Bees and Meat

my gallery buddy took me to see bees and meat at ace gallery in los angeles. lauren bon's new work is something difficult to describe and excellent when experienced. yes, i said experienced. this is not one of those exhibits you go to look at the pieces and try to figure out the deeper meaning or artist's intent, it's just bizar and fabulous.

i didn't even bother trying to find the meaning behind the different pieces, they were just weird and wonderful, even better when you can go with a friend and just laugh at how insane this stuff is.

i thought the stuff jerry did was weird.

where do i begin? how about the random piece of transplanted earth? this just amuses me because it's grass and it's "art".



hmmm, how about the dried lamb carcass fountain? i'm really not sure what the ooze dripping from the carcass was. i'm not sure i want to know. interestingly, it didn't smell bad.





when i first walked in, i saw a pile of irrigation stipping on the ground. it's another one of those things i was amused at because it's art. really, it's all about context. had it been me doing this and not lauren bon, this would just be crap and my teachers would just wonder what i'm trying to bullshit into art. very duchamp. me likes.



next stop, large room filled with 21 cornstalk bales shaped like hives standing 9' tall. it was just neat being in there.



walking down the hall, we came upon this seemingly random gold animal head hanging from a rope and pulley. my first thought was that it was some sort of dinosaur head, but it's supposed to be bronze casting of the lamb's head she stuffed the bee hive into (long story).



somewhere in there was a room full of totems. did i know what they were at the time? no. it looked like old planks of wood with mattress stuffing tied to it. yes, it too is art.



the chandeliers room was very cool. frankly, it was a bunch of honey jars tied on twine with lights. you had to be there. much more impressive in person.





oh! oh! and then there were the scary light bulb rooms (actually a series of 6 rooms with dim light bulbs suspended from the ceiling and the artist uttering 1000 fears from little children in a eerie voice). creepy. i wouldn't go in alone (chicken), i made gallery buddy go in with me. he laughed at me. he usually laughs at me.



did i mention the 24-hour, streaming audio of living bees in the gallery? the "library of honey? the desk dipped in tar? the floor to ceiling sized photos?

i wanted to see the corn room but the guy from the gallery said it was closed because they had "a little infestation". i wouldn't have cared, it still would have been cool to see. so what if little critters would be jumping all over my legs. i wonder how they got the 33,000 pounds of corn in there. who was carrying that up to the gallery?

if bees and meat is ever shown anywhere else, it's a must see.

One Orange Balloon

a while back, i went out with some friends to help light paint a giant orange balloon at el toro, a marine corps air station decommissioned in 1999 in irvine, CA. the base is being developed as a residential and commercial area as well as a great park. the balloon is the first major attraction of the orange county great park and is free to ride. you can soar from 250 - 400 feet into the air to get a bird's eye view of the air station's transformation into the great park.



these friends, members of the legacy project, are the same ones behind the great picture, the world's largest contiguous photograph.



the guys are a hoot to be with and i look forward to any time i can tag along and help them work.





there is a semi usual crew that helps out with these wild endeavors. of course, everyone is put to work.





you'll have to wait to see the results of the light painting. i can't wait to see it too.

as a side note, el toro translates to "the bull" and since it's an air station, the insignia is a flying bull. the insignia was designed by walt disney studios. isn't that just so california?

Orange County Fair

this year, i finally entered some pictures in the contest at the OC Fair. i got all three in! yeah!

Las Vegas

this past weekend randy and i went to las vegas to work on our house.

my sister took randy and i out to eat at the rio's seafood buffet. it costs $38/person + tax. i guess that means $40, but $38 sounds less expensive. i tried to eat $40 with of food, but it proved to be more difficult than i imagined, even with my appetite.

i had a plate full of sushi, a plate full of lobster, a plate full of crab legs, and a plate full of dessert.







after we ate, randy and i dropped my sister off at sam's town. sam's town is one of my most favorite casinos in las vegas. it's off the strip which means it's a lot less crowded than the casinos on las vegas blvd.





sam's town has a large atrium in the middle of the casino. in the atrium is my favorite bar in the whole wide world, the ram's head bar. while drinking a beer (or three) i like to watch the cheesiest laser light show. i've seen it dozens and dozens of times before, but i still get giddy when it comes on. first this animatronic wolf comes and howls, then there is an 80s laser light show complete with dancing water and all. very nice.



before heading home, randy and i stopped to play video keno with my sister. yes, we did leave there with more money than we came with, a rarity in las vegas.



as a side note, the killer's 2006 album "sam's town" is named after this very casino.

