all of this is for you

Latest painting:

2012-02-15T20:48:00.001-08:00

"Fawkes"

2012

30" x 24"

acrylic on canvas

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having"

You can grab a print here.

"A message of hope for those who choose to hear it, and a warning for those who do not." - Tool

2012-02-15T20:45:00.004-08:00

* * *

An explanation of some of the symbolism in the Fawkes painting:

At the bottom we see dual goddesses - this is Ma'at, the winged deity of harmony, justice, and truth. When one dies, so the ancient Egyptians said, their heart is weighed against a single one of her feathers, and having lived a life of integrity, passage is granted to the next world. If the heart is heavier, it is eaten, and it's owner condemned to purgatory.

Those old Egyptians had a pretty strong moral code (and an understanding that people weren't perfect) so there were ways to atone. Being kind to each other was high up on this karmic list.

On either side of Ma'at are symbols for "Shanti" (peace) and the sacred mantra "Om".

Moving up from the center, we see our living heart, which, having viewed the atrocities of mankind, sheds tears of compassion that flower into (the hands of) action, aided by consciousness blossoming from a pineal seed. Above, the pearl of wisdom dispenses nectar when light is filtered through it - these nectar droplets are distributed through information grids (such as the interweb) to feed the hungry blossoming consciousnesses. The central message of the the nectar is "YES".

In the margins, neurons have begun attaching their synapses to an Akashic matrix. As the little guys attach, they're electrified with the energy of universal interconnectedness. Feeding on the vast grid, they are excited in a new way. More and more neurons (just like the ones in your head) follow suit. A flood of nourishing divine energy into our physical reality begins.

On the left Ganesha, a remover of obstacles, blesses this union of happy neuron and divine matrix with a mudra of protection. In his free hand he offers prasad, tasty sacramental treats for budding boddhisatvas.

Above the eyes of the mask are paisleys, decorated with the beacon-eyes of enlightened teachers, emanating their light of truth. The paisley shape itself is a very old symbol of abundance.

2012 is the year of the dragon, and hopefully, perhaps, a time of rebirth, so in the center we find the phoenix and the dragon. Most of our world's cultures contain some version of both - they're our ancestral symbols, embracing as female/male duality. When pictured together, they are empress & emperor, and mean harmony and complete interdependence. The dragon carries the massive pearl of wisdom, which has the power to multiply anything it touches. The phoenix, as well as rebirth and creation, symbolizes such things as the golden rule, honesty, knowledge, integrity, beauty, and peace. The couple produces from their interwoven hands the pink lotus-heart at the golden ratio point.

Above it all, "The Peacekeeper" throws his hands up in rapture. Having glimpsed his noble destiny, he dons the one true crown. The fierce, owl-like eyes of an angelic denizen of a holy-fire realm can be seen. This alien angel visits and guards him.

He is surrounded by a multitude, enthusiastically on their way, and ragin' it peacefully as they go. They are going to the big party, the moment, the funeral pyre, the bonfire, the Orgasm, the Self, The Festival.
They are listening to very good music.

Through the eyes of fear the group can, sadly, appear like some heathen mob, maybe coming for the castle gate; the eyes of love reveal simply a benevolent celebration.
You are invited.

To those whose hearts cry out for positive revolution, Fawkes's visage can look like potential, participation, real democracy, and inherent human morality. It might look like something we can do right. A grinning buddha. A friend.

The choice and the work is ours. Like Fawkes, out of a violent past we can become something more. The warning is merely that we might wish we did.

* * *

Bless up to Guido Fawkes, and shame on those who tortured him. Bless up to Alan Moore and the groovy shit he channels.
To all brave teachers and all hard workers. To altruistic tricksters.
Bless up to Anonymous & Occupy & all the Love Tribe. May we do our best, and may our best serve the highest good.
Do your best. Smile. Believe in each other.

SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI

Wikipedia articles on Anonymous & Guy Fawkes

Group show in SF @ Public Works - September 17th

2011-09-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Jason Cohen hooked up show at Roll Up, an intimate gallery which is part of the popular Public Works in San Francisco. I'm working like crazy on a cluster of these little God's-eye hearts which will accompany some prints & work by other amazing Bay area artists.

