Hello out there, I've been away from blogging for a while now. Here's a picture of a painting that I just finished for my Whitewalls show that will be hanging at the end of 2012. The show will be a body of work that explores the history and traditions of bullfighting. This is the first piece that I have completed for the show. I'll keep updates as to when and where the show opening will be. Check out Whitewallssf.

Open Studio

This is a painting that I wrapped up for Open Studios a few weeks ago. It's part of my ongoing narrative work forcing an elephant into a ominous scene with a man made object. With this piece I was focused on the symbology of the five pointed star. I'm interested in how we use reoccurring symbols for meaning. I find the origin of symbols pretty fascinating.

I've been in the studio a lot this last few weeks. I've been trying to get work done for group shows, and open studios. The image is a close up of a larger piece. The painting is 3'X6'. Of course theres an elephant or two that will be present in the landscape. This painting is a pseudo commission piece that I'm doing for a couple that have been super patient. The colors in the photo are off quite a bit from the actual painting. The waves are up this morning, I think a surf before the studio is in order.

Zebras

I have always really like Zebras, their contrast and pattern make them pretty unique creatures. Here's a close up of a painting that I'm working on that is going into a group show related to street art. While I wouldn't call myself a street artist, I certainly have some street art and graffiti influences in my work. I don't know what else to say about my Zebra herd. I think that I paint much better than I verbally articulate myself.

Here's a piece that I just wrapped up last week. It's part of a small series of paintings that I'm painting around elephants in open spaces, interacting with man made objects. All of which have ominous skylines. The painting measures 36"X72". I just dropped off this piece at my favorite coffee shop in Santa Cruz,Verve Coffee Roasters. They've been kind enough to house some of my work, as I have run out of space in my studio in the past. If you're ever in the area, you should definitely take the time to stop off and treat yourself to some of their amazing espresso. I also would highly recommend, a slice of their carrot bread, or their chocolate chip cookies. Their treats are insane.

Riding Waves

After taking a pretty long sabbatical from surfing I finally got back into the water last week. There was a nice little South swell hitting Santa Cruz. One of my favorite spots to surf opened up, that is usually pretty fical. It takes a good size South with a really low tide to get it going. It may not break more than a dozen days out of the year, but when it's on, it's super fun. I was fortunate enough to surf two days with my buddy Alex, who makes all of my canvases and frames Check out pacificcoastfineartcanvas.com. I'm getting antsy to get back into the shaping room after being out of it for the last year and a half. I think the next board I'll shape will be a longboard, that I can take my son out on. I think he's just about ready to get out on a surfboard.

National Donut Day

Oh boy, one of my favorite days of the year. I do feel though, that it is a very under observed National day. The first form of the donut can be traced back to Europe, however, the donut is as Americana as it gets. I fortunately live in the land of donuts. Although I haven't confirmed it, I think that there are more donut shops per capita in Santa Cruz County then anywhere else in the world. If you weren't already aware that June 3rd was National Donut Day, don't beet yourself up, most donut shops don't even know that it exists. So go on, get out there and support your local donut shop. Crispy Creme is not a donut shop. For for more on the history of the donut Check out donutdayusa.com.