Final day of 9/11 hearings for this session, JAN 31, 2013

Observers watch the 9/11 hearings from the viewing gallery. Col. James L. Pohl, Commissions judge, can be seen on the five monitors overhead. On prosecution side, General Mark Martins is standing and addressing the judge.

 During the course of the hearing the monitors show whomever is speaking at the time on a 40-second delay, while live court-seen through soundproof windows- moves forward in real time.

Today was the final day from this scheduled session. Hearings for Nashiri are next week, and the following week FEB 10-15 the 9/11 hearings will resume.

The Ghost Army: WW2 war artists

An incredible, true story. Two surviving artists live in my area, and a documentary has been made as well as a gorgeous book. Here is a link to the site:
GHOST ARMY

DAY 2 9/11 Hearings in Guantanamo

Today's session in Guantanamo. The five accused chose not to attend, which allowed me to focus on the many others involved in the Commissions such as Walter Ruiz (above),
civilian defense attorney James Connell in black, prosecuting attorney and former NFL player Robert McGovern in blue, and a soldier who was identified in court but I am choosing to not identify here, to be safe. He confirmed the five accused chose voluntarily and knowingly to not attend today's hearing.
We reconvene this coming Thursday JAN 31.

Jan 28, 2013 Day 1 sketching the Guantanamo 9/11 hearings

Today was the first round of hearings in the 9/11 case in 2013, going on Jan 28-31st, with more hearings in Feb and scheduled in April.
This time, three of the detainees wore camp, with KSM sporting a full jacket rather than a vest. The attending victim family members were all open to having me sketch them watching the procedure. In order to capture the scene, I moved to the side and slightly behind them so we can see what they see.
Court ended early for us as they moved into a '505' hearing, which is closed to us. We'll be back in court tomorrow morning.

Recommended reading just out "SHOT" by Amy Ryan

An excellent book/memoir by Amy Ryan, about finding out she had diabetes out of the blue- and how she dealt with it. A great read that grabs and leaves you with a sense of the very real dangers diabetics face daily- and how to live with it.

http://www.amyryanshot.com/buy-the-book 

http://tinyurl.com/a9ucs5lhttp://tinyurl.com/a9ucs5l

January 2013: Artist of the Month at Hopper House

A few select originals and prints are on display at the Edward Hopper House here in Nyack. I've been chosen as 'Artist of the Month'. Nice way to start the New Year. If you're in the area, check it out:

http://www.edwardhopperhouse.org/currently-on-view.html

The Member's Show is up as well, with the opening tomorrow, Sunday Jan. 6th 
from 3-5 pm.

A new year, and a book on 'Sketching Guantanamo"

This year I am pleased to announce that I will be releasing a book of my sketches from Guantanamo. Fantagraphics publishing will be producing the book, with a projected release date for the Fall of this year, 2013. 

The book will contain a forward by Carol Rosenberg, and nearly every sketch from inside the courts from 2007-2012. There are also contributions from some notable individuals involved in the commissions relating to my work, and an opening essay on Omar Khadr by Michelle Shephard.

I am in the final stages of mapping the book out, and will be posting updates on the blog.