Small-run prints and tees based on hand-made original art, each one starting with a story.

I was driving my kids to school- Milo was 8, and Madison 6. And during the 10 minute drive, we started talking about an incident at school where one of the kids "acted out" in response to being bullied. This story then quickly evolved into a conversation (or lecture, because, well, I'm a Dad 🙄 ) around the idea that no matter how indirectly you might be involved when someone is being picked on, you have a responsibility to act in defense of those on the receiving end of said bullying, being picked on, etc.. The idea of bullying- to an 8 and 6 year old- is not hard to grasp, but trying to explain the "right thing to do" when such situations occur is a little harder to communicate.

We had been watching (religiously) the Sandlot, one of the greatest sports movies (yes I consider it a sports movie) of all time. The kids knew the story, the characters, and the lessons. So instead of trying to repeat my plea over and over at an adult level, I simply reminded them:

Dad: "You know how Smalls was the new kid and everyone picked on him for one reason or another"?

Kids: “Yeah”

Dad: "And you remember the cool kid everyone liked- Benny- and how he came to Smalls' defense, and how that made Smalls feel"?

Kids: "Yeah"

Dad: "OK- so when you see a Smalls out there, be a Benny".

Kids: (nodding with understanding…)

I heard a resemblance to this quote on the radio one day, and thought how perfect the sentiment is for my kids as they grow up and experience sports highs and lows. Then I quickly realized, this pertains to me and how I feel almost all the time.
Sports or not.

A spin off of my original painting of the same concept, this version is much more direct and to the point. Using stencils and spraypaint, the overlay both subtle and bold (if that is even possible). The treatment is different than the original (found in my abstract section), but the sentiment and story is the same:

Thinking this phrase had never been uttered (I’ve realized since then that it had indeed been coined), I found myself surrounded by close friends, enjoying a few cocktails and more than a few laughs (or was it the other way around)? I looked up, and in practicing being more mindful and present, slowed down my surroundings and took a deep breath. And in this breath, the past and the future became a distant idea, and I realized that these moments- this moment- were moments we’d look back on with fondness. That we were living a moment of love, life and celebration, that someday would become “the good ol’ days”. This poster - and a few derivations of it - was born. THESE ARE the good ol’ days.

The Peace Tee

Originally hand-painted calligraphy, the word “peace” is written in english from left to right. From right to left, it reads “salam” (peace) in Arabic.

Originally created with acrylic and pastel on watercolor paper, I made this oversized raffled ticket as a reminder to my kids (ok-myself), that “winning” sometimes- well, most of the time- can be defined as just being in the moment that’s in front of you. Whether in a conversation, or on zoom, or by yourself- being present is a victory in and of itself, I find harder and harder these days, so I figured they (I) could use the reminder.

Make Lemonade

I have a love/hate relationship with motivational phrases.
As in, I agree in concept, but in practice, we’ll, let’s say it drives me nuts when I hear things like “just be happy”, or “happiness is a choice”. Yes- I get the intent. But holy crap I wish it
were that easy.

So when I hear phrases like “when one door closes, another one opens”, I cringe with approval and frustration- yes it’s true. I’ve said that to people too. I DO believe every closed door means there’s an opportunity somewhere. But it feels too easy, as if someone actually points to the opened door that was opened for you. When I hear “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”, no one talks about how the lemonade tastes, or how much sweetness you need to add/find to make it refreshingly palatable.

To me it’s too linear. And life sure doesn’t seem to be linear (I’m no guru mind you). You can start with a motivational seed, but you have to do the work to find how it grows. Sometimes it evolves in a way that makes sense immediately. Sometimes, you have to listen to your own coach (yourself) and realize that though it might not make sense, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. And it sure isn’t easy. So go ahead and change your phrase halfway through. It’s ok:).

Reapply

Maybe it was a subconscious response to being a father of a baby girl, but a lot of my work revolves around looking at things we’ve seen or heard for what feels like forever, with a spin…

Cali-forn-yeah

How I feel about my home state… An early hand-typography exploration, this design was screen printed by Forthrite Printing in Oakland.