NEW WORK :: cover design for Tony Lionni ::

New album cover artwork I just finished for Tony Lionni's new EP The Games People Play.










If you'd like to get details about design & commissions, contact me at lichibanart_ at_gmail.com

Recap on Alberta Art walk + current projects in process

Hello there!
So its Monday and i am sitting at work without any tea! Woe is me. But alas, i feel contented. this past Last Thursday art walk on Alberta st was a blast and i had a lovely relaxing weekend at home with Danny working on various projects and whatnots.
I seem to be pretty low on energy as of late, so its been difficult for me to focus on all my projects in process. But im getting through alright.
June 25th was certainly a much needed burst of inspiration. I love the Last Thursday art walks on Alberta st. The community that comes out, gathering to take part and support in local arts, is really touching. Community is very important right now. i am feeling that more than i ever have in my life, and i am hoping that train of thought is being echoed all over the states. when our system fails us, its time for banding together- grass roots style. i think we are only seeing the beginning of our potentials and this is encouraging to me.
here are some quick shots from the artwalk:

Our set up wasn't nearly as fancy as it has been in the past. Now that times are getting tighter i couldn't afford to take off from work early on Thursday in order to get to Alberta early to grab a good spot. So, we arrived around 3:40. There wasn't enough space to set up our full tent/canopy so we snagged some sidewalk and created our display there. Danny cleverly used some ribbon to fasten the paintings to the fence. we laid out a cloth on the concrete and placed our framed prints, mini paintings and more out on there. Plus we had a small table with our prints and screen prints for sale.
I sat directly across the sidewalk from our display- and set up a lil Face and Body painting area:
This was my second time taking my face paint with me to the Art walk. When i first get there i take the time to paint myself- in order to have a good example of what i am offering. I usually paint an entire arm and then finish with an example of the sort of painting i do with the face, around my eyes.
I am working with Snazaroo face/body paint. I really love it- its smooth enough for me to get a nice fluid stoke with my paint brush and is great in its ability to grab onto skin while being easily washed away by water. You can also use your basic colors to mix other colors too. i love the versatility and easiness of this paint. its awesomeness! I think my favorite part about painting people is getting to use Pixie dust( glitter ) as a finish.
....at slow intervals i will call out into the crowd "Face and Body painting here- get your face painting here! I have pixie dust! Only one dollar!" Its easy to attract peoples attention when you offer them something for only one buck!

While i do have a lot of lil kids who end up my customers, id say i have about the same amount of adults who end up in my chair as well. I feel this maybe so, since i am not offering the traditional fair face paintings like hearts or rainbows or shamrocks and happy faces. I'm offering a more magical/whimsy, personalized art painting on flesh- and people seem to be really drawn to that idea and eager to see it on themselves. When i am painting people i feel i am honoring the beauty of our bodies- rejoicing in the life within our vassals and helping to remind each person of the powerful loveliness that is our very own, residing always within.
needless to say- i had a very positive experience this past art walk. its always so rejuvenating spiritually, but at times a lil phsycially exhasting. Still, worth it 100 fold.

On to other news: Come July 1st Danny and I will be putting our etsy shop on blowout SALE mode! So keep an eye on our shop this coming month- the sale prices should be super hot!

WHERETHEPARTYAT? :: The Bounce presents GRAVITY at Santos on Wed, July 1st

[photo by Amir Ebrahimi]

A New York DJ is truly excelling when he surpasses simply mixing tunes and successfully reveals the soul of the city. Multi-talents Dhundee and Stimulus can each boast this measure of musical ability. Both producers, composers and crowd-movers with eclectic tendencies, they undeniably feel the pulse of their environment and enhance it with their sounds. GRAVITY, their new Wednesday night weekly residency at Santos, will shatter categorizations of underground dance music making for a night that is as much an exploration as it is a celebration.

Gravity fills the space at Santos every Wednesday, starting July 1.

Fusing sub-genres into a cohesive whole, Gravity is the sexiest party NY is aching for, bringing the summer sounds of the street and filling both floors of santos with everything electronic from dubstep to grime, electro, dirty disco, drum and bass, blacktronica ghetto tech, broken beat, house and hip hop. .

