Art$uper$tar

PAPER TRAIL Opening @ HAPPY on Sept. 3rd

2010-08-13T11:46:00.001-07:00

Change of Address

2008-08-15T23:28:00.001-07:00

2nd Floor

2008-08-11T14:59:00.000-07:00

How crazy is this sweet little find on the second floor of my studio
building.

Studio shots

2008-08-04T13:30:00.001-07:00

Here are two images of my studio, photostiched from a bunch of images.

Baby Cakes

2008-06-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

Too funny! Go SuperDeluxe.com

Just stick to the cards

2008-06-19T23:52:00.000-07:00

Please say that in the form of a question

2008-06-19T23:51:00.001-07:00

Remember waiting for this

2008-06-19T23:44:00.000-07:00

I'm on a

2008-06-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

Hop Moonman Hop!!!!

2008-06-19T23:37:00.000-07:00

Bloggers

2008-06-10T10:24:00.001-07:00

Got to lover the bloggers. Got a Google alert yesterday. Had 2 different mentions on 2 different blogs. The first was extremely random and the fact that it is on a political blog is even funnier. Was kind of assaulted in the parking lot of the Hollywood Trader Joe’s on Saturday after a grocery shop. Yes, this blogger writes for the Huffington Post. Got to love how people want to tie in the spots to something. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/reny-monk/can-a-leopard-change-her_b_105972.html Second post was of a review of the 2008 Culver City Art walk. I have 2 pieces in d.e.n. Contemporary’s group show, RIPE, which they covered. Very happy about this one, since it is actually coverage of my sculptures and not just some crazy link between politics and my hairstyle, although any press is fine by me. Happy that the RIPE show got some coverage as well. LA has been showing me some love, so I am glad to be calling myself an LA ARTIST. http://www.buzzine.com/2008/06/exploding-art-scene/

LA Times

2008-05-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

Today’s LA Times Calendar section (5/27/08) featured and article on DREAM(land), the group show I am part of at the JAIL Gallery in Chinatown.

From the Los Angeles Times

'DREAM(land)' at Chinatown's Jail Gallery Common themes of escape and fantasy unite 14 artists. By Jessica Portner Special to The Times

May 27, 2008

A MASSIVE earthquake. A tropical cyclone. America at war as gasoline prices spike. In the contemporary world, misfortune on a colossal scale can sometimes seem unavoidable.

But for the next several weeks, at the aptly named Jail Gallery in Chinatown, a group of far-flung artists is offering an antidote to such calamities: escape.

For an exhibition titled "DREAM(land)," these artists -- from cultural capitals as diverse as Miami and Reykjavik, Iceland -- have created videos, sculptures and paintings that evoke otherworldly realms.

"Americans are looking outside the known world for solace," says Annie Wharton, the curator of the show, which runs through June 14.

An abstract painter and teacher, Wharton relocated from Miami to Los Angeles two years ago with her paint supplies and a cellphone loaded with art world contacts. When the Jail Gallery asked her to guest curate an exhibition 10 months ago, she says, she quickly compiled a list of 14 artists whom she admired, including one -- Icelandic video artist Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir -- whose work she had discovered on YouTube after seeing a video by Birgisdóttir of one of Wharton's favorite bands, múm. But only after selecting the bulk of the pieces for the show did Wharton realize what they had in common.

"This exhibit is about finding an ethereal thread in a war-riddled world," she says. "We have fantasies that carry us far away."

Recurring themes

Escapism and dreams are hardly new themes for artists. The director and chief curator of the galleries at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, Lorie Mertes, notes that they have reverberated throughout the art world for centuries. The 18th century English Romantic poet and painter William Blake created mystical verses and images of altered states that have inspired artists up to and including Bob Dylan and U2.

In the 1920s, René Magritte, Man Ray and their fellow Surrealists plumbed their dreams to fashion works with absurd juxtapositions that defy the rational. In the mid-20th century, American artist Joseph Cornell put dreams in a box, creating luminous assemblages filled with nostalgic objects such as soap bubble sets, tiny ballerinas and caged birds.

"Dreams are a visual manifestation of the psyche," says Mertes. "It's our way of dealing with the nightmare boogeyman and unfulfilled desires."

