Saturday, August 18, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Grace
Whenever I have a conversation with someone about where I went to school and lived for four years, they always ask me do I miss the bay area. Do I miss living up north. And I always say the same thing, I don't miss Hayward, I don't miss Oakland, and I don't miss San Francisco. I only miss all the wonderful people that I met and all the wonderful friends I made.
During my two person art exhibition in Alameda in 2010, I made a dedication to all of those people.
So of course I'm so grateful to have these people in my life even though we are hundreds of miles apart and we don't get to see each other or speak to each other that often, it doesn't change the fact that I cherish them all and get so excited when we do get a chance to talk.
During my Junior year of college I was accepted into the Bachelors of Fine Arts program and that's when I became very close with a lot of my art professors which became so vital for me because not only were they my art professors but they were my friends. We didn't just interact in school but outside of school as well and I admire all of them and I consider them my mentors.
One of those mentors, Grace Munakata sent me some gifts in the mail the other day and even though she told me she was sending them I couldn't help but to feel so loved and excited to get her package. Knot Thread Stitch is actually a book by Lisa Solomon which is another art professor/mentor of mine and when I found out she came out with that book I was planning to buy it and Grace mentioned in an email if I knew about it. I told her yes, and that I was very excited to buy it but was waiting for the money and Grace replied "don't order it, I'm having it sent to you!"
To say the least I am so thankful to Grace.
Here's Toph deciding which book she wants to read first.
Lisa's book is utterly beautiful. This book is so wonderful, it gives you an introduction of embroidery and mixed media techniques and all the materials you would need to get started on a project. The book showcases tons of projects by different artists from felt finger puppets to monogram patches. And towards the end of the book, theres an inspiration section with artwork by even more wonderful artist and a stitch guide and templetes that can be used! I'm so excited to actually sit down with this book and pick a fun project to do.
A page from Lisas book. I'm so happy for her and it's such a surreal thing to hold something that she made, especially something so beautifully made. And if you're reading this Lisa, your dedication is so sweet. And for anyone that is interested in Lisas artwork, click here. And if you're interested in buying her book, you wont regret it.
And of course skimming through these pages I feel inspired again and want to revisit some abandoned sketchbooks. This book reminds me of a book I bought for Lisa's class a long time ago called Art/Work by Heather Bhandari and Jonathan Melber which explores the world of art, and the.. "rules" of the art world. I love that book and this book "Draw in" is very similar because there are little questions on the side of the pages for the artist. Questions like, "How often do you work in your sketchbook?" or "What are the main functions of your sketchbook" and plenty of tailored questions for the specific themes and looks of a certain sketchbook.
Grace, this is my unofficial thank you. Thank you for the wonderful books and thank you for being such a great mentor through college and even now. You always remind me to keep going, to utilize what I've learned, to explore more, and to smile.
A lot has been happening in my life as of late, with this trash station fight, and friends being homeless, but some very dear people have reminded me that I have to make time to rest, I have to make time to breathe so I can let all the joy in because there is so much of it. My brother told me that I have to be mindful of how I feel when I'm doing a certain task and I have to make sure that it's coming from a place of love and not a place of anger and that's something I've noticed especially with the social activism that I'm so deeply a part of now. I have to remember why I'm doing this, why I'm fighting and it's for love, justice, and compassion, it should not come from a place of anger, frustration, and hate.
I'm so lucky to have these people in my life to remind me when I forget.
Love,
Tony
During my two person art exhibition in Alameda in 2010, I made a dedication to all of those people.
I dedicate this show to my family.
My family back in Southern California
and the family I’ve gained while living
here in the East Bay. These people are
the ketchup to my eggs. Yes, I eat ketchup
with my eggs. Without them this show
wouldn’t be possible, so thanks for being
ketchup.
Love,
Tony
Love,
Tony
So of course I'm so grateful to have these people in my life even though we are hundreds of miles apart and we don't get to see each other or speak to each other that often, it doesn't change the fact that I cherish them all and get so excited when we do get a chance to talk.
During my Junior year of college I was accepted into the Bachelors of Fine Arts program and that's when I became very close with a lot of my art professors which became so vital for me because not only were they my art professors but they were my friends. We didn't just interact in school but outside of school as well and I admire all of them and I consider them my mentors.
