Nakashima Fine Arts - BLOG SITE

More baseball inspired art!

2011-04-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

My hat on TV!! My young friend Kazu scored some sweet seats (with his mom) for tonight's (May 7) Giants game versus the Rockies. Thanks to the World Series hat he was featured many times cheering on the Giants behind the home dugout. What a game! Another walk-off win.

GO GIANTS!!

Check out more of my baseball art at my website: www.nakfinearts.com and my Cafe Press Store.

More Giants silliness - in honor of the 2010 World Series Champions I made this hat for the son of a friend of mine who was celebrating his birthday at one of the Giants' exhibition games in March. It's a replica of the World Series trophy except instead of all the teams featured on the flags I put the names and numbers of the Giants players and manager. I liked it so much I made another one to keep. We both wore them for the opening series at AT&T park against the Cardinals in April. Boy, did we turn a lot of heads!! Everyone wanted our hats!

TEEN/AGER/ANGER/ANGEL

2011-03-15T16:21:00.001-07:00

I made this piece for the Silent Auction at my daughter's middle school. Fortunately, my daughter resides mostly in the teen/angel category.

10"w x 9"h x 1/2"d

Mixed Media

This year's calendar . . .

2011-03-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

Every year I like to design a calendar. More often than not it is a year-a-glance. Gives me the misguided impression that I can have more control over the passing of time if I can see it coming. Here's this year's calendar. As you can see I still have baseball on the brain after last year's thrilling post-season and the Giants winning their first World Series since moving to San Francisco in 1958. If you would like a copy of the calendar go to my website and follow instructions to download it for free.

The Power of Love . . .

2011-02-09T16:08:00.000-08:00

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." ~ Jimi Hendrix

Happy Valentine's Day!!

BASEBALL HEAVEN!!

2010-11-14T13:33:00.001-08:00

I'll take inspiration where I can get it. This fall it came in the form of my beloved SF Giants baseball team going all the way to the World Series - and winning it! In addition to thoroughly enjoying watching the playoffs and Series I attended the Victory Parade down Market Street in San Francisco with my daughter, sister, brother and some other friends. It was especially sweet to experience the celebration with my siblings. As kids we used to get packed up in the family station wagon and make the trek to San Francisco to watch games at Candlestick. We'd stay after to try and get autographs from our heroes - Willie McCovey, Bobby Bonds (with his kids en tow including Barry), Juan Marichal and Tito Fuentes. My brother even emulated the high leg kick of Marichal when he pitched in his Little League games. I was too young to remember the '62 Series but experienced their futile attempts to win the World Series in 1989 and "oh so close but no cigar" in 2002. The unofficial motto of the team this year was "Torture" - because of the ups and downs and close one-run games. It all came together in the end.

I've posted a couple of shirt designs in my Cafe Press store that express the happiness and pride I have towards my Giants. Here's a preview and a link to my Cafe Press store:

http://www.cafepress.com/NakFineArts

Bike Jersey design

2010-11-14T13:31:00.000-08:00

On October 16, 2010 I participated in the BORP (Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program) Revolution. The REV is an organized bike ride in Somona County and is the main fundraiser for this Berkeley non-profit. BORP executive director Kaia Burkett asked me to design this year's bike jersey. I was hesitant at first not having done a bike jersey before but took on the challenge. I was pretty happy with the way they turned out. I ended up also designing the accompanying t-shirts that went to all participants and volunteers. (bike jerseys were awarded to riders raising $750 or more) In addition to designing the jersey & t-shirt I rode the 50-mile course and raised over $2500 for BORP.

Click here to find out more about BORP.

TEEN ANGEL

2010-11-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

My daughter went from being a "tween" to a "teen" this year. I did this design as a card for her to commemorate the occasion. She's a good kid, all "-ANGEL."

Click here to see this design on a t-shirt in my Cafe Press store.

Fast Food/Slow Food

2010-04-07T21:07:00.001-07:00

This piece is called "Fast Food/Slow Food." It was created specifically for a silent auction at my daughter's middle school. The auction takes place on April 10th. If you'd like to place a bid you can email me. I believe the minimum bid is $75 (a bargain!).

