Update from Sarah Jane :)

It took me a while to get started and get all my invites accepted so I am only about half way done with the show. The process so far has been so awesome. It has opened me up to exploring new mediums and trying new ways of creating work that I had never thought of before. As an artist I am usually closed off to working with other people due to the fact that we must rely on each other to make the work happen. I feel like I have opened up and let go of trying to control everything all of the time and in turn it has taught me something about myself. It is okay to let go, it is okay to open up. Good things and good art may come of it. :)

Brianna Biddle

Brianna Biddle always had a knack for artwork from a very young age. It is only in the last five or six years that she has honed her skills and pursued an art career. Her work mostly consists of black and white portraiture created with acrylics or watercolors and ordered from clients on a custom one of a kind basis. We started painting together when we became neighbors in 2006, and while we have painted side by side before, we have never actually painted on the same canvas. After accepting my invitation into the show, Brianna and I decided that for this project we would utilize her skills with shading combined with my love for color. We are sure to make something gorgeous! Come check it out May 4th.

Matthew James Powell III (CLOWN)

 When I met Matthew James Powell the Third, I only knew him as "CLOWN" and was over the moon to be in his presence. I had always studied the graff mags and his work was regularly featured in a lot of them. I guess you can say he was kind of like a celebrity to me. Over the years our friendship grew and I was able to spend time with him and his crew making art, painting wall murals and getting to learn so much a long the way.

Matthew is a genius of many styles in the art world. He has mastered the art of graffiti, used his skills on the sets of films and commercials, created many beauitful works of fine art with acrylic on canvas, and now is a full flegged Tattoo artist in Tarzana California where he is making his mark on the art world a little more permanantly.

Matt and I have decided to create a small detailed work of art for the show, please come out on Fri. May 2012 to see it and all the others that will be on display.

Kym Bays

photo by Naomi Chavaro

Everyone who knows the Bays sisters,  knows that they love themselves some "bling." With that said, Kym and Kati debuted their gorgeous custom line of hand crafted phone cases in 2011 "KBling" and cannot create enough to meet the high demand. I myself own a few of these beautiful creations and I cannot say how many times a day I get comments on how sparkly and eye catching my phone case is. 

With this in mind, I decided to ask Kym if she would like to possibly create a work of art that involved her love for all things sparkly with my painting skills. We came up with a framed and bejeweled piece of artwork that honors another special someone who we both adore and who we hope would be proud of our piece. May 4th 2012 will be the debut of this work, hope you can make it!

Drew Milburn

Drew Milburn the prime example of how the choices you make can directly reflect the path you walk along in life. He has chosen to use his talents in positive ways and to take life seriously as a gift and to live in every moment presently. It took time and some hard battles for Drew to see this, but now that he has, he is living life to the fullest.

I first met Drew when we were both painting, drawing and hanging with members of the TITS crew. Now a full fledged member of the crew, he has been painting for 13 years and developed his skills as an artist. We painted a large mural together at Bill Wheels legal wall in 2003 and haven't painted together since. This collaborative project will give us the opportunity to once again come together and make a beautiful piece of artwork, one that someone will be able to take home and make a part of their decor.

To some, graffiti may be misunderstood or looked down upon, but I assure you it takes a lot of skill and artistic talent to be able to create letters and characters with aerosol cans of paint. I would say Drew is not only a graff artist but a true typographer with the way he bends, shapes and colors the letters to make eye pleasing words to display. Stay tuned for what we come up with, it is sure to not disappoint.

Jodi Lyford

I met Jodi as a youngster growing up in Santa Cruz. Her being the cousin of one of my best friends, we had a lot of group activities together, but only now have we found out that we have so much in common involving the arts.

 She surprised me years ago when I discovered that she was an amazing artist with not only watercolor or ink as her medium, but taking it to a whole new level with the art of tattooing. Tattooing is something that takes great training and skill as well as dedication to your craft. She has an eye for how a piece will wrap around the curves of a persons body and how things will look best integrated with other work. Jodi is part owner of Red Room Tattoo in Chico California and will be making more time to tattoo here in Santa Cruz California.

Our piece for the collaborative show will involve the detail orientated work of Jodi along side my cartoon-style women. We hope to make something that will be loved and cherished by a special someone in their home, office or business.