the starving artist

has moved!!!

please continue reading the life and times of canh solo and frequent my new location on my official portfolio website!

portfolio: http://www.canhsolo.com/

new blog: http://www.canhsolo.com/blog

LIFE DRAWINGSSSS

some more

the one i did today is the best so far, but i dont have a pic of it :\

life drawing

life drawing

life drawing

life drawing

life drawing

life drawing

life drawing

life drawing (hella wrong forshortening)

1.5 weeks of class left!!

Yelp pisses me off

What’s yelp? “Yelp is the fun and easy way to find, review, and talk about what’s great – and not so great –in your area.” Go ahead, log on to yelp and search Chinatown in Seattle, WA. Chances are the first couple pages are all restaurant reviews and to make matters worse, Dim Sum is in its own section outside of food. For many people, the International District seems to generate an exclusivist ego for those searching for “secret Asian goodies.” And Yelp, well it’s the ultimate outlet for those Lewis and Clarks who brag to friends and families about their newly found treasure, to allow them to brag to an entire community. Although Yelp uses the term “review”, I find it increasingly difficult to understand it if each reviewer is awarded badges of honor such as “elite member” displayed on their profile page and avatar. What exactly dubs thy an “elite member” of a community review website? I had previous notions that those who are “elite” demonstrate a particular knowledge or skill of a particular craft. And to make matters worst, users have developed slang terminology for popular locations such as Uwajimaya, now sadly known as “The Waj.” No offense Yelp, I usually enjoy reading what people have to say, but I am never fully convinced of what any one person has to say on Yelp.

here are some statements ive copied and pasted from yelp:
“It’s “The Waj”.

It’s Ranch 99’s trendy, but sweet sibling. The sister you strive to become. “

sounds like this person has some unsolved family issues

“There are so many unusual items at the Waj as it is affectionately called by locals.  I love that you can get more than just asian food here.”

as i read it, unusual items = asian food

“Can’t read the asian writing, or, don’t know how to cook a specific product that looks interesting to you? Ask someone who works there. Most of the time I have had no problem at all asking how to use a specific  sauce, or how find things that I needed for recipes.”

asian writing? wtf?

“What kind of dork reviews a grocery store? This kind, apparently.

When I was a kid I hated Asian food. I refused to eat it under any circumstances. Eventually I became old enough to drink and one very intoxicated evening I decided to cave in and try yakisoba. Ever since then Japanese food and I have been best pals.“

you’re not alone, there are thousands of dorks reviewing on that website, if you didnt notice.

“This is the best thing in the International District.  Amtrak is located nearby and there are plenty of buses running in and out of this neighborhood“

you would want to get out of the neighborhood immediately after your trip to “the best thing in the I.D.”

“Not much to do in Chinatown/International District; Uwajimaya is probably the biggest highlight.“

i have to respect your decision, i dont agree with it at all though

im not dissing yelp on this, just the people who post on yelp (the louis and clarks, the exclusivists egos, mostly white people)

ps,

yelp offers to remove bad ratings for a fee (for businesses)

talk about extortion:

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/news/yelp_and_the_business_of_extortion_2_0/Content?oid=927491

another great post about why yelp sucks:

http://feedmedrinkme.blogspot.com/2009/02/problem-with-yelp.html

ive been driving myself nuts

with photography

for the past few months, i havent been able to capture anything significant or worthwhile

its always been like this for me, there will be a few weeks or months of pure energy, passion, and dedication

and then it dries up

like a rasin in the sun

i dont have any desire to take photos

and i lose it..or most of it anyways

ive always been a firm follower of technique and high-techniques

this goes for everything, im obsessive with being structurally adaquet and foundationally secure

i guess there are certain fears that restrain me from not worrying about it

but ive never minded that

until i felt like i had not much more to go

NOW! this is not a sign of ignorance or extreme confidence (cockiness)

it is a sign of worry..worry of plateuing

or even worse, a declination of skill

that fucking bothers me (some times to depression..i know, hella sad.)

