On going group show

"Meditation in the Rain" acrylic on canvas, 32" x 32" (15" x 15" each)

I have a ongoing group show at Tenri gallery, 43A West 13th St, NYC. (Bet 5th and 6th ave. Near 6 ave.) Please stop by!

Mon-Thu: 12-7 Sat: 10-3 Fri/Sun: Closed

"Mono-eye Mandala", "Lotus Mandala", "The return the Mono-eye" color pencil on paper, 4.5" x 6.5"

"Mono-eye Mandala" found a home at the reception night. Thank you for all who came!

The Wish Mandala with the Wish Flags (The Final stage)

Visit Annmarie Sculpture Garden, Dowell, MD to see my latest installation, The Wish Mandala with the Wish Flags.

See more photos on Picasa

Wish Mandala over view: https://picasaweb.google.com/junishida/WishMandala02?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Wish mandala

Wish Flags details: https://picasaweb.google.com/junishida/WishFlags?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Wish Flags

The Wish Mandala is ready to have the Wish Egg.

The Wish Mandala is finally ready to have the Wish Egg! When I declare that Mandala is finished, immediately rain fall down hard even though Sunlight was still on. I took it as a good omen.
Watch "The Wish Mandal is ready for the wish egg!" on YouTube

Securing the Wish Mandala

My Mandala may look like it was made by simply placing found objects, but in actuality, there are several tricks that I used to secure my piece against weather. I am not doing anything to prevent decaying of natural materials, since that is part of my piece: Insects and fungus slowly degrade the materials. However, I make sure that each units stays at same position for a few months.

One of my methods I use is to peg. I sharpened one side of twigs and bigger branches, and use them as pegs.

For instance, to set up the pole, I used these homemade tools and dug a little bit more than 1 foot deep, almost exact same diameter to the pole. Then I pegged around the pole. Each pegs presses each other and secure the pole to the ground.

In circle part, I used the combination of pegging and also tension setting. Each wood is tightly placed to each other. The tension locks all.

I make pieces while thinking about storms and people accidentally bumping it. So, if someone tries to kick my piece to destroy it, (Why would they want to do such a thing by the way. They will have negative Karma.) they'd better have steel toe shoes. They are securely grounded and it is not easy to move.

Another Mandala: the return of the mono-eye

I made another Mandala for my upcoming group show at Tenri gallery, 13 st., btw 5th and 6th ave. (6th av. side.) 5" x 7", color pencil on paper. It will be sold for benefit for Japan. The show stars on 13th. I think I will call this " the return of the mono-eye." Mono-eye is the animal-plant hybrid that appeared to my old surreal period of my works. It came back!!!

North elements: Red

North, Red.....This totally works! I will arrange them in order once they are dried a bit. (Rain all day yesterday.)

Group show at Tenri gallery

I finished this piece today, color pencil drawing, 5" x 7", for the charity  for Japan part of my up coming show at Tenri gallery, 13th st, btw 5th ave and 6 ave, next to one of the the New school building. The piece will be sold for $50 (This show only price. ) The show start 13th of September. The reception is on 16th from 6 pm. Come and see!

A Commitment of an environmental artist.

As I consider myself as an environmental artist. Tobe true to the claim, I try not use power tools and mechanized vehicles, as much as I can and I try to use only natural materials for my piece. My piece is about the harmony and interconnection of the world. I try to make sure my piece has low impact to the installed site. Quite often, nature cohabits with my piece and creatures take refuge under my piece.

Yes, I sometimes have to break self imposed rules. Tree trunks were cut by a chainsaw, and I used monofilaments for the support of the vertical cotton cords for this Wish Mandala.

But rest of woods are all hand cuts, hand carried or a bike carried.

Watch the Murray Monterey in action.
http://youtu.be/n9RnBnO_zTc

Adding new elements

I am adding new elements that represent four directions.

Mini Zen garden part of the Wish Mandala

There are 4 mini zen gardens representing 4 directions in the Wish Mandala!

A side project. Robo 1

Side project

Work in progress

Human and land

A famous Zen master, Daisetsu Suzuki, wrote an essay in 1930’s about his worry toward the uaban life. He said when people start living an apartment and have no contact with lands, people stop caring surrounding. He concluded that one must maintain the contact with lands, in order to understand the interconnection of the universe. I was ammused that he said this in 1930.

Yesterday and today, I was digging holes to place trees as a flag poles.

There was a thunder storm at the midnight. I was looking at lightning for a hour at 1am till 2pm.

