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elbis

2009-10-28T04:14:33Z

Flying

2009-10-28T04:12:23Z

When walking just isn’t enough.

Gallery Show

2009-10-03T15:17:06Z

Well, that was fun. Thanks to all those that came out to the アメコミ展 (amekomi exhibit). It was a blast but unfortunately I was not able to meet many of you as I was absent on the last day. I am planning to do a solo show in the spring and hope to meet everyone I missed there. I’ll have more info on that as I get closer to the date of the show.

Also, I know it’s been a little quiet around the blog lately but hey, I’ve been working on Elbis so that’s counts for something, right?
Here’s a taste:

The Heron Maiden

2009-09-03T13:28:38Z

Started with an act of kindness, continued in love and finished in betrayal— The Heron Maiden is a tale of the supernatural which inspired this new image. Inspired by the Thirty-Six Ghosts of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, this new series reflects my exploration of the sweet hereafter.

Printed on 198gsm Japanese archival paper, each print is hand pulled and checked, numbered and signed by the artist.
Dimensions: 297 x 210mm
This is a limited edition print of 10. Available only at the REDUX SHOP.

My own experience with the supernatural began with a friend telling me of one of the many Tokyo parks rumored to be haunted. The exact story is unclear to me now but there was a couple that died near or at the park and since have been seen standing at the entrance. More startling than anything else, I suppose. I go to investigate. No ghosts upon entering the park and for the first few minutes there I don’t feel anything. After a quick trip to the bathroom I notice two swings swaying in the wind. Or perhaps someone has just left and the swings haven’t settled yet. I wait a few more moments- there is n wind. The park holds its breath. The swings do not stop- do not slow. They are constant and perfectly uniform. I think I have found my ghost couple.

I stay there for another twenty minutes trying to document the swings motion with a still camera. Though I failed, the swings never stopped.

I have always puzzled why people are afraid of ghosts. Fear of the unknown? Perhaps, the fear of death itself, as if to protect yourself from the plague by distance from those clearly infected.

I have a much more romantic view of ghosts:

Transposing the two ghosts moving the swings for two people sitting in those swings I would imagine they were having a romantic evening. Even in death, the two still love each other. Did I witness a ghost-date?

Regardless of the actual intent of the ghosts in the park, I felt not fear but a sense of joy and warmth. And this, more than any other experience has colored my perception of ghosts.

New Prints

2009-08-20T06:53:48Z

With great pride and joy I invite you to discover my latest high-quality Giclée print offerings.
These Love / Death themed prints are a strictly Limited edition of 10 prints each.

Printed on 198gsm Japanese archival paper, each print is hand pulled and checked, numbered and signed by the artist.
Dimensions: 297 x 210mm

Available only at the REDUX SHOP.

Pique

2009-08-06T10:25:29Z

I’ve been hard at work on new things some for the shop and some for the printer. As much as I’d like to show & tell you all about it, I’m not quite finished. Don’t worry; good things come to those that wait. In the meantime, here’s a pique:

Other goings on in my art life, I am going to take part in my first group show:

American Comics Exhibition 2009 ~Superheroes~
Dates: Sept. 27 (Sun) to Oct 3rd (Sat) 2009 (closed Tuesday the 29th)
Place: Gallery Kopis

With more details to come shortly.

Thanks to everyone that turned out at the San Diego International Comic Con to show a little love to my friends at The Antidote Trust Booth. Sorry I couldn’t be there myself but word has it fun was had by all.

Kilometre Zero

2009-07-25T13:24:27Z

This is it. A moment of idle contemplation at the center of all that is Japan. The Kilometre Zero marker at Nihonbashi, Tokyo.

One of the most impressive sites in Tokyo is Shibuya crossing. A thousand people cross the street every time the light turns green. A site repeated, although to a slightly lesser degree, at every train station in the city.

However, if you’re like me, after 18 years this can get a little old. One night after work, instead of wading through the crowds to get to my train, I turned around and started walking toward my house. I’ve always enjoyed walking in Tokyo and even though I had finished work at 10 PM the thought of walking home slow was far more appealing than a quick ride home in a packed train. Within minutes the crowds began to thin and like every station, about 15 minutes out I find myself alone.

And this is how I found: The Kyukawagoekaido.

There were five major roads that led from the mercentile district of Edo, Nihonbashi (0km) to the rest of Japan. One of the most famous roads is the Nakasendo: A 533-kilometer road to Kyoto, the ancient Capital. The Kawagoekaido, however, was not one of them. This route considered a minor route that branches off from the Nakasendo route.

The “Kyu” in Kyu-kawagoekaido means old. There is a new road, Kawagoekaido, that is much bigger, noisier and not nearly as serene. But for me, and my walk home, the kyukawagoekaido is a clean, quiet road that stretches from somewhere around Ooyama Station to Shimo-Akatsuka on the Tobu Tojo line. About 7 kilometers at best guess. The actual road is much longer stretching from Nihonbashi, Tokyo to Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture.

I’ve decided to walk the road but this is something I can’t do in either one walk or a single post. There are ten rest stations from Nihonbashi to Kawagoe and I will post one section at a time as I walk the route.

flickr sketchbook

2009-07-19T23:33:26Z

I got this really cool sketchbook from my mom in Kyoto and have been drawing little bits and pieces, rough ideas and sudden inspirations. I’d like to share them with you and though I don’t usually post off site, I thought it would be neat to do a flickr sketchbook.
You can see all the action HERE!
I’ve posted the eight sketches I’ve done so far and check back every few days to enjoy new sketches.

SDCC 2009

2009-07-20T10:38:59Z

Nothing flies like time. The International San Diego Comic Con is nearly upon us. This year my friends at The Antidote Trust (TAT) have an amazing spot, booth #2808, and right across from the Dark Horse Comics booth!

Hot off the press! The comic I did the front and back covers for, Caffeine Dreams #4 shown above, as well as some of the other comics that I have done some interior pages for will be on sale at the booth!

And this year, for the first time, prestige prints from the exquisite corpse comic “Magnificent Creatures” will be available – while supplies last.

Last but definitely not least, the first 100 customers at the booth will receive a free “TAT pack” – a bundle of coupons, comic samplers, and other freebees.

Number 28

2009-07-16T08:41:03Z

Today I find myself inspired not only by the image “Number 28” you see above, but also by the idea of the abstract. Something I had never quite understood till I came across this little gem in wikipedia regarding the painting technique of late Jackson Pollock:

The viscous flow of paint, the force of gravity, and the movement of his body–the dance of the controllable with the uncontrollable to reveal, through its chaos, a mathematical genius.

Some claim that this “Action Painting” as Pollock called it, was Chaos Theory some 10 years before it was found in Mathematics. For my own art, I claim no rights to Action art or even abstract painting. I just like the motion of it and that is my only intent with this piece. Movement and design.

You can download a wallpaper of “Number 28” HERE.