Their Brooklyn Bounce weekly party has been heralded for this same mentality, blessing dance warriors with a mix of ghetto tech, grime, drum and bass, baile funk, broken beat, hip-hop, afrobeat, pretty much anything one could ask for.
Join the movement at the bounce

OPENING NIGHT JULY 1st

DRINK SPECIALS WILL BE SERVED

DOORS OPEN AT 11:00
YOUR GRAVITY Resident rotating Dj's:
Dhundee (The Bounce)
Stimulus (The Bounce)
SABO (Turntable Lab)
OP!
Ayres (The Rub)

SPECIAL GUEST PERFORMANCE BY
Taylor Mcferrin http://taylormcferrin.com/

i'm feeling...ANIMAL COLLECTIVE :: Summertime Clothes

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE :: Summertime Clothes
make sure to check out Dam Funk's dope remix I posted earlier here.

RUBICON :: WK Interact & Invader Solo Exhibit at the Jonathan Levine Gallery, June 27, 2009

WK Interact present a new portrait series entitled 12 Angry Men (above). The exhibition will feature the faces of twelve men using process solely created using a sponge and large brush. The show opens on Saturday June 27th at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery ( 529 West 20th Street, 9th floor, New York, NY 10011).

The other half of the gallery will host the solo exhibition opening of fellow Frenchman, INVADER, entitled "Top IO." Check out this new video created specifically for the upcoming the show. Time-lapse footage reveals the geometric complexity of the process in creating his trademark Rubickubism pieces featured in the show, and will be projected into the gallery space during the exhibition. The term Rubikcubism is used to describe an art movement of which Invader is believed to be the originator, using Rubik’s Cubes (a 3-D mechanical puzzle game popular in the 1980’s, a brainchild of my compatriot, Hungarian designer/architect Ernö Rubik.

TOP 10
by extermitent

FREE DOWNLOAD :: SHAPE OF BROAD MINDS mixtape & ON MY RADAR ::: WILLIE ISZ (Jneiro Jarel & Khujo Goodie) mixtape

I recently had the pleasure to meet superproducer/MC Jneiro Jarel (Shape of Broad Minds)and to cop the preview of GEORGIAVANIA the debut album of Jneiro's new duo Willie Isz with legend Khujo Goodie (of Goodie Mob)....the album is huge!! Featuring guests including Big Boi and Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio) GEORGIAVANIA is coming out this month. As the title suggests, the album is an out-of-the-box, gothic trip through Southern vibes evoking Outcast & Goodie Mob, galactic soundscapes and futuristic eclecticism characteristic of Jneiro's brilliant production skills. Stay tuned for an exclusive interview w/ Jneiro coming soon. Check for more info and link them on the Willie Isz myspace page.
Until the album drops, here is a free mixtape from Jneiro to get a taste of the mood. Download it here.
tracklist: Jneiro Jarel - Lock Down // Outkast Feat Khujo Goodie and Cee lo - Reset // Jneiro Jarel - Big Bounce Theory Remix// Goodie Mob - Cell Therapy // Shape of Broad Minds - Changes // Jneiro Jarel F. Shape of Broad Minds // Electric/Computer Blue // Outkast Featuring Khujo Goodie - Gasoline // Goodie Mob - Soul Food // NSM F. Jneiro Jarel aka Dr. Who Dat? - Mumbo Jum // Jneiro Jarel - Black Cinderella //Jneiro Jarel - Stranger They Come // Goodie Mob - They Don't Dance No Mo' // Goodie Mob - Fly Away // Shape of Broad Minds - Buddafly Away // Jneiro Jarel - NASA // Shape of Broad MInds Featuring Khujo Goodie - OPR8R //Shape of Broad MInds Featuring Khujo Goodie -OPR8R (Collipark Mix)

WILLIE ISZ :: Autopilot (from GEORGIAVANIA)
---this track caught me the most at first listening of the album. Dark and brilliant. Somebody should write a movie with this track as the theme song.

Charlie Dark x De La Soul x Nike: Run Dem!

