Here's the design for the WGUISFCT 4th Anniversary t-shirt.  I spent the entire day yesterday and all night putting this design together.  Actually, I drew this many years ago, but couldn't find the original artwork.  So I blew up a low resolution image from my website.  Then traced it with a pencil.  I inked it with a brush and pen at CHSA studio.  Brought it back yesterday morning to scan.  And been doing the typography and color separations.

I just ordered the shirts too.  I'm printing close to 150 of these shirts.  Half will probably get distributed at our annual event at Porkchop House this Saturday.  I will be hauling ass to do the films, prepping screen, setting up press, checking my ink supply etc.

Hopefully I can begin printing on Thursday.  I can probably finish printing it up in two days.

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What's the jingle bell ringing I've been hearing for the last two weeks? Been trying to find time to go Kaiser to check my blood pressure.

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They just started me shooting. Humulin N

Every once in a while I go yumcha in the morning. Usually I have not slept yet. Ocean Pearl is the cheapest teahouse I can find in SF Chinatown. Each dish is just $2.50. The people who go there to yumcha are a regular clientele.

There are not many teahouse left in San Francisco's Chinatown anymore. There's only a handful of teahouses that serve dimsum left. There used to be many big teahouses but there is only one left nowadays. The rest are small one like Ocean Pearl.

At the same time there are many big teahouses outside of Chinatown now. It goes to show that people with money can afford to go to teahouses to yumcha. People in Chinatown are mostly low income and do not have a lot of money to yumcha like me. Whereas Chinese who live outside of Chinatown have a lot more money to go yumcha.

PS: Please ignore the time on this entry...it's three hours ahead.

 

I bought this print from Eduardo Masferre's studio in Bontoc in December of 1978.  At the time he was not so famous yet.  I was facinated by his portraits of the Igorot people in the surrounding mountains of Bontoc, Luzon, Philippines.  His son sold me the print.  I regret not being able to meet the artist himself.  The print is  signed and dated as 1949.  I've got the print matted and framed in my doghouse studio.

 

I found this print on line recently...dated 1935.  Wonder which date is correct.

His story is interesting and reflects the life's tribulations of a struggling artist.  It was only in his last few years of his life that he got some recognition for his life's work.

 

 

This picture was of me in 1972 when I was 19 years old and working as a team leader for the Neighborhood Youth Corps. I had fifteen youths in my group. They were placed in summer jobs and worked three days a week. The other two days were activities which I had to plan and do. It was quite a challenging job.

The average age of the US soldier in Vietnam was 19....19....19... The Vietnam War was raging when I was 19.

I often like to brag that my first semester at San Francisco State College's tuition was only $72. Today it's about $3500 as my daughter is now in her third year there as a business major. It has gone up more than 500% in ONLY forty one years!

I went straight from high school to SF State. Coming from a predominantly Chinese and Asian American majority student body elementary school, junior high school and high school, SF State was a shock.

A lot of the older students were still hyped up about the third world strikes at SF State the prior year. The Asian American studies department were in it's infancy. A lot of the classes were like rap sessions.

I was able to get into the art department in my second semester. It was full to the capacity. I was dissappointed with the art department but got into photography within the art department.

On the Asian American studies I wanted to get into the history of the Chinese in America but was dissapointed it was only a one semester class. They had Cantonese classes in my first year which was pretty good. In my last year I got into Chinese (Mandarin) as well.

I always took a PE class. I got into swimming. To this day, lap swimming is one of my regular exercises. I got into judo too.

I stayed an extra two semesters to learn Chinese and finish up a GE requirement. I got a Bachelor of Fine Arts from SF State.

I was at a Chinese restaurant in Palo Alto last Sunday when I came upon this sign for the restroom doors.

I was not shocked or took it as offensive or anything...but I found it interesting and got me thinking. The intent was to show a Chinese woman and a man. They used an image of a Qing dynasty empress or concubine and an official or emperor in traditional attire to depict a Chinese person. The Qing dynasty ruled China from 1644 to 1912. The Qing rulers are from province of Manchuria.

