So of course I didn't manage to post pictures every day from my USA trip. I was way too tired.  Came back yesterday and am still processing all these fun and great experiences.

The trip was just great and so many people took care of me on the way: a very partial list of acknowledments and thanks would include Liran Golod from the Culture section at the Israeli NY Consulate who coordinated the whole thingy, Mary Jo and Loren, The Bleich Hermoni family, Sheri and Stacy (the two wacky Texas Librarians), Carla the art teacher who got me back healthy with the greatest breakfast ever before a workshop, Marc and Janice who provided a great place to rest (and eat) in Austin and Galit Dayan for the great LA for beginners class. 

The Cultural Attaches at the various Israeli Consulates along the way (Sharon, Deborah, Deborah, Udi) made great connections to the Schools, Hospitals and organizations, and without them, nothing would have happened. Thanks again.

(I just want to make clear that the fact that the American Economy was sort of ruined during my USA trip does not have anything to do with it.. "I didn't do it!")

Here are some pictures of the trip, of some of the workshops from which I had pics and of some of the lovely people I have met.

Arts High School kids in Newark choosing objects. That is one of the most fun parts of the workshop. Love the T shirt of the guy on the left. "The last thing I would do is hurt you. (but it is still on the list)"

Ground Zero from the Path coming back from Newark.

Getting of the Path up to WTC Station.

Proud kids showing of their work in the Ocean County Library in New Jersey.

Some pictures from the Boys and Girls Club workshop in Charlestown, Boston

In Boston I had the opportunity to visit with Mark Peter Hughes whose book cover Lemonade Mouth I have illustrated. (thanks Leo for this picture)

and of course if you are in Boston you hang out with the Espinosas. Here we are in front of my favorite painting in Leo's cool exhibition.

An interesting workshop was in the LIFE (Independent Center for the Elderly) in Philadelphia. It was the first time ever I worked with elderly people. It was a different experience. The pace of work and the energy were different to what usually happens in the workshop. Some adjusting was needed but at the end we had a great time.

Mural across the street from the Life Center in Philly.

The visit to the Commonwealth Academy in Alexandria, VA was one of the highlights of the two weeks. Such fun students.

Self portrait at the CWA

Black cat at the CWA

Parker explaining her image of the dangerous Dragon lurking behind the innocent black horse. It hangs now in my studio.

fun kids

Deer walking around the house of Yonina and Yossi in Rockville MD.

Love this portrait of Michael Jordan made at the Sixth and I workshop in Downtown DC.

The opening of my show at The Sixth and I Hystoric Synagogue in DC was on Sunday the 21st. Here I am with the two "original" candidates.

My Low Cholesterol diet was suspended once I arrived to Austin and Marc and Janice Burckhardt started to show me the stuff you eat in Texas.

Wouldn't you suspend yours?

Deep in Texas with the lovely ladies, librarian Sheri Wersterfer and the fifth great teacher Cec Pearson who got a Grant to get me to their School, the Startzville Elementary and to the Hoffmann Lane Elementary, another school in the area. I love Texas.

Working in Startzville

Ok I don't think I'll ever top this one. My dinner with six women. (Inner Drawger comment: Take that Edel!)

Stacy and Sheri, the two smart Librarians who brought me to Texas with their School Principals and Arts and Fifth grade teacher.

Sheri got really good at finding faces. Here's one she found.

The last stop on the trip was Los Angeles where I did a workshop for LA's Best, an afterschool education program.

It was a small and calm workshop to finish two packed fullfilling weeks.

The trip was a trip. The only problem I encountered was that my eyeglasses broke in DC. That same day I found this face on the DC streets.

That's it, hope somebody made it through so many pics...

My show at Sixth and I Historic Synagogue opened on Sunday and will be there for a month

Two original pieces of Barack Obama and John McCain were commissioned by them for the show and they are shown along with 15 prints of my work.



If you're in DC and want to stop by here's the info.



 

My friend Mary Jo Berger took some great pictures from the Politics 08 opening. Here are some

On Friday I had a great visit to Newarks Arts High, the oldest Arts Highschool in the USA.

When we arrived there was a fire drill going on.

Here's an article in the Newark Live site.

Beautiful and talented kids.

One of the atendees in the workshop I gave at Materials For The Arts in Long Island City

(that amazing place deserves its own post)

was a young 4 year old girl named Sofia Rodriguez.

She made this beautiful pig jumping rope

I think she called her Olivia

The famous door on East 63rd street. Come in and see the show.

So I arrived to NY and being jet-lagged at 3 am allows for time to blog...

I'm going to be in the US for 2 and a half weeks giving talks and workshops in many different places, and I will try to post one picture a day.

Almost straight from the airport I went to the Society of Illustrators of NY to give my talk. It was a lot of fun. It had a very special meaning for me to be lecturing in that building and institution which I first visited 20 years ago as a student, and to have in the crowd many people who played an instrumental part in my growth as an illustrator/artist/human being/whatever.

As I said there, I feel like my professional development is so much a NY product and my professional guild is here.

The Politics 08 show looks just amazing and I hope to see many Drawger (and non Drawger) faces Friday at the opening.