Mar 31, 2009

Photo: Plane flying overhead

This random shot was taken while I was waiting at the San Bruno Bart station, as the San Francisco Airport was close by.

Photo: Tree in Bloom


Tree in Bloom
Originally uploaded by shaire productions
Evidence of a trip to Yerba Buena Gardens in the morning.

Mar 30, 2009

Inspiration: Inspire Art Show Call for Entries

Inspiration Show Graphic

I've met Idiot the Wise, aka !Inspire! on Flickr, and came across a call for arts towards the Inspire Collective Art Show (to be shown in galleries and on the streets of Tel Aviv). Such a great concept. You could check out the Flickr gallery for the first show here.

Photo: Pink Blossoms


Pink Blossoms
Originally uploaded by shaire productions
Spring is here! Looking forward to warmer weather, when you could eat ice cream at night without getting a wicked chill afterwards.

Photo: SF Steps


SF Steps
Originally uploaded by shaire productions
This photo was shot near the Presidio area in San Fran. It was a wonderfully cloudy day.

Artwork: Sabertooth Lion Cub

Sabertooth Lion Illustration

Sabertooth Lion Sketch

Sabertooth Lion Cub is a mixed media project exploring the darker side of art. You can see the initial graphite drawing devoid of color and gradients. There's a distinct Giger influence, but I took some artistic licensing in the anatomy of the cub. He's a little vicious, but a cutey.

Mar 25, 2009

Inspiration: Giant Robot Paper Toy Project and Shin Tanaka

Giant Robot Paper Toy Contest

The Paper Toy Contest sponsored by Giant Robot Magazine and Scion has a fun streetart feel. You could view all the submissions here. The highlighted artist is Shin Tanaka, a graffiti artist specializing in vinyl and paper toys. Thus far, he has participated in about 500 projects worldwide.

Mar 24, 2009

Inspiration: Flickr and its Impact

Flickr Logo

Awesome Capture from San Francisco Magazine is an inspiring article on the wonders of Flickr and its impact on several individuals.

I wholeheartedly agree with the article--Flickr has changed my life. It's an amazing source of inspiration--mainly due to the fact that you become (sometimes instantly) integrated with a global network of creatives. It's opened my eyes to other styles and artistic techniques. Through Flickr, I've gotten the opportunity to publish my photos on other sites through networking and tagging. The stat features and the interaction with other members allow me to get a sense of what people like and which images are more popular. Looking at others' photos is also an encouragement to take better photos or create more artwork. The constant creative energy, positivity and stickiness of the site are invaluable. Thanks Flickr!!

Mar 23, 2009

Photo: Stair Pattern


Stair Pattern
Originally uploaded by shaire productions
Love the textures of old, urban structures. This was taken near the San Francisco Presidio.

Photo: Tree Branches


Tree Branches
Originally uploaded by shaire productions
Natural beauty.

Inspiration: JR and Face2Face Project

Face2Face

JR is an urban photographer who creates massive (unauthorized) installation works across the world, creating a wonderful social dialogue. His Face2Face project is particularly conceptual and moving. He placed portraits of Israeli and Palestinian faces side by side, making people realize their similarities as humans--emotion, job, looks, etc--to bring about a peaceful understanding to the varied audiences.

Artwork: Skull Mountain Sketch

Skull Mountain Sketch

Here's a sketch I did a while back called Skull Mountain. It was inspired by a few horror films and a microbiology book. Random creativity.

Mar 20, 2009

Photo: Tattooed Woman


Tattooed Woman
Originally uploaded by shaire productions
This woman was so great to photograph--you get a glimpse of her passion for life--living without inhibitions. This was part of the Body Art Expo exhibition held at the Cow Palace.

Inspiration: ALS Ads

ALS ads

Communication Arts posted a review of the ALS Society of Canada ad campaign. The designs of the ads are poignant and conceptually powerful. This is a great example of how--as visual communicators--we could influence people's perceptions. The white diagram is of a maze, suggesting there is "no signal" in ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).

Inspiration: Where the Wild Things Are Skateboards

Where the Wild Things Are Skateboards

Thought these products from Spike Jonze's The Girl Skateboard Company were a great tease for the new live-action version of "Where the Wild Things Are".

Mar 16, 2009

Tiki Shirt Review on TshirtAudit.com

Tiki Shirt

Tshirtaudit.com reviewed my Tiki Shirt on their site (March 14, 2009). I had a lot of fun creating this design and was pleased to discover that others find it just as entertaining. I think this deserves a "whooohooo" and a thank you to the jolly Tiki gods with flames a-blazin!

