Edwin Ushiro, a Hawaii native currently based in California, constructs lively, vibrant scenes that often depict youths in adventure (and misadventure), offering escape during the winter months for those yearning for summer sights of yesterday. The artist, who works in the film industry as a storyboard artist, production designer, visual consultant, and concept designer, carries a cinematic, dreamlike vibe through many of these scenes. With one parent from Maui and the other a native of Japan, the artist has said they he sees both cultures as an influence. Ushiro was last featured on HiFructose.com here.
In a solo show earlier this year at Giant Robot 2, a statement described the process that leads to this work: “Working in a unique mixed media technique which involves laboring in ink and acrylic over sheets of Lucite printed with assemblages of his more traditional drawings and paintings, he creates reflections on the past that are luminous and nostalgic, like cherished memories burnished by the passage of time.”
And from his own mouth, Ushiro hints at the nostalgic and wistful elements of these pieces: “…every painting focuses on the point in our lives when you make a decision that cannot be undone and/or a decision that was made for you.”
Serge Gay Jr. offers a love letter to resort city Palm Springs in his new show, "P.S. I Love You," at Voss Gallery. Bathed in sunshine and a Mid-Century Modern sensibility, the works are a stirring blend of acrylics and graphite. “Popularized in the 1930s as a fashionable getaway for the Hollywood elite, the human-built utopia has become a haven for creatives lured to the vast desert as an artistic escape and source for inspiration,” the gallery says. The show, which begins on Oct. 11, runs through Nov. 2 at the San Francisco space.
Surreal and haunting, 
Chapel Hill artist