100128 Printing Lessons and Studio Doings

Studio works and tee shirt pulling. A learning by doing lesson. Printing is not as easy as it looks. Making mistakes by learning sucks, but learn I do. Big Up to Cannonball Press for really making awesome prints look so easy and fun! Please check their site. www.cannonballpress.com Martin Mazzora and Mike Houston.
The pink shirts are soon available as well as more orange and black and greens in various other sizes are being offered. I want to thank my friends who jumped on the opportunity to represent the Year of the Tiger by rocking out in one of my shirts!! (those shirts will be out the door very very shortly!! as they say in Jamaica.. ' soon come ' . BLESS!! AND There are still shirts available for purchase! ) Also!! Thank you to anyone who came out to the opening and to the gallery and purchased shirts!
BUT, now I have a product recall!!!
As I said earlier, some lessons are learned the hard way. The original shirts I pressed were NOT heat treated properly and after one washing, the gold had faded!! I am SO SORRY! I can return you a new shirt that is properly heat treated if you return the first ones! It s very embarrasing. After the washing, it looked like a faded old shirt.. which can be voguish to some but the gold on the new shirt is quite a nice shimmer. You can contact me at mike@mikeming.com and I will make arrangements to exchange!
Here are some flicks of shirts drying in the meanwhile.










Note, If you are a real manly man and/or rocking out in MIAMI, I think you can rock a size small pink shirt. They are hot!



While I really enjoy the screen printing process, I am also currently working on what I like to call the interpretive pinstriping. I really think pinstriping is an incredibly beautiful marriage of form and function. It s power is the simplicity and elegance. Unfortunately, as I have wobbly hands and an unsymetrical sensibility, to create a true pinstriping looks to be a long long way off. But as I am hoping practice makes perfect and that each individual on this earth is put here with certain talents and abilities, I feel it is in my best interest to exploit my potential talents and to take my artistic liberties by yielding the brush and expressing my own lines. Here is a bunch of images on the progress to becoming better on the brush. I hope you enjoy the process.
I have to make a mention that although I really really love alot of pinstriping and I ve been googling and you tubing, the one pinstriper I ve met and who has been a teacher to me and a great friend, Ken the flattop. Please check out Ken The Flattop from Japan at www.kentheflattop.com. He is the most patient and positive person I ve ever met. It incredible how he loves the craft and loves to share the craft. Big BIG UP!!







The white outline is a figure reaching out in perspective. Felt like rock. or nouveau. Both of which I have to imagine influenced me alot. More than most people will ever know.






Detail of Bottom of Door.

100124 After the BIG week-end .. sunday

Gallery Hanahou. Koko and Marie.


The Images are all aligned through out the gallery in a counter clockwise look-see.




The reception Desk when you first walk in through the door on the right.



From the desk to the left.



To the far left.



Silent Auction at GalleryHanahou.com
Any Question? Any Bidders? for inquiry please go to the website.
36" x 36" canvas. markers and ink.




From the window to the left going back to the door.




Marie with art.



Some More art.




Going out the door. Thank you, please visit the real gallery soon.
'20/10 Vision'
at the Gallery Hanahou
611 broadway suite 730 (north-west corner of houston and broadway)
mon-fri 12-6
until feb 19, 2010



So, this past week was pretty happening. There were benefits all around and an art opening, a super SLAMMING housewarming PARTY event (I missed .. again), a gang of art shows, benefit shows and a history in the making Benefit dance party at SUCRE. In all that, there was also a birthday party (two... one for a really good friend of mine, David Ellis www.freshwatercatfish.org, whose birthday party nine years ago intiated the birth of my son, two dates I can easily remember, two very personal joyous occasions for two very different reasons.), a soccer tournament and another art opening at Invisible DOg, Brooklyn, NY. Of course I m not taking much images these days, not really sure why, probably has to do with the coming to grips of my bad composing and image capturing skills.

