Well almost is good enough for me!

Made it with a day left to spare! I intended to post earlier but these past couple of weeks have been particularly busy. The Japanese school year is coming to end, so i've been occupied with planning test, grading test, graduation preparation, etc...

First order of business, Sympathy of the Tyrant. You've probably made all the necessary tweaks. But i shall give my insight regardless. In the Future i'll be more prompt. I spent a long time staring at this piece and I'm thoroughly impressed by the complexity of it. 

The interaction between the shapes and the value patterns is phenomenal. I also like the balance you've achieved between loose and tight, the contrast between the less developed parts and the more refined aspects. You've kept things really fresh, though you have a knack for doing that with your drawings.  I know your aware of this but your finishes tend to loose some of the freshness of your initial drawings. I honestly have no major qualms, though there is one small issue. I can see the circular movement your trying to create with the torch, the tyrannts face,  the angels, the arm, etc....  but the finger draws my eye off the page, partly because of the contrasting value and also because of the reinforcing arrow shape that the curtain makes.  I'm not certain if this is intentional, and i think it might be a bit knit picky on my part. I might suggest brining up the contrast on curtain a bit more, specifically the left curtain and the inner edge. I think in doing so you could develop a stronger movement from the upper (tyrant) and lower (soliders) parts rather than a directional movement off the page. Honestly Dan, impressive work. I know we've talked about it and i have a vague recollection, but would you mind going into more detail about the subject matter. 

Now, I'm going to use  the Japanese school year as a point of departure, as it's a much different schedule than we are accustomed to. As you know i arrived in August, which was during  japanese summer vacation. So nothing out of the ordinary thus far, but what i don't think i mentioned was that the Japanese summer vacation is smack in the middle of the school year, so when my students returned from vacation, they began the second third of their 3 part school year. Trimesters, quarters call it what you will it doesn't seem all that bad. But i ask you to consider this, the school year ends march 25th with the opening ceremony for the new school year held on April 8th.  Thus, the students have literally 2 weeks to prepare themselves mentally for the next school year. Students who just graduate have 2- 3 weeks before they venture off to college. Also It's common for teachers to be moved, they too don't find out until roughly 3 weeks before the new school year. Thus they have a limited time to (1) complete all the necessary tie up all the loose ends at their current location (2) move (which in some cases is hours away) and (3) prepare for the new school year at an entirely new school! I would argue that a larger period of time is needed for both the students and the teachers, I'm a large proponent of gestation periods. Further Because summer falls smack in the middle of the school year, teachers load the students down with homework. So much so that the students have to work everyday in order to complete the work load. Not much of a break really. Now, There is something to be admired about a strong work ethic, but there is also validity to rest. Physically, mentally, and emotionally the body can't function efficiently when it's being taxed so severely. Perhaps this sheds some insight into why the suicide rate is so high in this country.

With that bit of a ramble aside, lets get down to the meat of things. So, YES, i am staying. YES you are more than welcome to occupy space in my humble abode. And YES, the mere though of it makes me tingle. But as of right now i can't give you any specifics other than that. Coordinating at the moment is a pretty multi-faceted problem which would best be explained in conversation. Basically i know that i'm staying but i don't know any of the details at the moment. May i suggest that you start by giving me an idea of when you would like to come, and how long you are considering visiting? Would you like to come within the year or are you thinking next year? Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall? Then, once things become a bit clearer concerning my schedule for the next year i can respond with what works and what doesn't.

It's a huge relief to know that i'll be staying. I feel that staying another year will allow me to have a more complete experience. My frame of mind has changed a bit as a result. And rather than viewing this experience as temporal I'm beginning to look at the situation in a long term context. It took me nearly 6 months to get my bearings here and to uproot myself again, after a year, would only further disrupt the focus that i was only recently able to reclaim. Looking back on my stay in the Netherlands, it was really around the 5-6 month mark that i started to acclimate and by that time the experience was coming to an end. At this moment in time, i'm greatful to have the opportunity to stay and also the freedom to determine the length of my stay.

