Blah-Blah Land

Below is the latest illustration for my "LA-LA Land" column in the upcoming issue of LA Weekly. But first...sketches:


The first idea was chosen again...it's odd that it always seems to work that way. Anyway, just in case anyone was wondering, the second idea was a commuter tangled up in a map of bus lines, the third is a group of actors in costume waiting for the bus to Hollywood, and the last is a pigeon in a mandala of an international selection of food.


This is the final sketch for the chosen idea: a bunch of Angelenos who are slaves to technology. Everybody's constantly in contact with someone but, you know...not. Simple.

And here's the final piece (cropped):



"Contact"
Ink and acrylic on paper
13" x 9"
[ADs: Jason Jones and Darrick Rainey]

I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. It was nice to really limit my color palette this time around. This illustration should be appearing in the issue coming out Thursday, so pick one up if you can!

Interview on Pejhy

I recently answered some questions for Jonathan Cooper over at pejhy.com. Find out a little more about what inspires me and how I work by going here: http://pejhy.com/2009/11/01/interview-with-julian-callos/

Thanks Jonathan!

Interview on Orange Alert

I was interviewed by Jason Behrends of orangealert.net and am currently their artist of the week. The interview gives some insight into my work process and the thinking behind some of my more thematic pieces.
Check it out here: http://www.orangealert.net/callos

22 Zine feature

I'm featured on the cover of the 5th issue of 22 Zine, an independently-produced online/print magazine by Adam Beneke. Inside is a short interview and a few pages of my work. Thanks Adam!

You have the choice of purchasing a printed copy, downloading a pdf, or viewing it online:
http://mag.twenty2wo.com/

Double the pleasure, double the fun

Here are two new pieces, both of which will be in shows this coming Saturday:



"Out-of-Body Experience"
Mixed media on paper, mounted on panel
8" x 10"

The theme of the show this piece is in is "voyage," so I wanted to illustrate a mental journey/mind trip. This piece looks much better in person, since I used silver ink for the standing figure... You can really see the shine in person. Anyway, it will be for sale at the "Voyage" group show at Liliya China Bistro, featuring Otis students, alumni, and teachers – including Cecil Kim, who owns the restaurant. Thanks for having us, Cecil!




"Deep"
Mixed media on paper, mounted on cradled board
12" x 12" x 2"

Deep space meets deep sea! Sexy. This piece will be part of the final The Kids Are Alright show, which takes place at LeBasse Projects. It's been an amazing tour, and I'm so glad I was a part of it. Big thanks to Beau of LeBasse Projects for setting it up and inviting me to be a part of it!

Hope you can make it to one or the other show...or both!

Ark Project piece

Here's the piece I did for DGPH's Ark Project, which is going to be released soon:



"Treading Water"
Ink and acrylic on paper
10" x 10"

My animal is the carabao, a type of water buffalo from the Philippines. You can find out more about the project here: http://www.thearkproject.com.ar/index.htm

OOO LA LA!

The latest issue of LA Weekly is out today and features another illustration for my column "LA-LA Land," in the LA Vida section.
Here's the process and the final:

Thumbnail #1 was chosen, but they suggested I illustrate the photographers instead of having winged cameras...I guess it was too weird, or that it would distract from the main point of the illustration.


Here's the sketch with the photographers.


And here's the final sketch.

Last but not least, the final illustration, cropped and slightly rotated:



"Queen of Hearts"
Ink and acrylic on paper
12.5" x 7.5"
[AD: Darrick Rainey, Asst. AD: Jason Jones]

I wanted to comment on the ubiquity of the paparazzi in the lives of celebrities and how the Hollywood celebrity culture is such that even the most mundane activities attract the attention of hungry voyeurs. Oh my!

Yes! Prints for sale!

Hey guys! I've got prints of "What Develops" and "Death, or a Murder of Crows" for sale through inprnt.com!

http://www.inprnt.com/profile/2058/



"What Develops"



"Death, or a Murder of Crows"

They are both open-ended giclée prints on 100% cotton rag paper using archival inks. Available in 13" x 19", 18" x 24", and 24" x 36".

Show & Tell

Here are my pieces for Show & Tell Gallery in Toronto, the next stop on The Kids Are Alright tour:



"Deep Thoughts"
Ink and acrylic on paper (mounted on cradled board)
16" x 16"



"Sink or Swim"
Ink, acrylic, and colored pencil on paper (mounted on cradled board)
16" x 16"

The show runs from August 14th - September 6th.

LA Weekly

Here's my first illustration for LA Weekly, for the week of July 24th-29th, in the LA Vida section. The brief was simple enough: create an image inspired by Los Angeles. I immediately thought of palm trees, traffic, food, Hollywood, and the beach. After the first idea was chosen, it developed into a sort of Alice-in-Wonderland-inspired piece...but instead of Wonderland, Alice is immersed in the equally odd la-la land that is Los Angeles.






