We’ve booked the judges for the 2007 Houston Show - they’re a great group of people looking forward to seeing the work entered in the Show. The board is thrilled to get this talent down to Houston.
Jude Buffum | http://www.judebuffum.com | http://headcasedesign.com
Jude Buffum is better known as the beard-sporting half of Philadelphia-based design and illustration duo Headcase Design, whose work has been featured in such publications as Graphis, Communication Arts, Print, and American Illustration. He has designed books for such pop-culture phenomena as the Broadway show “Wicked” and HBO’s “The Sopranos”, as well as the best-selling book The Baby Owner’s Manual. An alumnus of the Tyler School of Art (where he has been teaching since 2001), Jude has also forged his own style of painting inspired by the pixelated 8-bit graphics of classic video games and created a line of pixelated plush art toys called “BiTZ”, both of which have been exhibited in galleries from Philadelphia to Los Angeles.
Chris Buzelli | http://chrisbuzelli.com
Chris Buzelli was born and raised outside of Chicago and on the waters of Lake Michigan. After graduating from Rhode Island School of Design, Chris moved to New York City to start his career as an illustrator. His oil paintings have appeared in many publications including Rolling Stone, TIME, Playboy, New York Times and PLANSPONSOR Magazine. Chris has also collaborated on numerous projects with design firms and agencies including Saatchi and Saatchi, Cole & Weber United, Arc Worldwide, Fallon, and BDM. Recent projects include ad campaigns for, United Airlines, Seattle Woodland Zoo and The Tropen Museum in Amsterdam; decals for Vespa Scooters; a wine label for St. Supery; and a CD cover for CBS records. Chris also shows his work in various exhibitions and galleries throughout the country. He currently teaches a class at RISD and lives in NYC with his wife SooJin and their dog Sota.
Mary Fallon | http://www.catalyststudios.com
Mary Fallon is Senior Art Director at Catalyst Studios in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mary has over 13 years of experience in the design world. Starting out as an illustrator for clients like General Electric, Psychology Today and the Chicago Tribune, she eventually founded her own design business, Papasea. She was looking for something new when Catalyst Studios snatched her up. Catalyst is known for providing not just good design but first and foremost a strong base of strategy and ideating, and Mary continues to be their go-to AD in this capacity. She also brings to the job a sense of fashion and a deep understanding of emerging technologies and how they can be tapped and twisted into unexpected strategies for clients such as Target, Kohl’s, Best Buy, and O.P.I. Nail Lacquer. As Catalyst’s clients put it, “We hire Catalyst Studios because you give us ideas that nobody else can.” Mary is a big part of this, continually problem solving, ideating and creating in a new, fresh and exhilarating way.
Chris Silas Neal | http://www.redsilas.com
Christopher Silas Neal is an illustrator and designer, born in Texas and raised in Florida and Colorado. His work has been published by a variety of magazines and book publishers and, has been recognized by Communicatin Arts, American Illustration, AIGA, Society of Illustrators, Society of Publication Designers, Art Directors Club of Denver, Print Magazine and Society of News Designers. He exhibits drawings at various galleries across the country. He currently works and lives in Brooklyn and teaches Illustration at Pratt Institute.
Gary Ness | http://www.8streetstudio.com
Gary Ness is a photographer working in Minneapolis, Mn. He holds an MFA in photography from the University of Minnesota and has an extensive regional and national exhibition record. He received a Film in the Cities Photography Fellowship in 1986 and his work is in collections at the Minnesota Historical Society, Cedar Arts Forum Collection in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and in the University of Northern Iowa permanent collection. He has taught photography through the University of Minnesota School of Art, the Minnesota Center for Photography, and the Complete Scholar program at the University of Minnesota. For the past 17 years, he has been working in commercial photography. He is currently the Director of Photography for 8th Street Studio - a commercial studio specializing in food, fashion, and product photography. His clients include Target, Red Wing Shoe, ShopNBC, and numerous agencies. He loves the endless creative possibilities of photography and is always looking for new ways to see the commonplace. He lives with his wife and four children in Minneapolis.
