My connection in Rio, paintings and sketches
I recently took a trip to Rio de Janeiro Brazil for some rest and to learn more about the art of Jiu Jitsu.
The trip was way to short but it was well worth it. Here are some sketches and paintings I happen to do when I had some down time.
Japan earthquake: How you can help
By now everyone has seen or heard about the damage and the lives lost in Japan. Here are just a few links to some sites where you can help.
The following international sites are recommended by Timeout Tokyo:
American Red Cross
Canpan Fields (Japanese NPO)
Save the Children
Non-Believers Giving Aid (scroll down the page for Japan earthquake relief)
NGO Jen (in English and Japanese)
International Medical Corps
Association of Medical Doctors in Asia
Japan is a strong nation and I know that they will rebuild the megalopolis better than it ever was, if that is even possible.
Paris styles and beyond
This past week I spent five days in Paris, France. I’m not sure even where to begin. These photos are just a glimpse of what I saw overseas. The artwork was straight from the history books but as clean and elegant in real life. I basically spent each day walking the entire city. From the very first day I arrived to the last when I departed I never used any public transportation to move about the city. I wanted to discover everything I could about Paris with the little time I had. Paris is not as big as most U.S. cities but it was still worth while. In addition to taking pictures I only allowed myself photography for the first tens minutes at a location, the rest of the time I spent sketching and drawing in my book. I also recorded my thoughts as I walked throughout the city but lost my iphone the night I returned, so all those voice memos are gone. Which sucks because I wanted them to go with the video I shot. Now when I look at the video it doesn’t feel as powerful without the narrations I planned. I may still post the vids but as of now its in limbo. Basically I love Paris. It is a beautiful city with style and culture that I will visit again. However, I stayed at a hostel and that is something I strongly do not recommend. Man I have a few stories but I will save those for another time. Stick to hotels, motels and holiday inns. When I was planning this trip I had to goals in mind, to try absinthe and to purchase a sketchbook. Not just any sketchbook, something that looked fresh out of lord of the rings. A book that Da Vinci would be jealous of. And I did find such a book. The problem now is what to put into it. Enjoy these pics and keep a look out for the next post containing sketches from the trip.
The Artist Process
This past Sunday I had the pleasure of participating in the second part of The Artist Process. A little ago I took part in the video documentary portion, which was amazing as well. So on Sunday the majority of Artist involved got together at 5 Pointz in Long Island City, Queens. The Person responsible for this entire project is M2 a.k.a. Marthalicia of M-Squared Art Productions. Anybody who knows this lady knows the talent she holds. Truly inspiring. It was a great day to be out painting amongst some of NY most talented individuals. Many thanks to Flor Mancha for grabbing the camera and documenting while I painted!
Brooklyn day & night pt.2
Photography is becoming another passion of mine. All I can do is trust my eye and capture what I feel is a great moment. Some photographers take hundreds of photos to chance that they can get the perfect shot. I think about it as if I was using film and not a digital camera. Take time wait and when I see something interesting capture it.
Labor Day Parade R.I.P. Bob Marley
There is no other Parade in the States that can compare.
ASTORIA MUSIC NOW!
Tomorrow I will be painting live in Astoria Queens! Here’s the details for the event:
Astoria Music and Arts Presents, In association with the Queens
Council on the Arts and the City Parks Foundation:
AMN is Astoria Music & Arts’ 2nd Annual Music & Arts festival in
Astoria Park, an environmentally friendly day of family fun &
education to be held on the Great Lawn on July 25th. Building upon
last year’s main & side stages, Astoria Music Now! is adding a third
stage dedicated to world music, dj’s, dance & theater arts. There will
also be vendors selling crafts, clothing, art & food at the event. We
continue our tradition of live music that spans various diverse
cultures from the community. Visitors will watch visual artists create
works live, enjoy the sights and sounds of our culturally vibrant
neighborhood and participate in this celebration of arts & music! We
are still seeking volunteers, vendors, and visual artists. Activity
are set to begin at 12 noon.
The Aftermath…
Last night I just got back from Puerto Rico after six days of art and creativity. I took quite a few trips in the past few years but traveling to San Juan and being involved and creating some serious work has been a true blessing. I’m not a graffiti writer but to be able to be in the mix with great talent and veterans of the game was priceless. Art is art, meeting and getting to know the artist was the important part, seeing the art being made was just the added bonus. And to top things off I had the opportunity to get a tattoo by Blen 167 @ All Star Ink. I could go on and on but it was a great trip, many stories to tell. The scenery was amazing and the weather was perfect with cheap beers and cool nights. I will definitely be going back-
Video will be coming soon, we took a lot of footage from beginning to end-
THE AEROSOL ISLAND
IT GOES DOWN IN 2 WEEKS
LOOKS LIKE 3 DAYS OF ART,,
PUERTO RICO’S GONNA BE THE AEROSOL PARADISE,
BIG SHOUT TO CORTES, BAD6 AND BLEN167 FOR INVITING ME DOWN,
SALUDOS A TODOS LAS AMISTADES NUEVAS QUE HAY PARA CONOCER.
Patience is a virtue.
So the day finally came. J. Smalls has turned 30. Now what? Well the same as before just grind harder, stay even more focused and cut out more of the bulls#!t. Visiting Tokyo always inspires me in some way. It’s a visual overload, like crack for your eyeballs. And celebrating a turning poitn in my life in a place that creative definently made an affect on me. Now the question is not what do I do now that I’m back in the States, but how can I obtain the goals I made for myself and at the sametime exceed my own expectations? When I was there I was in the moment but once it was time to leave it was all about getting back to the NY and improving on the weak spots. Turing thirty may not be big for some but for the last three decades I’ve been enjoying things and life has been pretty interesting so far. So if you read this and wonder why I’m out of the loop or haven’t been around much it’s because I’m focused. Point blank period. It’s time to build.
