| Featured Artist: Michael Wertz Michael Wertz's work ranges from rich pastels on paper to digital
collages, with everything in-between: he has been known to work
with collage, acrylic, screen prints, and gocco prints. His work is expressive and bright, with an unusual sense of color
and line. His eye-popping illustrations have appeared in numerous
editorial publications, several books, greeting cards, and in
advertising campaigns. Michael has won numerous awards from Communication Arts, American
Illustration, and the Society of Illustrators. Additionally, Michael's
unique working methods have been profiled in Step-By-Step, IDN
(Japan), Electronic Publishing, and Step-By-Step Electronic. Mr.
Wertz is the coordinator for Illustration powerhouse Monster,
whose self-promotion work was featured in the pages of HOW magazine.
He has twice received a National Recognition Award from the Graphic
Artists Guild. Michael's website is
a hotbed of activity. Not only does it house his online portfolio,
but in 2000, Michael added to the site by completing 100 dog drawings
for his "dog blog". Why dogs? "I love dogs. I'm one of those people who embarrasses himself
in public, rolling on the sidewalk with dogs. It's like my parental
urges kick in, and I just want to take every single dog I see
on the street home with me and set it up in a little bed with
some chew toys." Michael is now combing his way through 100 drawings for the "wig
blog". Some of Michael's clients include: The New Yorker, Chronicle
Books, the San Francisco International Film Festival, Pac-Bell
Park, Levi-Strauss, 415 Productions, Hewlett-Packard, McCann Erickson,
America One, the Utne Reader, Nike, Parenting, San Francisco Magazine,
and the San Francisco Opera. Mr. Wertz has a BA in French Language and Culture from the University
of California at Santa Cruz and a BFA in Illustration from the
California College of Arts and Crafts. Michael lives and works in Oakland with his partner, musician
and programmer Andrew Cowitt and their new dog Olive. All artwork © 2002 Michael Wertz. Not to be used without
permission.
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