When I embarked on this journey I set a number of goals for myself, for a period of time I was making little progress towards accomplishing those goals. While it has been a slow start I’m finally moving in the right direction, and I feel that the next year and half will be a period of momentous growth. I honestly feel more optimistic, inspired, and content than I’ve felt in quite some time. This goes far beyond my creative drive and is in respects to all aspects of my life. I’m averse to using the word empowered; because it smacks of motivational self-help seminars, but If I had to use a word that sums up my current state of mind it would be empowered, meh.

For no conscious reason I've been reading a great deal of literature with existentialist themes: Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky, No Exit by Sartre, The Stranger by Camus, Kafka short stories, and a number of books by Haruki Murakami. It seems quite "absurd" that at this time, i would read a string of novels having to deal with defining existence. Well lets just say i don't necessarily agree with the whole philosophical doctrine of existentialism, but there are some very intriguing aspects; In particular the central proposition that existence precedes essence and that man/woman has ability to define himself/herself. Further because it is within man/womans capacity to define their essence one can through choice alter their essence.

What does it all mean!?

Well as you know for the past few months I’ve been grappling with my artistic identity


For the first 6 months in Japan, I gave myself to the experience with relatively little artistic output. As you know I was conflicted, I directly correlated output with artistic growth. Now, i don't consider that the case, since January I've been working daily. Taking into consideration the your insightful words, I began to look at it this way: when you are working on a piece there comes a time when you stop and just look, you spend more time looking than working. You are trying to reach a state of objectivity, where you see the work not as it's creator but as a viewer. In essence the last 6 months has been a period of objective introspection.

I’ve confronted questions like; what do I want to say with my art? What do I want my work to represent? How do I want people to respond to my work? How do i go about making this ambitious goal of being an illustrator a realization?

I reached a better understanding of who I am as an artist and where I want to go. And I think that is more valuable than just increasing my ability through constant production

Currently, I'm working on trying to instill more of who I am into my work, my thought process, my humor, my love for detail and my perception of beauty. In that way my work will be a direct representation of me and looking at my work will in a sense by a dialogue between the viewer and myself. Struggling with the language barrier in Japan has led me to focus more on creating an accessible visual vocabulary. I think before I was focus more on technical pursuits rather than placing emphasis on the communicative aspect.

Things have moved along slower than expected, It's been a struggle but I've reveled in every minute of it, because it's exactly what I was seeking. The past 6 months has been a flurry of input, data coming in. It's taken me this long to process it all. I doubt that this flurry of input is going cease anytime soon. But now I've gotten into a steady routine of output, I've been working daily for the past few 2 months, I have a clear idea of the direction that I'm moving in. In all things are still a bit hazy it's just my eyes have gotten accustomed at this point.

What the next month holds in store: I should have a complete painting and a drawing. I’ve got an actual deadline, April 11th, as I’ve committed to submitting 2 pieces of work to a small one-night show. So I’ll be working diligently. At the end of the month I’m taking a trip down to Kyushu, which is the most southerly of the four major Japanese islands. If the timing is right I should be able to see the Sakura (cherry blossoms) blooming. I’m also hoping to get to the ocean as I’m currently going through withdrawals.

In all life is busy, but excellent. Although, sitting down to share a cold glass of CHIMGIGOLO and musing about life with my best friend would make it even more stupendous. I look forward to that day. But as you suggested, let’s set up shoot for the next best thing, an online chat. How does next weekend work? How about Sunday (March 9th) my time, Saturday (March 8th) your time? Morning for me is late afternoon for you. Let me know what you think. I’m particularly looking forward to geeking out about BSG.

Included a new value study, it was inspired by the Koyou (Autumn leaves).

