Dixie Dash!

Here's a piece I did for my friends down the street for Christmas. After looking at Miah Alcorn's Double Dash illo for two months (update your blog!) I decided to go out and buy a used Gamecube, just to revisit my glory days playing Mario Kart on SNES. Little did I know that kids would be coming out of the wood works to challenge my skills. The backyardigans, grades 3, 8, and 9, showed their strength but were no match! On the tracks I made them look like a buncha gulls. (inside joke) But the 3rd grader was so good I had to make him my official tailgunner.

New Look for '07!

My friend Chris Garrison asked me one time what I liked to draw the most. It kind of took me back for a second. "I liked to draw a lot of different things," I told him. "Wolverine, maybe?" But over the years I've found a great interest in drawing people, places, and events around here in the South. From Cajun folks in Louisiana to the Gathering O' Scottish Clans on Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina, people I know personally as well, people I've read about from the past, the South is full of inspiration for me!

One note: My beliefs and depictions of people (hillbilly hoedowns, for example) don't necessarily represent everyone that lives here in these southern states. There will be a southern theme in future posts, but don't think everyone down here is a mudriding, NASCAR luvin' redneck just because I find it fun to draw a lot of 'em. Also, I'll still be posting little odds and end illustrations from time to time.

Happy New Years!

Give someone a goat this Christmas......seriously.

Give a life changing gift to a family in need this Christmas!

Last year my wife and I decided to find an organization and donate to families in need. I remember listening to The World Vision Report, a weekend newsmagazine and radio show capturing the human drama behind global issues and events affecting the world's poorest children and families. After researching their credentials on give.org we couldn't think of a better organization.

Since then I've been listening off and on to the World Vision Report weekly program. I always enjoy learning about people and their cultures in other parts of the world. After hearing these reports and stories told by the people themselves I'm always left with my heart broken. Hearing about their conditions always reminds me to look outside myself and to find ways to help others.

This year we decided to donate a goat, one of the milk producers- "the big three" being goats, cows, and sheep. Surprisingly, one goat can change the lives of three families! Children's health will be supported by the increased protein in their diets. And families will be able to improve their living conditions by selling the animals' offspring, as well as surplus dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt.

The thing about World Vision is that 96 percent of their field staff works and lives with these people in poverish regions, so they have an unrivaled understanding of how to best serve children and families in their area. Check out their catalog for other needs and ways to give a life changing gift this Christmas!

worldvision.org

Listen to the weekly World Vision Report here.

Merry Christmas!