Mechanic is a line art, cut and paste collage & photoshoped image I initially created for Draftsmen in 2006. Thought that the subjectmatter fit the theme for H+R.

This will be available as a screenprint for Hit & Run’s SOUNDCRASH Summer Party on Thursday, August 12th 2010 @ The Echo in Los Angeles. I will also be spinning a set of all records in the patio section.

INFO HERE

FLYER

Remy LBO

Peeling in the Drum Comical Cheating

Ink on Velum with Photoshop Halftones

Commissioned by Luke Mosling of Porter Records 

Porter Records Cd/Lp Release April 2010

Created this illustration late 2009 for the Porter records release for instrumentalist Remy LBO. It all went so smoothly from the initial email, to my quick turnaround on line art samples based on their interests. It was refreshing to illustrate again, especially characters. It has been some time since I’ve offered them for commercial use, but this was such a fitting project

I recently was invited via Juxtapoz to submit some of my artwork to the Uncommon Project. They produce and sell customizable mobile phone cases. You’re able to scale and rotate images from a vast selection of artists to get a composition you like on a mobile device case.

Currently they only have designs available for the iPhone case, but more cases will be available later. This is a bit different then the Gelaskins style covers in which it’s a hard shell- like composition and uses a Thermo-Active Transdermal Technology process to apply the images.

I submitted 3 designs that I felt were a bit different from my Gelaskins offerings. They are a bit on the washed/ lighter side yet still maintain my design direction.

Baby Minto, WatercolorTeck & Case Study Capsule Cases, available to customize & purchased.

Character Studies Zine | Edition of 40

Character studies is a long & overdue Zine for me to be producing. For those that know my history, I was rooted in illustration and character designs were my first love. It’s what lured me into painting characters on walls and eventually teaching me about my own creative side. Some of the characters date as far back to 1993, the year I started working under the moniker Kofie. I decided to keep the Zine non-chronological to show that even if there are years between drawings, there is still a tie in, a common denominator… a love for lines. Some of the faces may be familiar to some, as they are the original sketches to paintings I’ve executed on exterior walls. I was selective on my character choices here, but all in all I think this first showcase sets a good pace and introduction to some. Enjoy.

INFO:

Edition of 40, signed & numbered on back. 14 Page, 8.5 x 5.5 inch staple-bound zine with cover printed on found paper ( first 10 on ledger paper, the rest on green security paper). Your envelope will also include a sticker and a postcard from the past. Shipped from Los Angeles via USPS.

[ SOLD OUT * Thank you to everyone who made this Zine the fastest selling from the series!]

Jim Mahfood AKA Food One and I were asked to reproduce a mural we had painted for a Simpsons show at the Meltdown Gallery in Hollywood, California a number for years back. The piece would be made in high quality prints to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons.

I personally worked on the aura around homer, the bright colors surrounding him as well as and a number of the original cast of iconic characters.

This  was a blast to work on and I’m honored to have been asked to donate my talents for such an amazing franchise. 

HERE is the link to the collectors prints.

[Side Note]

This piece was actually painted earlier this year, just about the time I realized my camera had a time lapse feature, so unfortunately I didn’t realize how long the battery would last, hence the short video below.

Client: Hugo Boss

Location: Meatpacking District, NYC. 14th Street & 9th Ave

Medium: Acrylic, nylon twine, aluminum screw posts, recycled chipboard & wood.

I was commissioned by the Director of Visual Merchandising of Hugo Boss, NYC to create a unique window installation for their Meatpacking District Store. After a few weeks of sketches and modifications I came up with this direction for the window.

I wanted to keep my materials simple and reasonable to work with, so I went in the direction of a heavy weight chipboard. It was fairly easy to cut with the scroll saw and especially reasonable to paint. Since most of my work deals in layers and structure I felt the floating shapes might be the appropriate direction. Each piece is suspended by clear nylon wire that is attached by small metal clamps. For some support I also added 1″ strips of wood to add to the extension aspect of the shapes, similar to vanishing point lines. Aluminum screw posts were used to attach as well as adhere large pieces together. Keeping the posts visible was intentional. This look ultimately set an industrious mood complimenting the purple and grey tones.

Special thanks to Barblin, Lisa &  Geoff Howell studios for their shop space and assistance in assembling the piece in store.

Client: Delicious Vinyl  

Project: CD Artwork for The Pharcyde: The Bobby Evans Mix 

Back in 2008, Rick Ross of Delicious Vinyl commissioned me to create an illustration of The Pharcyde for a Bobby Evans Mix-tape. I was lucky enough to reference an old Adidas press photo of the group that has never really seen the light of day. It was perfect, especially since it was an image that represented them during their younger days. It was an honor to work with Delicious Vinyl on even a smaller project such as this. It was a nice turn of events for me personally, especially since I was raised on the Pharcyde and was very much inspired by Slicks ’ original & progressive cover art for the Bizarre Ride Album. 