Metro Pomona Art Walk

on the second and last saturday of every month there is an art walk in pomona from 6pm into the evening. over 25 galleries including the bunny gunner gallery, the SCA project gallery, and the dA center for the arts host receptions for their latest exhibits. the glass house record store has bands play in the store as well as showcase art from local artist. yeah! free food. a bunch of shops, studios, and restaurants stay open late so it's a fun thing to do if you've got a free saturday night.



instead of just looking at art (and eating the free reception food), i figured i would bring my camera along in case i felt the urge to make some sort of art myself. i don't know how long i was laying on the sidewalk waiting for the right moment to take this picture. people are usually very kind and considerate. they won't walk in front of the camera if they think you're trying to take a picture. unfortunately, that's exactly what i wanted them to do. krista was great. she sat there for quite some time while i waited for this shot. what a trooper!

ahhh, here he is, my professor, on his soap box - literally!

Linbrook Bowling Center

the semester was coming to an end and my friends and i decided to go bowling. i'm not sure if we had more fun bowling or taking the pictures.



i can't remember when i got this ball. i suppose it was some time in junior high. i do remember my dad taking me to the pro shop and me picking out this thing. it's a whopping 8 pounds.























warning! if you have long nails, you should probably cut it before you go bowling.













yes! i actually broke a hundred.

Cypress College Graduation

my friend graduated a few days ago. hopefully, next year, i'll get to do the same thing. Congrats JP!

Takashi Murakami

my friend took me to see the Murikami show at MOCA today.



it's my favorite show to date because it was fun stuff. i didn't have to find the deeper meaning behind the images to enjoy it.

i also learned a valuable lesson about merchandising. this stuff is merchandised like crazy! even i had to get stuff. three little things totaled around $25.



after MOCA, my friend and i stopped off at the Japanese American National Museum on our way out. it was Oshogatsu, the New Year Family Day Festival, and the museum was open free all day. we tried to check out the Giant Robot exhibit, but i quickly lost interest and headed to the arts and crafts area where I made my very own flower pot.



despite the fact that i work in a very visual field, i get bored easily if all i can do i LOOK at something. i would much rather DO something. i like the hands on stuff, besides, how can i say no to anything arts and crafts related?

It's Cold

I'm at work. The heater is broken. It's now 63 degrees Fahrenheit in the building. It's currently 55 degrees outside. "The powers that be" have the fans blowing cold air from the outside into the building. Now I have to deal with wind chill factor as well. Great.

Ideally, I'd like the temperature to be around 77 degrees. Unfortunately, I work in a Photography Department with photographic chemicals and optimal temperatures for that is 68 degrees F.

There have been numerous studies done on temperature and how it relates to productivity. If the temperature is outside of a person's comfort zone productivity decreases and errors increase.

I have 3 layers of clothes on, 4 if you count my underwear, and i'm still cold.

I'm going to buy a heater later. I can't take this anymore. I can't concentrate on working because i'm shivering so much.

Buuuuurrrrrrrr......

Happy New Year 2008

Having two families (mine and Randy's), I get to celebrate New Year's Eve twice.

My sister invited me over to her house for dinner. She and Chatchi cooked an amazing dinner with lobster for us. I don't spend nearly enough time with my sister and yet she still loves me. Even though we didn't stay until midnight, Tina still broke out the champagne. At least I got to spend a little time with her.

Happy New Year sis!





Randy and I rang in the new year at the Brea house with his family. It's good see the start of a new year with those I love.

Happy New Year Everyone!