LINKS AND STUFF

This month has been a little slow on the art side of things. I've been busy trying to get our backyard ready for the boys one year birthday party. I can't believe that these past 9 plus months have gone by quick and that they are growing so fast. So I thought I'd give myself a little head start in preparation for their big day.

So my very first Father's Day came and went a couple of weekends ago. Spent the day in San Diego at a wedding of great friends of ours, Marian and Derrick. Congrats guys! Here is a pic of the boys at the reception, quite a bit bigger now, with some spit up.


As we were leaving the reception, we saw a sight which I'd never thought I'd see. I guess I was showing my art along with some of the painting masters!


The Tamayo is most likely for Rufino Tamayo. When I was very young, we would go down to San Diego often and there were people selling Rufino Tamayo prints in frames by the beach we used to go to. My dad used to tell me it was his paintings and that one day I might get his talent for art, and I actually believed him. Well, I did get some kind of talent for art, but definitely not from him.

So I've been meaning to post some more links to some good friends of mine. First up is my bud Edwin Ushiro. I first met Ed in my final term at Art Center and had the opportunity to befriend him again when he went to work at the same game company I used to work at. After he left, he went on to pursue freelance work, and has made an impact in the gallery world with his amazing art. Here is an amazing piece of his that I was able to snap at a recent show:


Next up is my good friend Ruel Pascual. I was able to befriend him through a mutual friend a few years back. Hi Samir! At the time he was and still is working in the Animation biz, but he recently has been featured in a handful of group shows at Gallery1988. I see pretty amazing things for him. His talent for painting continues to grow every time a see a new piece. And I'm so happy for him that his paintings get bought up pretty quick. Here is a piece from a recent show at Gallery1988 called "Mr. T Party". I wish I could have bought this one. It's just awesome:


So the links are up so check these guys out!

QUIET STORM

I will be in a 4 person show which opens at Gallery1988 Los Angeles at 7PM tomorrow night, 5/26, called Quiet Storm. I am excited to be a part of a show along with the amazing talents of Scott Campbell, Krista Huot, and Ghost Patrol.

So, my mind is constantly filled with thoughts of my wife and my twin boys who are now about 8 months old. Man does time fly! So naturally, when I've been creating art and thinking about concepts for pieces, I use them as a source of inspiration. Most of the pieces in the show pretty much reflect this. Here are a couple of the larger pieces:


I wanted to make an alphabet book for my sons by creating 26 different flowers and showing the letter in cloud form in the image. This will be something of a personal project so I can make a bound and printed book out of it just for my boys to enjoy and see how weird their daddy is. I decided to include A, B, and C for the show, so here is B and its study drawing:

Also, I'm using Puffer Fish to express either how I'm feeling at the time or show things that I enjoy and miss doing since becoming a father. But believe me, I'm not complaining one bit. Having these little guys here is the greatest thing that has happened for us. Here are a couple of examples:


I will be in attendance along with Krista and Scott, so maybe I'll see some of you there!

STREET FIGHTER TRIBITE SHOW-NEW LINKS TO FRIENDS

Gallery Nucleus will be exhibiting a show featuring artwork inspired by Street Fighter, beginning Saturday, April 25.

I have been a huge fan of the games, and I don't even want to know how many quarters I fed into Street Fighter II machines growing up. But this show was a great opportunity to create something fun, and to rekindle fond memories of a game I played many times long ago.

Here is my acrylic on panel painting titled "Path's End":


Thai culture is so vibrant and rich. That's why I had to chose M. Bison and Sagat battling it out in a surreal type, Thailand setting. Also, the fish in the air is a beautiful species you can find there, called Arapaima.

I am also excited to be in a show with great friend, and extremely talented artist John Wu. We became friends working together on titles such as Ratchet and Clank and Resistance: Fall Of Man. He eventually left the company we both worked for at that time, but we have remained good friends.

