Alive And Kickin

One night I got taken out to a very interesting meal in Seoul. Live octopus. You travel around the narrow little streets. There are seafood restaurants every square inch. Outside each restaurant is a fish tank filled with squid and octopus. It's a strange scene. We arrived at our place and we were ushered into the back room. It really wasn't a back room. It was actually outside of the restaurant, a small area wrapped all in clear plastic. It began to rain hard. The sound was loud on the plastic covering. It was straight out of Blade Runner. The waiters bring these large platters. Everything is raw. Oysters, scallops and yes octopus. It is freshly chopped up and all the tentacles are moving wildly. You just dip it in a little ginger sauce and then pop it in your mouth. The little suction cups on the tentacles stick to the roof of your mouth and tongue. It's a bizarre feeling. You have to chew it good before you swallow or it will stick to your throat. It was quite tasty actually. We ate a ton of it. Even I impressed myself. In this drawing I picked all the little items up off the street. The fruit was given to me by neighbors watching me draw.

Branding

When I'm in exotic lands I love to see what a box of Frosted Flakes looks like. I dig going into supermarkets and pharmacies. Wow, look at that toothpaste tube design. Potato chips with Muslim writing. Turkish Coca-cola. Bosco in Viet Nam. Ritz crackers in Malta. The simple everyday items look so groovy. I want to buy them all. It's too hard to take home food so I just drew a bunch of things instead.

Monkey Business

Buddhism is big in Korea. So as you can imagine there are a lot of monks strolling around. Men and women. All have shaved heads. It is sometimes hard to distinguish the men from the women. The best part is their clothes. They dress in grey from head to toe. Not just any grey. One that is very beautiful and elegant. They wear special hats, shirts, jackets, pants, gloves and shoes. All of them carry a beautiful little grey knapsack. It is very simple and the straps are made of thin rope. My producer asked if Armani had designed their outfits. They look so stunning that it gives them a certain air of sophistication. Whenever I ran into one they always took the time to smile and bow towards me. Who could not like people like that. I loved to visit the big temple in Seoul. It's called Jogyesa. Next to it was a building that always seemed to be crawling with monks. I'd stand next to the place and get my smiles and bows. With my head shaved and all, I think a few may have thought I was a buddhist. I guess in some ways I am.
The original of this painting is for sale in my shop if anyone is interested.

Really Being Green

I'm not sure if people realize this about me or not but I am truly out of my mind. Take this drawing for instance. This is not some cute little drawing of Seoul. It's the view out my 14th floor window of the Ritz Carlton. Each morning I would do a little more of the sketch. Why I am insane is because every detail is correct. That's right, I drew every building exactly as it appears. No skimping. I go to great pains to make it as accurate as possible. I don't need to do that. Most people would just get the essence and then fill in any old buildings quickly. No me. I have mental issues. There is one cool little tidbit I will share about Seoul. Notice most of the rooftops are painted bright kelly green. When I would look out my window, it was like staring at hundreds of little tennis courts. They also paint the floors of every parking garage kelly green. One day I even saw a few guys freshly painting the floor of a garage green. Each one is so clean and shiny and of course, green. Seoul is a feast for the eyes. All the houses in and around Seoul have little garages for their cars. The only problem is that they are so small that you can only close the door if you own something tiny, like a mini cooper. As you walk around you see cars partially sticking out of garages. The garage door only half closed. It is quite funny and also somehow charming. I love that place.

If You Think I'm Sexy

There is a groovy blog called, Sexy People. It is a place where people post old photos of themselves. Not just any old photos but terribly embarrassing shots from years gone by. Bad poses, awful clothes and shameful hairdo's. It is very popular. One visit and you can see why. I was inspired to do this little drawing which I colored in photoshop.

I'm Your Fan. No, I'm your fan

The other day I got a fantastic email. All it said was, "I really enjoy your sketches. Please check out mine. Lorenzo." OK, I'll check out your little sketches. Turns out Lorenzo is Lorenzo Fonda, a director. I began to delve into his work and quickly realized I had just bumped into a kind of genius. The more I watched of his films, the more I got sucked in and fascinated by this dude. Could someone be this clever and smart and original and unique. Well I guess so. I didn't write him back for a few days because I kept returning to his site and discovering more gems. Check out Alfa Romeo - sloth and Converse in his commercials section. Watch Bernard Fleischmann in his Music video section. And of course you must watch, ten things I have learned about the sea. He has a film coming out called, Megunica Documentrip. It stars one of the greatest artists of our generation. Blu. I've spoken about him before. Lorenzo actually knows this dude. I'm in awe. Fianlly I get around to looking at his sketches. this guy can do no wrong. His drawings have such a distinctive style. They are so funny that he makes me jealous of his talent. I just wanted to give him a shout out and turn everyone on to his work. Feel free to write him a little note. He loves to hear from people.