Reading:
(Just Finished) Murakami- Sputnik Sweetheart
Kafka- In the Penal Colony, and other short stories
Camus- The Stranger

Wanting to read
Nabakov – Lolita
Rilka- Letters to a Young Poet
Burroughs- Naked Lunch

Music:
Lindstrom - Where you go I go too (crazy good electriconic space disco)
Junior boys- Be Gone Dull Care
Fever Ray-Self Titled (lead singer from the knife)
Billy Joel- The stranger
Ratatat- Classics
Lykke Li- Youth Novels (Another Norwegian)
Snowman- The Horse, The Rat and the Swan (If you haven’t, do give the a listen. I don’t really know if you’ll like it. Part of me thinks you will and part of me thinks you might not.)

I almost posted in January...

...But February 3 is close enough. My regular work schedule is being switched around right now to accommodate my supervisor returning from maternity leave, and I've been given an enormous amount of days off while things transition. I don't know what to do with myself! I'm so used to having to cram as much as possible into my two measly days off, and now faced with 5, the vast expanse of time seems incomprehensible to my mind. Luckily, things are getting done, but there's been quite a bit of tea-drinking and facebooking to fill in the cracks between my more productive moments.

You have a package on the way to Japan! It most absolutely should have left sooner than it did, but I went through some serious pains getting it sent at all, so I can't feel much other than relief that it's on its way. The main problem stemmed from this item:



Yes. That is a bottle of home-made nectarine liqueur, concocted in the Seville with Mariel Martin. I even wrote a little description for it, that I was going to include in the package:

CHIMGIGOLO is a nectarine liqueur like no other. Created in Oakland from bottom-shelf vodka in a plastic jug and a bag of Safeway club-deal nectarines, the ingredients were dumped into a plastic tupperware container, put in the fridge next to some Cock Sauce and fast-food ketchup packets, and forgotten about.

One year, three months and six days later, the murky concoction had fused into imbibable perfection and was once again remembered by at least one of the creators. After a complex straining process involving coffee filters and a funnel, the Chimgigolo was at last ready.

Behold, and savor the unique time-ripened liqueur that could only be made by three distracted art school kids from the Yay. Pour into your favorite glass, take a long deep whiff, and think of faraway friends.

CHIMGIGOLO. Because shitty things some times get better if you forget about them long enough.

However. My plans were thwarted majorly when I discovered that it is flat-out impossible to send alcoholic beverages of any sort overseas unless you are a licensed liquor merchant. This discovery in itself would be bad enough, but the way that it was discovered only added to the frustration! My sister and I decided to get some coffee one morning and drive to the post office to find out what the best way to send your package would be. At the US Post office, we very specifically told the woman that we were sending liqueur with our package, and wanted to make sure that it would be okay. She lazily nodded her head and pointed with half-open eyes to a poster with photographs of the various items that one cannot send internationally. I saw batteries, I saw cleaning products, I saw several noted 'dangerous' items, but nowhere did I see anything resembling Chimgigolo, so I nodded my head and asked about pricing. She gave us a full run-down on the shipping and gave me a customs declaration to fill out and sign. So I go home, and very tidily pack your box, and bring it back to USPS the next day. I am called up to the counter, tell a new woman that I am shipping my package internationally, and she immediately asks me if my box contains any alcohol or liquids. I nod my head, and she shakes hers, and tells me that USPS cannot ship liquids at all, let alone liqueur. I try to argue with her, but the woman that had helped me the last time was nowhere to be seen, and this new one wasn't having any of it.

A few days later, my sister and I drive first to FedEx, who tells us flatly that unless we have a liquor license it's a no-go. We then go to UPS, and the woman has no idea if they can ship alcohol, but would be completely okay with labeling it as 'juice' and seeing what happens. I am a bit more reticent, because I don't know what the customs search will be like, and I don't want to end up getting shipped to Japan myself to get flogged by bamboo sticks. We then go to a wine merchant on San Pablo Ave. to ask if they have any idea how we might be able to ship it. He is at as much of a loss as us - the service apparently doesn't exist.

So there you go. That was a rather longwinded way of saying that your package is now a Thanksgiving dinner without the turkey. All the side dishes are there, and they are tasty, no doubt, but the main course is nowhere to be seen. Just know, however, that upon your return we will toast to old friendships with a finely aged nectarine liqueur.

