Legal Tinder and IMPLANT!

Small packs - in progress

I like how international firework manufacturing is. Especially when one country’s industry churns out marketing material for different cultural region and neither necessarily understands the other. I see this a lot in vintage fireworks labels from Asia meant for U.S. consumers.

In the first image, I thought it was funny to reference the American Revolutionary War with Paul Revere but then call him a Tattle Tale (Tail?). Next is DAMN DEVIL - which is always joyful in a naughty kind-of-way. Finally the American West tropes - but this time focusing on a Johnny Appleseed-like baby-child gripping what is essentially a giant bomb. I was also thinking of that famous French marketing image for ham where the pig is slicing into itself. Very funny and weird how as consumers we are supposed to ignore the horror of self cannibalization and instead focus on the succulent meat.

New Fireworks series

See the evolving collection here. Unlit fireworks embody potential energy in its purest form. They are ephemeral, cross-cultural expressions of creativity, often exhibiting exquisite printing and ingenious design. As a child, I was captivated by fireworks. A significant part of their allure lay in the ability to hold this unpredictable object, fostering a sense of control and power over a potentially dangerous event. My journey as an artist began with fireworks. The limited ways to "play" with fireworks led me to disassemble my secret stash in my room, under the guise of "doing homework." I would combine powders and cardboard tubes to create new, imaginative charges. Despite suffering third-degree burns across my chest at age 14 (one of my nipples remain discolored to this day), it took nearly losing my hand to a steel cartridge filled with potassium nitrate and powdered sugar to truly learn my lesson. I had anticipated a shower of sparks, but the reality was far more destructive. With this series, I aim to capture the excitement I felt while handling my collection, and to evoke in others a sense of the joy and beauty inherent in vintage, hand-drawn labels.

Three Chairs

36” x 36” pen & ink and watercolor/gouache on paper