Mister Fongstarr » Art

GIANTS AND NINERS

fongstarr — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:54:29 +0000

Struggling to get out of the usual Friday bliss, I declined the last round of beers and headed to catch the last 30 minutes of Mike Giant’s Las Cholas de Frisco unavailing.

So we’ve all written with Sharpies right? They stink, they bleed, and they make those nice dots on your pants when the cap comes off (we’re talking about a pen and not the menstrual cycle).

What makes it amazing to me is how Mike Giant can literally make these markers seem like ink graphics that come out of a inkjet printer. Remember when you write with these things and you make a line, stop and leave the marker there for like half a second and when you lift it up, it looks like you made some long sperm tadpole? Yeah, I saw literally no dots on any of these photos.

To my knowledge, I think most of the originals will be sold off (update: only 2 left for sale) and disappointingly, will not be made into more affordable posters.

Did happen to sneak in a shot of the Giant X Cinelli graphic for you bike lovers out there.

And this indian summer thing ain’t no joke. I got some flowed some free tickets to go see the 49ners lose to the Titans on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

First time going to a Niner game ever and it was in fine fashion. I literally sat five seats from the sidelines with one of the most intense football crowds ever.

3 and 5 for the season. It’s starting to sound like same sad story again.

A VISIT TO THE SKULLZ PRESS

fongstarr — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:01:56 +0000

I am becoming a fanboy more than ever. I had my sites set on seeing Ghostface on Haight St. Friday but the powers that be made him unable to come to the signing that he had, so I ended up just trotting over to Mike Giant’s studio aka Skullz Press.

With his permission of course, Mike allowed me to take some pics of his unique studio or the place where he smokes bud and draws some shit. Check out his wall of inspiration.

He also let us take a sneak peak on his new project Las Chicas de San Francisco where he takes photos of girls from SF and hand tattoos each photo of their bodies with nothing but a sharpie pen.

This was one of the two posters that was on sale specifically for that night. An ode to San Francisco.

And second was a poster called Against the Stream which was made for Noah Levine’s meditation center.

More exclusives! I thought this was another one of Mike Giant’s prints but this was actually the original drawing for FTC x Rebel8 Zip Zinger that will be made in the future.

This is Derick Montez. A tattoo artist at Haight Ashbury Tattoo & Piercing and one time apprentice of Mike Giant. He’s got a show next week at Skullz Press to show off some original art work.

And a poster for the crib. I am thinking I might have a bunch of these things.

ODE TO THE SPRAYCAN & PHILLY SHOOT

fongstarr — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:04:14 +0000

The story of graffiti is a pretty interesting story, but nothing we haven’t seen through other channels (see skateboarding for further proof of this theory). I think Style Wars may have been one of the first mainstream exposures of the illegal lifestyle of graff. Something as simple as writing your name on a wall can either put your ass into jail and get you butt-fucked by Bubba the Love Slave or grant you the utmost respect amongst your peers.

Fast forward to the millennium era. Now getting up is as cool as popping ping-pong balls out of your cooter. People with half a talent in this art form hardly feel the need to bomb trains or wait till 3am to get up on that sweat billboard that they just put up on 6th street with the half naked dude modeling that shitty underwear company.

Nowadays we have shows….legit ways to get your name exposed without the repercussions of getting your ass stomped by NYPD’s finest. Even though the culture is relatively still new (hip-hop culture spans only about a little over 30 years old), I think a lot of these older artists will tell you that they just don’t have the same mentality that they used to. They have careers to worry about and family to support….but regardless of it all, it is still cool to know that they can throw down with the best of them.

Probably my personal favorite. Something about an giant octopus with a spraycan.

Make sure to check out the show at the 1AM Gallery and to also check out the Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle in Oakland on October 10th.

And to cap the weekend off, did a quick shoot of some simple photos for Phil’s wedding.

The Velasco Family family in their entirety….Phil, Kana and their dog Haru.

IT’S SHOWTIME

fongstarr — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:35:38 +0000

Almighty Toons blessing his signature on his Montana x Mister Cartoon spray paint.

