be nice . thank you

some very creative, smart and funny art!

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:41:14 -0800

some very creative, smart and funny art!:

simple. i love it. HA!

Photo

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:21:06 -0800

currently

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:20:00 -0800

thinking.

invisible cheers to getting shit done.

aand someday, once i’ve gotten my shit together, dear Lord...

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:33:00 -0800

aand someday, once i’ve gotten my shit together, dear Lord hopefully soon, i will purchase this evil villain chair. i loooove a good piece of furniture. well being that my spot is rather small i guess i’d have to get a new spot first.. super doubt thats gonna happen sooooo guess ill just throw away… the bed..??? and sleep in the villain chair. what a fucking GREAT idea. done&done.

fantastic news!! i’ve managed to negotiate a flexible...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:09:00 -0700

fantastic news!! i’ve managed to negotiate a flexible workweek. Four 9-hour workdays with the fifth being a flexible half-day. Victory!

Of course, I’d like a raise (too???! i wish =P) but i figure free-time is just as valuable as another buck an hour. Plus, I’m living pretty decently- I make rent, I pay my credit card (psh…i guess), eat healthy, and buy nice lil somethin somethins here and there. basically, I have enough. i’m happy. what I don’t have enough of is Free-Time. Free-Time, that elusive beast.

well! whaddya know, now I got a good 4 hour block o’time arriving to me weekly…like a nice little present wrapped up in the mail.. except its different every week cause i get to do whatever the fuck i want!!!!!!!!! laksrjgarkaergkajkfasjkfjkf argh so gooood. the possibilities are endless: a whole lotta stuff, super nothing, lots of sleep, dog park?! dog beach!!, dr.’s apppointments so i don’t have to eat up my PTO, family time cause my dad gets every other friday off and my mom follows suit, hanging out with mike at the driving range, taking flights at at 1 or 2 instead of 6, it’s gonna be basically whatever i make of it. the best possibility of all: STEADY STUDIO TIME.

steady on my grind. sliding the brain power away from my 9-5 and slighty towards my own. i’m a hardworkin daydreamin happy camper =D

Photo

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:32:52 -0700

Photo

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:32:33 -0700

36” x 48” Babe Ruth, painted on behalf of the...

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:31:00 -0700

36” x 48”

Babe Ruth, painted on behalf of the Johnsons

SOLD

HELLO! Pictured above is a project I recently completed. Well what had happened was……I was contacted by my brother who told me an officer at his station was interested in having a custom painting done. He was already working with an artist but I guess that guy was just flaking on him?? Whatever it was for that other artist, that meant swoop for me. Swooped on it, emailed back and forth, work was more than do-able, verbal contract on the phone, and I’m drawing up the sketch that night. The only tough factor was the time limit: the painting was for his yet-to-be-born son, and the due date was approaching fast ( due to much time lost working with the first artist). I told him 6-8 weeks (super tight deadline!! considering full time work, oil painting, and just living life in between) but f it man, I aimed high.

the future father, Rodney, was great to keep in touch with and quick with the replies. Sent me pics of the baby’s baseball themed room, his thoughts, and many updates while I was working. It was a great honor to paint something for this very important place in his home. It was to hang above the bed of this child and I think that spoke volumes. I wanted to paint something grand, inspiring, and in a way watched over the little guy.

After reading up on my subject, I learned more about Babe Ruth as an American legend. Pretty much on his own since his parents were almost always working hard as bar owner/restauranteurs. He was kinda shuffled around, sent to boarding school, and inspired by a priest to pursue baseball. Long story short, he signed with the Balimore Orioles, then to the Boston Red Sox, got sold to the Yankees (which prompted the Curse of the Bambino, ha!), and kicked ass for the rest of his career. He was the most prolific homerun hitter and writers christened his greatness with nicknames such as “The Great Bambino” & ”The Sultan of Swat” (cue Sandlot, that movie was the bomb!).

So with that, I painted and painted and painted… stayed in most Friday and Saturday nights to work on this thing. Worked all day Sundays, literally allllllll day just to paint a pant leg. A lot of frustration on that friggin pant leg. Posted updates on Twitter. Went to LA, went to SF.. went back to the studio. Chugged coffee, couldn’t sleep, got blasted at work for not paying attention. Got everything alllllllmost done, very last was his face. it was really hard but I tried to at least capture that face, legendary and mythic. all in all, it was a great challenge. I love to paint, I love to have a reason to avoid the bar, I hate being stuck at work instead of painting!!!!

