My Penguins Are Getting Dressed for Halloween

JASON

GREEN MAN (fr Sunny In Philadelphia)

HUNTER S THOMPSON

JAMESON STEELE, GILDED AGE STEEL BARON OF SOUTH DAKOTA (inspired by Lorenzo)

SARAH PALIN

KANYE WEST

More Illustrator stuff

Fawcett Residence for SALE!

This Frank Lloyd Wright home is on sale for only $2.7 million. I'll let my realtor know immediately.

Look who's learning Illustrator!

Some characters I created:

Lorenzo used the bunny in his photography via Photoshop:

My Photoshop Lessons: Intro

Working within the Photoshop industry, I decided it was time to familiarize myself with the software. With the help of Photoshop superwizard, Mikey, I've made some progress and recorded it here.

Early stage: Frustration

Paint Brushing Technique

Layers and Textures Exploration


Pen Tool

Tinting and Masking Exploration

Evidently, I have lots of learning left to do. Will update soon.

Austin: World Record for Largest Thriller Dance

The previous record for number of people doing the Thriller dance was 140. The people of Austin, TX obliterated that dwarf-like number with a whopping 881 dancers! I think Los Angeles has some work to do.

Thanks John Ptucha

Defending Change

Themes of change have been most apparent in the airwaves lately thanks to Senator Obama's historical campaign. This notion of change being needed and positive, however, is exceptional in itself because we human creatures of comfort have a distaste, near loathing, for changing.

Surely we have tendencies towards boredom and we'll remedy this with some irresponsible act that will live in gossip beyond our days. We'll crave something or someone constant. Something like home. You know it. It's not so much the advancement, we have trouble when we have nowhere to return when all is done. Security. Honestly.

But let's go micro. Let's discuss how change in those moments of survival should not be viewed in such a monster-like light. Not so much deterioration but evolution. We phase in and out to always be further our development. Surely we've witnessed patterns of devolution and stagnant progress, but we should be considerate of our separate paces and tracks. And that in times of changing, sometimes it's a matter of shifting gears rather than detrimental steps in a negative direction.

Fleeting patterns seem to make us very nervous about change. But when it happens, shudder not. As that moment of change passes, another one is constantly being created. Thus leaving us with this: the only constant we have is change. Werewolf or giant cockroach, we move forward.

My new office

As some of you already know, I have a new job. And they really are treating me well. I took a few photos.


My own office

Fancy chair

Two monitors like the cool kids have.

Thanks, Tita Mynna

Don't you hate it

when you look into the mirror and realize you've turned into a giant peppermint patty?

Spasmodic Notes on Success

We constantly try to define success. Whether it be measured on a monetary scale or the proportional progression in life steps (college degree-great job-house-family), or even a perceptible amount of happiness, or hell, a combination of all three, we decide which techniques and philosophies to live by in order to achieve that level of self-assurance and accomplishment that just beams "I made it."

While I do experiment with various methods, I find satisfaction in the goal-oriented model. OK, don't jump to any conclusions, spirtual guidance hipster. It's not the ancient practice of any organized group. A man who changed the direction of my life, Billy P, told me he got to where he was by visualizing.

Note: Use discretion in repeating the "I'm a really good visual thinker because I'm an artist" cliché. People will most likely notice your awful haircut or poor wardrobe choice and conclude that you should have visually thought about your appearance more.

So I put this to the test the other day and many days before. I was in my car rolling down La Brea Ave with my gas gauge reading EMPTY, YOU PROCRASTINATOR. With today's high gas prices, I avoid the gas station like the plague. So this is when I utilize the visualization and meditation: I repeat "You will make it to the gas station" to myself and picture myself reaching the gas pump without the help of tow truck. SUCCESS I MADE IT! Thus proving that visualization does bring success in the form of happiness as evident in my celebration dance at the gas station.

New definition of success: biological need to emit happiness through genuinely ugly violent gestures.