I recently was approached by Gela Skins to submit some original art for their line. Gela Skins produces high quality removable protective covers to customizing you various portable devices. They feature stunning, photo-quality graphics ranging from fine art prints to contemporary urban images.

So far I have submitted two designs, Scorpio and Smoggy Air. Both collage heavy works incorporating found ephemeral paper, my line work and structural aesthetic. I felt that these works would fit the project, keeping my ‘Vintage Futurism’ design direction. Futuristic modern mobile devices wrapped with vintage paper in a structured collage assemblage.

The sight has such a wild range of artists work to choose from, and I’m right there alphabetically between Kandinsky and Kozyndan.

Buy them HERE

Client: Take AKA Sweatson Klank 

Project: CD Artwork for ‘Sweatsons Trajectory’  / A Future Roots Mix for Dublab.com

My second time around working with DJ Take. For this cover art I pulled a section of an existing assemblage that was on display in Seattle as well as in Los Angeles. I felt if set the mood for Sweatsons Galactic Neo Funk parade of recent & unreleased music gems. 

Tracklist and Audio @ Sweatson Klank BLOG

Client: Rockstar Games

Project: Midnight Club | Los Angeles

Commissioned illustration to commemorate the upcoming South Central Premium Upgrade for Midnight Club: Los Angeles, a design series directly inspired by the blockbuster racing game.

Client: PlayStation 

Project: PSP-3000 Skin | Los Angeles

Commissioned illustrations for PSP hand held game systems to represent my interpretation of the city of Los Angeles.

Client: Cory Shaw of Buildestroy/Secret History

Project: Ameish Video Backdrop for ‘Save Ourselves’

Location: Wilshire District/ Korea Town, Los Angeles.

Fall of 08

The hard working folks at BUILDESTROY & Secret History brought me on to paint an original backdrop for a young artist named Ameish. The backdrop was for his first video shoot for a song entitled ‘Save Ourselves’. The acrylic piece requested was a style I had painted before, loosely inspired by Native Indian Art of the Northwest and my own organic/ teck like brushwork. The overall piece worked great as the backdrop for the chorus and brought a whole other style to the overall video.

In January I was commissioned by my friends at The Red Umbrella Group to create a painting for the MICROSOFT ‘Softwear’ T-shirt launch Featuring COMMON and Biz Markie. Above are the pre party photos of the back-lit painting which was an acrylic on canvas.  Here are some event photos from Freshness.

 The table features laser cut imported tropical Avodire wood that is hand stained & inlaid into laser cut, powder-coated steel base with a smooth routed glass top. Each table has an interior shelf as well as adjustable feet. Each piece of fine art furniture is hand produced in Los Angeles & comes signed and numbered. Multiple color options are available for the bases. There will only be a run of 50 produced with this particular design, taken from my series of works entitled ‘Hands On’ from my solo exhibition at Transport Gallery in ‘06. All inquiries & orders can be made through 1028 Designs.comThis is my first produced Fine Art/Furniture piece and I must say a true stunner in person. The table will be on display starting March 12th to the 28th a Zero1 Gallery during my solo exhibition “Vintage Futurism”. 

H+R celebrated their 3 year anniversary at The Echoplex. ‘Continental Space; 1969′ was my submission for the event. White ink printed on Black tees all night.

Limited Edition 18″ x 24″ Fine Art Screen Prints of The godfather of Hip Hop: AFRIKA BAMBAATAA In the STORE Section Now

Client: Dublab.com

Project: Dublab Positive Projection Proton Drive Identity

Jeff Madrid of TRSRHNT  & I recently completed the artwork for The Dublab Positive Projection Proton Drive. We went back and fourth digging on various images and text as well as a set of original watercolors to produce a body of work with positive & inspirational value. 

We also produced over 300 f 1-off screen printed ‘Positive Projection’ postcards and a 2009 Calender featuring artwok form various artists.

There will be a Barack Obama Fundraiser on Thursday, October 16 at the Young & Jelinek store in the Los Feliz district of Los Angeles. I collaborated with Toni Young of Evil Genius on a limited edition Obama tee that will be available at the show (yes, that’s the design above). I also donated a medium size watercolor for the silent auction that will be available as well as works from many other amazing artists.

DUMBO is an incense company based in Kobe, Japan. All of the incense sticks are all hand crafted & come in a high quality package with 25 sticks. In late spring of 2008 I collaborated with DUMBO on this design based on one of my mix media collages of found paper with pencil and ball point pen. So far they are only available in Japan for 1,500 yen pack. I may be selling a few on the sight in the near future. 

2008. Acrylic & Watercolor. Curtis of Marvol Board Works commissioned me to paint his Skate shop, Covert in their Upland, CA Store. Signed a few books & had shish-a-bobs for lunch make for a complete day.

Client: True Radio865

Project: True Radio Promotional T-shirt Design

Ink on paper illustration & Photoshop. TrueRadio 865 commissioned this piece from me to be used as a t-shirt.  

