inspiration, illustration and the cut-paper art of Patrick Gannon
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Stop by Niji Gallery Saturday the 20th after 3:30pm or on Monday the 22nd (it’s a national holiday!) to chat. I’ll be hangin’ out, checkin’ out all the paper art, and breakin’ out the charm. The only thing I won’t be doin’ is makin’ out.
Oh yeah, if the map on the postcard is a little too… hand-drawn, here’s the google version.
It’s been a little quiet here at PaperCuts recently, and with good reason. I have been buried up to my arms in paper preparing for… taxes. Yes, tax season in Japan comes a full month before the US’s relatively laid-back April deadline. And as an American living abroad, I get the pleasure of participating in both tax seasons, doubling my paperwork pleasure. Oh yes, and I’ve also been hibernating.
But I’m breaking out of my frozen slumber for a celebration of all things papery and cut with はさみの音 (hasami no oto) – The Sound of Scissors. This will be the first all-切り絵 Cut Paper Show I’ve had the honor to join, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. We’re a diverse bunch with work ranging from children’s book style to more mature themes, from traditional to contemporary. The art is rich in color and shape and line. The theme this year is “Travel”, a subject wide-open in it’s possible interpretations. I’m excited to see the work everyone comes up with, and I urge everyone in the area to stop on by.
Here are the folks involved:
the details:
name: はさみの音 – The Sound of Scissors
greeting reception: TBA
dates: Thursday March 18 – Tuesday March 23, 2010 12pm-8pm
place: 〒180‐0004 東京都武蔵野市吉祥寺本町2‐2‐10 / Tokyo, Kichijoji Honmachi 2-2-10
access:（ＪＲ中央線 吉祥寺駅より徒歩４分）
tel: 0422-21-2177
gallery website: right here.
click image to enlarge
Here’s a belated Thank-You to two great websites that featured some of my work a little while ago.
Lines and Colors is, in their own words, a blog about drawing, sketching, painting, comics, cartoons, webcomics, illustration, digital art, concept art, gallery art, artist tools and techniques, motion graphics, animation, sci-fi and fantasy illustration, paleo art, storyboards, matte painting, 3d graphics and anything else I find visually interesting. If it has lines and/or colors, it’s fair game.
I’ve been a fan for ages, and have bookmarked any number of inspirational and helpful articles posted about art, illustration, and web design. Here’s an ol’ favorite from about two years ago when I was re-jiggering my website.
Juxtapox Magazine should need no introduction. They have been championing and defining urban, low-brow, pop surrealist and underground art for over a decade and a half, and are currently the biggest art magazine in the US. It was through this magazine that I first came to know of this art movement (otherwise unavailable to an east-coast country kid), and been introduced to countless influential and inspirational creators. Their Reader Art section is a great way to experience new and upcoming artists.
Thanks guys! I appreciate the support!
Hey everyone, I’m doing a workshop on Friday! It’s reservation only, so if you’d like to see me turn tomato-red while chatting about how cool Cut Paper Art is, and you’re going to be in the Tokyo area, grab a seat. Here’s the description:
For centuries, cut paper has had a place in storytelling and folk art traditions throughout the world. From intricate Chinese cutouts to Mexico’s Papel Picado to European silhouettes, papercutting has been a vibrant part of the craft life of many cultures. Cut paper became a popular technique with childrens’ book illustrators, valued for lively colors and versatility. Recently cut paper has received renewed attention from artists, merging modern creativity and thought with traditional techniques.
In this 90-minute workshop, cut paper artist/illustrator Patrick Gannon will conduct a brief tour of the history of Cut Paper art traditions throughout the world. Modern papercutting art from various artists and illustrators will be introduced. He’ll demonstrate some of his techniques for creating this fascinating and fun art form and lead participants in the creation of their own cut paper illustrations. Participants are encouraged to bring sketches, characters, or story ideas that can be used as a creative starting point for their illustrations.
And the details:
Time: Friday, January 29, 2010, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 2
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University)
For a map see www.scbwi.jp/map.htm
Fee: SCBWI members 1,000 yen
Non-members 1,500 yen
Reservations: Contact info@scbwi.jp by January 28
Materials to Bring:
This event will be in English;
Japanese interpretation available on request.
Also of note, this is the first time I’ve ever posted a photo of myself on this blog. Try not to let it scare you off from the event.
The 2010 Cut Paper Art Calendar, featuring 12 of my favorite (and seasonally appropriate) works is now available. Made entirely of cut and torn paper (and often wood) in his studio in Tokyo, Patrick’s artwork is a collision of American and Japanese pop-culture, mythology and wonderous creatures amid a landscape of jagged edges and amazing textures.
And look, Lulu has this nifty new preview thingy! It might take a minute to load, but you can flip through all the art, including the brand new From the Bamboo Forests of the Night, just for 2010’s Year of the Tigger!
Ooh, this is gonna take a little work.
The title of the show, I mean. See, I totally didn’t get it myself until my stupendous wife explained the triple-layer pun to me. I don’t know if I’ll do it justice, but I’m a-gonna give it a whirl. 干支 (Eto) means the 12 Constellations of the Chinese / Japanese Zodiac; which just happens to be the main theme of this particular show. Et-cetera means what you think it means, but in katakana it reads エトセトラ. Say that “Eto-se-tora”. Following so far? 2010 is the year of the Tiger, in Japanese 寅 / Tora. And there you have it, three pronunciation-puns-in-one.