Dawn's notes:

Ray Kroc - founder of McDonald's
Alice Waters - owner of Chez Panise in Berkeley and proponent of organic, locally grown, deliciously prepared food
It's good to have an understanding of where your food comes from and how it is grown
We should enjoy and have an appreciation of what we are eating

New Illustration

2010-03-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

I was quite happy with the way this illo turned out. It calls out some of the intricate detail of the entrance to the music building on the Mills College (Oakland, CA) campus.

Kitty Gets Artwork for Christmas

2010-01-07T11:38:00.001-08:00

Our Cat Cho-Cho received some artwork from Santa this year. . .

Note: When Cho-Cho misbehaves we blame it on her evil twin "Chi-Chi."

New Works from Nakashima Fine Arts

2009-12-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some items that haven't made it on to my website. Some of them are short runs of cards and books and other odds and ends. If you are interested in purchasing please contact me at dawn@nakfinearts.com

50/50 Book

Limited quantities

6" x 8", spiral bound, 28 pages

$25.00

I was in a group show in the summer of 2009 called "50/50." The premise of the show was to have the invited artists create 50 pieces in 50 days. There were 67 artists in the show. We were each given 50 - 6"x6" pieces of masonite and everyone came up with their own concept. My concept was to base each tile on a specific day's events and was created with one word done in positive space and the other in negative space. The chosen words, usually opposites were to convey the happenings of that day. For instance: Day 10 (5/27/09) was "FAIR/FOUL." (President Obama nominates Judge Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme court Justice. Raised in the South Bronx Sotomayor is a life-long baseball fan.) I was happy with the way the piece turned out and created a limited number of books with all 50 tiles so I would have a record of this project - and a journal of sorts of 50 days in 2009. To see each tile in detail and to read what transpired on each day see my older blogs.

50/50 Paintings

Coincidentally, I was working on a 50/50 project of my own before the above mentioned group show. For my 50th birthday last December (2008) I created 50 new pieces. Some of them were paintings on cardboard with the positive/negative, 50/50 theme. Some of them were inspired by the 2008 Election and all were reminiscent of the old WAIT/WALK traffic signs. I think my palette took its lead from the colors used in "The Cat in The Hat." Here's how they looked installed:

50/50 Paintings for sale

YES/NO

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

RIGHT/WRONG

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

OBAMA/MCCAIN

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

PALIN/FEY

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

PRO-LOVE/ANTI-LOVE

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

SAFE/OUT

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

HOME/AWAY

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

CASH/CREDIT

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

BULL/BEAR

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

JOBS/GATES

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

MAC/PC

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

ipod/MP3

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

JONAS/MILEY

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

FIFTY/FIFTY

12" x 10"

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

CONTROLS - red

14" x 14"

(4 - 6"x6" paintings)

acrylic on cardboard

$25.00

A couple of paintings were inspired by the images we watched during the

2008 Summer Olympics in Bejing

Bejing #1

30 1/2" x 15 1/2"

acrylic on canvas

$125.00

Bejing #2

30 1/2" x 15 1/2"

acrylic on canvas

$125.00

And a couple were inspired by time spend in peach orchards during my youth

50/50 Card Sets

ENVIRONMENT card set

Set of 4 cards

$6.00

BASEBALL card set

Set of 4 cards

$6.00

POLITICS card set

Set of 4 cards

$6.00

FOODIE card set

(KROC/WATERS - think "Ray" & "Alice")

Set of 4 cards

$6.00

CIVIL RIGHTS card set

Set of 4 cards

$6.00

Some other cards I've created recently

Drive/Bike/Fly card

"The human race is challenged more than every before to demonstrate our mastery, not over nature but of ourselves." - Rachel Carson (1907-1964)

Set of 4 cards (one design)

$6.00

Oprah/Limo card

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down." - Oprah Winfrey

Set of 4 cards (one design)

$6.00

APRONS

"Usu" apron

(usu is the name of the bowl using in pounding mochi)

Hand stitched fabric applique

100% cotton natural canvas

$25.00 (one left)

Usu apron detail

Baseball Diamond apron

Machine stitched fabric applique with buttons/bases

100% cotton natural canvas

$25.00 (one left)

