New Designs for BAREFOOT LEAGUE coming out next week!
HI Hero Shield back design- CJ 2012 for Barefoot League
| It's been almost a month since my last post - way too long, I know! Work has been very demanding as of late and I am happy to report that design business seems to keep running strong in Hawaii this summer. And I am particularly proud to announce a new business relationship with a local clothing company: Barefoot League! Not only do they have a great line-up of creative designs (prior to my involvment), but they also are good peeps who are keeping business local and are dedicated to supporting community projects for local youth and sports. The first products for this sparkling new creative symbiosis will coming hot from the press beginning next week: Hawaii Hero Shield (see pic to the left) and the new Barefoot League Baseball patch will be hitting the stores next week. You will be able to find them at the Barefoot League stores, and at the Grand Re-Opening of the new Ala Moana branch of T&C Surf. |
Tough Times? Use the emotion....
Sometimes, the world just seems out to get you: The best of intentions and efforts doesn't ever seem to get recognition or rewards, new challenges are piling on so fast you don't have time to revise the to-do lists, and unexpected issues keep making this harder....
Many problems always seem to cluster around the age-old money issue; especially as a freelance designer ( the pay-check swings and dry periods can be grueling at times).
 Issues CJ 4/22/2012 |  Spring Rite CJ 4/21/2012
If nothing ever appears to go your way, there is nothing you can do but use every free moment you have to recharge: Take that walk in the rain to clear your head, watch your chick-flick and get the emotion out, go all out at your gym or with your favorite sport, use the negativity to push you!
When everything nudges you more to the edge, it might be the best moment for inspiration. For me, the ideas that pop into my head at this time are much more extreme and raw than what I would normally deal with - and that is exactly the point and opportunity for new ideas.
These days, I carry my sketchbook with me no matter where I go - in a way it feels like carrying my home with me... CJ
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Early April Daily Doodles: Of Earth and Man |
In this little mini-series of drawings I incorporated some heavier use of India Ink with brushes to increase the dramatic effect with more contrast. And it makes the sketches easier on the eyes, I believe.
The inspiration for this set (I might still consider doing a few more as the mood strikes me, you never know) came from the strangely existential state of mind I always get in tax season. It always makes me think of the basic human necesseties as they used to traditionally apply to our lives (food, shelter, society, spirituality) and how the needs of 'higher' civilization have elevated and complicated the equation.
Nowadays, the sheer number of human beings participating in our civilization demand a gigantuan amount of organization, logistics, and specialization. Tax seasons and election cycles remind us all how much we are connected to the bigger picture, although the impact on our budget is, in my opinion at least, much more intensely felt and debated than the abstract connection to future promised policy making.
|  "Homegrown Cupcake" 4/1/2012 But no matter how far our pursuit of civilized living takes us from the hunter-gatherer groups we once formed, we are still connected (sometimes in a somewhat grotesk and dysfunctional symbiotic relationship) to this planet, the environment, and the circle of life all around us. And that's what this little collection of odd sketches is all about, a small visual play on our dependency and control of our world: "The Inner & Outer Works of the Universe as seen by Monkey #16" |
For all local photographers and snap-shot gurus out there: Lomography, FLUX Hawaii and The Human Imagination are teaming up for a photo competition that flows! A competition that brings together photos in a state of flow.
Lots of prizes are up for grabs, including the winner's photo being printed on T-Shirts with the proceeds going to the winner. But for all the details, prizes, deadlines and such please check the link on the image above. I do separations for some of the shirts HI & In4mation print locally, and I hope the contest turns up great images. Good luck!
Maturing routines into Concepts
It's hard sometimes to trust in the process and keep 'treading water', to continue a tedious or raw routine even if we cannot see the immediate reward. Be it the pestulentious morning jogging routine that never seems to get any more fun, the dreaded interim job that is not turning into the better opportunities you had hoped for - we all have those draught periods. Continuous effort is asked of us and no relief or pay-off seems to be even on the distant horizon.
It is so important that we choose a process or routine to take us out of that desert. It is no accident that there are so many anecdotal stories about people finding literal or figurative 'enlightenment' in the most mundane tasks, like doing the dishes, folding clothes, or gardening.
The drawing to the right is a sketch done at the Honolulu Museum of Arts extensive Buddhism section, which I am lucky to have in my immediate neighborhood. The presence of historical testimony of the success of continued 'routine' was very refreshing and encouraging.
And sometimes hard work does pay off: For about a month and a half I have done random doodles with a wondering mind and eye - and it seems that the creative unforced approach seems to crystallize into something special in the end. The bottom drawing was inspired by a history program about ancient civilizations and hopefully, I can show the first images for my new concept idea very soon! CJ
|  Compassion CJ 3/7/2012 |
 Erosion CJ 3/11/2012
My next design for T&C Surf has been printed and should be on the shelves of the local stores right now. Check out my "Fahrenheit", back design shown!
SPALDING HOUSE EXHIBITS My search for local Art continues, as today I made the trek up the hill on Mott-Smith Street to the former CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM, which is now simply called the "Spalding House" after the merger with the Honolulu Academy of Art complex.
The art on display at the main gallery is the revisit of the HAA Biannual from last year, with six of the participating artist showing their current of continuing projects. The invited artists in the Biennial of Hawai‘i Artists X are Mary Babcock, Solomon Enos, Jianjie Ji, Jaisy Hanlon, Sally Lundburg, and Bruna Stude It is an extension of the "Hawaii Now" showing at the HAA at the same time.