The Opening at gallery Hanahou was awesome. I had a great time and it was a great turnout. We did a live painting in the show which we are hoping will get sold in a silent auction whose 100% profits will be going to the haitian relief effort. Many friends old and new turned out and in turn, Those Friends were all friends with some of the gallery goers from different places and situations, it was a very nice meet and re-meet and mingle! The degrees of separations are so marginally thin, it's amazing and humbling to say the least. I mean, can you imagine.. what would be the purpose of hating another because of not really knowing them? eventually in our lives it seems to me, we are all connected to each other some how and wouldn t it be better if the person you met today was not the person you hated yesterday for some reason or another... I guess it s kind of like forgiving or just plain not hating because of stubborn obstructed twisted reasoning of an adamant mind refusing to bend. I know I have those ideas but slowly I am hoping to untangle THAT mess. Maybe not in this life time.

The benefit for Haiti at Sucre in Bed-Stuy/Clinton Hill was apparently OFF THE HOOK!! I mean so much so that if you missed the event ( like I did ) , you and I both missed HISTORY in the making! HISTORY! I kick myself in the ass and I really should not be missing moments like these. But I had family obligations and sometimes, Those SEEDS that are laid in the soil and grown just take more precedence. Thank Yous for all those that showed and supported the event and I hope there will be more and more people united under this flag of a socially united bond of love and expression for, about and being Human.

Big up to all those who are trying to do something about how messed up the world is and Big UP to ALL those who do something about how beautiful the world is and Big UP to all those who recognize how Wonderful this world is And BIG UP to all THOSE who give us the expression and poetics, visual and spiritual to make us all aware about how the world is, at its best, a most beautiful heaven and at its worst , a most terrible hell. There is eternal chaos and the balance of yin and yang but never an unbalanced yin without yang and vice versa.. such a world can never exist unless, dear reader and myself, we refuse to acknowledge both. It s the duality that is in the singular, most perfect circle, one.

100122 Do It Some More!!

A quick Reminder!! January 23, 2010!! A Benefit!! Please come if you can make it!!!
The Email says... ' It's a dance party!!!' Shake yo ass for the GOOD of Humankind!

100121 Tee Shirts for Sale $20!! Year of the Tiger!!

100121 Serious Shows

So I got two shows in my email the other days and I think they are very serious. One is a benefit for the damaged Haiti. Artists getting together to help out peoples in need and in a bad situation. Give what you can, it would be a good thing.

And the other... serious. Miami Peoples. Check it out. Free Cafe Con Leche, 1-2 am. I m almost gonna take some credit for this show cause I ve been to miami three times in my life. Come Check it.




Quoted from my email.

"QUE BOLA ACERE!!!

Ever think to yourself, "where my MIami peeps at?" Ever get the craving for some good old cafe con leche, croquetas, and Havana club rum?

Well wait no more....We the people of the dirty dirty south got your back. For some time now, we've been contemplating a "Miami invades NYC Party". Its become more and more clear that this shit needs to happen "pero like right now bro!"

Come one, come all. Come be a part of the first and ONLY Bootybass, Dirty South Hiphop, Freestyle, Salsa, and free Cafe Con Leche NYC has ever seen!!! (Told ya, we had you covered ;) But most importantly, come SHAKE WHAT YOUR MAMA GAVE YA!!!!!


REMEMBER !!!!
This is YOUR party. Yes, this means u can lie to all your friends and take full credit for this genius idea. its all love cuz we family yo!"

Word.

100120. Group Art Show

Hello, Hello!

There is some news I want to share!

I am part of a group art show happening on thursday , january 21, 2010 until friday, feburary 19, 2010, at the gallery Hanahou, on 611 broadway (corner of houston) suite 730 in Manhattan, NYC.

The opening reception is from 7 pm until 9 pm on thursday, January 21, 2010.

We are having a collaborative live painting during this time by the artists for a silent auction that will run until the end of the show for 100% donation to Haiti's relief efforts.

The art show is comprised of art works that are all within 15 inch square and the theme of the show is 20/10 vision. Please join us for either/and the reception and to view the gallery during regular gallery hours.

The show titled '20/10 vision' is a show about looking foward to a new decade and a new year! We all know 20/20 vision is good, but to really be able to look far and out, 20/10 is great!