I can always count on Berl to be at the same spots as me. Dude stays heavy on the scene with his own unique eye on SF.

After the quickie at Upper Playground, I spent the rest of my days at FTC’s Blabac Photog show. Dude is a pretty large figure in the skate world, capturing the early days of Girl skateboards and pretty much acts as the key person in exposing all the skaters at DC Shoes.

Back when DC Shoes was something to talk about. Stevie Williams switch heel.

And newly acquired rider Nick Dompierre with a insane backside noseblunt.

Blabac all smiles. Give me your job homie!

A BUTTERY ASS SPOT

fongstarr — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:11:19 +0000

As my skate skills disintegrate to oblivion, there still a couple of people (Big Philly Style and Dustin My Shoes) that still have it.

A buttery ass nose slide.

A buttery ass kickflip.

A buttery ass krooked grind.

A buttery ass ollie.

Later on my way to dinner, I crossed my way to the other side of the tracks and stopped by the Atlas photography show (well, I guess you can call 9 photos a photography show) that showcased the making of Mindfield.

I guess that means on both sides of the rainbow, there is a pot of gold. I could sure use the money right about now.

LIVE ARTISTS SUMMER SERIES

fongstarr — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:41:00 +0000

Wednesday, I stopped by to check out Wes and some other artists do a live painting event at Orson that was hosted by IDR.

IAN JOHNSON @ WHITE WALLS GALLERY

fongstarr — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:49:53 +0000

COME RIDE WITH ME

fongstarr — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:48:38 +0000

On a fine beautiful Saturday morning, I dropped by DLXSF to check out some of the new goods as well as talk to the crew. Spoke to the Rasa Libre designer there that just launched the new site and even some local photography savs that shoot for the infamous Low Card zine.

Pretty much nationwide now, the new Stefan Janoski’s should be at all your finer skate shop retailers. These are the brown joints that released with the black ones as well. Limited to the first batch, the shoe also came with some cork insoles as the Janoski family has it’s foot in the wine industry. Comes in a sweet wine bag too.

Spoke to the manager at DLX and he gave me the scoop that the Fallen team will be in the house next Sunday. A signing with all your favorite Zero goons as well as a small demo at 3rd and Army right after.

Walked down Market St. a few blocks down to catch the Civic Center Bart and realized I was near the Market Street Gallery.

Actually someone at my work told me about this as I was carrying some decks to work. Just a little local show with a great cause. 50 artists doing hand custom painted skateboard decks in helps to raise money for the homeless youth in the Tenderloin.

Drove down with Maria to Fort Miley area to stretch out our legs out in the nice weather with the slight wind chill factor.

The Legion Of Honor.

One day when I stop drinking and eating scraps on the daily, I’ll save some money to go on a trip to Europe to see some real art. Not graffiti, not weak ass chicken scratch…. but REAL ART. Where people dedicated their livelihood to practice something that brought no real physical treasures, but only pride and satisfaction of accomplishing something that takes real mastery and skill. One day….

Later on we drove back to the heart of city to check out Ian Johnson’s new art show and get my board signed. Full coverage here.

And what a better way to end the night. Steaks, some veggies, sangria and a HBO special. What a great day! Can’t wait for the sun to bring out some real heat. I am ready for it.

SHIGANIST: A GROUP SHOW CURATED BY USUGROW RECAP

fongstarr — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:53:17 +0000

In anticipation to the new show, I decided to get my pre perk on at Noc-Noc on Haight. $3 Racer-5’s are not a bad gig.

My sidekick wasn’t phased by anything at all. Blunted on reality, buzzed off beer….high on life.

Walking to the show at Upper Playground SF on Fillmore Street. To think Fillmore Slim used to pimp mad hos here.

As soon as I get there, I was greeted by some Japanese fellow that for some odd reason wanted to take my picture with my board. I stay pretty hard on the skate scene (yes Koston is going to be on Etnies…..watch.) but with foreign skaters, they get me twisted all the time. Turns out this is Maru, AM skater for Consolidated Skateboards which means that I was carrying his signature deck that Ususgrow designed. Had to get his Johnny Handcock on the board and even got is info to go thrashin’ with him in SF since he is in the area for 3 months from Japan. Too bad dude shreds pools where as I like to ollie up curbs.