I noticed the clear difference of the hardness of the ground before and after the rain next day. This might not news to you if you were a framer of a gardener, but I was enjoying the fact I physically experienced the differences, and in fact I posses the knowledge of people who work with lands. As I was digging holes, setting up flags, looking at the movement of wishing flags, and imagining winds carry away all wishes, I was also thinking of all the people who would dig ground, like coffee farmers in Guatemala. I was imagining their lands, their sweats, their lives. With my action, I share the solidarity with them. I am aware that I am romanticizing, but my sweat is also real. By working on the field, I become one of them. I was also thinking of the time I buried dead puppies that my dog had. I had a collie, named Lassie when I was a teenager. Collies tend to have large number of puppies at the same time, and sometimes few were born with much undeveloped state like Kangaroo babies. Once Lassie had 11 puppies, but four were born prematurely and did not survive. I dag small holes and buried them. I had a joyful time with survived 7 puppies, but I also remember the sad moment. Dogs can cry. I saw tears in Lassie’s eyes when she noticed those puppies were not moving.

There was another thunderstorm this late afternoon. I was reading the air, guessing when the rain starts. Many people had commented me that they feel sorry that I had to work under such hot weather. Yes, it is hot out here, my bandana is completely soaked, and even my leather belt is drenched, but the truth is that I am totally enjoying being out side, listening sounds that woods makes, feeling breeze, noticing both sunlight and shades, observing small changes in my surrounding. I am making the connection to the land. I have a good feeling with my piece.

Back in Annmarie groove

I arrive Annmarie two days ago, and I am happy to be back in my creation mode. My friend Luis told me a one technique that I found effective to get back to the creative state after a break; playing the exact music when you stooped. ( happened to be "Fernando" by ABBA) I suppose you can use another sensory method like using same luminous or same scent.

First thing I did was to check out the condition of the installation, which was totally fine after all weather elements. Also, I reset up the studio area, and then start working on re-calibrating well used stamps for flag making. It took me a full day to clean up, re-carve all stamps, and I made a few new. I was at the flag making station this weekend, and I met a girl who wishes for a pink duck. So far I had made a dog, a cat, fish, a dinosaur and now two duck stamps for those who wants to have pets. I still need to make horse and hamster.

I have read all wishes. One common wish is finding a cure for certain diseases. One wish I got today was saying " do not get very sick again"and it was wrote by a child. May the wind grants this child wish. One lady was bit choked while writing her wish for a cure. Perhaps writing reminded her someone who has or had the condition. I hope my project can take off some weight from her mind.

Now I have a good stuck of flags made by guests. I will start incorporating them to my installation piece very soon.

Many stamps

I have been making many stamps for guests to create their wishing flags. I made around 20, big and small, include an image of my cat, Sano, that I made yesterday. She has been showing up my creation.

Mandala project: Purification ritual

It always rains in the early stage of making my Mandala. And it is not just little drops. I expect thunderstorms. And it happened again, here in Annmarie. When the rain storm pounded on my installation ground, I took it as that was the sign that I was successfully communicated to the universe and it approved my intention, and the ground was blessed and purified. Of course one can argue it was a just a matter of humidity, pressure, and temperature, but I knew something.

(Colors intensified after the rain.)

Wishing Mandala

I am here as an artist in resident at Annmarie sculpture park and art center to lead their summer public art program. I will be making an environmental art installation, New Mandala with natural found objects that reflect the locality of my current surroundings, Southern Maryland, with “Wishing Flag” component that the visitors of the garden will participate. This will be my 5th outside Mandala, 6th total Mandala piece I created.

First outside Mandala at Djerassi residency, Woodside, CA.

Every new Mandala has been evolved from previous version. And here in Annmarie, I can sense that I will be achieving to the next level. For last 3 days I am researching the new elements to the piece. I always wanted to make my piece more 3 dimensional. My last piece, Wetland Mandala, at Oysterville, Washington State, courtesy of the Espy foundation, was the first one which has significant height element.

I could have certainly repeated that structure, however I wanted to make it different off course. And I found the way. By using monofilament and ropes, I will create the visual walls in 4 directions that will have the illusion of mass when one sees it from the distance.
Another new elements to the “Wising Mandala” (working title, maybe Spider Mandala is better since I am putting strings everywhere) is “Wishing Flag” element. Public is asked to create a flag that they write their wishes on and decollate with their drawing and stamps that I carved.

The idea is that the wind carries out their wishes to the universe as like a Tibetan prayer flag.

The project is going forward!!