"Are You In?"

via KingBritt.net

Sunken City,Website updates, Art fair and a dready update

Summer solstice was so green this year! it might always be super green in Oregon around this time But i find it all to be almost intoxicating with its lush trees and berries beginning to ripen on the vine everywhere you look! It was a rainy weekend with lots of wind, very fast moving clouds. Danny and i are budgeting ourselves- so instead of spreading our resources thin we stayed home and worked on all of our various attention starved projects. I feel good. we got so much done.
I worked on the background piece for my mermaid warrior painting. I hope to place my mermaid amidst a sunken/glowing city. This is what i have so far for the background:

This is a 16"x24" acrylic painting on stretched canvas.
My next step will be to project this illustration of mine: onto the background painting. Once i have the mermaid positioned correctly i will white out her form and then trace over the projected image lines with black. Once i have the outlines in place i will begin to build up her form + adding color. I am thinking i might reverse her horizontal direction and expand upon her tail and her hair more. not sure though. I struggled at first while creating the sunken city. Depth perception in oceans is interesting and light/glow spreads a lil more mysteriously underwater then it does in air. When i finally let me self relax and have fun with it i really enjoyed coming up with various shapes for buildings and things. Danny happened to be watching some older batman cartoons and i was certainly inspired by the various Gotham cityscape shots in the episodes. I'm a little apprehensive to put her ontop of this underwater scape painting because i feel it has a certain charm by itself. But we shall see how it turns out. i am eager to begin experimenting with backgrounds in my paintings. However i wonder if this particular approach to background work is a bit too heavy? Perhaps a more subtle approach would work well? we shall see how it turns out i suppose.
As far as Danny's weekend projects went, he made some really amazing progress on our website's look, functionality and content. Have a look at the progress : Lucid Optic Lab.com our website is modeled off a vintage book and Danny has made it so that when you click to go to the gallery the book of the page turns! We now have a gallery page. He also added all sorts of yummy ink splatters and drawing doodles here and there to add interest. I really like the direction we are moving in with the website. Danny still has a lot to do and it will be very interesting to slowly watch the progress unfurl.
Meanwhile- Danny and i are getting ready for this month's Last Thursday Artwalk on Alberta St. in Portland Oregon which happends June 25th. I hope to be offering a few more of my illustrations as prints and have some more mini canvas paintings avilaible for purchase. Also, if you happen to be roaming around at the artwalk near 20th and alberta st, be sure to look for our booth and my Face and Body painting sign:

This will be my second artfair where i will be doing face and body painting! I had a really wonderful response from the first time i did it. I also loved meeting so many interesting people and cute kids. There is something so magical about body painting that really makes people feel festive, joyous and beautiful!
We were really hoping to have a fresh new batch of tie-dye to sell at Last Thursday art walk, but our budget has been pretty tight and hasn't allowed us too much freedom as far as buying needed materials goes. By next month we aim to have a new tie-dye batch and may even begin selling tie-dye at the local farmers markets around town! So stay tuned for new tie-dye...its on its way just in time for summer!
And now its time for another Dready Journey Update!
Annie from DreadieWorld:Dreadie World online shop and gallery sent me some more dread beads!
Thank you so so much annie! I am in love with all of them.
My new ones:
She made me two out of prints of some of my paintings! Which turned out to be perhaps one of the coolest collaborations ever and has now turned my mane of dreads into an art gallery!
here is a close up of them:
She also gave me an OCTOPUS BEAD!! Which, i think may be my most favorite because the lil guy is so cute with his googly eyes and mischievous tendrils. Check him out:
Here is a close up:


I can feel these beads shining with love- the love that bursts forth from handmade creations!
If anyone is interested- Annie makes beads by request and can do custom orders + she has some ready made beads that will really wow.

....so yes. my locks are very happy indeed!
last weekend i went to the coast and while i was there i dipped my head into the water. Oregon oceans are freezing! but the water seemed to really really help them tighten up, they even shrunk a lil. when i washed my hair it was insane how much sand i had collected in them, but i had managed to get it out fine. they are feelin pretty good now- i kinda wish i had filled a water bottle with some ocean water so that i could rinse my head in it from time to time.
Also- on last Thursday danny and i went to see Midnite play at the crystal ballroom and it was a holy experience. im reluctant to wash my dreads after the concert, for i feel the essence of the music within them! what a charge. it was my second time seeing Midnite. it was the first time they have played in Portland Oregon. i hope they come back sometime soon.
....So as one can see, there are many simmering pots, new potential energies and projects in processes right now in my life. I am enjoying this full burst of summer life, feeling my inner tempo quicken.
Happy summer solstice everyone!
Much love, always
-Chelsea Rose

NEW CLAM is OUT!