Solomon Enos
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Sally Lundburg
The artwork on display is a very strong show of local talent, a juxtaposition between quietude and exclamation mark. Mary Babcock's room display makes you imagine the sounds of nature, it has a quality of strength of expression in very few and simple elements. On the other hand, Bruna Studes monochrome prints give an impression of contemporary, urban transition and movement. |
 Robert Reed
While making my way out the main house to the garden, I met the resident artist Robert Reed at the pool, setting up his luminous display in plastic, color and air. Unfortunately, his medium being light and vulnerable, the wind and rain seemed to make things a bit challenging.
This weekend and next, Orvis Artist in Residence Robert Reed performs an
'opening ceremony' for his installation 'Unnecessary Seduction.' Sunday, March
25 + Saturday, March 31 at 1pm. Let's hope that the weather will be cooperating, it sure will be eye catching and I am told there will be lots of balloons!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
As every year, the downtown Block Party will be a blast - although the whole deal of standing in line for hours to 'recycle' your beverages really sucks when you're a lady.
Word of advice: If you absolutely MUST go for the "Irish Car Bombs" (Guinness with a shot of Baileys) drink it fast or not at all. If you leave the mix standing and watch for a few minutes, you'll know what I mean...
Lastly, there are a couple of my shirt designs out and about for Murphy's again this year - check 'em out!
 Coral Sea, from a previous show. Today's art exhibit recommendation is the juried Honolulu Printmakers Annual Show at the Honolulu Art Academy. It is currently on view in the gallery right opposite the main entrance and shows a brilliant cross-cut of different printing techniques, subjects and textures from Hawaiian artists - and it is free! Some of my favorites were a beautifully textured print in copper and dark blue called "Indigo" in the middle of the room, an enormous black print woodcut reaching from the floor to the ceiling, and a smaller print of a skeletol human hand called "tactile". But so many of the realistic or abstract prints are absolutely stunning, and it doesn't surprise me that while I was there today one lucky couple chose to purchase and take one of the art works with them to California as a momento. The museum employee took a photo of them smiling happily in front of the newly aquired print, I hope it brings them joy and happy memories for many years to come. If you haven't visited the exhibit yet but are determined to go better hurry, the show is scheduled to end by this week-end on the 16th of March 2012!
 Thursday, and it is my personal cultural fiesta of the week again: A day of art exhibits, movies, and sketching. It seems that work always keeps my cultural recreation time to a bare minimum, and once my 'free time' sneeks up on me without prior planning it kind of fizzles out in between TV, reading and Laptop time. So starting March began my personal 'One arts/cultural event per week' campaign. Last week I dragged my husband to R&D / Interisland Terminal to watch one of their "Manufacturing Reality" series movies. "The City Dark" is a documentary about light polution, and the side effects on astronomy and limited scientific observation of the stars, endagerment of migrating animal populations, to changes in human behavior patterns, sense of security, and health risks of an altered sleep-cycle and exposure to artificial light. Humorous, insightful, informative - that's how I like my independent movie. About R&D It is an all-together different thing to watch movies in a smaller independent design center/ book center, and I think even though the chosen movies might be available on Netflix it is still worth the experience. Go check out the book store, coffee shop or events if you have the time. http://www.interislandterminal.org/news/manufacturing-reality-documentary-film-series-the-city-dark/
 On this week's culture day, I decided to make it all about art exhibits currently on display in Honolulu. First up was a visit to the "Hawaii Meth Project" art exhibit at the State Capitol rotunda basement. I had seen a post about it and decided to take a look, especially since I don't usually get to visit the State Legislature building. The 'Art' exhibit was thoroughly underwhelming, and the graffiti center-point mentioned in the post turned out to be nothing more than a balloon-lettered hasty airbrush rendition of the slogan. If it hadn't been for the Youth Art Exhibit pictures around the basement, it would have been an entire waste of time. Good thing I had another stop planned: The Honolulu Museum of Art currently has a number of exhibits that are well worth the visit. The first installation hits your eye right as you approach the entrance: Patrick Dougherty's 'Footloose' giant woven nests have a whimsial, mysterious, even darkly ambigious feel (depending on your own set of mind as you view it, the time of day or weather). The organic sculpture looks grown rather than crafted and corrosponds to the installation gracing the Academy entrance at the other side of Thomas Square. http://www.honoluluacademy.org/art/exhibitions/12379-patrick_dougherty
 The Japanese Landscape Prints in Gallery 21 was my first target, if you plan on visiting this one you'd better hurry since it is only scheduled until next week. My favorite is definitely Hiroshige's New Year's Eve Firefoxes at the hanging Tree. The contrast, detail and precision of the print is just stunning.
But the "Anxiety's Edge" and "Hawaii Art Now" Contemporary Art galleries were definitely impressive as well. After the merger of HAA and The Contemporary Art Museum, the quality of exhibits have definitely gone up, and some loans are rounding up the Anxiety exhibit nicely.
Summing up this week's Culture Thursday, with some sketch time in the Buddhism gallery for an upcoming painting project of mine - this made my day complete! It restored my fill of inspiration and motivation to shape up new ideas.
It never fails: If you feel drained of creative drive, go native on the local cultural scene. There's sure to be something to fill up the spiritual batteries!
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