but it happens

i forget how to draw or take photographs

not necessarily forget, but will undermine what ive learned

when i believe that my subconscious will be able to deal with the rest if my hands are unconsciously moving

and part of that is true for most of art making when youre “in the mode”

and this is where the best products usually comes from

a spontaneity in the course of your work

but there is also a level of awareness you must have in order to continue your pursuit

as artists, you must be aware..photographers especially

and an open receptivity to your surroundings that essentially “free” us from our binding presets

not aiming for a certain response or ambiguity

neither blocking or absorbing our environment, but simply responding to it

this is my personal cure to artists-block

(or photographers-block..i dont consider myself an artist yet..read the title, ARTIST IN TRANSITION ^_^)

i take my camera outside, without any preset, pre-imagined, pre-anything photograph in mind

simply outside interacting and responding to the environment through the viewfinder

and ive been getting some great photographs doing this

regretfully, when i do have a preset image, i rarely am able to capture it

unless all conditions are in my  favor (light, texture, figure, emotion, camera model*, lens, etc)

that wont be happening anytime soon

here are some images from today that i took with an open and clear mind

(i realize there is no solidified way in actually achieving an open mind or any of this, we are all individuals who prefer different methods)

but this works best for me

there is no real conceptual connection between these images (yet? (;)

contextually, they are all black and white and geographically identical in locale

final project 1

final project 2

final project 3

final project 4

final project 5

final project 6

final project 7

***these photographs will be used in my foundations class freshman final project at cornish along with others, finished product will be done in 4 weeks along with artist statement***

**also, i never undermine actual technique, so as much as i like to say i have to be aware and receptive to spontaneity…i am also hoping for constant control of my technical skills**

hello april! how you doing? where you going? can i come too?

spring is here! or is it? seattle always does this..but the forecast shows that it will be sunny all week

SEATTLE VS FORECAST

will the returning champ be able to outwit the forecast yet again?

im not sure

i dont feel like writing much either..

here are pics from today! (4/5/09)

(emphasis on spring time and cherry blossoms..last year, they bloomed too early and died from the funky winter)

cherry blossoms

danny woo community garden

danny woo community garden

danny woo community garden

danny woo community garden

chinatown bulletin board

chinatown recycles

chinatown

chinatown

officially titled "sakura hadouken"

but  i got around something that i shouldve been doing years ago yesterday

I always went to bookstores to read while i was in the book store
because im cheap and not at all interested in reading at home

but due to extreme boredom
i bought three books yesterday

1) tao of photography
2) how to be a gentleman
3) art and artifice: japanese photographs of the meiji era

they arent considered the hardest or most intellectual read

but its a start right?

it feels like its going to develop into a good habit this summer

im even thinking about buying a book case

i also got the chance to meet mark dacascos and photograph him for an interview with the international examiner (or asian weekly?)

the current host and chairman of Iron Chef America and one of the best martial artist actors along with Jet Li (go ahead, type his name into youtube)

mark played in “Double Dragon”, “Legend of Bruce Lee”, “Only the Strong”,  “Cradle to the Grave”, and hella more

having the opportunity to meet and photograph him is still settling in

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

photos from the week + more

im getting so lazy now, with 5 weeks left of class…im not sure how often ill be able to convince myself to update this thing!

Nismo 350z

Gregg

Maynard Alley

TSB WSP Service Project

TSB WSP Service Project

TSB WSP Service Project

Uwajimaya

Mikes Noodle House (TRY OR DIE)

chinatown

Chinatown

Justin

bw invert

golden star

rizal

four seas

viktoria morgun and canh solo collaboration

hw sketch of sculpture depicting mass

i got lazy on the legs, as i did on the sculpture.. ^_^ sorry viktoria

canh solo won the kreilsheimer scholarship at cornish!

maybe its a little too late to still be excited, but i thought i should include this as an update to you all

as a cornish student, i have the opportunity to enter a merit based scholarship show called “roll call.”

it is a chance to showcase and display your own work inside and outside of cornish to your peers and faculty

it is divided into each class within the art depart (seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen)

it is one of the few times we get to see what our peers are doing during the year

you are also judged on a merit/gpa based scale in which you are awarded scholarship money for next year’s tuition

only students with a gpa higher than 3.0 may participate

thats the jist of it? i think…

here’s an artist statement i included along with what i entered:

