Happy New Year 2018

A little late, but it's still January, so it counts. A note about the end of 2017- I was surprised and happy to learn that a couple of my Op-Ed illustrations from last year made it onto The New York Times' Year in Illustration 2017 list. Compiled every year is a selection of images made for the paper, chosen by the art directors. No surprise that both were for articles on Trump- as were many of the pieces in the selection. In fact, the first piece of mine is included in a group of illustrations specifically geared toward the subject of 'ol Donnie. This one was on his handling of issues in the Middle East:

As art director Nathan Huang explained it: "A year of Trump-related articles requires a year's worth of Trump-related imagery. How do we avoid repeating the same images over and over? Brilliant illustrators to the rescue."

My second illustration was from early on in the Trump presidency, when the calls for an investigation into his ties to Russia were first being made:

 I actually received quite a bit of positive feedback on this one, from art directors and illustrators, as well as regular readers of the paper.

Thank you to all my ADs at The Times, for all the opportunities to contribute. Looking forward to another year!

Cut it out

I have an Op-Ed illustration in today's New York Times, for a piece listing the negative consequences of proposed budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The cuts (which would affect the National Marine Fisheries Service) will have devastating effects on the American fishing industry. It would also mean making it harder for people to be sure that the seafood they eat is safe, and legally harvested, among many other disastrous repercussions. 

Here's the page in print:

You can read the Op-Ed online here. Thank you to the awesome Jim Datz, my AD for this!

Reconquista

Here's another New York Times Op-Ed, this one about an attempt to have the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo nullified. As you may or may not remember from your U.S. History class, that treaty allowed for the taking of almost half of Mexico's territory in 1848, which was turned into all or part of the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and even a bit of Wyoming.

It was in print in the International Edition of The Times, and online on the Spanish site. Thank you so much to Jim! Pueden leer el artículo en español aquí.

You're a loudmouth, baby

Just wanted to post this real quick: a recent Op-Ed piece from last Sunday's Los Angeles Times. The Op-Ed by Stephen Marche explores the phenomenon of "mansplaining", which he explains is a term used "to describe male domination of speech" (and coined in an essay by Rebecca Solnit).

Read the piece here, it's an interesting one. Thank you so much to the wonderful Wes Bausmith!

More NY Times Op-Eds!

I had a few more pieces for the NY Times Op-Ed over the last several days. This piece was slotted to run last Friday, but ended up going into yesterday's Sunday paper, where I was able to give it some color. For a piece on the outrageous financial costs (the moral costs are a given) associated with Trump's plan for a border wall, detention centers, deportations, etc.

This piece ran last week, looking at Trump's pick for National Security Advisor, General McMaster, and advising Trump to defer to the General's expertise.

This one is out today, for an editorial explaining that the one proposal Trump made during the campaign that could get support across the political spectrum- his infrastructure plan- is indefinitely on hold, and might not get off the ground for years, if ever.

Always a blast working on these super-quick turnaround pieces! Thank you to my AD on these three, Sarah!

Shine a light

This piece is in today's New York Times, for an Op-Ed recommending that congress look into various issues involving the Trump campaign/administration, if the Justice Department is too conflicted to do so. Listed are the Flynn firing, and the alleged contact between Russian Intelligence and Trump campaign members. They also threw in the various intelligence agencies' assertions about Russia trying to undermine the election (and whether Trump colluded in that respect) for good measure.

The web version:

The article describes Russia as a nation that "has tried to thwart American foreign policy since the Cold War," and demands info clarifying whether our new Prez is in cahoots with "an enemy." I wasn't aware that Russia is officially an enemy now. If it's due to the supposed attempt (or desire) to influence our election, I guess we have a lot of enemies around the world. Not because they've meddled in our elections, but because we've "meddled" in theirs. Like maybe Guatemala, Iran, Chile, Indonesia, Vietnam, and others where we either directly overthrew their governments, or supported the people that did. That's coups, to say nothing of plain old meddling or interfering, which we've engaged in dozens and dozens of times. And maybe if some of our foreign policy since the Cold War had been thwarted, those catastrophes wouldn't have happened. Along with many other catastrophes, like Iraq and Libya. It goes without saying (though I still will) that illustrators need not agree with every word in the articles they illustrate for. Investigation? Sure, why not? But I could do without the demonization that sounds an awful lot like a gin up for more interventionism. Anyone up for another round of regime change? Síganme, los malos! Meanwhile, those who decried leaks when they exposed Clinton campaign/DNC unseemliness are cheering on the Flynn leaks, while the Trump supporters giddy about leaks and whistle-blowing during the election are now crying foul. Who knew intellectual consistency was so hard to come by?
Thank you to Nathan, my AD.

Balancing act

This piece ran today in The New York Times. For an Op-Ed detailing just how much hangs in the balance, with regard to foreign policy in the Middle East (specifically, in this editorial's case, Israel and Iran.) And it's all in Trump's hands now:

Thank you to Nathan, my AD on this!