In "DREAM(land)," however, most of the works have a tension that resides somewhere between the discomfiting and the sublime. Birgisdóttir, for example, creates a reverie with a poignant undercurrent. The young artist's video collage, "Seven Sisters," is painstakingly constructed from hundreds of drawings on faded paper, old book pages, newspapers and postcards. In the three-minute piece, one sister has a volcano erupting from her skull, another's head sprouts bouquets of paper roses, and a third becomes encased in a stone castle.

Birgisdóttir says she was inspired by the story of the seven daughters of Atlas, the mythical giant who held up the world. Her video shows the weight we give to our delicately constructed unconscious worlds, however fleeting they may be.

"When you're dreaming," she says, "you go from one scenario to the next and to the next in a moment, without it seeming a bit peculiar."

Jiae Hwang and Nicholas C. Raftig III also construct a bridge to the unconscious in their video "Aperture." But their portal evokes a space age future, not a nostalgic past.

In the three-minute loop accompanied by electronica is a silhouette of a woman standing at the edge of the ocean with her arms behind her head. Above her, a triangular obelisk ominously hangs over the waves like a UFO.

"When I look at the ocean, there's a sense of hope and loss, longing and waiting," says the Miami-based Hwang. "Everybody finds a time when they need to escape and look at the possibilities on the horizon."

In performance artist Jim Roche's "Flue Mask" video, by contrast, the Tallahassee, Fla.-based artist comments on how escapism has become a commodity. Wearing reflective sunglasses and an aluminum foil mask, he markets this crude contraption as a "foolproof flu-prevention kit" in a spoof of infomercials. (All four of the show's video artists were recently included in the "Video Revolutionaries" online exhibition co-organized by the Getty Research Institute and the J. Paul Getty Museum.)

Like Roche and Birgisdóttir, other "DREAM(land)" artists turn heads into metaphors for escaping reality, whether the craniums are faceless or morphing into plants.

Neal Rock's two featureless busts look as if they might ooze out of the gallery before the exhibition is over. Sculpted from liquid silicon rubber, one oversized blue-and-yellow head features black tendrils and ribbons made with cake-decorating nozzles. The heads could be outtakes from "Pan's Labyrinth," the 2006 movie that combined an exquisite fairy tale with horror. Like Magritte's many paintings of faceless men with bowler hats or lovers shrouded in fabric, Rock's heads are cloaked from the world.

"In dreams, meanings are all jumbled up," says Rock, who recently moved his studio to Los Angeles from southern Wales.

Where Rock's pieces sound a retreat from the world, Leigh Salgado's work makes a ladylike exit. Her small paper cutouts resemble expensive lingerie. But the figure that emerges from the serene haze of red and white lace is a girl in a halter top and frilly skirt with no head. The piece "She Lost Her Head" has an "Alice in Wonderland" fantasy quality.

"My work is about loss," says the Los Angeles-based Salgado, who used to work as an art therapist for children with behavioral disorders. Aping a mental health professional, she asks, "How did she lose her head? Did it explode? Did someone cut it off? Did she get obsessed with something and throw it overboard?"

Echoing Hollywood

The exhibition's theme of displacement melds well with the ethos of Hollywood, where creating opportunities to get out of one's head -- at a spa or a movie or Disneyland -- is a thriving industry. Wharton points to the current box-office behemoths "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" and "Iron Man" as evidence of the staying power of California dreaming.

But at Jail, some images remain stubbornly disturbing.

In his "Catastrophe Collection," Greg Kucera has created a world in which nasty weather is identified, cataloged and put in a box. Using U.S. naval satellite data, Kucera employs white Corian material to represent five Category-5 hurricanes: Francis, Katrina, Isabella, Henrietta and Rita. The stone-like swirls, each about the size of a soap dish, look at first glance like serene galaxies. But on closer inspection, they turn into miniature representations of these catastrophic natural disasters, which killed hundreds of Americans.

"I had some family in New Orleans during Katrina and was out of touch with people for six weeks," Kucera says. "But when you look at the satellite view of a catastrophe, they are exquisite and fascinating."

As for Joshua Levine's sculpture "Trophy Stand (SadlySitting2Ocular4AuditoryChimera)," it represents a fantasy animal that could exist only in dreams. A mix between a deer, a dog, a raccoon and a cow, the life-size epoxy-and-foam beast sits on a white rug in a cage in the center of the gallery. Its plaintive glass eyes seem to long for escape. You can almost hear it yelping for a way out.

I'm beginning to see the light

2008-05-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

You’ve got to love the afternoon light in my new studio. Just finished setting it up today and am looking forward to working in it tomorrow.