Baseball Diamond apron detail

Mochi Mouse Club apron

Screen printed /100% cotton

White (w/adjust. neck) $20.00

Natural canvas $15.00

Mochi Mouse Club apron detail

50/50 Book available

2009-08-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

Limited edition book

50/50 by Dawn Nakashima

6" x 8", Spiral bound, 28 pages

$25.00

Contains images of all 50 (+ one) tiles along with the date and event that correlates to each tile. Also included is an image of the piece as a whole. The books are available by contacting me at dawn@nakfinearts.com

Installation complete. . .Opening on Friday!

2009-07-20T21:44:00.001-07:00

I spent a few hours in Pacifica today installing my 50/50 piece.

Here's a sneak peak:

There are 66 other artists in the show. The work is pretty interesting and varied. I think my piece holds its own pretty well. I'm looking forward to going back to take a closer look at the other work during the opening and when I gallery-sit on August 16th. If you go, my piece is in the East Wing, fourth one on the left.

I have a few more things to do to prepare for Friday's opening. . . then I have to clean up my studio!!

All 50 Tiles . . . plus one

2009-07-16T21:22:00.001-07:00

50/50 Show

Grand Opening - Friday, July 24, 2009, 7-9pm

Sanchez Art Center

1220 B Linda Mar Blvd.

Pacifica, CA 94044

Show runs July 24th through August 29th

Gallery is open Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays, 1-5pm

Come see how the other 66 artists interpreted the task of creating 50 pieces in 50 days!

Day 41 thru 50. . . 51?

2009-07-16T20:38:00.001-07:00

Day 41 - June 27, 2009

King Tut exhibit opens at de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.

Day 42 - June 28, 2009

39th Annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade

in San Francisco

Day 43 - June 29, 2009

Sci-Fi thriller Transformers 2 opens to huge box office receipts

Day 44 - June 30, 2009

Bernie Madoff sentenced to 150 years in prison for

bilking investors of $65 billion; guilty of fraud, theft, perjury

Day 45 - July 1, 2009

After 8 months, Democrat Al Franken is declared winner

of Minnesota Senate seat over Republican Norm Coleman

Day 46 - July 2, 2009

Unable to agree on a budget, State of California to start issuing IOU's

Day 47 - July 3, 2009

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin resigns in surprise move

Day 48 - July 4, 2009

The United States of America celebrates its 233rd Independence Day

Day 49 - July 5, 2009

Serena Williams defeats her sister Venus

to become the 2009 Wimbledon Champion

Day 50 - July 6, 2009

Last day of 50/50 Project. . . or is it??

EXTRA Day 51 - July 7, 2009

Michael Jackson's Memorial Service is televised

from Los Angeles and viewed by millions worldwide

Days 29 thru 40. . . .

2009-07-11T13:45:00.001-07:00

Day 29 - June 15, 2009

Supporters of Mirhossein Mousavi claim Iranian presidential election was rigged. Declared winner is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Day 30 - June 16, 2009

Foreign media are restricted in their coverage of the Iranian election/protests

Day 31 - June 17, 2009

Mass demonstrations continue in Iran to protest presidential election results.

Protesters claim election was rigged.

Day 32 - June 18, 2009

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says end protest ~

Warns leaders of mass demonstrations they will be responsible for bloodshed

Day 33 - June 19, 2009

Nestlé recalls Toll House cookie dough after E. coli warning ~

Jobless rates jump in May

Day 34 - June 20, 2009

Moody's Investor Service warns California that it will face a

"multi-notch" down grade to its credit rating if a budget is not agreed upon ~

New studies reveal schizophrenia & bipolar disorder share genetic roots

Day 35 - June 21, 2009

Father's Day ~ Summer Solstice

Day 36 - June 22, 2009

Michelle Obama is keynote speaker at the

National Conference on Volunteering and Service held in SF

Day 37 - June 23, 2009

METRO train crash in DC leaves at least 6 dead

Day 38 - June 24, 2009

In the Battle of the Bay, Giants beat A's in Oakland 6-3;

Giants win 5 out of 6 in season series

Day 39 - June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson dies of heart attack at age 50 ~

70's icon Farrah Fawcett dies at 62 of cancer

Day 40 - June 26, 2009

U.S. House of Reps passes landmark Climate Change bill -

must next pass Senate

Days 18 thru 28 . . . .