I am a freshman student learning the visual language as I continue to develop as an artist. Through Foundations class assignments, I am investigating the language that is being taught to me through ideas, construction, and photography. The photographic series are the exploration of space, motion, and light in which the image content embodies my own understanding and perspectives of the visual language.
By taking and organizing these photos in a set of series, I can further develop my concept within these integral components. Manifesting space through monochromatic imagery, motion through time, and light through color.
“Blacks and Whites” inspired through Foundation’s first class assignment, Notan design, distinguishes positive and negative space by limiting the use of color to a monochromatic color scheme, signifying the differences of light and dark through high contrast.
“Mapping and Site” is a site-specific project exploring line within the University Street metro tunnel where lines of architecture and people exist underground, beneath the city. A line is the connection of two concepts, the beginning and end. This is a line that is visual, literal, and conceptual, in which many singular lines of life come together daily.
“Line into Mass” is the construction of a tie through line materials such as wire and thread. The final piece is the representation of my struggles and worries of being an artist and wearing a workingman’s uniform, living and working within routine most of his life.
“Change We Should Believe In” is an unfocused image of our current president, Barack Obama. Which is partly why we should believe in him but also suggesting that we leave room to believe in ourselves for change. It depicts one of our most influential characters during our time in a moment of intense vulnerability and perhaps danger.
“Color and motion” is my most recent attempt at investigating the relationships within an image by applying unnatural colors onto a dynamic photograph, analyzing the changes through a sense of place and what the importance of color embodies, similar to the black and white conversion process.

blacks and whites (8"x10")

blacks and whites (8"x10")

blacks and whites (8"x10")

blacks and whites (8"x10")

mapping and site (8"x10")

mapping and site (8"x10")

mapping and site (8"x10")

mapping and site (8"x10")

line into mass

line into mass

line into mass

line into mass

***line into mass originally consisted of 12 photographs organized onto storyboard as a photo-essay, then chose to limit the photographs to 6 when entering into roll call, these displayed are not entirely in order and are just some random picks***

change we should believe in (24" x 36")

color and motion (8"x10")

color and motion (8"x10")

color and motion (8"x10")

color and motion (8"x10")

my goal in the end was not to showcase my best work, but to showcase these sets as a basic understanding, knowledge, and skill of the foundations within the artistic language and photography.

**all photographs are printed on Hahnemuhle photo paper (highest grade and quality of photo paper on the planet) with Epson Ultrachrome K3 ink (One of the most expensive liquids on the planet), both are archival and museum quality and will outlast 100 years easily***

if youve ever seen a photo that you had to have for yourself, i am now offering high-grade prints using these materials to ensure you recieve the best quality prints you can get

please visit: www.flickr.com/canhsolo to browse the many photos i’ve taken within the past years

www.canhsolo.com will be up shortly! (i know im so terrible at this)

its my birthday

not anymore

(continue from last post)

i look to my father in cluelessness

he begins to translate what she says

“ive missed you so much, do you miss me?”

…..yes

“i love you so much, do you love me?”

“………….”

im always hesitant to answer that question

as i think in my head

my other conscious breaks in

“why the hell do you have to think about this? shes your damn grandmother”

“not by blood though, i barely know this woman in all actuality”

i begin to argue with myself

all in a matter of seconds

“he does.”

my father answers for me

and im ashamed of myself

for ruining such a precious moment

over myself

a few more minutes pass as they begin to reconnect

this time i dont understand anything

ive lost myself at this point

she asks how old i am now

im excited for this one, because you know, its my birthday and all

“im twenty” i say proudly

“youre twenty?” my dad asks

my  mouth opens, this is the third year he’s forgotten my birthday

i sometimes think he is too proud to tell it to me to my face

but i guess he really does forget..

“…its my birthday”

“happy birthday..man, i dont have any money to give you”

“you dont have to worry about that”

my father tells my grandmother its my birthday in vietnamese

she speaks in english for the first time that day

“it your birthday? how come i dont know this, i cant remember” as she sighs in disappointment

i guess grandmothers are suppose to know these things right?

i feel even worse by now..

we arrive at the house, we pull up to the front door

my dad tells me to run out and open the door for her as he parks the car

we get there, i pray the door isnt locked, because i dont have the keys

its unlocked

she takes her shoes off and sets them on the mat outside of the door

“you dont have to do that” i say

she walks inside

im not sure if she heard me or even understood me

but at that moment

i took off my shoes as well

and set them on the mat for the first time

outside the door

last post before that last one

i updated you on the status of my quest to find my grams

mission accomplished

we reunited on my 20th birthday

and that birthday was the best day of my life

lets do a recap instead, i dont feel like sharing my guts on this with you

i woke up…

(fast forward to 2:30pm)

i’m on my way to pick up my grandmother from her apartment in chinatown

my last memories of her were in that apartment, i had no idea where the location of it was, but i knew it was in chinatown

and am not sure if thats the reason i have had such an attraction to the district

im sure its that and much more

were taking airport way instead of i-5

because it started raining

and my dad is a careful driver

he reminds me of it every morning

for my mile-long commute to the tukwila park and ride

where i park the car and ride the metro to school

were not talking, partly because im nervous

and him, im sure hes reluctant of this whole ordeal

Ordeal: A difficult or painful experience, especially one that severely tests character or endurance

why should this be difficult for him? what sort of tests await his character?