It took a total of 12 weeks to finish the piece. Rodney and his wife were very patient. Their baby boy was born healthy and beautiful in August. They named him Joseph and he was a teeny wee guy when they came to pick up their painting. He had on a cute Ohio Sooners onesie, booties and cap ;) They are perfectly doting parents and it was an honor to paint something for their firstborn son. It was so sweet to see them ask lil Jojo if he liked his painting, as they tipped up his little baby-ness to see….

WERD! it was a lot of time, grumbling alone in a room, avoiding...

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:52:54 -0700

WERD! it was a lot of time, grumbling alone in a room, avoiding good times happening elsewhere, and pure hard work. it was worth it. thank you emily, rodney, and little joseph johnson for the opportunity.

all things tetris will always be rad!

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:01:00 -0700

all things tetris will always be rad!

oui oui yes please

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:33:05 -0700

oh man, aren’t these hella cute? i’m not really a...

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:28:00 -0700

oh man, aren’t these hella cute? i’m not really a fan of those ultra-hip vinyl dolls, i mean theyre cool and everything, im just saying: not a fan. then i saw these hand-painted porcelain dolls created by Franz Porcelain + who worked with Lanvin, the frenchie oui oui fashion geniuses. mad cute and classy. I feel like buying all these, jacking my moms china cabinet, taking out (and gingerly packing away) all those wierd 15th-century-scene ceramics that every filipino family who was stationed in Japan has, and proudly displaying these bad boys. my kids will have no idea what the hell they are or why theyre so important theyre trapped in a glass case… but who cares! they’re cute!!

Photo

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:20:00 -0700

…and yup that one’s like me. all dressed up and ready to go,...

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700

…and yup that one’s like me. all dressed up and ready to go, then give Mitchy a hug goodbye… i probably won’t end up going to that party. i love my lil goggie <3!

let's talk about myself.

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:17:00 -0700

cause why not. it’s myyyy blog. nyah!

i’m annie, annie lou. annie who? that broad that doesnt ever say hi. from mira mesa? ya. all those things. let me explain, my name is annie. i’ll usually introduce myself as annie lou so that way my name has a chance of sticking better. i don’t say hi because, well, i suck in social situations. at the same ironic time i probably remember your name and last name as well, even if you’ve never told me (useless skill honed from high school yearbook staff ‘99-‘01). i go through stages of out-all-the-time and never-ever-out.. i’ve managed to whittle my time drinkings into a single bar in SD (shout out to 923! and that sexy dj that they call virus. greg, chris, and will: you guys are the shit. i’ll paint that collage on the wall. i’ll paint over those gaddamn kiwi’s drinkin 40s as a bonus, too. aaaaaand. the burgers next door make me fat & happy. delishimous!) ok back to why i’m an idiot: regrettably, i’ve spent the past 5 or 6 or 7 years being a major stoner so my memory is pretty zapped.. combine that with a buzz and damn, i reeeeally suck! just give me a minute, i promise it’ll come back to me. i apologize in advance for being socially slow. but honestly- i’m not that friendly but i’m a loyal friend. i like people, don’t get me wrong. i just am pretty standoffish, a quality i’m trying to tone down. why such a bitch, you may ask? easy: it weeds out all the pussies.

folks who think or have heard from someone that im a bitch.. guess what. i’m really not. i’ll invite you to my pad, we can get laced up before we go out with dinner and drinks and mary jane- or nothing at all if that’s more your lane- and we’ll have a grand ol’ time. my pad is in walking distance of downtown, there’s plenty of parking, and there’s 2 dogs to hug. i’ll always remember your birthday. i’ll paint you something for christmas (well i’ll at least aim to). i’m always on gmail chat for venting. if i were a super hero, i’d be Super Empathetic. i’ll be sad when youre sad; happy for you when you’re happy. pisces i tell ya, super sensitive + super creative.

more randoms that create me: i love coffee and cigarettes. cigarettes need to stop being so great, like NOW. my boyfriend is in healthcare and the kid is right… shit is baaaaad news. some day i’ll have luck ending my love affair with kamel red lights. he HATES my smoking vice and i can’t blame him. i win the worst girlfriend award for blowing bowls as soon as he’s out the door. i’d rather spend a chunk of loot on a plane ticket than on a purse, ANY DAY. but that’s just me. i’m pretty loner status; the life of an artist is inherently lonely. oh well… sitting in my sunny ass studio while i grumble to myself about colors and oils and matte and liquin layers is well.. pretty awkward for a third party that is NOT a dog. i love getting massages. pretty expensive but well worth the treat.. a lot of illness is created by stress and god knows how stressed the working woman is. i also have habitually bad posture and a good masseuse will alway straighten me right out. stand tall stand proud; we work hard to be where we are. i drink a TON of water. Pure Flo in SD isn’t as delicious as Poland Spring in NY.. but i like to pretend that it is. plenty of water is not-so-secret for great skin. back to smoking: it’s shitty for your face. i hope someday i can stop.