Also exhibiting at the tribute is another good guy and talented artist who I met at the same job, Kinman Chan. Amazing Concept Artists these guys are, so I wanted to begin putting on links to old friends on my blog starting with these two. More links to come from friends that I've made from my time in the industry and from other friendly and amazing artists I've been fortunate to meet. Check them out!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY GALLERY 1988!

Gallery 1988, which is owned by Katie Cromwell and Jensen Karp, is celebrating the gallery's 5th year of existence this coming Thursday, April 2, with a show called "Idiot Box". The theme is based around the guilty pleasures of TV. Three years ago, I was fortunate enough to exhibit my first piece with them called "Battle For My Affection":


So for me, it's sort of an anniversary of my gallery relationship with them as well. Thinking back fondly to that time, I've created a similar piece called "Another Battle For My Affection" for this show:


So, my relationship with Katie and Jensen began as a patron, after purchasing a beautiful Kawasaki piece from them in 2005. The following year, there was an art contest where the winner would be included in the I AM 8BIT exhibition at Gallery1988. Dreaming of showing my art in their gallery, I put together "Battle For My Affection" and won, much to my surprise! So at drop off, I remember Katie saying something like, "Hey, I know you!". What an honor it was for me as well to find out that Katie later bought my piece! They then took a chance on me in group shows to see how I'd do. After a handful of shows, they asked if I'd like to be represented in Los Angeles and San Francisco through the gallery, and of course, I said yes!

Because of their friendship and support, I have been able to meet so many wonderful people, have been inspired by the art that they surround their galleries with, and have grown as an artist. It's been so much fun to be part of their gallery family, and for that I am truly grateful. I wish them continued success, health, and happiness.

NICE TO GET OUT

I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend and had a nice Valentines Day!

So I've been dealing with an ankle and knee condition for a few weeks, which is slowly getting better for now. It could flair up again, but we'll see. The problem has pretty much disabled me and has kept me couped up in the house and in bed away from the easel and paints. Lots to do because of my physical problems, so time to get back to painting.

During this time, I received a new camera, a Lumix LX3. The camera has a ton of capabilities for a point and shoot that I'm still learning about. I was able to take a few shots here and there while dealing with my illness so I thought I'd share a couple. Valentines Day was the first day I had been able to get out of the house for enjoyment in quite some time, so I took a picture of one of our favorite desserts from our evening. We also took a family day stroll at one of our local outdoor malls yesterday, which was nice. I've got some pics from that as well. Hopefully, more art posts will follow shortly.

Bradley in black and white

Sleepy Tyler

Flourless Chocolate Cake is so good

Tyler and daddy enjoying the fresh air

Mama and the bus

Rainy in SoCal today so Mister is enjoying the dry indoors

THE BEASTIE BOYS SHOW

Happy New Year! The very first show I will be involved with this year is Under The Influence: An Official Tribute to The Beastie Boys at Gallery1988LA, Thursday, January 8. It's going to be a great show with an amazing line-up of artists:


I enjoyed painting a larger piece for Vivisect Playset, so I decided to try even bigger at 40 X 30 with this one. Again, it was a challenge, but I had a great time doing it. I was inspired by the Beastie Boys song Alive. Particularly the positive messages in the song and the imagery from the music video. If you haven't heard the lyrics or seen the video, please check it out.

"Socialize"

Have a great year everyone!

VIVISECT PLAYSET 5

I will be part of the annual group show Vivisect Playset curated by Luke Chueh and Gallery1988. The show opens tonight, 12/5, at Gallery1988's San Fransisco space. The theme for the show is depicting animals in a human situation or conveying human emotions.

The piece I did is the largest piece I've done so far at 32 X 24. I've worried about the results I would have working bigger but I have to say I'm pretty inspired to create more pieces this large or larger in the future. It was a challenge but I found it very enjoyable.

My piece is titled "Fleet" and is the first work that is truly dedicated to my wife and baby boys since they where born. It's based off a drawing called "Fleet Study" I had previously done. I wanted to show a determination and pushing forward in life as we raise our family. My wife Joy is the strength and backbone of the family and I wanted to portray that as our boys are just starting the ride of life and playing along.

"Fleet"