eyeone | seeking heaven

Patrick Martinez rocked this design for a limited edition Lost t-shirt released at the Lost Ten Years exhibition at Meltdown Comics back in '08.

Vasquez Rocks Natural Area & Nature Center
10700 West Escondido Canyon Road
Agua Dulce, CA 91390

More info here.

Fuzz & Fur
by Edward & John Harrison
markbattypublisher.com

When I visited Tokyo back in '09, I was way overwhelmed by the incredible abundance of characters of all sorts I encountered just about everywhere I went. I tried to photograph as many of them as I could and posted a selection here. However, I knew very little about the characters, their stories, or their meanings...

Therefore, I was super stoked when I got my hands on Fuzz & Fur, a book about Japan's costumed characters known as kigurumi. The book is a type of catalog/ encyclopedia compiling myriads of Japanese characters and their background stories. Stateside, we are used to seeing these types of creations at theme parks and perhaps schools, but as this book explores, they are widespread and proliferating across Japan. The book showcases costumed characters for everything from buildings and train lines to vegetables and velodromes. Fuzz & Fur is a fun read and a great source of visual inspiration.

From the publisher: "The adoration of mythical creatures and popular anime characters is nothing new in Japan, but kigurumi, roughly translated as “fur suit mascots,” is a growing pastime that is also a marketing tool. An oversized daikon radish, a skiing egg, a bear with an apple for a head, a volcano sticking out its tongue – these furry mascots wander the streets of Japan... Created to promote a prefecture or institution by honoring landmarks, local points of interest, regional produce, historical figures, civic institutions, and traditional folklore, municipalities have taken advantage of their citizens’ willingness to design costumes and dress up as these characters in a strange amalgam of hometown pride and cost-saving measures."

LeHumanBeing!

This wall (painted over the last two weeks by Cache, Eyeone, Skypager, & Co.) is a shout out to CicLAvia, cycling in L.A., and the cycling paths we need more of in the world. (Yes, those letters by Skypage are all hand-painted.) The wall is located along Sunset Blvd. in Silverlake. Ride on!

A fairly large, hastily stitched flick of the whole wall is available here.

Part of a new wall we just wrapped up with lettering by Skypager. More flicks soon!

These are my first two 'graffiti' sketches. I drew them circa 1985/1986 after watching Beat Street with my Dad in one of pre-gentrified Downtown L.A.'s historic film houses. (I think it was The Orpheum.) I have no idea what the crew I made up (DSR) stood for, but I have my theories...

Los Angeles Shave Ice Truck
losangelesshaveice.com

The Los Angeles Shave Ice Truck has been serving up awesome shave ice all over Los Angeles for a hot (cool?) minute. You can follow them on Twitter (@shaveicetruck) to stalk them and score one of the best desserts you've ever tasted. Disclosure: I painted their truck and will post flicks soon. Go!

From their website: "The Los Angeles Shave Ice Truck is here to serve delicious and refreshing Hawaiian style shave ice treats all over the Los Angeles area. Our shave ice is made with fluffy snow, not crunchy snow cone ice. All our syrups are made with real cane sugar and never with high fructose corn syrup. This is a real melt in your mouth, good to the last spoonful dessert. Shave ice is a no guilt treat: vegan, gluten-free, low calorie, lactose free, fat free!"

(Photo by Swank)

Bicycle Bread Company
bicyclebread.com

While painting today, this dude walked by pushing a big ol' cart full of bread. He hit us up about what we were painting, and in turn, we asked him what he was doing. It turned out he worked for the Bicycle Bread Company and was on his way to set up a pop-up bread stand. He kicked down a full loaf of freshly-baked vanilla spice bread, and all in attendance agreed: the bread was bomb! Check 'em out, good stuff!

From their website: "The Bicycle Bread Company was started in 2008 to serve families, faculty and students in the North University Park neighborhood with fresh bread made from fresh ground wheat... We are working hard to perfect [our] family recipes and offer the healthy, fresh foods we grew up with to South LA."

Tempt freight train (painted in 1999!) flicked a few days ago rollin' through L.A. by the notorious EricBMW. Still Top Notch!

Math and Physics Club
Jimmy Had A Polaroid 7"
Matinée Recordings 075
2010

Math and Physics Club is one of those bands whose music sounds the way their records look: melancholic, sometimes blue, but always with a bit of mischief. I saw them play this song last summer at Dolores Park in San Francisco and their drummer kept the beat on his guitar case. Mad twee!

Here's a lil' sneak peek of a wall i'm painting with Cache & Co.

Above: Street by Eyeone / Hoodlums by Panic

These are the sketches for a production the SH crew rocked back in 2004 at the now-gone Belmont Tunnel. Swank posted shots of the finished production over on the Seeking Heaven blog.

More flicks here.
Larger flick of the whole production here.

The UTI crew and friends celebrated the memory of Dash 2000 today. These are some photographs of a wall rocked in his honor.

Roll call (top to bottom): Cale, Kofie, Panic, and Fear.

Bike Talk Benefit
Saturday January 15, 2010
7:30 PM-Midnite | $10 Donation

Vlad The Retailer
4314 Melrose Ave. (at Heliotrope)
Los Angeles, CA 90029

Bike Talk's first ever fundraising benefit. Drinks, music, prizes, and more! Featuring art by Cache.

Bike Talk is Part of KPFK's Online Show Schedule. More info here.

Back in 2007, Seeking Heaven got together to rock a tribute to Tempt at a spot in Venice we've been painting through the years. Pictured above: Modem, Asylm, Panic, Swank, and Eyeone.

Larger flick of the wall here.

They Might Be Giants - Nonagon


Tenacious D - Classico


Tullycraft - When Georgette Plays A Goth

Cool video of some pretty nifty handwriting demonstrated by Luca Barcellona aka Bean One. (Thx for the heads up, Makaga!)

More from Bean here.

To bridge the last days of 2010 and the first few days of 2011, we decided to tackle a wall we'd previously painted that had suddenly become clear of debris and mud, doubling the surface area. Although a bit more may be added to this wall, I couldn't keep these flicks to myself any longer. I figured I'd post the mural as it looks today, and I'll post updates if any.












Bigger flick of the whole production here.
Flicks of the previous production on this wall here.

All this cold weather in L.A. reminds me of the first time I saw snow fall from the sky. Back in April 2009, I was out in Minneapolis with J.Shea and Codak for the opening of an art show we were in. On our last day there, lo and behold, snowflakes started fallin' on my head! (Guess you had to be there...) Anyway, the MPLS is fresh: lots of biking, cool art, good dranks, and rad people. (A special nod goes out to C-Rocka, Derick Tsai, and ArtCrank for reppin' Minneapolis to the fullest!)

A giant Zapatista peeks through the window of a speeding bus on Sunset Boulevard...

Finishing off 2010 and beginning 2011 with cats, chickens, and Zapatistas on Sunset Boulevard. Shot courtesy of EricBMW.