conDFW 2015 Guest of Honor

Tomorrow I get on a plane for Dallas Texas to hang out with some lovely people: ConDFW XIV has asked me to be their artist Guest of Honor! (so very very honored.)
First, a bit of art the event:

beyond the infinite by galen dara 2015

Next, the program!  Here's a link to all the various ways of seeing what's going down and here's my specific schedule:

FRIDAY, 3pm: All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt (JEFFERSON)
Panelists: Adrian Simmons (M), Galen Dara, JD Horn, Teresa Patterson, Julia S. Mandala
So many books and stories have travel as a primary activity. However, how many people know anything about travel except by car or plane? Has anyone sailed around the horn in a catamaran? Rode a motorcycle from Canada to Mexico? Hitchhiked your way across the USA? We look to our panelists to tell us some unique stories about unique places and ways to travel. 

SATURDAY, 1pm: A Modern Ghost Story (JEFFERSON)
Panelists: Galen Dara
Inspiration for a horror story can come from many places. A single building, a haunted wood, or even an abandoned railyard can provide quite a setting. Our Artist Guest of Honor tends to specialize in creating haunting images, and relates how and where she gets such inspiration. 

SATURDAY, 2pm: Digital Versus Traditional Art: Pros and Cons (ART SHOW)
Panelists: Galen Dara, Rocky Kelley, Brad Foster, Teddy Harvia, Melia Dawn
Always a tricky subject, the arguments for and against digital art have always been legion. With Photoshop replicating time honored techniques in the blink of an eye, is there still a place for traditional art? Our artists weigh in on the pros and cons of both, and where both of these forms of artwork fit in today’s society. 

SATURDAY, 5pm: The mARTian Collaboration (ART SHOW)
Panelists: Galen Dara, Rocky Kelley, Brad Foster, Teddy Harvia, Mel White, Melia Dawn
They say if you ask a committee to design a horse, you’ll get a camel. Come see what happens when we team up artists and ask them to design a Martian, alien, or whatever the audience demands! 

SATURDAY, 6pm: Galen Dara ~ Autographs in the Dealers Room

SUNDAY, 12pm: Fandom Pictionary (ART SHOW)
Panelists: Galen Dara, Brad Foster, Teddy Harvia, Mel White, Melia Dawn
Play Pictionary or just watch as our artists compete. Come and see our artists face off against each other. Pictionary has never been this much fun! 

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all the moving parts and LonCon prep

Kali willing, this is what my space in the LonCon3 art show will look like in about three weeks:

(Many thank to Lee Moyer and Julie Dillon for letting me pick their brilliant brains as I planned it out.)

A variety of fine art prints and stretched canvases (my first time trying the latter):

prepping for hanging.

packaged for shipping

With the arrival of new business cards, postcards and a stack of posters for the printshop and artist in residence table, most of the moving parts for this little venture have fallen into place. I may yet have a chance to catch up on some sleep before I get on the plane.

But first, I need to finish a few illustrations. Here's a glimpse:

and

Orycon35

Wish I could be at Orycon 35 in person, but I'm happy to at least be sending some artwork in my place. I spent a whole afternoon preparing art prints for shipping before crossing my fingers and sending them off in a homemade foam core and duct tape container. Much appreciation to the art crew who will be hanging my work.

With any luck and if I got my measurements correct, the display with look something like this:

Last time I was in Orycon was in 2011 and it was amazing. It's been too long, I need to get myself to the Pacific Northwest more often.

some alternatives to drinking alone in the dark

my latest blog post for the Inkpunks.
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I've had this conversation several times lately:

Friend: "Hey, what cons are you going to this year? Will you be at [ComicCon? Rainforest? IMC? Norwescon? WHC? IlluxCon? WFC?... etc]"
Me: "No, i'm not going to that one either..."

It usually feels a bit like this:
 

Let's face it. Conventions and workshops are great for networking with those in your field, pitching project ideas, promoting yourself, getting immersed in your craft etc etc. But also, cons are this magical alternate reality in which your scattered tribe, who you usually connect with only via the Internets, will all converge in one geographic location and have a good time!
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