I Like It On Top

New Mad Dog's Pub Tease...

ICA Poster

Really digging the design and execution of this poster for the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston from Lubbock, Texas design team f2, AKA Dirk and Carol Fowler.

Check out more of thier great work: f2 Design.

That's Right,

HMK

Texas Draws Opening Reception Tonight!

I never get tired and still totally dig the thrill of seeing finished projects in print for the first time - especially when it's for something that's puro San Antonio!

The Southwest School Of Art & Craft presents: Texas Draws, the inaugural exhibition of a new series instituted to highlight contemporary drawing in Texas.

It was a pleasure and a big gracias to Kathy Armstrong, Barbara Hill and all the awesome folks over at the Southwest School Of Art & Craft for including me in this project as the designer of the Texas Draws logo for the inaugural of this biennial exhibition.

The awesome cover illustration, Trace, is by Lubbock, Texas artist Alice Leora Briggs.

Opening Reception for Texas Draws 1 is Thursday, July 2, 2009 form 5:30-7:30.

More info: www.swschool.org

Hope to see you there, have a great July 4th!

That's Right,

HMK

Green Hero

There's nothing like the fresh smell of pillowcases, sheets and clothes that have been dried by the hot Texas sun. Not to mention the fact that things not only dry way faster and are less apt to shrink, it's a no-brainer as far as being a truly green money saver.

That's why I am so stoked to be getting one of these smart and hip looking drying racks! And this equally cool rain collector will work perfect in the back yard and is next on my list. Both are from Hero out of Canada.

That's Right,

HMK

I Am So Ready For This!

Yes! High-Speed Rail - Bring it on!

More from the Wallstreet Journal: U.S. Commits $13 Billion to Aid High-Speed Rail and here's the a local Texas take from our San Antonio Express News: Obama Plan Boosts S.A.-Austin Commuter Rail.

Did I mention that I am so ready for this - finally!

That's Right,

HMK

Texas Lake House

Man, I really dig this awesome Lago Vista Lake House - the whole back of the house is wrapped in glass from floor to ceiling.

Commissioned by a highly creative family including a painter, writer and set-designer, the lago vista residence is a vacation home which doubles as an artists' retreat.

The house is a simple shed structure with a large cantilevering roof covering an expansive exterior patio. Cantilevered structure is further expressed in the foundation in order to convey a sense of levitation.

The entry side of the house is expressed as a wood box containing the functional aspects of the program. Having passed through the utilitarian core, the house opens on all sides toward the patio and creek beyond.

Very nice work from Bercy Chen Studio LP.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Design Milk.

Redbone Guitar Boutique SXSW Gretsch Guitar Giveaway

This is another new interactive piece, one of the tactile kind I just finished for one of my favorite clients, Redbone Guitar Boutique.

The red pick is a real Redbone pick on the color side of this Gretsch Giveway card designed for the Texas Guitar Show at the Austin Convention Center on Saturday March 21st and Sunday, March 27th.

Viva SXSW and Redbone Guitar Boutique!

That's Right,

HMK

Don't Wash Me!

Check out Scott Wade's amazing: Dirty Car Art Gallery.

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HMK

Thanks to the cool cats at LinkDump.

Legalize Golf Carts!

Folks in Lockhart, Texas want to put golf carts on the road.

Genius.

News 8 Austin has details.

That's Right,

HMK

The Power Of Choice?

Yee Haw! We get to vote on the best design for our new Texas License Plates!

Wait a minute... Why does this remind me of our choices for the Presidential election?

Oh, I see, it's not really a choice at all, unless you call choosing the thing that sucks the least and calling that Democracy...

Oh well, after you VOTE there's also an opportunity to comment. Here's what I wrote:

Although the traditional design I voted for still has some nasty gradation in the design, it's the most classic and simple of the "choices".

I really wish someone over at the TexDOT would pay attention to what's happening with the graphics and elegance of the type and font decisions being made and used in some of the current REAL and TRUE Texas traditions and campaigns like Frost Bank and Shiner Beer. These plate design options look like they we're designed by a kid on a PC with free fonts and 2 hours photo shop experience.


Think back to our awesome plates of the late 50's and early 60's - clean, simple and highly readable from a distance, what a concept! It's 2008 and we're still using bluebonnets? Lame. It's design like this that perpetuates the stigma of Texans being unsophisticated and ass-backwards. We appreciate good design - I only wish it was evident in something as mandatory as our State License Plates...

Less Is More! Simple Works. Think about it.

Anyway, the last day to vote is February 11th. Like that matters...

That's Right,

HMK

Banana Over Texas

Look there, in the Texas sky!

It's a bird! It's a plane!

It's ... a banana?

In an art installation sure to launch a thousand UFO conspiracies, Montreal artist César Saez plans to send a 1,000-foot helium blimp in the shape of a banana into low Earth orbit over the Lone Star State.

If everything goes right, the fruity dirigible, known as the Geostationary Banana Over Texas, should launch in August 2008.

The astrofruit is an artistic commentary on the absurdity of American politics -- especially Texan-style kookiness, says Saez.

"I see Texas like a crossroads of important social and cultural happenings in the states and in the world," he says.

He estimates the project will cost $1 million, and so far he's raised one-eighth of that, including a $15,000 grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Read it all: Banana Over Texas

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HMK

Have An Ice Day!

Click To Enlarge

Dude, it's nasty out there. Check out these shots of some frozen stuff in my backyard.

As I write this a 300-mile stretch of I-10 from Fort Stockton to San Antonio is closed because of ice.

In Maine, wind chills are 40 below and in New Hampshire the 6,288-foot Mount Washington registered a wind chill of 77 below.

Dang!

Stay warm!

That's Right,

HMK