One of those mentors, Grace Munakata sent me some gifts in the mail the other day and even though she told me she was sending them I couldn't help but to feel so loved and excited to get her package. Knot Thread Stitch is actually a book by Lisa Solomon which is another art professor/mentor of mine and when I found out she came out with that book I was planning to buy it and Grace mentioned in an email if I knew about it. I told her yes, and that I was very excited to buy it but was waiting for the money and Grace replied "don't order it, I'm having it sent to you!"
To say the least I am so thankful to Grace.
Here's Toph deciding which book she wants to read first.
Lisa's book is utterly beautiful. This book is so wonderful, it gives you an introduction of embroidery and mixed media techniques and all the materials you would need to get started on a project. The book showcases tons of projects by different artists from felt finger puppets to monogram patches. And towards the end of the book, theres an inspiration section with artwork by even more wonderful artist and a stitch guide and templetes that can be used! I'm so excited to actually sit down with this book and pick a fun project to do.
A page from Lisas book. I'm so happy for her and it's such a surreal thing to hold something that she made, especially something so beautifully made. And if you're reading this Lisa, your dedication is so sweet. And for anyone that is interested in Lisas artwork, click here. And if you're interested in buying her book, you wont regret it.
The other book Grace sent me was "Drawn in" by Julia Rothman. It's a collection of very cool sketchbooks by some very cool artist.
And of course skimming through these pages I feel inspired again and want to revisit some abandoned sketchbooks. This book reminds me of a book I bought for Lisa's class a long time ago called Art/Work by Heather Bhandari and Jonathan Melber which explores the world of art, and the.. "rules" of the art world. I love that book and this book "Draw in" is very similar because there are little questions on the side of the pages for the artist. Questions like, "How often do you work in your sketchbook?" or "What are the main functions of your sketchbook" and plenty of tailored questions for the specific themes and looks of a certain sketchbook.
Grace, this is my unofficial thank you. Thank you for the wonderful books and thank you for being such a great mentor through college and even now. You always remind me to keep going, to utilize what I've learned, to explore more, and to smile.
A lot has been happening in my life as of late, with this trash station fight, and friends being homeless, but some very dear people have reminded me that I have to make time to rest, I have to make time to breathe so I can let all the joy in because there is so much of it. My brother told me that I have to be mindful of how I feel when I'm doing a certain task and I have to make sure that it's coming from a place of love and not a place of anger and that's something I've noticed especially with the social activism that I'm so deeply a part of now. I have to remember why I'm doing this, why I'm fighting and it's for love, justice, and compassion, it should not come from a place of anger, frustration, and hate.
I'm so lucky to have these people in my life to remind me when I forget.
Love,
Tony
Thursday, August 16, 2012
simple
It's simple. It's not that complicated. Somedays I just need a minute to stop and be. I'm finding out, the more I just breathe and be mindful, be with myself, the more I'm letting joy come in. Today as I was riding my bike and my thoughts were with my friend, I just felt this rush of joy swell inside of me because I knew that even if things didn't turn out the best way possible, it doesn't make it less worthy, it still means something.
There's a lot of stuff, and no stuff at all.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Abe's drawing
While Abraham and I were waiting for our dinner, I started to draw this man eating his burger, after I finished Abraham decided to draw the woman sitting next to him and this is what came of it. I really like this drawing.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Processed. Print. Nine.
Pentax K1000/ Kodak Portra 400
Pomona, July 2012
I feel like a proud/overly proud dad because I've been collecting a lot of photos of Toph. In this past year she has become my designated- (Toph, you look cool, I'm going to take a photo of you) figure. This is her on her driveway, just hanging out in the sun.
I appreciate days that I get off work earlier in the day and I don't have any plans, any responsibilities, anyone to see, because I just spend the entire day with her and play. Today when I got home, she was laying on my bed completely sideways, wagging her tail, and I chased her around the house for too long, and played catch with her for too long, and hid some of her toys for her to find. Took her on a walk in the evening when the sun was going down, and we've been doing this thing where towards the end of our walk, I take her leash off so she can get used to walking with me freely.
My mom always laughs at how excited and crazy Toph gets after she gets a bath. She just runs back and forth between my room and the living room. My mom says it's because she feels energized. She smells nice now and shes asleep under my desk in her bed as I'm writing about her.
we've come so far but
How Far Have We Gone Off Track (Japanther) 3 of 9
Gouache and Ink on paper
2011
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