New Drawing Added!

Here's another drawing I made for my pen and sharpies series.  In this particular drawing I focus on rectagular shapes and emphasize gesture with gesso and quickness of the applied color.  The gesso becomes part of the composition too and I think it has a nice subtle feeling to it.  Hopefully you can enjoy this one like I enjoyed making it :)  I'm about to unertake my most ambitious project yet.  The 6 foot drwaing done all in pens.  I;m thinkng about a circular explosion for the first big drawing :D

Pets

Last week was one of the toughest weeks in my life.  I had to say good-bye to my dog Bubbles who was put to sleep on thursday because of ferocious cancer that she developed in her hips.  I only had Bubbles for 3 years but it sure feels like more than that.  Everyday I grew accustomed to her greetings when I arrived home from work or seeing her behind the door crack of the backyard.  She was always there and spending time with her always reduced any bad things that were happening during those times.  Some people don't understand why I miss her so much since she was only a pet.  But I think it's because she grew to be part of the family and I'm glad she did. Anyways I just had share this with everyone specially people that own pets.  There's nothing wrong with allowing your pets to become a part of your life :)

On other news I've been drawing up the rest of the new series and decided to buy a big piece of flat smooth wood for the 6 ft drawing I'm about to start.  It's gonna take a lot of time and confidence just to get through working a 6 foot tall piece of white drawing paper.  The end result I hope is delicate and unique! If you haven't checked yet I post pictures, sometimes of random art, I do on my twitter box to the right ---->  If you have a twitter account feel free to follow ;)

 

URBAN ROCKSTAR at Mama Buzz Cafe

Last Friday was the opening ceremony for my and Lovekin's show URBAN ROCKSTAR at Mama Buzz Cafe.  It was a crazy week all in all. I had to go back to the cafe fix the lights at one point and throughout the week I was trying to print out my business cards.  I actually had them printed out at Kinko's which was a dreadful experience.  They had to reprint my cards 3 times because there were serious quality issues in the printing.  The cards came out good but I think I'll have them printed somewhere else if I need more.  If anyone is wondering where I would recommend Modern Postcard or even Psprint.  The show ran smoothly and there was cheap beer only $2.  I drank one bottle.  Many people I knew showed up which made me very content and it was nice seeing all the Oakland crowd.  I even got interviewed by a reporter from the Piedmont Post :) and I loved my outfit choice.  Here are some photos of the show for those of who wish were there.  Hope to see you next time!  

URBAN ROCKSTAR: The Set Up

This Sunday was the day me and Lovekin set up for our show, URBAN ROCKSTAR, that'll be part of first friday this upcoming friday.  We both decided to take 2 walls each and I thought of decorating the space but since Lovekin has tons of art the place didn't need any extra things :)  The whole set up came out looking very nice but some of the lights were not working so half of the paintings are not lit up.  We should have that problem covered by friday.  While transporting the artwork from my car to the gallery I passed by this KOREAN PLAZA place on Telegraph Ave.  I love asian chips so I went inside and bought some. I bought one that had portuguese writing on it along with the asian characters.  I also bought these really oily steamed buns that gave me a headache later that day.  Anyways here are some pictures from the set up.  Enjoy!

I didn't update my blog in two weeks because I was so busy dealing with the show and all.   I'll resume my weekly posting schedule after the opening woo hoo!

Looking for an Opening Outfit

My show is coming up and it just hit me that I don't have anything cool to wear.  I usually don't care about clothing but because it's the opening and there'll be people that potentially want to meet with me I  have got to present myself properly.  I was thinking of different outfits but I can't think of any outfits that would go well with this event.  I know people in Oakland usually dress very grunge and punk like and my art has a little bit of that taste.  But how can I translate it to an outfit?  I went to San Jose to find answers and came up with a couple of solutions.  I think I might do the vest thing you know?  Like a dress shirt and a vest with some jeans cool belt and shoes.  This style is getting overdone though so I have to find a really weird vest that would break the cycle.  Another idea I had was to find patterned everything.  Blazer, dress shirt, pants, with solid black socks and patterned shoes and black gloves.  When I talk about patterned I mean super patterned almost to the point of being tacky but still having it balance somehow.  The idea is to have me look like a big piece of fabric walking around. the last thing I thought of was to wear something weirdly simple and modern as a way of asserting myself in the art world but having this hidden idea that I already passed modernity  with my hair style.  It's confusing but trust me it would work.  I found nothing of the sort at the mall and everything was super expensive.  We'll see what actually happens to my outfit at the day of the opening now won't we? ;)

Another problem the show has sprung up for me is redesigning the space.  I really like the black floor but I think it is my duty as an artist and philanthropist to spread my essence on the window and the back- ugly- wall.  We also need to find a DJ if anyone wants a gig this is the perfect time to send in a sample to me via email ;)

URBAN ROCKSTAR- The Buzz has Started!

Yes it's coming very soon.  I have already started some buzz for my show at the Mama Buzz Cafe in Oakland and right next to this text is what the postcards will look like.  The other artist, as you may or may not know, is James Lovekin and he's a pretty cool guy.  His art is both stylistically and conceptually connected to mine.  WE are both inspired by subcultures and use imagery from street art.  I don't think we replicate it, we are just inspired by it.  His work also shares that rebellious feeling and spontaneity I always talk about.  I think it will be a very sweet show and Irene Ross, the curator, was wise to pair us together.  Just by seeing both sample pieces you can see how well they hang together!  I'm not sure if we are going to hang our paintings side by side.  Could work out great but it's still a hovering thought.  What do you guys think? :)

I'm including a new painting for this new show which I think will add something new to the already existing series "Verses."  I painted this after an exhausting day of driving and working and going to school and having to go to work in the morning again with only 2 hours and 15 minutes of sleep.  I somehow felt like I was losing control and that something bigger was taking over and I thought about how unfortunate it would be if someone was in the same position but got caught in this spiral.  I asked to  not be scheduled in the morning anymore and tried to get at least 6 hours of sleep daily.

Dead squirrels and Attitude

So I was walking my dog Bubbles the other day and in the middle of our walk we came across a dead squirrel.  Unlike most dead squirrels this one did not have any tire marks on it or was completely hard like most of them are when you find them dead on the street.  It was just lying there back on the ground and looking up to the sky.  I assumed it fell from the lamp post but my sister who was next to me said "you're an idiot."  A couple of days later I came across another dead squirrel but this one was in front of the driveway of where I live.  It was lying on the ground just  like the other squirrel we found the other day.  I knew something wrong was going on.  Squirrels are falling from high places and killing themselves! It's worst than the disappearing bees around the world!  I was so puzzled that I decided to take a picture of the poor animal but I was too late.  A car parked on top of it.  So I made a small drawing of it. 

Last week I decided to clear up things around my room because it was getting too crowded.  I threw many things away like plush toys, tourist sweaters, small souvenirs, and old notebooks for classes I've taken years ago.  I came across a lot of old technology like web cams, microphones, and little sound systems for computers. I had to throw those things away because I already have all of that built-in on my laptop.  Technology changes way too quickly y'all.  After clearing up most of the garbage I was collecting I started to feel the space reappear again in my room.  I decided to post drawings I like on the wall because I don't ever hang my art on my bedroom wall but this was the time.  I found this drawing of two women facing the viewer from the back and posing with attitude.  I decided to put them both together because I thought they made a good team.