Farm Panorama Reveal

Crop of the large  BioMerieux panorama- by Greg Newbold

The client from my recent great advertising project as seen in the previous two posts here and here can finally be revealed. The company that chose me to create all this goodness is called BioMerieux, a French based multi-national corporation with a US division that specializes in testing for biological pathogens.

The Poultry Farmer stand alone image

My particular set of illustrations is for a testing machine and process called Gene Up that tests food products before they go out to market to make sure they are safe and free from any food borne pathogens or contamination. I know, exciting stuff, right? Their previous advertising and that of all their competitors has historically been dominated by photos of dudes in lab coats looking through microscopes and similarly boring imagery. I am hoping that the imagery will soon filter into their website, but print and trade show applications are in full swing.

Left side crop of the panorama

I think it will be refreshing to see something different and unique in this industry. I believe the response will be a very positive one for BioMerieux, one that will definitely distinguish them from their competitors. These illustrations will debut at a large trade show coming up this week, so I am excited to see how my imagery will be used in the BioMerieux booth space and hear how it is received.

Full Panorama size is 37.5 inches wide at 400 dpi!

The giant panorama will dominate the backdrop of the booth and the other images will also be used at large size. The kicker will be a twelve foot circle of sky suspended above the whole setup, Sounds cool, I can't wait to see pictures. Anyway, there you have it.

The final reveal from the best project of the year, or recent years, for that matter. Thanks BioMerieux, as well as Preston Wood and Kim Sorrentino at Love Communications for making this project such a pleasure to work on. Knock 'em dead at the show!

More From the Farm

Last post I mentioned that my recent huge project included nine pieces, well, here are three more to enjoy. I had a blast working on these and think they turned out especially nice.

Once again, these are for a multi national company in a field where the pictorial and advertising norm includes dudes in lab coats looking very stuffy as they gaze into microscopes and stuff like that. I am fairly convinced that this approach will garner more notice than their competitors.

Thrust In Your Sickle

Thrust in Your Sickle- 11" x 17"  digital, by Greg Newbold.

This recent illustration is a reminder to me that you are most likely to get what you work the hardest for. Farm iconography has always been appealing to me. Probably because as a young man growing up, I had many opportunities to work the land. We cared for animals, gardened and hauled hay. There was always some project or another that needed to be done and my Dad taught us all to work hard and do the job right. When time came for harvest, I quickly learned that you reap what you sow. If you didn't weed, water or fertilize well enough throughout the growing season, plants struggled. I am grateful to him for his example and gentle (or not so gentle if we were too grumpy about the task at hand) encouragement. He once said that he never worried about me making my way as an artist because he saw how much I loved art and how hard I worked at it. I am a firm believer that talent only takes you so far and the rest is just plain hard work. Though it is still a challenge, I credit my for Dad for showing me that a job worth doing is worth doing well and right.

Evening Turn

Evening Turn - Acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20"

Shadows fall across the farmer's fields as his evening water turn begins. It will be a long night as he regulates the flow of water to his newly planted crop. This painting was done several years back as a personal piece. I remember taking water turns with my father during my youth. We would take the weir wheel to the canal at the appointed hour and turn our share of water into the ditch. It would then take a little time for the water to go from the headgate to our garden plot. It was sometimes tricky to regulate the flow so that the water didn't flood the crops.The painting was in a few shows off and on and then I'd rehang it in my studio bathroom . Finally last spring I sold it as a result of a joint gallery show I had with my friend David Meikle. Guess it won't be hanging in the bathroom anymore.

American Nostalgia Exhibit

Crimson Harvest- by Greg Newbold; 13.5" x 24" Acrylic

I have been invited to participate in an exhibit celebrating the iconic American themes popularized by Norman Rockwell. The show is titled "American Nostalgia: Contemporary Artists and Illustrators Reinterpret the Traditional Themes of Norman Rockwell" and will run from July 7 to September 25th, 2011 at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton California. I am one of the forty contemporary artists that have been asked to contribute a couple of pieces to the show. Anytime my work can be mentioned in the same breath as Norman Rockwell, I am pleased. the Museum describes the show as follows:

More than thirty years after his death, iconic American artist Norman Rockwell’s art is still enormously popular. This invitational group exhibition examines the enduring themes represented in the art of Norman Rockwell–patriotism, family and the American ideal–through the works of 40 contemporary artists and illustrators.

More info at The Muck's  website