Capturing Priceless Moments in Time - The 2022 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for me, like many, is a tradition that ushers in not only Thanksgiving day, but the Christmas season. I’ve been watching the iconic parade for as long as I remember. It’s both nostalgic and new, every year.
The parade means “family.” And in recent years with the holidays looking a lot different (due to Covid and personal circumstances) having the normalcy and dependability of the Macy’s parade has been all the more important and special.
I was even fortunate enough one year (in the 90’s) to join some friends to participate as balloon handlers in the parade. We were in charge of Harold the Firefighter. It’s much more difficult than it looks, especially on a windy day when walking through the cross streets. That year we got to be behind the scenes with the likes of Debbie Gibson, John Tesh, and Al Roker as they got into their positions. I was so thankful to have had that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of being in the parade!
So this year, I decided to employ my illustration skills (and live event sketching) to sketch my way through the 2022 parade. All while sitting on my couch (Thanks NBC & Peacock!)
It was a fast and furious 3-hour (ish) sprint of sketching select participants. The programming is kept tight, so I didn’t have much time to spend on each sketch (maybe 10-15 minutes tops, and the app I was using on my iPad crashed a few times, leaving me to start over on about 5 of them!)
As I worked my way through, sketching helped me to freeze each moment in my mind. Capturing a drawing is a lot different than snapping a photo. Drawing forces you to not just look, but to really see. And when you see, the memories and images are stored deeper.
So please enjoy the following sketches that I created in real-time as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade aired on Peacock and NBC. Special thanks to all who were involved in a variety of ways (including Ram Trucks & Remo)! You made my 2022 Thanksgiving like a much-needed, warm hug from an old friend.
Hoda Kotb & Savannah Guthrie hosting this year’s parade.
Hoda Kotb & Jeff Gennette (Chief Executive Officer, Macy’s) cutting the ribbon at this year’s parade.
The Lion King is always a crowd-pleaser!
No NYC Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade is complete without the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes! I’ve seen them many times over the years and appreciate their hard work, dedication, and creativity!
My personal favorite, Grogu, from Star Wars / Disney Plus show, the Mandalorian.
There were so many talented marching bands in the parade. Captured here is University of Central Missouri marching band.
Ho, ho, ho.. Green Giant! A brand I have grown up with.
It’s always great to see the Sesame Street crew!
What’s not to like about BLUEY!
Mickey, Minnie, Goofy - all about the Disney Wish - a dream come true!
Only you can prevent forest fires! Smokey the Bear.
Geoffrey, I’m still a Toys“R”Us kid!
Ronald McDonald! I’m lovin’ it!
Jimmy Fallon & the Roots rocking the float!
There’s nothing Despicable about Minion Kevin!
Snoopy first debuted in 1968!
Besides Santa himself, nothing ushers in Christmas like Mariah Carey singing “All I want for Christmas is You!”
And to close out the parade every year - the big man himself - Santa Claus! ( I know him!)
Shout out to Carpenter Collective on their stellar design & branding job for this year.
Enjoy this wrap-up video too. See you next year Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!
Interested in hiring me to live sketch your event or conference? Check out more work here.
Number 5 work in progress - NYC series
Painting number 5 in #nyc series starting now. Work in progress #wip #artist #drawing #newyork #city #painting #art #creative #myart #artwork
A Funny Thing happens When You Show Up...
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a private Global Citizen's event, World on Stage. It was an evening filled with a who's who of influential people coming together for world change. Former Prime Ministers, executives of big business, musicians, actors, celebrities of all sorts, and even three NASA astronauts (WHAT?!)...
Global Citizen's Word on Stage event at the NYU SKIRBALL CENTER.
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a private Global Citizen's event, World on Stage. It was an evening filled with a who's who of influential people coming together for world change. Former Prime Ministers, executives of big business, musicians, actors, celebrities of all sorts, and even three NASA astronauts (WHAT?!). But I don't want to write a blog post filled with name dropping (ok, just one, Paul Simon showed up and played two songs...) or take away from the very important world issues that were discussed (poverty, clean water, gender equality...). Instead, there's another story I want to tell. How in the world did I find myself at this Global Citizen's private event in the first place? And How was I commissioned to create art centered on social issues, incorporating major headlining acts like Rihanna and Metallica?
The short answer is that I just kept showing up. Every day, doing the work and putting it out there.
“Eighty percent of success is showing up.”
About three years ago, I was contacted by someone via Instagram, inquiring about commissioning me to do some art centered around a NYC central park event, the Global Citizen's festival. As it turned out, that person was Kweku Mandela (filmmaker, activist and yes, Nelson Mandela's grandson). How on earth did he come across my work? If memory serves me correctly, I had some a series of drawings based on some celebrities and influential people. One of those people was Caitlyn Crosby, singer-songwriter, actress, and founder of The Giving Keys. She loved the portrait I did of her so much she shared it on her own Instagram account. And Kweku follows her. Hence, the connection was made.
So, Kweku commissioned me to create some art for the Global Citizen's event in 2014. Then following year, he commissioned me to create some more art of the headlining musicians like Coldplay and Ed Sheeran, to share on social media.
This year, Kweku contacted me about creating art of the five headlining acts placed in specific locations related to certain social issues. I created not only digital art to share on social media, but also physical matted prints that were handed to each artist following the main event.
Five custom digital paintings for the headlining acts: Kendrick Lamar, Major Lazer, Rihanna, Demi Lovato, and Metallica.
So how did I end up at the World on Stage event? Kweku graciously invited me to be his guest. I was finally able to meet him in person after a few years of working through emails and Instagram. I feel so very fortunate to have been connected to him, and to have been invited into the Global Citizen event, where I continued to leverage my art to help bring awareness. And to be a part of something for the greater good.
