Painting

We Keep on Working, We Keep on Searching, We Keep on Living, We Keep on Being.

I find cause for the purpose in the work to be on the path of continuing to grow and learn and create. We have certain phases as artists where it all just elevates in a chemical amoebic shift into that thing that sets the tone for the next phase, and then we continue, we grow and we hunker down into that trench or current where it all builds again. I have learned so much about my own spirit and mind in the last few years, and the questions, some of the isolation of moments, some of the deep sense of connection of moments, a sense of the subtle pause with which I have approached so much of my own personal art making and growth has lent itself to an almost nostalgic, melancholy, sometimes grim palette. I look forward to letting the questions that were unearthed in this process grow brightly again, to getting my hands good and mucked up with materials, to letting realistic drawing meeting guttural abstract painting to meeting strange esoteric drawings become a guide. I am going to curate a selection of images of mine from the last 8 years, for my own purposes to see, nakedly, how they interact with one another. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Strike Down Upon Thee, 3’x4’, Mixed Media on Wood Panel, 2014

Strike Down Upon Thee, 3’x4’, Mixed Media on Wood Panel, 2014

Porch Lights Glow (Visible Time Study) 40”x30”, Mixed Media on Wood Panel, 2019

Porch Lights Glow (Visible Time Study) 40”x30”, Mixed Media on Wood Panel, 2019

Ben Grimm Feels, 22”x15”, Mixed Media on Paper, 2018

Ben Grimm Feels, 22”x15”, Mixed Media on Paper, 2018

Chicken Hawk Dive, 8’x4’, Mixed Media on Wood Panel, 2013

Chicken Hawk Dive, 8’x4’, Mixed Media on Wood Panel, 2013

Grow Baby Grow (Ritual of Ruin), 30”x22”, Mixed Media on Paper, 2015

Grow Baby Grow (Ritual of Ruin), 30”x22”, Mixed Media on Paper, 2015

Today We Rise, Size N/A, Found Wood Installation Piece, 2011

Today We Rise, Size N/A, Found Wood Installation Piece, 2011

The Story of Life, 26”x28”, Mixed Media on Found Wood, 2016

The Story of Life, 26”x28”, Mixed Media on Found Wood, 2016

The Moment Just Before They Go Charging Forward To Affect Their Righteous Force, 4’x5’, Graphite on Found Drywall, 2019

The Moment Just Before They Go Charging Forward To Affect Their Righteous Force, 4’x5’, Graphite on Found Drywall, 2019

Southern Time, 40”x30”, Mixed Media on Wood Panel, 2019

Southern Time, 40”x30”, Mixed Media on Wood Panel, 2019

The City My Backyard, 5’x5’, Mixed Media on Found Wood Assemblage Panel, 2018

The City My Backyard, 5’x5’, Mixed Media on Found Wood Assemblage Panel, 2018


Anime MIxtape @ Runaway, Durham, NC

My solo exhibition Anime Mixtape opened this past Friday in Durham, NC at the Runaway Flagship store. The reception was something else. I cranked with my friends and art installation assistant until the wee hours of Friday morning and sleeplessly went throughout the day finishing up the details and getting everything smoothed out. The reception was insane, so many good people came out to support and I saw old friends, new friends, family, and folks I had never before met that were fans of the work. I feel hella blessed right now and am about to hit the hay at my father’s house in Raleigh, NC. Here are some images

Testing

Testing

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Editing

Editing

Eightballs of Buttons

Eightballs of Buttons

Buttons

Buttons

Big Works on Paper, Spray Painting Frames with Matte Black… Ahhhhhhh the beautiful process of love.

Big Works on Paper, Spray Painting Frames with Matte Black… Ahhhhhhh the beautiful process of love.

Framing

Framing

Floor Layouts.

Floor Layouts.

Installed

Installed

Zine Pages

Zine Pages

24 Hour Streaming

24 Hour Streaming

Cosmic Bundle

Cosmic Bundle

Final

Final

Install

Install

My Guy Kiran

My Guy Kiran

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Peeps

Peeps

Doom No Like the progress

Doom No Like the progress

Mom

Mom

Intensity

Intensity

The fam! Beautiful family and friends.

