SEEK: Audrey

Do you have friends in SF - tell them to find Audrey! Like I said on twitter - she's chilling down at the Boulevard!
Tell me you know about SEEK?
It's my summer scavenger hunt! 23 boxes hidden around the world. These are the same type of pieces we have been giving such artists as: Elton John, Billy Joel, Dane Cook, Jamie Foxx, Aerosmith and soon we will be giving one to Paul McCartney... More about SEEK and what you can win here.

aerosmith art - done

Aerosmith art complete! Overall I am really stoked on how it turned out. I will be honest, painting 5 at once was a little difficult. But it's for Aerosmith!!!! That's rad. If any of you are wondering what method I use, I keep it real = Tried and true stenciling = I sketch out the artists from a photo onto a normal piece of paper - then I remove as much as possible from the drawing - I like to keep it minimal - which is also the reason I only use one color - I then cut each stencil by hand using an xacto knife [I have so many xacto knives, I should be sponsored - I have been using this technique for over 10 years now] - I then put the stencil over the distressed jewelry box [which is another HOW TO] and put down one color of aerosol paint and I'm very particular as to where I hit the stencil with spray, it's not an even coat...
Screen printing would be so much easier. But consider me a purist. I want each piece to be an interpretation, I don't want to copy and recreate something.
I hope they love it! Now I have to jump in the shower and get ready to photograph them + ZZ Top.
Oh - and the best for last - here is a quick photo I took of the cuffs Spexton created for Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and company! They are incredible: *don't mind the paint on my hand.

aerosmith art and rain

The Aerosmith project has turned out to be a lot of work... 5 boxes for one event.
Trying to sketch out all the faces was a task. Especially since Tom, one of the bandmates, has been replaced for a few shows [medical] and the gentlemen filling in for him doesn't have many images on the world wide web.
I was able to prep all the boxes while I was sketching and cutting out the portraits.
I'm exhausted.
Here is a look at the cut stencils: [hand cut I might add]
And it's raining.

mad men

A well thought out and executed campaign for MADMEN - You can recreate yourself as a swanky 60's advertising executive - here. I was bored with organizing my office so I took a moment to create my own. I then placed him in my studio:
I recommend you do the same.
I've been organizing so I apologize for how slow duanefernandez.com has been as of late. I should be done soon. Perhaps by tomorrow afternoon. Then game on.
I'm eating a banana and it's delicious.
Keep up the good work kids.

monday mentions

1. I took this photo while up in Colorado a few weeks back. Salida to be exact. It's gorgeous up there. I forgot how much I love mountain communities. I spent a few years up in Flagstaff Arizona and I learned that mountain life is a lot like island life. People appreciate the finer things. Life is a little slower. Prettier. Healthier.
This particular photo was taken in downtown - it is the Arkansas river. Which coincidentally runs right through Tulsa. [But doesn't look nearly as pretty as this.] I wanna go back.
2. If you haven't had a chance to read my latest interview with jeffstaple on the Left Field Project site. I recommend you do so.
3. This week is a big week. Lots of organizing. This Fall has a lot in store and I want to efficiently glide through it. I want to enjoy every moment.
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."
4. It's Monday. Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
5. SEEK - Are you ready?
6. Speaking of SEEK, one of the lucky winners sent back their "report". [Long story short, you think you know about SEEK, but you really don't. There is much more to it than just finding an incredible gift. It's about..... Well, you will see.] Anyway Stephanie, the proud owner of the Woody Guthrie box here in Tulsa, dropped off her "report" and I had to share something she wrote:
"Never wish your life away. We are always pining for that next step in our lives. We want 5 p.m. to be here now, we want our weekend to be here now. We want everything to be now. and when immediate gratification isn't achieved, we are unhappy. So, stop. Take a look around. Realize that you are where you are now, and nothing will change that. Be happy. If I have learned anything in my lifetime, it's that we are never guaranteed a tomorrow. One uncherished moment is a wasted memory. Life is simply too short to complain or wish away. Love it, live it and enjoy what you have, while you have it...."
7. Remember all the wonderful things about life this week. Don't rush through it. Slow it down.
Smile.

