Sunday, April 29, 2012

Coachella 2012



In April 2012, I was invited to create a t-shirt design for the Coachella Art & Music Festival and to also live paint in the Coachella Boutique. I've been to Coachella before in 2004 and the one thing I can't forget was the relentless desert heat. For my shirt I chose to illustrate my bear, grimacing, while exclaiming "DAMN IT'S HOT!".
For the live art portion, I choose to create a variation of the shirt design on to the 4ft x 4ft wood panels we were provided. I never fancied myself a competent live artist. I generally do things slow and methodically, and I'm easily distracted. But I'm happy to say this is my most successful live art creation to date. 



 Coachella : Fuck It's Hot
Acrylic on Wood Panel
48" x 48"
2012

The Coachella Boutique Live Artist lineup features Angry Woebots, The Beast Brothers, Dabs & Myla, Luke Chueh, Phil Lumbang, and Sket One.
On Saturday, May 12th, 2012 the six live art paintings will be sold at auction with all proceeds donated to a charity for the Raices. The event will be hosted by the Shag Store (725 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262)


If you are unable to attend the auction and would like to bid on a piece, please contact jon@theglasshouse.us or call 714-396-3473

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Ford Go Further

I just realized I forgot to post images of the paintings I created for Ford: Go Further SF.

Goggles : Check! (Go Further)
Acrylic on Canvas
20" x 24"
2012

Rage (Going Further)
Acrylic on Canvas
20" x 24"
2012

The Making of "Jack" Part 5


On March 7th, 2012, Fully Visual and I will be releasing a new bronze sculpture of "Jack".
Inspired by my painting "Jacked" and the mythological "Jackalope", this sculpture attempts to blend my character design with the classic taxidermic presentation of the Jackalope (stuffed and mounted on a plaque).
Till its release, I'll be regularly presenting images of Fully Visual's process for casting the bronze.

NOTE: Due to the response we've experienced for "Jack", we decided to increase the production number from 7 pieces to final total of 10.



After the metal is cast and cooled the molds are cracked off and cleaned up. Jack was comprised of four individual pieces: the Rabbit, the Left Antler, the Right Antler, and the Plaque. After the pieces are cleaned each of the components are welded together. Finally the sculpture is finished with a patina for. Jack was finished with a classic bronze style patina.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Head Like A Hole

Head Like A Hole
Acrylic and Ink
12" x 12"
2012 

On April 21st, 2012 323 East will be hosting "Lyric", a group show curated by Glenn Barr. For this exhibition Barr had one simple request for each artist: Each piece of art must be 12 x 12 inches, paying homage to the timeless beauty that can fit on the cover of a vinyl record. Each artist has been given free reign to draw inspiration from their favorite artist, album, song or lyric and put their personal interpretation to canvas.
For this show I found inspiration from one of my favorite bands, Nine Inch Nails. Specifically their song "Head Like A Hole". To be completely honest I never really understood what Trent Reznor meant by "Head Like A Hole". Was he suggesting that the person/subject had a mind like a hole? Exactly what was the nature of this hole? If this hole was metaphorical, why didn't he write it as "Mind Like A Hole"? Is there a possibility that this hole was actually a real hole in the head? Maybe he's playing off the idiom 'I need ____ like I need a hole in my head'. Anyways, after giving it some thought, the above painting became my solution to these questions.
Also, a limited edition giclée print of "Head Like A Hole" will be produced by 1xRun, a partner of 323 East.

I Like Soup

EXP FEB 22 87
Acrylic and Ink on Paper
4.3" x 9.6"
2012
The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art presents "I Like Soup", a group show featuring 46 contemporary artists re-interpreting the iconic Campbell's Soup Can as made famous by Andy Warhol. These items will be sold online to benefit MOCA’s educational programs and the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia.  MOCA will be collecting canned goods for the Foodbank and patrons are invited to drop off items during the exhibition’s run. This show coincides with the museums Andy Warhol Portraits show.


For my contribution, I chose to paint my bear character on a reproduction of the Campbell Soup label. The painting shows my bear staring at a soup can. And from the illustration of the can, a dialogue bubble announces an expiration date: "EXP FEB 22 87". February 22nd, 1987 is the day Andy Warhol died. I guess what I'm saying is the day Warhol died is the day the Campbell soup can as a piece of art died.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Ford - Go Further San Francisco


Ford (yes, the car company) presents "Go Further SF", a "pop-up" shop in San Francisco's Union Square area to showcase a couple of their new cars. The event will feature original artwork by Luke Chueh and Sket One. Artists include Ben Lam, Xian Fong Wee, and Hsin Yao Tseng will also be showcasing work. Sponsors include Pandora, Moshi, Kidrobot, Izze, and Style You. Both Sket One and I will be attendance. We'll will also have exclusive prints available based on the artwork created for the event.

Private Preview Night: Wednesday, April 11th, 2012 (7pm - 11pm)
117 Post St. San Francisco, CA 91408
RSVP: 
rsvp@gofuthersf.com

GO FURTHER
Ink on Paper
11" x 14"
2012

These are the drawings I created for "Go Further SF"
These will be available as prints at the event.

Meat Beat / Drum Head

 Meat Beat / Drum Head
Acrylic + Ink
16" x 20"
2012

"Meat Beat / Drum Head" was created for Juxtapoz Magazines 18th Anniversary group art show (hosted by Copro Gallery). Based on the painting "Drum Head", the original was featured at the Beyond Eden Art Fair
What separates this version from the original is the inclusion of a neck. At first I believed the addition of the neck would help connect head with body (as opposed to the severed head from the original painting).  It wasn't till after I started painting it did I realize that the neck had a potentially phallic  connotation. This is why I added "Meat Beat" to its title.