The first in a long line of pieces that forge my new direction.
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Art
Last week, with my anniversary approaching, I inquired my wife, as slyly as possible, about what types of things she likes to see in art pieces that maybe I should consider for a new series. Not being as much of a water baby as I, she appreciates the surfing motif, but it’s not her first love. I had some inclination to what she likes, but I figured I’d probe some more, in case her tastes had changed.
“Birds”, she exclaimed as if it was a revolutionary idea. Although I’m trepidatious of doing bird work since they seem to be ubiquitous, especially amongst the Etsy crowd, I figure as long as I stay away from owls, I won’t attract the Hipster Police.
In a separate conversation, but still digging for details, I asked her what types of imagery best represent Japanese culture. She tossed out a few thoughts which sounded good, but nothing really struck me. As I walked away, she said, “Cherry Blossoms”.
I maintained my composure, but inside my head was singing, “Ding, Ding, Ding, we have a winner”. A bird in a cherry blossom? Done and done! I present my latest piece, in honor of my lovely wife and our 11 years together, I present “Sakura for Mieko”.
By the time this hits the RSS feed reader, this new piece will be available on my Etsy shop. Have a look, tell me what you think and if you have any thoughts on new bird ideas, I’m open to interpretation. Cheers.
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Between day-job magazine stuff and ramping up for this show in a couple weeks, I’m a bit overwhelmed right now. Not an excuse, just letting you know I may be a bit absent for a little while. Please bear with me for a bit, but I promise to bring the funky back soon enough.
That being said, I find it interesting that when I’m rocking on art projects, my blogging suffers, and when I’m dedicated to the blog posts, my art takes a serious back seat. I hope you understand that my art is definitely more important to me, so I’m making a conscious effort to put the blog down if I know that it’s getting in the way of the art. I’m sure you agree, that is the better path.
In the meantime, enjoy a couple of videos I stumbled across from photographer and illustrator, Jeremy Cowart. His photoshop collaging technique is mind-blowing and serious inspirational.
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When it comes to artists I like, I go through phases. I have favorites for periods of time, some long, some short, and then they fall off the list when I find something new to obsess over. I’ll always be a fan of those artists, but I tend to pay less attention as my A.D.H.D. kicks into high gear and shiny, new artists cross my eyeballs. There are a few that stick, though, like David Cho, James Jean, Blaine Fontana, Sylvia Ji, Joshua Petker and now Erik Otto.
I stumbled on Erik through Twitter, watching his tweets, but not really paying much attention to his art. I figured him to be an illustrator/designer based on his avatar. Then one day I clicked on a link to his blog proceeded to collect the pieces of my shattered preconceived notions. Sure, he’s an impressive street artist turned gallery phenom, but what really got my attention is his choice of medium, most pieces being produced on reclaimed/repurposed pieces of wood.
If you’ve followed my blog or tweets for any length of time, you’ve probably figured out that I am big on the three Rs—Reduce, Reuse & Recycle. I’m not some hi-falutin’ environmentalist or chest thumping conservationist. I just don’t see the point in wasting what doesn’t need to be wasted, both from an environmental standpoint, but also from an economical standpoint, but I digress.
Erik doing work on recycled wood is just one of the many reasons I dig what he’s doing. Although he uses similar themes throughout his work, much like some art masters like Dali and Van Gogh, Otto reinvents his work constantly. The style is obvious, staying true to who he is, but still mixing it up enough to stay fresh. Some contemporaries can’t seem to get out of a rut when they’ve latched onto a success.
Recently, Otto released a new open edition print to honor the people of Japan who have suffered through the most recent earthquake, tsunami and the potential ecological disaster of several nuclear reactors going south. When I saw the print, I thought to myself that I really should pony up and buy some art, not just for the cause, but because it was a chance for me to get my hands on some of Otto’s art at a reasonably cost. I kinda let the thought slide past me only to be hit in the face with his art again.
While perusing the latest issue of Surfing Magazine, on the last page where they usually feature the work of some up and coming artist, Otto’s art literally stared back at me. He has officially permeated nearly every aspect of my life. I really need to get me some of his art, soon.
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I’ve been working my way north on this new series, starting in Hawaii to San Diego and now into Orange County. The problem is Orange County is where I spent 99% of my surfing time as a kid, so I have way more favorite beaches to add to the list than would fit on one piece. So I decided to split them up. This piece represents the most prominent surf spots between San Clemente and Laguna Beach. Stay tuned for the Newport Coast to Seal Beach piece coming soon. Until then, enjoy, and if you have a favorite coastline you’d like to see featured, shout it out and maybe we’ll add it to the list.
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