NO GUTS NO GLORY

HELMUT LANG:

2012-01-21T12:01:00.000-08:00

Imagine my utter shock at being blogged as "INSPIRATION" by Helmut Lang Journal. Word is Helmut Lang's creative directors ended up with an issue of Sundays Zine with this painting on the poster side. Color me flattered, honored, and hey guys...you know where to find me.

SUPPORT ALKQN:

2012-01-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

I made this painting for a benefit event some friends of mine are hosting tonight as part of a legal support tour for incarcerated members of the Greensboro ALKQN. There will be a screening of the documentary "Black and Gold" this evening at Bluestockings followed by a discussion of the situation in Greensboro, how it affects our communities, and what you can do to help.

You can read about what's happening on the support website, which explains everything much better than I could reproduce here- this is essentially a repeat of the government's attempts to use RICO to prosecute political organizations and community groups that they perceive as a threat. King Jay and the Greensboro ALKQN's efforts to unite their community and build solidarity between black and brown, local government, anarchist circles, and bring about cooperation towards common goals are inspiring and an example to others.

This cause has really struck a chord with me as someone of mixed ethnicity; being Mexican-American I have never really felt "ENOUGH" of any one thing- not white enough, not brown enough, being met with shock and amusement at the fact that I'm fluent in Spanish, being the "gringo cousin" to my family in Mexico, feeling like choosing to align myself with punk/anarchist/radical ideologies and covering myself in tattoos was akin to moving a step further from my cultural identity. I am so, so unspeakably grateful to see in this difficult situation a point of unity for my racial and cultural identity and political identity, something I have often thought would never happen. My thoughts are with those who are being detained and with their families.

Here is a video of King Jay speaking on the history of the ALKQN in Greensboro, North Carolina, well worth a watch.

www.ALKQNsupport.com

GRAVEYARD PRINTS AVAILABLE:

2012-01-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note that I have ten prints left over from the show for sale. $20 in person or $25 postage paid. Get ahold of me if you'd like one!

As you can see, yes, I have instagram. Follow me @heavymetalmamichula.

BLESSED BE THE GRIM ARTS:

2012-01-14T17:19:00.000-08:00

New image collecting post over at Axe & Arrow.

Check it out here...

GRAVEYARD:

2012-01-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Show tomorrow night, prints available at the show.

15x19" one color halftone silkscreen on 110 lb French SmartWhite, edition of 45, hand signed and numbered.

I'll be selling any prints that are left over after the show here, via my blog, but I can't guarantee there will be many left, so keep an eye out!

Thanks to Martin Davis at LQQK Studios for the printing and David D'Andrea for the poster gig hookup.

TATTOOS:

2012-01-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

Some newer ones...

On Brent, a longtime customer of Alex's who has some incredibly nice tattoos on his body. No pressure or anything. Alex and I tattooed dueling wolves on his chest; Alex's won.

A little distorted looking in the photo, my apologies. This guy had some really bad ass tattoos done by Snake Eyes in the 90s.

One of my recent favorites on my good friend Josh from old Dayton, Ohio. Like all true Ohio-bred folks Josh sat like a rock and didn't give a fuck.

I put this owl on Joe- He and I went to college together and he's been a great client ever since. He always gets fun stuff and sits great. This is one of a pair, the matching one was on his sister.

Thank you for looking, and for getting tattooed!

BEYOND THE LIGHTLESS SKY:

2012-01-05T15:38:00.000-08:00

I realized yesterday that I never did a reveal of the full final artwork for HULL's recent album, "Beyond the Lightless Sky". I worked with HULL over a period of several months developing the concept for artwork to accompany the detailed saga they created as a basis for the album. What was originally intended to be a tri-fold ended up becoming a 24x36" drawing packed full of all kinds of Ancient Aliens/2012/Mayan mythos imagery.

The final CD packaging features parts of this illustration (plus album title lettering by guitarist Nick Palmirotto), but I thought it would be nice to see the original context that the final version was pulled from. Scans of the CD itself below!

Big thanks again to HULL for choosing me to work on this with them!

JUXTAPOZ X JOSE LOPEZ:

2012-01-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

I'm uncharacteristically shut-in, dressed to the nines in full sweats and pounding coffee trying to finish up my poster for the Graveyard show on the 12th of this month, but wanted to take a quick minute to post this Jose Lopez video from Juxtapoz. Every time I look at the Lowrider Tattoo Studios website and blog I come away inspired and motivated. It's definitely a dream of mine to get tattooed by Lopez or any of the other artists at Lowrider.

RVCA WOMENS:

2012-01-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

My intro post is up at RVCA, and there's more to come soon. I'm really looking forward to working with them since meeting Meghan Edwards, who is heading up RVCA Women's and has some cool new things in the works. Stay tuned...

HOLIDAZED:

2011-12-23T13:57:00.000-08:00

A couple of quick things- thanks again to everyone who came out to the Paranormal Hallucinations opening. I was so happy to see how packed it was and to see some friendly faces, and again, am so grateful to be included in such a cool and talented showing of artists. If some of the names on the roster are unfamiliar to you, it's well worth looking a few of them up. I was especially happy to finally be in a show with my homie the little Swamp lord (SWAMPY). A new favorite of mine is Peyote LLEW, take a look here.