And so begins the age of man playing God

2008-05-14T14:09:00.001-07:00

The First Genetically Modified Human Embryo: Advance or Abomination?
By Brandon Keim May 12, 2008 | 10:58:22 AM Categories: Bioethics, Biotechnology, Reproduction

Scientists have created the first genetically modified human embryo.

What does this mean to you?

Led by Nikica Zaninovic, researchers at Cornell University added a green fluorescent protein to an embryo left over from assisted reproduction. They destroyed the embryo five days later. It is believed to be the first documented genetic modification of a human embryo.

British newspaper The Times reports that Zaninovic's feat was announced at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine annual meeting in 2007, but was only publicized recently when the United Kingdom's reproductive technology regulators reviewed the research. The House of Commons is about to consider legislation permitting this and other controversial reproductive technologies, such as the creation of chimeras -- human-animal hybrid embryos.

The research raises a number of thorny ethical questions. Though adding a fluorescent protein was not aimed at enhancement, but rather to illuminate developing embryos, scientists say that modified embryos could be used to research human diseases. They say embryos wouldn't be allowed to develop for more than a few weeks, much less implanted in a woman and brought to term.

If the embryos were allowed to develop, genetic modifications -- which would be permanent and passed to future generations -- might prevent disease. Modifications might also be used for other reasons -- physical appearance, intellectual prowess, personality -- though the necessary science remains hypothetical at this point. Developing such techniques would necessarily entail trial-and-error and risk-taking with human life.

David King, director of Human Genetics Alert, a bioethics watchdog group, told The Times that

"This is the first step on the road that will lead to the nightmare of designer babies and a new eugenics. The HFEA is right to say that the creation and legalisation of GM embryos raises ‘large ethical and public interest issues’ but neglects to mention that these have not been debated at all."

So let's have that debate. What do you think, Wired Science readers? Should genetically modified embryos be used in research, but not reproduction? Both? Neither?

Blog coverage of ©HIMERAware

2008-03-31T23:05:00.000-07:00

Wanted to post the first blog coverage of ©HIMERAware Online. Big thanks to mystudio302.

Sad Sap

2008-03-28T09:25:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of a sculpture that I am working on for a show, DREAM(land), which opens May 10th at Jail Gallery in LA. The show is curated by Annie Wharton and more info about it can be found at DREAM(land)

2nd Litter

2008-03-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

The second Litter of Sour Diesels are just about done. All they need is their clear coat and final varnish.

Batcave

2008-03-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

So folks, our favorite superhero is in need of a new Batcave quickly. With a rent increase on my already pricy Cave, I need to find some new digs. Unfortunately, I’m no Bruce Wayne and having gone a year in the Batcave now, I’ve gone past my initial 6 month lease and timeframe. Any help or recommendations for LA space will be much appreciated. Will keep you readers posted on the outcome and maybe even divulge the secret location of the new Cave, once it’s inhabited.

Second Litter

2008-02-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

Process shot of the second litter of Sour Diesels. There are 4 animals in this second litter.

LA Dogs

2008-02-21T17:46:00.000-08:00

So these photos are reference shots of the types of small dogs that my Sour Diesel animals are based on.

Hurray!!!!!

2008-02-20T17:47:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how happy I am over the sound of a toliet flushing.

Bathroom

2008-02-19T11:52:00.000-08:00

So my studio bathroom is lacking one essential element. It's under a bit of rehab and I am not really sure when it will be done.

Chilly

2008-01-28T16:10:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that today has been a nice sunny day. The only problem is that it is 4 p.m. and the temperature in my studio is a brisk 58 degrees. Makes painting a little difficult, but not as bad as when it's also raining. I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt, 2 thermals, my work coveralls and a hat. With all that on, my feet are still freezing. I'm practically sitting on a heater to stay warm when I'm not painting. It could be worse though, it could be snowing. I have to admit, I can live with this as a "winter season".

Weather

2008-01-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

The rain let up enough on Sunday for a little while. Just enough to snap this picture while I was walking Adobe.

Finished sculpture

2008-01-23T21:21:00.000-08:00

Here is an image of the new Trophy Stand piece Standing-Horntailed4Ocular2AuditoryMultiHorn

First Litter

2008-01-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

The first litter of S.D.'s are almost done being painted. The rainy cold
weather is a HUGE pain in my a$$. Making the paint take forever to dry!