This is something I've been pondering lately...what is Chinese culture? What is an image of a Chinese that can represent all Chinese? Because China has been through so many dynasties with each dynasty having it's own unique characteristic and then the many ethnic groups within China, it is impossible to define Chinese culture in a nutshell. The image of a Qing dynasty figure cannot represent what a Chinese is. The Qing dynasty only ruled China for 278 years. This sign is outdated by 101 years.

The signs on each of the restroom doors of the Chinese restaurant in Palo Alto. I assume this sign is commercially available. It's the first time I've seen it. I think it was meant to be cute.

Imperial Consort Zhen, better known as the "Pearl Concubine"

A stereotypical racist image of a Chinese in Qing imperial garb. Also know as Fu Manchu. This kind of image continues to haunt Chinese Americans to this day.

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This entry was originally in my wordpress blog. I find this Xanga2 lacking in a lot of features. Should I be posting on both sites?

My favorite Santana tribute band.

As some of you readers may know, I was the artist for the Bok Kai Festival poster this year, 2013.

The festival is in the tiny town of Marysville, CA. This festival has been going on since the 1850's where there was once a large Chinese community.

They commissioned me to do the 2013 poster. I was paid $500 for the design.

I can't seem to link anything in my entries with this new Xanga2.

For the 2014 year of the horse, they have it opened up as a contest but I have a feeling they want someone local.

'local artists encouraged'

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(sorry...had to cut and paste...can't seem to link anything here anymore. But this is a call for the 2014 year of the horse Bok Kai Festival poster)

Bok Kai Festival: Year of the Horse Art Competition!
For California artists

The purpose of this competition is to select the original artwork that will be used by the Bok Kai Parade Committee for the posters and t-shirts celebrating the Chinese Year of the Horse during the 2014 Bok Kai Festival.

This competition is open to all residents of California. Yuba-Sutter artists are especially encouraged to participate.

General Guidelines

This competition is open to all residents of California.
The theme is the Chinese Year of the Horse and artwork entered into this competition must depict this theme.
All artwork entered must be original. Artwork may be by an individual artist or by collaboration between artists.
Artwork may be of any medium (oil, acrylic, watercolor, pen, pencil, charcoal, pastel, digital graphics, mixed media, etc.), but artwork must be two-dimensional. No three-dimensional artwork, such as sculpture, will be accepted.
The size of the artwork may not exceed 16 x 20 inches.
A fee of $5 per piece of artwork must be paid at the time of entry. There is no limit to the number of entries made.
Deadline for submission is November 8, 2013 at 4:00pm. Entries will be accepted at the Yuba-Sutter Regional Arts Council office (624 E Street, Marysville) during operating hours (Tue-Fri, Noon-4pm) November 5 - 8, 2013.
All entries must be delivered in person. E-mailed or mailed entries will not be accepted.
An honorarium of $500 will be awarded to the artist of the winning artwork.

For more information on the entry form and guidelines click here. Interested artists may also pick up the guidelines and entry forms at the Yuba-Sutter Regional Arts Council office (624 E Street, Marysville, CA 95901), Tue-Fri, Noon-4pm.

For more information about the Bok Kai Festival and Parade, please visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/bokkaifestival

Deadline: 11-08-2013
Yuba-Sutter Regional Arts Council
Marysville, CA

Contact: Marika Garcia
email: email@yubasutterarts.org
Phone: 530.742.ARTS
Website: http://yubasutterarts.org/bok-kai/

The annual WGUISFCT Winterblast is being planned for December 21, 2013.  The day of the winter solstice.  At Chinese Historical Society of America.

The is the third annual Winterblast.  The first one was at Cathay Post.  The second one was at Henry's Hunan with Jest Jammin' band.  This year it will be at CHSA.   Not sure if we will have the band or just DJ.  I tend to want to keep it simple.

 

It only appears like I am....