Here’s a couple of pics I took. I don’t know the name of the first one but that building reminded me of Blade Runner, and the second pic is from the entrance of Studio Ghibli in Mitaka. That place is a must for any artist or illustrator a true inspiration. I would’ve taken of Studio Ghilbli and posted them but photography wasn’t allowed once inside. If you could see the animators room and artist studios….I wanted to chill in those rooms and just draw and sketch. That’s another thing, since I’ve been taking these trips to JP I’ve been working on a sketch book. The book mostly contains whatever catches my eye and what I have time to put on paper. It’s not complete but in the works.
Seperate But Equal
DJ PREMIER IN TOKYO! NUFF SAID. I have never been to a club
that banged out more classic cuts from 90′s than CLUB NUTS.
Seriously they were killing it. We went out a few times
this week to check the night life. Normally going out in the city you
have to keep your guard up, I mean I never drop my guard but the aggression
and negativity that usually comes with drinking and druk people I didn’t experience
here. Not just that, but the fact that nobody was out looking for drama( I mean I didn’t
run into any beef). That was different. Man where aggressive in the states. I also
checked out the Ramen Museum, oishi desu ne! Coming back to Tokyo
for the second time has only encouraged me to move out here. It’s not as difficult
as most people think. The vibe is better the food is HEALTHY. The only bad part
is how they see Tattoos out here. Being a man who’s covered in ink that
doesn’t help. Life isn’t easy so that’s not gonna stop me, it’s just
another barrier to break through.
How about some fried chicken bones?
The Ruler's Back
It’s cold but I’m prepared. The good things is after I arrived I felt more comfortable than before. Spending those two weeks in January wasn’t long but it helped me get use to the flow of things and the vibe of the country. This picture that’s up I took the first time around. I haven’t taken any new ones yet but the people are dressed about the same because it’s freezing over here. Today is going to be pretty calm. I’m going out this morning to check some spots and do some shopping but for the most part it’s chill time for me. Man, whoever said Tokyo was filthy or dirty doesn’t know what there talking about, this place is spotless. I never knew an airport restroom could be so clean and smell of freshly squeeze lemons. Nah not lemons but it was clean. I’ma take a pic of that and take it to the people at Penn Station and tell them to step there game up!
Mushashino Wu-Ronz
Next week I will make my return to Tokyo. Yeah Japan Son!! I’m a little excited but I’m mostly eager to arrive and chow down on some serious cooking. The last time I was there I had the opportunity to try out some home cooked meal which was the best thing I’ve ever tasted except for the salted plums, that was some nasty s#!T!! So I’ve been working on making a list of places to see and things to do. But I checked out so much the first time, now I just feel like chillin and trying different foods. If I don’t find anything to blow my money on(I doubt that will happen) I will get a tattoo. I’ve been wanting a koi fish so this would be the best time to make that happen. There’s still some empty space on my left arm that would look nice with a koi on it. This time I have my own laptop so I can post pics as I take them each day. So if you read this back in January you can expect the same type of imagery. Who knows I might not even come back to the states. To find some freelance work or to hook up a job in Tokyo that would be sweet. I guess I gotta wait and see.
Cherry blossoms never last..
So since my trip to japan I’ve been working on some new art and experimenting with some new patterns and techniques. in the next few weeks i will be posting a preview of the latest work. the tokyo art scene is a inspiration for any artist of any style.
jay loves japan(^___^)
I’ve been here a week so far. Japan is a place full of history and style and a very live and active culture. before coming arriving in Japan i studied some words and phrases so i could sound somewhat like i been here before,that help a little. but i picked up some new vocab: shochu(a Korean drink served in JP that’s strong and flavorful), oolon hai, arigato gozaimasu and a few others. I’m staying in Tokyo but Tokyo is freaking huge!! so each day i go to different district/area (similar to the way NYC has boroughs). i don’t have a favorite but hirajuku is a dope spot. the t-shirts over here are sick!! one can go broke just going from shop to shop, but its worth it. theres many snealer spots too. ive seen a few dunks and some sb dunks but ima get the footwear last. so far I’ve been to shibuya, asakusa, kamakura, tama river, ginza(and fifth ave cant even compare to ginza shopping!), the imperial palace, ofuna and roppongi. theyre many more places to check out while I’m here. I’ve been sketching a lot and taking pics. i started a sketchbook while i was at the airport and I’m halfway finished. theyve been having earthquakes since i arrived, but thats common herre. people dont even care if the house shakes or if they have a tsunami. theyre use to it. for the most part japan is chill, very fast forward environment. the way the system works is for the benefit of the people and the people go with the system because it works well. everyone recycles and does there part to keep thinngs clean. i havent seen any dirty neighborhoods in the the areas ive been too. the funny thing is people are for healthy living and excercising but so many people smoke. you cant avoid cigarette smoke at all! if youre seeing typos thats becasue im using a foreign laptop so some of the keys are different.
GRINZILLA 2007
It’s been in the works for a while so it was bound to happen. John Grin Invades Tokyo. In a few days kaos will break havoc once again in the islands of Japan. An artistic voyage of discovery and exploitation, beer drinking and tattooing. I could continue but what would be the point. Periodically, I will post pics and sketches of places I visit and people I meet. I have no expectations, a roundtrip ticket and an open mind. The rest is up to chance-