Stooges

2008-01-20T15:35:00.000-08:00

Was going through images on my phone and came across this one. It's from the Stooges concert on Miami Beach during ABMB 2007.

Studio

2008-01-17T09:22:00.001-08:00

Here's a shot of a new head that I am working on. It's another gilded one.

Staples Center

2008-01-13T19:50:00.001-08:00

Shot of the Staples Center. First time there.

Kings

2008-01-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

Rachel and I went to our first LA Kings game Thursday. Great game, great seats and a Kings win 5-2! Thanks Richard!

New Doo

2008-01-13T19:46:00.000-08:00

The first spots for 2008.

Spot on

2008-01-06T11:24:00.000-08:00

Getting my new spots for 2008!!! Rachel's a PRO!!!!!

Closure

2007-12-12T14:57:00.000-08:00

Got to say good-bye to my good friend Alex. I miss you Captain.

Lizard

2007-12-12T14:47:00.000-08:00

Got to spend some time with our friend Liz. So good to see her again. We miss her.

Ella

2007-12-12T14:46:00.000-08:00

Look how happy Ella is to see her Uncle Josh

Ari

2007-12-12T14:44:00.000-08:00

Look at Ari chowing down on some pizza.

The Spread

2007-11-22T17:05:00.001-08:00

Pre-stuffing of the Pie Hole.

ARTE

2007-11-21T09:09:00.001-08:00

Here is an article from the Italian Contemporary Art Magazine, ARTE, which they did about me and my work. It is in there October issue. I will have the translation up as soon as I get it translated. I don’t know exactly what it says, but I’m told it is good and positive. I am just happy to have been mentioned, let alone the fact that it’s a 4 page spread with 7 images. Boy do I love Italy, now I just need to learn to read and speak Italian.

The Process

2007-11-20T13:15:00.001-08:00

Black Xmas

2007-11-19T12:46:00.001-08:00

Rachel's working away on some displays.

Yum! -maybe you should make yours edible and sell them in Bangkok.!..mmm, good

2007-11-14T23:13:00.000-08:00

Sukree Sukplang, Reuters
A villager cleans aged steamed rats north of Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 1 before selling them to roadside food stands. Even the ripe innards are consumed with relish. Struggling to make ends meet in their pest-infested villages, some Thai farmers are getting a cash boost from "rat money." Some farmers have even been attaching the vermin to trees in an effort to copy the artist Josh Levine of the USA. Says Josh: "Well, They're on the rat path to fame rat about now, I wish them rats of luck"

Where am I?

2007-11-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

So if you guessed Paris, France, then you're WRONG! If you said Las Vegas
@ the Paris Hotel, then you are correct!

Creep

2007-11-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween

2007-11-01T08:52:00.001-07:00

Rachel and Penny dressed to impress!

The hills are alive, with the sound of ..........

2007-10-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

Yellow sunset because of the fires as from my studio door.

Canters

2007-10-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning brunch down on Fairfax @ Canters Deli. We actually got up early for a Sunday, or shall I say Rachel did, and we walked down Melrose to the flea market. Was a nice walk and a beautiful day. Melrose was closed to taffic for an AIDS walk, so it was rather empty. Which I do like. After walking around, we are in Canters having a nosh!

Anime

2007-10-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Move over Dragonball Z. I am ready to become a character in a Japanese video game.

Alex "Lumpy" Gonzalez

2007-10-13T20:55:00.001-07:00

To all our Family and Friends:

After 41 day of fighting for his life “Oct. 6, 2007 at 3:30 AM” my brother, and best friend Alex “Lumpy” has left this world. He has gone on to be with all the love ones we have said good bye to in the past. Alex has touched us all in so many ways, and I know we all will never forget him. His sprit will live on in everyone’s life he has touched. Be strong and remember that Alex loves you all with all his heart and soul. I know in my heart that Alex is looking down upon us and will be looking out for all of us. Keep the faith and never take for granted the ones you love that are in your life everyday. Life is short and one day may be to late to say those words, I love you!
Thank you all for being such a great part of our lives!
Much love,
Adrian

http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?I=LS000095846005X

Dropping off the face of the Earth

2007-10-06T15:29:00.001-07:00

Getting ready to board the Golden Princess for a 7 day cruise to Mexico. No cell phone and not internet, I am truly going to disappear for a week and come back tan and rested! Hopefully nothing of too much importance happens that I should take care of, since, well.............. I WON'T!