The new CLAM, a Paris-based international photography/art/design magazine is finally out (I've yet to cop my copy). CLAM is my favorite such publication, and I've been blessed to get to curate the Brooklyn part of the mag and get a feature in the upcoming issue along with my fellow artists friends from Brooklyn, Waajeed, Theophilus London, Diamond Girl, Raye 6, Concep, Jelsen Jargon and Amir Ebrahimi, who photographed all of us.

NEW DESIGN :: Flyer for VONY Fundraiser show w/ BILAL, 88-KEYS & JESSE BOYKINS III

I just finished designing this flyer for the big fundraising show following the Voices of New York SPEAK! Youth Media /Arts Conference next Saturday, June 27, 2009.

All details on the flyer...the event will feature a raffle with goodies from ROCKSMITH Tokyo (Jesse Boykins III actually modeled in the latest shoot), a gift certificate for dinner-for-2, and surprise gifts! EACH TICKET AUTOMATICALLY ENTERS THE RAFFLE. And importantly, all proceeds go to VONY's Youth Media/Arts mentoring program.

Some of my work will be on display, which I'm very excited about.

Read more about the events of the day and purchase advance tickets on the VONY SPEAK Conference website.




I wrote about the PSA shoot in an earlier post. Here is the end product, edited & directed by Joel Mejia (Dare to Dream, Things Are Changing) featuring VONY Youth, Suzanna Ali, founder of VONY, Bilal, 88-Keys, Rasu (CDTBK) and myself (holding my collabo piece w/ Jelsen Jargon "We Are") among others.

OLD WORK :: Chymicae NeoCosmi :::

Inspired by the concept of the alchemical wedding, this drawing I made as a gift was an old attempt of mine to practice etching by "remixing" alchemical engravings (by hand, of course) which has been inspiring my work since I first read the mysterious Tabula Smaragdina, the sercet formula of Hermes Trismegistos, and discovered a whole universe of hermetic illustrations when i was 13. Beside the 13th century Sufi Ibn al-Arabi, it was Arabic alchemical texts like the TS that made me want to study Arabic. I love doing murals because it gets one's whole body moving while painting, but I must admit, I take a lot of pleasure in sitting tightly & working on fine details. Here is the poem.

TABULA SMARAGDINA

1. It contains an accurate commentary that can't be doubted.

2. It states: What is the above is from the below and the below is from the above. The work of wonders is from one.

3. And all things sprang from this essence through a single projection. How marvelous is its work! It is the principle part of the world and its custodian.

4. Its father is the sun and its mother is the moon. Thus the wind bore it within it and the earth nourished it.

5. Father of talismans and keeper of wonders.

6. Perfect in power that reveals the lights.

7. It is a fire that became our earth. Separate the earth from the fire and you shall adhere more to that which is subtle than that which is coarse, through care and wisdom.

8. It ascends from the earth to the heaven. It extracts the lights from the heights and descends to the earth containing the power of the above and the below for it is with the light of the lights. Therefore the darkness flees from it.

9. The greatest power overcomes everything that is subtle and it penetrates all that is coarse.

10. The formation of the microcosm is in accordance with the formation of the macrocosm.

11. The scholars made this their path.

12. This is why Thrice Hermes was exalted with wisdom.

13. This is his last book that he hid in the catacomb.

(published by Nineveh Shadrach from the original Arabic of Book of Causes attributed to Apollonius of Tyana.^[1])

SONG OF THE DAY :: Rah Band :: MESSAGES FROM THE STARS

[i wish the video was more developed...makes me want to do something for this track]

New projetcs, a visit from friends and dready updates!

woowww!!
.....just checked my traffic counter at the bottom of my blog and its telling me that today we went over 3,000 views(all time)! Thanks so much to everyone for the support, its very inspirational and much appreciated.

Its been a jam packed couple of weeks.

