work is play

reaping what i sow... proud of these projects that were sold, published, and tattoed...i feel blessed!

custom diptych skate decks

book cover

tattoo design

the fly pinay tattoo sketch

Been sketching a few ideas for a client's tattoo design. I went with this one out of the other roughs i came up with. I think it's strong and regal. I had to somewhat try to incorporate all the minute details they wanted, without losing the big picture and at the same time staying within these dimensions.

© mf urbi

born & bred

where am i from, i sometimes ask myself, where in the devil

do i come from, what day's today, what's happening,

a roar, amid the dream, the tree, the night,

and a wave, rising like an eyelid, begets

a day, a flash with a jaguar's snout.

--Pablo Neruda

from "the magellanic heart"

vigan, ilocos sur

hey pops

dear papa,

it's been a long, arduous two years since we found out about your ailment; not long after i lost paloma in my womb. still hard for me to believe that you're human after all--the consolation price for a life lived with gusto and brave determination. these emotions i have bottled up inside are too mixed up and raw for me to even express how much you mean to me. you have been our rock of gibraltar. you have moved many mountains and crossed many oceans for us to have the best life can offer. though we have  disagreed on many issues and shared the same stubbornness, i always knew that i am my father's daughter. i know you're proud of me even if you lack in expression and affection. and for that, you have my deep admiration for making life look so easy to navigate. and you got your "american dream"
-- here we are, my brothers and i, now living our own dreams. thank you for fighting and loving us unconditionally.  happy father's day!

i hope you will get through this battle. i love you. i will come see you soon.

us navy circa 1960s

his priced fighting cocks

us navy

cheeky

Here's a sneak peek of what i'm showing for Femme Cartel's Fashionably Drawn, a fashion illustration exhibit.  It took me about 3 days to finish...i love doing cutesy images so it was effortless to really come up with a concept. Just need to find a killer frame and it's finally done.

Ink & Collage on cold press illustration board

Opening and art reception Friday, July 20, 2012  6-10pm @ Roll Up Gallery in SF.

Book Cover

I just landed a book cover thanks to Barbara Jane Reyes, a prolific writer based in the bay area, whom i've known for a number of years and have recently been connected. Aztlan libre Press will begin a new Indigenous Voices Series that will be inaugurated by a chapbook by this talented writer called For the City, That Nearly Broke Me, coming out this summer.

Here's the image that was chosen. Stay Tuned :-)

Back To Innocence

mixed media on wood

© mf urbi 2011

in som nia

as long as i can remember I've always been a night owl. maybe there's something in the still of the night i find too quiet that i can hear my inner most thoughts come to surface. sometimes too much. it's when i get the million and one ideas that i can never seem to remember the next morning. i draw...finish a painting...read a few chapters...then lay in bed with too many baggage in my head. almost as if i want to troubleshoot every problem i've ever had and solve it right then and there like there's no sunrise the next day.

san francisco fine art fair 2012

In the last few months, Warehouse 416 Gallery in downtown Oakland have taken me in as one of their in-house artists, and in doing so, I've had the pleasure of being chosen to represent their gallery, along with Melanin aka Deadeyes and Jody Medich, at this year's San Francisco Fine Art Fair.

Fort Mason

chillin' productions & femme cartel

Thankfully, my calendar's been busy with art shows and events i've had the pleasure of being invited to. Though it took a long journey around the sun to have this consistency, i hope nothing but the best for my future...and who knows i may reap the financial reward as well. But for now it's definitely feeding my soul.

Here's my upcoming exhibits in the next 2 months: Chillin' Productions is a bi-annual showcase for artists and designers. I've been participating for the past 4 years...and it's definitely a good platform for networking. Saturday, June 23, 2012 8-2am Mezzanine 444 jesse st. SF http://mezzaninesf.com  www.chillinproductions.com

Femme Cartel presents Fashionably Drawn

art opening and reception Friday, July 20 Roll Up Gallery, SF

https://www.facebook.com/FEMMECARTEL

This will be my second show with these rad badass women, and my first in a fashion illustration themed exhibit. Looking onward! xo

***STAY TUNED FOR "I.MAGIC NATION"...OPENING IN AUGUST OAKLAND ART MURMUR***

Imagination

i'm in the beginning stages of my next project which is a conceptual exhibit along with 6 other artists, playfully called "I.Magic Nation" (think Imagination), conjuring thoughts / images of 70s 80s children's shows we have grown up with.

so far i've been doing "research", mostly looking at youtube videos, pictures, colors from 1970s kids tele shows like sesame street, 321 contact, vegetable soup, etc, which are probably the only ones that i relate to from the 80s. But more importantly, i'm so stoked!!!!

nostalgia

funny how the weather, much like the familiarity of certain aromas or a song, can automatically transport you in another place and time. i'm loving this heat in the bay lately...but can't help but think about moments with my family back home overseas--the happiest childhood i have left so long ago, yet still fresh like mangoes in my memory.