Five Dollar Trees and Good 'ol Salty Breeze.




Sometimes, when life seems to be draining the energy and inspiration out of you, an adventure is needed to get the hamster to turn the creative wheel. It doesn't have to be anything grand or death defying. All that's really needed are some essentials: Cameras, sketchbooks, creativity, steady feet and (if time permits) tobacco; not really an essential but it belongs there anyway.
We drove down to the northern shore of San Pedro to check out some ruins on the beach. On the way we said hi to an old friend and then stopped at a stand that was selling bonsai trees. They were AWESOME. After checking my wallet, I'd hoped that they were cheap (five dollar cheap). Each pot had a little figurine of a man sitting on a rock fishing. Maybe to symbolize the patience required to take care of such a fussy tree. The prices were higher than expected and so we booked it to the ruins.
The ruins, White Point Royal Palms, had been there since the about 40s and with the water forever crashing into them, all that is left on the beach are tide pools and curious rock formations. We had to step on little rocks that protruded above the water in order to get to more stable footing.
I was setting up for a shot and there was a couple to my right who wanted to get a better view at the edge of the tide pools. They turned around to signal their friends and family that they've arrived and were smiling ear to ear. Next thing I see is a BIG wave crashing into the rocks and like the hand of God slap into their backs. They lose their footing and slide back down to where they started their climb. Scary, yes, but funny how the ocean works. I love the ocean.

Hope I didn't fall off my rocker, but this rock looks like a skull.
The horizontal white strip looks like teeth and above that there are dark rings that could resemble a nose.
Right?


Currently listening to:
Keep Pushin
by Kero One

Hawaii

Good eats, good people and great weather.
Although short lived, I had a blast.

Mahalo for everything.
Shaka brah.

Life Drawing

With Randall Von Bloomberg as an instructor:

Decided to add a little of my own touch.
Drawn with a Contè pencil.

The second one was a blind contour drawing.
I was suppose to draw the model without looking at my paper.
I cheated a bit.

I wouldn't say this was my best work.
However, the model was intriguing.
She stared into space so contently that it made me wonder what she was thinking.
Maybe she was thinking about a double stacked hamburger with the works, who knows?
Drawn with Contè pencils.

This guy was the most interesting out of the bunch.
He apparently goes down to Torrance city hall every time they have meetings and demands that they make a section of Torrance Beach into a nude beach. Whatever floats your boat, but my vote is no.
Drawn with Charcoal and Contè White.

Xavier.
Vine Charcoal to start and then Contè pencils to finish.

A photo i got from deviant art.
Since faces are difficult for me at the moment, i decided to try it out.
Could have been better, but it's ok.
White and Black Contè.

My final. I took an image off Deviantart.com.
Its a fun site to get artistic nude photographs since none of my friends will model for me.
I need some new friends.
Instead of explaining the drawing, I'll let people decide what it is.
That is all.

Long Overdue

Shots taken with a Canon A-1:

These are just a few that made the cut.
Still learning how to use the camera.
More to come soon.

Under the City

April '08
Urban exploration.
Boredom makes the day interesting. My buddy Mr. Twelve and I decide to go through the tunnels/drain under El Camino. So, with skateboards and gear in hand, we trekked through into the darkness. HAHA. It was fun. We found a crawl space no bigger than a basketball hoop and slid down it on our boards. Then, of all places, we end up at the Alondra Golf Course. I'm not going to lie, it was kind of scary at times. There was a point where it was pitch black and the wind was howling, and funny noises were echoing in the tunnel. Fun Times.

Under Fifty

The temperature right now is 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Its about 30 degrees below comfort level. The air seeps in between and under the seven layers of fabric that protects my body. It makes it even more difficult to find my way out of the tsunami of blankets and pillows that engulf my body in the morning.
For the past couple of weeks or so art has been my cup of coffee, warming me up from the inside in this frigid weather. It's given me new life and energy to greet the day. I imagine the Folger's commercial where there is some random actor/actress who gets up to the bitter smell of coffee only to say "hello" to the morning with smiling eyes. I dont quite look the same way when i wake up in the morning, but producing some good art has almost the same effect.
I am happy to say that after a long, slow and painful hiatus, projects are steadily progressing and even being finished. It has been a rough year, but towards the final stages of these short twelve months it has begun to look like things are finally picking up.
I am eager to see what lies ahead and around the bend.
'til next time...
Listening to:
81 summer
by Uyama Hiroto