Sunday, June 28, 2009

ALL NIGHT CAUGHT.

MIDDLE, CENTERED:

(l to r: sam)

STORY:
sam and i were able to get tickets to the los angeles film festival, more specifically a film called COLD SOULS. it was really beautiful, quirky film - with one of the BEST posters i have seen this year. if i was going to put this film in a box set, it would be with ETERNAL SUNSHINE and BEING JOHN MALKOVICH.

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FLOWN SOUTH:

(l to r: lindsey)

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MELTING:

(l to r: lindsey and me)

STORY:
ms. sam has been working for the ARMORY CENTER OF THE ARTS. her first show, curated by david burns of FALLEN FRUIT, opened on saturday. the show, THE DRAMA OF THE GIFTED CHILD: THE FIVE YEAR PLAN, had a nice variety in work and subject matter. sadly, nice shows like this often go unnoticed - so thank you, sam, for bringing this to my attention.

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EXTRA:

the REASON for 60 minutes in an hour

LOOKING AT DIGITS in the iran election

kind of like the six word short story, but LENGTHENED AND FUNCTIONING ON TIME

Friday, June 26, 2009

LOOKING ELSEWHERE.

BOTTOM THIRD:


STORY:
the squares of dee progress. still averaging around a couple hours per tabloid(11x17) size sheet.

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IN THE TREES:

(l to r: andy, kristina, melanie, court, and tiimo)

STORY:
thousand oaks. twenty-one years. sushi. patron(courtesy of tiimo). catanese family. strawberries.

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MOVIE CLUB:

(l to r: keith and marshall)

STORY:
the roommates went out for the second unofficial movie club night. on this evening, we saw THE HANGOVER. i thought the whole thing was great.

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EXTRA:

say your requests to the RIGHT EAR

Sunday, June 21, 2009

FLOATING TURNS.

TRANSLATIONS:

(l to r: anayansi, [unknown], and sam)

STORY:
sam invited me to an event near the watt's towers, that featured a performance and a screening of a short documentary. sadly, we arrived later than expected and missed the performance; fortunately, we were still able to see the short documentary, CHILDREN IN NO MAN'S LAND, about crossing the border between mexico and the united states. it was very nice and presented a perspective often not seen - that of a child's. i'm very glad i was able to see a new perspective. thanks for inviting me, ms. samantha.

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THE WHITE ON BLACK:

(l to r: sam)

STORY:
sam and i set up a shoot. things came out wonderfully. i'm working on the images now, and contrast is going to play a large part.

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AMUSED:

(l to r: sam)

STORY:
i would guess that sam laughed for 10 minutes(literally) about one joke. some things are very easy to appreciate.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

OPEN AND BENEATH.

IN IT:

(l to r: tiimo)

STORY:
tiimo and i wandered around westwood, after consuming some diddy reese. while there, we had a few stories to catch up on. fortunately, tiimo is a true story teller and the above image is a true reflection of his tale telling prowess. i have no idea what tiimo was talking about at this exact moment, but it doesn't matter. look at that fervent face and committed hands.

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TWO OF TWELVE:


STORY:
each panel is taking longer than i expected.

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DECLARATION THROUGH PUBLICATION:


STORY:
tiimo and i dropped by the latest arkitip issue RELEASE PARTY. this round was for SHEPARD FAIREY and included a small show of new work. we met a few good people, danced a few songs, and smiled more than a few times.

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EXTRA:

the body and DOPAMINE

if you plan to DISAPPEAR

Thursday, June 18, 2009

GERANIUM KISSES.

SQUEEZED IN:


STORY:
i woke up wednesday hoping to make my way to the laker's celebration parade with tiimo. sadly, i arose with some pretty intense pains in my neck - and, thus, running around waving and shouting didn't seem to be in the cards. fortunately, i went downstairs to have my roommate, keith, offer me a ticket to see the tonight show, with conan. i accepted immediately. on this fortunate day, his guests were KOBE BRYANT, WILLIAM SHATNER, and INCUBUS. the whole thing was really fun and i even learned a THING or two. thanks for inviting me, keith!

