Woman with Dog Reading

Woman with Dog Reading
29 x 21.2 cm
acrylic on paper
sue-ching you © 2008

For James Newitt

Anticipation
28.7 x 26.3 cm
acrylic on paper
sue-ching you © 2008

When you visit James's website, you will be amazed and impressed by his achievement in art and academic studies.

As one of 18th Street International Studio Gang, he is my next door neighbor. James is the only person has car, Vedran is our GPS, and I am the passenger. Together, we have gone to quite a few gallery walks, exhibitions, and openings.

He always keeps his door wide open when he is in. When anyone knocks on his door to visit, he always likes to offer you something to drink (beer is usually on the first of the option list when he says that). He likes walking barefoot in his studio. In addition, his signature smile will make you feel welcome and delightful.

His mom is a teacher, teaching health psychology. Today is her birthday. If you are tired of waking your kids up in the morning for the school, he will suggest you to let them learn surfing. James goes surfing almost every morning around 6. He is very fond of that.

He has a very interesting project called A Dollar Story Shop. He will set up a stand in a place like Skid Row (downtown LA and around 4-5,000 homeless live there) and ask people to tell him a story, then he will offer them a dollar in return. Quotes from the stories will be "advertising" on the large billboards. He is very intelligent in words and language for expressions and contemplation.

note from 11/9:
Anticipation is what he wants me to paint. James told me stories about his mom. He is going to give the painting to her. Anticipation is a nice word; when we anticipate something or someone, before its proper time, we look forward to it; we think of it often and intensive sense of expectation and desire arouse in the air.

Inspired by Nintendo's video game-"Anticipation" which released in 1988, this painting directly projects every artist, home, land sale owner's happy moment-item "SOLD".

For Vedran Perkov

Unlimited Love

29 x 21 cm

acrylic on paper

sue-ching you © 2008

Vedran, James, and I, I call us- Gang from the 18th Street International Studio. Vedrean, sky without any clouds, is from Croatia.

He grew up in Split and for vocation, he often goes to Zlarin, an island with a population of 276 in the winter time. His mom helps people with Chinese medicine and herbs. His family grows olive trees for the oil and vine yard for the wine. Everyone on the island knows him as a designer for the sport competition T-shirt and an artist. In my opinion, he is also like an art historian, movie critique, music guide, and most of all, he is our super GPS to wherever we go.

He is a thinker, and it reflects on his works. Those instant monuments, luxury beds, game machines, etc...are simple presentations of installations, but when you look and read closer, something further and beyond of those simple presentations will gradually reveal layers by layers or just hit you with a great surprise. Penalty Kicks is the piece has been on my mind lately.

Vedran is leaving on 9/30. I was thinking about just giving him a painting as a farewell gift, but I decided to ask him to participate this project.

Today (9/24), he told me to paint "unlimited". He thinks anything is possible in life, and he asks me to paint without any boundary. He is going to give the painting to his niece, a lady whom has been through a lot of rough time in life. To him, she is more than just a niece; They understand each other very well, and one of her daughters is his favorite. "You can paint it all blue"-I agree that blue sky = unlimited space, but I want more than that.

I wrote a poem called Unlimited Love together as a package to Vedran. Here I will only show you a section of my writing.

"Unlimited love, unlimited life

Limited love, limited life

Light is life

Love is never light"

For Jean Jou

Father
22 x 31 cm
acrylic on paper
sue-ching you © 2008

Jean lives at the east side of LA. She picked me up on Moon Festival, and I spent a couple days with her and her family. She was my English teacher when I was a high school student in Taiwan.

She asks me to paint "father", and it is going to be a gift for her son. Suddenly, I feel a great resposibility for the painting.

"Father" is the word or figure that has been had a great influence on expression and expectation in family, career, personality, and society, etc...Lee Ang, the director of Lust, Caution, now is a well known figure worldwide. Quote from Taipei Times, "Years of hard work have earned Ang Lee international fame. But, perhaps, the ultimate validation came from his father, who, on his death bed, told his son to keep on doing what he loves without fear."

This painting is scheduled to be finished on November 27.

For Sara Kulaski

Big River: Homage to Johnny Cash
28.3 x 26.4 cm
acrylic on paper
sue-ching you © 2008

Sara is Shane's girlfriend. Shane and his gang go surfing with my next door neighbor James Newitt almost every morning. James, Vedran and I often go to the gallery walks and openings in Santa Monica and downtown LA. I met Sara last Saturday during the gallery walk at Washington and La Cienega. She is an elementary school teacher. I mentioned the project to her, and she said that it would be a nice project for her students. When I spoke to her, I changed my plan a little. However, I've decided to stick with my original plan instead.

We met last night again in James's studio party. I told her my original plan, and she will tell me later what to paint.

