Aqua Art, Miami 2012

Absolutely the best trip I've ever been on. There was art installations, murals, art fairs spilling over with exhibitions surrounded by beautiful landscapes of warm weather and sandy tropical beaches... oh right, in December! No one sleeps here and I fell right into line with this philosophy. I would take care of art business in the day time, then out and about exploring the town and the super sexy people in the night. Four hour dancing sessions, live murals, bright pink sunrises, it was so good. I loved that there was so much excitement over art as well. People from all around the world flew in to take over Miami, art was so popular for a week. Art should get weeks everywhere all over the world, even small towns in rural areas, at least a few times a year. Bring back the celebration of the imagination!
Here are a few shots of the Aqua Art adventure, and if you're going next year let me know and we can have cocktails together on the beach!

The Beach! Even relaxing on the white sands there was a number of planes trailing messages in the sky, someones addition to the Art Basel experience.

Art Basel interior

Untitled, Art Fair on South Beach

Aqua Art, the best art fair (and also the one I was showing in coincidentally)!



The Autobody Crew, Jackie and her team of Artists



Drinking aqua drinks at Aqua Art, with Natalie Hegert, a writer from ArtSlant and a friend from way back when

My painting, Lust for Life

The view from the balcony

I think we were feeling pretty optimistic, opening might with my fellow artists



"free art"



Stucco and neon, it looks good down here

The Autobody crew out to eat. A truly lovely bunch

The Beach!

Kill Your Idol bar and club where I painted my mural. It was a challenge because I hadn't slept the whole time I was there and then tried to paint it the night before I left, whoa.



But it was painted anyways! I can sleep when I'm dead, right?
A great group of people work here by the way, stop by if you're in the neighborhood.



A drawing I made upon returning from my trip, Santiago from Miami 

 

Making Art, Hearing the Music

Red Devil Lounge Mural, the theme of the piece is temptation.

the left side...

the right side...

     Life works in mysterious ways, and after a long and not so unusual series of meetings I ended up with two new projects around music. One project was a poster I made for musician Roem Baur, and the other was a mural I painted last week for the Red Devil Lounge, a live music venue on Polk Street. I found these projects to be especially exciting because in a loose sense, it's a cross genre collaboration. I wanted to get a sense of what these fellows did, while making Roem's poster I listened to his album over and over (I obviously liked it too, so it wasn't strictly for research), I was trying to get a sense for what he was really expressing as an artist. And while meeting with Jay, not quite as intimately but on a personal level I wanted to understand the character that he wanted to give the club based on his beliefs of what the Red Devil meant to him. It was an enjoyable interchange all the way around and rather than promoting food products, or something else I care for equally as little, I got to spend time thinking about music, and in the end, I got to go see Roem perform and I experienced a show at the Red Devil Lounge, both of which were memorable and a total blast. If you didn't know it already, dancing is good for your soul.

Here's some links if you'd like to know more:
http://www.roembaur.com
http://www.reddevillounge.com/


Roem Baur poster in progress, just the face

 

Roem Baur posters



Studies, Satyr and Nymph

I'm working on a big project for an art party in the Yerba Buena area, downtown SF. There will be performers, all sorts of artists, museums will be open late and free. I'll be making a large light box, about 7'x10', with a painted mural on transparent paper. A glowing mural... just starting the studies for it, I'll post more as I get closer to completion

SATAN

Painting Satan! (for a Dark Art show at Modern Eden Gallery).

Come out and say 'Hi' if you're in North Beach, opening reception

Saturday, August 11th, 2012

LIVE! Painting

A few weeks ago I participated in a live art performance night downtown San Francisco for a Yerba Buena neighborhood night. I was a great experience where I get to meet all kinds of new people and it pushes me to be more public with my painting process (which is normally in the safety of my studio complete with coffee cup and pajama pants). I think I may have been a bit ambitious with the size because by the end of the two hour event I had really only blocked in most of the piece, but what is life if not a learning opportunity. And painting aside, I was in the company of some lovely performers, belly dancers, vocalists, contortionists, oh my! It reinforces my sense of wonder with creativity in general, what a spectacular time and place to be a human. Thanks San Francisco.

'Lust for Life' exhibition

 If you didn't get to see Lust for Life In person, here's the next best thing, a digital tour! I went by the Gallery today and took a bunch of pictures to document the installation:

Left wall as you walk in the room, installation flowers with framed paintings in center




I'm so Happy I could Die, three part painting





Wheat paste wall paper installation and title wall painted by yours truly





Vagina wallpaper



View from the interior of the second room





Let's go Party Girl






I Heart the Tenderloin

 



Partied out Jesus

 


Fountain of Decay, with surrounding flower installation

 


Fountain of Decay, detail

 


Happiness, a three part painting





F*ck Yeah I'm Alive



DMT Mary

DMT Mary, detail

Baby in Space, and Holy S*it

Interior of the third room, looking back

Pan study, Bright Future, and OMG

Oh S*it for Reals?, The Hero, and For Love or Fear

Looking to the last wall in the third room, my monster of a painting, Lust for Life and flower installations

Lust for Life, detail

flower installation detail

Extreme close up, all hand made tissue paper flowers, with a little help from my friends