No words to be said. Ususgrow’s new artwork is the shit!

Design he made for the Hundreds 5th Anniversary collabo shirts that were made not too long ago.

And what do you know….the original artwork for Maru’s signature Consolidated skate deck.

A great picture if I ever took one. Maria, Usugrow and Mr. Mike Giant.

A Giant and a Fong.

Temporary artwork is where its at. Usugrow 1-of-1 hand drawn calligraphy. Make sure to check out his work if you can. You’re missing out if you don’t.

VOLCOM FEATURED ARTIST PHOTO SERIES

fongstarr — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 06:40:31 +0000

Stopped at the Volcom store in Berkeley and they happened to have a photo exhibit by some of their riders. I was most interested in Mark Appleyard’s work and surprisingly, he’s a pretty decent film photographer.

SO I GOT A TATTOO

fongstarr — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 05:46:22 +0000

I planned on posting this here once this was all done. This is a copy/past from my other blog so if you have time to read it all, I would gladly give you a cookie……and like all tattoo fans say, once you get one, there will be more. So I am sure expect more if my money is right.

Without getting into the whole intense culture of tattooing, let me tell you the story of me finally choosing what I wanted. If I could pin point my inspiration to a certain person, I would say Brandon Boyd (Incubus) would be on the forefront. Man crush? I am not too fascinated with shafts and balls unless if they are my own but I just like his whole demeanor in the way he lives life. Even though music is a big part of his success, he still keeps up with his passion for art, photography and surfing. His tattoo always had a classy look unlike some other musicians out there (fuck you going to get ESPN tattooed on your body Weez!) and the placement of it didn’t scream attention but still displayed the art piece well.

Back a couple of years, I was fortunate enough to see Usugrow’s artwork at one of his shows at Upperplayground SF. My first recognition of the guy was from his t-shirt he designed for The Hundreds. I don’t think it was a big hit at the time. This was back when shirt designs were nothing but all over prints and cheesy photoshops (wait…isn’t that right now?) and his tattoo style wasn’t a crowd favorite….even in my eyes. I always take note of artists regardless and I grew more fond of his work as an art form and not graphics for clothes.

The whoa-factor was high on this one. I subliminally showed it in a post back in September which was the first time I went to Everlasting Tattoo to talk to them about this piece. When I saw it, I just thought it was the one. It was perfect for that arm piece that I was looking for. It didn’t have that sleeve shape where it looked like I would be wearing a wonder woman bracelet but had more of an organic feel. It was an easy sell since Usugrow’s style already has that tattoo look with the only exception that the shading wouldn’t be stippled.

After he signed my book, I pretty much told him that I would get a tattoo of his work on my body and I think all he did was blush in that Japanese “no-trouble” kind of way. Meeting the artists was a big deal for me. Aside from his work, his attitude had to be straight and with his reassurance on it, I was one step closer to sealing the deal.

Months would pass and the next step was to look for a tattoo shop that could do this operation. I stay on the grind with a couple of blogs and noticed a certain shop being mentioned in Mike Giants blog and The Sciolist. Both of these guys have a greater knowledge on the tattoo game in the Bay Area so I went to do the research and checked out Everlasting Tattoo. Come to find out that they have a pretty creditable history and clientele resume consisting of talents like Margaret Cho and Kat Vond D so I knew. I probably went down to the shop about 10 times and talked to 3 artists until I finally set up the appointment to have Luke do it.

