Toy Fusion Hosts Toy/Anime/Art Show at the 33rd st. Bistro, Sacramento

I'll be in the art show part of this event.  This time, along with some more 8-Bit characters, there will be some Comic Book and Sci-Fi Hakos along with a few of my own characters like Al-One and the Eye Bots of Titania.

I'm working on a painting as well, but focusing on the Hakos. Click the banner below to see more about the show and learn a bit about one of the more awesome collectibles shops in the area!

 

UPDATE: 28 JUNE 2011

The first of the Comic Book Hakos

These were finished up this morning...took about half a day to get them cut, assembled, painted and detailed.  Most don't realize that these are hand painted and I put just as much effort into them as I would any piece of art I do.There are at least five layers of paint on each one which is how I get the color to look so "alive" opposed to just drawing them up in a CAD and printing at Kinkos en mass.

Here's a reinterpretation of the Space Invaders Hakos I took to the Clouds Have Eyes show.  These were done last week and just needed some details to bring them into their own character. 

Again, they're called "30pt" and "20pt" based on their position on the board.  I like to call them "E" and "T".  10pt is in the works as of this update.

This is also a revision of the Mario Hako; scaled down just a bit to give a more Hako appearance. The Koopa Shell is the same morph as the first ones.

I really like this form best as it represents a vision of what the Hakos started out as: a simple form where the surface is fully utilized to bring forth the character.  Luigi is on the desk as of this update and should be posted up soon.

(Later the same day in the studio of C!nder...)
Got side tracked so no 10pt Invader...but I finished up Luigi and added Thor and the Human Torch.  Seems like I'm Team Building between the Avengers and the Fantastic Four...well, at least the classic versions anyway.

UPDATE 30 JUNE 2011

Here are the rest of the Comic Book Hakos.  I figure a good dose of villainy will work well with all the heroes.

...and the rest of the Heroes.

Cinder "Unleashed"

(click on the above image to view it larger)

And here's my contribution to the show:

It's called "Catnip" and is 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas.

Level Bonus at the 8-Bit Show...

Just finished up from "The Clouds Have Eyes" in Modesto. Had a good time poking around the town, seeing a few Nerdmarks like the American Graffiti stature at George Lucas Plaza.  Here's a link to the page Modesto has on Lucas  and a link to the Google Image Search of the plaza.  Well, it's not really all that, just a touch stone in the history of a film maker and major contributor to much of the industry.

But that's totally off topic for the evening!

The show was as much fun as I anticipated it to be.  Art and music and lots of fans of both!  For those of you reading this that attended: Thank You for coming out to the show.  For those of you who heard about it but couldn't make it: you missed a lot of fun.   Matt, the organizer, tells me there will be some videos and wright ups on the show.  I'll post links as soon as I get them.  In the meantime, on the subject of gaming, here's a fun web site with games for your smart phone!

And some links to the bands that were playing:

And many thanks to Deva Cafe' in Modesto for providing the venue! 

Thanks again, guys!

 

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More Recent Work

"Making Friends (the Old-Fashioned Way)"
16"x20" Acrylic on Canvas
Finished 6 June 2011

Since I'm taking a little break from making Hakos, I figured a painting about Hakos would be fun.  The idea came together pretty quickly:  A Hako Bot making little Hako Bots.  It's a common theme in my Hako Paintings: the Created Creating.  The setting, however, kind of developed on it's own. It's difficult to say if they're outside of a slightly battered building that's dark inside or inside a slightly battered building that's dark outside.  I often go stream of consciousness with these kinds of settings and almost always find way more than I intentionally put in there.  I think it makes the setting more fun than just a "background".

"Waiting For Now"
16"x20"
Acrylic on Canvas
Finished 6 June 2011

I like the idea of technology succumbing to time and nature. It's a concept that first hit me while watching H.G. Wells' Time Machine.  Later on films like Logan's Run and Planet of the Apes would reconfirm my growing suspicions that the world itself will go on long after we and our technology would fail...or would our machines survive?  What kind of civilization would grow up from them?  The fantasies that emerged formed the story around the Hakos for me; a world broke free of the future where colossi have become the  guardians of the natural world if only by happenstance.   If human beings still persisted in this world, or perhaps returned to the Earth to find this world, what marvels would we behold; what would have become of our erstwhile children?

(I really apologize for the poor color quality out of my camera.  There's a plan to re-shoot this outside during the day to get the best light.)

More Art for the Clouds Have Eyes Show!

 "Blinky and Clyde"

9"x12"

Oil with Acrylic on Canvas

"REALY!?"

16"x20"

Acrylic on Canvas

The Clouds Have Eyes!

Here We Go!

Surfing Hokusai

I did this painting way back in February of this year as an homage to one of my favorite artists and innovators, Katsushika Hokusai 


I planned to do several re-imaginings of some of his more recognizable works and a few of his less mainstream images. 


It's a 16x20 and now at United Coffee House for sale.

Latest Painting off the Easel

 

This is 16x20, acrylic on canvas.