2009-07-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

Day 18 - June 4, 2009

60% of U.S. personal bankruptcies are due to medical bills –

more than 75% had health insurance

Day 19 - June 5, 2009

Randy Johnson wins 300th game as Giants beat Nationals 5-1 ~

Current web scam: Get $800 IRS refund by submitting bank info

Day 20 - June 6, 2009

Steve Jobs ready to return to Apple ~

Unemployment rate at record high (9.4%) ~

Bill Gates tells wealthy: "Give it away, you'll enjoy it."

Day 21 - June 7, 2009

Roger Federer wins French Open to complete a career Grand Slam ~

Billy Elliot wins 10 awards including Best Musical at the 2009 Tony Awards

Day 22 - June 8, 2009

North Korea sentences U.S. journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling

to 12 years hard labor for "grave crimes" - illegal border crossing

Day 23 - June 9, 2009

American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert publicly says, "I'm Gay."

Rumors of his sexuality may have influenced AI voting.

Day 24 - June 10, 2009

San Francisco passes toughest composting/recycling laws in the U.S.

Day 25 - June 11, 2009

Suspected racist opens fire inside Holocaust Museum in Washingston DC

Day 26 - June 12, 2009

World Heath Organization declares first pandemic of 21st Century

with spread of H1N1 Virus, a.k.a. Swine Flu

Day 27 - June 13, 2009

New film documentary "Food, Inc." examines where our food comes from

Day 28 - June 14, 2009

LA Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 4 games to 1, to become

the 2009 NBA Champions

Days 9 thru 17. . .

2009-06-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

Day 9 - May 26, 2009

California Supreme Court upholds Prop. 8 –

Gay Marriage remains banned in California

Day 10 - May 27, 2009

President Obama nominates Judge Sonia Sotomayor for

Supreme court Justice. Raised in the South Bronx,

Sotomayor is a life-long baseball fan.

Day 11 - May 28, 2009

California Budget Crisis – Many State Parks & Beaches to close

Day 12 - May 29, 2009

Troubled Bank Loans Hit Record High

Day 13 - May 30, 2009

Matt Cain improves his record to 6-1 as the

Giants beat the Cardinals 4-2.

Day 14 - May 31, 2009

Opposing sides of Same-Sex Marriage debate

demonstrate in Central Valley.

Day 15 - June 1, 2009

GM files for Bankruptcy

Day 16 - June 2, 2009

Air France flight 447 crashes in Atlantic en route

from Rio de Janeiro to Paris

Day 17 - June 3, 2009

Speaking in Cairo, President Obama reaches out to Muslims –

Osama bin Laden warns against alliances with Jews & Christians

First look at the finished tiles - Days 1 thru 8 . . .

2009-06-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

These are tiles completed for a group show I'm in entitled 50/50. I thought you might be interested in my work in progress. There are about 60 artists involved. The premise is to do 50 artworks in 50 days. We were each given 50 - 6"x6" pieces of masonite and layout instructions. My theme is "Current Events." Each pair of words is tied into the happenings of the day's events. Check back often to view my progress. The show will be at the Sanchez Art Center (www.sanchezartcenter.org) in Pacifica from July 24, 2009 to August 29, 2009. To see other examples of my work please see my website at www.nakfinearts.com.

Day 1 - May 18, 2009

Roger Federer defeats Rafael Nadal

in the Madrid Open, 6-4, 6-4

Day 2 - May 19, 2009

California voters go to the polls

to vote on Propositions 1A - 1F

Day 3 - May 20, 2009

Finale of TV Reality Show American Idol ~

Kris Allen takes the title over Adam Lambert

Day 4 - May 21, 2009

California Budget Crisis

Five of Six Budget Propositions Rejected by Voters

Day 5 - May 22, 2009

Foreclosure Sales Flood the Market ~

Giants’ closer Brian Wilson gives up two in the bottom of the 9th.