The Cost of War by Ab5trax

Ryan, Seaton and Hunter go political! See more of their work here: Ab5trax

Furious Little Cinnamon Bun

Good Morning!

Home video of me from last Friday

I like your work, Mr. Piven

Jeremy Piven is my favorite TV actor because of his role as the deviant but warm blooded fast-talking hug it out agent, Ari Gold in Entourage.

Dear Car,

This letter is to let you know that I still care. I'm sorry that luck had staked a rusty 4 inch nail in your tire. Or the time some lunatic hit your mirror off, or the time a startled old lady drove her car right into you, or the time a beastly amount tire debris tried to make out with you and ripped part of your face off. (That piece will be replaced, I promise)
Also, I apologize that I had spilled gesso all over your back seat and my father signed his name on the stain, you're still so dependable. I met another artist girl who got gesso in her backseat too. You're not alone! Your battery failed last night, but you know, that's OK. It happens to the best of us. Just remember, as Ramon the AAA car battery pro assured, you were still the best car of 2005.

Weather Report for 10/20

I cannot see the Hollywood sign from my window thanks to brown haze. Above it the sky is blue. It's about 70 degrees. I wore the faux fur anyway.


For breakfast, I'm having coffee and bagels. No bagels for the bad people today. Office policy.

Who is You? #10

Will you just go forward already? My car can only take so much agony.



You = Mercury, my least favorite planet in our solar system.

I love Dolly Parton and so does Henry Kissinger

I just remembered how much I enjoyed this photo. Scrutinized for days, but I hadn't come to a conclusion that "Dolly" was actually Dolly or just a man dressed as Dolly. Look at the hands. A bit manly no?

Who is You? #9

You're always teaching me new ways to be happier than everyone else.



You: My crazy family.

My New Hobby: Counting associations that deteriorate my chances of being elected to office.

Sarah Palin's mention of Barack Obama's "terrorist" associations have inspired me to count how many of my own associations would stymie my chances of becoming an elected official.

1. flag burning ex-boyfriend
2. family friends with communist leanings
3. bowling team of illegal immigrants
4. numerous radical myspace friends
5. i'm poor and so are my hobo companions
6. various ties with non-christian alternative spiritual guides

Good luck, Barack!

Basilio and Bob Dylan

After my beloved cat, Ming Ming died, my parents were left with an emptier home. No more black furry blob to take your seat. No more black furry blob to make you pet her. No more black furry blob to hiss at you when you invaded her airspace (which was pretty much 2 ft away from her in any direction). How do you ask would we be able to fill this void? My parents came up with Basilio, their beloved basil plant.

Yes, they have people babysit and move it to the sunniest spots of our home. He's a spoiled plant. Recently, my parents have decided that he needs a friend. So they are getting a dill plant and are naming it Bob Dylan. My parents birth puns like no one's business. And their household is once again filled with organic happiness.

For Thursday's sake

After Gavin's show at the Hotel Cafe, Eva and I decided I needed some Capn Crunch. Before we entered the store, we were distracted by a group of women in lycra dresses and stacked heels. Eva would later describe them as "tranny-like." Since they were so striking in the parking lot where they drank Hennessey from the bottle, we approached them to take pictures. They received this proposal enthusiastically since it was one of their 21st birthdays. Once both Eva and I took our snapshots with the Amazonian partiers, a small economy car driving by stopped abruptly. The driver shouted that it was his birthday too. The Amazons cheered. The subcompact parked. Then the two bachelors brought their bottle of Jack to the trunk party. Eva and I wished them well and continued on to get the Crunch.

We exit with not only certain beauty essentials and cereal, but with sets of Groucho Marx glasses. Naturally we wear them. Naturally strangers question our sobriety and sanity. We return to my home to snack, then dance. We put on some records and have our own little dance party with big booty shaking moves and grooves.

Gavin and Angela return. They are puzzled. Since Gavin is the only guy, we manage to have some laughs at his expense before meeting his demands: checking if he smelled, scraping gum off his computer (we don't know how that happened), and eating some Thai food. In the groucho glasses of course.