Oh yeah, and there’s gonna be all kinds of art on the wall from a bunch of talented folks. I’ll be a tiny part of the show, and plan on hanging out in the gallery a bit, at least on opening day and closing day. Stop on by if you happen to be in the neighborhood or own a Leer jet. Here’re the details:
Name: EtoEtceTora 「干支 エトセトラ・・」
Place: Kópis Gallery (http://www.g-kopis.com/)
near Kiyosumi-shirakawa station, Tokyo
ph. 03-5639-2381
1-2-12 1F Shirakawa, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0021
Dates: Sunday, December 13 – December 19, 2008 (Gallery closed on Tuesday, the 15th)
Time: 11am to 7pm (from 1pm on the 13th, until 5pm on the 19th)
Email me for times I’ll be there (though punctuality I do not promise).
Here’s a link to the gallery (all in Japanese!)
English directions from Kiyosumi-Shirakawa station: Just use exit A3, when you finish climbing the stairs take a left and then another immediate left. When you hit the road, go right and the Kopis Gallery will be on the next corner. Takes about 3 minutes.
The fourth and final giclée in the 2009 Autumn series of prints, Down on the Bottom Again stands semi-patiently waiting in the shop.
You can read about the original art here. I’m wracking my brains for something clever to say about this poor chap right now, but the truth is that both he and I are breathing a sigh of relief that all of the prints are finished as promised before November is naught but a memory. It’s hardly humble, but I think they came out pretty dang good too.
So, if you’ve been holding off on ordering, hold no longer. Prints ship priority, so barring the wrath of the postal gods, there should still be plenty of time to grab up one or two in time for the holidays. Of course, I guarantee nothing except that I will do my best to get everything out the door quick as a bunny.
Oh yeah, The 2010 Cut Paper Art Calendar is nearly ready too! I’m just waiting on the final color. And this time I promise that, at the very least, it will be for the correct year. Check back soon for an update.
The third giclée in the 2009 Autumn series of prints, Red Thread Expectations is, I admit, a day or two late. However, I have enough good news that, not only will you forgive it’s tardiness, but you will finish reading this post with a grin in your heart and a warm feeling on your face.
First tidbit of good news: This past Thursday was my birthday! Yay! I’m a year older! Truthfully, I kinda sorta don’t believe in time, so a year more or less doesn’t change my life a whole lot. But I am always down for celebrating. Tho I’m still waiting for my cake… hurm.
Second tiddlywink of good news: This past week saw me finishing the last of the work for The Way of Flow show at C.A.V.E Gallery, and shipping it all out! Woo Hoo! And I didn’t have to pull a single all-nighter to do it. Which is good, ‘cuz at my age they really take it outta me.
The third and final tadpole of good news: The Red Thread Expectations giclée print is available in the shop! I’ve always loved the Japanese concept of the red thread of fate invisibly connecting soul-mates and lovers and the myriad ways that can be used as a conceptual launching point.
I’ll be introducing one more print before this month is over, and then the shop will be just about set for the Holiday season. Except for one more thing. Which is nearly ready. As for the prints, If you’re thinking of ordering more than one, you should probably wait ’til the last one has been announced. After all, there’s no reason to pay shipping twice. All Gicleés are printed on A4-size Deep PV fine art paper.
Introducing the second in the 2009 Autumn series of prints: A Welcome Messenger.
Honestly, I have no idea why this one took so long to make. There’ve been tons of requests for it, and it holds a special place in my heart. Messenger, along with Hitching a Ride on the Breathe of Fortune marked an exciting change of direction in my work. In a way, nearly all the work I’ve done since coming to Japan has evolved out of these two pieces.
The plan to introduce a new print each week in November is still in effect, and I’m a little shocked that I’ve actually stuck to the schedule. As long as you look at calendar weeks, and not periods of seven days anyway.
Again, If you’re thinking of ordering more than one, you should probably wait ’til they’re all out. After all, there’s no reason to pay shipping twice. All Gicleés are printed on A4-size Deep PV fine art paper.
I’m not sure which is weirding me out more: that I’m the featured artist for this show, or that it ends in 2010. I mean, 2010?!? Can you believe it?
I’ll update this entry with some more info and thoughts in the morning… right now, I just want to say that I’m thrilled that the good folks at C.A.V.E. have such faith in my work.
Update:
If you’ve been wondering why there hasn’t been a whole lot of new art posted recently, the answer is Flow. Here in Tokyo, it’s been nose to the grindstone time making new art and trying to give folks a great reason to go to C.A.V.E Gallery to check out this show. I think it’s going to be amazing. Not only have I been trying out some new things and working with new shapes, but the list of artists showing their work with mine is impressive indeed.
I’ll be posting teasers and previews of the new work soon. For those of you in the US, this will be the last chance to see the cut paper work in person this year. Unless you’ve picked up a piece, that is. Then you can look at it everyday. I’ve got one more small group show here in Tokyo coming up in mid-December, and then I’m planning on taking a little break for the holidays.
This is going to be an eye-popping show, and I hope that all of you (and your friends, families, acquaintances, and strangers grabbed off the street) can drop in at the gallery. Since I’m trapped here in Tokyo, send some photos of the show and I’ll post them here or on my Flickr page!
the details:
Name: The Way of Flow
opening reception: Friday December 4, 2009 (?)
dates: Friday, December 4, 2009 – January 2, 2010 (the gallery is open Wed-Sun, 11am-4pm or by appointment)
place: 507 Rose AVE, Venice, CA 90291
Tel: 310-450-6960
gallery website: right here.