Othelo Garvacio is way too cool for this world.

Big thanks to Juxtapoz for the shout-out, Vandalog for the write-up on the show and a few of the artists involved, the Brooklyn Street Art blog for a heads-up on the opening, and as always, Superchief for the mention as well.

The Paranormal Hallucinations tumblr is also a great place to check out work from everyone in the show that features past and current work not on display at the gallery.

I made brief mention of this news in my interview for Marilyn Rondon/Totally Stoked, but I'll be blogging on the new RVCA Women's section of their site coming up soon. I'm really looking forward to it and will be sure to share that when it's happening.

For the time being E.P. and I are holing up in Texas, enjoying family time, coffe, pie, and Pixar's latest. A happy end of the year to everyone, and my blessings for the coming year!

HOOD LUCK:

2011-12-19T11:09:00.001-08:00

New one on Lauren, who works as shop help at Three Kings. I'd like to do more like this!

TOTALLY STOKED INTERVIEW:

2011-12-15T22:24:00.000-08:00

Marilyn Rondon did an interview with me over at her blog and wrote an intro that I have to admit made me blush furiously! Check it out to read about my awkward youth and see some photos from various sources.

Thank you again, Marilyn, for such a sweet and engaging interview/feature.

Also, a reminder about the open studio tomorrow evening, which will also feature work by Alex McWatt. Corner of Humboldt and Driggs in Greenpoint. See you there!

NEW PRINTS:

2011-12-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about these! These two images are very near and dear to me so when I decided to take the plunge and have some high-quality giclee prints made it was a no-brainer to pick these paintings. The originals will be on display in the "Paranormal Hallucinations" show at Pandemic Gallery this weekend, but I'm happy to be able to offer prints for those who don't necessarily want to drop the cash on an original.

15x22" archival giclee prints on cold-pressed Canson paper, printed by Skink Ink. Edition of eight apiece, hand numbered and signed. $120 postage paid, paypal to t.waite.santibanez (at) gmail.com.

I'll have these for sale at my open studio as well!

SUNDAYS X TAM SLAM:

2011-12-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

Issue #3 of Sundays zine out now, with a poster of one of my paintings on the reverse and a ton of friends on the inside! So cool to see the likes of Zachary Zezima, Jeanne D'Angelo, Alex Snelgrove, Jon Bocksel, and others all in one place.

You can pick up this free zine at local skate shops or at my open studio coming up this Friday!

OPEN STUDIO:

2011-12-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

Finally! The thing I've been talking about doing for about three months now!

Come see the famed storefront studio space, check out the press, see what's in progress.

New window display by Eric Patton will be up, I know Justin will have some badass woodcut patches and prints for sale, and I'll have prints of my recent paintings for the Paranormal Hallucinations opening available, plus you'll be able to take advantage of my studio clean-out efforts and get prints of my recent poster collaboration with David D'Andrea along with $1 show posters from the archives and more!

I hope to see you all there, as this studio has been a work in progress for over a year now and I'm proud of what it has become. Thanks to everyone for their interest and support!

SHOW OPENING- SATURDAY:

2011-12-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

PRISON LETTER PRINTS:

2011-12-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

Edition of 25, 11x15.5" digital prints on matte cardstock, numbered and signed.

$25 postage paid or $20 locals only.

Paypal to t.waite.santibanez (at) gmail.com

This is one of my overall favorites of this series and several people have expressed interest in prints. I made a set of digital prints to have something a little more widely accessible price-wise. I'll be posting in the next day or two about some archival giclee prints I'm having made as well, so check back!

JESUS CRISTO:

2011-12-08T20:13:00.000-08:00

Another finished painting! I am really relieved to still be continuing this series and to have found a good pace and progression with it. This one was especially rewarding and educational, I think, since it's such a textural image. The hair, beard, tears, craggy face...sort of a practice run for the Virgin Mary-themed group show I'll be in this coming February.

You'll be able to see this painting and others on the 17th at the Pandemic Gallery show "Paranormal Hallucinations". Stay tuned for information on prints, picking up the first round tomorrow!

DAY TRIPPER:

2011-12-07T18:27:00.000-08:00

Here's an install shot of the pieces I did for the lettering show at Day Tripper Gallery in Richmond, Virginia over the summer.

http://daytripperrva.com/

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT BENEFIT EVENT:

2011-12-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

FREE:

2011-11-30T12:52:00.000-08:00

ALEX MCWATT:

2011-11-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

...And speaking of words of wisdom, here is a short clip of Alex McWatt, my friend and mentor and one of the owners at Three Kings. I have had many life-shaping conversations with Alex and always look to him for guidance, motivation, humbling perspectives, and tattoos that remind me of the quality there is to aspire to.

TATTOOING:

2011-11-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

First things first- I had a cancellation tomorrow and have an evening appointment available. If anyone is interested in it, you can e-mail me at t.waite.santibanez(at)gmail.com, please and thank you!

Here are some tattoos from the past couple of weeks:

On my friend Josh from Dayton, Ohio, really I cannot say enough good things about this homie.

Half fresh Pharaoh's Horses on classic Brooklyn fixture Alex McTigue.

Can't go wrong with roses.

Kind of an 80s skull...the rose was a coverup.

Alex Porta is my bread and butter at this point.

Also half healed, half fresh (didn't do the tiny initial).

I will leave you with those words of wisdom.

Thank you for looking.

PARANORMAL HALLUCINATIONS PREVIEW:

2011-11-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

I just finished this painting yesterday. I'll be showing it next month at the "Paranormal Hallucinations" show at Pandemic Gallery here in Brooklyn. The jaguar princess is new, the skull with rosary is an older one I went back into and changed a bit. I switched the brand of black ink I've been using and am really pleased with the results so far...

ALSO:

My photo quality has been so bad for so long and recently I threw in the towel and just started using my phone camera for everything. I'd like to get a nicer digital camera for documenting work and am very open to the possibility of trading for tattoo work if anyone is interested. I'm not looking for anything exceptionally expensive or professional, just something that yields good results and is kind of idiot-proof. E-mail me if this sounds like something you might want to barter!

PARANORMAL HALLUCINATIONS:

2011-11-27T20:07:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to hustle to get ready for this show- a ton of really talented people are showing work and I'm at least attempting to step up my game. If you only make it to one event I've posted about on this blog all year please make it this one, as it should be a ton of fun as well as a great combination of artists.

Paranormal Hallucinations

Opening Reception: Sat. Dec. 17th 7-11pm

From graffiti and street art, science fiction and tattooing, to cartooning, fine art, master shading and pristine line work -Paranormal Hallucinations will twist your senses and flip your head around. With so many different styles converging into one gallery the outcome will be exceptional. Come witness the divergent beauty of 16 Artists with different backgrounds, all united through one common medium used in their works; Pen . Ink . Brush .

paranormalhallucination.tumblr.com

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT:

2011-11-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

Here is the event info for a benefit I'm a part of- my hooded falcon t-shirt design will be available along with images from twenty-four other tattooers. I hope to see everyone there.

Fight the Good Fight, a t-shirt line started by Sue Jeiven from East River

Tattoo, was developed as a way of raising money and awareness for

breast cancer. Through this cause, Ms. Jeiven united the NYC tattoo

community to create designs for t-shirts so as to not only bring awareness

to the cause, but more personally, to help support an organization with

which she is currently a patient. Fight the Good Fight is a limited edition

run of twenty-five unique t-shirt designs with artists from eleven different

tattoo shops. T-shirts will be available for $25 at a benefit party hosted by

In God We Trust (70 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222) on December

10, 2011 at 8:30 pm.

All proceeds from the t-shirts will go to MovingOn:

www.movingonfromcancer.com.

For further information and questions please contact:

cglockhart@gmail.com

LETTERS TO HOME:

2011-11-12T19:44:00.000-08:00

A painting I finished just before leaving town. This may be one of my favorites so far in this style. I've been having a lot of fun with it as you might be able to tell. You can see this painting and others hanging in Gimme! coffee on Lorimer for the next month, alongside paintings from psychic sister Alex McWatt. This was the only snapshot I took before matting it to display, so please ignore any distortion.

BACK IN BLACK:

2011-11-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

Post-Halloween, post-Mexican family reunion, post-daylight savings time, I am glad to be getting back to work. My apologies to those who have ordered things from me, and thanks for your patience, as I am still playing catch up. Here are a few from a backlog of many; I'm not one to share travel photos but these altars were too beautiful not to.

A few tattoos-

Thank you for looking.

Happy to be home.

NEW PAINTING:

2011-10-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

Just finished a new one...Alex McWatt and I are putting some paintings up at Gimme! coffee on Lorimer for the month of November, and I'm going to be in a killer group show at Pandemic Gallery in December, so expect more to come soon. I'll have this up for sale at whichever show it ends up in, unless someone expresses interest in it before then.

FALL INTO DARKNESS- LAUDANUM PRINTS NOW AVAILABLE:

2011-10-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

LAUDANUM / WIZARD RIFLE / AUTHOR & PUNISHER / EIGHT BELLS

The print I did in collaboration with David D'Andrea for Portland's Fall Into Darkness fest is now available for purchase. You can buy this three-color, 16x24" silkscreen for $30 ppd, via paypal to t.waite.santibanez (at) gmail.com. If you order something now you will more than likely get a bonus print or two from the archives as I'm in the middle of studio cleaning.

You can also purchase the three print set from David's webstore for a phenomenal bargain.

A huge thanks to David for including me in this series!

STUDIO SALE:

2011-10-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

I've had these shirts sitting around forever and now that I finally have a bit of help around the place, I'm putting them up for sale. Each is the last one I have of the design, so once these are gone, that's it. The "Maiden Cola" shirts are ones I made about two years ago so they're long done, the "Darkness With A Capital D" devil head shirts were printed from a block that is no longer usable, and the leopard print shirts are one-offs, carved and printed during a three day Christmastime radical sabbatical.

I have the following sizes/styles/colors left:

Maiden Cola tee:

-Pink S

-Green L

-Orange M

-Yellow S

Darkness tee:

-Small

Leopard print linoleum cut:

-Tank S

-Tee S

(Larger image of the Maiden Cola image. These are two-color shirts, the neon is silkscreened and the mutant teenager, as well as the devil head and leopard all printed directly from a lino block on a relief press.)

I'm selling these for $20 each including shipping, and will more than likely throw in a print or zine or something or even a random extra shirt as I'm trying to do a deep clean around the studio.

Any purchases can be sent via paypal to t.waite.santibanez at gmail.com, first come first serve.

Thanks for looking!

AXE & ARROW:

2011-10-22T23:17:00.000-07:00

New curated image guest post up on Axe & Arrow.

"This is my step, this is my depth, in a world demanding of me."

BACKPIECE BOUQUET:

2011-10-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

I outlined this on Rachel earlier this week. She was a real tough gal through the whole thing...looking forward to working on this soon.

TO BENEFIT SUE JEIVEN:

2011-10-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

I was recently invited to do a t-shirt design to be screenprinted for a line called "Fight the Good Fight", the sales of which will be donated to an organization called "ME ONE CANCER ZERO". The nonprofit has been helping a friend of mine and all-around inspiring lady, Sue Jeiven, who is a tattooer working at East River. Sue has been, well, fighting the good fight amid a host of serious health problems, and it is really awe-inspiring to see the strength, grace, and tenacity that she has maintained throughout all of it. A number of other tattooers and artists will be contributing designs, which I believe will be available by the end of the month, as it is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There will be a big event with shirts displayed and for sale, more details to come. I know Myles Karr, Liam Sparkes, and Mark Cross, and Tron are among some of the other contributors so there will surely be some excellent images.

RON WELLS ON TATTOOING TODAY:

2011-10-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

Ron Henry Wells is a contemporary tattooer you should be familiar with, if you aren't already. I am lucky enough to work with him on occasion at Three Kings, and those in the know keep a close eye on his return dates, as his work is clean, inventive, and i have never seen someone pack in such a dark, solid black with such style. His flash is wholly unique and leaves you wondering how he ever came up with these things. Not to mention that he is a great guy, a wealth of information, and is always happy to give pointers and trade shop talk.

Flattery aside, Ron just wrote "An Open Letter to Tattooers Everywhere", which I think is well worth a read. There is a lot of talk about "the state of tattooing today", and a lot of it is griping. I am one of the young whippersnappers myself, and so I can't reflect on what has come before me so much, but I can say that not a day goes by that I don't find myself wide-eyed and awed by a tattoo, a drawing, a painting, a print, and realize what an unbelievable groundwork has been laid for the current and upcoming generations of tattooers, and it makes me want to work that much harder to earn a place in it and, if I'm lucky, contribute something to the dialogue. Ron puts it much more eloquently than I can and I'll just end by saying that reading this made me immediately excited and grateful to get up and do work.

You can read his words here, at his blog, the Laughing Hyena, which I recommend bookmarking and adding to your reading list.

AARDVARK LETTERPRESS X GILLIAN WELCH X JOHN DYER BAIZLEY:

2011-10-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a gorgeous video about the creative collaboration between Aardvark, John Dyer Baizley, and Gillian Welch for her most recent album. This video does a striking job of conveying the beauty and preciousness of letterpress as a craft, and the value of doing things by hand. I loved the part about how the paper the covers were being printed on didn't quite have the aged quality they were hoping for, so they coffee-dyed all of them. John Dyer Baizley is a phenom in the illustration world. I've been closely following his career and collecting his work since being a starry-eyed SCAD freshman living in the same town as him and the rest of Baroness, seeing his illustrations on work for all my favorite bands. You can see his work on his blog, and at your local record store. A big thank you to Gillian Welch for orchestrating a print project of such ambitious scale and distribution- it's contemporary artists supporting those who practice traditional crafts that helps keep them alive and evolving.

TATTOO APPOINTMENTS:

2011-10-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

Just a heads up to all of you out there that I have some time open on Friday for appointments. E-mail me at t.waite.santibanez (at) gmail.com if you are interested! I have a few drawings I'd love to tattoo if that entices anyone.

Yesterday was a particularly good day at the shop. I did matching anchors on a couple of friends celebrating their first meeting anniversary, inflicted palm pain on Jonathan, a great customer, finished up this rabbit on J.P.'s stomach, and put a first tattoo on my friend and studiomate Justin, a printmaker who makes some really excellent woodcuts. If in doubt, get a skull. Something that made me happy all day: getting X-small gloves at the shop, that fit like a dream on my tiny infant fingers and made tattooing so, so much easier.

SICK PEOPLE ZINE:

2011-10-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

Sick People zine, put out by my good friend Reggie McCafferty, is out now. It features photos, writing, and artwork by lots of cool kids. It's a huge zine with tons of content, and it's free! Track Reggie down to get one or stop by KCDC or other dirtbag haunts in Brooklyn.

TATTOOS:

2011-10-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

Two from today: a Stooges lyric and punk rock bull terrier shredding on Cole from Tennessee, and a nice little raven on a walk-in. I have to say that I am always humbled when people from out of town make appointments with me. There are an infinite number of exceptional tattooers to be found here in New York and for someone to choose to be tattooed by me while visiting makes me truly grateful.

So, again, a huge thank you to those from afar, and the locals who continue to come see me.

HULL POSTERS:

2011-10-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

Prints are in for the HULL record release. Two-color silkscreen, edition of 40. You can purchase these at the show tomorrow night!

BOOK FAIR:

2011-10-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

My haul from the art book fair at P.S.1 last weekend! Notable purchases include Brooke Smith's Sunday Matinee publication of all (now-historic) hardcore gig photos. Many bad-ass shaved headed women in this one. Danzig Baldaev's Drawings From the Gulag, also the author of the Russian criminal tattoo encyclopedias, a book of Cholo graffiti photos, an out-of-print silkscreened book by Bongout and Seripop. Seripop are a longtime favorite design-and-print duo of mine and the image source for the tattoo I have that inspires the question "is that Satan?"

ON POLICE BRUTALITY:

2011-10-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

I cannot put into words how blown away and grateful I am to see this discussed in such a straightforward manner in mainstream news media. It seems as if any time police violence is discussed it is painted as an isolated incident, an exception to the rule. Police brutality is systematic, a result of militarizing and weaponizing law enforcement and encouraging the dehumanization of the populace it, in theory, is meant to protect. The Wall Street Occupation has simply provided somewhere to shine the spotlight on a microcosm of what happens on a larger scale every single day. A blogger who volunteered as a medic at Occupy Boston really put it into perspective when she wrote: "I live in a country where people are putting on masks and writing a defense attorney's phone number on their arm so they can say things like 'rich people should pay more taxes.'"

On a related note, yesterday two police officers shouted comments of a sexual nature at me from their patrol van as I stood on a street corner. It's nice to see that in the wake of the rape acquittal of two NYPD officers this city's police continue to feel entitled to enforce the threat of sexual violence that women face every single day.

This post is a little more personal and political than I usually get here, but now that I have an actual website of my work I feel like I have a bit more freedom to blog about a wider variety of topics here. I think I would be remiss in not mentioning what is happening here in New York and now around the country as well. Of course it's easier to bury your head in the sand and try to ignore all the reasons to be pissed, to be furious, that you're handed every moment of every day, but anger can be a very valuable catalyst and I'm happy to see that a larger number of Americans are finally voicing their discontent.

THE BEARDED LADY:

2011-10-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

Trying to stay busy in what is shaping up to be a quiet October...I'm glad for the chance to relax a bit and mentally prepare for the cold weather, and for the excuse to continue with my reclusive ways. Here is something a bit more traditional. I have a couple smaller paintings like this in progress as quick one-offs. Since, you know, something something idle hands.

FOR LOVE OR MONEY:

2011-10-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

New painting, available for sale...

HULL RECORD RELEASE:

2011-09-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

Mockup for my poster for the HULL record release. They're playing with Rwake, which should make for a killer combination. I'm looking forward to the actual prints of this design, as uniform color Photoshop layering looks so flat and really lacks the depth of a silkscreen. These will be available for purchase at the show...

SUPERCHIEF:

2011-09-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across a small feature the nice folks over at Superchief did on me on their blog. Bill Dunleavy and Superchief have been supporters of mine ever since, well, I was "at Pratt and making hardcore flyers" and I did their logo...I have to say their writing made me blush a little. Such nice compliments. Thanks guys!

Check it out for some photos from the archives.

DANIELLA PINEDA:

2011-09-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

Not exactly the sort of content I normally post but it was too good not to share. It's worth clicking through and poking around her youtube uploads. There is some really great political and cultural satire from this Mexican-American filmmaker, particularly the "Genocide Chic" video.

"WE DON'T ALL LOOK ALIKE!"

TATTOOING:

2011-09-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

Some recent ones, unabashed camera phone style...

A continual thanks to everyone who comes in and gets tattooed, both strangers and friends.

SHIRTS AND DESTROY: STOREFRONT

2011-09-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

After picking up a painting of mine from TarPit coffee earlier this week, I got an americano to go in my new favorite recent acquisition...repping Press coffee and Dayton, Ohio hard.

I finally made my way over to the newly opened Shirts & Destroy storefront on Manhattan Ave, with the excuse of meeting my friend Jeanne D'Angelo for a painting trade. I am now the proud owner of this painting, which I've been sweating over for months and now occupies a place of honor above my worktable:

While Jeanne chatted with the people at Shirts & Destroy I poked around. Usually my shopping methodology is just to look at the things that are black, but that strategy got me nowhere at this place since nearly all the t-shirts are black. Looking at everything turned out to be a very good thing.

I hope I'm not giving away any secrets when I say you'll soon be able to buy Jeanne's prints through Shirts & Destroy, along with prints and shirts from some of my personal favorites.

DAVID D'ANDREA X TAMARA SANTIBANEZ

2011-09-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

A peek at the poster collaboration I'm doing with David D'Andrea, a project I couldn't be more thrilled about. If you haven't seen David's work you're probably in a coma, or hate stoner metal. I don't want to give away all the surprises but here's a little preview:

HULL: BEYOND THE LIGHTLESS SKY

2011-09-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

The long-awaited new release from Brooklyn's own HULL is now out! I worked for several months developing their concept for the artwork, then handed my drawing over to the talented Carmine Laietta for design and layout. There is a lot more of my drawing yet to be revealed in the form of posters and t-shirts to accompany the album.

HULL is playing a record release show October 10th, and it looks like I'll be doing a limited edition poster exclusive to the show. The lineup is still being finalized but there may be some exciting surprises in line...

SHIRTS AND DESTROY: EXQUISITE CORPSE

2011-09-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

Show opening tonight put on by Shirts and Destroy, who are celebrating the opening of their new storefront on Manhattan Ave. If you haven't checked out their web store, it's well worth a look for the enormous selection of merchandise from killer bands and a huge roster of talented artists, including the people at Three Kings Tattoo, Thomas Hooper, Alex Snelgrove, Jondix, Florian Bertmer, and so many more. I'm definitely going to be making my way over to the store to pick up some shirts (as if I need more black band t-shirts).

SUNDAYS:

2011-09-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

"You have 70-80 years on average to do whatever you're going to do and not one second of that is guaranteed-act accordingly."

-Dennis McNett

New issue of Sundays featuring a lot of cool kids, skate photos by Colin, reaper painting I did, words on Sweet Tooth Nelson, words of wisdom by Dennis...

Available for free at bars, coffeeshops, and skate shops in the neighborhood. Not gonna get more specific because, well, if you can't figure out where the local skate shop is, I don't know, ask someone on a skateboard.

Sick People//Death Won't Wait:

2011-09-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

"Ghosts of Punk", 8x10.5", acrylic ink and sumi on paper.

I made this drawing for my good friend Reggie's upcoming zine. Reggie is of Death Won't Wait and Sick People fame and is an all-around man-about-town, zine maker, show curator, photographer, book reader, lurker. I believe Reggie's planning an event to distribute the zine before leaving town on an abysmally long tour, so stay tuned.

Burning for you:

2011-09-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

Drew this for fun, would tattoo it if anyone were interested...

Locally Brewed:

2011-09-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

Alex McWatt and I are collaborating on a mural at this event. We'll be painting it all day Saturday, so come by, hang out, the will be coffee, music, food, and the like.

Wish List:

2011-08-31T09:52:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I've posted about my fascination with this multitalented lady before, but J.L. Schnabel is a writer, painter, and crafter of incredible pieces of jewelry. Every time something new arrives in her shoppe I am immediately in love. I have purchased pieces from her in the past and they always mysteriously get away from me, but I recently ordered this gem and am planning on guarding it with an eagle eye...

These new additions will certainly be haunting my dreams as well...

Sneak peek:

2011-08-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a little bit of what I've been working on for the kids at Burn Books (including my friend and Renaissance man Alex Heir)...

You can see hints of my usual process here. I start with a very, very rough sketch in red pencil on tracing paper, just to get the basic layout down, then put mylar down over it and start drawing the final version from there, making changes to the layout as I go. It's hard for me to work on paper because I have a hard time 100% freestyling, hate erasing pencil marks, and my attention span is too short to make a really tight drawing to trace with a light box...

Anyway, today:

Ursa Major:

2011-08-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

A cover-up on my friend Andy. Second session and finished today.

Of course another sub-par photograph. I have been being really lazy about taking photos as my phone's camera is probably actually better than my camera camera. I know I need to upgrade but that's last on a long to-do list...

Axe & Arrow:

2011-08-29T19:26:00.001-07:00

I sometimes do "guest posts" over at none other than E.P.'s inspiration image blog, new one up now. Take a look for wood grain, love notes, moon cycles, tattoos, and it's namesakes.

AXE//ARROW

Help:

2011-08-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

Attention internet world!

I am in need of an intern. I know I've thought this before, but this time it's true. The number of projects I have coming up really necessitate an extra hand and as I am a disorganized space case a lot of the time, maybe one of you can help me out.

I am looking for help one day a week in my studio. You would, preferably, be:

+Familiar with printmaking processes, particularly etching and relief editioning.

+Willing to run errands that a bike could be helpful for. Art supply store, post office, etc.

+Good with administrative type tasks and know Photoshop's basics as well as different internet social media. Be able to scan, watermark, and upload images, respond to e-mails, etc.

+Down to help me get organized in a number of ways, including archiving reference material, other people's prints that I've acquired, and my own past work.

+Like metal or at least Hot 97 radio.

(These aren't all 100% necessary but would be ideal.)

Basically, internet, I have a hard time managing making work and simultaneously staying on top of things like e-mailing, being organized, and scheduling. I am also starting on a new photo project that will require help and need to print collage material for an upcoming print project. I'm willing to teach someone how to print if need be. I'm looking for someone at least through the end of September with the potential to continue indefinitely if it works well. In exchange I am offering print lessons, work references/class credit, and tattoos.

Please e-mail me if you are interested and tell me a little bit about yourself and your availability.

In the works:

2011-08-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

I am extremely pleased to announce several upcoming projects that I'm working on. Above you can see a preview of my pieces for the "Size & Style" show opening in Richmond, Virginia this weekend.

I have been invited by a longtime favorite artist of mine, David D'Andrea, to be part of a small series of posters for the annual "Fall Into Darkness" festival in Portland, Oregon. I'll be doing an image for one of the nights of the fest. To be asked to be part of a series with two artists that I consider poster art heavyweights is a huge honor.

I have also been invited to be in a series of prints by ten New York artists being curated and published by Burn Books, local record/publishing label. The lineup is looking incredible so far and being given complete creative freedom as far as imagery is always a nice thing.

Last but not least, I was asked by Colin Sussingham to contribute an image to his newsletter-style Sundays zine. Issue one is available online as well, but the zine can be found locally in coffeeshops, skate shops, bars, and the like for free. Big props to Colin for making local artist's work accessible in a very immediate way. Scans and more info on the next issue when it's out.

You can see one of Colin's photographs above and more at his blog. This one is near and dear to my heart because it features one of my best friends and talented photographer Chris Berntsen doing what he does best, drinking coffee and playing skateboards. Come home Riot Chris.

It seems impossible but there's even MORE cool stuff on the horizon, including a collaborative outdoor mural with best dude Alex Mcwatt, a huge print event where I may be giving an artist talk, an exhibition of the collaborative prints Daniel Albrigo and I did together, and maybe a skate deck...but I'm trying to play it cool on all fronts so you only get hints for now.

Slater!

Tonight:

2011-08-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Come out to this tonight. Two very talented friends of mine joining forces.

No Future:

2011-08-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

Nihilist cat head based on the Frank Kozik "Cult Cat" image.

On rad lady and much appreciated repeat customer J.P.

Tattoos:

2011-08-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

Today's highlight, a thistle and blackberry bramble mash-up. I love getting to do color tattoos like this although everyone seems to be under the impression that I only like black and grey (I mean, yes, I do enjoy that too). This was on a lovely young lady who traveled from Detroit with a friend to get tattooed. Thank you, ladies!

Three Kings:

2011-08-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

A (slightly blurry) snapshot of the finished graphic for the Three Kings Tattoo shop bandannas. These will be available for purchase soon just in time for winter season snot rag usage.

Tattooing:

2011-08-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

Some highlights from the week. Clockwise: In-progress shaman bear coverup on my good friend Andy, genius arrow/knot combination thanks to my friend Stella (I did the salt shaker with ribbon as well), Murakami literary reference and poison vial on a traveler from Seattle, and a wildflower bunch with bird claw clasp on Aimee from Greensboro.

A continued thanks to everyone who gets tattooed, friends in town, strangers, and travellers alike.

Freakshow:

2011-08-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

Face tattoos on E.P. First face tattoos I've done and of course I was sweating bullets since it's all straight lines, straight lines...

Senorita dreams...

2011-08-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

Anyone want to get this tattooed, full color?

Out of the shadows:

2011-08-06T06:44:00.001-07:00

Phone photo dump-style post, instagram filter applied to hide the fact that I take terrible photographs and of course to make my life look much more romantic than it actually is. Tattoos, drawings, in-progress works, slice of daily life type stuff, in no particular order.

Upcoming show:

2011-08-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

An upcoming group show I'm part of that I'm very excited about. Please spread the word if you're in the Richmond area!

Sneak peek:

2011-07-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

Of a bandanna design I'm doing for Three Kings Tattoo and some new work I'm making for an exciting group show in December.

Today:

Tattooing, wedges, Wire, re-discovering Morbid Angel, sweating profusely.

In Progress:

2011-07-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

Worked on this on my friend A.D. today, holding the record for most easygoing client ever.

Nick Sultana

2011-07-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

Sneak peek of another studio visit my friend and photographer Nick Sultana did recently. More to come.

Broke Ya Neckkkkk

2011-07-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

Egyptian Jason did a studio visit with me over the weekend and just posted a bunch of photos from it to his blog, Broke Ya Neckkk. Check it out....

Getting tattooed:

2011-07-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

I hate it. Absolutely hate it! But what can you do.

Thanks to my friend Bryce. See his tattoos and paintings here.

Opening Tonight:

2011-07-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

My "Lechuza" painting is in this show along with a number of gorgeous paintings from the other folks at the shop. Come by and check it out and get caffeinated.

A KID WHO TELLS ON ANOTHER KID IS A DEAD KID.

2011-07-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

Stop snitching.

2011-07-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

Project of the day:

FTW WTF FWT

Also:

2011-07-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to go ahead and call bullshit on "Sally Hansen Salon Effects" nail stickers.

Boooooooringgggggg.

Hand painted designs will always be better. And just as DIY.

