Feb 25, 2010

Art Show: Camfed Fundraiser at Space Gallery, SF

Camfed Students Photo

Carefree Art Print

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

There will be an Art Show Fundraiser on February 27th at Space Gallery for the non-profit, Camfed, a non-profit organization providing educational resources for African girls and women.

My "Carefree" print has been signed and donated to the event and will be auctioned off from 8-10pm. 100% of the sales will go directly to Camfed. There's a great collection of work from other artists here

"The goal of the organization is to empower girls in Africa by using a community-based, holistic approach to long-term education, small business training, and HIV prevention. Since 1993, Camfed has improved the educational opportunities for 645,400 children, provided scholarships for 39,330 girls to go to high school, trained 2,677 teacher mentors and helped 609 young women go to college." (Excerpt from the Camfed Fundraiser site)

Photo: Downtown San Francisco

Downtown San Francisco

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Feb 24, 2010

Photo: Cliffs near Pillar Point

Pillar Point Cliffs

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Inspiration: "Luck", Tomate de Arbol Online Magazine

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Tomate de Arbol #2 is a cool online magazine from Buenos Aires, Argentina. The second issue is based on "Luck" and there's a nice variety of artists from around the world, including yours truly (pg. 73). More info here

Video: Canhead



Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Nice stop-motion film short from 96 by Tim Hittle. I remember seeing this years ago, but saw it again at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. Great storyline and execution.

Feb 22, 2010

Photos: My Mavericks Photos Featured on the Flickr Blog

Mavericks Surfer

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

It's pretty exciting to have a couple of my Mavericks photos appear on the Flickr Blog here. Whoohoo!

Feb 19, 2010

Artwork: In Love and Hate

In Love and Hate

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Inspired by the film "The War of the Roses", this mixed media illustration is about the distress from love lost.

Photo: Fog Over Cliffs

Fog Over Cliffs

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Feb 16, 2010

Artwork: Layout Sketches and Notes

Layout Sketches and Notes

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

These concept sketches were originally created in pen/ink on paper. I then scanned and repeated a vertical column to create "endpages" on my handmade book portfolio.

Feb 15, 2010

Photos: Mavericks Rogue Waves and Impact

Mavericks Rogue Waves: Surfer Lending a Helping Hand

Mavericks Rogue Wave: Bracing for Impact

Mavericks Rogue Wave

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

February 13, 2010. At the Mavericks Surf Competition, two huge waves hit the beach, knocking dozens of spectators off their feet, causing several injuries, toppling booths, unnerving many (like myself) and sent some unfortunate souls swaying in the water while numerous boxes of equipment were swallowed up--all within a few seconds.

Feb 12, 2010

Artwork: Valentines Angel Ecard and Photo

Valentines Angel

Reaching for the Heavens

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Happy Valentines Day! Here is a photo I took with angel wings, which I adapted for Valentines with heart and scroll elements. The photo was converted to a cyan duotone, which simplifies the piece and brings out the red tones.

Artwork: Rivera Dragon

Riviera Dragon

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

This commissioned piece was created for a 1965 Riviera car rooftop. It was a nice opportunity to work in a different medium and an all-around fun project. On the surface, it seems to be an abstract tribal design, but there are hidden objects--dragon, skulls, and a bird. The car shop will then take the design and airbrush it onto the Riviera. I'm super excited about this, so I'll post pics after the project is finalized.

Artwork: Heart Tile Pattern

Heart Tile Pattern

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Feb 11, 2010

Artist Spotlight: Sherrie Thai in Project Exposure Magazine

Sherrie Thai in Project Exposure Magazine

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

The gracious folks at Project Exposure magazine (independent arts magazine) published my mixed-media piece "The Raven" for their second issue alongside other new artists. Yay!

I was very humbled to partake in an Artist Spotlight for the month of February with the editor, Pete Morse. You could view the original article here.

Interview Text
-----------------------------
Where are you from?
Oakland, CA

Where are you currently working? In a studio or out of your home?
Freelancing from my home.

Are you working full time as an artist?
Yup, loving every moment of it. Bread-and-butter projects are graphic design-related, but my main passion is in illustration.

How did you get started - What lead you to art?
I’ve always appreciated art. Did a bit when I was young, but it wasn’t till high school that I took an art class and started loving it.

What is the long-term goal or plan for your work?
To have integrity in my work and continue growing/evolving as an artist through experimentation (and hopefully, innovation). For fine arts, I’d like to make an impact by changing perceptions of social issues/injustices through visual means.

Have you had to overcome any major obstacles in life or your work?
It’s having the confidence in my abilities and to find my own voice. Support from my family and friends have helped me along the way (so Thank You Guys!).

Where does your main source of inspiration come from?
Mythology.

