patokon blog

Guys (including myself) are seriously ugly when we cry. Nothing keeps me more humble than remembering how butt-ugly my cry-face is.  For contrast, I drew a Heian-kyo inspired lady of the court. 

I stopped by Gallery U today, but first I got all spiffed up in a kimono.  Being the incredibly humble artist that I am, I made a beeline for my own work before even glancing at the other works.  I was glad to see my Kokeshi were in a good spot, but the overall level was so high, though proud to be in such esteemed company, I'm not sure how I measure up.  Let's look at some of the dolls I thought were extremely cool.  These dolls by Etsuko Kurimori really show off the beauty of the wood and incorporate a fresh, natural style.  I love the damaged schoolgirl motif and also the style used here, which while tackling popular manga/anime tropes uses a clean, original style. The animals held by the girls are great additions   Of the figures here by Masaya Miyashita, the Nature one really caught my eye, but I'm a sucker for moon motifs as well.  Speaking of moon motifs, these three moon dolls by Tomoko Miyakawa are just gorgeous. I love the deep blue and how t...

[Note: Check This $#!% Out was originally a seperate blog but is now a feature of patokon blog ] check this $#!% out mascot : The $#!% In my first CT-O (check this $#!% out) post, I would like to introduce our mascot. Literally and figuratively, this mascot is The $#!% !!! Now to get on to some cool $#!% I'd like you to check out. I spent the last week in Kumamoto where I went to an exhibition on Lafcadio Hearn, a Greek-born, Irish-raised world traveler who decided to become a naturalized Japanese citizen (also gaining the Japanese moniker Yakumo Koizumi). He also wrote several books on Japan which are probably some of the best guides to the Japanese mind you'll ever hope to find. Though most of his observances are of a Japan long gone, it's not hard to draw parallels to the modern Japanese way of thinking. Here is a quote from " Kokoro ". 'A male servant long in my house seemed to me the happiest of mortals. He laughed invariably when spoken to, looked a...

Check out "Space Tyrants #1" for a cheap laugh! If you dig it, let me know!

Here is the report on my first solo art show. The Numbers 6 days 12 Tokyo Musume 12 Animahl Kingdom 9 100 Robot Series 33 pieces total 26 pieces sold [My favorite piece "wasuremono (forgotten something)"] 11 types of postcards for 150 yen each 17 types of pins for 200 yen each Total of 28 types [shoulda made more and earlier] 166 guests signed in 180 total approx? first customer Ms. Matsumoto, fellow artiste last Ms. Kawashima, fellow artiste My thoughts The gallery was great. Very expert advice and the gallery itself was very newbie-friendly. Many of the people who bought my pieces had never bought art, much less visited a gallery before. The good stuff And there's a lot of it! A bunch of people came. I met some new people and many people I haven't seen in a while. A lot of people wished me a happy b-day! It was my first time to sell my pieces and I sold pretty well (my prices being reasonable probably had a lot to do wit...