Declassify it

This piece ran in The New York Times on Saturday, but was online Friday evening. It concerns the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on the CIA's use of torture, and the future of that report in upcoming administrations. Former Senators Carl Levin and Jay Rockefeller are urging President Obama to declassify the report, in order to protect it from being destroyed after he leaves office in January.

The Op-Ed includes a little background on the approximately 6,700 page report, including the fact that only little more than 500 of those pages have been declassified, leaving the vast majority of it in "limbo." The president has the power to unlock these other 6,200 pages, thereby giving a full accounting of what happened during the Bush administration's torture regime, and making it more likely these shameful deeds will not be repeated.

Here's an alternate take. Providing a glimpse of what's in the report:

Thank you to Jim, my awesome AD on this.


Even now the crosshairs are centered on the back of your neck.

Two can keep a secret if one of them is an ant.

I  wanted to post this while I have a free minute... Out in today's (Oct. 13) New York Times Op-Ed page:

 For an article on a little know case of espionage that occurred just prior to the 9/11 attacks, and was therefore all but forgotten. Brian Regan was an analyst at the National Reconnaissance Office, who stole thousands of pages of documents from our spy satellites, attempting to sell them to Iraq and Libya. This example, along with other leaks, such as those from Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden, show certain vulnerabilities in our intelligence agencies. The article makes the point that even if you cheer on the leaks provided by Manning and Snowden (I count myself as one of those people), there are many people with ignoble intentions that are trying to gain access to U.S. intelligence to do harm, rather than provide a service to the public about illegal activity and wrongdoing (as Manning and Snowden did). And agencies like the NSA have failed to learn from past oversights.
Thanks to Jim Datz, my AD on this, who provided the cool layout that allowed the ants to tunnel down through the copy.

Rudy CAN Fail

Another quick Op-Ed piece running in today's New York Times. This one for a piece on Rudy Giuliani's recent comments regarding crime and violence in the Black community. They serve mainly to deflect attention away from the spate of high profile police shootings of African American men, and the continued racial bias in policing.

 Many Black men have commented on their experiences with police, and the feeling of being under constant surveillance, and the threat of harassment. Statistics bear out this truth, that African Americans are far more likely to be stopped by police, yet less likely to be carrying drugs or weapons than Whites. A police hat hanging overhead like a black cloud worked out as a simple way to show this omnipresent feeling.

Also in today's paper is a new report showing data that suggests police are bias against African Americans in the use of force, but not in shootings. Some people are using this report to further obfuscate the truth behind police racial bias (despite the fact that it still shows police are more likely to use force of all kinds against African Americans). This new report only takes into account data from 10 major cities, only 4% of the U.S. population, and relies solely on police testimony. It also stands at odds with other sources, like The Washington Post and The Guardian, which show just how disproportionately Black men are killed by police compared to White men. In 2015, based on all reported police killings in the U.S., Black males from age 15 to 34 were killed by police at rates five times higher than White males age 15-34.

Thank you to my AD, Sarah!

NY Times Op-Eds

I've been doing some Op-Ed work for The New York Times lately. Here are a few recent assignments:

This was for an Op-Ed on the recent Baghdad suicide bombing attack that killed over 200 people. It explains how ISIS is changing tactics in desperation as the group loses territory.

 

 This one detailed the recent police shootings of innocent Black men in Baton Rouge and St. Paul, and how although these types of incidents have been happening for a long, long time, they are now widely caught on video.

This piece accompanied an Op-Ed on the first fatal crash involving any kind of automated vehicle. Although the Tesla involved was not a "driverless" car, the article mentioned some of the things automakers and regulators should do to keep this technology safe, and prevent more fatalities.

Update:
Figured I'd add this one in, another Op-Ed piece on the truck attack in Nice, France, and the resilience the French have shown after 3 major tragedies in 19 months:

These Op-Ed assignments are always a fun challenge. With a deadline of only a few hours, they force you to think quick, and keep it simple. It definitely keeps you on your toes. Thank you so much to Nathan and Sarah!

He's seen the needle and the damage done.

This piece of mine ran in last Friday's Boston Globe. It accompanied an Op-Ed by Steve Tompkins, the Sheriff of Suffolk County (which includes Boston, Chelsea, Winthrop and Revere). He advocates for more and better drug addiction treatment and recovery programs, recognizing that the county jails are often the only means of obtaining any sort of treatment for individuals that cannot afford treatment programs outside of law enforcement.  As he states in the op-ed: "...our fellow citizens should not have to go to jail in order to receive treatment."

He and the Sheriff's Department propose things like expanding detox centers, giving medically-assisted substance abuse treatment to inmates in county jails, and more. Read his op-ed here.
Here's a close-up of the piece:

Thank you to Nathan, my AD!