The fam! Beautiful family and friends.

Another show, another story, another time to reflect.

Another show, another story, another time to reflect.


I Magnin Historic Painting Commission Part 1 : Production

This summer I was asked to create a commissioned work for the lobby of the historic IMagnin Building in downtown Oakland. The building was erected in 1931 and designed by architecture firm Weeks and Day. It housed an upscale department store until it closed in 1995. It is an amazingly beautiful green marble art deco building and an official historic Oakland structure. It was recently renovated and as per the renovation I was asked to create a piece for its lobby. Having been a part of the Bay Area and specifically Oakland off and on for the last 12 years I was honored to be asked to do this. The only request was that the piece reflect a vision of Oakland by way of an intimate relationship with this city. I chose to explore this task with a style of found wood assemblage that at one point of my career I was very much known for. A style which I have been slowly re-immersing myself in, thus this was absolutely perfect timing. In this series of blog posts I will go more in depth and explain the project further, my process, my feelings on it, how it came together, the narrative behind, and its installation.

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In this first post, it is important to note that as the city of Oakland is developed at an extremely fast pace, as people are displaced and old dwellings torn down in the name of progress, I find it vital to work to save aspect of this physical come metaphysical history from being destroyed and forgotten or lost in the attention deficit short term memory of our accelerated culture. The beginning of this project was a practice in communicating, in listening to the street and letting the city guide me in the collection and discovery of cast away pieces of wood from many different areas. Thus creating a real time based narrative tapestry of tangible objects packed with stories, spirit, energy, and a vibrant history that will continue to transmit its truth from the lobby of the IMagnin building well into the future for Oaklanders new and old to reflect on and investigate. The act of gratitude and humility in turning to this living breathing place steeped in history accepting it’s direction and guidance is one of the most felt experience I get to have as an artist. It is a true conversation with time and my surroundings. To be set on a path to explore and give thanks for those things left behind that are there waiting to be repurposed and given a new place to continue to inspire us is really an honor and something that I do take as a gift. This city has so much to say and this process allows me to hear so much of it and honor that language.

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In the next post I will speak more on the construction of the panels and the dialogue felt with the materials as well as how the studio came to be utilized and more of the intuitive and intellectual process of creating the work one step at a time… stay tuned and thank you for reading.

A Recent Commission

Not long ago a great artist, business man, and friend commissioned me to create "literally whatever you want" as was explained by him. We share a love of anime and manga, a love of expressive painting and art that evokes narrative, feeling, and permits us to explore time and our own emotional content as tied to memory and to the way that certain pieces of our upbringings help us to channel our present and communicate with others. He is a painter as am I, but our languages aesthetically are very different, yet we find so much depth and connection in one another's language. So it was an honor to paint this for him with the freedom to just go in on it.  I wanted to craft something that spoke to our mutual love of certain manga, to our mutual reality of facing adversity and through acceptance, hard work, dedication, surrender, passion, persistence, and the duality of chaos and thus finding the space to be still through the journey we call life. This is piece is very special too me. It is so personal and then upon it's delivery my friend Kent who commissioned said to me, "This painting is everything to me." Sometimes we have moments in this cosmic puzzle that really shed light on the fact that existence is so far beyond what we see and think on a daily basis. I am working on editing some better shots of this piece but here are images of this diptych for you to see. It is two panels, both 3'x4', house paint, spray paint, acrylic paint, tempera, pencil, oil pastel, acrylic lacquer, and more. 2018 

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06/01/2018 Superchief Gallery 6 Year Anniversary Show! NYC X LA X MIA

That's right, the MEGA ANNUAL GROUP SHOW is here at the Tri Lateral Superchief Empire respective headquarters, aka LA NYC and MIAMI! I am so stoked to have been down since 2013 and the movement moves on. I am showing a new but classic piece called Beautiful Future! Sumi Ink on Paper at the LA gallery. And here are some flyers for ya'll as well.... Stay weird you freaks.