Hollywood

2007-10-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

So, living in Hollywood, especially in our part, there are tons of tranies. Aside from the woMEN of the night that walk Santa Monica Blvd, the homeless woMEN and just those living their normal lives. This leads to the "art-sy" photo taken while we are waiting for our laundry to be finished. It was amusing when 2 woMEN pulled up to do some laundry as well. And to answer your unasked question, I didn't bother to see what type of underwear they wear.

Hammer Museum on Saturday night

2007-10-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

Thought this was so cute to watch these kids so engaged with the video

2 new completed Trophy Heads

2007-09-24T02:32:00.001-07:00

Here are images of 2 new pieces I've finished in the studio:
Trophy Head (GoldenSilver2Ocular4AuditoryUniHorn)
Trophy Head (BlackSilverMultiOcularCollision)

Out of True

2007-09-24T02:20:00.001-07:00

Shot of my installation in Verona in the show OUT OF TRUE at Byblos Art Gallery. Opening was crowded and busy the entire time. Talk about a long opening, 7-12pm. Not like the ones we have here in the States.

Distort

2007-09-24T02:14:00.002-07:00

Ideas for some heads

TriClops

2007-09-24T02:14:00.001-07:00

Just trying out some silly ideas

Alex Up-date

2007-09-23T22:44:00.001-07:00

As of Today Saturday Sept. 22: ALEX

Today makes 27 days that Alex has been at Jackson Trauma TICU. He is still listed in Critical condition, and has been trying to keep the fight alive. Friday at 2:00pm he was rushed into emergency surgery after his vitals were significantly dropping and the doctors had to make a choice to save his life. They determined that they needed to reopen his stitches they put on his abdomen area that they operated on last week because they suspected that was were the infection was coming from. I am sorry for those who received a frantic text to pray for Alex, because my family and I were devastated by the news. They told us that he may not make it off the operation table, and that they felt he had a better chance of survival to operate. After an hour and half of surgery, the surgeon removed murky fluid from his abdomen area, which most likely is the source of the infection. Alex came out well, but is very critical. They still are concerned about his kidney's shutting downing but as of today his urine has increased which is the reason they still have not put him on dialysis. This is a machine doing the kidney’s job for him, and this is not good. He still has pneumonia, bacterial infection and still is on a breathing machine. His lungs looked good after they inspected them by putting a camera down into his lungs. They are still trying a mixture of other drugs to see if they could attack the problem. Al has been giving them one hell of a fight and will not give up. He has such a great support team behind him and I know we all will not stop fighting for him. I also want you all to know that I have been telling him all your messages and keeping him in the loop on what’s going on in the outside world. Kind of nice have him as a trapped audience and knowing that he must get better to shut his little brother up. I know that your prayers are working, so keep them coming and keep the faith! Keep in mind that progress at the TICU is 3 steps forward and 1 step back! Thank God again that he has had mostly forward steps. He still has a long road ahead of him and is not out of the woods yet. He is very lucky to have such a great support team of family and friends. I will try to keep you all post more often, but as you can imagine I have been so over whelmed by everything.

Side Note:

Please included in your prayers all the family members and friends of the police officers that were hurt yesterday. Especially for the officer that was killed in the line of duty defending our freedom and safety.

FYI:

Alex can't receive any visitors right now while at TICU
Please don't send any flowers or baskets since he can't receive anything while at the TICU
The family would appreciate no phone calls or texts during the visitation hours : 10:30-11:30 am, 1:30-2:30pm, 5pm-6pm and 9pm -10 pm.
If you would like to come by the TICU outside the visiting hours above, you can find us on the Ryder Trauma Center 2nd floor waiting area.

AGAIN THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY FAMILY'S HEART FOR ALL THE SUPPORT AND YOUR CONTINUE PRAYERS FOR MY BROTHER ALEX'S SPEEDY RECOVERY.

Please forward this email to anyone asking about Alex.

God Bless you all and keep the prayers coming,

Adrian

On my way to Verona

2007-09-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to board a long flight to Italy. Wish me luck!

Trophy Room

2007-09-14T22:28:00.001-07:00

Installation shoots of my installation, Trophy Room, at The Galleries at Moore, Moore Collage of Art & Design.

4 years old

2007-09-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

My niece Ella turned 4 today. Here she is being "a model" showing off one
of her birthday gifts from Rachel and I. Come on, she's cute!