Moving on, I wanted to comment on your drawing from the last post. This is probably way too late, you're probably already painting it by now, and I apologize for that - I think in the future maybe I'll try to do separate art-critique posts so I can respond a little faster. Anyway: it looks awesome, the figure is especially well done. I think one thing that I've seen you struggle with at times is balancing your love of detail with consideration for the overall work - I think that you're excellent at both, but the problem that I've seen come up is that the gap between the detail and the 'big shapes' is not always filled in properly, like you go from A to D without dealing with B or C. It's like the big shapes are set up, and you immediately set in noodling away instead of getting some middle ground in there. I say this mainly because I don't think that this drawing has that problem at all, it's extremely detailed but it's obvious that the amount of time you spent on it allowed you to to consider all the steps from macro to micro.

I am noticing that the ocean scene surrounding the figure looks slightly flat in comparison to the figure itself. I know that you play around with rendered elements juxtaposed against decorative elements like in your hyphy paintings, but I'm not sure if you meant it to be that way this time - and if you did, I think that it needs to be pushed more in one direction or the other. I think that the main problem (and I know I'm speaking about the area with the glare now, so I'm trying to account for that) is that the two jellyfish in the upper-left and lower-right are approximately the same size and value (and also the school of fish in the background - the corners are almost mirror-images of each other). Considering that it's in the ocean, and one's visual depth would be much lower than above-water, I think you could ramp up the atmospheric perspective on the upper-left jellyfish and darken it quite a bit. Not only would this add more depth to the scene but I think it would really lock in the composition, because the two jellyfish would no longer be polarizing one's attention between the two corners. Movement-wise, the shapes work, but I think that a value adjustment like that would allow the eye to move through those shapes in a more logical progression.

And with that said, I am finally ready to show you some of my productivity. So here is the final sketch of 'Sympathy for the Tyrant'. I won't say much about it because I want a solid, objective opinion, but I would say that I'm still probably going to be noodling with the values for another week or so to really solidify it, so I would be very happy to receive any of your input. Also, I apologize for the horrendous creases in it.



Also, I've changed my single speed once again, you've probably seen the pictures on facebook so for redundancy's sake I will not post it here. It started giving me major back issues, mainly in my upper back, and I concluded that the problem was a combination of the chainring being to large and not having an ideal climbing position. So I went from a 48t ring to a 42t ring, and put some bullhorns on that sucker so I can lean down and stretch out if I need to. Good lord, it's like riding a whole new bike. I gotta say that I've never ridden anything that felt quite as ideal for city riding specifically. The acceleration from intersections is super easy, I've got enough hand positions to deal with minor hills, and the gear is still big enough that I'm not spinning like crazy on the descents (granted it's not a fixed gear so I don't have to). In any case, I was a little frustrated with my bicycle situation because I haven't been getting on many longer rides, but now I feel that I have an idea bike for the riding that I have been doing, which is circling around the east bay like a vortex all day long.

Allllll right, I could probably keep going on this, but it's nearing midday and I gotta get some bidness taken care of (I'm gonna go over to Rivendell and possibly get some Grip Kings!! Yeeeah!). I'm going to see Meshuggah tomorrow night, and I promise to throw in a couple head bangs just for you. I now have ideal concert-going earplugs meant to clarify noise instead of muffling it, and I'm excited about not being half-deaf on the 5th.

MUSIQUE:
Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You
Nomo - Ghost Rock (I took your suggestion, and you were right, I like it quite a lot)
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
Menomena - Friend and Foe (one of those "a year later I suddenly realize how good these guys are" moments)
Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure
Pink Floyd - Meddle
Mott the Hoople - All The Young Dudes
Squarepusher - Just A Souvenir

BOOKZ:
Michael Chabon - The Yiddish Policeman's Union, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay
Philip K. Dick - The Man in the High Castle
The Master and Margarita (Yet again)
Isaac Asimov - The Foundation Trilogy
T.C. Boyle - Drop City
Daniel Quinn - Ishmael