More photo of my mandala:
www.junart.net
flickr page

Annmarie Day 9, Bobby, The Flying Tortoise

Flying Tortoise at Annmarie.
It is amazing to be so digitized at the residency. My first residency in 2002, I used to bring all CDs. (I think I-pod did not exist yet.) I used calling cards and a payphone. I used a film camera. (I changed all digital around 2004.)
Here at Annmarie sculpture garden and art center, I can get wi-fi as long as I am near at the main building, and if I am out of length, I can use tethering method, which is rather temperamental and slow, but I can get online. (Or I can just use my droid for basic internet stuff.) So, now I just need to get a solar panel charger. (My inner gadget boy is calling....)
So, here is another installment of my video project...A tortoise, Bobby,is flying over Annmarie.

Annmarie Day 6

I edited a little time laps video that I shot on day 2.

Annmarie Day 3

I like being here doing only my thing. I actually picked up few calls asking me to work for them. I told them I am in a residency in MD or "Merry Land" as I said, and I am merry. So, today I left the place at first time. I went for 5 minutes bicycle ride to a post office. I worked on a painting a bit, made a video. I saw a dear as well.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.0

Annmarie Garden Sculpture Park and Arts center residency. Day 1

I arrived at Annmarie in the mid afternoon smoothly, thanks to my friends, Tara and Stephan, who kindly drove me down here. I took a train to Newark and met them up there. The worst part of my trip was from my Slope apartment to #2,3 line subway's Bergen station with a 90 pounds not-so-roll-well suitcase, 40 pounds duffle bag, and a 64 inch tube contains canvas. It normally takes 4 minutes, but took me 17 minutes today. But I knew once I get on the train it would be easy. Once we were in a car, we drove down 95, and took local freeway from Delaware, looking young corn field.  Looking at Maryland map, I am in Southern Maryland where Patuxent River meets Chesapeake Bay. I am here, Annmarie Garden, in association with the Smithsonian Institution, Sculpture Park and Arts Center, to make a public outside art installation. I will also lead a public participation program which will be a part of my installation. I will be making new version of my nature Mandala using found objects from the property, and I will ask visitors to make "wishing flag" to attach to my piece. "Wishing flag" idea is coming from the Tibettan prayer flag which normally has a good fortune prayer printed on.  "Wishing flag" hope to grant wishes of vistors, either their personal fortune or more psychological wish like finding themselves as wind blows. I met a few staff members today, and they pleasantly welcomed me, and we discussed about the project a little. After that, I did a little bit of the location hunt for the project. I noticed there were so many pinecones. I will most certainly use them. My living quarter was descrived as "rustic" on their website and literature, so I was imagining a wood cabin with wood burning stove. But,  I would use "simple" to depict the place. The studio area is quite specious and has many lights. So, I will be making 2-D art at night from the studio. I think my stay here will be cool!!

Fundraising for Japan show on Tuesday.

I am donation 3 pieces to upcoming fundraising art exhibition at Ise Foundation in Soho.

We Will Fly Again

8.5" x 11.5"

Acrylic on Canvas

Swimming Together

5.5" x 6.5"

Watercolor on Paper

Smile

8" x 10"

Mixed Media

I made the crane piece specifically for this show. I depicted flying crane as a symbol of rebirth, wishing for the recovery of Japan.

All pieces at this show are priced $20 or $40. Tancho-Crane and Koi-fish pieces are $40 and sunflower piece is $20. Come to the show and pick up pieces for your wall. All amounts go to the charity.

ART FOR JAPAN

Ise Foundation

555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
TEL.212-925-1649
www.iseny.org

March 29, 2011 - March 29, 2011

Artist(s): Ushio Shinohara, Shingo Francis, Gen Aihara, Katsuhiro Saiki, ON Megumi, Yumi Kori, Tomomi Ono, etc.

ART FOR JAPAN
Art Exhibition to help the Earthquake and Tsunami victims in Japan

Tuesday, March 29 2011, from 5 – 8PM
Venue: ISE Cultural Foundation Front Space Gallery

On March 11, the massive earthquake of magnitude 9,0 and the huge Tsunami hit Northeast of Japan and caused catastrophic damages. Thousands of people were killed and many more are still missing.

ISE Cultural Foundation is organizing 1-day art exhibition of "ART FOR JAPAN" in order to raise the fund for the earthquake and Tsunami victims in Japan.

The artists will donate their artworks and exhibit at ISE Cultural Foundation Front Space Gallery on Tuesday, March 29.

All of the artworks will be sold either $20 or $40 in cash only.
*ISE Cultural Foundation will match up the same amount of the all sales from the event and will donate 100% of the fund to each non-profit organization in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures through the Japanese American Association of New York.