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The opening night for my exhibition, “B-Shots” was Sunday March 31st at Balconi Coffee in West LA. I imagined it would be myself and a few friends rolling through. It’s not an “art show”, as I imagine art shows. This is more of a document of a time period. The late 80s and early to mid 90s.

I was actually more impressed and thankful to the artists who came and lent support. Mari Inukai, Luke Chueh, Edwin Ushiro, Andrew Hem, Sean Chao, Rob Sato, Ako Castuera, Kris Chau, Leah Chun, and I know I’m forgetting some at this moment. There was so much talent in the room, it was overwhelming. It was also great to talk about the shows, the bands, and listen to some of them via a playlist. Also, I recognized Dee Plakas, the drummer of L7 in a group of folks who were checking it out. That was a holy shit moment! Although these photos are pulled from half of my negatives that I only recently found, I’m now bound to find the other half and compile an even larger collection some time soon.

That’s Kris Chau and Ako Castuera taking a look.
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A note I wrote about the exhibition.
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I made a zine for the exhibition, “From the Pit” along with a special display box made by Dirty Dean.
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A group shot near the end. Thanks for coming through. I’ll add a bit more some time soon.
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flicks by DJ Tony Jr.

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My entry for _ _ ORNAM_NTS 2 at Balconi. My cat ornaments. Cat Watching and I Am A Cat Sculpey, paint, and assemblage! CAFEMODE + BALCONI COFFEE COMPANY present SUNDAY RECEPTION DECEMBER 9, 2012 6-10PM [DECEMBER 9. 2012 - JANUARY 6, 2013] _ _ ORNAM_NTS 2: keepsakes, relics, socks, magic 11301 Olympic Blvd. #124, Los Angeles, CA, 90064
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I don’t advertise that I do art of any sort and compared the portrait by Aaron Brown, my partner in this exhibition, I’m not in the same league. Why did I pick a guy who can draw like very few can? The two will hang side by side at Balconi Coffee Shop on Olympic and Sawtelle. My attempt at Aaron Brown came from his Facebook photos. Drawn, then colored on computer. Aaron is a big Van Halen fan, hence the design in the background. (Balconi)
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Two cats. Best friends. Together, they’ll take over your neighborhood. While you sleep, they’re in your yard mapping out entrance and escape points. Have a rat? They’ll catch it and crush every bone it’s body. Food? They’ll eat it.   Like most three color cats, the calico is a girl. The forager on the right is a dude. They’re also a couple. Just rearrange the wood blocks. Kio Griffiths does the creative hanging at Balconi. Sculpey, Wood, Acrylic paint.
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I squeezed in another piece that’ll be up in Balconi Coffee today. This one is titled, “Cat Sitting on Two Blocks”. It’s made from Sculpey, wood, and acrylic paint. The wood blocks are ancient. I bought a box of wood blocks at a yard sale perhaps a decade ago. I can’t recall who, but someone said it was clutter but look at it now. I discovered Sculpey from playing with it with Souther Salazar and Saelee Oh. We’d have Sculpey nights and dubbed it Sculpey Kids. We’d have others come as well and it was always fun. I haven’t touched it in years. Kika, my cat is inspecting the piece.     Below: this is is a Ray Sato art at Balconi Coffee. While this special drink isn’t on the menu, it was made especially for me and it was the first time Ray ever made it. I’m getting it again.     Thanks Kio Griffiths for inviting me into an art show. Sometimes, getting an invite to something sparks ideas that lead to other ideas.
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