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We’re getting ready for the Erik Jones Solo Show opening this weekend. We hope you’ll be there.
For more info, check out the Gallery page or visit www.theirison.com.
South Florida, Dawg!
By Michelle
This weekend, Chris, my niece, Kirstie and I went to see fights in Sunrise, FL.
All in all, it was another good time:
- Kimbo Slice was exposed…but you have to be an idiot if you didn’t know that he was still an amateur. I’ve always been disturbed by the size of his paycheck compared to far more talented and experienced fighters. But I’m in marketing so I get it. Regardless, I like him and yesterday, he proved he deserved my respect. He was gracious in defeat and hopefully, the pressure of being the face of EliteXC will be lifted and he can concentrate on becoming a better fighter. And weirdly enough, my niece loves Kimbo!
- Hulk Hogan and his daughter were in attendance. In fact, when he entered the stadium (mid-fight mind you), everyone started standing and pointing in excitement. Ummm…am I the only one who thinks the Hulk is a complete piece of shit and his daughter is haggard??!!?
- Dudes in South Florida say “dawg” (for example, “Dawg, look at Brooke’s tits.” or “I’ll give $150 if Kimbo loses, dawg.”) more often than Sarah Palin says “maverick.” Somebody kill me.
- Chris loves the cracked out ring girls that dance around the cage. This was his favorite.
BTW…if you didn’t know, Bas Rutten, the master of the liver shot and Kimbo’s coach, rules.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3K-mrlYG7Y
It's a Brand New Day!
By Michelle
Come check out Chris’ “Fleet of Doom” piece in person at the Brand New Day Art Exhibit in Downtown Tampa on Saturday night.
And you can pick up the official Chris Parks baseball card. Yep, that’s right. Fun fact: Chris used to want to be a professional baseball player before the hip surgery at 14…and they say he was damn good!
You can read more about the show at www.creativeloafing.com.
But before that, (if you are between 18 – 24) you should definitely go to the live casting call for the Real World 22 in Ybor. We have a lot of friends that would make really good TV so I hope you don’t fuck up your chance.
REAL WORLD CASTING
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27th 10am-5pm
EMPIRE NIGHT CLUB
1902 E. 7th Ave.
Tampa, FL 33605
http://www.empirelive.com
Em-bear, if you are reading this, I’m talking to you!
Your vote matters…kind of
By Michelle
I’m painfully aware that my vote doesn’t really count (especially in Florida…thanks Katherine Harris) but it still matters.
The Electoral College may decide the election but it doesn’t mean we should abandon the entire process. Your vote is your statement. And while it might all be a big charade, it is our duty to make a choice…for the “tallest midget”…whoever that may be.
As Ron Paul so eloquently said (at his counter-convention in Minneapolis), “I lost my skepticism. I hope you lost your apathy.”
The deadline to register to vote in Florida is October 6th. You can register online at www.voteforchange.com or www.rockthevote.com and find your closest polling center. See you on November 4th.
Iron Fist Stuff
By Chris:
I was checkin’ out the new Iron Fist site to see if they had any of the newer designs up that I did for them and I found a couple sweet shots of my stuff on the homepage. First is a pic of the singer of the band Tokyo Hotel wearing the Cthulu/Kracken design that Jason June and I worked on way back when. In case you’re wondering, no, I’m not a fan of the band, but I recently saw them win the “best new artist” at the VMA’s this year, so I guess they’re kinda big-time. The other cool image on the site (which you can sorta make out in this pic) are some sweet, zombie high-heels that make nice use of the zombie vector I did for them. So far there are two of my shirts available, so go check ‘em out and buy one if you like ‘em. Below is a shot of the Geisha Head design I did that was also based on a sketch by Jason June.
Stay Brutal…Always
By Michelle
When I was 16 I saw Carcass at the Ritz Theater in Ybor City during the Heartwork tour (little did I know how much “street cred” it would give me over the years). But when I heard Carcass was coming to Jannus Landing for their reunion tour, I was apprehensive, for multiple reasons:
- I’m old.
- Venues with no re-entry are bogus.
- Sweaty, long-haired, sausage parties are unappealing.
- And the thought of seeing one of the most technical and influential grind bands of all time losing even one ounce of their awesomeness would be heartbreaking.
I’m not really into nostalgia but I do believe that some things should just be left alone. But luckily for me, Chris and the hundreds of other people in attendance last night, Carcass (even without their original drummer) killed it. Watching Carcass and Suffocation reminded me that really good death metal is TIMELESS.
But the real lesson I learned is that you should never abandon your roots. So I say to you what the frontman of Suffocation said to the crowd last night as he exited the stage, “Stay brutal, my friends, always.”
Yeah, I know this picture sucks. But I refuse to sacrifice my safety any longer for metal. It takes much longer to heal these days.
