an interesting choice to have the Religion editor conduct the interview, and to include the story in the Faith / Living section, as opposed to the Entertainment / Arts section. I have yet to decide if this is a good or bad thing. Anyway, check it out.

Parishioner Series Article

Labels: article, Dayton Daily News, fine art, Parishioner Series, The Dayton Art Institute, Tom Davie

Finally...The work has been delivered to the museum, is currently being installed and the exhibition will open to the public on Saturday. I was so close to missing the deadline with the final painting that I was scared to properly wrap it, for fear the recently applied paint would adhere to the plastic during transport. It’s been a few days now, and I never received the dreaded “Um, one of your paintings was destroyed when we took the packing off” call, so I can only assume everything’s a-okay. The image below contains all the splendiferous details, including the reception and lecture times and dates.


Here is the museum’s write-up about my work / exhibition:

Tom Davie’s haunting and evocative images offer an introspective view into the artist’s thoughts on faith, salvation, mortality, and above all, Catholicism. The portraits included in The Parishioner Series are taken from a single edition of the St. Mary’s parish directory in Sandusky, Ohio. “The parishioners are members of the small religious community to which I belonged as a child and young adult, and the 1974 church directory was chosen because it represents the year I was born into this group,” Davie explained. “I have a great deal of respect for this community founded in religion, however, my personal struggles with faith, religious power and mortality prevent me from fully embracing the ideals of my youth.”

Reflecting the influence of Chuck Close, Andy Warhol, and Francis Bacon, Davie’s powerful images offer their own unique graphic signature. Highly stylized and finely crafted, these meticulously hand-painted works are composed of a complex matrix of dots. Layers of transparent washes applied to the canvas’s surface conceal the subtle and fragmentary textual imagery. “As the concept behind my work has become more focused, the layering and complexity have gradually increased,” stated Davie.

There is an uncanny family resemblance among the paintings and drawings in The Parishioner Series. This homogeneity is disconcerting, enhanced by the narrative tension created by such titles as Revelation (Mr. Carl and Mrs. Evelyn D. Bing, 1974); He Shall Inherit (Mr. Leander Bertsch, 1974); They were Judged (Mr. Edwin Hiss, 1974); and His Anger was Kindled (Mr. Edwin Hiss, 1974). “To me these individuals represent righteousness and unwavering devotion -- a uniform belief under the same doctrine,” said Davie.

Tom Davie earned his Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Dayton.

The Parishioner Series at The Dayton Art Institute

Labels: artist, fine art, museums, Parishioner Series, The Dayton Art Institute, Tom Davie

In the next post or two, I’ll fill you in on where I’ve been and the groovy things that are on the horizon. In the meantime though, I recently went through some of my old files and found this essay written for chronicle.com in 2003. I was just beginning my second year of graduate school, and at the time this was written, had just made the decision to pursue teaching. It’s rather lengthy, however, it was really interesting to be able to reflect on, and criticize my thoughts of four years ago.

You may love it, you may hate it, you may think it’s a waste of your time, but I offer it nonetheless. If you have a response, leave a comment or send me an email.


Tom Davie
Graduate Student, Visual Communications
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Fifteen years ago, I was staring down my life-long dream of becoming a major league pitcher. I was consistently being showered with awards and praise. I had the confidence of a Royal Flush and the intensity of a Pit Bull. It was apparent that failure would be the destiny of every opponent. All things were possible.

Before my ego inflates so large that it requires medical attention, I must admit that fifteen years ago I was playing Junior League baseball. My arms and legs were too long for my torso, I wore glasses that were strapped to my head and was thirteen years old. The praise I garnered came not from national sports magazines, but rather uncles and grandmothers who came to watch my six-inning games. I loved playing baseball, but as time passed it was unfortunately not to be.

What does baseball have to do with pursuing a profession in academia? Nothing and Everything.

I no longer play the game I loved, and yet have never forgotten the passion, intensity and fun that was experienced as a child. Baseball taught me to rely on others to achieve goals and helped foster a strong work ethic, characteristics I now apply to a career in fine art and graphic design.

From 1997 through 2002, I worked at two graphic design studios located in Ohio and California. My responsibilities included the creation of a wide variety of corporate communication pieces ranging from identities to packaging and web sites, with clients as diverse as Fortune 500 Corporations to individually-run non-profit agencies. This studio time was spent developing my skills as a designer, listener and negotiator. I enjoyed the ever changing set of limitations and cost restraints; these limitations help define the personality of each project. However, the daily battle with clients over maintaining a quality product was one hurdle that was seemingly never overcome. Constantly defending the work’s integrity began to toll on my professional faith. So before the desire to create thoughtful work at a high level was lost, I decided to return to school and revive my creative muse, and so I did.

