Work 21: Dolphin Hunting

(I finished this piece a few months back, but its just now going up)

The killing of dolphins is both a source of pride and contention for Japan. Pride because it makes use of the sea and and is considered to be a traditional activity. Contention because most of the world denounces the practice of killing sea mammals. With the increasing influence of the western world upon Japan, the island nation struggles to hold on to its traditions, regardless of legitimacy. This image is simple. It swaps the role of hunter and hunted. If one is to accept the food chain (and most omnivores do), than one must accept the role of prey just as predator. There is no malice in the dolphins attack. It kills just as it is killed.

In communicating this message I tapped into another Japanese tradition, that of woodcutting. The majority of my work is digital, so instead of making a relief image in wood, I used my tablet and erased relief into a solid black layer in Photoshop.

Work 20: Sunsetsink

This is a rough stitch of where I do my dishes.

Work 17: Drinking of You

I made a cup of coffee as soon as I arrived at the office this morning. I looked at it, smelled it, tasted it, and held it. Thought of coffees and coffee companions passed.

Work 14: Sameness

A new school year has just started and I am watching a fresh batch of kids getting accustomed to their new routine. They look buried in their oversized mandatory school outfit. I wrote this piece while sitting in the office watching a little one squirm and shuffle waiting for a teacher's help.

Work 9: Just a Look

I love children's books. I did as a child, and I do as the lesser-child I now am. The stories are simple and helpful, while the art can be original and quite engaging. Once I nail down the right idea, I would love to write one. In the meantime, thoughts come in snippets, like single pages. So here I have produced a single page from an as yet unmade children's book. It is neither the beginning nor the end. It is just a page. There is no greater context or thought than what you see before you.

Work 4: Wish You Were Here...

Here is a take on the standard vacation postcard. The sunset silhouettes disappear to reveal the images of friends back home. At home we imagine the exotic. In the exotic we imagine home. Is it a grass is always greener mentality, or just wanting a little bit of everything, everywhere?

Work 3: My Knee

This is the knee of a body training for its first marathon. While most of the body is undergoing physical improvement, the knee is beginning to regress. I took a photograph for a better look. It did not capture the the feeling of the knee. So in desiring a more honest photograph, I digitally manipulated the image. Sometimes the camera falls short of the truth.