The Fleet of Doom!
Just completed a new piece for“Brand New Day” art exhibit for the Tampa Museum of Art. This illustration is being printed at 36in. x 48in. on canvas and framed for the show. I’m stoked on how perfectly the 5 top oil companies match the Voltron concept down to the colors of the original “Lion Bots”. Coincidence… you be the judge. Let me know what you think of this one and click the flyer below for more info on the gallery exhibit.
I’ve also, 13×19in paper prints available here They are printed on premium, thick matte archival paper, signed, numbered and limited to 50.
Know your enemy…
By Michelle
When I was in high school, my best friend, Mary, wore a Rage Against The Machine t-shirt to every show from Pennywise to Chokehold. Because of this, RATM holds a special place on my soundtrack of life and even now in 2008, they are still pretty cool.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYwzW2QFnwo
Don’t fuck this up. Vote Obama/Biden in 2008!
Welcome to Atlanta and MMA
By Michelle
This weekend Chris and I (I being Michelle) double-dated with my best friend, Mary and her husband, Alan at UFC 88 in Atlanta. For those of you that don’t know, I’m a “MMA nerd.” Ever since I was in high school, my friend Phil and I would rent UFC videos. Then in college, we would wait days trying to download K-1 and Pride fights from Japan. I forgot about it for a while. But when I started my new business, I was working from home. Working at home sucks because it is sooooo (with a million o’s) lonely…next thing I knew, YouTube reinvigorated my <3 of fighting.
So this weekend, I went to my first UFC live. All in all, it was a good time.
But I’ll share with you the moments that stand out:
1. The girl sitting behind me was a repulsive beast who sounded like a dying animal whenever she cheered. She would also spout out shit in spanish and the language never seemed so disgusting. Luckily, the DB next to her started telling her how “if [he] wasn’t married, she would be the type of girl he would hook up with.” This kept her busy for the next 1-2 hours…so maybe there is a god…nah.
2. There was a fight between Dong Hyun Kim (some Korean dude) and Matt Brown…Matt Brown is that guy from the Ultimate Fighter that they made out to be some badass motherfucker (even though he’s not) so of course, he is the crowd favorite. The problem is that the crowd chooses to chant “USA” not “Brown” and boos Kim after he wins (by split decision). This ignorant display of nationalism makes me want to puke and it’s the reason why the rest of the world is leaving us behind. Get over it fuckers…the Chinese gymnasts won gold and the Yakuza is way scarier than the Sopranos.
3. Throughout the weekend, there were well known fighters all over the hotel and I’m well known for not getting star struck. My level of apathy can actually be surprising. But it was Saturday night and I was catching the elevator up to the room when I saw Hayato Sakurai…all the way from Japan. I have to admit, I was pretty stoked. When I told Alan, he said that he worked out next to that guy in the hotel gym that morning. My friend kinda “trained” with “Mach”…fuck yeah.
Anyways, I’m going to start helping Chris keep this blog current. It’s hard to get him into any program other than Illustrator. Thanks for reading.
Tattoos, Surf Rock and Sweat Shops
Had a pretty packed labor day weekend that that started on Saturday after finishing a bunch of shirts for Vans and a new one for Iron Fist. First, Joshua Smith (Hydro 74) and I hit up the Tried and True Tattoo Expo in Orlando. Josh got some dope type inked on his forearm and wrist by tattoo artist and type master BJ Betts. I also got to catch up with a bunch of tattoo artist friends who were in Orlando for the weekend. Shout-outs to Jason June, Greu, Nick Stagall, Dave Cavalcante, Denise Pase, Dan Loose, KnuckleDown, Scott White and all the other dudes at the expo.
On Sunday, my girl Michelle, Emily Dwyer and I went over to check out the surf rock inspired art show over at the Vitale Gallery. The show was dope. Along with the great artwork, they themed out the space, had a live surf rock band and a bikini fashion show to put it over the top. Props to Johnny Vitale for another great opening. I had a small hand in currating some artists for the show. Thanks to Dan Loose, Rob Schwager, Mike Siezmore, Daryl Mosher, Gary Brickel, Greu and Sara Greubel for being in the show! Click here for some more photos from the opening.
After the Vitale show and eating way too much sushi at Samurai Blue, Michelle, Emily and My friend Matt headed over to the Sweat Shop art show at the Czar in Ybor City. The exhibit featured visual artists, Fashion designers, DJ’s and a few bands. Emily and I got wasted and partied like creeps while Matt and Michelle pretended to be civilized human beings. Props to Nessie for putting it all together. It was a great turnout. Filling all 3 giant rooms at the Czar is no small feat. Above are my three finished pieces in the show. They came out really dope. If anyone needs local large format printing check out Simple Living off 1st Ave and 11th St. in Downtown St. Pete. Great quality and nice prices.
