Hello everyone and welcome back. It has been a little longer than I wanted with this blog post but I have been crazy busy getting ready for my summer shows. A quick recap, In May I did two shows back to back weekends. The first one being in Allen, TX, over Mother's day weekend. It was a lot hotter than normal but I got a lot of good advice from my booth mates who have been doing shows for years. The following weekend I drove out to Midland, TX, where I meet a lot of very nice people and it was a wonderful show! After my Midland show me and my dad drove up to Pueblo Colorado to get the rest of my things out of storage from when I graduated college. That meant getting a ton of books and my bookcase! In the last two weeks, I have been working hard getting new prints done and stocking up for my upcoming shows. I will be driving up to Minnesota doing two shows there as well as hiking part of the Superior Hiking Trail! Then I will be home for a week to resupply and head up to Colorado where I have a show in Manitou Springs and get to spend time with my good friend and roommate from college!

So this will be my last blog post for a while. While I am on the road I will be trying to do some videos an hopefully making a vlog of the trip for you all and once I am back I will have a couple of post about the trip. Since I will be gone for so long I am leaving you some of my favorites books/graphic novels I have read recently.

First a long time favorite artist of mine John James Audubon. He was an American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his extensive studies documenting all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats. His major work, a color-plate book entitled The Birds of America (1827–1839), is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. Audubon identified 25 new species. He has been an inspiration for me since 3rd or 4th grade when I started drawing birds. I definitely encourage you to look him up and see his work.

If your looking for a good fantasy read then you should check out David Petersen's Mouse Guard series. There are currently 3 volumes out and a fourth coming later this year! The artwork is amazing and Petersen expands a world so close to the ground. The series begins with the Fall of 1152 and follows three mouse guards as they search for a missing merchant...

Jeff Lemire ROYALl CITY has been one of my favorite reads. I am currently reading the second volume now! ROYAL CITY charts the lives, loves, and losses of a troubled family and a vanishing town across three decades. Patrick Pike, a fading literary star who reluctantly returns to the once-thriving factory town where he grew up, is quickly drawn back into the dramas of his two adult siblings, his overbearing mother, and his brow-beaten father, all of whom are still haunted by different versions of his youngest brother, Tommy, who drowned decades ago.

Some other books/graphic novels I recommend

March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, & Nate Powell
Origin by Dan Brown
Grass Kings by Matt Kindt & Tyler Jenkins
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling... Currently re-reading, on book 5 and listening to the podcast
"Dear Mr. Potter"
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

New Prints

I hope you will get to enjoy some of those books while I am away! Do you have any recommendations or favorite books of yours? comment below and I will check them out! Since I will be leaving my shop will stay open but any orders placed after June 11 will not be shipped until July 18. In the meantime, you can use the code SUMMER18 to save 18% on all orders! If you want to stay updated with me while on traveling you can follow me on Instagram! Have a good summer friends and I will be back in July,

Bryan.

P.S. we have a wren family that moved into our backyard! Here is a "parent" wren bringing food back for the little ones : ]