Is there anything that influences your work? For example: family, heritage, religious beliefs, etc.
There are so many—it ranges depending on the project—family/friends, history, art styles (particularly Renaissance, Victorian, Art Nouveau, Surrealism, Gothic, Cubism, Tribal), alchemy, mysticism, ancient civilizations (Egyptians, Roman empire), literature, nature, various cultures (especially my Asian heritage), tattooing, sports (BMX and snowboarding), music (hip-hop, rock, electronica, classical), mythology, politics, religion, and films.

Are there any subtle messages in your work?
There’s inspiration in everything. . . and eat more chocolate. :)

We were really moved by the glass etching, "Dual Dragons". There was a tragic ending to that piece. As long as it doesn't bring up any bad memories, could you tell us about it?

Sure, no problem. “Dual Dragons” was a 18x24” large glass etching I did for a gallery a while back. It was at least 100 hours of work. Unfortunately, the piece was accidentally destroyed by another’s hand—from the gallery itself. It was the worst possible thing that could happen to the art piece, but I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. At the time, I was pretty distraught, but eventually, saw it as a sign that it wasn’t the right time or place for my work. The gallery wanted to mold my work in their vision and push something I wasn’t very comfortable with. When you do commercial pieces, you compromise and do what’s appropriate for the client/project, but for fine arts, it should be about personal intention, passion and vision; if it isn’t, then it’s just empty. It was truly a learning experience. Since then, I’ve grown artistically. I was glad to have saved the original design, and a few years later, the dragons were resurrected through a mixed media format.

The top dragon was created in an Eastern/Asian form, while the bottom dragon was done in a Western style. It was a sentimental piece because it was one of the first projects that became a personal commentary—growing up Chinese-American and being privy to the two cultures. It’s a duality, but never as one.

How much traveling have you done? Could you talk about art on the road and what materials you would bring to create art.
I don’t travel as much as I’d like to, just a couple of spots here and there. I do have a long list of places that I’m saving up for. Last trip was to Mexico and was really inspiring as it was right before my favorite holiday, Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos. My camera and sketchbook goes everywhere with me, even when I’m not on vacation. I love the SF Bay Area, so I take little day-trips, playing tourist. It’s a great way to get out of the daily routine and gain inspiration. I’ve met really interesting folks that way and had spontaneous photoshoots with lovely people.

Your abstract drawings are very original and unique. How does that work take shape?
“The Artist’s Way” book inspired me to capture every free moment and create, even if I don’t feel like it. I suppose it’s a form of visual meditation.

I’m on public transportation frequently, so I use that time to work on the abstract pieces. In the beginning, I don’t think about what they would look like. I just let the pen do the work. After a while (and on a good day), something starts taking shape like designs for apparel or other concepts. They’re essentially refined doodles.

Have you done any tattooing? Are there any art forms that you'd like to try?
Not really, but have designed tons of tats and the entire genre is a huge inspiration. I was a henna body artist for a few years and I credit that for expanding my artistic scope. I had to draw designs freehand onto the skin in a very limited time, so that forced me to look at art differently—breaking them down into bite-sized chunks and seeing nuances of art from various cultures. That’s when I starting loving the tribal style.

I’d love to adapt my art for different mediums—perhaps on metal and 3D sculptural pieces.

Tell us about Shaire Productions, and what do you think the future holds?
Shaireproductions.com is my art production company that I’ve developed for a little over a decade. It’s where I do graphic design, illustration, photography, and fine arts projects. I also use the name for my blog and retail products—tees, art prints, greeting cards and jewelry.

For the future, I’d like to expand my art to different mediums and retail products. Creating art for charity organizations and social projects is important to me, so I hope to continue that. Art events/shows are really fun to do as well. Whatever happens in the future, I’ll still keep creating.

Photos: Fine Art Female Form

Becca Portrait

Female Form

Hair and Drapery

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Here are some photos from a fine art photoshoot I did last weekend with a Meetup group (Photo TM and Becca). It was a great experience working with various strobes and filtered lighting.

Feb 9, 2010

Shaireproductions on the Streets of Paris

Phoenix

Big Brother is Watching You

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

I mailed off some artwork for Eric Marechal's Urban Hearts "Street Art Without Borders" urban project. His photos can be found on his site and on Flickr.

Photo: SF City Hall

SF City Hall

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Feb 8, 2010

Artwork: Dragon of Luck

Dragon of Luck

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

A white dragon bearing the Chinese Character of Luck for the Lunar New Year.

Feb 7, 2010

Shaire Productions Photo Portfolio

All Laced Up

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Since I'm looking to expand my photo portfolio, I thought it was high time to narrow down the 13K images into some of my favorites here.

Feb 1, 2010

Artwork: Alice and the White Rabbit

Alice and the White Rabbit

Alice and the White Rabbit Shirt

Posted by Sherrie Thai of Shaire Productions.

Alice and the White Rabbit is another "Alice in Wonderland" inspired artwork. I'm experimenting with a cartoonish style with a hand-drawn effect. It was originally created with pen/ink. The shirt is available at Zazzle in different colors and sizes.