BASEBALL HEAVEN!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ladders #1

28 1/2" x 40 1/2"

acrylic on paper

matted & framed

$175.00

Ladders #2

28 1/2" x 40 1/2"

acrylic on paper

matted & framed

$175.00

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