Now that the dust has settled a bit i have started working on a new painting.
It started out with this rough pencil/pen and ink sketch:

I have a vision for this piece involving some background setting. I rarely do backgrounds and i would like to start...so this is a bit of a challenge to myself. I am planning on positioning her coming out from the gloom of deep sea, hovering protectively above a sunken glowing city. So far i have the first layer of the background prepped-which is a cool gradation of blue, light at the top center, slowly darkening into inky purple blue, where i will soon start painting in the sunken city. I hope to chronicle my creative process with this piece, as i did with masquerade ball.
....speaking of the masquerade ball piece. I finally got to sign and varnish it- so last night i took some better quality pictures of this finished piece. here you go:

.....I had some great news over last weekend. At one of the first Last Thursday Art walks on Alberta St of this year, a nice lady whom i feel compelled to describe as an "art angel"( youll see why) named Tiffany Ruth stopped by our booth to speak with me. She seemed to really enjoy my work. We got to talking and she mentioned that she will soon be opening a Folk/Outsider art gallery in NW Portland, and that she would love for me to do a show with her. I gave her my card and crossed my fingers, hoping she would call me back when the time was right. She called me back last week and said that she would like me to be in her 2nd show with one other artist( sometime in august or September). Im looking forward to checking out the gallery space on July 2nd, when she will be having her first gallery opening featuring a sanfran artists doing a tribute to Freida khalo. From what i have gathered so far the art gallery is called Curious artspace. its located in NW portland on 24th and thurman. Very excited to find myself slowly but surley making my way into the portland art scene. People are so supportive and open up here...there are many galleries that work as launchpads for up and coming artists....the community so tight nit and diverse. Once i have more details on Tiffany's gallery and the show i will be in i will post here to get the word out.
In other exciting news: Marla, my dear friend...flew up to come hang out in Portland for 4 days. We did so much! On the first day of Marla's arrival we checked out the forest trails in our neck of the woods and then drove around the city afterward checked out Belmont st, showed her the hawthorn district and then came home and cooked a super yummy meal. The next day we scouted out a few art galleries and went driving out to Horsetail falls just off the 84 on the historic highway. We hiked up to the horsetail falls and have a nice picnic, basking in the sweet spray of the roaring waterfall. Here is a pic of Marla and I that Danny took as we were making our way to Horsetail:
this is a photo collage that danny made of the lower ponytail falls:

The next day we went downtown and checked out the Saturday market, got some lunch and sat on the waterfront grass as the gay pride festival unfurled. There happened to be a naked bike ride parade that day too....which was quite a site. We then made our way around town checking out more art galleries. The next day we drove to Cannon beach and had a nice relaxing time there, taking in the sea breeze and the sights. I was sad to see Marla go the next day, but i am left with some lovely memories!
This summer has been a busy one so far( and its not even summer yet)...its interesting how life jumps alive after those hard winter months. its refreshing.
.....Also i have an update on my Dready Journey: Its been over 6 months now, that i have had my locks! i just recently got a bunch of lovely handmade beads from Anne at Dreadieworld : www.flickr.com/photos/dreadieworld/
and i felt like showin them off!
Front
Back
side 1
side 2
i am in love with my new beads. its so fun to adorn dreads with charms and lil things...incorporating a lil magick and festivity. fun stuff! they are feelin like they are maturing nice and fast. they have done a fair amount of shrinking as well so they are gettin thick. ...im excited to see where i will be in a few more months with them. sometimes i feel that tending ones dreads is almost like tending a garden and watching your flowers slowly bloom.

NEW WORK :: Transsiberian Vision

opening :: vision :: milky way :: hidden gem :: benevolence :: rapture :: abundance :: terra incognita :: life :: vision :: love :: mothers ::

I made this new piece, entitled "Transsiberian Vision" in one sitting, inspired by my recent trip back to the motherland, Hungary. People often ask me if and how my roots shape my work. I think I haven't yet tapped completely into my "roots" (I mean one of my roots, the country & culture I was born into), but this is my first true attempt to incorporate some of the floral symbolism and shamanistic lore I've grew up around into my personal mythology. Hungarian's closest relatives are obscure Siberian languages, and according to ancient oral lore, Hungarians were part of Attila, the Hun's tribal confederation and were nomads who came to Europe pretty late in the 8th century. Growing up, shamanism was one of the spiritual traditions that stimulated my mental universe (and that of a whole the generation of artists back then). I've been drawn to the spirituality of nomads (and that includes the wandering Sufi poets or qalandars as well) since I was a kid. Finally, I am ready to bring out more of that in my new work.


This is a video recording of the shamanistic ritual of the North Siberian NGANASAN tribe (a lingistic relative of Hungarian from the Uralic language family), which comes closest to what I imagine what the rituals of Hungarians living in the Central Asian steppes may have looked like. I've been waiting for the right moment to drop it and I found the perfect one (for more than one reason).