because this figure that we were minutes and miles from meeting

this figure, that i had been searching for these past few months

this figure, who i had felt so much guilt for abandoning

is the reason i was raised without a mother

she had told my mother to leave my father because we were broke(n)

dead broke, poor ass immigrant father with two children

ironically, that was the last time any of us had seen her

she left her as much as she left us

my dad told me he had let it go

“……………………its in the past”

we arrive, she lives in the downtowner apartments, just across from the international district metro tunnel

we park on the side, my father reminded me to give her the front seat

because that is a vietnamese tradition of respect

its still raining, i had been hoping for better weather for such an occassion

my dad is honking the hell out of the car

or maybe it seemed that way because of my nervousness

a short frame exits the door

she looks like my aunt from connecticut

just older

no cane, still has hair, holding a leather purse..

a few seconds had passed, i mustve been staring

i rush out the passenger seat and quicly offer it to her as fast i can

to get her out of the rain

she declines it in vietnamese

shes screaming in excitement as she gets into the backseat

i cant see her anymore..

but she grabs my arm from the back

and asks in vietnamese

the one question i understand so fluently

“are you canh? or bao?”

nobody ever gets us right (me and my brother)

“canh.”

my father and her exchange words in vietnamese

i dont understand much

just the excitement she has

and the calmness of my father

(continue later)

thirty is the new twenty?

wow, its been nearly a month since i’ve posted

i tried to convince myself it hadnt been that long, maybe one or two weeks at most

has it really been a month? time mustve gotten the slip on me

where to start, where to start..

im twenty years old now and reluctant to say so

i dont feel any different, but if i break it down into tiny bits of detail, im sure i can full heartedly (and proudly) admit to being a victim of rape…of growing up..

i’ve been raped by time.

im stuck in (a year long) line to become a full fledged adult in every respect

but im not quite there and cannot group myself as a teenager any longer

although i gave up those rights immediately at 18

people have been saying thirty is the new twenty for some time now and i didnt really understand where it had oriented..aside from sexual stimulation

or the fact that people live much longer than they did a decade or two ago (doubt this)

but part of me still thinks this is suppose to be much more than what it currently is

twenty had to be big in any individuals life ten, twenty years ago

it would be the hallmark of life..the stepping stone of maturity, gratitude, respect, and everything else

as if those in this age bracket now arent up to par..and they arent. (im an asshole)

i dont find myself being a superior figure in any regard but part of me worries that the mutual-ness of my friendships have sunken or have already vanished

im sure thats transitional within life, and i should have noticed this in middle and high school

but i had a good set of friends who didnt gossip (and partly because this is much larger than the spectrum of school)

im worried about the american quality of life

and the tangent of the ethnic-american quality of life

yes, it is a tangent..making contact at a single point or along a line; touching but not intersecting.

(i have come to realize how obsessed i was in pursuing the american dream

from being the all star quarter back in high school who dated the head cheerleader and then became prom king

to the black leather jacket greased hair bad-ass who dated the head cheerleader and then beat up the prom king

the best car

the best clothes

the best hair

the success, the tribulations, the respect, the fear, the sex, the purity

essentially being the main character of every american movie made from the 70’s to early 90’s

im not american

im vietnamese american

or asian american

just not american

this should have been introduced to me before entering school with those kinds of people i wanted to so badly replicate

because i wouldnt have drawn myself holding a white boy’s hand standing on the earth all those times

actually, we were all white

because crayola had only made the color “peach” readily avaialble to replicate skin tones in elementary school

i found it disgusting to use yellow or black

brown was too much of an amber red..native-american would be the closest, but there were none in my school

it wouldve allowed me to focus on much more important things

like shading or something?

but i am happy that ive made myself a product of the twisted oxymoronic/contradictions of early american culture) (that was just a side vent)

if thirty is the new twenty, then twenty is the new ten

and thats a damn shame

i could go on and on about how pop-culture has influenced the majority of my generation with this “fault”

but ultimately in the end, you cant blame shit on the media or the government without blaming yourself first

dont worry, alot has happened since that last month i posted

i will sit here all night until i update the handful of you who read this regularly and have been disappointed this past month