Yummy

2007-09-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

Tell me that my nephew Ari is not the cutest. I could eat him up. I am in
Ottowa Hills, OH for a few more days. Tomorrow is my niece, Ella's
birthday. You there should be atleast 1 cute photo of that coming.

Mom and Dad

2007-09-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

Hanging out talking with mom and dad.

Suck a cute puppy

2007-09-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

Can you guess where I am?

Crossed the street

2007-09-04T20:27:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I crossed the street to try the competion out as well. Gino's was
good as well, but I think I prefered Pat's. Then again, who can really
tell when you eat 2 cheesesteaks for lunch!!!!!!!

When in Philly

2007-09-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

Here is my cheesesteak lunch that I walked 2 miles for into south Philly
for. It's from Pat's King of Cheesesteaks. It was excellent. It's funny,
since there is another place right across the street (Gino's) which they
have a HUGE rivaly with.

Let Freedom Ring

2007-09-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

Alex Update!

2007-09-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

First of all, THANK YOU all for all the amazing support and prayers for my Brother Alex and my family. The calls, emails, texts, visits and especially the Prayers, have deeply touched our family and has helped with his positive progress.

Thank God the bullet did not hit any vital organs! They said Alex a strong will to survive and because of this he is still here today. I also think it's because of all the love in the air you all have for him!

As of Today Sunday Sept. 3 : ALEX

Today makes Eight days that Alex has been at Jackson Trauma ICU. He is still listed in Critical condition, but has remained stable. We have been worried because he was on 3 major drugs that cause long term damage. As of today I am happy to report that he is now off of all 3! He has had no fever for 3 days. They began feeding him and has responded well to it in his digestive system. They have also taken him off the sedatives and God willingly he will be responsive in the am. He has been taking baby steps forward, but they have been positive ones. He still has a long road ahead of him and is not out of the woods yet. He is very lucky to have such a great support team of family and friends. I will try to keep you all post more often, but as you can imagine I have been so over whelmed by everything.

FYI:

Alex can't receive any visitors right now while at TICU
Please don't send any flowers or baskets since he can't receive anything while at the TICU
The family would appreciate no phone calls or texts during the visitation hours : 10:30-11:30 am, 1:30-2:30pm, 5pm-6pm and 9pm -10 pm.
If you would like to come by the TICU outside the visiting hours above, you can find us on the Ryder Trauma Center 2nd floor waiting area.

AGAIN THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY FAMILY'S HEART FOR ALL THE SUPPORT AND YOUR CONTINUE PRAYERS FOR MY BROTHER ALEX'S SPEEDY RECOVERY.

Please forward this email to anyone asking about Alex.

God Bless you all and keep the prayers coming,

Adrian

What is that, Velvet?

2007-09-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

Was just looking over some photos in my phone and came across this one.
Shout out to Jeff and Eddie. Enjoy the cake boys!

I See You

2007-09-02T21:47:00.001-07:00

Comedy of errors

2007-09-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

I figured that if I didn't laugh at my travel issues, it may really piss me
off. Let's review:

My flight out of LAX to DFW was delaid about 2 hours, so I wasn't able to
make my original connecting flight to Philly.

Get to DFW at 4 and am able to get on the next flight to Philly at 4:45 by
the skin of my pants.

After getting on the plane thinking that I will only be an hour late to
Philly from my ORIGINAL arrival time, we are told that there was a cracked
light that needed to be replaced and it shouldn't take more than maybe 15
minute.

It's now 7pm and I am sitting at a new gate waiting to start boarding our
NEW plane around 7:15. We sat on the plane for an hour and a half before
we were told that they had to FIND us a new plane. Looks like I'll be
getting to Philly close to midnight.

I guess on the possitive side, I got to eat an $8 turkey sandwich. I was
soooo hungry, so I guess it was good. Got to love flying the friendly
skies!

Waiting.......

2007-09-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

So, I get to LAX to head to Philly @ 8:20am for a 9:40 flight, only to find
it delayed until 10:40am. Seems that I am going to be spending all day
traveling. Boy I wish my late night dinner and drinks sat better with me.
I could see the danger last night, but ignored it. Paying a bit for it
today!!!