I made this for the upcoming FEAR NO ARE 3 show opening on June 21, in Boston, curated by old friends and dope artist colleagues Marka 27 and ninerevolutions.
Check out their blog for the show featuring Jesse Hernandez, Deme5, Kenji Nakayama, WERC and more. Also check the blog for venue info here.

i'm feeling....TAKI76 & Jenny Jen :: Disco Kryptonite

i've been following TAKI76 for a couple of years now... this dark and twisted funk-space-electro piece was the one that made me an instant fan of TAKI. TAKI clearly has a lot of fun making music...so in a way listening to it reminds me to seek fun in creating.
stay tuned for free goodies from him.

MOS DEF's new album THE ECSTATIC is a masterpiece

after several replay, i still have a hard time translating my feelings about this album... i've been waiting for an album from MOS DEF, but i didn't expect this...listening to THE ECSTATIC transported me back to the days of my studies & travels a few years back in search of sufi teachers; in many ways i feel THE ECSTATIC draws on the spirit of sufis, the ecstatics of the Muslim world.. this is elevating, inspired, illuminating music that comes from a spiritual place. a place of freedom to play, which shows in the sound that is diverse, sexy, mystical and experimental in a refreshing way. The Preservation Society, a super dope hidden gem, I've been following for a while, Madlib, Georgia Anne Muldrow & Oh No, the late J Dilla and Mos himself have done an amazing job with the production. the poetry & the production & the message-fierce. al-rahman & al-rahim. a time for awakening ...and not least, it is very good for my creativity, it inspires me to paint more when i listen to this...DO NOT SLEEP ON IT

get it on itunes.

CHECK OUT the original song 'Ince Ince'by Turkish singer SELDA BAGCAN, part of which the sampled on Supermagic.

::: ninjas making moves :::

sample sale and free download of Blakladin - Ninjah Gurl + Galaxy Ride

i'm feeling...Illa J. feat. Debi Nova :: SOUNDS LIKE LOVE

not new, but classic ::: Illa J feat. Debi Nova - Sounds Like Love [LP 2008 "Yancey Boys" (Delicious Vinyl)]
* prod. by J Dilla

NEW WORK & FREE DOWNLOAD :: Art directing and illustrating NIKKI NTU :: "A History Dreams" album cover

As the first one of the AURAL VISIONS :: Lichiban presents series, I worked on as art director// illustrator// graphic designer for NIKKI NTU's debut album produced by MeLo-X, called A History of Dreams. My story with Nikki's project began last year when MEGA, one of her executive directors beside Claude Dary (also known as MeLo-X's manager), contacted me to ask me if I'd do an art installation for Nikki's private listening party in September 2008 (here is my post about the event). After hearing the album, I was blown away by MeLo-X's super versatile production skills (this was before he dropped his first album, Mustafa's Renaissance) and by Nikki's amazing lyrical skills, and connected immediately with her message that was powerful, empowering and spiritual...a tendency I'm very happy to see growing among the next generation of artists, who are fellow seekers and are trying to communicate good, higher vibrations and a love message through their art. (I think it's becoming more and more obvious to those who read my blog that I specifically support artists who have this kind of message...As the world is heading toward a cosmic transformation and a future of global struggle, artists are awakening to their mission to counteract all the negativity that is getting released through this shift. As I've been saying it for a while, I believe there is a new ART LOVE MOVEMENT in the making and we are the builders of it. I am very conscious about connecting people with this kind of approach to doing art.) But back to Nikki, I was very happy to be part of her and MeLo's project, a beautiful ascending sonic voyage through the land of cosmic dreams and this-wordly realities.

DOWNLOAD
Nikki NTU :: "A History of Dreams" HERE!!

While meditating on the cover, I'd try to focus on two aspects of her spirituality :: the visionary amazon-poet shamaness & and the modern-day warrior-priestess. The heart is a very strong symbol for her (this is another aspect on which we connected). Here is a passage from her art statement, that says so much about her spiritual stance "With strong themes of healing, revolution and love, Nikki is birthing new concepts of female empowerment but moreover people empowerment. “My music breaks down a lot of barriers in people. The rhythms bring out emotion and the lyrics stimulate the mind as well as the heart. Those simple things have a great impact on inspiring and informing folks. And when you have a safe space to put everything on the table, healing is the only outcome.” For me, this project was more than just a commissioned work...She is in many ways on the same mission that I have been traveling for a while...to mediate an old but timeless message for the present generation through her art. Nikki is an old soul and as I learned more about her and her project, I realized that two of us were meant to do this together. She had an amazingly loving & supportive core team of Melo-X, her producer, and MEGA and Claude Dary her executive producers and myself (big shout out to all three who have been giving me lots of love & support throughout as well)...the energy that went into this album and the spirit of the people involved made this project very special for me. You can expect more visual & sonic collabo's with this group in the future..it's meant to happen! Thank you!

