busy busy little bee

technically, sunday jump starts the week but it always feels like a clean slate on monday. seeing that it is a fresh monday morning, i am organizing my next moves -

painting commission

i am eagerly waiting for the sale at blick materials because i am in desperate need for canvases! i’m stoked on the upcoming project, i’m painting somebody’s pets (koi fish)

t-shirt commission

lately, apparel design has been hard for me to construct so i have been putting those jobs on hold. i finally found some pieces that inspire me so im hoping that will start a fire within me.

wall display at syrup desserts

i need to replenish work at syrup desserts, and fast! its been too long, some of the work is as old as 2007.

student recommendation letter

i can’t wait to talk smack about my student … good smack really, she’s a pretty awesome chick.

the hive gallery and studios

i have a feature at the hive gallery in downtown los angeles. pretty stoked! ive been contemplating the concept for this show, and i have a few ideas. some of them are:

-    creating illustrations that goes with a japanese novel (possibly the first novel ever written shy of 1000AD)

-   the cultural differences of northern vs southern california

-   creating paintings inspired from other paintings (work that marks personal epiphanies)

-   the uprising trend in asian culture in pop culture, specifically japanese and chinese, is both praise and     exploitation.  i love seeing asian culture, but i think to have koi fish or geisha women or japanese school girls or  cherry blossoms constantly in my face is excessive. i wish that people would embrace the culture and try new things other than repeating certain images. the repetition in imagery creates trend, and trends tend to fade. i think it would be a shame if asian images became ‘used’ trends. for instance, the ying-yang symbol is a part of asian heritage that has been reduced to a fading trend - i can’t use or even look at the sign without thinking that it has been ‘played out’ - used in american mainstream media and then discarded.  the ‘om’ symbol is becoming overused, if not, has been overused.

i have already discussed the ignorant usage of culture in mainstream american media in my college thesis. i want to say im exhausted from discussing the topic but because i receive constant requests for koi fish and cherry blossoms, i haven’t. the times it doesn’t irk me is when the subject matter is a part of heritage or inventing new ways to embrace the culture. europeans loved japanese traditional prints, they were intrigued with the flatness in the art - the europeans utilized the concept and created images in art nouveau, exploring the flatness in illustration. i have a client that has a direct correlation with the subject matter of his painting request, so when i was asked to paint koi fish, i didn’t mind. the photographs he sent me where his pets he wanted me to illustrate, and i know with this request, i will find a way to portray his loved ones in a manner that is true to my style instead of trying to replicate traditional japanese decor. it also helps that my client is japanese. i guess the intention of my paintings would be to have people consider the idea that asian culture, particularly japanese, can be commodified as a trend thus turned into an overused exploit.

huh, i think i know what i will be painting for my next show.

funny how things work …..

BLUE CANVAS EVENT

thanks ALIVENOTDEAD.COM for featuring my event on your website!

is it geeky that i took a screenshot of this? yes.

do i care? no. haha.

BLUE CANVAS - photo sneak peek

i had a bunch of people take photos last body-paint event.

good photography friends RODO RIOT aka ZORRO YABUT! and KERRY LAM made surprise visits.

good friend, DINH THAI, also known as the CHOPSTICK NINJA came to shoot - dinh, like kerry and rodo, rarely miss events or at least try not to

… their photos will be posted soon. in the meanwhile, i have a few pics to show those who have missed it -

this event’s flavors: michelle murray and julie chang

painting the table - i wanted to incorporate my models with the table, the wall, my painting, and each other - too bad i ran out of time to fully explore my space, it was still a good show.

the ladies and myself.

i am also on the cover of the BLUE CANVAS magazine’s 2011 calender (wassup wassup!)

this photo is taken of my good friend, john dub, who bought several copies and has a limited edition iphone gel skin with my artwork on it.

until then, my friends!