On April 22nd, guest artist Dan Blakeslee visited MassArt and gave a presentation of his work to  Mark Reusch’s section of Sophomore Illustration and Lisa Kennedy’s Digital Illustration class.  Dan’s a well-known New England artist and musician, and has created hundreds of concert and event posters, as well as illustrations for the book, advertising, and snowboard industries.

Dan’s most iconic image in recent years is the “Hearts Over Boston” scratchboard illustration he created on the day of the Boston Marathon bombings.  After posting it on Facebook, it was shared countless times and became an emblem of Boston’s spirit in the wake of the tragedy.  Working with local screenprinters, including MassArt alum Dave DiAngelis’ Emulsion Apparel, the illustration was reproduced on t-shirts and signed prints that raised $20,000 for the One Fund.
Dan’s talk dealt with his experiences as a Maryland  illustration student during the 90s, to his first freelance jobs, and his later work for Burton Snowboards, the Alchemist Brewery in Vermont, and designing cd covers.  The MassArt illustration students got to view Dan’s process work for many assignments, as well as several of his hand-drawn alphabet fonts.