Todoroki Kawaii

"An artist is a one-man theater.  He or she conceives the plot, writes the script,  stages, directs,  and acts out the roles.  In my career, I have covered an enormous range of subject matter and hope to never be confined to just one.  But to the community of art critics there is something unsettling about about a person who won't be indelibly stamped with a narrow label. "   - Robert McGinnis  (The Last Rose of Summer)   ROBERT MCGINNIS is not just an illustrator but an artist who deserves to be a household name just as Norman Rockwell or even Andrew Wyeth. Responsible for more than 40 movie posters (such as Breakfast at Tiffany's and Barbarella) his artwork was the last (and possibly the first) driving force to make movie-goers put down money for that movie ticket. In an age of digital dependency,  illustrated movie posters are rare today.  (See previous blogs:   Bob Peak - Father of the Modern Movie Poster  )  However a...

Was the father of graffiti Japanese?   Arguable, but it's pretty much accepted that modern urban graffiti art started with the graffiti artist Taki 183.  Despite a Japanese sounding name, Taki was in fact a Greek-American youth in the late 1960's who tagged his name all over the NYC landscape, setting in motion the underground culture which has snowballed to a global level.   Near my Japan residence, the Tamagawa Bridge has it's fair share of graffiti art.  It's doubtful my neighbors have the same fascination as I do since I can remember graffiti in it's early days in 1970's New York.   Graffiti in Japan is just as expressive, urban, rebellious and rhythmic as anything on the NYC subway trains before technology destroyed subway art culture literally overnight by the late 1980's.  Despite that, graffiti art has survived and grown exponentially since then. There are tag names, graffiti characters to be sure, but the use of Japanese kanji, katakana or hiragana...

"The science of design, or of line-drawing, if you like to use this term, is the source and very essence of painting, sculpture, architecture... Sometimes... it seems to me that... all the works of the human brain and hand are either design itself or a branch of that art."  - Michelangelo  Drawing is a communication tool and indispensable skill which helps condition the mind to visualize abstract ideas, concepts, emotions, designs and paradigms.   Something to remember.

It's humbling a great to "discover" an artist who inspires you so much, but had existed for so long without your knowing.  At Tokyo's Bunkamura Museum ,   I was lucky stumble up on the works of Illya Repin (1844 -1930) a great Russian painter whose works can mentioned in the same breath as Leo Tolstoy as being one of Russia's great artistic treasures. Without a doubt a master painter in terms of his ability to capture realism.  (At a time where impressionism was becoming the new flavor of the month)  His ability to capture the spirit of people almost borders on caricature and almost has an "animated" feel to it. Subtle caricature,  dramatic staging as well as subtle social commentary, there is certainly something Norman Rockwell-ish about Repin.   There is this love of people and ability to capture the most appealing or compelling parts of people in his paintings and portraits.  Truly inspiring.  Today will be the last day Repin will be exhibited ...

   I was rummaging through my old martial arts reference books.  Many of which are related to Chinese martial arts.  One of my favorite historical references is a comprehensive collection of Bruce Lee's letters to his family, friends, martial arts and film colleagues:   Bruce Lee:  Letters of the Dragon, Correspondence, 1958 - 1973. edited by John Little.   The last letter written by Bruce Lee on the last day of his life, July 20, 1973 leaped out at me: 41, Cumberland Rd.  Kowloon, H.K. July 20, 1973. Adrian Marshall Suite 920, Century City 10100 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, Calif. 90067 U.S.A. Dear Adrian,   Will be arriving Los Angeles on Aug. 3rd, would like to sit down and hope you can leave open the weekend of Aug. 4th and 5th to discuss the followings: 1/ the deal with Hana Barbera 2/ Warner's proposition 3/ Titanas from Italy 4/ Andy's proposition from H.K. which I will explain to you when ...

"Whether he is an artist or not, the photographer is a joyous sensualist, for the simple reason that the eye traffics in feelings, not in thoughts." - Walker Evans Nothing sums up Ontoshiki better than this. One of the advantages of living in Tokyo is that it has given me the opportunity to meet a wide range of extremely talented artists and wonderful souls. Ontoshiki (otherwise known as Justin Vun) is one of them: an Australian photographer, a talented professional, an artist, a visual sensualist and a gifted storyteller. All this informs his photography and is easily read in his work. There is a stream of consciousness narrative in his work that as he puts it, "spans both Eastern and Western cultures and philosophies". Anyone who appreciates fine photography HAS to follow Ontoshiki. He did me the great favor by coordinating photo session for my other vocation within Chinese martial arts. (Please see Ki Martial Arts Studio ). I found it so amazing Onto...

I'm sure anyone who has tried to pick up a pencil understands how frustrating drawing can be. When I was in college I had two drawing teachers.  One drawing teacher was very strict and unforgiving. The other was very loose and open minded.  Continually he would say, "I can't teach you how to draw, but I can show you some of the rules."  While the other one would say, "NO, it's like this.", taking my fingers like I was a three-year old and repositioning them on my pencil. Drawing or true discipline in art is something you have to learn from someone else.  A master.  You can try to reinvent the wheel, but you'd be better off listening very closely to someone who has been at it longer that you and build off that. There are tons of "How To Draw" books out there.  But there aren't so many art books that teach you "How to Think".  Lots of books or tutorials are quite similar to what you see above. The ability to draw is an indispen...