"Alice in LA-LA Land"
Ink and acrylic on paper
12.5" x 7.5"

[AD: Darrick Rainey, Asst. AD: Jason Jones]

I'll be a semi-regular contributor to the LA Vida section of LA Weekly. My "visual column" is called LA-LA Land, and with it I'll be exploring the strange and eccentric aspects of Los Angeles that make the city so unique. Look out for it!

Just a sweet transvestite...

This is my piece for this year's Crazy 4 Cult show at Gallery 1988. It's inspired by Rocky Horror Picture show.



"Sweets for the Sweet"
Ink and acrylic on paper mounted on cradled board
16" x 20"

Detail:


Crazy 4 Cult 3D opens Thursday, July 16th and closes August 8th. The opening reception is from 7pm-11pm. Hope you can make it! It's gonna be a huge show!

Face-off

Here are my pieces for Black Maria Gallery, the next stop on The Kids Are Alright tour:



"Beat Up"
Ink on paper mounted on board
16" x 20"



"Beat Down"
Ink on paper mounted on board
16" x 20"

The opening reception is on Saturday, July 18th from 7:00pm - 10:30pm.

Battle Royal online preview

The online preview of Friday's "Battle Royal" show over at Gallery 1988 SF is up now:
http://1988br.blogspot.com/

...but I'm gonna wait to see all the work in person. Hope to see you there!

Graphics & Boards

Here's my piece that was sold at the Graphics & Boards show at A Bitchin' Space gallery in Sacramento:


"Kick/Flip"
Ink and colored pencil on a skateboard deck

Prints!

I've got a couple prints up for sale!



The first is "Fall of the Forest King," an 8" x 8" signed and numbered print in a limited edition of 10. Get 'em while they're hot over at a paper tiger: http://www.apapertiger.com/jucafaoffoki.html



Second is "Class Dismissed," a "Battle Royale"-inspired piece from last year's Crazy 4 Cult show at Gallery 1988. The print will be available at this year's Crazy 4 Cult 3D in July, so keep a look out for it!

The Ark Project

DGPH studio asked me and over 200 other artists to participate in their Ark Project, the aim of which is to publish a book featuring illustrated animals from each of the participating artists' home countries, as well as to showcase some original works in auctions/exhibits in various countries. Certain funds will be donated to different wildlife and environmental protection organizations.

Format: 17cm x 21cm, hardcover, 240 illustrated pages

The book is currently being printed, with a pre-release in Asia set for July and an official launch in Argentina around October.

For more info, and to request a press kit, contact DGPH: http://www.thearkproject.com.ar/index.htm
(or just ask me to forward it to you).
Also, check out the massive list of artists! An incredible amount of really fantastic illustrators on there...

GET EXCITED!

Coming Up...

I've got a few shows coming up:



"Cute & Dangerous" at 7 Degrees gallery in Laguna (June 12th)

"Graphics & Boards" at A Bitchin' Space gallery in Sacramento (June 12th)



and "Battle Royal" at Gallery 1988 San Francisco (June 26th)

Hope you can make it!

Cute & Dangerous

After a bit of R&R, I finally got back to work and did this triptych of sorts for the Cute & Dangerous show at 7 Degrees gallery in Laguna.



"Electricity"
(triptych; from left to right: "The Line,""Electricity," and "The Key")
Ink and acrylic on cradled boards (each 8" x 10")


The opening is on June 12th. There will be giveaways, a bunch of cool art, and more fun stuff. Hope to see you there!

All Natural

Yay! I've finally graduated from Otis! It's been a challenging and inspiring four years, and the senior show was an excellent finale to it all. Thanks to everyone who made it.

Below are the main pieces featured in my senior show. First, here's my little blurb about them:

"My senior project explores the many different nature symbols that people from cultures all over the world used to represent universal themes such as death, power, and wisdom. I was interested to discover just how important a role nature played in the mythologies, folklores, and traditions of these various cultures. As I researched the symbols I was fascinated by how the seemingly arbitrary plants and animals came to be associated with certain ideas in always interesting and sometimes surprising ways."


Photo by Travis



"Life, or a Husk of Hares"
14" x 22"



"Death, or a Murder of Crows"
14" x 22"



"Harmony, or a Charm of Hummingbirds"
24" x 10"



"Discord, or a Pack of Wolves"
24" x 10"



"Power, or a Pride of Lions"
16" x 16"



"Trickery, or a Skulk of Foxes"
12" x 16"



"Wisdom, or a Parliament of Owls"
20" x 8"

All pieces are framed and were done in ink and acrylic on paper (with deckled edges). They're going to be part of a ten-person show in June at Gallery 1988 SF. Can't wait!


Also, check out the little sculpture I made in Daniel Lim's experiment illustration class. Ain't he cute?
[Photos by Sarah, Chan, and Jensen of Gallery1988, respectively]







Woohoo!

Unfinished Business

The Otis Senior Show is TONIGHT! Hope to see you there!