white water

I love white water rafting. I need more of it in my life. I'm thinking about doing a 4 day trip next summer. This flick was from last weekend. The morning before my brothers wedding in Colorado. All of us [just the dudes] got together and did a quick 4 hour trip down the Arkansas River - It was awesome.

back home

The last two months have been intense.
Lots of traveling and lots of work.
I'm sad that it is all over.
Lil Parrott sent me this photo over the weekend titled "Monsoons."
Very rad. I love seeing the Marshall Atlas in Arizona. I remember detailing this illustration almost two years ago while watching Sunday Night Football with Becky and the Phrizz... I couldn't wait to see the illustrations dropped into Tina's label design. Now they are in full production and all over the country. That's pretty cool.
Parrott, thanks for the photo. I miss the monsoons...
As the traveling unwinds, I'm a little sad.
I miss all my friends.

BP and I just got back from Salida Colorado.
We had a wonderful time.... [heavy sigh]
Shane and Marnie's wedding was beautiful!
I took lots of photos and will post some as soon as I knock out some work.

Have a fantastic Monday kids!

I will

I will buy one of these in October. Maybe two.
They are nice.

woody guthrie festival

Woody fest was perfect.
This year we spent a lot of time enjoying the music.
People watching was incredible.
We ate lots of good food.
When was the last time you had an organic burrito [sans any meat] made by hippies on the tailgate of a truck?
One of the best burritos I have ever had. AND I'm pretty sure the only thing that was cooked, was the rice. It contained: Rice, beans, home made pico de gallo, sour cream and okie grown squash.
It was stupid good.
Shortly after ordering the burrito a Scottish gentlemen walked up and picked up chef's guitar and started playing Woody Guthrie songs. It was my favorite 5 minutes of the trip.
I promise you.... This week, today, this hour... You are going to take your life a little too seriously. You shouldn't.
Woody fest is a great reminder that life is about passion and not status and money.
Numerous times throughout the weekend I was reminded of how easy life can be.
Do what you love and love what you do. Everything else just falls into place. One way or another.
I thought about something I read a few weeks ago:
"If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative." - Woody Allen
I could get into semantics here, and I won't.
But what does failure mean to you? And are you uncomfortable with it? I think most people are. But how do we grow if we do not fail? I've said it a many time. I will fail. I hope never to fail because of blind negligence, but I am sure as aware as I try to be, I will. And that's OK. I push the limits pretty hard and as a result I will fall on my face plenty.
Every artist I saw this weekend was incredible! I might not appreciate every one of them artistically, but technically they were superb. They were happy.
I learned a lot this weekend.
On the last day we went back down to Brickstreet (my favorite place in Okemah) to support an event that the locals were throwing to raise money for a beautiful little girl that has been diagnosed with bone cancer.
She is 15.
Seeing this small town rally together to raise money for her was quite beautiful.
A pie auction.
A rather delicious fundraiser.
A very talented singer/songwriter from Okemah provided the upbeat and energetic ambiance.
Okemah is my favorite place in Oklahoma. And most would grin at those words. But it is true. It's a town with a rich history and an unfortunate present. In the root definition of the word: No fortune. A non thriving community.
Since my first trip to Okemah I could see that there is a lot of pride in this almost forgotten town. There is also a lot of heart.
I often wonder why people stay in these small towns which are sprinkled along the interstates, so far from the city.
Maybe it is just that.
So who is really fortunate here?


Perspective.
My thoughts are with this young girl in Okemah.
I pray she will be happy.

He loved it

I took this photo last night...
I've been a huge fan of Jamie Foxx for over 20 years - as a stand up comedian, as an actor and as a musician. What he has been able to accomplish is rather remarkable. Getting a chance to meet him was insane. To have the opportunity to create something for him - even more insane...
He really loved it.
He was digging on the box and when he saw the cuff he was absolutely stoked on it! He put it on immediately and wore it the rest of the night...
Pretty rad.
I couldn't do this without Nate and Greg over at Spexton - with every project they go above and beyond. Thank you for all your hard work.

