Horiyoshi III exhibition and new tattoos

These past few months had been very intence, not only for the daily job, but also for convention, exhibitions i took part to and exhibition i'm organizing for 2012.
On top of that, my weekly commitment to my Japanese Art History course and my yoga practice!
ok.....one thing at the time.....

Here are some pics of my last tattoos from Florence Convention (my god the food was gooooood!!!!! and the people lovely :) !!), ongoing work and my first face with spray paint on wall which im quite proud of to be honest, because ii normally do flat letters and i actually have fun with it!

Jam in Newcastle with the Girls On Top.......so good to see them !!

I did this today at Jolie Rouge, I really enjoyed it and this is one tough lady...first tattoo on ribs and she didn't flinch for 3 hours!!
Neck tattoo at Florence Convention
Forearm tattoo on Jon in Florence
Another Florence convention tattoo...have fun with this too!


Ongoing tattoo at Jolie Rouge....I'm doing more this week, no need really to post it, but i like it already! Thanx Gary, always a pleasure tattooing you...good taste and keep still all the time!!

This are some little eagles I had fun painting, i think i will sell some little prints soon so you guys can make your loved ones some nice presents! don't forget i still have some prints and scarfs for sale!.............. wink wink!

I did this one a while ago at Jolie Rouge and i really like it, just different from the usual gypsies...fun!!!



AND NOW THE HOOOOTTTTTT STUUUUFFFFFFF!!!!!


I kept it silent for months now, as any good supersticious italian would do, but I've been working on the organization of the next European exhibition of Horiyoshi III latest work. The exhibition will have a private view and opening on the 20th of March, to the public from the 21st till the 10th of July at the Somerset House in London.
The exhibition will be very different from what most would expect. There's going to be little about tattoos...well, this actually isn't true. I had been given the chance to choose a selection of pictures that will aim to give a feel of the meaning of KOKORO.
Kokoro literally means "the heart of things", and in the end it's the essence of what makes Japanese culture so unique. It always amazed me through the years how everything is so strongly linked together in Japanese art (in all of it's forms and in it's highest expression) as in the routine of daily life. There's always a recurrence of silent quaint respect and dedication in japanese art and traditional life style that it's hard to find in other cultures.
I studied and looked for years books of images and i knew that dedication, determination, focus, will power, were not the only answer or the name of "it". KOKORO is. I can't explain it with words yet properly, and i don't want just yet. The porpouse of this exhibition is to make you feel that vibration, very subtle but strong and constant, that is kokoro.
To "make you feel" there will be not only amazing photographs by Horikitsune and Horimatsu (some of them already published in Kokoro book by Kofuu-Senju Publications) but also examples of zen calligraphy by Horiyoshi III and 14 amazing kakejiku (painting on silk scroll) by the master himself. Last week I went to Alex Reinke (Horikitsune) and we opened and photographed all the scrolls and I was stunned by the beauty of them all.....so so so amazing.
For the first time we will have colour paintings too, and they are just beautiful. All the painting needs to be seen and appreciated live. NOT TO BE MISSED.
I will be posting more updates about the exhibition, so please come back......now i will spoil you with some cheeky previews of what you will be able to appreciate at the Somerset House next spring!






I just want to say how grateful i am to be working at such amazing project and I want to thank Horiyoshi III for that, and even more my friend Alex for trusting me and letting me be part of it.
I feel blessed.

Few new pieces and updates!

Hello peeps

so....i've got quite a few news...first thing first here's the conventions i'll be working at in the next few months...and so far confirmed guestsposts.....

4-5-6 november 2011 Florence Tattoo Convention

28-29 January 2012 Brighton Convention

7-8 february 2012 Guestspot at Milano Ink

10-11-12 february 2012 Milano Tattoo Convention

27-28-29 april 2012 Melbourne Tattoo convention rites of passage


I've also started some new pieces that i'm quite excited about and quite a few are lined up for the end of the month, so get ready cause there will be juicy new pics soon!!
here's some of them......



ANNNNNDDDDD.........

i was almost forgetting to remind you all of my 100% silk scarfs!!!!
Now you can by them on the SHOP page, along with my paintings and prints......





I apologise for the blog...i'm changing the layout so it doesn't look too good!
These past six weeks have been crazy......London Tattoo Convention happened and it was amazing!! I saw sooo many old friends and made some new ones.....

...i've got tattooed by Shion from Daruma Goya, Japan...after a week of not sleeping it was sooo painful but soooo worth it!!!

Ah.....I almost forgot!!!....we will have a new tattooist at Jolie Rouge working with us, he's name is Mario, please check out the shop updates on the link on the right.....he's very good.....WORD!!!

We had Adam Hays staying with us for a week and it was fun, specially after work ;)....

Meeting of styles in London last week!!! and my mega talented friend Peeta showed everybody how to do a piece in 3 hours that most couldn't even dream of!! You can see his work this week end at MONIKER ART FAIR..............