The evening will also include Jason's awesome drawing party event in the massive space upstairs, so you creative types be sure to show up like bosses with your Microns & Moleskines. Going to be an amazing night!

Event links:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=242868105749053
http://publicsf.com/exhibitions/the-reverse-side-also-has-a-reverse-side-6088

* p.s. - Bassnectar is also playing just down the street on the 17th, if you want to rage into the night!

New prints ..on vinyl

2011-09-02T14:18:00.002-07:00

The big vinyl banners produced for the wonderful GetUp Gallery at July's legendary Camp Bisco festival are now available as a limited run. These monster near-original sized prints are sure to light up any space!

$200 includes shipping inside the U.S.!

A happy patron @ Camp Bisco :D
Photo by Andy Milford

There are also a few prized signed blotter prints left, after what we've come to lovingly refer to as "boingboing madness" happened earlier this summer. It was quite exhilarating sending all those potentially contraband prints through the U.S. post office out to all their new homes!

Thank you everyone for the support, and special thanks to the always awesome boingboing.net.

New originals

2011-09-02T14:18:00.001-07:00

New work: "Gnome Sane"
11"x27" / acrylic on found wood

Unique, original work will continue to be available for one-click purchase through the site. Check back from time to time, as it will be updated with new pieces as they are produced.

All work is available on a sliding scale or installments, so if there is something you like and you're ballin' on a budget, get in touch. "If nothing else, believe in art."

New stuff will also be announced on the FB fan page, so like it like it like it if you'd like to be notified!

Store - originals

Yay electronic music is awesome

2011-09-02T14:16:00.002-07:00

free mp3 mix downloads:

3 song pregame - Get the night started right.

artists: Dillon Francis & Nadastrom

lovestep summer (pt.2) - "When love beckons to you, follow him, though his ways are hard and steep." ♥

various artists

partyinpartyin - just put ya hands up. And shake it.

artists: Rebecca Black, J-trick, Slink/Rodrigo y Gabriela, Buzztech, AC Slater, Black Eyed Peas (Afrojack & Lee Swagger rmxs), Flux Pav & Doctor P

Painting on found stuff

2011-09-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

You can find stuff like this...

...and turn it into stuff like this.

One of the many cool things about Oakland is the inherent 'unofficial recycling program' in place concerning junk left on the sidewalk. Anything from decent couches to battle-worn entertainment centers get left out on the street all the time (almost on a daily basis in this neighborhood). This doesn't much depreciate the city's natural beauty however, as the items tend to be left in an orderly "take me" fashion, and are usually whisked away by hopeful new owners within hours. My humble contribution to this fascinating system of re-use is to make paintings out of the various broken materials and wooden panels I find walking home. Sometimes upon first glancing at an old worn-out dresser, it's as if a completed image comes to mind in a flash, vibrant and alive, commanding it's life be acknowledged and the work carried out... haven't found a way to turn down psychic assignments from discarded furniture, so the new canvas comes home and it gets started.

The result can be a unique piece of art, hopefully embodying some essential sliver of impermanence, the profound actuality that every form changes and changes. Hopefully this relays how the process can be beautiful.
It can be rewarding to observe and participate in the (re)cycle of existence this way - try it yourself!
All you need is some gesso and a little of your precious time.

Featured artists

2011-09-02T14:15:00.001-07:00

Check these people out, they are beautiful:
Heidi Tallifer
Jeff Wood
Ben Tolman

"The Goddess of Creation"

2011-09-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

"Goddess of Creation"
36" x 48"/2010-11/acrylic on canvas

Our dear friend Zita commissioned this painting, expressing only that the title should be "The Goddess of Creation". After a year of work and revisions (and probably too much fretting over the golden ratio) the completed piece arrived in her loving home this spring.