Jamie Foxx

Getting ready for the Jamie Foxx concert tonight!
Here is the box I painted for Mr. Foxx:
Here is the cuff that Spexton designed to go in the box:
Spexton is really really really good. If you need any jewelry you should check them out first. I'm a huge fan of their cuff's and rings!
I hope Jamie likes it! I'll let you know.

#TGE - starts now

I feel like we are moving closer to an intangible world. And that sucks.
Let’s change that.
I am starting #TGE [Twitter Gift Exchange] right now.
I need something fun to do in between all the #SEEK madness.
This is what I am doing.
I will post random #TGE requests on twitter. The person who happens to "win" that request will receive a care package.
I think we need more care packages in our world.

Care packages will include:
A book.
A mix CD.
A letter.
A few random gifts.
Stickers.
A tee shirt.
And a few other things.

In return, the recipient can send me whatever he or she wants to...

But most importantly, I encourage everyone to do it!
Let's make life a little more tangible.

4th of July!

We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend in Grand Lake with our good friends the Vogel's. Thanks again for being awesome and having such a rad family.
They have this incredible cabin tucked away in a beautiful cove. In this first photo I am standing on the lower porch looking down at their dock. Lots of stairs. About seven flights of stairs...
Why use the stairs when you can use this lift!
Probably the coolest thing I have ever seen. Geese are pretty.
And beggars.
Before the firework celebration some vintage war planes did their best Top Gun impersonation. Scary low over thousands of boats. Sketch in my book. But cool from where I was sitting.
Just so you know, it takes seven Coronita's to play one game of beer pong...
Our friends have an adorable chocolate lab that will play fetch in the water for days. Chance is his name. And Chance uses the dock ladder... He's pretty cool. And environmentally conscious.

complete the dream

Incredible cinematography. Great message and purpose. I love campaigns that have this human element to them. Your momma couldn't execute successful branding like this:

Honda "The Power of Dreams"...
Damn that is good.

Lake Havasu - Home

I'm trying to get caught up! The last few weeks have been insane. I'm about two weekends behind on my blog so I'm going to bombard you with images. A few weeks ago I took my brother out to Lake Havasu for his bachelor party. The weekend also coincided with PDUB weekend so we were able to spend some much needed quality time with my friends. The PDUB weekend is very special to my west coast family. It is a weekend we set aside every summer to commemorate our best friend Powell. We do this by getting out on the lake and having an incredible weekend. Just as he would have done. Another year without our best friend... And it just doesn't get any easier.

We were stoked to have perfect weather.
No one got hurt. Well, no one got terribly injured.
We missed our friends that couldn't be there...
We celebrated Powell's life and I think he was proud.
We missed you buddy...

NC was nice

Here are a few of my favorite photos from my east coast trip.

Fabricated trees are pretty rad. Little C loves cars. I love Little C. Baseball. Beautiful sunset in Durham.
Tom says it's rare. Remote flash x TomI love books. Great photo we came across at UNC. My BFF is really really really smart.
I'm proud of him. A whale's skull. About 4-5 ft. long. Tom is crabby. As cliche as it gets.Yep. The cutest fam ever. I love the beach. The end.

change

A year ago I saw an opportunity in the market place and jumped in. After spending the last year evaluating the opportunities before me, making notes, doing research, drilling down into my soul and reading and reading and reading and reading, I know that I have finally outlined a successful course. It has taken some time, but the journey has been pretty rad. "If you think you know, you have no idea..." [thank you for the sweet quote MTV - Diary]
With that being said, thanks for the unwavering support friends!
Let's get started!

my nc trip

I just got home from a project in Little Rock and I am ready to relax. I promise to upload more photos from my travels in the next few days, but I really wanted to post this one. I'd like to thank my best friends for a fabulous time in North Carolina. Thomas and Coco you guys are amazing and I'm not sure what I would do without the two of you... Actually, the three of you...
Love you guys and thank you. Miss you.