The artists involved in the show are in alphabetical order...

aaron Meshon
Alice Stevenson
Alison C Nguyen
APAK
Ben Chiapek
Chris Mendoza
Dean Landry
Enily Eibel
Eeline Tarunadjaja
Fanny Bostrom
Henrietta Harris
Illan Kohn
JK5
Jun Marie
Karen Ingram
Kenji Hirata
Kirsten Ulve
Lena Corwin
Marc Johns
Marcus Oakley
Michael C Hsing
Mike Houston
Mike Ming
Mike Perry
Misery
Naomi Kazama
Olimpia Zagnoli
Oliver Jeffers
Ryan Berkley
Samantha Hahn
Sara Antoinette Martin
Sara Singh
Shane Jessup
Shen Plum
SuperDeux
Team Macho
Tina Berning
Uninhabitable Mansions
Vivienne Strauss
We-Are-Familia
Yoh Nagao
Yunmee Kyong
Yuri Shimojo


More information for the gallery is found at .. www.galleryhanahou.com
During the show, 20% of all proceeds will go to help the people of Haiti.

Here are two pieces I am displaying for the show.
Also, there will be tee shirts and merchandise to be had!



A young tiger, getting ready for the 2010. Patience and Dedication are needed to catch the prey!



Dancing cheek to cheek. Intimacy, Trust, Tender Touch, Communication, Smooth Glide, Good Posture, Body Language, Pleasure, a sense of Adventure and being in the MOMENT. Just somethings we can look foward to for 2010 and beyond!! Whatever chaos and madness happening all around, just know that the moment of the dance is in the moment, in the now, and at that time, nothing else matters.

100108. Some Tigers for the New Year.

The green tiger. For me, it s a young tiger, learning to be patient and waiting , getting ready to pounce on the new year. The Year has just begun, so I m hoping it s gonna be as good as I say it is.
This particular piece is one of two paintings I am exhibiting for an upcoming group show. All the participants have nothing but hope for the year, because 2009 was a let down for some and 2010 is a space odd-ity for others! A new decade seems to bring everyones hopes up! The last new decade was 2000 and 1990 and 1980. I don't think I honestly gave a crap and this one.. well, stakes is higher than all those other decades for me, so I guess I should. Besides, living is quite fun, high or low. What a disaster or what a success. It all feels like living in a balance is more and more important and needing less and less to keep my interest up.



This just some more stuff I am getting into. you gotta look tight for the tiger and there are other things floating around. Depending on your screen you gotta squint or step back. The red makes it feel extra hot for me and the sumi-esque quality , well, that s the stuff I really really like. Ink lines and brush work. Nice and dirty, in a clean and unreadable way.



This is just 2010 coming to get at ya!
are you the big pussy or the prey?
Where will you fit in this image?
reflective of your state or a by stander checking it out too close?
or maybe none of those and it will not be anything or.
art is good like that. you either like or don't like.
simple.



I think I was doing a conversation. Big Tiger telling a little tiger.
or just sketching out some lines and two figures appeared on my paper.
Either or , depending on my answer at the moment.

2010. The Year Of the Tiger. RESPECT!

100108. A Dream

I dreamt that I was in an apartment that looks over to manhattan and I m in brooklyn. The sky gets real dark and it looks like a typhoon is building up on manhattan. It gets windy and windier and it becomes really really dark! All of a sudden,

