chronicle books fellowship.

soo... most people that know me, know i have a thing for books. i prefer the ones with pictures, but reading is ok every once and a while. my love for books has led me to pursue the publishing world. currently i am learning that it never hurts to try, in this case, the bar can never be set too high. i have being lucky and gotten to visit : chronicle books : twice now because of the Art and Design department at Cal Poly. i have to say they have the most beautiful workspaces of all the studios i have been to. they have this fabulous lounge space with furniture i dream to have in my own space someday, also being there are books everywhere. being surrounded by awesome books and designers all day, um, hello,- sign me up! so i did just that, signed myself up aka submitted my portfolio to Chronicle Books for the Publishing Group Fellowship. i was very torn, because the industrial designer position sounded very cool too, but alas I stuck with what i know. i have some really high hopes, mostly because i am in love with the final presentation. i was really hoping to at least be a little different, and by the look on the receptionists face when i dropped it off, i did just that. she flashed me a smile and had this look of "this is a little different" or maybe she was confused and thought i was delivering a postal package. anyways - i like it and it shows me. me in a box, inside a book if you will. so now i sit and wait. i would love an interview and i would love the job, but lets shoot for an interview first. keep your fingers crossed!

these are a few shots of the box as it opens and the books
(portfolio and process)

slightly BOOKISH

So a lot has been going on here. Not only is my work currently in the Student Show in the Cal Poly Art and Design Department, but my work is also in slightly BOOKISH at the Robert E. Kennedy Library, Learning Commons 2nd floor and Rm. 409 on the Cal Poly campus. The exhibition’s goals are to promote the library’s fine printing and graphic arts collection and demonstrate how book art is incorporated into Cal Poly’s curriculum. Work on display will include local presses and artists, current student (thats me!) and faculty work, work by alumni, and printing ephemera and artifacts from the Shakespeare Press Museum at Cal Poly.

I was very excited to find out I had been included in the show and even more excited that out of all the books, some how a little blurb about my book was included in an article promoting the show in the new times.

“It’s hard to showcase something that it’s hard to define,” acknowledged Trujillo. “These exceed the vision of what a book is.” Some have no text whatsoever, as in the case of a wallet filled with Morton’s salt that mimics the sound of rain. Many expand and contract, accordion-style. Binding might consist of a make-up compact, apron, or vintage python skin. Each book is cradled in its own box, buffered, acid-free, and often custom-built. The department possesses more than 700 such books, an estimated 10 percent of which will be included in the exhibit.

Oh, almost forgot, my book "when it rains it pours" is the book in the show. Click HERE for the complete New Times SLO article.

Best of Graphic Design.

Soo I have to brag! Mosty because my senior project, "The Unconventional Oddities of San Luis Obispo" took over my life and I am very proud of the final project.

Anyways to the fabulous news, drum roll please... I won Best in Graphic Design for "The Unconventional Oddities of San Luis Obispo" in the Annual Juried Student Exhibition at Cal Poly. I have to say I was super excited! I have gotten work into the show previously throughout the last three years, but this year was the best.

So if you are in San Luis and want to check out my piece, the show will be up until May 1st.

Gallery Info:
The Cal Poly University Art Gallery is located in the Dexter Building (34), room 171, on the campus of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Gallery hours:
Tue - Sat 11am-4pm
Closed during academic holidays and between sessions.
Gallery: 805.756.6038
http://artgallery.calpoly.edu/

senior project photoshoot.

so, today i turned it all in... well all of senior project stuff at least. it has been a rough week here on johnson but, getting better. took the afternoon off and picked up my mess caused by the making of "the unconventional oddities of san luis obispo." anyways, i just wanted to share a few pics. i will post more later, but don't have time to photoshop them all now. signing off and back to work tomorrow to finish another book/poster thing. check back later for that.

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UPDATE!

So is a better look at some of the book. My images still need some work, but you can see more close up.

The Unconventional Oddities of San Luis Obispo is a quirky guide to unique findings in the city of San Luis Obispo, CA. The book is a look through my eyes, as you are lead from place to place discovering things that many see as mundane or never take the time to stop and just look. If you are in the area and find more oddities let me know!

Also, there are 25 handmade books (still in production). The plan is to have another edition made, but not made by hand so my cost of production is cheeper. Enjoy.

senior project progress.

just working on my senior project. the text is old so dont pay attention to that. this is just more of an idea of a layout for a page. nothing fancy just thought you might wanna see how it will change later.

"The Unconventional Oddities of San Luis Obispo"

I have a favor to ask - but it should be fun, so don’t worry!
I am working on my Senior Project to get the heck outta Cal Poly, and I need a little help.

I’ll try to make this short and sweet.

The Project:

The goal of my project is to compile and illustrate and short book titled, “The Unconventional Oddities of San Luis Obispo.” Basically a travel guide to the Downtown area of San Luis Obispo, possibly the whole city and outlying areas. This would not be your average guide. My guide will be a detailed adventure to the side of our famed “SLO” town that even some “SLOcals” may be unaware of. The guide will highlight the many quirky objects, architectural details, history, and secrets that sadly get overlooked by many. Now is their time to shine!

Currently I have set my bar at making the book at least 64 pages but I would love to make it bigger. The only way I can do that is with a little luck and help from friends. So that’s why I have asked for your help.

So, What I Need From You:

What fun, slightly (or completely) not normal things in the City of San Luis Obispo you know of. I would love to site everyone in the book that helps me, let me know if you don’t want to be sited. I will need...

Your full name (how I can reach you too... This of course will not be released)
Brief description of the oddity
Where the “oddity” is (address or at least cross streets, please)
What do know about it (history or anything)
Do you have a personal story that goes with it (maybe you had your first kiss there, something spooky happened there, etc.)
Why you think it deserves “nomination”.

And a little idea of what I have I have so far...

(I have a few more but they are secrets!)

1. Weathervane on the Court House
2. Wall Behind the Historical Society - Supposedly used to be part of the Mission?
3. Sycamore Street (Now Walnut Street) - History
4. Ramona Station - ( dunno if it will be included )
5. Door to No Where - Side of Muzio’s Deli
6. Hitching Post - on Islay St.
7. “M” - What it Really Stands For
8. Palm Theater - Only Solar Powered Movie Theater in the US
9. Geo Cache - Altoids Box in the Mission.
10. Bear - Behind Bars on the Creek
11. Gorilla - At McClintocks Downtown
12. Mo-Tel
13. Hidden Details - On the J.P. Andrews Bldg.

This is just a start and I need alot more to really get rolling, the things can be anything sculptures, paintings, murals, architecture, hidden secrets, stories, the invisible, etc.

when it rains it pours.

my source of inspiration. so new project in the works. an edition of 10 books with a 2 week time frame. details: you must use a label from a food or beverage, use all the contents of the label, but you can use it as a place to start. also the books can be no larger then 5.5inch x 5.5inch. it sounds like a lot but i am very excited about this project. check back for updates. i hope to put up some pics of the progress soon.