 

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Superchief New York Giant Group Show X Juxtapoz Issue Release Party

I am at the airport right now headed to NYC. When I booked this ticket it was for my partner's birthday and also to peep some of the Armory show, BUT, BOOM, Superchief is also having a massive group show and a Juxtapoz issue release party one night after the other starting tomorrow, Friday 03/09/2018! The Saturday 03/10/2018 is the official show opening! Going to be nuts. I have been working with these guys since 2013 and I have to say, they are the future of so much that is art in the US and abroad. We are a movement, a community, a powerhouse of ideas and forward motion and insanity and I am so grateful to have been a part for over 5 years now. We are living in strange times and they continue to carry a torch through the darkness, with a huge squad to support that fire.

Please feel free to copy and paste this flyer and post.

Please feel free to copy and paste this flyer and post.

Superchief NY is located at 1628 Jefferson Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385, 

Their website is http://superchiefgallery.com

The pieces I will be showing are below. I can't wait to get to the clubhouse.

Hadouken, 9'x4', Painting on Found Wood Panel, 2017, $7000

Hadouken, 9'x4', Painting on Found Wood Panel, 2017, $7000

I painted the piece above, Hadouken, on a trip to NYC last year during a period of immense travel. It was one of my favorite moments of the 2017 and I am really happy to unveil it officially!

Been Grimm, 16"x22", Painting on Paper, 2017, $800

Been Grimm, 16"x22", Painting on Paper, 2017, $800

And this piece from my older show in Chelsea in 2015, From Here is also going to be up and broadcasting live...

Moment of Realization, 22"x22", Painting on Wood Panel, 2015 $800

Moment of Realization, 22"x22", Painting on Wood Panel, 2015 $800

Store is Up in Time for New Years!

Hello everyone. My pursuit of making art and realizing projects has always been at the forefront of my practice. The pursuit of exploring the world, the journey inward and outward, the constant immersion of experience, the communication of the evolution of seeing the world around me, has always been my first love and focus. After a lot of thought and slow intentional work towards this, I finally decided it is imperative to create a platform in this age, where the ease of connection exists at our fingertips, to acquire works from me with the push of button.  I am happy to announce that my store through Big Cartel is officially stocked with paintings large and small, two prints, and two small drawings. Most of the works available include free shipping and handling inside the USA until New Years 2018. Work for serious collectors, art lovers of any budget, and gift givers. I will soon have a section for commission requests, upcoming zines and prints, and sections of drawings and smaller works available. I want as many people to be able to have pieces as possible from this mission I am on.  There is a lot of resonance and energy and history in each individual piece, and we are really just getting started.  Please let me know if there are any works from my past catalogue on my website that you may be interested in the event it is available and just hasn't made it to the store. There will be momentary specials as well so please check in often. It feels good to have this up and offering these works to connect with the right people, collections, and homes. Enjoy.

And hereeee we goooooo....

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Making Waves in Los Angeles, Way Up In The Air

I have been traveling through the US a bit since the end of July. I was in Los Angeles helping paint a massive 6000 sq ft mural with an amazing young artist there name Kent Yoshimura. Only two and half years deep in his art life and his work is thriving and was commissioned by the city to paint this epic memorial to entertainment and music on the side of the Warner Grand in San Pedro. It was an honor being part of the crew on the project. Joined by Kent, Laura, Weinberger, Paul Juno, and the mystical, elusive, soft spoken shaman known as Rooster, we crushed it in 10 days and were all very happy to celebrate with KBBQ upon its completion.

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In Progress at the Warner Grand

In Progress at the Warner Grand

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It was pretty incredible. I look forward to working with all of these people again.

Studio Views from Oakland CA

I have been working out of my space in Oakland recently. I left my Athen B studio space for the home front and all of its open windows and ventilation that it has to offer. It's been quite nice actually.  I had no ventilation in my last studio and it made me a bit batty. So here is to sunlight and a breeze and the sound of cars rolling by as I listen to documentaries, anime, and music and paint my heart out... here are a couple recent shots of the studio work space in the raw paired down state it is currently in.

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