Crunch

So, Ive been up in Boston curating an SF landscape show @ Samson Projects (I blogged all about it on fecalface.com), which was a lot of fun. Now I'm back in NY/NJ getting ready to pick up my buddy Clint from Tokyo for an exhibition @ The Drawing Center for our collaborative project www.instantdrawingmachine.com. The opening is June 16th, Pix to come....

Jersey Junk

Memorial day was spent sifting through old Playboys, swinger ad mags from the 70s, and Christies catalogues. We went to some remote NJ flea market, and I scored some kooky stuff I really don't need. I was originally looking for an albino snake-skin briefcase, needless to say the hunt is still on...

The final cruise

SF, I marinated in your funky stew for five years, and now I am back in the land of my youth, how I will hold you dear in my heart for years to come, always knowing I have a home and a family to return to. My last weeks where amazing, magic until the last moment. On my final day in SF, a friend called and told me how Timothy "Speed" Levitch from the documentary "The Cruise" would be giving a double decker tour of SF. How could I resist? I think he is amazing, and to go on my first tourist tour of the city on my last day there seemed like the perfect closing of my SF experience. I'll spare you all the tourist shots, but it was up lifting and wonderful to see the city one last time in a new way. Now I'm in the NJ 'burbs. Its foggy and green here. Was in NY yesterday. It was amazing. Already feels like I'm in a foreign country even though I know the city like the back of my hand...

Day Trip to India

... my friends Kyle, Anna, and I took a trip to Berkeley to meet with Anthropologist David Szanton, who happens to be an expert in Mithila painting from India. This is one of the areas I want to go study/create/colaborate during my 'Tiny Universe' trip, so it was a real treat to have a private presentation and explanation of their contemporary practices. After going thru stacks of paintings, David busted out some pics from the 1950s of the traditional wall painting roots of the style, which totally made my jaw drop. Too bad I had run out of memory on my digi camera ... so now its stored in the soft grey memory banks and the heart ...


Kyle has a great house ... totally rad paint job by his roomate Lisa ...


... Black (flower) Power kitchen ...


... my new friend Anna, caught in the dream catcher ...


... crossing the Bay Bridge ...


... David droping the knowledge ...


... A Mithila painting done by the Brahman class ...


... painting done by the scribe cast ...


... western and eastern feet ...


... painting done by the Dusat class ("untouchables," aka "the opressed," aka Ghandi: "God's children") ... the outsiders of the outsider art ... dug the dung wash and triangle milkmaid heads ...


... the Tsunami ...


... 9/11 ...


... the face of capitalism ... so epic ...


... rainbow eye in the sky while returning to S.F. ...

... we were famished after this intensive art experience, and went to Walzwerk, an awesome East German restruant on South Van Ness and 15th (check out the veggie-schnitzel) ... I've been going every wednesday for the past year + and doing art for their specials menu. This was my final wednesday, and I was happy to share the meal with good friends. Go there next week to see menu art I created inspired by the Mithila painting, and check out the school David helped set up in India:
http://www.mithilapainting.org/

Pacific Peace Portal

Its my final week in S.F. till who knows when...

made some paper in the ocean this weekend....

got some plans for what to do with them this summer in New York...

future coming into sharper focus...past pulled back into the ocean of time...

Dumpster Diving circa 2001

I hate how self indulgent Blogs can be, but I just came across a pix of me dumpster diving in-front of the Castro Theatre from an article in the SF Gate back in the day, and I thinks its funny.

Happy 100th Birthday Grand-Pere!

Although I never really got to know him (he died when I was 4), the influence of my grandfather's art and life on my life and art is massive. From a child I was exposed to all his iconic and surreal B&W photos, stacks of his LIFE magazine covers, and his collection of artifacts from around the world like African sculptures, Picasso plates, and Dali drawings. His old work studio was my art Mecca as a child, and remains a place where I still go in NYC when I need to tune out, tap in and work on my own pieces. Its also fitting that May 1st (the day before his birthday) was a day of national rallies by immigrants around the country (The one in SF rocked!). Philippe Halsman was on the last boat out of France before the Nazis invaded. He was hooked up with an emergency artist visa by Eleanor Roosevelt, thanks to Albert Einstein's help. So I'm down for the immigrants. I've got that D.I.Y. spirit from my grandfather, a hard working artist who arrived in NYC with 2 suitcases and a family to support and made it to the top of his field based on determination, refinement of craft, and creative freedom. He also cast a huge shadow for me, which I felt I needed to work my way out of to create my own art. His daughter, my mother, was an art teacher and not only raised me to be an artist, but also gave me the opportunity at a young age to help select Philippes work for exhibitions based on criteria like composition and contrast. Its no surprise that aside from my own art making practice I still enjoy the challenge of curating shows. So anyway, Happy birthday Grand-Pere, and thanks via the virtual universe to the cosmic universe for your legacy and inspiration!

Community Time Travelers

Two weeks left in SF...
The sun has never seemed brighter...
Bernal Hill so green from the record rain falls...
Such a sweet city of friends...
Riding my bike with hands in prayer position...
Cut hair for free in Dolores Park today...
A new hobby...
Triple Base is transforming yet again...
Change change change...
Diving in...
NYC, Boston, India on the horizon...
Just trying to be present here in SF for now...
One step at a time...
Trying to remember to breathe thru the top of my head...
I had a casual hang out art sale clothing cleanse on friday...
Here are some pix of the lovely people who came through...

Claire

Patricia

Starlight

Jovi

Nickolas

Jessica

Leah and her cousin

Leah and Leah

Derek

Aya and Chris

Paul and Ariadne

Raul

Gabe and Celia

Inka

Jeanne

Scott

Andy

Sarah

Brion

Kathy

Michelle

Miho

Kevin

Jessica

Sebastian

Sean

Paul

Izzy

Self