Make sure to link Nikki's and MeLo's blogs and link them on myspace (Nikki's link // MeLo's link) as well.
Here are some of the steps...



I played around with a number of logo ideas until we picked the final version above.

i'm feeling....PAUL HARDCASTLE :: King Tut

KOVAS Wax On Wax Off Video Challenge

Watch the KOVAS Wax On Wax Off Video (you can watch the video on WRONGLIPS), then tape yourself doing your own version. Battle everyone around the world to see who can be the most creative and innovative!! The Beat Freaks & KOVAS are watching. Show ‘em what you got!! Read more about how to enter on www.kovaswaxonwaxoff.com Link him on myspace & follow Kovas on twitter.

Update on Life and the Creative Process

So its been a very long while since i have updated my blog, tragically. For awhile there spring turned to full blown summer and my apartment got so hot it rendered me into a state of complete mental and physical handicap. Also, I got pretty sick with the stomach flue and was MIA for some time. but HAZZAAH! i have risen and this past weekend i got all my unfinished projects completed since it has cooled down once again.

I would like to detail my most recent finished painting and my creative process here. I tried to document the various fazes of the paintings creation from the first sketch to the final stroke. I thought this would be a good thing to begin doing for myself with my paintings as a way to be able to step back from the creation process at intervals and really look at and critique what im creating…figure out what I like, don’t like and where I should go with the painting next. I thought I would be interesting to document the creation process on pieces since each painting is a completely different creative and spiritual journey for me. I learn something new with each piece I create.

Creative process- Step 1

My painting, as they often do, started out with a pen and ink drawing:

This illustration was done with my favorite drawing pens by Faber Castell. They are India ink pens that come in a variety of size from super fine to brush pen.

My pen and ink drawings usually happen spur of the moment. This drawing was inspired by lovely high busted, fancyfull dresses of the olden age when corsets and undoes were aplenty. I think I was watching the movie Sleepy hollow while I drew this, very much inspired by the costume design in the film…that especially of the white witch in the story. I have always had a fascination with tight waist corsetry and dresses and I find more and more I am doodling out my own gowns and gussied up ladies.

…I love pen and ink, black and white illustration. I am fond of this drawing as it is but I got to thinking I would like to try it on a larger scale using acrylic paint.

Creative process – Step 2

I started with a 24” x 24” studio framed blank canvas painted gray. I used my lil art projector called “tracer” and used one of my 5x7 prints as a base to project the illustration onto the canvas. I then very roughly traced over the projected image onto the canvas with my Faber Castell India Ink pens, until I had down the basic shape and detail of the drawing

Creative process – Step 3

Close up of color experimentation in detail on skin and face:

Next, I started experimenting with my colors. It may seem obvious but my favorite colors are Purple and green, especially when paired together. I find the color combo creates a unique color harmony that is hard for me to resist. Thus, I began to work out that the dress and the mask would be in those chosen colors. I often tend to paint the skin of my ladies a blue or a green, hinting at a paranormal aspect to these creatures( also indicated with the one eye that is in fact part “creature” be it cat or reptilian inspired with the sharp pupil)

Creative Process -Step 4

Here I began coming in to detail and smooth out the first layers of color.

I went into the under eyes and pulled more purple in to compliment the dress. began adding color detail, high lighting along the sleeves and stuff... to give the dress a glow, then reapplied black to secure and smooth out the planned shapes. I decided on a yellow green gradation for the background...so far the background color just has its base foundation that will need to be enriched and smoothed later on. At this point I can really begin to see what direction the color palette is going and began plotting out things like what colors I might try to use in the hair and along the sleeves. Also realizing I will want to go back into the mask and repaint the right side so it’s a lil less clumsy lookin. At this point there is lots of room for experimentation.

Creative Process – Step 5

FINISHED!!

Please click to full View!

