telepole mural

Here is the sketch Narangkar and I submitted for our mural proposal for the new downtown Oakland location of the Touchstone Climbing Gym. The gym is called the Great Western Power Company because that was the name of the original company to own the building (like Iron Works Gym in Berkeley). So the telephone poles and wires sorta fit that. The wall (which is indoors in the weight / aerobic room) is 27 feet wide and 16 feet tall. The mural starts 6 feet up the wall (so it will be 10' tall). The negetive space of the sky will be colored patchwork and reflect the hues of dawn, day, and dusk. Narangkar is gonna handle the colors and the project management while I did this original sketch. We'll both do the painting, along with any volunteers. Anyone?
We should be painting in December so I'll post photos of the progress.

Here is our original painting collaboration from 2005 that the mural is based on:

Game Over

Well, the 2007 baseball season is now completely over (although it was over for Oakland back in June if you know what I mean). What better time could there be to go over my pre-season predictions? Probably after all the awards are announced, but let's do this now anyways.

Let me just preface this with the fact that I'm on a red-hot prediction streak of 1 year. That's right, it was me who predicted that the Cardinals would win it all in 2006 back before that season even started. Was I as clairvoyant this year?

I did, in fact, have the Red Sox in the World Series! Except I them losing to the Dodgers in seven games. So that was so close, yet so, so far. I had the Rockies finishing last in the NL West.

I few things I predicted came to pass: Like Zito sucking it in SF, the Phillies in the post-season, and (big surprise) Bonds breaking the all-time home run mark. I had the standings in the AL East right (with New York as the wild card losing in the first round of the playoffs). I also successfully predicted the White Sox tanking, the Royals losing fewer than 100 games, and the poor Pittsburgh Pirates in last in the NL Central. I also predicted a Cy Young season for San Diego's Chris Young, which was a possibility for a while there.

But it isn't all sunshine for my ability to call it: I thought Randy Johnson was in for a big season. I also thought Jason Schmidt was gonna win 20 games. I somehow dared to believe Rich Harden would pitch a triumphant, full season. I predicted Clemens would play... with the division champion Astros. I prognosticated the Nationals losing over 100 games (they didn't even lose 90), Teixeira as an AL MVP candidate, and the A's and the Rangers battling it out for the crown in the AL West - with the Angels bombing.

So, congrats to Boston and our boy Bobby Kielty. Tune in next spring for Fearless Pete's MLB 2008 fool-proof predictions.

gouache and ink on paper bag

It all continues with this series of time-wasting cities. Gouache and ink on a brown paper bag. I got some sweet frames in the making as well. There will be a few of these on display in the group show, The There, There, curated by Theo Auer at Esteban Sabar Gallery in Oakland starting November 20th.

Free Stuff (for me)

Narangkar and I were just chilling in the gallery/studio when Becker came in with an armful of canvases for us. Free canvas is always good. Even if we end up not using it, it won't be hard to stoke someone else out with it. And that wasn't even the best part, as Becker was getting into his car he asked if I wanted a new skate deck. Apparently it was flowed to him and 7.75" is too skinny. So now I get a brand-new Zoo York deck, which I promptly repainted with a stencil I made from one of Ryohei Tanaka's papercuts (I'll write about that project later). Also a the RoMo bunny stencil had to go on there are well. My current board is good for the winter for me, but it is good to know that I have most of 2008 covered.

It gets even better: Earlier in the week we wrangled some serious track lights (about 40' of track and 16 cams) from the gutting of the late-Poppy Fabric (RIP). Track lights in the studio, oh hell yeah!