it feels like the windows are being pushed by alot of wind and the city looks like it s starting to rip apart! there is sudden fires and chunks of buildings are starting to break and shoot out from the tornado/whirlwind! during this time, I m trying to get my camera to shoot photos of it but it s not focusing fast enough and it won t take the photo. Then shit really starts going nuts because now the building pieces are flying towards us and it s starting to hit the building and the fire gets big and it looks like the middle of down town is collapsing on itself! ALL OF A SUdden, a GIANT figure starts to come out from the middle of the city where the buildings are all falling on top of each other and fires and buildings blowing up and this thing , looks like a giant robot emerges! And I m actually thinking.. oh shit.. we are fucked! this is the end. and the robot monster is destroying the city and I can see he got flames shooting out of his mouth or eye rays or some sci fi stuff. Then the thing starts walking across the river and in no time, it s like right outside our window. I m switching the camera to video and I m not really scared, but I feel like I can t possibly run and the destruction to the city is something like a nuclear holocost. I mean, Im trying to film this monster and at the same time, I know what is coming up next. it shoots a fire flame right outside the window and I m sure the building is going to explode and I am gonna die... but I m not scared. Asako is in the house and we are both kinda confused as to what is really happening. For some reason I look over on a table or something and I see a Dracula book or video or dvd. some reason the dream switches and although I m still thinking we are gonna die and since we are gonna die, I think we should make love one last time. I was more stressed about trying to fuck than dying. Asako is suddenly having a mustache and she is proud to tell me that she is a dracula and will soon be a man. Her arms are getting longer and her mustache is really thin and sporty. Can you imagine a girl looking like a guy? .. kind of like that. But, the change takes time and she still has a cunt and not a dick. Of course, we are still in the apocalyptic course so I m somehow asking her for a fuck one last time and to kill me. I ask that when she kills me, can she not make it so painful. In my head, I m envisioning her killing me and I am actually thinking of many different ways she can do it. On top of that, the monster is raveging brooklyn and I m trying to get one last fuck before death and I m completely distracted by too many things that I really not getting the sex. This is probably the one thing that has me stressed more than Asako becoming a vampire man and a robot monster apocalypse.

In the stages of dreams, I m suddenly outside and it s winter and the wind is whipping up again. this time, I feel like I am on the earlier part of the situation. I m thinking that the weather is turning bad and that I should head home or something like that. I am in a part of some city that reminds me of stuyvesant town without the boarders and a mix of other projects and gates.. white painted gates that are kind of not ornamental but like a gate for a door or something. There are people around me and on top of hills, because there are small hills and it s not quite new york like. maybe some suburb like new york? does that make sense? it s a dream. there are huge 12 story snow drifts and as I am making my way home, someone starts screaming and there is rumbling and I look up to see an avalanche! I look to my left and it is a big hill I can t possibly run up fast enough and to my right is fence about two stories high and in front is the snow drift avalanche and behind is a couple who I think turned and ran! I thought I could not out run an avalanche so I climb up the fence. The avalanche and the people and hill are all back to normal as quickly as it started and looks like the avalanche ran out of steam not too far from me... I get down and I start walking very fast towards home before another avalanche. As I turn the corner, there is no snow and although it is windy, I make the assumption that all the snow must of drifted to the one corner of the building because of the wind storm. I think right after that I m back to my apartment and then I wake up.

100101.Happy NEW YEAR 2010

Hello Hello!! Another year has gone by and a NEW YEAR races to us, yes, the year we make contact.. as I have been told. So, I thought I would make a jump on the year by posting some new flicks. Flicks of the fireworks that happened over prospect park as seen from my roof top. The year has made a rather quiet turn around the corner, as it is chilly rains and foggy lights. Looks like a good way to start a new year. Why NOt? We had a white christmas.. now we have proper december january weather. Lets Start A new! I got a new year's resolution. Keep up with this blog. I mean, really.. who reads this stuff? I m just gonna do it for my own personal excercise or sumpin. :) hey, gotta start somewhere yea? Maybe one day , I envision for this blog to have more content as far as words and meanings go, as communication is the reason to do this at all, hopefully I ll be human enough and selfless enough to share my ideas.. or something like ideas. If you , dear reader, have been reading this blog at all, as there is three followers to date, I thank you for your interest. Heck, I ll try! I know you are all pretty creative bunch! This is not a creative blog and sure is a bit direction less. That s a challenge, yea? maybe it s gonna evolve. it will. Like I says befores.. a photo, an image.. can say alot more than I can. even if the image is blurry and out of focus and looks non sensical... engaging the artist within! the story teller inside and make your own! YEA!!! 2010 and beyond!