i work full-time in immigration law for my day job. it’s pretty cushy but it’s also pretty boring. i also took a pay cut this year : one of the wackest notions in employment. i’d absolutely rather have unpaid days off instead of a paycut. NO, i do not want to be a lawyer. i do like law, though.. currently trying to find a happy professional medium with my many interests. i am fortunate enough to live down the street from where i work. NO, i do not ride my bike to work. pencil skirts and bmx just dont mix. i love jeopardy. it’s, like, good for my self-esteem. i’m pretty lisa simpson status with needing to be positively graded on a constant basis. i’ve been out of school now for a couple of years now and i swore it would be a while before i’d get back in to it. i recently watched my best friend get her master’s and holy smokes i love that pomp and circumstance. i miss reading hard text instead of bullshit gossip blogs on the internet while at work. i am a big fat book nerd that loves to underline words for definitions, examine writing, and consider the year it was printed to check against the world’s history at that time. i love learning. i love being wrong so i can learn something new. i miss coolin out in the back and comin correct out of nowhere, surprising everyone that the silent high-looking asian girl in the back knows her shit. once i figure out how i want to apply my brains, it’s back to school billy madison style, this time not so stoned. [it’s cool, to pee, in yo pants]

i love nike. i love chucks- if you knew 7th grade to 9th grade me, you know wassup. i love levi’s. i love ross ;) i love ebay and vintage gucci. it reminds me of my mom (the vintage gucci part). i love streetwear (yes, curse the word) and it’s role; but guess what, im cheap. i’ve always intercepted my brothers old tee’s in the dryer to cut and sew into my own. a circa 1995 old hook ups tee is just a good conversation piece as the latest and greatest.. Plus, it fits just fine. i love sunglasses. i’d love eyeglasses but i’m super blind.. my nose touches it before i actually see it. any ‘cool’ frames pretty much turn into asian nerd coke bottles. holler at those red frames if you knew 6th grade me.

i love my boyfriend. probably a little too much. from the moment we met it’s been kinda like that.. sly punk had a gf at the time. super tried to front like i never asked (rolling my eyes). peace out you lying little fucker. then reappeared on a random tuesday and its been a bumpy road ever since. but that’s what we’re workin with! i watch him like a hawk even though he probably doesnt need to be. we definitely get stuck in our own little world too often. his name is michael, many people call him virus. i find this amusing because he has this street persona that is so opposite from his actual personality. he’s super quiet, super sweet, and really sensitive. (on blast!!!) don’t get me wrong, he’s a typical dude: sports watching, not listening, wrong thing saying type-a fella- but honestly this virus business is like Wow, wtf? in his trade, yes, he deserves that; but everyday, in regular life?? reedickulous. sometimes i feel like as folks call him Virus-he is perceived as this ‘Virus’ character and not this dude Michael. which is this wierd 2-way mirror- thinking like he’s ‘oh probably too cool guy’ when he’s actually.. super regular guy. at the same time his attitude certainly doesn’t help; i call him a music snob allllll the time. Mr. Where Do I Go To Bypass This Line (baby, there’s 2 people in this …’line’. just wait). Mr. Yea I’ve Heard That Track/The Track That Wassss Hot, Like, 7 Months Ago. The Bonafide Hater. SMH with a sly lil knowing smile, alllll day. of course he’ll always have this huffed up personality when it comes to music and djing. that’s his thing and he owns a part of it. and you can’t blame it when he lives in the silly, dusty borderland where his character name and his God given name meet. it really is a silly place.. kinda like some dusty reno with 1 building that has this buzzy neon light for the world’s best coffee and but it says world’s best dj (wow that pun wasn’t even intentional). i love you mikey but you ain’t savin the world. you save my friday nites, though. <3

i love to run. its the only moment in time when im doing something and not listening or thinking about anything else. except

