2012 ~ ART:Jamaica

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Thanking Petrine

Sunday, December 09, 2012 archer-straw , cornell , diasporadialogs , negrophilia , Oneika Russell , painting show , panmedia , petrine , phd , thesis No comments

Skype screenshot from virtual Artists Talk with Petrine's Cornell Uni. course., 2006. Source Panmedia.com Yesterday, I received the news that Petrine Archer-Straw had passed. This news dis take me by surprise. My connection with Petrine was mainly as a mentor for my artistic and academic work. Throughout this period she showed great generosity in encouraging my artistic practice, academic pursuits and especially this blog. I first met...

What I found on Twitter: Tallawa

Wednesday, October 03, 2012 fashion design , jamaican design , john and hillary , patois , spring collection , tallawa , textile design No comments

Screenshot from tallawacollection.com I just found this website this morning where you can see designs like the one above. They have a new Spring Collection with really eye-catching textile designs. The team consists of a husband and wife team John and Hillary, who are based in New York. They use the Jamaican Patois phrase 'we likkle but we tallawah' meaning 'we are small but strong' as the inspiration for their brand. The site features...

Tokyo Story: Creative Culture in the City

Monday, June 25, 2012 3/11 , baito , burberry , cosplay , harajuku , Jamaica , Jamaican art , Kingston , louis vuitton , marcus bird , mid town , pharrell williams , shibuya , shinkansen , skinny jeans , tokyo , tokyo rising No comments

The last part in an interview with Marcus Bird about his fascination with Tokyo and its creative life. He has spoken about his ideas about lifestyle branding and art activities he participated in while living there. This time he speaks about the multitude of influences and visual stimulation. From Harajuku to Shibuya to Vuitton and being out there. His words out remind me of a documentary Pharrell Williams did last year called Tokyo Rising. Tokyo...

N.L.S., A New Local Space

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 No comments

Deborah Anzinger's own studio space I met Deborah Anzinger the way I meet most people in the Arts these days, via Facebook. She spoke about a new arts space that was opening up in Kingston soon. This was great news as I can't tell you how many times when I was a younger artist working in Jamaica's urban metropoilis that I longed for some kind of arts culture beyond exhibitions and galleries. I always felt there was never enough focus on...

@The Armory Show: 297 Niggas on Linen

Sunday, March 11, 2012 armory , art history , art show , coloured , contemporary art , devin troy strother , gurrl , linen , niggas , painting , paper on canvas , post abstraction , post modernism , the armory show No comments

297 Niggas on Linen Photo by Sandra Stephens In viewing The Armory Show in a flash, in the blur of the huge market/ showcase for 'serious' contemporary art a few works definitely caught my eye and some made me laugh. Some made me stop and some I had to go back to again and again. One of the ones I really enjoyed was Devin Troy Strother's '297 Niggas on Linen'. What do I respond to in this work? I saw the work from a few...

Lifestyle Branding

Sunday, March 11, 2012 birdimus , black character , black figure , branding , caribbean design , character design , cheesetrix , hello kitty , Japan , Kingston , lifestyle , marcus bird , optimus prime , portrait , sanrio , tokyo , tokyo story 1 comment

This is the second part of jamaicaninjapan blogger, Marcus Bird's Tokyo Story. He spoke with me recently about his fascination with the Tokyo creative scene and the various opportunities he has had. Through his experience of living and working in Japan he has evolved as designer. One of the stories he shared was about his interest in how designers use characters and branding to shape lifestyle in Japan. You spoke about lifestyle brand and wanting...

Tokyo Story: Creative Potential of Pecha Kucha

Saturday, February 18, 2012 birdimus , birdimus prime , character design , chibi , jamaicaninjapan , Japan , marcusbird , pecha kucha , pechakucha night , rasta , tokyo design week , tokyo story No comments

Marcus Bird delivering his Pecha Kucha. See the video here Marcus Bird of the Jamaican in Japan blog spoke with me recently about his fascination with the Tokyo creative scene and the various opportunities he has had. This is the first part of three in Bird's Tokyo Story. Through his experience of living and working in Japan he has evolved as designer. One of the stories he shared was about when he presented his creative ideas and character...

Contemporary Art in Stores

Monday, January 30, 2012 deviant art , giclee , Jamaica , Japan , kyoto , merchandise , will and grace , window display , window dresser , window dressing 1 comment

The Kyoto BAL building's use of artist mirocomachiko's painting andreproductions to create enticing tasteful window displays fortheir New Year sale The possibility of exposing art to the public is great if you utilize spaces that are less traditional. It is not uncommon to see reproductions and paintings and drawings of local artists used in banners, window displays and dedicated in-store displays in some of the trendy Japanese department stores....

Free Up

Wednesday, January 18, 2012 blackout , censorship , fight for the future , internet strike , Protect IP , SOPA , sopa strike No comments

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo. I want to be able to speak about Art in whatever way I choose. I wan to use media and the internet in the way it was meant to be used: freely for all. With SOPA and Protect IP this wouldn't always be possible. How do you feel about thi...

The Art Student at the Zoo

Friday, January 13, 2012 animal cruelty , art students , brown bear , figure drawing , friday the thirteenth , hope gardens , hope zoo , ibex , Kyoto zoo , life drawing , lions , peta , twycross , whipsnade , wildlife conservation , wildlife park 5 comments

The zoo as a place to encourage creativity, is rich in intriguing delights. There are so many animals from the region and far overseas which literally become captive subjects. Apart from the obvious socialization and entertainment students of art can engage in with their peers and the animals, it is also a great method of expanding life drawing skills. Two days ago, I went to the Kyoto Zoo and reminisced about my own art school days when we had...