We depart the late night Thai restaurant. Eva, Gavin and I returned to my apt to check out the rooftop hot tub. Gavin, who had already spilled lemonade all over himself, became excited and jumped in completely dressed with the idea of washing his clothes at the same time. Eva and I happily wade and enjoy our view of Hollywood and somewhat warm night.

Oh, Banksy, you're so clever!

Banksy's done it again, but this time his witty social commentary is aimed at not only our love for animals but also our love to eat them with his mock pet shop in New York. I enjoy it but it's interesting coming from a man who painted an elephant for people to stare at it for hours.

Check out more photos here: Towleroad

Pictures taken at the right time

So this blog, Bling It has the best collection of perfectly timed moment fetishes I've ever seen=.

Who is You? #8

You are the coooooolest!



You = Psyop. This bi-coastal FX house is responsible for some of the most ridiculously amazing advertisements we see, including the Fanta one above.

My Future New Car

Apologies for the slowdown in posts. Should be posting more regularly once I become unemployed again. Haha

I've always loved the Smarte Car, but I love these even more! They are Smarte Cars with custom bodykits.

the "Smerrari"


the "Smorsche"

Weather Report for 10/03/08

Outside, unpredictable.

Food for thought: BBQ chicken wrap. decent, not spectacular.

"On my vacation, I caught a tornado!"

Have your own pet twister! Book your tornado chasing vacation here: Extreme Tornado Tours

Record Player

Thanks to Lorenzo's resurging love for analog, he bought a record player. His purchase inspired me to bring out my record player which hasn't been touched for a year. And I can't see how I lived without it. The turntable is older than me and was given to me along with its fellow components by my father. Altogether, the system was loved by my father during his college years until today here in my living room.

There's a certain listening pleasure that comes from listening to old records. Not only do I embrace the imperfections in the sound, but I love the human interaction of having to flip the records and anticipating its conclusion. The neverending music on an Ipod just doesn't seem huggable.

Currently rotating: Stevie Wonder's Innervisions and The Velvet Underground

Tina Fey, you weren't that funny tonight.

Spontaneous Tuesday: The Olive Garden!

Allow me to elaborate. On certain days during our routine and predictable lives, my friends (or bandidos, as I prefer) decide to indulge in anything our heart desires.

For example the last Spontaneous Tuesday was two years ago. One of us had one of those heart wrenching days. We all got together. Eventually after several undisclosed strange events, we conducted a science experiment: which is faster "shotgunning" or "chugging"? Needless to say, we all painfully woke up the next morning in a room scattered with many Giant Pocky wrappers. The collection of inside jokes was well worth it. Anyway, you get the gist that anything our minds conjure up may just happen.

Lorenzo's dinnertime cravings always seem like a chance for adventure. (For some reason, he hasn't turned on his gas in his apartment for a year now, thus crippling his stove and therefore, his frugal eating habits) Thanks to modern technology, we were able to mobilize our magnificent seven to the nearest ... Olive Garden. In Burbank. While some may consider all you can eat pasta death defying, it ranks fairly low on the richter scale of adrenaline and will probably never become topic of a reality show. Not to mention that Burbank is hardly the setting for something "extraordinary". We sit down at what looks like a dining room in a rustic cabin. Neverending pasta bowls take over our table. It's lovely how food brings people together. After our stomachs reached maximum capacity, on the way home, Mike notices a Krispy Kreme. Instantly, Nathan makes screeching tires turn into their drive-thru and orders "1 dozen assorted, please!"

Nights like these always remind me of what brings us together. Before it may have been our uncontrollable taste for alcohol and mayhem, now it is pure, assorted, butter-drenched, cheese sprinkled, never-ending gluttony with sausage on the side. All for the sake of having a reliable group of 7 to call whenever you really want or need something.


Photo from Lorenzo's Blog

Pollution Cloud

20 x 20, acrylic on canvas
From the private collection of Timothy Kendall

I might've painted this one while I was hungry. Several of the paintings I did around the same time share a theme of ingestion.