A papal piece post

Trying to catch up on posting a few things. Here's a somewhat recent piece I did for the Boston Globe Op-Ed section. This was about Pope Francis' upcoming (at the time it was published) visit, and how he differs from Popes of the recent past:

My immediate, and ultimately most successful idea was to show the three previous Popes' hand blessing someone/making the sign of the cross. But Francis' would be making a heart shape. It came from focusing on the following passage from Mary Gordon's piece: "The most important thing about him is that he is a man of compassion. He wants people to understand that God is a God of love and not judgment..."

Thank you to Nathan Estep, AD!

The NFL's domestic abuse problem

This illustration of mine ran yesterday in the L.A. Times Sunday Op-Ed, for a story on the recent case of violence involving Ray Rice and his then-fiancee, as well as the many cases of domestic abuse among NFL players, and the league's refusal to do much about it.

Wes, my AD on this, contacted me Wednesday night with a story on a tight deadline- he needed final artwork on Friday. Although I don't really follow football, I'd heard about the Ray Rice incident along with lots of other people who don't otherwise pay much attention to the NFL. Despite the rush on the job, I thought it was a very important story, and wanted to take it on.

After sending the above sketches in the next day, Wes picked #3, but also mentioned that he had an idea of using a pair of eyes, one of them being a football. He still preferred #3 of my original sketches, but I liked the potential of his suggestion, and quickly sketched out a rough in Photoshop. He liked it, and that sealed the deal. We had our solution.

You can read the op-ed here. Thank you, Wes!

What we do is secret

This piece for the Boston Globe's Sunday Op-Ed section was a really quick turnaround. Last Wednesday afternoon/evening, basically. The op-ed is about the Senate meeting that took place out of view of the public, behind closed doors, at night. And something was actually accomplished! The GOP agreed to confirm Obama's appointees for various posts, in exchange for the ability to filibuster. The author suggests that transparency in politics may not be such a good thing:

It's an interesting thought, and I was eager to try my hand at representing the idea visually. Here are the other sketches:

I liked the idea of showing the Capitol blurred, obstructing public view. I also tried using the "off the air" screen over the Capitol, since the meeting took place late at night, off camera- although that may have worked better had this piece been in color. The last sketch shows how the politicians' statements being redacted leads to agreement. The point of the article is that our leaders grandstand and ape for the cameras far too much for any compromise to be achieved. SOAPBOX ALERT: While I do agree that playing to the cameras, and offering sound bites instead of solutions can be extremely frustrating (and this was a meeting about confirming nominees and filibuster rules, not drafting some specific legislation), I personally disagree with the premise. It all seems so backwards nowadays. Private citizens' every electronic communication can be collected, stored and analyzed, with barely any oversight, much less a warrant, and we're expected to allow our elected officials- whom we've hired to work on our behalf- to conduct business in the dark?
Thank you to Greg and Dan for the assignment!

Praising poison ivy

This illustration ran in the Op-Ed section of the L.A. Times this past Sunday. The author wrote a very informative piece on poison ivy- from its benefits to nature, to its appearances through American history. There's also a frightening bit about possible effects on the plant from rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere (Hint: No, its not in any danger of going away).



Read the article here, which also displays my illustration- surprising, as that doesn't usually happen with Op-Ed pieces. Wes Bausmith is the awesome AD who commissioned this, and put the headline in the ivy vine/dress. Very cool.

On a side note, the article to the right of my illo is an excellent piece written by Hagit Borer. Borer is an Israeli-American who will be on board The Audacity Of Hope, an American vessel taking part in the next flotilla bound for Gaza. I recommend reading her article as well.

New Op-Ed piece for L.A. Times

This piece was finished last week for Wes at the L.A. Times, for the Sunday Op-Ed. It accompanied several stories by various authors writing about books: from the ones they had finally gotten around to reading, to the novels they will probably never finish.


It was awesome working with Wes again. The stories were online, but now I can't seem to find them. If I end up locating the page, I'll return the link.

NY Times Op-Ed

I got a call from Alexandra Zsigmond at the NY Times last week, with an opportunity to do a small piece for the letters section. The fun thing about doing Op-Ed work for the Times is that you usually only have a few hours to do it. OK, so it's fun AND very challenging. This particular piece was to accompany letters written in response to a recent article that showed that hospitals have not made many improvements in safety over the past decade. The basic idea: how to fix the hospitals. My solution:


I like it because it's very simple and graphic. Simplicity is especially nice when you only have a few hours, start to finish. Thanks again, Alexandra!

NY Times Op-Ed Piece

I got a call from Alexandra Zsigmond from the NY Times last week, to do a quick illustration for the Op-Ed page. My piece accompanied the letters in yesterday's Sunday Times, responding to a recent article on the culture of poverty. Alexandra thought it would be best not to focus on the roots of poverty, but instead show the struggle to escape it. Read the responses here. Thank you again, Alexandra.


I also had an illustration in the Boston Globe Magazine last weekend. The article's author, a Republican, is torn between supporting her party and her best friend, who is running for office as a Democrat. I worked with Grant Staublin on this job. Thanks, Grant!