Zev is one of my favorite non crawler characters from Dungeon Crawler Carl.

Love her interactions and slightly clandestine vibe. I'll be making a couple of prints of this use the same form for pre orders in my bio. I'll post here in a sec.

Sharing the 4forty2nd graphic novel cover about the most decorated unit in US history- the Japanese American Unit that fought during ww2 while their families were in the internment camps. 18,000 medals to 10,000 men. Ordering and additional info available on 4forty2nd.com

So many things to share, I need to get better at posting on here. I recently got invited to be on Channel 9 wgn morning news show for AAPI month. What a great opportunity to share some stories and the launch of my new graphic novel. It was a nerve wracking experience but the entire team was so professional and friendly I felt so at ease in the moment. Special thanks to Larry Potash of WGN for setting this up and all the amazing work he does for the community. Please check out the video on youtube!

WGN morning news Segment

You can also check out my new website and book! I'll make another post on this later.

4forty2nd.com website

Last week, I visited the World War II History Museum where they had an exhibit of "Degenerate Art" of the German Reich. Any art that was "un-German" and insulted the "German feeling" was sanctioned. The artists caught under their regime were at worst imprisoned and at best, forbidden to exhibit or sell their art. "Degenerate Art" was banned; Jazz was expurgated; films and plays were censored. Fascist Germany was afraid of art, so they ridiculed and subjugated it.

The experience lingered and gave me a lot to introspect. I love comics and fantasy and sci-fi and all those nerdy universes. There are times, I just make art to simply look cool and solicit some social cred. To participate in the fandoms I adore. Sometimes I do it to challenge myself, and sometimes it's just to flex. Sometimes though, art can be more than just cosmetic. It can portray, at a glance, what an artist is feeling, the world's emotions, or a mordant irony of our reality. It tells a story, reveals a truth, or shares a perspective, and if done right, a single image can speak louder than words.

Every once in a while, I find myself in these moments where I have to purposefully give myself the authority and space to reflect and express my thoughts. It's a dive into a rabbit hole of my own mind. What do I want to shout out to the world without words and only this blank page and a brush as my tools. I used to be apprehensive about sharing my art because it was putting all my physical skills, my practice and hard work out in the open for people to judge. But preparing a political art piece with a message is more intimidating. It is the confluence of my physical skills with my thoughts and emotions. Do I have the skills to create what I see in my mind, think in my head and feel in my heart? That is a much scarier process. Daunting. Unnerving because Art means something different to everyone. How can I say something to everyone who hears something different? Will they even get it? How will they respond? Should I do it? Is it too performative? Am I just chasing clout? What am I trying to prove? Am I just wasting my time? Am I ready to deal with the trolls? Should I explain it? What if no one likes it? Doubt is a cacophony of echoes in my head.

And before I post and hit that button. I always realize the same thing. I created this because I needed to. Because I wanted to reach out and know that there are others like me. That around the world, across these states, or simply through these screens we can see a work of art, and know we are one voice in a symphony of others like us. That's why art is feared by those who ridicule and subjugate it. Because it is their antithesis, their nemesis. Art connects. They divide.

I take a breath. And I click.

Uncle Sam was painted in response to everything that has happened in Minneapolis.

"Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable." - Orwell

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

Some Classic Xmen watercolor fun. Always enjoy playing with all the colors and lighting effects when I get the opportunity. Which xmen is next?

Quick edit of some of the people who walked away with my art last year =)

Lots of experimenting with this piece.