Ridge Residence, Brentwood, CA

Cool house near Mandeville Canyon featured on the LA Architecture Tour. Designed by Nicholas Budd Dutton

From Curbed LA

Larissa Bates' "Hustle and Muscle"

Got a taste for the boys in tight shorts? It really is like watching the debates, only fun! Enjoy! (it's a silent film)

The film is currently screening at the Monya Rowe Gallery in New York.

Stupid Non-Shoes

"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months" -- Oscar Wilde

Thanks, Cher

City and Weather Patterns

Here are a few from my new series of paintings. They are inspired by my experiences in these cities. I don't really get to explain myself when they're on a wall, but I will here.


"I hate snow/Chicago, IL" 8 x 12, acrylic on canvas *SOLD

This piece is inspired by my last trip to Chicago. It was right after the worst winter storm the locals had seen in years. Being a city mouse and an Angeleno, snow was not my friend. It felt dirty and reminded me of frozen spit. I have yet to see powder like snow. Some of the icons are symbolic. The wedding cake is in memory of KariAnn and Brandon's wedding, the Bean is my favorite Chicago landmark, I'd seen manatees at the aquarium.


"Portland, OR" 8 x 12, acrylic on canvas

I had visited Portland, OR when I was trying to figure out what direction I wanted to go career wise. Beforehand, I believed my love for LA had expired. Oddly enough, there was a heatwave in the area. No clouds until the last day of my stay. The thunderbolts however represent not only the last and most characteristic day of my visit, but also of all the ideas that were inspired there. Some icons of note: exit sign because I considered Portland to be a "way out", ice cream since it was my staple food during my stay.


"Los Angeles, CA" 8 x 12, acrylic on canvas

Ah, Los Angeles. It's important for people to understand that there is a lot of great stuff beyond the brown smog and media garbage of LA. Once you get through, there's plenty to love.

Weather Report for 9/29

Outside it is cloudy with a chance for thunderstorms. I will still walk to the grocery store.


For lunch: the Food Network

XKCD and my love for science-coolness

The brainiacs at XKCD have a great talent for putting a smile on my face. Their webcomic fuses science and humor, a lethal combination in my book. They pride themselves in their ability to interweave romance, sarcasm, math and language. Fantastic!

Thanks, Newton

My New Pattern of Bohemia

Like many others, my career has been effected by the weakened economy. Weeks have passed without paychecks and I've been left to devise other ways to sponsor my Cap'n Crunch addiction. This entry contains no sadness because my needs and wants have evolved into a minimum.

One new venture is freelance writing. A certain publication, whose validity I still question, approached me and asked if I could write a 500 word article for the entertainment section. "Sure" I respond. My skepticism is muted as a direct result of my hunger. For a writing career or for food? At this stage in my development, the definitions have blurred. The deadline was met on account of having nothing to lose.

Another has been painting. Eva, one of my biggest art cheerleaders, told me about the Gallery at the End of the World. She had a flyer that encouraged emerging artists (that's me!) to display art and hang out with the local art hippies alike. The gallery was a garden space that was decorated with rusty knicknacks and a disco ball. Vines shaded the bar and stage for inspired performers. This is how my Sunday afternoon was spent: Hung up some art. Had drinks with my stylish friends (who looked like fishes out of water) with slimly populated Altadena as the backdrop. Guess what? I even sold some stuff!

Eva asked me, "Aren't you glad that you're not working?" My immediate answer was "no, I hate it." This is evident in the fact that I spend near eight hours a day choosing the sexiest Helvetica resume font and politely e-mailing studios without even a piano break. But at least after the last few weeks, I can define "work" not only by my production jobs, but also by the things I love to do.

Who is you? #7

I'm going to miss you.



You = Mike's Hollywood Hills treehouse, the DeKeyser house (architect: R.M. Schindler) Mike is moving to Venice Beach.