Japan

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 »

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 »

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 »

Last weekend, May 17th and 18th, Design Festa took over the massive Tokyo Big Sight convention center. I’ve visited the event twice before, but this was the first time I had a booth to show my work. A few months ago when I first signed up, I intended DF to be a sort of coming out party in Japan; my self-introduction to the folks in Tokyo. As it turned out, this was actually my third event here in Tokyo in as many months. Design Festa, with about 7,000 exhibitors from every field and genre of the arts and 60,000 visitors was by far the largest crowd I’ve ever met.

Overall, DF was a great, if exhausting experience. I met an incalculable number of people, talked continuously about my work, gave away all my business cards, and even managed to sell some new stuff. New button-badges, postcards, and giclee prints all made their debut at the Festa. I hope to have them in the online shop soon. As soon as I can figure out the best way to do it. I even managed to talk to an art director or two. My only regret was that I was so busy at my table that I had barely any time to walk around and look at anyone else’s work. Links to the artists and craftsmen I did meet are at the bottom of this post. Read the rest of this entry »

This coming Saturday and Sunday, May 17th and 18th, 2008, Design Festa is taking over Tokyo Big Sight, and I’ll be part of the invasion force.

Stop on by to check out the art and have a chat. I’ll be selling some very cool, never before seen…stuff (which will be making their way into the web shop as soon as I can remember how to code again).

So, you’re all coming, right? I knew I could count on you.

cut paper
10″ x 15″ (at the moment)

From where do the seeds of inspiration come?
I can’t answer for anybody else, but each time I sit down to sketch, I seem to pull an idea from a different place. Sometimes I’ll have a theme or concept in mind before picking up my pencil. Or I’ll do some free sketching, and a character or scribble will leap out and demand to be developed. Other times, the texture or color of one of my papers (or a piece of wood) will lead to an idea.

Or, as in the case of this ninja fan, creativity springs out of a crushing deadline rocketing down at me. Read the rest of this entry »

cut paper / wood 10 cm x 15 cm

There’s nothing like a nice, long soak in an onsen to smooth that furrowed brow. It also works wonders for that dry, craggy skin. Of course, no amount of hot spring water is going to help when you’re made of molten rock.

“He” is the right half of the fire-god-themed diptych. It’s always interesting to watch a piece develop, even when you’re the one making it. My original sketch didn’t include Mt. Fuji. The sweep of the hair in She Who Brings the Fire suggested it, creating the atmosphere and much of the concept in the process. Now I just need to come up with a cool title. Here’s what the two pieces look like together:

Read the rest of this entry »

Copyright Armageddon. That’s what this past week has felt like. Judgement Day for intellectual property. Yeah, there’s a whole lot of hyperbole flying around, and a whole lot of guts tied up in knots. Generally, I don’t like talking law or politics on PaperCuts. It’s an art blog, and I prefer to keep it that way. Unfortunately, some issues directly impact me and the work I do, like a shovel to the back of the head.

First, Darren Di Lieto of the Little Chimp Society, a fantastic art portal site (of which I am a member) sent out emails warning people about “Colorful Illustrations 93°C”, an art book created entirely from plagiarized material. Not much later, I heard that the Orphan Works Bill (you can download copies here) was back. A day or two after that, a good friend of mine found that her work had been purloined and used online without permission. This is bound to get wordy, so hang in there. Read the rest of this entry »