SNS Opens in T-6 days!

Just a quick post to say we've raised over $15,500!

Keep up the good work, we're over half way to our goal!!!

Now, it's time to stop looking back at the starting line and start looking ahead...

The Screens 'N' Spokes 2008 Art Show is opening in less than a week! We'd love to see you at one of the openings in Philly and Ardmore!

Please email screensnspokes@gmail.com with any questions and please bring all your friends and family to the show!

In other news, two weekends ago, a bunch of SNSers went out to Lancaster County for a ride through the Amish cornfields...we all made it to the finish line (OK, so what if I was overtaken by a horse-and-buggy and was the LAST RIDER ON THE ROAD - I rode 63 very hilly miles and it felt GREAT!) Pictures to come...

This weekend, Mara, Matthew and I plan to ride from Park Slope to Coney Island...and Ellen, Sam and I may do a "Donut Derby" fun ride in the Lehigh Valley on Labor Day Monday (time deductions for every donut eaten)...we'll be sure to post pictures as they are available!

Screens 'N' Spokes Bike Team Update: We broke $10,000

Site Coordinator Bradley Harris checks in with another Team Screens 'N' Spokes update:

Our team just broke the $10,000 barrier in the last 24 hours! Last year it took Team Screens 'N' Spokes until the week before the ride to reach that mark, so we are well ahead of that pace.

I would especially like to single out Danny Bedrossian for being the first member 18 or under to surpass the minimum requirement with an excellent $350. Ian Harris has really turned on the fundraising jets in the past couple weeks, skyrocketing to leading the team with $2,400 raised.

However, while some members of our team have been working diligently, others have been slacking. Many teammates still have not started their fundraising at all, and our team is quickly falling behind numerous smaller family and friends teams. In order to reach our goal of donating $30,000 to assisting people with multiple sclerosis, each team member is going to have to do their part...get to it, team!

Finally, last night was the annual Rookie Riders' Expo at Penns Landing. Caryn Harris hosted a Team Screens 'N' Spokes table, and reported back that the night was a great success in publicizing the team and the art show openings. We took a bunch of the 2008 posters as well as some favorites from 2007, and other team captains were willing to let their teams know about the art shows - we gave away all the flyers we printed! We also gained at least one new rider through the Expo, bringing our team to 31 riders. Good job Caryn, you're a superstar!

Screens 'N' Spokes: Mike Munter

Mike Munter - Springfield, PA
Mike is an artist whose work I've just become familiar with. Designing show posters for a number of venues around Philadelphia (Starlight Ballroom, First Unitarian Church), Mike has been combining both spray paint and the screen printing process to amazing effects. This piece features 9 layers of spray paint and 7 screens of color on wild cherry colored paper. It's also site specific. That's the Wonderland Pier in the background on the boardwalk of Ocean City, where Team Screens 'N' Spokes will finish on day one of the City to Shore Ride.

Screens 'N' Spokes: Jay Ryan

Jay Ryan - Chicago, IL
Last year Jay pulled together a team of animals from the menagerie in his mind, striving for the finish line. The bear from that print has left his buddies this year, but he sure has gained speed. Determined, and as Jay said, "well-intentioned," it looks like the bear is shooting for light speed. To top it off, the bear is nearly life-sized! Well, almost. The print measures a whopping 25 5/8" x 33 3/8".

Screens 'N' Spokes: strawberryluna

strawberryluna - Pittsburgh, PA
Screenprinting is often about working with a limited color pallete, and making the final piece greater than the sum of its parts. strawberryluna really brings this to the forefront with her print this year. Utilizing only two colors and some large halftones as a gradient she's able to create a print that appears more complicated than it actually is. These colors really pop in person.

Screens 'N' Spokes: Tim Gough

Tim Gough - Philadelphia, PA
Looks like someone has been monkeying around. Whether its pulling squeegees by hand or tinkering with bikes by feet, Tim is helping us on both fronts this year. He's contributing to the art show, and joining Team Screens 'N' Spokes in this year's City to Shore ride.

Screens 'N' Spokes: Hero Design Studio

Hero Design Studio - Buffalo, NY
The folks behind Hero Design have found a great way to represent the entire ride in one fell swoop. With the sea below, the sky above and the city in between, the bike rider keeps going. I love the colors on this one and overlapping semi-transparent layers give it great textures.

Screens 'N' Spokes: Diana Sudyka

Diana Sudyka - Chicago, IL

Yup, it is another fantastic Chicago screenprinter. It is a real hotbed over there. Whether she's painting birds for her Tiny Aviary blog, or drawing bicycles, Diana's illustrations are always beautiful. Complete with a shot of metallic inks (that blue/gray color), I think the gearhead/art enthusiasts out there are really going to love this one.

Screens 'N' Spokes: Drew Millward

Drew Millward - Leeds, England

Drew's totally unique illustrative style caught me off guard the first time I saw his work. He always finds the proper blend of cute and frightening. Who knew that Death rode a girl's bicycle, complete with training wheels and a rainbow basket for his little minions? While many of our prints go for the cute quotient, none have ridden this path.