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.

Day Sixteen!

Went into the studio for a short bit with Coco. Hard to get anything done, but Coco was a good sport and let me do a few things before heading home and to SF for the reception at Root Division.

Met up with Juan Carlos in the Mission the went to the reception which was pretty packed.

Old Video I Found

I found this video I did a while back and thought I'd share it with you.

Insider/Outsider @ Root Division

I have a couple pieces in the group exhibit "Insider/Outsider," at Root Division in the Mission in San Francisco. The reception is this weekend, July 12 from 7-10 p.m.

Should be fun. First time showing with my friend Juan Carlos Quintana who's been cranking out some great paintings and collabes with his wife Michelle for upcoming show.

From the SF Bay Guardian:
"Insider/Outsider" might be one of this year's best group shows. Its 16 artists range from veterans to new voices: David Yun's 2007 video A Taste of Home is one of a few works in which he takes on the whiteness of suburban Detroit. John Yoyogi Fortes and Juan Carlos Quintana are known for creating ironically colorful works on canvas. Ming Mur-Ray has most recently pointed her camera at tourists within developing China. Aditya Dhawan's current photo projects include a series devoted to taxi drivers, while Christina Mazza has used ballpoint to draw details of forsaken objects. Bijan Yashar has rendered the US map as a sick puppy, magnified the majesty of petrol company signs, and deployed video projection to further warp the worried expressions on George W. Bush's face. Take a look.

Day Fifteen

Time to put this one aside for a bit while I get my ideas together for 21 Grand in Oakland. Should be an interesting exhibit.

Day Fourteen!

Happy July 4th!

My daughter Jazmine was nice enough to help me clean my messy ass studio today. Now I can't find anything! Here's a picture of her standing in front of the painting I've been working.

Later that evening Anna and Bill Spooner came over and we watched the fireworks from the studio. Heather was really liking her rum and coke so much she brought a thermos full. Even with the loud explosions, Coco crashed.

Day Thirteen

Finally back in the studio after hanging out with a sick baby, a sick wife and catching up on NetFlix rentals. Maybe I can get more finished tomorrow (July 4th). Here's where I am to date.