Busy with art commissions this Fall. My college classmate Galen contacted me to see if she could commission me to create an artwork for her daughter. The image is of her daughter's cat "Beanie". Here is the finished artwork and the progress GIF.
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| "Beanie the Cat", acrylic and color pencil on wood, 11/2024 |
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| In-progress GIF of the various layers for "Beanie the Cat" commission |
CoWaBunGA!!
My wife noticed that our Halloween decorations were getting stale. Here are a couple of creatures to freshen up our fright...
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| "DeAth DoG", cardboard, tape, acrylic paint, 10/2024 |
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| DeAth DoG is not your best friend... BeWaRe |
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| DeAth DoG in progress |
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| "Sponge Death Square Pants", cardboard, tape, acrylic paint, 10/2024 |
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| Sponge DeAth Square Pants in progress |
Back when I was working in downtown Oakland, my favorite destination was the neighborhood of Old Oakland, with the Victorian buildings, cute cafes and restaurants, and Swans Market. So, when my former co-worker Michelle S. asked if I could paint her a scene of 8th Street, I was delighted. Here are the finished painting and the GIF showing the progress:
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| Old Oakland, 8th & Washington, 20 x 16, acrylic and pencil on paper, 10/2024 |
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| Michelle's Commission in progress... |
Fantastic show at the DeYoung Museum: Tamara de Lempicka. I was blown away by the luscious colors and art deco styling by Lempicka. The portraits portray a stylized vision of the subject but also capture the subject's personality and quirks. I'll be going back for sure.
CoWaBunGA!
Mikomi Sushi was a delightful find for us. We were seeking a Japanese dinner in SoCal and found Mikomi in Alhambra. The interior was dramatic with colorful lighting and great wood slatted paneling. More importantly, the sushi was very good.
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| Mikomi Sushi, Alhambra, 9/2024 |
There are so many beautiful connections that the public will never see because they are buried behind the architectural finish. Engineers will just have to draw them for you to appreciate what's behind the wall.
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| Study for Column-beam moment connection, color pencil on paper |
They are here: 2025 Cafe Sketches desk calendars! The calendar features restaurants and cafes that were sketched in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York cities. They will be available for sale ($25) at the Mini-Masterpieces show and holiday sale at Rhythmix Cultural Works in Alameda CA, starting in November 2024.
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| 2025 Cafe Sketches Calendar, 8"x 8", self-standing desk calendar |
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| Ming-Hin Cuisine in Chicago, April 2025 |
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| China Cafe, Grand Central Market, Los Angeles, July 2025 |
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| Juniors, Times Square, New York City, March 2025 |
