HORIYOSHI III

OZUMA KANAME-

The new show at Known Gallery is amazing. This exhibit brings the heart of Japan to Los Angeles. It’s a privilege and honor to be able to stand in front of these masters works.

If you don’t know Horiyoshi III, he is one of the most respected tattoo artist alive and bring a long line of Japanese tradition of tattoo to the modern day. Ozuma Kaname is also a master of the Japanese tradition of painting. His work is painted on silk and has a feathery watercolor touch only someone with years of skill could attain. It is very clear these men follow strict artistic practices and there is no possible way to mimic their style.

Over the years the Japanese style has been commodified into popular culture, like clothing, tattoos, etc.. and after seeing hundreds of Dragon and Oni images one can just right it off as typical, usually assuming some surfer tattoo dude hooked up his girl with a cool koi fish right next to a tribal tattoo. Endless t-shirts and fake posters blot the background of cheezy mall store walls hoping to sell regurgitated “Japanese” style merchandise. It’s the good old American way of taking something beautiful and downgrading it to a salable product, like almost every tattoo studio using these images as craptastic fake flash to push on the rebellious soccer mom for her “tramp stamp”.

This art show is a redemption of the masterful and elegant Japanese style. These works are a close look into the REAL traditional Japanese  world. It does not get better than this! These paintings should grace the walls of the highest museums.  It is a blessing to be able to experience this strain of work unfiltered. When you stand in front of these pieces you really gain a sense of the hundreds of years of Japanese history funneled through Horiyoshi III and Ozuma Kaname. It was an amazing opportunity to cleanse my visual pallet with the true Nippon style. Brought to you by Known Gallery through the hand and brush of the great Japanese masters.

Pollution always makes for a great sunset!

Two Good Articles from Huffington Post to fill you on what could be happening to freedom on the net…..

Huffington Post- Net Neutrality In Grave Danger

Huffington Post- FCC Abandons Efforts At Net Neutrality Compromise

Yet again, big companies working against public interests for their profit and propaganda. Google and Verizon basically want to change the public internet sphere into a corporate controlled space. This would give special treatment to their interests. This would dramatically hurt small businesses like mine and pretty much everyone else who isn’t on their roster. I am for a Capitalist system but,  when these Co. take away from the public interest then the free market isn’t necessarily free is it.

Google’s mantra is “Don’t be evil”, but don’t they pretty much have a record of our entire virtual world. Can we count on them to do the right thing? What happens when the web does go private and what happens to your personal information. The FCC and Congress has ranked out. Its the their job to protect the people from these Co. Don’t count on them to do there fucking job. Can you imagine the web that is not accessible to the people? This is a direct attack on the first amendment to make sure we use “their” products.

Keep your eyes on the ball people. And call your representative in Congress TODAY!

They seem to really like this tree outside my house, and go ape shit when another Raccoon comes around. This one was as unhappy as it looks!

A little somethin’ from my man Norm

Norm’sSite

* Limited Edition of 50
* 23 kt. Gilding
* Linoleum print w/hand touching
* On Fabriano Medioevalis 2.5″x3.75″ card stock
* Signature Scribed In Gold
* Numbered and dated on the back
* New Star Lino Block

MINI GILDED EDITION ONE: RED AND BLUE

MINI GILDED EDITION TWO: RED AND BLACK

This is the Fairfax Wall in Los Angeles. First off, this is a high profile spot. Secondly, this is a high profile spot. There is a coalition of really cool stores right in the immediate area, RVCA, Hundreds, Supreme, Will Rize studios, Known Gallery, traffic, etc, along with Fairfax High. And of course Canters Meat Pile, which is one of my personal favorites. There are a lot of eyes on this wall constantly. Its on the edge of the border to “no mans land” or east of Beverly Hills, basically not to many large murals get painted on that side of town. Os Gemeos popped into to LA just in the right time. It was cool to see these guys. I think the last time I saw them was in 2000-something in a little German town on the last train stop outside of Frankfurt, Freidrichstaufin? I have been following their career since I can remember. These guys are remarkable artists. Its cool to watch the two of them paint. Its like watching two worker bee’s telepathically communicating about each line. They paint fast. These brothers are an unstoppable force and not to jump their jock too hard, they are some of my favorite artists too. So fuck you.

We had some interesting visitors, Mr. Eric Haze, one of my OG favorites Ron Chatman, and his friend (This kid won the Huntington Street contest, whats his name?), and a guy named Jeff, not to mention some old friends.

Stepping up to the wall I was feeling a little nervous and rusty, especially free-styling with an all-star lineup. To begin with it was too Fucking Hot. Retna rented an all-terrain scissor lift. That was pretty cool. So you basically see the plan for the wall, Retna blasts the whole building and we pile on top. Of course just piling on top of Retna’s brush work takes some consideration. Rime went ape shit on his characters. I have no idea how he came up with his totem pole madness, not to mention color combination and patterns. Revok slipped in some of his gems. I think his piece worked the best on the wall because his newer faded style intertwines with the background more. He always uses really slick color combos, and of course paints faster than anybody. Mr. Norman piece is clean as fuck…

Rime’s Site

Revok’s Site

Retna’s Site

Norm’s Site

Os Gemeos’s Site

Known Gallery

Ron Chatman

Torn-Edge Flag Bleed

Flag Drip Squared

Pink And Blue Drip Flag

In The SHOP Now!