I will be leaving for Italy tomorrow afternoon for the opening of an exhibition i'm honored to be part of.......all the best artists i know from Padova and some from Europe, will be there....only one will be missing and missed.......
The exhibition is called URBANIZE ME and will be up till the 20th of November




here's a little preview of what i painted for it..........it took me a while, but i'm happy with the result! fingers crossed, people will like it too!!!

It's called Memories...it's a tribute to Jeos of course....I think he would have liked it....as usual all the flowers and elements in the paintings are simbols that have been used in the past.....i love to use simbols.......it's somehow very human.....


Hope you are all well and i leave you tonight with a video that at the moment I can't stop watching...the song just makes me sooo happy.....I love the london-ness in it......and it's positive......bring on positive and happy i say!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my6pB7iq4jY&feature=player_embedded


ok i'm off to do some yoga......night!

getting back to normal life is not easy but here we go!

well, here we are again!

these last few months had been crazy, in so many ways......i put together a few pictures of ongoing and finish pieces that i enjoyed doing...some painting to go on tshirts or printed....a video that really inspired me.....and a yoga pose that i'm close to do properly!

on going backpiece



this is on my buddie naomi....i did it a while ago and forgot to post the picture......



this is on my mate alex fakso which second book is out.......FAST OR DIE, check it out!


this will go on tshirts soon and will be available at Tattoo Jam in august and maybe earlier in here!


painting i did for Sunday service for Japan last april




and here's how to do it....
http://blogs.yogajournal.com/challengepose/2011/04/challenge-pose-compass.html

please check this video, it's about Neda.....and freedom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F48SinuEHIk

Randomly written thoughts of a sadly smiley young woman

For the first time i actually have a valid reason for not having updated my blog in over two months.
On the 25th of march i lost one of the dearest friend.
Jeos.
He was, IS, an example for me and always will be.
cheeky smiles and deep eyes,he had/has the ability to get the best out of all of us.
If i didn't met him i wouldn't have done sooo many things....graffiti missions to start with, tattooing in our living room all our mates, had not one job to survive but plenty more, crazy fast Vespa rides in the middle of the night, mad dances in public places and private ones too.....i missed for a long time watching Dirty Hands in our little bedroom, think about the future and see only our dreams and feel that energy that drives you to paint and draw that you can't control, when the ideas overwhelm your mind and your body and all you can do is keep searching for what in the end, could possibly satisfy your needs.
I think my heart and my brain are both refusing or just unable to understand what happened and i just live daily thinking about him, and keeping him alive in my memories.....i hear his voice calling my name, or my many names he gave me,and more than anything else remember that energy we shared in a tiny flat, and i feel blessed.
I look at the sky and feel blessed, i look around and i'm touched by the beauty of nature and of humanity in its best espression.....art. And jeos made some pretty amazing pieces of it. But to me he is a fellow, a brother, not just an artist...i don't see any of his pieces and paintings as definite, i saw and see the making and that walking along side of each other in doing something, pursuing dreams through mixing paint....the best of times the journey is more important than the destination, because you get to learn and evolve.
EVOLUTION is key, in everything we ever did together and apart. Each of our paintings and graffs is evolution, learning.......and that's just amazingly beautiful.

These days, my main presence had been the deep blue english sky, its puffed clouds and amazing sunsets...Elegant shapes of the victorian buildings in London distract me from the ugliness of people living in it.
I just wish we all slowed down and appreciate what we have and give ourselves the chance to have time to look for what we want and love, to SEE better.
Living fast makes you loose bits around that defined who you were in your rough natural shape and it's not always a good thing.



Thanx to you all my friends, for making my journey freaking awesome and beautiful.
I really love you. Ora e sempre.


"I am Jeos
Jeos is all of us
My name is Giacomo
See ya"
Mote Driiin



www.jeos.it

New Flash sheets!!

Hello guys!
I dont know if you have been at Eatspak yet, but here's are the new flash i painted for it!
At the moment they are only 3, but there's a forth coming and they can be all bought seperately as single sheets.
Once again the print is glicee and it's on Somerset velvet paper 225gms.....they are all A3 size and have white border around it.
To buy just go on the side bar!
thanx a lot!
claudia

xxx

Paintings.....

Too many things happened.......in need for a break, big time

Well.....the last 3 weeks had been crazy intense...Pens and Needles exhibition was a huge success, hundreds came and join us and it was so amazing! A mega THANX to Tina and Andrea and Phil at the London Miles Gallery, for making such a great event happen!
Eastpak "SOLO" opened aswell as it was amazing to see some guys i havent seen in a long time! like Maxime, the genius mind that created Sang Bleu magazine and his lovely sister!
I will post some pics about them and an amazing video of Pens and Needles!!