For the ancient Greeks, Creation was the child of Chronos and Ananke, or Time and Inevitability. Here she emerges from a cosmic egg, gently brandishing a lotus of divine inspiration in one hand while using the other to self-generate into physical form. She sings as she arrives, and a tiny perfect being, a delegate angel of the higher Self, materializes in her heart to witness in calm compassion.
As Shiva's corpse lays beneath his beloved wife Kali, so the artist rests his weary bones beneath the Goddess, leaving behind only humble instruments once used in devotion to her. The dewy forest will consume the rest; nourishment for the sacred place where She, blazing and vibrant, arrives from darkness and gives birth to darkness.

♥ thank you Zita!

Full-time art

2011-09-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

This summer was an extremely transformative one, containing the kind of earth-shaking life changes that provide us with that very precious, very short, list of what is really important in our lives. It would appear that eventually we're all subject to (or blessed with) such changes. Ram Dass has referred to these times as "fierce grace".
For me, these changes included moving from beloved New York back out to beloved California, with a renewed devotion to the love and art in my life. Whether it means living on peanut butter sandwiches indefinitely or not, I've claimed painting as a full-time profession.

I hope very much that this choice will reflect the beauty, compassion, support, and awakening I've been fortunate enough to experience. Thank you, deeply, to all the truly noble angels out there.
May we all work in the name of gratitude, and express our highest selves in this next exciting phase! May our efforts contribute to a great uplifting.

...consequently, I'm available once again to take commissions. :)
If you or someone you know has a vision that would be a good fit with my work, please email me with a proposal:
froglickerpants@gmail.com

All for you:

2011-09-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

The world I love
The tears I drop
To be part of
The wave can't stop
Ever wonder if it's all for you..?

- from "Can't stop" by rhcp ♥

Latest painting

2011-01-07T12:06:00.002-08:00

"Akashic Kiss"

54" x 24"

acrylic on canvas

Akasha means "cosmic sky" in sanskrit. "Akashic" lends itself to the idea of a complex matrix of light beneath and within all things, a universal hyperspace. Here it’s partially revealed during a secret, exciting first kiss being witnessed by an angelic ambassador of the divine feminine, and the moon.

Soon to be on display at CoSM! - come on out to a full moon party!

You can order a print here.

Prints: $175
Limited run of 25

signed and numbered

giclee print on archival paper

12” x 26”

Sweet, sweet music

2011-01-07T12:05:00.001-08:00

"My headphones. They saved my life."

- Bjork

free mp3 mixes:

artmix_jan2011.mp3 (25:24) - chilled out, for making art or love or both

artists: Androcell, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Entheogenic, Hoopy Frood

alright_jan2011.mp3 (11:36) - heavier head boppin dubsteppy with a positive message, Bill Hicks style

artists: Bill Hicks, Dillion Francis, Paper Diamond, Skrillex, Doctor P

quick_soft_dirty_dec2010.mp3 (12:28) - last month’s mix

artists: Alan Watts, Lumidee, Missy Elliot (Ben Samples rmx), Crookers, Robyn (Dillon Francis rmx)

& this one from last year:

sunday_night_ecstasy_oct2009.mp3 (26:47) - for dancing hard around the house in your underpants and socks

artists: Imogen Heap, Mike Candy (Christopher S rmx), Al Pachi, AC Slater, R.I.O (Laks rmx), BuzzTech, Kill the Noise

Remember to support the musicians you love by going out to their shows.

Also, you can play with this beautiful thing which someone was nice enough to make:

http://www.sembeo.com/media/Matrix.swf

...for hours. (thanks Adrian!)

For you

2011-01-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

With your memory, go back to 2010 and remember someone smiling.

See someone you love smiling. You can close your eyes and see them.

Then you can see another, and then another, and another. A friend smiling in the summertime. Smiles from every day. A year's worth of smiles pour into you, thousands, faster, until there's a river of them, golden and light. They pour in like sunbeams going in reverse, cascading from all directions toward a brilliant center in your chest. They fill you fill up with glowing honey.

They adore you. They believe in you. They smile because you are extraordinary to them. You make them smile.

You are extraordinary.

