Artists for Japan

Thanks to all of the amazing volunteers, art contributors and generous folks out there who participated in a 2-day charity relief-fund raising event called, "Artists for Japan."  The art sale benefit was held at one of my favorite art venues, KOBO in Higo. The turnout was INCREDIBLE!!! I wasn't able to immediately drop by when the event kicked off, but I heard there was a line that stretched around the block.  Within the first two hours, we raised a little over $15,000, which was then matched to $25,000. By the end of today, the grand total was over a whopping $94,000!  Go Seattle! Because of compassionate and generous people, supporting the post-tsunami cause has become a reality rather than a possibility.  A big thanks to those who have contributed to this cause by any other means! 

As a follow up to the previous post, here's my finished, donated product:

 

On a side note, please check out my favorite local potter, Yuko Otaku, whom I had the fortunate chance of  befriending a year ago at the Fremont Sunday Market.  At that time, I had purchased one of her exquisite plant pots which contained a lovely vine that I named Sprout.  Sprout has now grown over a foot long and I love him...so much that I'm having a hard time pruning him.

Meet Sprout, my type of guy. Thank you, Yuko!

...and some snapshots at the event when the crowd died down later in the evening...

Post-tsnami contribution: sneak peak

When my colleagues and I received notice that our company would match 100% of any donations made towards the Red Cross's relief effort in Japan, we were relieved and grateful...but it still felt nowhere near enough. There is only a certain limit of effectiveness that can be achieved by outsiders when it comes to global-scale issues like poverty, environmental degradation, etc.  Most of the time, this comes in the form of monetary contributions...and it's not like any of us had a plethora of extra cash falling out of our pockets. Plus, where is this money really going?  How is it spent? Is it really effective as it seems?  How much of it is directed towards overhead fees? For this reason, I am a much stronger advocate in local, community-based efforts as a means of tackling different types of disparities on a more direct, longer lasting scale.  Even more influential is the impact one can have on an individual scale by just being instead of asserting one's presence as a "helper" (which is kind of scary).  It was no coincidental fate  that I was unexpectedly reunited with a good college friend, Miya on the 20th at the Wing Luke Museum.  It turned out that she was now working there and we shared a few laughs catching up on each other's lives.  I had originally visited the museum to explore the "CULTURAL CONFLUENCE: Urban People of Asian and Native American Heritages" exhibit but left with much more community empowerment than I ever anticipated.  It was through the Wind Luke Museum that I found about about "Artists for Japan,": a locally driven cause that I will further share in my next post because I literally have only one night to prepare the following contribution...and need all the time I can get.  In the meantime, here's a sneak peak of what's to come.

Wood-burning...

Header Update: Transforming a blog into a website...

Added navigational alterations to the header after some research on HTML/CSS/jquery.  More updates to come soon...

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - NIGHT 15

Comment: Mission Accomplished!  All of the designated pages for the sketchbook are now complete.  Each segment just needs to be assembled and glued in the appropriate pages now.

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - NIGHT 14

Comment: Two more pages to go...  Almost done...

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - DAY 8, NIGHT 13

Comments: Segment where two narratives merge.

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - DAY 7, NIGHT 12

Comments:  Coloring Extravaganza! Here's the collection of drawings and paintings so far for today.

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - DAY 6, NIGHT 11

Comments: Can you spot the Kodama reference?

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - DAY 5, NIGHT 10

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - NIGHT 9

Comments: The deadline has come and passed...and I could care less. I still aim on completing the sketchbook though. :-)

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - NIGHT 8

Comments:  Not caring about submitting the sketchbook has liberated me from the constricting stress of meeting the deadline.  With my current schedule, I know there no way I could complete the sketchbook by tomorrow. On another note, here are the batch of colored pencil segments so far. Enjoy!

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - DAY 4, NIGHT 7

Comments: In tribute of Studio Ghibli and Pixar and all those cute critters out there.

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - DAY 3, NIGHT 6

Comments: Yay!  Arthouse Coop just notified me that the postmarked deadline for shipping off completed sketchbooks has been postponed until January 18, 2011 instead.  That provides 3 extra days for me to scurry and scamper, and get my act together!

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - NIGHT 5

Comments: Ravenous cravings of Zabar's mustard might have impaired my judgment during this segment of the story development.

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - NIGHT 4

Comments: So...I'm screwed. At this rate, I won't meet the Sketchbook deadline. Work pretty much consumed my past 3 days so I have not been able to complete any new drawings. However, I'm enjoying such a wonderful time just getting lost in a world of imagination, time doesn't seem to exist. The process is so blissfully engaging, I feel like all internal and external worries disappear. Regardless of whether I am able to finish the sketchbook by January 15, 2011, I'm going to continue anyways. This is the first time in my life where I've actually designated more than a day towards art--and it feels FANTASTIC!

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - DAY 2, NIGHT 3

Comments: Decided to divide the story into two narratives that will be merged at the very end of the sketchbook.  These two separate series will be artistically distinguished by the art medium and art style. On a side note, the environment outside my house is transforming into a winter wonderland as I type!