Giants lose 3-2 in San Diego.

Day 6 - May 23, 2009

Pakistan and Taliban battle for Mingora,

the largest city in the contested valley of Swat

Day 7 - May 24, 2009

Californians traveling less this holiday weekend

due to rising gas prices ($2.65/gal avg.)

and high unemployment rate (11.2%)

Day 8 - May 25, 2009

Those who serve their country and communities

should receive our utmost gratitude ~

First rounds of French Open

More progress on 50/50 Project

2009-06-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

C5 - Day 19: June 5, 2009 – Randy Johnson wins 300th game as Giants beat Nationals 5-1 ~ Current web scam: Get $800 IRS refund by submitting bank info

C6 - Day 20: June 6, 2009 - Steve Jobs ready to return to Apple ~ Unemployment rate at record high (9.4%) ~ Bill Gates tells wealthy: "Give it away, you'll enjoy it."

C7 - Day 21: June 7, 2009 - Roger Federer wins French Open to complete a career Grand Slam ~ Billy Elliot wins 10 awards including Best Musical at the 2009 Tony Awards

D1 - Day 22: June 8, 2009 - North Korea sentences U.S. journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling to 12 years hard labor for "grave crimes" - illegal border crossing

Work in Progress for 50/50 Show in Pacifica

2009-06-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

I'm already on Day 18. Here is the "map" to see the origins of each day's pair of words: (click on image to view larger)

A1 – Day 1: May 18, 2009 - Roger Federer defeats Rafael Nadal in the Madrid Open, 6-4, 6-4
A2 – Day 2: May 19, 2009 - Californians go to the Polls, Vote on Propositions 1A – 1F
A3 - Day 3: May 20, 2009 - Finale of TV Reality Show American Idol (Kris Allen takes the title over Adam Lambert)
A4 - Day 4: May 21, 2009 - California Budget Crisis, Five of Six Budget Props Rejected by Voters
A5 - Day 5: May 22, 2009 - Foreclosure Sales Flood the Market / Giants’ closer Brian Wilson gives up two in the bottom of the 9^th. Giants lose 3-2 in San Diego.
A6 - Day 6: May 23, 2009 - Pakistan and Taliban battle for Mingora, the largest city in the contested valley of Swat
A7 - Day 7: May 24, 2009 – Californians traveling less this holiday weekend due to rising gas prices ($2.65/gal avg.) and high unemployment rate (11.2%)
B1 - Day 8: May 25, 2009 – Those who serve their country and communities should receive our utmost gratitude ~ First rounds of French Open
B2 - Day 9: May 26, 2009 – California Supreme Court upholds Prop. 8 – Gay Marriage remains banned in California
B3 - Day 10: May 27, 2009 – President Obama nominates Judge Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme court Justice. Raised in the South Bronx, Sotomayor is a life-long baseball fan.
B4 - Day 11: May 28, 2009 – California Budget Crisis – Many State Parks & Beaches to close
B5 - Day 12: May 29, 2009 – Troubled Bank Loans Hit Record High
B6 - Day 13: May 30, 2009 – Matt Cain improves his record to 6-1 as the Giants beat the Cardinals 4-2.
B7 - Day 14: May 31, 2009 – Opposing sides of Same-Sex Marriage debate demonstrate in Central Valley.
C1 - Day 15: June 1, 2009 – GM files for Bankruptcy
C2 - Day 16: June 2, 2009 – Air France flight 447 crashes in Atlantic en route from Rio de Janiero to Paris
C3 - Day 17: June 3, 2009 – Speaking in Cairo, President Obama reaches out to Muslims – Osama bin Laden warns against alliances with Jews & Christians
C4 - Day 18: June 4, 2009 – 60% of U.S. personal bankruptcies are due to medical bills – more than 75% had health insurance

Please note: the above image is my conceptual work in progress. The actual pieces are being produced on 6"x6" masonite with mixed media (acrylic, paper). They are for sale for $50 each plus tax. Please email me if you are interested in making a purchase - dawn@nakfinearts.com. I will post images of the actual squares as they are completed. All sales need to go through the Sanchez Art Center.