So after getting more advice as far as getting a fuller arm piece and some ghetto photoshop techniques (I printed two of Usugrow’s artwork, cut up the bug one and scanned it in on top of the other collage them as one), here is the the tattoo design in all its glory. People always ask me on the meaning of the whole thing. In the literal sense, it is a bug on a flower but my interpretation of it all is….I just think it looks fucking cool! I am in no way a bug trying to plant seeds in every girls vaginas and if any since Usugrow is Japanese, this is just a homage to the land of the East since I am half. One of the best advice I have ever took to heart with tattoos that I can give to others is to take a potential artwork that you want for a tattoo, hold it for about a month or longer, look at it again and if you still have the same feelings about it when you first saw it, then it is worthy to be put on your body. I had this piece in mind for about over a year and two months and on Tuesday, it will be on my arm forever.

First session was over. I loved the pain! The buzzing sound of the needle dragging in my skin was music to my ears. I could have sat through the whole 3 hours session if they would have let me, but seeing that this was my first tattoo, Luke and Everlasting decided to break it up into two. Did it hurt? Imagine someone telling you that on a Tuesday, a guy is going to come by and punch you in the gut as hard as he can and on the day it happens, a 5 year old boy comes out and pats the tip of your dick with his bare knuckles. It stings for like a hot sec but it ain’t no thang. More to come on this Fongstarr X Usugrow X Everlasting tattoo in two weeks (Collabo!). Geez….I feel like I have a gay henna tattoo. It will probably match my pierced vagina.

And here it is in its entirety as of today. Okay, let me first start off by saying that me not liking my tattoo has nothing to do with Everlasting as a shop and their talents as tattoo artists. I 100% back them all and recommend them to the fullest if anyone is out there shopping for tats. I think this has more to do with not really knowing how tattoos work and of course I can’t (holy shit…..the tattoo realization has kicked in) but if I can do this over I would have made the tattoo a tad bit larger and had no thick lines. I mean it looks cool, right? I’ve showed it to about 20 coworkers today and they have all congratulated on me having a might fine tattoo. So what is the problem? NO ONE CAN TELL WHAT IT IS!!! Regardless of the cleanliness of the tattoo, if no one can tell what it is, that means in some sort of way….it is bad. Usugrows artwork is pretty abstract in general but I think I should of had this more as a tattoo and not a replica of his work. First off the tattoo has way to many intricate details and to show them off, the lines should have been more subtle. Look at the bug (if you can see it). With thin lines, it came out really nice and if you revert back to the original art work, there should have been a thick outline surrounding the whole body but with the tat, we left it alone. I think that is what failed with the flower. I think we should have left the stroke a lot thinner then the original. Other few adjustments could have made it better but all is pretty much said and done. I don’t know man….they say I will be my own worse critic and I am harsh in general with art but I have to live with this thing for the rest of my life so it is hard not to. Plus masturbating is totally weird now……

MODERN HIEROGLYPHICS

fongstarr — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 07:00:18 +0000

I don’t know, I felt kind of cheated not seeing any graff the other day. I felt like the best way to make up for it is to just find it in my own backyard. It really wasn’t a mission to find street art….I think it kind of just came to me. True bay area graff at its finest, and this is only about a one square mile radius.

New wood…..best in the business!

CRAOLA @ FIFTY24SF

fongstarr — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:32:30 +0000

BAY AREA GRAFFITI BOOK RELEASE PARTY

fongstarr — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 03:01:07 +0000

Come check out my boy Wes’s work and a slew of other dope Graff artists.

Bay Area Graffiti Book Release Party And Art Opening
Friday, Feb. 5th
5-9PM
@ Minna Gallery

RON ENGLISH AND ALEX PARDEE SHOW RECAP

fongstarr — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:14:27 +0000

Peeped the opening reception for Ron English and Alex Pardee’s show today. I must say, I got it twisted thinking Pardee’s stuff was mediocre to my eyes but the guy produced some really quality art work. Homeboy makes Tim Burton look like Walt Disney with the twisted stuff he comes up with and the guy is a sweetheart and is humble as can be. It seemed hard to follow up such a show like Jeremy Fish’s but with a big ass alien in the corner with a tub TV in his stomach, I think he did just that. Check the video below for the recap….and your in luck, I paid the $60 to Vimeo so all my embedded videos should be in somewhat HD quality from now on. To bad it doesn’t help my cinematography skills….