When my friend, photographer Klea McKenna, invited me to help her out for a day on her latest project, I quickly said yes. I knew she was bringing together a bit of local history, a lens-less camera, a wild landscape, and 12 hours of changing light. But I didn’t think too much about what exactly the day would entail, I just thought it’d be fun and out of the ordinary. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Klea exposing a paper airplane

Klea was working on the second project in her Paper Airplanes series, a photographic installation that would be comprised of 57 paper airplanes folded out of color photographic paper installed in a giant triangle. The project is based on and inspired by a bit of local history— during WWII, soldiers were deployed to man several anti-aircraft lookout posts along the Marin and Sonoma coast. All day and all night these soldiers looked west, watching the sky and horizon over the Pacific Ocean for signs of enemy planes. But they saw no enemy planes, instead they only witnessed the light change and watched hundreds of sunsets.

The project is a kind of performative photographic act that places Klea in the position of the soldiers who guarded the coastline and interprets their prolonged observation of the sky into an abstract visual art form. So, the plan for the day was that Klea would expose the paper airplanes on site at the anti-aircraft lookout post at Tennessee Cove in Marin Headlands. Beginning at dawn and ending at dusk, she would expose one plane every 10 minutes using camera made from a large biscuit tin. My job would be to help her fold the photographic paper into airplane shapes in portable dark bags, while she loaded them into the camera, and then exposed and unloaded them.

Shawn Barber opens Youth of Today featuring 11 new paintings on Friday, July 8th @FFDG (7-10pm) in San Francisco. Below are a few works included in the exhibition to give you a taste.

Youth of Today
Paintings by Shawn Barber
@FFDG, San Francisco
July 8 - August 13, 2011
Reception: July 8 (7-10pm)

"Pincushion" || Photo: Stephanie Gonot (Los Angeles)

Los Angeles, CA: Last Saturday June 11, artist Marco Zamora’s New Works opened at the POVevolving Gallery in Chinatown, Los Angeles. The opening reception ran from 6 pm to 10 pm. We arrived around 9 pm, but there were still lots of folks in the gallery checking out Marco’s beautifully detailed pieces. The show runs from June 11 to July 9th.

Install shot

I recently had my first solo show, Human Failure, at the Slingluff Gallery in Philadelphia, PA which opened June 4th. The show was followed by The Slingluff Gallery’s fourth birthday party at The M Room with great performances by Dumhi (with Side Effect, Ethel Cee, and Elucid). We were lucky enough to make the trip out to Philadelphia for the opening, which was followed by a road trip to Pittsburgh to visit our buddies, Andy and Ben Kehoe. Anyhow, we had an absolute blast meeting new folks and seeing the cities. Here are some photos from the trip and opening. Thanks again to the Slingluffs, Kehoes, Dumhi, and all the folks who came to see the show.

Human Failure
New works by Michael C. Hsiung
The Slingluff Gallery
11 West Girard Ave
Philadelphia, PA

The Luggage Store and t.w.five team up for this vinyl on vinyl board mural in the heart of the Tenderloin here in San Francisco. It can be found on Jones St between Ellis and Eddy. ~Photos (scroll down) from their opening last November at The Luggage Store.

New York 4 New York - With support from the High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media's principal, one of the four high schools on the Canarsie Educational Campus ( formerly Canarsie High School), The Love Movement invited 15 renowned New York City artists to create murals for a permanent installation in the high school's hallways. Beyond beautification, the aim of the murals is to provide a positive, inspiring and empowering learning environment with artwork that can relate to the students. The project is a blueprint for schools to utilize local artists to help enrich their educational environments now and in the future.

I visited Erik Otto at his studio mid-April, right before he had a group show at the Mallick Williams Gallery (Robin Williams’ Daughter). I was stoked to have the opportunity to check out his studio, learn about his process, and maybe get inspired to paint more myself.

I first met Erik when I was covering a show of his at White Walls for FF and he seemed like a cool dude. Indeed he is cool, and was open to share his artistic practice, thoughts, and philosophies with me. It turns out he went to San Jose State and was involved with the animation department (which my brother is in). He was taught and influenced by Barron Story, and from fellow classmates who went on to have successful careers in the animation industry. Erik deviated away from illustration, choosing to focus on paintings and installations with reclaimed paint and wood as his medium. In our conversation we talked about working with companies, how not to get girls, tree hugging, Barron Story, and why school is cool. I hope you enjoy!

I haven't. They’re new, they've only been open since this last fall. It's Robin Williams' first-born daughter I think, along with her husband. The Williams family, little known fact, owns 6 pieces of mine. Since the divorce of his wife he's slowed down buying art and his kids are kinda steppin' in. Hopefully I get to meet him out of this.

Yea! But more like Toys. I used to have Toys and then pause it and sketch everything. It's kinda cool how it has come full circle, someone that influences you, probably more than you know it, and then he likes your work.

When I was young, yea. Certain movies it's good compositions all the way through, just pause it anywhere.

After this show I hit the ground running as soon as I return, I'm doing this big commission for RedBull, on top of this piece (the house project installation) which will go live, that’s going to the dump basically (Recology), there's a sculpture garden down there. They do private tours, it's the dump over by Bayshore. I was there almost everyday.

And there is one more, a grant through the SF Arts Commission. Which is cool, all this outdoor alternative exposure stuff right after a super traditional style show. Me being the SF street artist, sort of lowbrow comin' in, who knows how it's gunna be responded to. They were like go easy on the reclaimed wood material, and I'm like that's my whole thing, I don't know how to go easy. You tell that to me and it makes me want to do it even more.

Promo photo for the band YACHT

Photo: Alin Dragulin (Portland, Oregon)

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Nothing can make your day even better when a package arrives with free goods.

The Vans tape ruined the surprise.

3 pairs? Thanks VANS CALIFORNIA COLLECTION for sending out some shoes.

Now I can sail straight to the skate park without changing shoes. How do they match up with some Sperry top siders?

Ever look at shoes and can tell that they'll look even better after they get some serious wear?! That's a sign of a good shoe.

Aaaaaa, that nerdy new shoe look.

Pretty sure these leather beauties take top prize. Thanks for the love, VANS! Who's next? I could use a sports car.

VANS CALIFORNIA COLLECTION

Somehow I found myself involved in a spontaneous, public art project that organically unfolded over the last couple of weeks in sf.

For the hell of it, I was drawing a famous clown named Ronald (as a junky villain derelict,) but somewhere along the way, I saw a glint of compassion in his eyes. So the drawing ended up showing Ron suddenly caught in an existential crisis of sorts... Like he just realized that he was solely responsible for the death of hundreds of millions of cows. Maybe he suddenly understood that he was fueling massive rainforest destruction and undeniably accountable for child obesity and onset adolescent diabetes.

So I drew him, printed him out, mixed up some pigment and painted on some paper. Then I pasted him up in a foodie district in the mission. The following photographs were taken over the next 2 weeks.

the aging clown experiences an unexpected moment of clarity.

a few days later, someone (equipped with at least 4 colors of aerosol) wasn't amused. "fuck you, hipster scum." Right on point, oh disgruntled youth.

a public forum concluded that it was obviously the work of a certain masked villain. (humburglar was later arrested for defacing public art)

Only hipsters use words like "Hipster."

a few days later, a stencil party ensues.

followed by a confirmed metric fuckton of unadorned radness.

and finally.... according to the local shopkeep, the entire wall is "archived for historical significance." ..

Join us next week, as we discuss vegan soy lattes and their effect on the youth of America. - Zoltron

++ Graffiti in Berkeley CA

Photo: Charlie Mirador (San Francisco, CA)

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