It has been decided. I am moving to New York City. I love my dear California more than I could ever express, but I have grown comfortable and simultaneously restless here. I must push myself towards the next landscape, that being the most expensive, busiest, dirtiest place in the country. It also is the most challenging, unpredictable, and truthful place according to Speed Levitch. I, as many people, have felt fatefully drawn to the metropolis of metropolises. Growing up on the farm, it seemed like the last place I would ever end up. But here I am semi-fearlessly, quasi-willfuly, and pseudo-rationally throwing myself into the epicenter of the mix. There is no turning back now. I've quit my job and bought a 1-way ticket. They say NYC either makes or destroys you. In my case, lets hope its the former. Profound gratefulness and infinite love to my city on the bay, and to all the wonderful souls that I have crossed paths with here, in this western land, with our backs to the ocean, and our eyes to the world.
I just got back from my epic cross-country drive. 3,700 miles. The U.S. sure is one big flipping country. San Francisco, Yuba City, Reno, Salt Lake City, Moab, Arches National Park, Telluride, Denver, Lincoln, De Moines, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, NorthHampton, Martha's Vineyard, Boston, then flew back. Funny to go all that distance, only to fly back in a few hours. I feel I have a more profound understanding of the beauty that is our country.
¡VIVA ESPAŅA!
Thank you to everyone that came to the new opening at the Gallery Cafe. Special thanks to Davis Jones for playing his heartland melodies for us. It was a blast. Watch how Davis captivates the festive crowd in the video of his encore song here.
Here's the newest painting: "The Blowfishy's Last Laugh." Click for a closer look, if you dare!
Watch the recent video I made with Adam Etinson of Resonflake. Adam narrates and plays the soundtrack as the story plays.
Went to the Makers Faire this weekend. Saw all sorts of awesome stuff including a gyro-scope skateboard, a robot giraffe, and a model naval battle. We stuffed our faces with junk food and beer, and watched this sad fellow drumming and knitting at the same time, and not very well I might add. We speculated why he was so gloomy. Probably because he is thinking about his doomed retirement....
Check out my new flair. Cheesy? Well it's true...
Ok, my friends planned this trip to Peru that sadly I was unable to go on because of the oh-too-full plate. So my friend Nick, who is a teacher, and my friend Miguel decided to bring me along in the only way they knew how. If you have never heard of Flat Stanley, basically you make a paper doll and take pictures with it around the world and send them back to those children who were unable to come. So sure enough they glued my face on some child-fashioned voodoo doll and stuffed me into their smelly hiking backpacks. And for those couple of weeks I felt all sort of bizarre, unnatural sensations that included getting chewed on by an alpaca, force-drinking some peruvian booze, and probably getting dropped into the gutter a few times. Gee thanks guys.
Check out the surreal video of Post Ventura playing the Aquatic Angst show. It is their epic "Anima" song played with my sea turtles peeking eerily in.
Check out the May issue of 7x7 magazine! The Aquatic Angst show is featured in there. Woo woo!
The art opening for Aquatic Angst was wonderful. Once again, thank you to all that energized the atmosphere that night. Special, hearfelt thanks to PostVentura for rocking the joint.
Here's a few pics.
Here's a peak at the debut painting A bale of sea turtles surrounded by some wicked viperfish serpents. Click to see it all.
Go check out my Aquatic Angst show at Catalyst for the month of March. Catalyst is located at 312 Harriet @ Bryant/6th in SOMA, SF.
Check it out! The show was featured on 7x7, Laughing Squid, and GoLark.
Hey! My squid painting has been featured on LaugingSquid.com. Check it out here.
Check out the clocks I made out of apoxy resin and clocks I found. These critters are always around to remind me what time it is, since I don't wear a watch. Click for bigger look!
I just went to the Joseph Cornell exhibit at the SFMOMA. I highly recommend going before it closes in January. Such a fun exhibit that pushes the boundaries of art. He is the muse of all artists with drawers and boxes bursting with 'junk' and defines the saying 'one man's junk is another's treasure'. His craftmenship of his boxes along with the compositions and the existentialism that was his message is truly amazing.
Look at the ridiculously small colored pencils Anna got me. Now I have no excuse to not be 'pencil prone' wherever I am.
Hello, some exciting and proud news. The newspaper in my hometown, Salamanca, is doing a series of articles about "Salmantinos sin fronteras" or Salmantinos without boundaries, and they decided to do their first article about me. Check it out here: DGratis Salamanca Everyone in the whole world should go see beautiful Salamanca someday.
So I made it back alive from my trek around Europe. It is a miracle considering. England, Scotland, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, France, and of course Spain. Trip of a lifetime. I saw so many incredible things and all the art I could have hoped to see. I have returned bursting with inspiration I even visited one of my favorite surrealist's, Max Ernst, grave. Here I am in front of the infamous Lourve.
My favorite painting here was Gericault's "Raft of the Medusa." Its about 30'x20'!
And here are the three jokers at the end of our journey.
Hey everyone. I am on a long voyage to Europe. I am going to every art museum along the way. Met, Guggenheim, Moma, Tate, Louvre, Prado. All of 'em. I am tired of seeing all the art that has inspired me, in books and in Google images.
The ATA reception was great! Thanks for coming everyone, it was a blast. Sorry to all those that got locked out, but it is a good thing we reached maximum occupancy. Check out the pics.
I just went to Matisse show at the Moma. Incredible. Besides having a comprehesive collection of his beautiful painting and sculptures, they also had work from his contemporaries and colleagues. Brancusi, Cezzane, Picasso, and more.
I am going to have a solo show at ATA, Artists' Television Access at 21st & Valencia in SF. The show starts July 2nd. The reception is July 12th at 7-10pm. My friend Nooshin will be showing her documentary about Iran there at 8pm. So, if you are strolling or carousing down Valencia anytime in July, check in there. It is a great place that showcases independent films for filmakers. It has a very underground, revolutionary atmosphere, and my art will have the honor of adding to it.
Resonflake is for sale at Dog Eared Books at 20th & Valencia in SF. This curious tale was written by my dear friend Adam Etinson, and I had the pleasure of illustrating it. Now what are you doing still reading this? Go buy one!
Hope everyone is enjoying the summer. I am trying to spend every possible second outside while its actually nice. It is truly revitalizing. Enjoy it while you can, I expect SF weather to go inverse any day now...
The reception went great! A ton of people came and there was some really wonderful art there. It will be up until August 3rd so if you are around, definitely swing in. The Expressions Gallery is at 2035 Ashby in Berkeley. Here I am explaining to some kind, art aficionados that, no, I am not crazy.
I will be showing at Expressions Gallery in Berkeley from June 9th to August 3rd. Come to the reception on June 9th, fun guaranteed, or you get the time you wasted back, after the mail-in rebate. I will be showing some pieces you have seen and some new ones that I am not even done with yet. Puro Arte!
Check out the new angler fish monster I painted. It took a few months to paint the 5'x5' behemoth angler fish monster, but it is finished. The poor little fish is so mesmorized by the light that he doesn't realize the impending end. Hope you like it.
My art is showcased on ArtScene. Check it out!
So I just went to the SFMOMA Picasso and American artists show. As expected, it was unquantifiably inspirational. It was incredible to see how much he inspired all the greats of America (Lichenstein, Warhol, Johns, Pollack, Oldenburg. de Kooning, and more), and he never even set foot in America! These artists idolized him. They held entire conferences to discuss his artowrk. Here are contrasting Picasso and Lichenstein pieces:
and here is a Picasso piece contrasted with a Jasper Johns piece:
