My Favorite Part of Neverland

I know I have a problem. Okay, an obsession.

But when I was recently asked to create a new piece for a Disney Fine Art event a few weeks ago, the mermaid lagoon scene from Peter Pan was all I could think about. I thought it would probably be best to go ahead and get it out of my system before things got out of hand.

10" x 24" paper collage and gouache

I have been keeping busy working on several projects and getting ready for CTN-X next week! If you happen to be going to the show, you can find me at Table 56 right next to my good friend and fellow mermaid enthusiast, Liana Hee! I should have more updates before the show, but until then have a lovely week!

It's A Small World After All!

Well it has certainly been too long!

First of all, Comic-Con was awesome! Thank you so much to all who came out and said hello!

While I have tried to spend the better part of the last month enjoying what is left of the Southern California summer, I did find some time to work on this piece for the upcoming It's a Small World tribute show at Gallery Nucleus. Here is the info about the show from the gallery:

It's a Small World

Timed with the release of illustrator Joey Chou's latest children's book from Disney Press, a select group of talent will contribute work paying homage to this beloved and enduring theme of global peace. The book features Chou's illustrations interpreting the Sherman Brothers classic song written for the popular Disney park attraction.

This is an all-ages event. Meet some of the artists including Joey Chou who will be on hand signing copies of the new release.


Exhibiting Artists Include:

Joey Chou
Lorelay Bové
Patrick Awa
Brittney Lee
Becky Dreistadt
Patrick Hruby
Michelle Romo
Eric Diaz
Michael Fleming
Grace Lee
Brendan Wenzel
Justin Parpan
Israel Sanchez
Seb Mesnard
Griselda Sastrawinata
Rad Sechrist
Nellie Le
Pete Oswald
Mark Sperber
Winnie Ho
Olga Stern
Christian Robinson
Victoria Ying
Ryan Kramer
Alex Chechik
Kevin Chan
Sean Sullivan
Ryuku Uratsuji
Chris Turnham
Josh Parpan
Jesse Tise
Elizabeth Ito
Jing Wei
Ben Butcher
Brigette Barrager
Chris Sasaki
Claire Keane

Uwe Heidschoetter

Oliver Akuin
Edward Juan
Linda Kim
Jackie Huang
Patrick Raines
Eren Blanquet
Drake Brodahl

I am so thankful to Joey and Gallery Nucleus for inviting me to be a part of this show! This piece is one of the deepest and most intricate that I have ever made, and it was so much fun to figure out! I cannot wait to see all of the other pieces from all of the incredible artists in this exhibit. Here are a few more detail shots of my piece, titled Aloha! Bienvenue! Welcome!:






Lastly, for those of you who couldn't make it to Comic-Con, I now have copies of Confetti up in the shop! I will also be taking them on the road to APE and CTN-x this fall - I hope to see some of you there!




More updates soon! Have a lovely week!

Harry Potter Tribute Show: Expecto Patronum

The second of my two Potter pieces - Harry defending Ron and Hermione from Dementors with the use of his Patronus charm. His stag patronus is just so cool, I couldn't help myself.



Both of my Harry Potter pieces (as well as many others) will be on display starting this Saturday, July 9th, at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, CA. The opening reception is going to be awesome, so be sure to stop by if you can!

Also, my Introduction to the Owlry piece is part of an online auction for the Harry Potter tribute show. You can view and bid on 11 of the pieces in the show right here. Have a wonderful weekend, and I hope to see you at the show!

Harry Potter Tribute Show: Introduction to the Owlry

I am definitely a Potter fan. When the nice folks at Gallery Nucleus asked me if I would be interested in participating in a Harry Potter Tribute Show that would take place one week before the final film opened, I must confess that I had to suppress a squeal of joy. It was really difficult for me to choose what to illustrate, but in the end there were two moments that I decided to try to capture.


This first piece is my take on little Harry introducing his Snowy Owl, Hedwig, to the Owlry at Hogwarts. I thought it would be fun to illustrate these two unlikely friends, as well as all of the different owl personalities that shuttle messages to and from Hogwarts.


The Harry Potter Tribute Show opens this Saturday, July 9th at 7pm at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, CA. You can see all of the crazy show details right here!


I have one more Potter piece that I will post before the show. Have a great week, and I hope to see you on Saturday!

Baker's Dozen at Gallery Nucleus!

I was recently asked to contribute to a group show that is opening this Saturday at Gallery Nucleus. The title of the show is "Baker's Dozen",with the idea that all of the contributing artists illustrate popular idioms.


For my first piece, I chose the phrase "Drink Like a Fish". Why shouldn't sea creatures enjoy a nice cocktail party once in a while?



And for my second piece, I decided on "An Elephant in the Room". A circus seemed like the appropriate venue for such an expression.



Here is all of the show information from the gallery:

Baker's Dozen - Illustrated Idioms
June 11, 2011 - July 4, 2011
Opening Reception / Jun 11, 7:00PM - 11:00PM

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a few words can make a delightfully pretty picture. This exhibit has 13 diverse, and notable artists visually exploring their favorite idiom.

A range of aesthetics and mediums will be on display in this playful exhibit that includes drawings, paintings, lithographs, paper-cuts and more!

Featured Artists:

• Ming Ong
• You Byun
• Brittney Lee
• Matte Stephans
• Dadu Shin
• Catia Chien
• Miki Sato
• Nicole Gustafsson
• Lorena Alverez
• Ahren Hertel
• Nico Duffaut
• Daniela Volpari

AND if that isn't enough, the totally awesome Nate Wragg is also opening a solo show at Gallery Nucleus on the same night! Stop by and say hello if you can!


More updates soon! Have a great week everyone!

Edward Scissorhands Tribute: The First Snow

I love the film Edward Scissorhands, and I am so happy and honored to be a part this 20th anniversary tribute show! Sebastien Mesnard has done an excellent job of organizing this event, and I cannot thank him enough for asking me to be a part of it!


If you are in LA this weekend, you should definitely check out the opening on Saturday night! Added bonus: there will be an Adventure Time show opening in the upper gallery as well. It will be a great time for sure - I hope to see you there!

A Commission and a Con

With so much going on, I really haven't had much time to do commission work since I made my way down to Los Angeles. This was the last piece that I was able to work on, and I just realized that I had never posted photos of it. So here you go! It was a lot of fun to work on, especially the leaf/ornamental detail in the back.

I do love me some birds.



And just for kicks, I held the finished piece up to a back light. It got the inspirational wheels turning. Perhaps some lampshade designs in my future?

Perhaps.



I also wanted to let everybody know that I will be spending this coming weekend in Seattle at the Emerald City Comic Con! Miss Liana Hee and I are sharing booth #1004, and it is going to be a good time. Please come say hello if you can!

Part of that...

A few months ago, artists at the studio were given canvases and asked to create a piece of artwork based on any one of the 50 Disney animated features that inspires us. Once finished, these canvases will be sold at a charity auction later this year. I will pass along the details as soon as I have them, but for now I thought I would post a few photos of my finished piece:)


My inspirational film of choice is (of course) The Little Mermaid. I knew that I wanted to work with paper for this piece, but I also wanted to utilize the large (18"x36") canvas that was given to me. After a little experimentation, I decided to cut the canvas to be the top foreground elements while its wooden frame serves as a perfect support for the inner layers of paper. The construction was tricky, but in the end I think everything turned out okay (and should stay in place)!

When I make original artwork for gallery shows, I am often asked if it is difficult for me to part with it. My answer is almost always the same: if I know going into the making of a piece that it will be sold, I don't have a problem letting go of it when the time comes.



Well, this one may be the exception.


Have a lovely week, everyone! More updates soon!

Happy Holidays!

I wish everyone out there a safe and happy holiday, whoever and wherever you may be!

To celebrate the season, here are a few photos of some pieces I had made for the Unique LA Holiday Show!





Some of these scuplts are currently available in the shop, and I've also added this year's holiday cards and the Lagoon piece to Etsy as well. If you are interested in gifts for the holidays, today is the last day to order for pieces to be shipped before Christmas. I will be taking some time to spend with my family, and I wish you all the same! See you in the New Year!

Just Can't Wait!

Some of my coworkers and I were recently asked to contribute to a collection of artwork for Disney Fine Art Galleries. The idea is for us to create our own artistic interpretations of our favorite moments from Disney films. Considering that I spent a large part of my life trying to figure out how to make a living doing EXACTLY this, I jumped at the chance!



First up is "I Just Can't Wait to be King!" in paper! I don't know about anyone else, but I'm fairly certain that I listened to The Lion King soundtrack cassette on a nonstop loop for the entire summer of 1994. My mother (who patiently listened along with me in the car) can attest to my obsession. Thank you for putting up with me, Mom. This one's for you:)

I have quite a few things to update on soon, so stay tuned! Until then, have a great week, everybody!