CLIPS:
kobe is HERE and HERE. shatner is HERE.

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FULL MENU:

(l to r: limor)

STORY:
ms. limor was kind enough to show me a terrific vegetarian restuarant, CALIFORNIA VEGAN. both our meals were great and reasonably priced. one thing i must say, it is very peculiar sensation to go from being able to eat around 6 items on any given menu to around 6 pages at a vegetarian restaurant.

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A TOUCH:


STORY:
continuing to work with dee. above, an early study for tones.

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EXTRA:

TRACK obama's campaign promises

older? you should try to have a PURPOSE

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

BLASÉ LASER.

TWO DECADES:

(l to r: limor and paul)

STORY:
limor's kind soul celebrated 20 years on this earth with a celebration at her parent's home in calabasas. the party was incredible with all the amenities covered, including veggie hot dogs and burgers. it didn't hurt that the lakers won the championship that night either. thanks for a great time, ms. limor!

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NEW WORK:


STORY:
say hello to the first hints of dee.

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EXTRA:

north korea with WEAPONS GRADE PLUTONIUM

will the "higher education" bubble BURST?

if you ever over hear people saying twitter isn't relevant, refer to THIS POST and then talk to them about how it is a constantly updating database of society and it's interaction within culture

Monday, June 15, 2009

SURROUNDING LEGIONS.

RELATIONS:

(l to r: bob wright)

STORY:
sam was kind enough to invite me to hear BOB WRIGHT speak through the ZOCALO public square. the talk was very nice and insightful. it is always interesting to hear people speak about religion, because everyone seems to offer different insights and opinions. this man, having written two books on the subject, was well versed and a very enjoyable speaker. thanks for asking me to come, ms. sam.

A PIECE:


EXTRA:
and more can be seen HERE and HERE

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LATE MEALS:

(l to r: sam)

STORY:
the ending of a long day needed some nice food from urth cafe. it's always a pleasant experience when the evenings are a nice enough temperature to warrant sitting outside and discussing the future of contemporary art for 3 hours.

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ABOUT TO CELEBRATE:

(l to r: tiimo)

STORY:
tiimo was kind enough to host game 3 & 4 of the finals at his house. i believe the photo above was taken right as fisher sank the second 3 pointer in overtime.

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TIECLIPS AND COFFEE TABLES:

(l to r: sam)

STORY:
went to the fairfax flea market to peruse the items. sam and i were on the lookout for a few things. either way, she walked out with a coffee table and i left with wishes for inexplicably expensive tie clips. maybe next time i'll pay 8 bucks for a simple one, but i doubt it.

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EXTRA:

the blogs TRICKLE AND DRIP

we can't READ OURSELVES

protest = TERRORISM?

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

ANY LANGUAGE.

FREE SALSA:

(l to r: adam and dan)

STORY:
last night. margaritas. one dollar sunglasses. mario. mario kart. kitchen pass. good people. i will miss you all until december.

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SUGAR PACKETS:

(l to r: dee [pink])

STORY:
i made a new friend on my flight. dee was a kind soul that i met in tulsa. there will be more about this woman in the coming future from me.

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AFTER THE GAME, OUR GAME:

(l to r, i think: bennett, tiimo[blur], and robin)

STORY:
following the laker's loss in game 3, we left the home of tiimo to throw the rock around. it was very refreshing to play, since i hadn't in about a year. my skill set had somewhat diminished, and my feet weren't ready to move in the ways my mind wanted to - but it was really a nice way to celebrate coming back into los angeles.

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WOMAN IN ART:

(l to r: sam and ashley)

STORY:
ashley and i went to sam's WORK in pasadena. following the tour, we walked around the city looking for a bank and trying to find a restaurant. we ended up settling on mexican cuisine and we all had arnold palmer's to drink.

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EXTRA:

the SHIFTING of objects

Monday, June 08, 2009

EASTERN GOLDFINCH TERRITORY.

POP BANG:

(l to r: amy, adam, and crowd)

STORY:
went to visit iowa for my cousin amy's wedding. the ceremony went off without a hitch and it was, of course, incredible seeing the family AGAIN.

