Day 2: SF Street Art

Hello Hello!

Despite it being rainy and cold, I visited the Asian art museum today. There is are definitely some beautiful things in there including the fairly standard Asian-history stuff. My favorite sections would have to be India and Japan:

^Japanese pottery.

^ Japanese Kimono worn by the crown prince.

^Jade bowl.

^Chinese painting.

My ultimate favorite thing, however, would have to be the giant floor to ceiling metal mesh screens with flowers drawn on them with a fire torch. When up close, you could see all the colors. It was really stunning:

After geeking out at the Museum I got a preview of Steve Johnston's solo show at 111 Minna Gallery called "Fight or Flight." Its really spectacular! The opening night is Thursday and anyone in San Francisco should attend.

^ Look how happy he is. If you go to the show you will be happy too.

Next, I endeavored on one of the longest walks of my life through the alleys of the Mission District in search of SF street art. I was not disappointed! I found street art galore and these were some of my favorites:

^I just really like that cat.

^Old mural of elephant, Steve claims this artist and his work have been around for a long time.

^Flame-breathing fuzzy monster?

^This one might be my favorite. It's pretty sweet.

^These Koi fish were everywhere. This artist really got around.

^This one was right next to a giant Mars1 mural.

I also got a chance to visit some local stores that had trendy, artsy clothes including Uptown Playground where I got a screen printed tee. I think I walked about 20 miles and by the time I finally got back to my hotel my feet felt like they were going to fall off. Overall, though, I couldn't be more pleased.

Upcoming Show!

These past couple of weeks have been rough but there are bright prospects to be had in the near future! This Saturday, April 23 I will have some art in the upcoming Khruu show. The event itself will be full of neat stuff such as a lion dance, martial arts demonstrations, a shadow puppet theater, and live music. I'm really excited!

Re:Nude Art Show

Tomorrow is the 2nd annual Re:Nude art show to support Charleston's Planned Parenthood. It is a great show for a great cause!

Young Contemporaries and Urinals

Tonight is the opening for College of Charleston's Young Contemporaries: Salon de Refuses Show. I got a nice preview of it yesterday as I was hanging the show, and it looks to be promising. We also had a small incident with the janitor on duty because she accidentally swept away part of a found-art* piece (which sent me into a fit of hysterical laughter). We later recovered and replaced the "art" in its designated location. I am curious to see if it will still be there today, or whether the night crew mistook it for trash also. If all else fails, at least there will be free food!

*Found-art, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, is art composed of found objects. Objects can be anything such as litter, bottles, gum wrappers, chairs, etc. , and are often mistaken for trash. Probably the most famous example of found-art is Duchamp's The Fountain, where he used a urinal with the words "R. Mutt" on it(see photo below). Perhaps the best summary of found-art that I have read thus far is that the artists' job is not to make art but to "point his finger" and identify art.

Kulture Klash

Kulture Klash is Charleston counter-culture and art at its finest! The next one is coming up soon, and I cannot wait. I've been to every one (with the exception of the first) and hopefully will get my artwork into one soon! For more info about KK7 (tickets, lineups, bands, photos, etc.) go HERE.

So. Who's coming with me?

Revisiting Simpler Times

Due to my lack of any recent work photos, here are some progress shots from my senior thesis concentration:

It was a long, grueling process of long days and way too little sleep. In the end, though, I felt accomplished and ecstatically happy. I finished my last piece for the art show an hour before the opening and it was hung wet. I look back with jealousy at my former self, in those days I was producing a painting a week. Now I have so many other commitments, that I can barely find the time to paint. I plan on changing that though...very soon!

This was my senior art show/one of the happiest nights of my life: