updates…
It’s been a while since I made any updates; and that’s mainly due to being flat out on some work of my own for a change. It’s a good thing! Time is ticking away and I will be aiming to get the piece finished by the end of this week. So if you can hang out till then I will get some teaser images up! The finished piece will be shown in Melbourne in a month or so. Stay tuned!
tokuda yasokichi III…
On a recent trip to Kanazawa city in Ishikawa prefecture, I was fortunate enough to see some amazing arts and crafts. One artist whose work really caught my attention was Tokuda Yasokichi. Even if you aren’t into ceramics, I’m sure you could appreciate the bold direction he has taken the traditional Kutani style he specializes in. Seeing one of these flawless pieces in person at the 20th Century Art museum was unbelievable; impossibly perfect graduation and shape. Like some kind of CG object rendered with shaders. Anyway. If you want to nerd up a bit on the subject have a read here.
monochrome…
Really impressed by the work of Daehyun Kim, also known as moonassi and thought you might be too. There is a nice little artists statement that talks about dust that really struck a chord with me. The simple black and white images are gorgeous too!
Beating ones’ drum…
The new gift magazine is out. Full of interesting news of people in and around Joetsu: The creator’s navi with Touru Daimon; photographer currently working out of Tokyo, the regular circle of friends article and photo journal by Victim designer Shimotori Naoyuki, and of course my newest pic on the back (but if you have been reading the news lately, you’ve already seen that one). Grab a copy at the Bird’s Inn, any good cafe, restaurant, or fashion boutique in Joetsu or Niigata city. Flying. off. the. shelves.
本日フリーペーパーgift発行！！今回のクリエーターズナビは、昔からのお友達、大門徹氏！出会った頃彼は高校３年生。今では東京→海外→上越を叉に掛けるフォトグラファー！立派です！そしてgiftでもご存知、東京で大活躍しております、VICTIMのデザイナー下鳥直之の連載 フォトライフギャラリー。みんな頑張っていて嬉しいかぎりです♪そして、裏表紙にはSeanの新作「KAGEMUSHA」細かいディテールまで綺麗に印刷されていて感謝！Yo-be！good job!その他上越の情報は勿論、レギュラーコーナーCircle of friendsなどなど内容盛りだくさんになっております！次回のgiftから少しイメチェンするみたいです！お楽しみに！giftは、上越市内Bird’s Inn Cafe、Western River townをはじめ、新潟県内アパレルショップ、レストラン、カフェなどなど入手可能です！鉄子でした！
chocolate chip cookies…
Nicole Beckley is having a solo show at Studio Zero in Arai city, opening tomorrow afternoon. Having lived in Japan for 3 years, Nicole is drawing on her experiences to convey something personal and unique through her art. I’m really looking forward to checking it out over the coming weekend. The show will be running for a month from Saturday 15th of May till June 16th. For more information check her facebook page and rsvp.
Kanazawa…
From today I will be spending a few days in Kanazawa city, Ishikawa prefecture. It’s a beautiful town, often compared to Kyoto for it’s traditional gardens and historic buildings. It’s also home to a very healthy and active art scene and international gallery or two; The biggest and most attractive being the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. Luckily there are some great things happening this month, so I hope to be able to see and eventually report on when I get back. In the meantime, feel free to browse this collection of dog portraits a friend kindly brought to my attention.
Synaptic Stimuli…
There are some very interesting things going on in the art news roll at synapticstimuli. It’s a contemporary mixed media smorgasbord (with equal helpings of traditional and modern), and well worth a look.
Other M…
It’s geeky. I know. But I’m sure there were a whole lot more kids out there like me that used to spend hours just looking at the cool monster art in the control booklets. Here is the latest version. Can’t wait to open up that box and read those instructions!
Mononoke モノノ怪…
It was golden week in Japan this week, which means big city max exodus, traffic jams and no quick fix lunches at the 7/11. Fortunately, there was something interesting on the TV to fill the void where my 250yen mixed sandwiches ought to have been.
Animax was running Mononoke; not the Ghibli masterpiece, but the Toei animated series from 2007. A few years old, but still fantastic; A really stylish and unique (be it computer generated) horror anime worth a look, especially for it’s art: Looking just like a moving Utagawa Hiroshige ukiyo-e wood block print (the ones famously reproduced by Van Gogh). The opening sequence doesn’t do the series much justice, but a if you can find a copy somewhere, somehow, give it a look.
新潟日報夕刊 UP!
先日発行された新潟日報夕刊の記事です。このリンクからご覧になれます。Thank you! ショーン。
Translation;
Being creative with Shrines and Temples.
Sean came to Japan 5 years ago from Tasmania, Australia. Recently he has been producing art works based on shrines and temples (in Joetsu city, Niigata). During times when not taking English lessons, or when on weekends away from the conversation school where he works, he spends his time focused on his art work. Last year in September, he had his first exhibition and has plans for a second this coming December. His dream being to one day make a living from his art.
Using pencils and watercolour, he describes the tiles and wood in fine detail, rendering the scenes in deformed 3D to emphasise and immerse. Some of his influences come from Japanese manga; like Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira and Matsumoto Taiyo’s Tekkon Kinkreet. In Joetsu city, he can walk and plan his images, drawing inspiration from the roadside rocks and trees, moss and the long history of the area. In his words, he describes it as “shinpiteki”: mysterious in Japanese.
Since he was young, he has enjoyed drawing. He attended the local university art school, majoring in design and was employed at a design office soon after graduation. There he helped produce web content until the company unfortunately went bankrupt. For about 1 year following, he engaged in freelance design, but found the commercial work limiting creatively, and his enthusiasm for design was soon extinguished.
While considering his future, he recalled advice his parents had given him about broadening his horizons. An opportunity to attend an interview for a large English conversation school in Japan gave him a chance to do so.
While a child he had always had a keen interest in things Japanese; watching Astroboy during the 80’s animation boom, and having an interest in package design during his studies at art school; describing the many wrapped layers of souvenirs as like that of an onion.
The conversation school sent him to Joetsu. A peaceful city similar in size and atmosphere to his hometown, where he soon met other creative people, including illustrators and musicians, also pursuing their arts.
In May 2009, he married his girlfriend of 4 years; Ayako, and he said with some jest, “I plan on living here at the moment”.
Last year, in Australia, he had his first exhibition with an old friend and artist, displaying about 20 pieces based on popular Japanese monster and hero TV series. After some success, and after returning to Joetsu city, he decided to pursue art seriously and immediately went about setting up a studio for his new work. Now, based in Joetsu, he is able to walk around his local area sourcing material for his next exhibition. He currently keeps a blog and regularly updates on his progress; receiving approx. 300 hits a month. He is positive about the future, and hopes to share more of his art with both local audiences and those abroad.