Zig:

Steve:

and finally, the best for last. Bobby:

I’m speaking about pop records in the antiquated sense here; A dozen songs that are meant to be experienced in context together and demonstrate the width and breadth of a artist’s talent and vision. The individual pieces or tracks that make up the show/album can display varying levels of accessibility and experimentation, both challenging and rewarding the audience in different ways.

But for viewers to get to the truly challenging bits, you need to have a hit single to reel them in. After selling four editions of The Black Ships at my Artxchange show this summer, it dawned on me how the piece worked in this sense. And it seems to have worked again.

After a last minute scramble to apply for the 2010 Melbourne Stencil Festival’s Sweet Streets art show in October, I heard back from them today– ‘The Black Ships’ has been chosen to be shown with other work from around the world at 1000 lb Bend. This is the first display of my work in another country and a small step towards what I’m trying to accomplish in the future. This news, coupled with Arsenal/Sounders wins and Spuds/Citeh losses, and I’m a happy boy this weekend.

It’s like my friend Deborah 3000 says, “Cure for Cancer, for for AIDS, make a ninja wanna stay on tour for days.”

This summer I taught at the Wing Luke Museum’s program for API youth. As the ‘Artist Mentor’, my job was to discuss pertinent issues revolving around the duality of being Asian American in the 21st Century. Instead, we just played with spraypaint.

These are supplies for the Wing Luke YouthCAN program I’ll be teaching soon and AP hooked me up with some extra schwag.

The World Cup was a blast, but good that it’s only around once in a great while.  Four years ago in July, I quit my dayjob and jumped headfirst into the dark waters of self-employment, vowing that I would never again miss an international football tournament due to frivolous things such as gainful employment. And I’m still living the dream.

There are some commissions I’m finishing up right now and I’m having great fun with some new toys, but the next big thing is definitely teaching at the Wing Luke museum for their YouthCAN program. I’ll be working with APIs (Asian Pacific Islanders) between the ages of 16-18, and we’re going to explore the concept of style and why it’s important to define your own.

I’ll be doing my best to document the experience, so watch this space!

It’s going to be… ‘Asiatic’  in theme, as the fiancee is a bit of a Japanophile. She picked up dozens of rice paper parasols which I am to paint designs on. The plan is to create a series of compatible overlaying masks and do some patternwork within those.

I suppose the accompanying picture might help describe what I’m thinking. Need to make some measurements before I can continue, but I’ll post pictures when I’m further along.

I’m also supposed to take part in the ceremony, which displeases me to no end. The brother sprung this on me last night after the Sounders game, thinking he could just slip it in between a three nil victory and a pitcher of cheap beer. Wrong.

But I’m still hoping I can convince the future sister-in-law that she could use her pet cats to bring the rings down the aisle….

In June/July of last year, I met with representatives from the Leadbelly Foundation about doing a limited edition stencil print of Huddie. The result is recorded in a video done by Bookido Media.

From Wikipedia:

“John and Alan Lomax, in their book, Best Loved American Folk Songs, told a credulous story identifying the Midnight Special as a train from Houston shining its light into a cell in the Sugar Land Prison. They also describe Ledbetter’s version as “the Negro jailbird’s ballad to match Hard Times Poor Boy. Like so many American folk songs, its hero is not a man but a train.” The light of the train is seen as the light of salvation, the train which could take them away from the prison walls. It is highly reminiscent of the imagery of such gospel songs as Let the Light from your Lighthouse Shine on Me.”

We’ll be discussing the aspect of style and how it pertains to Asian American culture.  That’s the plan anyways. I’ve engaged in day long sessions of pedagogy before, but this is the first time I’m responsible for a curriculum and structuring growth of learning. Why, you ask, would a prestigious institution such as the Wing Luke choose me for such an endeavor? That’s a damn good question.

Whatever the case, I’ve got some work to do. The course is going to run through several disciplines of art design and creation. It’s going to consist of two weeks in July, then autumn and also April of next year. I’ll be teaching it with two other instructors, Wilmer Galindo and Josh Heim.

I’m looking forward to the interpersonal communication again. Long hours alone in the studio have left me talking to myself Gollum style. (Or maybe MacGollum. Jesus Christ. Some people have too much time on their hands.) Indeed, the mind needs some sharpening. And I’ll get that I suppose, at either next week’s 1st Thursday or the day after with this NAAAP mixer that’s being held at Artxchange. Again, no idea what to expect, but I’m going to assume free wine. And cheese. Glorious cheese. Yes, I think I’m going to ask Lauren to pick up a nice camembert.

Image by Fotongo.

SEATTLE– The American has not lifted a glass for five months since injuring liver ligaments in January. He is part of The United States provisional list and hints that he could feature in a friendly before the tournament starts.

“I have to keep working hard to be fit and I can assure you I am doing that,” Jonathan said on Wakudastudio.com. “Once I am fit I hope to feature in at least one happy hour before the World Cup starts.”

“Even if I don’t finish any pitchers, as long I am declared fit by the medical team then I will be watching the games for sure.” Despite his optimism, there are fears that he could miss the tournament in South Africa because of his slow recovery from the injury.

Wakuda’s last run-out was at King’s back patio in Ballard last Friday. Having recovered from two pitchers of IPA, he then hurt his liver at The Sunset Tavern, but that was only expected to keep him out for a matter of days.

Wakuda kicks off against Pilsner on June 11 and goes on to play Dopplebock and then Hefeweizen in Group W.