Friday, June 24, 2011

Event of the Century...

My good friend Rebecca Hollebeke is having an art show in Seal Beach tonight... 


If you want your mind blown out of your skull by taking a gander at amazing imagery, come on out!


Don't forget to check out Bay Area based artist Angela Simione along with it... Both tremendously talented women...

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Recognition...

Super rad fine and graphic artist Takashi Murakami made a google illustration to bring in the first day of summer... Sweet!


I suggest you get your google on and check out his work if you haven't seen it already... Beautiful and happy...


Takashi Murakami... Pop it like it's hot...

Happy Holidays...

Forgot to wish everyone a Happy International Surfing Day yesterday...


So i'll make up for it by wishing everyone a Happy Go Skateboarding Day!


Make sure to rip up the streets if you haven't done so already...




Check out Gou Miyagi... One of the most creative and talented skaters I've ever seen. 



Monday = Funday

Did a bit of urban exploring yesterday with my favorite person... As always it was a rad day.  Sometimes when you have this much fun, you never want it to end. Picnic in the park, Art in the Streets, Venice Canals, Dinner, and then some fireworks to end the night with a bang. Couldn't have asked for anything more. Here's a few shots to recap the day...



After months of waiting, I finally got to check out Art in the Streets at MOCA in Los Angeles. Spending a few hours admiring works by some of my biggest influences in the art world was nothing short of amazing. Our visit spark a new motivational fire under me to create new work. Pretty psyked...

Barry McGee... #1 favorite.

A very Bansky vacation...

I feel your pain sister...

Margaret Kilgallen... R.I.P.




Saturday, June 18, 2011

Life Is Sweet...

Why is it that everything that tastes so good, is so destructive to our bodies? 


A quick snap off my iPhone of some of the best dessert before dinner I've ever had...


Ice cream and me... Mint to be...

Friday, June 17, 2011

It's been a few days since the last post, but there's been plenty of things going on...

To start, I'm super stoked to say that my favorite hockey team, the Boston Bruins became the new world champions of the hockey world after a long and hard fought battle.  The heart, toughness, and determination they showed all season long, and especially throughout the playoff run made this season one to remember. So for the first Stanley Cup win since '72... Congratulations Killer B's!



The best part was the Canucks fans decided to destroy their own city in response to the upset...


Photo borrowed from Travel to Selangor.

Yesterday was another one to remember. I was lucky enough to spend the day embarking on urban adventures with the person I admire most... Started off the day at the dog park and watched the elderly reminisce about earlier days while their dogs seemed to do the same. After a delightful lunch in Long Beach and a couple errands, off to Old Town Pasadena we went. Checked out a rad farmers market, got some amazing ice cream at a unique coffee shop, and flipped our fingers through the pages of books inside a cool bookstore. The owner Lauri said I looked like someone from the 50s and I told her I was psyked on her store. Another visit is in the near future for sure. 

My Lotus Flower... surrounded by the loveliness that she emits.


After an interesting and killer dinner at small but cozy brazillian joint, we cappy the night off at the Griffith Observatory. There was some cloud coverage, so the telescopes weren't offering the greatest sights of all, but I enjoyed every single second of my day from start to finish.   







Days like these make life worth living...


Monday, June 13, 2011

Never Grow Up...

If you know me well, you know that I'm an avid thinker and my mind can easily get the best of me.  Most of the time it plays tricks on me and leads me to become my own worst enemy.


At this moment my mind is steering clear of elements that lead to my own demise, and I'm enjoying it. 


That being said, I'm thinking back to when I was a kid.  When my birthdays were still in the single digit age range and I had so many heroes who I admired and looked up to.  Anything from fictional super-hero characters to athletic super stars really tickled my fancy and gave me something to hope for in the future.


As we as a society grow older, we tend to lose those idols of ours and our dreams become nightmares when we find ourselves working our fingers to the bone at jobs we hate to make ends meet.  


Fortunately for me, when the light bulb above my head is lit and shining at it's brightest, I then begin to realize that I live a very fortunate and priveledged life.  At the age of 26, I'm stoked to admit that I still have a group of heroes/heroine that inspire me to live my life the way I do.  Although they don't have super powers or are jacked up on steroids crankin' homers over the outfeild fence, they have the ability to make society aware of what is happening to and around us.  By creating powerful and memorable images that make the wheels in our heads turn, my heroes are known as "artists."


That leads us to some new posts...


From this point on I will make it a goal of mine to post some images and links about those who expand my mind and inspire me to show the world my own thoughts.  We start with the artist known as "Bansky".  Whether you love him or hate him, he's here to stay.  Oftenly reckonized by some as pure "hype," Banksy remains a highly influential individual to me.  Keeping his identity a secret suggests that he purely creates his work for the passion for it, as well as notifying the public to be alert of what is happening in our world today.  His ambition, work ethic, and execution are nothing short of amazing, and his conceptually is mind-blowing. Not to mention he promotes his work in ways that the public to see without making them pay for parking and "exiting through the gift shop."  Skills like his don't just happen overnight, it takes countless amounts of hours to make work of his calibur.  Bansky drives a motivational force behind me as an artist to make more work for the "people" to enjoy, and that's what makes him a hero...





Check him out here... Banksy


Check out some more of his work at MOCA in LA, Admission is free every monday until August 8th courtesy of Bansky... Check out the details here.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Back In The Game...

So it's been quite some time since my last post... I've been caught up investing my time in this silly thing we call "life."  

After many hours of thought and pondering, I realize I haven't been engaged in what I am passionate about at all lately. This last semester of school was what seemed to be never-ending and nearly killed my admiration for the arts. It's weird that some things we must do in our lifetime that we don't neccessarily "want" to do can change our attitudes and outlooks on the things we love most. One terrible professor or class that doesn't strike much interest, and next thing I know I am questioning myself one whether or not I ever want to do anything creative or artistic ever again.

On the otherhand, our lives are what we choose to make of them.  If we always dwell on the subpar qualities of life and remember only what bothers us, we have no hope. Remembering all of the great things that art has introduced me to in life. Friends and new aquaintences that have enriched my life tremendously have been a result of my young and developing art career. 

That said, that's what leads us to this photo. An Alpaca who calls a low-key petting zoo in San Juan Capistrano his home. Glancing at this photo reminds me of a day I'll never forget. A day that I was lucky enough to spend with a person who makes my heart beat fast and ties my stomach in knots with her breath-taking beauty and her kind hearted nature. I met her in a painting class a few semesters back, and not only is she talented and highly intelligent, she's my adventure partner and my best friend. Here's hoping that I get the opportunity for many more days like this one. 

And to all of you taking a moment of your time to read this... Never let hard times control you... embrace them and stay passionate about the things you love while they're still tangible. Cheers to a motivational post, and some new work to come in the near future by yours truly...

- m@rty.