2007. ‘Agenda Collage’ Found paper & Acrylic Ink on wood panel. Finished in a clear coat spray. 2 1/2 x 3 ft. Commission piece for the 2007 Agenda Tradeshow flyers, postcards and promotional material.

2007. Contribution of my street art photos & a commissioned hand written ‘Table of Contents’.  Restitution Press is a collective of artist who hand screen print on everything from paper to cotton. Limited edition Zines are their creme de la creme. each hand worked on in limited numbers. this first collaboration was printed on recycled issues of ‘Downtown News’ and showcases the works of Absent1, Ana Serrano, Andrew Hem, Damon Robinson, Dino Corona, El Bino, Eli Sipsas, Kiyoshi, Mike Hamel, Ryan Graeff, Sean Cassidy, Shawn McKinney & Smog City. Many Thanks to The Bandit @ Restitution Press 

2007. ‘Don’t leave me this Way’ Found paper & Acrylic Ink on wood panel. Finished in matte satin gel medium. 12 x 12 in. Original piece created for the FROM LA WITH LOVE compilation. The song, DJ Take feat. Gaby Hernandez song ‘Walk Away’.

Watercolor & Acrylic on paper

2007

Commissioned by Rime Magazine to produce a couple of  article illustrations for some of their issues. The two shown are of James Yancie AKA J Dilla as well as James Brown, both highly influential artists no longer with us physically. The Dilla piece was painted specifically for the article & James was painted live @ The Root Down several weeks before.

Layout by Jeff Madrid of TRSR|HNT

2007

Orko Eloheim | Forbidden Physics | One Cell Records. San Diego native Orko  Eloheim (Nephlim Modulation Systems) requested my services for this solo release which was intended to be a physical CD on indie label One Cell Records. From the last news I received, it will now only be a digital release. That was a bit of a sting since my man designed it based on a tri-fold jammie. I’ve mentioned many a time that i am not a pure graphic designer, so i need to enlist the experience of some of my very talented associates…. TRSR|HNT on the layout, text and conceptualization, myself on the found elements & original illustrations.

Watercolor Illustration on paper

2006. Tronic is a well established NYC based Multimedia studio.  Scrawl Collective artist Mr. Jago & myself were commissioned by Tronic to paint 2 identical 8 x 8 x 8 white cubes for Target. The short film was never aired on public television, but projected on 8 jumbo LED screens that move across the faced of a building at Victory Park in Dallas, Texas. The actual painting was executed on an abandoned airplane runway near Coney Island, NY in the fall of 2006 from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. Yes, I came home with the worst case of bronchitis.Tronic_Revolutions

2006. Was hired to age and distress a bathroom for a show called ‘Suspect’ directed by Guy Ritchie for ABC. I used american spray paint for the stencils and the rest is a mix of house paint and acrylics. I created a few stencils just for the gig. The owl logo is JAO’s. Last I heard the show is on hold. This is the second time I did some work for a show that gets canned or on hold. It must be my fault.

2006. Acrylic on masonite 4 x 12 ft. I was Commissioned by Set Designer Charisse Cardenas to create a painting for an NBC pilot entitled ‘The Singles Table’ staring Alicia Silverstone. The piece is displayed in the living room of a teck geek/aspiring DJ in NYC. Last i heard the show was drooped, but they did film about 6 episodes so there is sill a possibility of it airing. If so, this was planed for a thursday Prime Time slot. 

2006. Commissioned by SS+K to produce an inspirational mural for their conference room in the Santa Monica/ Venice District. The design is based off of their inspirational materials & felt it was best suited for an installation rather than my traditional paintings. The 3 canvases were digitally printed and I painted the wall itself to match.

Original Illustrations & Live Painting. 

Commissioned by Syndrome Studio.

2006

One of my favorite gigs to date + the first time my work was animated. The guys @ Syndrome were always interested in working with me on something and they felt this was the perfect opportunity. These cats are true supportes of my, including their own private collection of my fine art works. ‘Listen’ was filmed entirely filmed in Downtown Los Angeles,  the shoot took one day, the animation, one month. 

TALIB KWELI - Listen

 2005. Origional wheel disign for this Japanese Skateboard hardware company. The client wanted to incorperate my shapes, a Jeep & the 4×4 logo. It was a tuff fit, but it all worked out.

Illustrations used for Labwaste 12″ release on One Cell Records.

This is the second release from the Zwarte Achtegrod album.  A 12″ with 8 remixes. When Giovani (Subtitle) first showed interest in me adding a lil something to the album I was excited. I smashed out about 4 portrait illustrations of them based on Eric Coleman’s photos & just gave Sub xerox copies. I had confidence in his design taste & gave him free range of usage, pro bono. It was a treat to see what they did with them. Both Subtitle & Thavius Beck are so naturally talented & work very well together professionally and personally. It’s always an honor to provide my services to those cats.

Commissioned Pete Rock Illustration for Urb Magazine Article

Various markers & acrylic ink on bristol board

11 x 17 inches

2003