Jazmine in Make Magazine

This Summer, Jazmine did an internship at Make Magazine and was photographed for a story on electronic drums. Here she is in the Volume 15 issue of Make.

PYC Field Trip

On Monday Belle Orpilla brought over a group of Vallejo Filipino youth to the studio. This was the second time the visit was planned. The first time one of the kids got in an accident a few blocks a way and the car that hit her flipped on it's roof. Fortunately no one was hurt. Great visit.

Earlier in the week, Sunday, Colleen, her husband Kent and their two kids came over to see the painting that will be on one of their Eric Kent Wine Cellars wine bottles. They liked the painting so come December, Bondage will have a new home and Heather and I will have a lot of drinking to do.

Family Visit

After Coco's birthday party, Heather's family came over to the studio to see my paintings. Jay and Laurie have started collecting art and have a couple of paintings by Juan Carlos Quintana and others.

21 Grand Reception

The reception at 21 Grand was really nice. It was the same day as Art Murmur (September 5th) so there was a pretty good turn out.


These are the two paintings I showed, One Step Ahead of Grief and Save MySpace on the Bandwagon.


Carlo Ricafort's work, barely visible was in the corner between my 2 paintings and Mel's work. Really like Carlos' paintings.


England Hidalgo's artwork.


Juan Carlos (center) came out with a friend to say hi and bring me a catalog for Miju's exhibit at Jack Fischer Gallery. Miju is the collaborative team of Juan and his wife Michele. great catalog! Behind him is Mel Vera Cruz's Filipino Guard.


My daughter Jazmine was a good sport hanging out.

More pictures here:
Link 1
Link 2

Day Twenty-Eight!

I think this painting is getting really heavy and I don't mean in content. I was moving it the other day and almost lost it. Could have crushed me. My body would've been discovered days later under canvas and stretcher bars. Whew!

Busy week with the 21 Grand reception then Coco's first birthday celebration on the weekend. Photos of both events to come!

Recently I was contacted by Colleen Teitgen, curator at Eric Kent Wine Cellar about using one of my paintings on their 2007 vintage wine bottles. Colleen has picked Bondage so when it comes out...buy a bottle.

Immaculate Rendition - Day Twenty Seven!

I'd say I'm getting pretty darn close to wrapping this baby up. I need my wall back.

Esperanza Servito Fortes

This post is in tribute to my mom (90 years old) who passed away this past Monday, August 18th at San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp, CA. She was born on February 7, 1918 and surrounded by her family and grand kids when she was taken off life support per her wishes. I'd say some of my creativity and stubbornness comes from her. She'll be missed.

Skinner at UP Sac

Immaculate Rendition

This is where I'm at with IR. I've worked out a few ideas and will add them to the painting this weekend after the Tequila Tasting party at Jack Alvarez's house on Saturday. I'm not too keen on hot weather, but Jack has a pool so I'll be in there like a beached whale.

Sunday, we're off to Oakland to catch the Birth of Cool show at the museum before it closes. So after all that and watching Coco off and on, hopefully I'll find an hour to squeeze in some painting.

21 Grand Presents Kwatro-Kantos

INQUIRER.net

SAN FRANCISCO – July 8, 2008 – Filipino Collective Kwatro-Kantos (England Hidalgo, Lian Ladia, Marcius Noceda, Carlo Ricafort, Mel Vera Cruz) will squat on the grounds of the physical space of 21 grand in Oakland and explore it as a structure of relations both as a social environment and as a field of action. By use of paintings, sculpture, installation and video, the collective will also invite guest artist John Yoyogi Fortes to integrate his work with the environment that they have created. Kwatro-Kantos will be creating a morning-after-destruction, an exploration of rectitude and composition that will puzzle bureaucrats.

Mel Vera Cruz's outraged graffiti inflected painting is a mix between the purgatories of Heronymus Bosh with the cleverness of Jean Michel Basquiat. Carlo Ricafort's work is based on appropriated images and the use of planned chance. His pale abstractions evoke irreverence and grit, which are subtle yet potent. Marcius Noceda's surrealist paintings with digitized or erased images provoke the imagination to violent and dramatic degrees. His work daunts you on man's futile search for meaning, unity and clarity. Lian Ladia's curatorial concepts are inspired by fluxus' sensibilities disparaging the conventional market-driven art world in favor of an artist-centered creative practice. England Hidalgo's painting and mixed media work portrays immaculate chiaroschuro; layering historical facts, pop icons or punk music in one visual platform.