I share this not to call attention to me or my work, but to hopefully encourage YOU. Do you have a dream you are pursuing (or want to)? Keep showing up. Keep sharing your work. Keep connecting to people you can serve with your art. Add value to other's lives. Leverage your creativity to benefit others. Don't just engage your talent, but your HEART. If you do, who know's the lives you might touch and the places you might end up.
Today is a new day, filled with many opportunities to make an impact on the lives of others who are right around you. Maybe it's just to make someone smile, or bring awareness to an important issue. It probably looks different for each of us. But my challenge to you is to SHOW UP. You just might be able to offer just the very thing someone has been waiting for.
A live sketch i created during Global Citizen's Word on Stage event at the NYU SKIRBALL CENTER, NYC, Thursday, September 22nd 2016.
30 Paintings in 30 Days Complete Project
Here's a look at the 30 days all together in one collage. Enjoy!
30 in 30: Day 16
Day 16 of my 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. I'm using sketches i created from Instagram photos on my iPhone I did as part of a 100 day project and turing 30 of them into paintings. User: @negrouriburu
Original Instagram photo:
100 Day iPhone Sketch:
30 in 30 day painting:
Acrylic & Ink. 8 x 8 on 140 lb. watercolor paper.
When Art Collides in Central Park
Last Friday I was sketching in Central Park. I like to go there every so often and just walk around, people watch, take some photos and recently, sketch. As I sat down in what is referred to the Mall section, I found myself sitting across from two musicians playing some songs for passers-by.
I decided it would be a great time to pull out the old sketchbook. Typically, I try to sketch people in public in as stealthy a way as possible as to not draw attention (no pun intended).
When I finished my sketch, I was ready to put my book away, but suddenly felt prompted to go over to the street musicians, throw a tip in their open case & share my art with them as they had been sharing their art with me.
What followed was a cool moment - I got to meet Sol Liebeskind & Agustin Uriburu. Sol was excited about my quick sketch so she snapped a photo to share on Instagram. It was a great little moment that wouldn't have happened had i closed my book and walked by (like you're trained to do growing up in NY). Glad I stepped out of the shadows.
Check out some of Sol's music.
Sketching with the NYC Urban Sketchers
If you've been traveling with me on this journey for any length of time, you know that I'm constantly looking for ways to "up the ante" so to speak. This past weekend I took yet another step. I joined the NYC Urban Sketchers group at the Central Park Zoo. I found out about the group through a post from someone else on Facebook. To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I had been emailing the group leader Mark during the week but aside from that I was flying solo and blind.
My experience left me so glad I did indeed join them. It was a small group this time around (about 5-6 of us). It's pretty open, as you just show up and join in. Sometimes there are a lot of people, sometimes few.
As we made our way around the zoo, we'd stop every so often and sketch whatever we saw. But this day ended up being more than 3 hours of sketching. Some great surprises were:
- We got to interact with people visiting the zoo. Children would come up and peer over to our sketchbooks. Parents would point us out and say "see that, They're drawing. Isn't that cool?" It was a great reminder that we all start out loving to color and draw, but most "outgrow" it unfortunately. It was like having a magical connection with the kids. So great!
- There's nothing like drawing from life - what you see in front of you. Even the most challenging, like when the animals would constantly be on the move!
- I got to meet 4 or 5 new people from all walks of life and parts of NY (and NJ) who all love to draw. You can't underestimate the importance of being with with like-minded people, especially for artists who usually are creating in isolation.
- A few of us went to a local pub following our sketch time, where we shared our sketches from the day, as well as pulled out some of our supplies and let each other try them out. We shared techniques and observations. Although I had just met these guys that day, I felt a bond by the time the day was over.
I think about what I would have missed out on had I let myself listen to the introvert side of me. Sometimes you just have to go for it. Experience something new. And depending on how you are wired, that may be a no brainer or it might seem completely impossible. But as I've been saying for some time now - just take the the right next step for you - where you are and who you are!
If you're local to NY and want to join in the Urban Sketching fun (no need to be a professional artist - most are people who just love to draw!) they meet up every Saturday! Go sign up to receive info. Even if you make it once, I think you'll find it well worth your time.
Oh yeah - and I was asked to do a guest blog post on the Urban Sketcher site. Check it out!
Pearl of Potential
Last week, I had the privilege of visiting Pearl Paint art supply store (Canal Street, NYC). Pearl represents a certain nostalgia to me. It was the store that my high school Art teacher, Mr. Hijuelos, spoke of, with a glimmer in his eye. It was the store that I visited to purchase a lot of my art school supplies when attending The Fashion Institute of Technology and The School of Visual Arts. As I climbed the old creaky stairs visiting each floor, a rush of memories flooded back to me about those old days. They were days of eager expectation. Days of wonder and learning. Days of potential and future possibilities.
As I walked the isles, I was thinking about not just products, but tools that could be used to create. Tools that would come to life in the hands of artists. This was more than laptops and software -no cold metal and machine, this was hands on, tactile. And it was wonderful.
It was as if each item called to me. Experiment. Play. See what comes. It's the potential of what could and should be in the art of creating. I even splurged a bit and bought a few clearance item watercolors.
The longer I stayed, the more I was reminded of how much Pearl was an appropriate name. It drew me in and caused me to wonder. To think about my passion, my projects and ideas. Sure, I could probably order most of this stuff on Amazon.com, but I would be robbed of the experience of walking the isles. Interacting with the supplies. The Sights - vivid colors. The Smells. The wonderment of new tools I had never seen before.
If you're an artist, do yourself a favor soon. GO visit a local art store. Drink in the experience. Pick up brushes. Feel paper. Smell the oil pastels. You just might leave more inspired. Not to mention, you might have some new fun tools to experiment with!