Alex Update

2007-08-29T14:03:00.001-07:00

To all friends and family,

Let me start by saying thank you for all the support and love you have been showing my brother Alex and my family since this all started. It has been over whelming the calls, emails, and text I have been receiving about Alex. He is in a very tuff place right now and I know with all your prayers he will make it threw. I will try to keep you all updated with his progress as soon I am able to. As of last night 10:30 pm he is still listed as very critical, but they have been able to keep him stable. They tell me the fight is far from over, but as the surgeon told me that his injury was picture perfect. By the grace of God the gun shot missed all his vital organs and that is why he is still here today. I am sorry that I have not been able to get back to you all, but I have been swamped with phone calls and family. My parents are arriving back from Spain today and will be seeing Alex for the first time. Please keep them in your prayers! Every little bit counts! They are not allowing any one other then immediate family to see him, but your are welcome to stop by the waiting room at Ryder Trauma on the second floor.

Here is what happened as far as we know! Monday some time around 1:30pm Alex was robed, shot and thrown in the bay. He was able to stay a float and after drift by a construction site where he was able to yell to a worker for help. The work jump into the water and saved Alex’s life! He then was rushed to the hospital! They did not steal his car or boat as for what the news said!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart from me and my family,
Adrian

Also, please forward to any one asking about Alex!

Adrian Gonzalez
David’s Café I & II Inc.
O/ 305.672.8707
M/ 305.206.8249
E/ adrian@davidscafe.com
www.davidscafe.com

Say a little prayer

2007-08-28T17:53:00.001-07:00

PLEASE KEEP HIM IN YOUR PRAYERS!!!!!!!!

Man robbed, shot, left in Biscayne Bay

Alejandro Gonzalez, whose family owns the popular David's Cafes in South Beach, was found in Biscayne Bay with a gunshot wound, police and family said.

A man shot through his torso was pulled from the bay Monday afternoon. Look for a white boat with a center console and a black engine, he stammered.
Detectives immediately launched an exhaustive search on the shimmering waters of Biscayne Bay for two men in a getaway boat.
By day's end, three boats had been searched. Possible culprits were taken in, then discounted. The would-be killers were still on the loose Monday night.
''That the getaway vehicle was actually a boat was pretty bizarre,'' said Miami Beach Sgt. Robert Hernandez, a spokesman. ``It's a pretty convoluted case. Your average robbery victim doesn't get shot and thrown in the bay.''

Alejandro Gonzalez, 35, whose family owns two David's Cafes in South Beach, was recovering from emergency surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. He helps run both restaurants.
Most of the family had just arrived from a family wedding in Spain. The family's patriarch, Alfredo Gonzalez, 71, is still there.
''They're thinking it was a robbery,'' said Alejandro's brother, also named Alfredo Gonzalez, 40. ``His watch is missing.''
The clues on a scorching day didn't seem to fit, police said.

Gonzalez's family said restaurant staff had seen him Monday morning. In the early afternoon, he parked his Land Rover at Maurice Gibb Park, 18th Street and Purdy Avenue.
He said he was shot at the park and dumped in the water, floating with the current underneath the Venetian Causeway.
Detectives are looking for people who may have seen him at the park. His Land Rover was stolen, too.
Construction workers fished Gonzalez from the water at the west end of Lincoln Road. A white man and a black man had shot him and escaped on the boat, Gonzalez told them. He was rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson.

Immediately, police began scouring bay marinas. On Watson Island near the Jungle Island theme park, two men had docked and were loading their 20-foot boat onto a truck trailer when officers swarmed the dock, guns drawn, ordering them to the ground. The white boat, still in the water, had four fishing rods, sardines for bait and a casting net inside.
Police questioned the men and, concluding they had no connection to the shooting, released them.
''This was a lot of excitement for this marina,'' said Peter Daniel, 23, a water-bike company employee who watched the scene unfold.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez's own white boat was found docked behind the Murano Grande condos at 400 Alton Rd.
Detectives are also searching Gonzalez's condominium there for clues.
A third white boat was found empty at Pelican Harbor Park & Marina near North Bay Village. It was taken to Miami Beach's marine patrol station for processing. Who owns that boat is unclear.

Detectives on Monday evening were waiting to interview Gonzalez.
''We're anticipating that when the victim recovers, we'll get more information,'' Hernandez said.

Outside matches

2007-08-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

Now the outter leopard matches the inner leopard.

Camo

2007-08-04T17:12:00.001-07:00

I have to blend into the general population for awhile. Putting on the
ultimate camo.