Work and that apart, my mind has been plenty busy with the tragedy that is afflicting still Japan......I don't think i have words for it, but only prays for it and really try to send all my love and good energies to Japan, for it to shine again soon.
To this porpuse, me and the guys at Jolie Rouge will be doing a Sunday service tattooing from flash we will be painting soon. All the money, from tattooing, and the sell of the flash themselves , will go to charity towards probably the Red Cross, and we are looking for other organization that can help to. As a tattooist that love and respect Japanese culture i think it's the minimum i can do to help.
Please follow the shop facebook to keep updated with the event...i think it will be on the 17th or something!

I also want to thank those who bought my prints already and remind you all that they are numbered 20 dragon and girl, 25 the lady of shallot and tudor girl!
So get on them before they are all gone!

The Opening reception of Pens and Needles at London Miles. 25/02/2011 from London Miles on Vimeo.

Pre order your prints and no shipping cost for ya....till next week!!

Ok, so....next week big opening of my solo exhibition at Eastpak Gallery in Carnaby Street! I will be selling prints also of my new set of flash that will be online only at the end of the show, so if u wanna see it pop down!! A bit differently then what i normally do, instead of selling by the set i will be selling by the sheet, so everyone can buy what they like and have it at home for themselves.....All the prints will be Glicee quality on Somerset Paper 225gms...i swear they are amazing prints!!...not like cheap digital, but archival quality....super sweeeet!!
So if you buy till next thursday the shipping will be on meee!! (next day delivery all of uk, 3 days rest of europe) and everything will be shipped on friday the 11th after the opening!
go on then, buy us a print! :) you see on the left all the ones you can get!




You are all invited!!!
Free Tiger beer, and my mate Clair will be djing for us ! should be fun!!

I also want to thank everyone who came down to the London Miles Gallery last friday....apparently there were more then 400 people!! It was crazy busy and amazing! Thank you all and thanx to Phil and Tina at the london miles!!

more news...as promised!

So, as promised here's one of those things that i said you should look out for and def go to!! It's happening this Friday in West London, at the London Miles Gallery...i already talked about these guys before as this will be the third time i take part to a show with them, difference is this time i've been well involved in getting some artists together from london but also from japan, spain, belgium, somewhere else im forgetting and america...i reckon it will be super good, so you better come along!! I also want to thank all the guys that took part to it (check out the list of amazingness!!) for getting back to me and show their support! ;)
The opening will be from 7 oclock with some live tattooing by Jolie Rouge of course and dj and all of that business!!
It will be fun, please join us! You will get to see not only beautiful paintings but also the process that tattooists go through to make your tattoos, starting from the initial sketch ending up with the photo of the tattoo...interesting innit!


Confirmed Artists: Shawn Barber, Claudia Sabe, Mike Davis, Matt Difa, Xam, Olli Bery, Daniel Albrigo, Holy Fox, Jeff Gogue, Tom Bagshaw, Alex Young, Shad, Jondix, Jee Sayalero, Gustavo Rimada, Cate Rangle, Estevan Oriol, Lea Nahon, Bart Bingham, Rico, Horishion, Issac Fainkujen, Nick Baxter, Nick Colella, Alex Binnie, Al Overdrive, Nicola Andrews, Michael Forbes, Kerry Evans, William Zdan, Adam Jackson.


for more infos check out the gallery page!
www.londomiles.com



sending my love to all of you out there....and let's hope spring comes soon cause these grey days are making me moody!!

OMG!!

Well, what can i say?? the last few months have been mad busy for this lady! So many things happened i can hardly think where to start from!

i'd say, from Brighton and Milan convention 2011.....I had a real good time at both of them, i saw some friends i didn't see in ages and some others i don't get to see enough, like Crez and Stefy that are always some of the best people i ever met, with the strongest morals about the industry and life in general and that are grounded and fucking real, not wanna be divas!! They know their shit but yet don't act like they are better then everybody else! Being next to them really makes me want to evolve and grow as a person and tattooist....dedication!
so to celebrate the end of the most hectic 2 weeks of the year here's a little gallery of some of the tattoos i did!



brighton convention 2011, thanx Karen!


Milan convention 2011
Milan convention 2011milan convention 2011


Also i had an article on Tattoo energy that i think it's still available on the shelves of your news agents! You can recognise it pretty easily cause (quoting Lord) the cover is propa bootilicioouss! Spot these hot pink pants




Thanx so much to Miki and Margherita for those 8 pages spread!! :)

In the next few days i will be posting some details about an exhibition i co-curate with Tina @London Miles....it's called PENS AND NEEDLES and it's about tattoos....it's a bit restricted saying it like that..... there will be paintings from tattooists and artists, stencils, sketches photo of tattoos and much more and even live tattooing on the opening night which will be the 25th of february, that's right! so make a note on your diary and drag your buttox down to west london to check us out! We have a real bad ass line up! trust me!!

More coming up, details about my Solo show at Eastpack Store in Carnaby street....still have to finalize some stuff and then i will let you know!!!


one last sorry for the long silence....pointless i know!