when i paint. i love sitting in my studio and just buggin the fuck out. or chill in my room, sit on the bed, stare at the walls. idea bomb and im walking to the studio. you’ve probably seen me walking much like im in space because i’ve got this idea bomb exploding in my head that i am obsessed with. if you could slice my skull open and see my brain, it’d be this extreme idea machine that has all sorts of cogs and whistles and pulls and levers that don’t work so well but work just fine. kinda like a cool machine but its got all this crazy duct tape patching it up and bubble gum at the seams to actually make it work. i love to paint. i mightily lose my sense of time when painting. i paint all sorts of things… i haven’t applied a laser like focus on my style just yet. i paint people, i paint places, i paint things.. i paint moments i paint ideas…i do know that i like to paint for people. shephard fairey once said, no one important paints something just to match the couch. well shit, i do. not to say that im important but its what i do. to many, art is just this untouchable thing.. many are afraid to say what they like for fear of it not being ‘fine’ art or ‘cool’ art…but everyone does know what they like. if theyre lucky enough to live, think, sleep or breathe within any particular 4 walls; i want to be there to help you out. i want to paint what people want to see- whether to match their home, their mood; to capture that single moment that the hold close to their heart; or to immortalize that picture into something more than a digital photo. the saying goes: a cluttered home is a cluttered mind. i want to encapsulate the opposite. to take an idea, a notion that means so much to you.. or to take that something- by getting to know you, your space, and the ways you tick- that something that is you and translate it into something you can see… to kick start your days, each and everyday. i want to take that something understand it, recreate it, frame it…so you can go out there in the world (or stay right at home) and do what it is you seek to do. to do it right and to do it now. images and colors and movement and words mean so many things to so many people …that’s where i want to live- riiiiight in between all those ideas. everyone deserves art in their life. someday i’ll figure out how to get this rickety airplane of an idea off the ground. til then, im working for my boss and learning the tools of the small business trade.

wow, that was a lot of babbling. you totally read it! thanks . BIG GRIN =D

i’ll see ya when i see ya. ————————————PEACE OUT!

hiiiiiiii

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:10:00 -0700

hello to the 2 or 3 of you who will read this text. this may or may not be a point of interest for you: haven’t been blogging lately because 1.) i don’t do shit, and 2.) if i actually do shit i’m way too tired to go and blog about it. i’m queer enough to be on twitter so you can find me there pretty easily.

been just chillin at the pad, randomly trying to find the magic equation to tastefully store all my kicks, sandals, scarves, denim, cardigans and all my other bullshit in less than 1000 sq. ft, as well as furnish the joint with cheap findings on the local craigslist. there sure are a lot of wack looking computer carts for sale at all times…

also been at the studio as much as i can because i’ve got a nice little project to handle. gave myself 6-8 weeks.. now im at the 5 week point and had to seriously re-evaluate when & how i’m going to kill this thing. i’ll check back with myself in a couple weekends to either do some plane ticket congratulating or some serious self-loathing.

i’ve found: it’s hard to get work done at the studio cause sometimes i get bored and lonely when i’m supposed to be painting.. then again if people visited like i wished i’d prob end up distracted. the only difference would be 1 beer or 6 beers per painting session. i’ve found that either produces pretty damn good results, i just fall asleep immediately after the latter. ehhh who knows. i should stfu and get more work done already… !!!! 4th & Market. save me, make sure i ate something. beware of the 2 killer dogs. thanks, bye

100 new (&old) people to jock

Thu, 28 May 2009 13:39:55 -0700

click on the picture, silly goose. lots of people on this list...

Thu, 28 May 2009 13:39:00 -0700

click on the picture, silly goose.

lots of people on this list who you’ve heard of and many who you’ve not… hard working, smart, innovative, and creative people. jockin some companies, movements and contemplating/pondering my next moves. choose a new hero. I know I did! Dawn Danby is my new favorite hero. hooray for successful women!

via Kanye’s blog =)

em & zee

Tue, 19 May 2009 09:22:00 -0700

halo!

dis is a-MITCHY and-a dis is a-ZION. they’re quite the pair. matching fur even! seee??

i pretty much come home from work and hang out with these guys. its usually a stress relief contest between tickle fights or going for an hour long run. as much as i love the feeling of running, choosing whichever pathways downtown- ballpark, gaslamp, whatever- then running up and down the convention center stairs, and finally ending with some laughs to myself at all these hardcores doing superfast crunches on the ground…….. i more often choose tickle fights. tickle fights and the Rawwwr!! game.

Photo

Tue, 19 May 2009 09:18:55 -0700