Serra’s shirts!

2011-01-07T11:50:00.005-08:00

if nothing else

My friend Serra stencils these shirts with her hands. Received one as a gift (it’s seriously my favorite shirt) and encourage you to check out Serra's Etsy page.

She is really awesome and the messages are tight.

____________________________________________

Ahem... my own prints and original art work are also for sale.

How flipping awesome is this:

2011-01-07T11:50:00.002-08:00

AAHHHHHH!!!

I am framing this. And never washing my eyes again.

(Eric, you are the man.)

I frigging love you Matt. Thank you for everything!

Awesome peeps

2011-01-07T11:36:00.001-08:00

Majora Carter

is a Valkyrie. If she doesn't make you want to get your butt in gear, then check your butt.

Majora's TED talk:

http://tinyurl.com/majorac

..as long as you're watching TED videos, you might invest in Brene Brown's one about vulnerability:

http://tinyurl.com/2besfwh

(thanks Ellen <3)

Captyn Zodiak

Yeah, I know, at first glance you think this guy is nuts. Maybe he is. Give him a few minutes though, there's something authentic and beautiful about his videos.

Turn down the lights, quiet the room and be with me and I'll be with you:

http://letitbereal.com/television.php

Thich Nhat Hahn

is affectionately referred to as "Ticky" around our house, and his simple suggestions for mindfulness practice are potent and accessible. If you're unfamiliar, he's a Buddhist teacher who was nominated for the Nobel peace prize by Martin Luther King. I'm not sure how awesome you have to be to have snagged MLK's vote. My guess is "pretty damn".

"I am breathing in. I am looking at the sky. I am breathing out..."

Part of an interview with Ram Dass:

http://tinyurl.com/thichy

Mindfulness exercise:

http://tinyurl.com/tmindful

Sketchbook drawing of Ticky. Aw, who's the little man?

Work in progress - Bill Hicks & Goddess

2011-01-07T09:15:00.001-08:00

love, laughter, & truth

I've wanted to make a painting of Bill Hicks for a while (along the lines of the Alan Watts one). Bill was a real warrior of the light who delivered gritty (and very fucking funny) stand up comedy laced with poetic messages of universal oneness. He was just 32 when he died in from pancreatic cancer 1994.

I've finally begun working on it and real excited to see where it will go. Bill was a beautiful soul. Hopefully I can do him some justice.

Also continuing work on the commissioned "Goddess" painting for my friend Zita. It has undergone some painful revisions recently (so painful in fact, that I can't even bring myself to upload a new pic). But hey, the process is the process.

She's the goddess of creation, the daughter of time and inevitability.

Yay first one!

2011-01-07T06:59:00.000-08:00

Welp, there it is ya'll.

2011 will mark the seventh year that I've been walking around calling myself an artist. I'm beyond grateful for this amazing journey, and find my dedication continuously renewed by the collective enthusiasm. By your enthusiasm. Whenever I feel wiped out, I take a deep breath, and get my ass up, and get back in front of the canvas so I won’t let everyone down. The kindling on this little campfire is going pretty good. This newsletter is an effort to throw some logs on the thing (then let's dance around it with everything we’ve got til dawn and watch the sun come up with our arms around each other) and to keep myself sane by reaching out to people in a positive way. Feel free to forward it along to anyone who might enjoy it.

Thank you dearly for helping me find this voice and teaching me how to speak with it; for nourishing the confidence to raise this tiny paintbrush a little higher into the sky in the name of something Good and Beautiful. Thank you for the encouragement. Thank you for everything. I promise to do my best and never give up.

_____________________________________

You are receiving this because I genuinely thought you might like it; there are no ulterior motives other than the obvious promotion of the art and the humble hope of putting some good juice drops out there in the consciousness ocean. I'll never give your email to anyone, ever, and these newsletters will only clog your inbox a few times a year.

To get on the mailing list, just send a blank email to subscribe@allofthisisforyou.com

To unsubscribe, send one to unsubscribe@allofthisisforyou.com

allofthisisforyou

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