Creeping death:

2011-07-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

A tattoo from awhile back on my friend Jenny, who has an incredible backpiece by Alex McWatt. Definitely an honor to put this creeper reaper next to it.

La Virgen:

2011-07-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

New painting, made as a gift for a friend of mine. She is going through a very tough time right now and although I'm not religious, there is something about icons like these that I find so beautiful and calming.

I have been lazy about taking pictures and using only my telephone for it, but hopefully I'll get some good quality scans sooner than later.

Done-zo!

2011-07-16T21:29:00.000-07:00

New painting done after spending all day today on it. I believe this will be in a show at TarPit coffee's grand opening, stay tuned for details.

Summer cleaning.

2011-07-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

Clean studio:

New ink shelf built by a very talented carpenter friend.

Messy studio:

Piles of beverages, ink caps, scraps of paper, linoleum cuttings...

In progress...

2011-07-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

New painting. Although at first glance it might look like a harpy, I actually based it off the legend of the lechuza, the half-bird, half-witch creature that stirs up discontent in relationships and carries off anyone who returns its whistle in the night.

And this plate with Albrigo is done, just have to etch it and proof it!

Detail shot:

Neck script:

2011-07-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Did this on a walk-in yesterday, very gangster. I'm hoping this guy will come back as he loves religious imagery and that's something I've been wanting to tattoo.

Sick People presents:

2011-07-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

A zine opening curated by Reggie McCafferty of Death Won't Wait and Sick People, one night only!
I told the very popular Reggie that he is the only person I know that could curate a one night art show in his living room and have it be so well-attended. It's nice to see the zines people I know are putting out all together in one room, seeing what they have in common and what is unique about each one at the same time.

Performance art?

I spy "Angst Anthems".

A good sign that everyone is so engrossed in reading, right? These photos should be PSAs for how cool literacy is.

"THIS ZINE IS SO INTERESTING"

Collaborative Etching with Daniel Albrigo:

2011-07-07T21:33:00.000-07:00

Old English letter abstraction, in progress for a group show Daniel is putting together in August.

Window Display by Vinnie Smith:

2011-07-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

Larger-than-life xerox collage.

Do the walk-by, check it out, and see more of Vinnie Smith extraordinaire at collecteddust.blogspot.com

Show opening:

2011-07-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

I'm in a one-night zine group showing tomorrow. Please come!

Help!

2011-07-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

I am starting a new handful of altered record covers, and am looking for old, classic metal records to paint on. Nothing rare and priceless, of course, but albums with covers that would take well to an addition, like this:

If anyone has any old punk or metal records they'd be willing to part with, e-mail me for my address, send me yours, and I'll trade you zines, shirts, prints, etcetera!

Back in action:

2011-07-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Came back from my trip inspired to start this 3 ft. x 3 ft. linoleum cut, finally. I've been down on myself for not making any relief prints in awhile so it's going to feel great to start cutting this. As you can see the lighting in my studio is so excellent and good for my eyesight.

CEMENT:

2011-07-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

I try not to get incredibly personal here but I think I would be remiss in not mentioning Eric Patton, a very special person to me and talented artist in his own right. Working side-by-side with Eric is a funny experience as we have completely opposite methods of working and make completely different things (not to mention have Odd Couple-style organizational habits), but somehow I think it ends up benefitting both of us.

If you happen to find yourself in his current neck of the woods, Dayton, Ohio, do yourself a favor and check out his collaborative show with Zachary Armstrong that just went up at Press. It's entitled "CEMENT" and features found and personal objects embedded in cement blocks as well as shaped cement pieces and cement abstract expressionist panels.

Eric is very near and dear to my heart both as a person and artist and I could not be more excited about this ambitious new work.

Stars and bars:

2011-07-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

Not actually a patriotic tattoo...a couple small guys on my friend and best HBIC Saralee.

SWAMP!

2011-07-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

My dude SWAMPY is featured in this month's issue of Juxtapoz! Super hyped for him. He's a really smart, sincere, hardworking, talented kid and it's nice to see that recognized. Check out the feature for beautiful photos and musings, and see his work at www.swmpy.com.

Radical Sabbatical.

2011-06-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

I'm going on a short unexpected trip out of town. When I get back, new window installation by Vinnie Smith, more paintings, a long-awaited linocut...

2011-06-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Quick snapshot of a fun tattoo from work today. A skull optical illusion (I'm sure there's a name for these but I can never recall it) with a nice mix of the woodcut/scrimshaw aesthetic and heavy black. I'm hoping to get a picture of this when it's healed as it's hard in this one to see the tiny ship sailing in the cranium...

New painting...

2011-06-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

I've been on a bit of a streak with these...

Daniel Albrigo:

2011-06-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

A new suite of etchings from the illustrious Albrigo.

This might be my favorite of his prints to date. You can see his past editions at his blog, including a beautiful suite of four of his prints.

Don't sleep on checking his new work, though. This edition is already sold out, suckers!

2011-06-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

Better (not cell phone!) pictures of the DIRTBAG tees. Still got a few left so e-mail me if you want to snag one!