Lucky Buckeye

2007-07-28T01:03:00.001-07:00

My lucky buckeye, given to me by a dear friend. At my studio giving me good vibes.

Congratulations Carrie!

2007-07-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

Stranger than fiction

2007-07-18T18:26:00.001-07:00

Almost done with another gold gilded trophy head. This one's head split is based on a pig that was born in China a few months back.

Goldie

2007-07-11T15:13:00.001-07:00

Try something new, gilding a head entirely in gold leaf. The inside of the ears will be painted as well as the eyes will be the blue glass eyes I normally use.

Cute or Disturbing?

2007-06-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

A small piece in progress. Trying to make it cute at first glance and then it is going to get a bit more distrubing as you look more. What do you think?

Says it all.....

2007-06-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure who (if anybody) reads this blog with any regularity, but thought I should post a thought. This picture kind of says it all. I need some $$$$$$ to help finance the future. To the point that I am starting to accept the idea of finding some part-time gigs. I guess being out in Hollywood may be good for some random jobs. Don't really want to find a 9-5 since it will KILL my studio practice. It's been a difficult pill to swallow, mentally. But.......... Someone need a Leopard spoted guy to hand out H2O on a set?

Color

2007-06-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

Applying the first stages of paint. Finished the priming phase and now onto PAINT.

More new pieces to be primed

2007-06-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

Piece in progress

2007-06-02T00:53:00.000-07:00

Studio shot of works in progress

2007-06-02T00:52:00.000-07:00

In progress

2007-06-02T00:42:00.000-07:00

Piece is ready to be primed. Base still in process of being finished.

Hottie

2007-05-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

Rachel got herself a new doo. I think it's pretty sexy, don't you think.

Thoughts?

2007-05-18T19:32:00.001-07:00

New drawing in the studio, a bit on the creepy side.

View

2007-05-17T21:24:00.001-07:00

A lovely sunny view from the studio door. Get to watch the sunset with palm trees in front.

First meal

2007-05-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

It's Official

2007-05-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

5 months into living & working in Hollyweird and I am setting into the WC lifestyle. My first pair of VANS ever!

Moving West

2007-05-17T14:24:00.001-07:00

Just a shot from the move to LA.

Spring

2006-04-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it's now Spring!!!!

Fist of Power

2006-02-17T09:07:00.000-08:00

My PIMP hand is now STRONG!!!!

Thanksgiving morning at JFK

2005-11-24T04:38:00.000-08:00

New work in the New Studio

2005-11-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

On Da Bus

2005-07-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

So, sitting on a bus traveling from Seattle to Vancouver. We, Rachel and I, are heading off on a 7 day cruise to Alaska with her entire family. I must say, we are both so excited to be going on this cruise since neither of us has been there. Also, it's going to be a whole lot cooler than NYC is at the moment. This is a much needed vacation for both of us, but especially for Rachel. Sooooooo, off to Canada we go!

Central Park

2005-07-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since I've written anything. Well, this shot was taken in Central Park while I was killing some time enjoying NYC's extremely hot weather. Since I last wrote, I've been to Milan for a show. It was quite amazing to be part of the show, Miracolo a Milano. It was held in the Palazzo della Ragione, which is an incredibly old structure that has 40ft vaulted ceiling and old frescos on the inside. They built an entire "gallery space" inside and free-standing, since the entire building is a landmark. It was soooooo cool to have contemporary art juxtiposed with the old world frescos and construction. Soooooooo sweet! Only wished that Rachel could have been there with me for the trip. Would have been about 100 times better and I would also of had someone to talk with for the 7 days I was there. Only problem with traveling outside of this country for me, I don't speak any other lanuages aside from Engilsh and louder English. Oh well...........

La Jolla

2005-06-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

House we stayed at in La Jolla for the week. Fantastic little surf town. Walked on the beach and got tons of son. What more could you want from a vacation? Stroller is my baby neice's. She is such a cutie. Glad that we got to spaend the week playing with her.

Da Meal

2005-05-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

Went through my cell phone and noticed that one of my pictures never sent. Well, here it is. Da feast of da beast. Peter Luger's is the place for some good old steak that will rock your world. Highly recommend eating there if the opportunity arises. Remember to bring a "fat wad" with you since no CC's are accepted.

Wonder Mutt

2005-05-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

So Adobe's grandparents bought her this outfit. They tought it was perfect for her, since she seemed to be the dog of steel. Up, Up, and away!!!!