Illustration

cut and torn paper / illustration board

I blame Global Warming for the lack of new, bizarre critters gracing this blog (and my apartment). And no, I’m not just complaining about the sudden and brutal onset of summer here in Tokyo (seriously, we went straight from rainy and clammy to hot and humid, shooting past all those nice days in between. Not fair!).

TIME (the magazine, not the slow grind of the ages), asked me to provide an illustration for their special report on the G-8 summit for the July 14 Asia edition, depicting what Japan can do to help stop global warming. You can see the final artwork above. Notice the Asia-centric globe. My brain kept trying to slide North America back into the center. Read the rest of this entry »

Now you can post something cool other than a blog. Postcard Pack Series One is now, at this very moment, available in my online shop.

“Hitching a Ride on the Breathe of Fortune”, “Koi Kihagaki”, “Gravity and the Rebellious Stone”, A Slothful Mind Wanders, and Heavy is the Head that Bears the Brain.

Get a pack of all five cards for $6 US (or ¥600). Or save a few bucks and get the 10 pack for $10 (¥1000), and get 2 of each card. One to mail, one to cherish for all time.

The wonderful folks over at Artist A Day are featuring me today! It’s very exciting and very humbling. Special thanks go out to Geoff for finding me and asking to borrow a couple images.

In a new twist on art sites, you can rate the artwork. Although quantifying something as personal and emotional as art is a little tough for me, I am intrigued. It’s one of the more bizarre quirks of the artist’s psyche that, while on the one hand we stand outside society in order to judge it and comment on it, we also yearn for its adoration. Or maybe that’s just me. I’m a complicated critter.

So Go! Feed my ego! Vote early, vote often! Vote so much that even Tammany would get a salty tear in his squinty little eye. I feed on your love!

In all seriousness (note: previous paragraph was attempt at humor), a huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone who takes the time to look at my work, vote for it (regardless of the number of stars), or leave me a comment. Without all of you, making art would be a whole lot less fun and interesting. Cheers.

cut and torn paper / wood 10 1/8″ x 7 1/4″

The fiercely playful Nekomata (猫叉) joins my hoard of Yokai today. When I first came to Japan, I wondered why so many cats were completely lacking in tails. I guessed that they might be a strangely stubby local breed. It turns out that the owners cut off the tails when the cat is a kitten so it won’t turn into a nekomata, a “forked-cat”.

How a cat becomes a nekomata (or any kind of bake-neko / monster cat) is…odd. And downright ungrateful. If a cat is fed in the same place for a certain number of years, it turns evil. It then grows to rather unusual size, walks around on its hind legs, plays with dangerously magical fireballs (or dangerously fiery magic balls?), and can transform into a human. Most creepily, they are said to be able to re-animate the dead and control them like puppets. Big, ooky, used-to-be-your-best-friend puppets. (image details below the bump) Read the rest of this entry »

“Everyone In Together” opened Friday Night at Gallery 1988 San Francisco and, by all reports, it was tremendous. I really wish I could make it to these shows to meet all the artists and art lovers. Sadly, this is the price I pay for my otherwise glamorous life in Tokyo. At least one of my online friends promised to attend the show and grab some photos. I will be posting those when available.

These are the three pieces I have hanging in the show, and I couldn’t be prouder of them, or the company which they are currently keeping. All three are available for purchase, so if you’re interested, give the gallery a call!
You can see the whole dang show online here! Or, better yet, mosey on down to SF to bask in their full glory.
Check out the individual blog entries:
The Electric Narwhal
The Plain One
All the Little Things Said

cut and torn paper / wood about 8 1/4″ x 5 3/4″

There’s nothing quite so rejuvenating as sharing a joke, laugh or punchline with our friends. It really is the best therapy I know. Mix in a decent, full-size cup of coffee and I’m set to jump back into the grind (pun not intended…but I did smirk when I noticed it). Of course, not all of us can carry our support group around with us wherever we go. Nor would we want to. I’m betting that this bunch can get pretty rowdy. They just have that look about them. Read the rest of this entry »

cut and torn paper / wood 7 1/4″ x 10 1/8″

Just about every culture has their trickster myths. In Japan, there are plenty. The ghosts all tend to be mischievous. Animals transform themselves into humans at whim, playing us bipeds for fools. The Tanuki (raccoon dog) unquestionably reigns supreme among all the tricksy beasts and beasties.

Nearly forgotten among the various tanuki stories is the Mame-Danuki 豆狸, or the “bean-tanuki”. This Yokai (a type of spirit or mythical critter) could inflate it’s testicles (don’t ask me how, I’m really trying not to think about it too hard) to monstrous proportions. It then uses them as an umbrella on rainy nights. Or just about anything else you can think of. As depicted here:

Unfathomably hilarious traditional Mame-Danuki prints! Read the rest of this entry »

It took a little longer than expected, but I am happy to announce that I am now offering Gicleé Prints in the online shop. All 5 Gicleés are printed on A4-size Deep PV fine art paper and are available immediately for $25 (¥2500) or as a complete set at $110 (¥11000). Series One Prints include:

• Koi Kihagaki
• Gravity and the Rebellious Stone
• Hitching a Ride on the Breathe of Fortune
• Heavy is the Head the Bears the Brain
• Meeting the Neighbors

I hope that everyone enjoys the prints. I plan to add to the selection over time, so be sure to let me know if there are any pieces that you would like to see as Gicleés. Usually I make prints of artwork when the original has already sold (except for “Neighbors”, which I am enjoying too much to part with just yet!). Read the rest of this entry »

cut paper / illustration board

Blast from the past, that is. Every technique and style has to start somewhere, and “Throwing the Baby Out with the Bathwater” was pretty close to the beginning for me. Even though I had been using cut paper for a while before I did this piece, I had always been combining it with other mixed media; pen/ink or acrylics or scratchboard. “Baby” was one of the first fully cut paper pieces.

Sadly, not long after I scanned it, I managed to drip a big blot of black ink smack dab into the middle of the green. Knowing what I know now, there’s a chance I could repair it. Back then, the best I could do was shrug and file it away. Read the rest of this entry »

“Everyone In Together” at Gallery1988 SF. Opening Reception: June 20, 2008.

I just spent a day framing, wrapping, boxing, and sprinting to the Post Office before it closed at 5. Must mean I’m in another show!

“Everyone In Together” opens June 20th, 2008 at Gallery 1988 SF. The opening reception (which, sadly, I cannot attend as I am on the opposite side of the globe…still) begins at 7pm and last ’til 10pm. So far, the show looks excellent, and I’m excited to be part of such a talented and diverse bunch.

If you’re in the San Francisco area (one more place I’ve never been…sigh), then please stop by and take a look around. I guarantee it will be worth it! The show will run until July 21st.