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SYMMETRY/DOUBLE BUS:


STORY:
yes, this is the "world's largest party bus." in the part where the two buses connected, there was a stripper pole, of sorts. it felt a bit off to touch it, or see people holding it.

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DAPPERED EXPLORING:

(l to r: jt)

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BORN FULL:

(l to r: sean and momma)

STORY:
dancing ensued and good things occurred. of course, moustaches had to make an appearance.

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GO-GETTER:

(l to r: alice)

STORY:
this good woman, the mother of amy, handled quite a bit and was as jovial as ever. good work, ms. alice; everything was great.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

TIRE TURNS.

COMING:


STORY:
i've started a bunch of new things. before i completely lay out the theme, i will say that i am working around the notions that come with plagues.

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ARGGGHHH!!!:

(l to r: katie and jt)

STORY:
i am in iowa for wedding number three, for my cousin amy and adam. things are great. above, the kids are pretending to be pirates.

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OFF:


STORY:
this car drove off the side of the road because it began to brake too late. i am going to guess the driver had a large rush of adrenaline and, then, became tired following.

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EXTRA:

everything PASSED ON

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

QUALITY WRUNG.

EXPLORING:

(l to r: brielle)

STORY:
an adventurous day led us to a movie theater, mario kart series, mexican restaurant. after all this, enough daylight allowed us to go on a small adventure through the woods.

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SWUNG:

(l to r: daddio)

STORY:
my dad and i dropped by twin hills to play 9 holes, on the backside. i think i shot an 83 and my dad shot a 12.

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THE HUNT:

(l to r: kasey)

STORY:
we were unable to locate a few pieces of children's literature. although, we did find pungent pencils dipped in delicate scents.

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EXTRA:

i will hopefully have time to participate in the FAKE CRITERION COLLECTION COVERS

URINE, as a drink

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

NEW NAME, MATRIMONY GIFTIMONY.

STORY:
for pat and natalie's wedding, i wanted to create a piece that would speak to them and their newfound union. late one night, i went over to pat's parents home and spoke with both of them about their favorite animals, items, and etceteras - coming up with a top 3 list for each.

i began collecting images for reference. i thought about the things i wanted to convey. i began sketching lightly with a pencil, which was followed by watercolor, and finished with pens.

this will be a bit of insight into my process.

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PENCIL:

STORY:
my pencilling in process is very simple. i use it as a very rough guide. it allows me to set up a composition without having to be to constrained. i forgot to photograph the piece during this part. my apologies.

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WATERCOLORING:

STORY:
when working with watercolor, i find it best to build and build. i will, initially, work with very light faint color and lots of water. it helps me establish boundaries when i am unsure of the tids and bits. over time, i work places and pieces darker and darker. the last part of my process, i establish shadows with light greys, working darker and darker over time. overall, i would estimate that i layed down about 12 layers of color in some areas and about 6 layers of shadows.

LIGHT COLOR:


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DETAIL:



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INKING:

STORY:
for this piece, i wanted to establish a bit of a hierarchy through different line weights. i used four pigment liner pens, ranging from .1 to .7. generally, i ink then watercolor the piece; this time, it felt necessary to work the colors in and establish lines following. after all the lines were set, i added a few more passes of color and shade to really help pieces stand out.



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FINAL:

Labels:

Monday, June 01, 2009

CURTAINS DOWN.

HOW MANY WOMEN DOES IT TAKE TO HANG A PAINTING?:

(l to r: mom, percilla, and sue)

STORY:
the kids are preparing a show at twin hills. things were looking nice. i rode my bicycle out to help them hang all of their pieces.

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THE WARMTH INSIDE:

(l to r: clayton)

STORY:
clayton holding down the elevated position. i've never understood how this kid can tan. i'm about as white as white gets and he always seemed comparable to me. maybe there is hope.

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SHOWS AND TELLS:

(l to r: lee)

STORY:
the family stopped by lee and leslie's home on sunday. we had dinner, and followed it with show and tell. it was just another good dinner with some good people.

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EXTRA:

teaching your children HOW TO ARGUE

i want to use GOOGLE WAVE

can you tell THE DIFFERENCE?