James Lochner, who is from Cherokee, Iowa, in the US, has lived in the Cayman Islands for two years. He works predominately in the medium of graphite and colored pencil illustration. He also works in gouache, acrylic, pastels and oil painting. James completed an associates degree in Outdoor Advertising in 1987 and has since pursued additional education in illustration and computer graphics at Lansing Community College and Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. The Big Draw KY 2012 was a successful introduction for James, allowing him to showcase his work at the National Gallery as well as Camana Bay. This exposure brought about the commission of a painting for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) based in the UK.
James contends that the Big Draw KY has also been a vital motivational force driving him to be a better artist and illustrator.
"Getting the exposure to other artists, and people who love art, and seeing their reaction to my work helps me see the potential of my work and drives me to continually improve. I do art for the love of it, but I also create art to get a reaction whether good or bad. Everyone has different tastes. The goal is to find people who have a taste for my work. The only way to do that is to get out there and show it and that is what the Big Draw KY is all about."- James Lochner
Floetry - Slam Drawn
On October 17, Books & Books partnered with Lady Rabia to host a special Floetry event for Big Draw KY 2012, called Slam Drawn. Designed to inspire “impulsive creativity”, participants were presented with a collection of drawings and then challenged to write a short poem that incorporated their interpretation of each image. The results were astounding with powerful poems being created on impulse.
Featured Poet: Tara Abdul-Jabbar
Lost Souls
Ugly face, wild wind, You and the evil-beaked nose moon stand guardians, Over the tombstones Of lost souls. Black-eyed death angel, With soft feathers and elongated beak. Say something, Say something evil bird, Let me hear you speak.
Tell me of the two-brained alien mother, Who weeps for the lost soul Of her winged half-breed, human-hearted child, Tell me of the faceless, grudge sisters Who play in the water of life.