Photo: Orchid


Orchid
Originally uploaded by shaire productions
Closeup of an Orchid from the Pacific Orchid Exposition at Fort Mason last weekend. Such complexity and beauty.

Artwork: Orchid Sketch

Orchid Sketch

This sketch was inspired by the Pacific Orchid Expo at Fort Mason. The pen/ink illustration was created in a couple of hours, during my commute.

Mar 11, 2009

Photo: Female Tattooist


Female Tattooist
Originally uploaded by shaire productions
Asian style tattooing at the State of Grace Tat Show in San Jose.

Mar 8, 2009

San Francisco Pie Fight

SF Pie Fight

Laughing Squid posted a blog last week announcing Herbie Hatman's (herbiehatman@gmail.com) invitation for the second (annual?) pie fight in downtown San Francisco at March 5, 5:39PM. Why? To celebrate the love of life in pure creamy decadence! BYOP and formal attire were encouraged. A pure cyberspace call-to-action.

I was very curious to check out the event, not knowing what to expect. A crowd of a hundred eagerly jostled together, mostly observing the mounting array of shaving cream and whipped cream pies. Only a handful were formally dressed (wedding dress, suits, etc). As the countdown began, the brave few became obvious as the onlookers (including myself) ran away. The next few moments became a scene of pure havoc as white splotches of cream few through the air with squeals of utter glee. Even as an observer, you became a participant, experiencing the energy and innocence of the moment. With a few dozen pies set up, the food fight only lasted a few minutes. The brick ground became so slippery that some folks skated across the ground. With the flying pies at a standstill, I stepped into the mess, snapping away. . . can't wait for next year! Check out the photos on Flickr.

Mar 4, 2009

Photo: Steam Alchemy Gadgets

The gadgets of Steam Alchemy are wonderful pieces of art. They're part of the Steam Punk movement.

Photo: Neglected GI Joes

Hilarious image, eh? Taken at Wondercon.

Photo: Transformer Bumblebee Makes Contact

Went to Wondercon over the weekend--got some great inspiration for new projects and was entertained by all the costumes. This was one of my favs--a great moment where a curious little boy shakes hands with Bumblebee.

Mar 3, 2009

Inspiration: Andrew Jones and Conceptart.org

Andrew Jones

The art of Andrew Jones stems from his travels, digital media, sculpture, and a macabre fascination with cadavers. All his pieces have incredible energy and style. He creates concept art for video games, film, and books. Ballistic Publishing has a great article on him here.

As a personal project, Andrew teamed up with others to start conceptart.org, an online community of artists (mostly in the gaming industry) to showcase and receive feedback for their work. The site is sponsored mostly by Massive Black, a powerhouse in the entertainment industry (where Andrew is a Creative Director). Conceptart.org holds interactive workshops around the world, educating and inspiring other artists.

Inspiration: Stan Winston


Terminator Robot
Originally uploaded by shaire productions
With all the chatter of Terminator 4, the visual effects would not be possible without the legacy and artistry of the late Stan Winston. Starting out as an apprentice for Disney, he went on to start his own studio, leading him to work on many creatures from blockbuster films (Terminator, Jurassic Park, Predator, Aliens, Edward Scissorhands) and win several awards along the way (Oscar, Emmy). Incredible work!

Inspiration: Museum of African Diaspora Artist Highlights

Lorraine Bonner

The MOAD (Museum of African Diaspora) has a great mix of artists and mediums in the "Decoding Identity" exhibit. The show runs until March 8th, so if you're in downtown San Francisco, I highly recommend a peek.

I'd like to highlight some local artists whose work I found both inspiring and compelling. Lorraine Bonner is a clay and stone sculptor from Oakland. On her website, she describes her work as an "ongoing study on the role of trauma in distorting human identity and relationships".

John Yoyogi Fortes

John Yoyogi Fortes is a Filipino artist who incorporates graffiti, social issues, and his Filipino heritage into his paintings.

Chaz Guest

Chaz Guest's fascination with Japanese culture is reflected in his portraits of black women with geisha makeup, wearing kimonos with African patterns. It's a great series and merger of two cultures.

Lalla Essaydi

Moroccan artist Lalla Essaydi has exquisite photos involving henna on skin and the environment--an exploration into Arab female identity. You could purchase her pieces here.

Mar 1, 2009

Artwork: Chinese Mountains

Turtle on Vinyl Records

Chinese Mountains is another exploration of style. It was created with a few different pens. The mixing of organic and geometric lines elude to a modernization of the chinese culture--traditional landscapes and modern skyscrapers.

Artwork: Turtle on Vinyl Records

Turtle on Vinyl Records

What's more fun than a musical turtle? View larger.