Today (9/22), got an e-mail from Sara. She wrote, "I have been thinking about the subject for the painting and I would like you to paint about music. The painting will be for my brother John who is a musician-a guitar player. His style is a mixture of rock n roll, folk, some blues and country.... (cool country, think johnny cash and bob dylan) ."

The finished painting is giving homage to Johnny Cash, a legend always dressed in black. It took me days to think about how to paint. When I saw Johnny Cash's bio on Ovation TV, I immediately knew what and how to start the painting. Hope you will see the rhythm of Big River when you are enjoying the painting.

For Anna Z.

Ralphs on Cloverfield Avenue is where I get grocery. Second day after my arrival, I met Anna. She is a cashier at Ralphs. Today, I left a note to her at Ralphs, and I hope that she will contact me for participating this project.

I went to Ralphs yesterday (9/18), the manager told me that he had already passed the word to Anna. However, until today (9/19) I still have not yet heard from Anna.

For Jan Williamson

18th Street
21.2 x 29 cm
acrylic on paper
sue-ching you © 2008

Jan has been working at the 18th Street Arts Center for 14-15 years. We went to Tacos Por Favors this afternoon. I asked her to participate my project. Surely I could have picked someone more distance than the staff from the Center. But I think the distance from Taipei to Santa Monica is long enough, isn't it?

Jan asked me to paint either a favorite street corner here or a plant that I have never seen in Taiwan. She is going to send the painting to a friend of her in Minnesota. Before Jan works at the Center, they were colleagues and became close friends. Now her friend is one of the donors of the Center. Jan told me that the painting would be a nice gift to thank to her support.

For Lola del Fresno

Love and Freedom

21.5 x 29.2 cm
acrylic on paper
sue-ching you © 2008

I met Lola at the Tacos Por Favor on Olympic and 14th. She was with Yoshi, Director of Santa Monica Art Studios. She is an artist, too. She creates large scale paintings on paper and mounted on cavas over wooden panel. I might see her on the open studio night this coming Saturday.

Lola wants me to paint something related to a heart and love, love + freedom.

Lola called and asked about why I painted her request as a woman in a pool. I told her that heart for expression of love has been used too often. If I paint a figure and you can feel her heart for love and freedom, then I think I have achieved what I want to deliver.

note from 11/11:
Lola came and picked up her painting on Sunday 11/9. We chat a bit. She is from Spain and has been living in Santa Monica for 3 years. She also lived in NYC for 3.5 years before she came to LA. Her projects are just like a projection of herself-elegant, delicate, spiritual; ambitious but remain low profile. Like Yvette, Lola creates large scale paintings, and I think it would be great to introduce them to know each other.

Phone

Phone
21.5 x 29cm
acrylic on paper
sue-ching you © 2008

For Ed Rockett

At the Creek
29 x 21.7 cm
acrylic on paper
sue-ching you © 2008



" Good morning, oh! I guess it is good afternoon!"
I run into Ed 10 to 12pm today on the parking lot. Ed is from Knockinclash Productions, and he is at the 18th Street Studio participating project from Continuum Movement. He is going to think about what to paint and tell me later.

Today, 9/13, I got a note from Ed. He wants me to paint "an impression of a dragonfly flying through a heartiful, natural creekside."

For Ed Evans

At the Beach
28.8 x 21.5 cm
acrylic on paper
sue-ching you © 2008

Two days ago when I was biking back from the beach, I saw an elegant classic black car at the alley. It was parking at the garage waiting for its regular maintenance. I walked in to the garage this morning, and I met Ed. He is a car expert specializing in Cadillacs. He told me that it was a 1934 Plymouth, and it still ran very fast. I proposed him participating Give+ Project, so then he asked me to paint butterfly and Puerto Rico/Rican in a pleasant atmosphere for a female friend of him.

Man with Dog Reading

Man with Dog Reading
29 x 21.5cm
acrylic on paper
sue-ching you © 2008
Private Collection- JJ

Man with Dog

Man with Dog
21.3 x 29cm
acrylic on paper
sue-ching you © 2008

18th Street Arts Event-9/5

"Friday, September 5th, 7:30pm

Echo Park Film Center to showcase “Sustainable LA” In conjunction with Citizen Artists Making Emphatic Arguments

Santa Monica, CA – In conjunction with Citizen Artists Making Emphatic Arguments, Echo Park Film Center will set up their film mobile that runs on veggie oil and will use their bicycle generator powered projector to present us with "Sustainable LA" in our parking lot. For more info…

Gallery hours are Monday – Friday 10am-6pm. 18th Street Arts Center is located at 1639 18th Street, Santa Monica. For further information and images please visit our pressroom/gallery at www.18thstreet.org/pressroom.html."

9/27 open studio e-postcard

Saturday, 9/27, 6-9pm

18th Street Arts Center