Upon completing a strenuous year of relocating, intellectual advising sessions and many an all-nighter, I am now eight months from completing a Master of Fine Art in Visual Communications at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It was never my intention to return to school in anticipation of becoming a college educator, but that now appears to be my direction. It is no easy decision to abandon the professional field, considering I would now likely qualify for a senior position and a commensurate salary. However, it pains me to consider my professional legacy consisting of corporate logos and brochures. I would rather develop student minds and abilities, and prepare them to excel in the profession they are about to enter. While I am excited to begin a new path, there are concerns.

It would be lying if I did not admit my fear toward conducting a job search in such a battered and unresponsive economy. I entered graduate school in the fall semester 2002 in anticipation the economy would be in an upswing at the time of my graduation. While I remain cautiously optimistic that there will be tenure track opportunities to be had, I am not kidding myself. It is realistic to believe there will be several hundred applicants looking to fill a single position. I can only hope to have done enough scholastically and professionally to be considered for one of these available faculty positions. I must remain confident that as long as my resume is error free and my printer has ample toner, I have as reasonable a chance to find a job in academia as any of my contemporaries with a minimum of eighteen years of education. Or so I hope.

If I do have a slight advantage, it’s the freedom of being able to relocate at a moments notice. It’s true that I’ve seen more of the country through the rearview of a loaded-down automobile than I care to admit (I am still adjusting to the culture and weather shock of moving from San Diego to Chicago.) My family and friends gave up on me years ago to stay in Ohio, but as long as I make it home for the holidays there isn’t too much grief. Moving, however, is not my highest priority or ambition.

My major objective for this job search is to find an institution that houses highly respected faculty members, students, who regardless of their talent level, love what they are doing and are willing to work hard to achieve their goals, as well as, an administration that believes in and strives for excellence. I refuse to compromise my philosophical and ethical values when it comes to accepting a faculty position, and intend on interviewing the university as intensely as they interview me. I need to feel comfortable that they believe in my abilities, and in return I will remain loyal to them. The institution that I ultimately agree to terms with must be dedicated to the arts, technology, philosophy and history. The graphic design faculty much be conscious of the rift that currently exists between academia and working professionals. Many professionals feel that a majority of the students graduating have not been adequately prepared to handle the day to day workload that will be expected of them. I would like to encourage a healthy balance of theoretical and conceptual exploration along with the monotonous and uninspired projects that all designers encounter. I am also interested in exploring personal studies, such as reestablishing the importance of hand-made artwork in a business society that insists its collateral to be produced fast and in abundance (and if you are curious, no that is not my thesis.) Selfishly, I look forward to finding an institution that I am proud and excited to be a part of.

Once again I find myself staring down an opponent, except the outcome of this encounter is not so certain. I have the confidence of a Full House and the intensity of a Bullmastiff. Failure may ultimately be my destiny, but as long as I feel thirteen years old...all things are possible.

Labels: article, Tom Davie

Yours truly took some time out of his hectic painting schedule to contribute a little somethin’ somethin’ to Wonderland Magazine. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, Wonderland is a contemporary art and design magazine that prides itself on high-quality production and layout.

Unless you are lucky enough to live in Denmark, you probably won’t be able to get your hands on a copy of the magazine — so here’s my design (it’s a right hand page) and the corresponding write-up:


Name: Tom Davie
Title: four hours of love
Web: studiotwentysix2.com
Country: USA

What’s the idea / your thoughts behind the artwork?
This work is my visual response to the unrelenting text-based spam-mails that are dedicated to horny young girls, erect penises and discount Viagra pills. The design is intended to convey safe sex and promote the four-hour erection that is promised in most of the Viagra-related spam by integrating the diamond-shaped pill into the illustration.

Inspiration: (What inspires you to do what you do?)
My primary sources of inspiration are religion, politics and popular culture. Although, any topic, object or individual that is attention-worthy, becomes a likely candidate for my art. From a historical and stylistic standpoint, I’m inspired by the work of Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Fortunato Depero.

Best in 2007: (what has been the best in 2007 so far?)
Without a doubt, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cheese pizza and beer. Also, heavy-backpack.com, mocoloco.com and the Graphic Content: Contemporary and Modern / Art and Design exhibition featuring Ryan McGinness, Charley Harper and Malcolm Grear.

What to look out for: (anything interesting that we should know?)
My upcoming solo exhibition titled, The Parishioner Series, at the Dayton Art Institute museum. Opening in August and running through the end of the 2007, the exhibition will feature a large number of recent portrait paintings and drawings, including many works being exhibited for the first time.

What is your background/education…:
I currently run the multi-disciplined, studiotwentysix2, which produces client-based design, limited-edition screen prints and exhibition-quality fine art. Prior to starting studiotwentysix2, I worked as a full-time graphic designer five years, and a university professor for two. I have received visual communication degrees from the University of Dayton (BFA), and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (MFA).

Icon/Hero ( tell Us Why )?
I don’t believe in icons or heroes, however, I am a huge admirer of anyone who is committed to their work, confident in their talent, and has the ability to make a living doing what they love.

Wonderland Magazine

Labels: graphic design, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, Wonderland Magazine