….i would have liked to document a few more phases with creating this piece before finishing it but it came together so fast I didn’t have time to stop at intervals and document. Firstly, I went back into the background and smoothed out the gradation...pulling more yellow into the mix and fanning it into a sorta green vignette around the sides. Once I did that I was able to make a firm decision on what color to make the hair. I wanted to go light, close to white even…to create a similar look of the old fashioned powdered wig type style. I chose to use the hair as a way to tie in some pink, that also is present in the delicate features of the face like the lips and the cheeks. I used a darker purple for shading, which helped compliment the color palette of the dress. I then went back into the corset and decided it was much too rough looking and needed some more highlight and a bit of interest. I did a few layers of green/yellow highlight and then began to layer the shine with a suggestion of spirally black brocade pattern…for the corsets fabric. I felt that added some interest and helped it look less flat. Once I got the corset finished and figured out I finished the lower pieces of sleeves along the arm, choosing the same colors used in the puffy striped parts of the upper sleeve. Once I was done with that I took some gray paint and whited out the right side of the mask just above her eye. I then went back in with black and planned the mask’s detail and shape better to compliment its other side. I then went in and did my base color work on it, trying to stick close to the colors already present in the mask. Once that was finished I went over the entire piece once again and accentuating a glowing look by adding more highlights in the details. When I was done with that all that was left to do was go back over the entire painting with black to smooth out the planned shapes and also to add the last pieces of detail, such as the wispys and flowers that spring from her head and the glowing jewels and flowers near her bosom. I did all that over this past weekend. I am very relieved to have this piece finished. Now all I have to do is sign, date it and varnish it. Once It is varnished I will take better, closer, more detailed pictures of it.

So, that’s that. I think I am going to try and paint smaller from now on since I am running out of room in my small apartment, and also it seems smaller paintings tend to be more sellable at the present since they tend to be less of an big investment.

P.S
Just incase someone was curious...I used a combination of Windsor and Newton Galleria acrylic paint and Daler Rowney system 3 acrylic paint.

Life As A Cat:: NIGHT ON THE GALACTIC RAILROAD

Talking about space, I want to share one of my all-time favorite animes, Night on The Galactic Railroad (Ginga Tetsudo no Yoru / 銀河鉄道の夜) directed by Gisaburo Sugii, based on the enigmatic symbolism-filled cult story by Kenji Miyazawa. Somehow it happens that my favorite animations feature cats as the main characters (The Hungarian "Macskafogó" or Cat City is another one). In this mystical tale, the two cats set out on a galactic railroad ride on the Milky Way to the Southern Cross- an allegorical journey to the afterlife and a beautiful meditation on Kenji's view of self-sacrifice. It is not an action movie, so get ready for a dreamy pace.

i'm feeling...RQM :: Miss Pacman

I just recently discovered RQM via his myspace request (yes I still use myspace...still trumps all other sites when it comes to discovering new music)...had to post his MISS PACMAN promo...it's hilarious! His music is sexy & mad funny. You can stalk him on twitter or listen to more tracks on his myspace page

FREE DOWNLOAD :: FRESH DAILY :: Tomorrow is Today

mmmmm....this is fantastic!! FRESH DAILY's free mixtape "Tomorrow is Today" is a sonic journey to the galaxies of future music loaded with a lyrical content invoking the spiritual universe of Sun-Ra and Outkast. I've been waiting for this since I heard Fresh Daily's teaser space joint Apollo 13. Now that I had a chance to listen to it several times, I must say this album is a groundbreaking, out-of-the-box-future-sound trip mixed flawlessly to flow smoothly into your mind and get stuck in there. Featuring remixes of & collaborations with heavyhitters Flying Lotus, Oddisse, Jesse Boykins III, Outasight and BrainFeeder, Tomorrow is Today lays a new ground for the future of hip-hop blending old skool realness with 80s pop, jazzy melodies, electro and a modern funk sound you hear more in L.A than in Brooklyn. My personal favorites at the moment are the dreamy The Lift Off (this recalls some of Cocteau Twins dark & sweet spacey guitar trips), Nightfree (this one is a future classic), the sexy electro-boogie joint Wait a Minute (fkiller on the dance-floor) and the Flying Lotus remix Winterfresh that makes you feel like you're listening to the organ in some galactic temple. Space generation sonic elevation! Follow him on twitter.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!!