John Yoyogi Fortes is the recipient of a number of grants, fellowships and awards from both the East and West Coast. His work continues to address a broad spectrum of personal concerns ranging from social and political issues such as human rights, the environment and globalization to identity, family and memory.

Breaking institutions yet working collaboratively, Kwatro-Kantos utilizes collective effort to break didactic thought and cuts chains loose.

21 grand is at the heart of the Oakland art murmur. It is an interdisciplinary arts space championing innovative visual and performing arts since 2000.

ATTENTION CALENDAR EDITORS: PLEASE list under Gallery/Exhibitions
Kwatro-Kantos
@ 21 Grand
August 15-Sept 13
Reception: Sept 5 (art murmur)
416 25th St. (at Broadway)
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 444-7263
Works by: England Hidalgo, Lian Ladia, Marcius Noceda, Carlo Ricafort, Mel Vera Cruz and John Yoyogi Fortes
http://www.21grand.org
http://www.kwatro-kantos.com

21 Grand Installation

Went to Oakland to deliver my paintings at 21 Grand. The show is curated by Lian Ladia who is also a member of the group Kwatro-Kantos. Everyone had alot of work and I think the installation looks really good. The reception is on Sept. 5th the evening of Art Murmur in Oakland. Carlo Ricafort and I went to get his artwork at his studio in Hunter's Point so I was able to see my old stumping ground when I was a 6-7 year old...although it was night!

Here' some shots from last night. Mel showing his Ginebra Kwatro-Kantos with the security guard.

Day Twenty Five!

Heather and Coco stopped by the studio to check on the progress. The rays coming from the dogs mouth and the black oval in the upper left are photoshop additions that I'll ad to the painting this week. Hope to be done soon. Sunday was shot with a wedding reception in the studio so we headed to the ferry building to get our weekend coffee fix.

Today I deliver my 2 paintings to 21 Grand in Oakland. The space is pretty big, but it's a multi use venue with music and performance events. Will post shots of the installation.

Day Twenty Four and a trip to Ojai!

Installation for 21 Grand is next week so I'm cranking to get this finished.



We just got back from a trip to Ojai and saw the show, Weekend Warrior, at our friend Nathan Larrameny's gallery. Great show! While at Nathan's, Heather and I met Brian Storts of Queen's Nails Annex Gallery in San Francisco. Brian is passing the gallery on to the next generation while he and his wife Rochelle, set up a new home and open Queen's Nails Ranch in Ojai.



Heather, Coco and Oliver with Nathan's Travis Somerville painting.

Day Twenty Three!

My thoughts were wandering very early this morning, half asleep, that CIA agents are similar to Pirates in that they kidnap individuals without cause. I realized, as I laid there, that the letters I and R are in the Pirate vocabulary! Too early in the morning to make real sense, but I like it.

Day Twenty Two!

Day Twenty One!

Just got back from a weekend in Bodega Bay doing nothing. Watching people kayak on the Russian River was definitely something I want to do next visit. The Root Division show is coming down this week and then it's off to Ojai. Looking forward to visiting Nathan's gallery and seeing the Weekend Warriors exhibit there.

21 grand will be in August with Kwatro Kantos. Should be fun.

Here's the latest after a few minutes in the studio tonight.

Day Twenty!

Nothing like a little florescent scare tissue!

Day Ninteen!

Added the I and R to the upper right last night (07-21-08). This shot is a bit cloudy due to the medium I added before taking this.

When I started this one I was thinking about self flagellation. Creating self criticism that in this case has manifested as kids beating its creator. Maybe criticism that relates back to his childhood! Who knows what hell we've been through.

Well, the I and R refer to Immaculate Rendition. Rendition as in the case of Extraodinary Rendition, the illegal forced disappearance, transporting, detaining and torture of individuals by the CIA. In this case Immaculate refers to the CIA's perception as being free from fault, flaws and errors. Hmmm.

I think this one flips back and forth for me. So I'm a Flip-Flopper! Got a ways to go on this one. Hang in there.

Day Eighteen!

The changes have been pretty sublte lately with as little time as I've been spending in the studio. At least the kids have a bit of drippy hair.

Day Seventeen!

Moving pretty slow on this painting now. The kids have hair. Still mulling over the broom and shovel. Color, amount of detail and such.

Sent off my packet to Philip Slein Gallery in St. Louis. Nice gallery with some artists who's work I really like. Tony Fitzpatrick, Fred Stonehouse, Gary Baseman and Gary Panter (remember Pee Wee's Playhouse). Philip, if you're reading this...sorry to hear about the sale of Anheuser-Busch.